Today is the first day of FALL, and it is my all time favorite season.
Let me list the reasons why it's my favorite.
Birthdays:
Mine
Husband
His mom (RIP)
My mother (RIP)
Ringo the Dog
numerous Friends
Cooler temps!
FALLING LEAVES!!
PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES! (yes, I am one of those.)
HALLOWEEN!!!!
THANKSGIVING!!
Which means the huge new family gathers, eats a ton of food, drinks a great deal of wine & beer, plays hysterical board games (or maybe it's just the added liquids that make them so hysterical?), and (this year) chooses Secret Santa names. There really are quite a few of us, now.
And also, added bonus this year: OUR NEW HOUSE!!!
We don't sign till Tuesday, so technically, it's in the FALL! Husband and I have plans upon plan upon plans for landscaping, painting, decorating... I get so excited about all the plans we have, that I often lose sleep thinking about all our plans.
If you can't tell, this is our first (and only) house and for once, we GET IT that we can do whatever we want to this house. It's OURS and every loose screw, every drippy faucet, every hair-brained idea we get, WE. CAN. DO!!!
Also, we have the rest of our lives to implement every crazy idea. Ok, so the rest of our lives might only be 30 or 40 years, but, that's 30 or 40 projects!!! Or, if you're like us, 70 or 80 projects... :)
So, gaps in blogging? Look for me buried under boxes as we try to hurry-up-pack this place. In a month? Look for me in the middle of unpacking, 3 started projects, a bottle of wine and me, crying, because I will forget that it doesn't all have to be done right away.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Tracking my body size
Happy Monday, all!
One of the things I want to accomplish on this blog is to publicly track my body shrinkage. I'm not calling it weight loss so much, mainly because I no longer own a scale. Every few weeks, I take my handy-dandy pink tape measure from one of who knows how many sewing kits, and I wrap it around a body part and cringe at the number.
But, I've seen improvement over the past few months! The numbers are getting smaller!
I started out trying to measure every week, but that was crazy frustrating. Our bodies naturally fluctuate, and if you try to track your body every day, or even every week(unless you're on a SERIOUS regiment!) you're only going to be disappointed and discouraged, and possibly, give up.
Maybe it's just how I psyche myself out, but I only measure on Friday mornings. And I damn sure don't do it on a Friday near my period! I have actually seen my weight(way back when I had a scale) jump SEVEN POUNDS (7 lbs) from one day to the next, just because the second day was a super bloaty period day. The personal trainer my roller derby team had hired for some of our workouts wasn't surprised at this, and told me it was normal and NO, I hadn't gained 7lbs of actual weight. Just water. I'd be back to 'normal' in a few days.
Here's my reasoning for measure days being Friday mornings.
More than likely, I've been diligent during the week on what I do and do NOT stuff in my mouth. Mostly this is because I'm not co-eating during the day with my husband(who is a skinny-mini and does not need to 'diet').
Morning is always best because your body is the shape it's supposed to be when you wake for the day. By the end of the day, your spine has compacted and you've spread out a bit. Have you ever noticed how your clothes (and even your bra) fit just fine in the morning, but by late afternoon, everything kind of cuts in? Like you've bloated or gained a bit throughout the day? Or maybe you're a lucky duck and everything fits perfectly all day long. Whatevs. Try it some time. Measure yourself in the morning while getting ready, and then measure yourself again when you get home in the evening. See if there's a difference.
Now, I don't know about you, but when the weekend comes, I don't stay as strict with myself. I tend to drink more beer (and hey, it's football season again!) and eat more (and worse) food. There are many different factors for this, and most people know and understand them all. No need to detail those out!
So, I would have to assume that if I were to measure myself on Sunday night or Monday morning, I would not be as pleased with the results, thereby throwing off my mental progress, and potentially, ending my progress. I know that if I were to measure myself right now, Monday morning, I'd be disgusted with myself. I drank quite a lot of beer (nope, not 'light' beer, either) and ate terribly tasty 'bar food' while we watched football all day. Even right now, as I type, I'm not feeling great.
Earlier, I said publicly track my numbers. At some point I'll figure out how to link a chart showing the progress, but for now, I'll just have to do it manually. The tracker site I use doesn't allow for a report badge, just a weight loss badge. And, as I've said, I don't track my weight anymore. I linked to my page on the site. Feel free, if you're also on that site, to follow me, or whatever it is. Can't guarantee you'll see me much there.
