First Snow of The Year

Snow.
We don't get much of it here.
There was a big snow the weekend before Christmas, and we finally just got rid of the remnants. At the beginning of January, we had the longest lasting cold snap since the 70's.
Can you guess what we were blessed with?
Almost another foot of snow this weekend.
Being Canadian, I do like the cold and snow. It's just here, in the South, it's like Armageddon.
Everyone buys out the milk and bread, and they act like morons. It's a mad dash to the stores that brings everyone down from the mountains. Barely anyone can drive in it, and they don't prep the roads.
Everything closes down.

I have to admit, it's pretty though.

Body After Baby : Progress

So after a few rounds of disappointment,  I've finally made progress.
I got down under 200 lbs. Squee!! I've been bouncing between 198 and 199.
I think the combination of a cheat weekend and the impending "moon time" took it's tole on me.
It coincided with a planned shopping trip.
I was thrilled. I actually went into stores that I would normally never even bother with. I bought size 16 khakis at Old Navy ( I <3 Old Navy). They're already getting loose. At least I can still throw them in the dryer to get them to fit.

The question this week for the Body After Baby Challenge from MamaNotes.com is

What is your favorite healthy snack?

I tend to snack on carrots most of the time. So much that I just bought a 5 lbs bag of organic baby carrots at Sam's Club this weekend. If I'm craving something sweet, I go for Special K's 90 Calorie chocolate drizzle granola bars. They might not be the healthiest, but they fill the sweetness void.

Still no gym membership.
I'm trying to see if we can start running before I spend the money. I am doing Wii Fit Plus pretty regularly.

On a side note: Customers think I'm full of crap when I tell them how much weight I have lost... without diet pills or surgery.

So here is a picture from today of some progress.
I cropped it a bit since I took it in a public bathroom after work.
The pants, I bought a year ago and are size 18. I "shrank out of" them months ago, but I've not been able to find a pair of dress pants for work that I like. Yeah... I'm picky like that.

Demand The Boondock Saints 10th Anniversary Celebration!

Because we could all use Boondock Saints goodness. *grin*

View all Mount Airy events on Eventful

Hint: Nice Employees = Happier Customers.

Tactful.
That is what the employees I've had to deal with Victoria Secret are not.
Yes, I am fat. I have big boobs. But there is a nicer way to tell me that I can't shop at your store.
I measured myself as a 38DDD. I saw online that they carried that size.
We had a planned shopping trip and since I've lost 65 lbs since the last time I bought a new bra, I thought it was time for a new one. For the record, I was wearing my slightly older bras... the one I wore while I was "getting fat". I would look kind of funny wearing a bra that I could barely keep up.
So Saturday I walk in to VS and they insist on a fitting.
Sure. Okay.
The lady tells me that I am in between a 38 and 40. She brings me 40 and 42's. I even tell her that the 40's are way too lose. "Oh but they're supposed to fit like that. You just wear them tight because you're... uh... bigger". I knew a 40 would be a waste of money. They only go so tight around, you know?
I was mad and embarrassed. The employees didn't even let me look through the bras. It was as if they thought I was too stupid to manage that task.
I got the bra that kind of fit and left.

I ended up going back today to try and look for myself.
I returned the bra that I bought Saturday and the lady asked what size I needed. After her trying to make me feel dumb (I worked in the lingerie department lady, I know about the band/cup size stuff) she finally came out and said "Well I guess you're just going to have to shop at a plus size store, we don't sell that stuff here" with an extremely snarky attitude.
I replied with something along the lines of "