I started tracking in late May/early June 2013. I measure neck, left upper arm, waist, hips, right upper leg, and right calf. I also track my clothing size, but that hasn't changed, so...
Here we go:
5/29 N- 18in 9/13 N-16.5in -1.5in
5/29 A- 16.5in 9/13 A- 15.5in -1in
5/29 W- 43in 9/13 W- 41in -2in
5/29 H- 49in 9/13 H- 47in -2in
5/29 UL-28.75in 9/13 UL-25.5in -3.25in
5/29 C-19in 9/13 C- 17.5in -1.5in
Wow. I hadn't actually looked at the math yet. That's 11.25 inches I've lost since June. No wonder my clothes fit better! Now, because the clothing industry is so lame, I haven't run out to buy new clothes. I must have 7 different pairs of pants, in various styles, and they're all Size 18. Some are too big, some are finally just right(no binding/cutting in) and some are still a tad snug/uncomfortable.
Oh, and please note, I am a lazy LAZY woman who hates exercise. So I haven't done any. No, really. My teenager comes for the summer, in mid June. I was trying some minor exercises before he got here, but getting up at 6am and making the furniture jump around due to my excessive bulk wasn't working out very well when he slept till noon. Now that he's started school and we're moving to a sturdier hardwood floor in our new house, I can get on track.
Who knows how many inches I'll lose when I for reals make an effort!
Hmm.. I guess I should mention what I have been doing. I try not to each as many glutens. Apparently, as I've mentioned in the past, I have (at least) a sensitivity to gluten. My favorite uncle had the medical tests done and he definitely has a problem. Not full out celiac disease, but it was making him sick. And it's hereditary. The various symptoms he described to me, I had all of them but 2. (i don't get a rash and I don't vomit) So, I decided to cut out as much as a I could just to see. Lo and behold, I lost 20lbs in a month! That wasn't my intent, as I had no idea it also contributed to weight gain. But I did feel better, over all. Unfortunately, most glutens are pretty damn yummy. I love bread. I love pasta. I love baked goods. I'm not terribly disciplined, so I haven't gone whole-hog on it yet.
But I do watch what I eat. And I try to avoid them when I can.
I've also started paying attention to portions. I read somewhere that a portion shouldn't be more than the size of your fist. We just happen to have little plastic containers we use when we make ice cream and they are the perfect size. Or, about the same size as toddler bowls. This has really helped me. And I don't often let myself have 2nds. And we've really cut back on our fast food intake. This is mainly because we're on a tight budget (buying a house!) so we eat the food we bought at the grocery store instead. You know, like you're supposed to. Speaking of tight budget. (and this part isn't really all that healthy) I also don't eat much when we don't have much money. In my deranged brain, if I just keep drinking coffee and water, I won't each as much. yeah yeah, starvation is bad, blah blah blah. I'm clearly not starving and I do eat when I finally get too hungry. The discipline part of this is, to not eat everything in sight or whatever the worst(read as tasty) thing in the house.
Clearly it's working, or I wouldn't have lost 11 inches in 3.5 months!
Next step, actual exercise!
One of the things I want to accomplish on this blog is to publicly track my body shrinkage. I'm not calling it weight loss so much, mainly because I no longer own a scale. Every few weeks, I take my handy-dandy pink tape measure from one of who knows how many sewing kits, and I wrap it around a body part and cringe at the number.
But, I've seen improvement over the past few months! The numbers are getting smaller!
I started out trying to measure every week, but that was crazy frustrating. Our bodies naturally fluctuate, and if you try to track your body every day, or even every week(unless you're on a SERIOUS regiment!) you're only going to be disappointed and discouraged, and possibly, give up.
Maybe it's just how I psyche myself out, but I only measure on Friday mornings. And I damn sure don't do it on a Friday near my period! I have actually seen my weight(way back when I had a scale) jump SEVEN POUNDS (7 lbs) from one day to the next, just because the second day was a super bloaty period day. The personal trainer my roller derby team had hired for some of our workouts wasn't surprised at this, and told me it was normal and NO, I hadn't gained 7lbs of actual weight. Just water. I'd be back to 'normal' in a few days.
Here's my reasoning for measure days being Friday mornings.
More than likely, I've been diligent during the week on what I do and do NOT stuff in my mouth. Mostly this is because I'm not co-eating during the day with my husband(who is a skinny-mini and does not need to 'diet').
Morning is always best because your body is the shape it's supposed to be when you wake for the day. By the end of the day, your spine has compacted and you've spread out a bit. Have you ever noticed how your clothes (and even your bra) fit just fine in the morning, but by late afternoon, everything kind of cuts in? Like you've bloated or gained a bit throughout the day? Or maybe you're a lucky duck and everything fits perfectly all day long. Whatevs. Try it some time. Measure yourself in the morning while getting ready, and then measure yourself again when you get home in the evening. See if there's a difference.
Now, I don't know about you, but when the weekend comes, I don't stay as strict with myself. I tend to drink more beer (and hey, it's football season again!) and eat more (and worse) food. There are many different factors for this, and most people know and understand them all. No need to detail those out!
So, I would have to assume that if I were to measure myself on Sunday night or Monday morning, I would not be as pleased with the results, thereby throwing off my mental progress, and potentially, ending my progress. I know that if I were to measure myself right now, Monday morning, I'd be disgusted with myself. I drank quite a lot of beer (nope, not 'light' beer, either) and ate terribly tasty 'bar food' while we watched football all day. Even right now, as I type, I'm not feeling great.
Earlier, I said publicly track my numbers. At some point I'll figure out how to link a chart showing the progress, but for now, I'll just have to do it manually. The tracker site I use doesn't allow for a report badge, just a weight loss badge. And, as I've said, I don't track my weight anymore. I linked to my page on the site. Feel free, if you're also on that site, to follow me, or whatever it is. Can't guarantee you'll see me much there.
I started tracking in late May/early June 2013. I measure neck, left upper arm, waist, hips, right upper leg, and right calf. I also track my clothing size, but that hasn't changed, so...
Here we go:
5/29 N- 18in 9/13 N-16.5in -1.5in
5/29 A- 16.5in 9/13 A- 15.5in -1in
5/29 W- 43in 9/13 W- 41in -2in
5/29 H- 49in 9/13 H- 47in -2in
5/29 UL-28.75in 9/13 UL-25.5in -3.25in
5/29 C-19in 9/13 C- 17.5in -1.5in
Wow. I hadn't actually looked at the math yet. That's 11.25 inches I've lost since June. No wonder my clothes fit better! Now, because the clothing industry is so lame, I haven't run out to buy new clothes. I must have 7 different pairs of pants, in various styles, and they're all Size 18. Some are too big, some are finally just right(no binding/cutting in) and some are still a tad snug/uncomfortable.
Oh, and please note, I am a lazy LAZY woman who hates exercise. So I haven't done any. No, really. My teenager comes for the summer, in mid June. I was trying some minor exercises before he got here, but getting up at 6am and making the furniture jump around due to my excessive bulk wasn't working out very well when he slept till noon. Now that he's started school and we're moving to a sturdier hardwood floor in our new house, I can get on track.
Who knows how many inches I'll lose when I for reals make an effort!
Hmm.. I guess I should mention what I have been doing. I try not to each as many glutens. Apparently, as I've mentioned in the past, I have (at least) a sensitivity to gluten. My favorite uncle had the medical tests done and he definitely has a problem. Not full out celiac disease, but it was making him sick. And it's hereditary. The various symptoms he described to me, I had all of them but 2. (i don't get a rash and I don't vomit) So, I decided to cut out as much as a I could just to see. Lo and behold, I lost 20lbs in a month! That wasn't my intent, as I had no idea it also contributed to weight gain. But I did feel better, over all. Unfortunately, most glutens are pretty damn yummy. I love bread. I love pasta. I love baked goods. I'm not terribly disciplined, so I haven't gone whole-hog on it yet.
But I do watch what I eat. And I try to avoid them when I can.
I've also started paying attention to portions. I read somewhere that a portion shouldn't be more than the size of your fist. We just happen to have little plastic containers we use when we make ice cream and they are the perfect size. Or, about the same size as toddler bowls. This has really helped me. And I don't often let myself have 2nds. And we've really cut back on our fast food intake. This is mainly because we're on a tight budget (buying a house!) so we eat the food we bought at the grocery store instead. You know, like you're supposed to. Speaking of tight budget. (and this part isn't really all that healthy) I also don't eat much when we don't have much money. In my deranged brain, if I just keep drinking coffee and water, I won't each as much. yeah yeah, starvation is bad, blah blah blah. I'm clearly not starving and I do eat when I finally get too hungry. The discipline part of this is, to not eat everything in sight or whatever the worst(read as tasty) thing in the house.
Clearly it's working, or I wouldn't have lost 11 inches in 3.5 months!
Next step, actual exercise!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
The silence is deafening.
Howdy all. How was your summer? Mine? Mine ended up being busier than I anticipated and therefore many of my normal daily tasks got shunted. Like this blog. :(
My teenager has officially started high school in WA. The silence I mentioned is what is left behind in my son's wake. Silence. No Minecraft. No conversations about Minecraft. No more watching other people online playing the game and talking incessantly about Minecraft.
Don't get me wrong, I miss my son every day when he's not here. I will NOT, however, miss Minecraft!
The house is actually pretty empty right now. My husband had to emergency fly to Atlanta on Saturday. His mother. She finally lost her battle with her terminal illness on Monday afternoon. He and his brother are handling everything, side-by-side. Messages and phone calls have been pouring in from her estranged siblings. If nothing else, it's brought most of them together for the first time in a decade.
In other, much happier news, we are just a couple steps away from finally owning our own house!! We're waiting on the seller to take care of some repairs and then it's ours! Three bedroom ranch house built in the late 50s. Hardwood floors, brick exterior. Front deck, built on woodshop, metal shed, fenced off garden area, next to a canal (water rights!), short trail to a big park, near the bus line, AND... three doors down from our best friends!!
I really need to back away from my enthusiasm. We don't have the keys yet!
I've been slowly packing. No major whirlwind yet. I'm also working on a locker-hook rug. Actually, I started it probably a year + ago, but now that we're going to have hardwood floors, I've stepped up my work on it.
We're going to drop cable and probably TiVo, or at least go with a lifetime membership, if they still do that. Husband never figured he'd have the service for as long as he has, or he would have done the lifetime thing from the start! We don't watch much that we need cable (and the bill!) for. And things end up on Netflix or various other websites, that we don't really need it. I'm perfectly happy with the local channels and the various PBS channels. And we'll drop as much of our cell phone bill as we possibly can. Consumer Cellular is great for that. He still has his BSU free bus pass, so that will save on gas, too.
If we really scrimp and save, I might not have to go back to full time work, just to afford the new house. I'll look into some work-from-home things and see what will work for me. I can do them and babysit for my friend, at the same time.
Well, kids, that about wraps up things in my life. Hope your summer was grand and if you're a student, have a fantastic school year!
Make good choices!
My teenager has officially started high school in WA. The silence I mentioned is what is left behind in my son's wake. Silence. No Minecraft. No conversations about Minecraft. No more watching other people online playing the game and talking incessantly about Minecraft.
Don't get me wrong, I miss my son every day when he's not here. I will NOT, however, miss Minecraft!
The house is actually pretty empty right now. My husband had to emergency fly to Atlanta on Saturday. His mother. She finally lost her battle with her terminal illness on Monday afternoon. He and his brother are handling everything, side-by-side. Messages and phone calls have been pouring in from her estranged siblings. If nothing else, it's brought most of them together for the first time in a decade.
In other, much happier news, we are just a couple steps away from finally owning our own house!! We're waiting on the seller to take care of some repairs and then it's ours! Three bedroom ranch house built in the late 50s. Hardwood floors, brick exterior. Front deck, built on woodshop, metal shed, fenced off garden area, next to a canal (water rights!), short trail to a big park, near the bus line, AND... three doors down from our best friends!!
I really need to back away from my enthusiasm. We don't have the keys yet!
I've been slowly packing. No major whirlwind yet. I'm also working on a locker-hook rug. Actually, I started it probably a year + ago, but now that we're going to have hardwood floors, I've stepped up my work on it.
We're going to drop cable and probably TiVo, or at least go with a lifetime membership, if they still do that. Husband never figured he'd have the service for as long as he has, or he would have done the lifetime thing from the start! We don't watch much that we need cable (and the bill!) for. And things end up on Netflix or various other websites, that we don't really need it. I'm perfectly happy with the local channels and the various PBS channels. And we'll drop as much of our cell phone bill as we possibly can. Consumer Cellular is great for that. He still has his BSU free bus pass, so that will save on gas, too.
If we really scrimp and save, I might not have to go back to full time work, just to afford the new house. I'll look into some work-from-home things and see what will work for me. I can do them and babysit for my friend, at the same time.
Well, kids, that about wraps up things in my life. Hope your summer was grand and if you're a student, have a fantastic school year!
Make good choices!
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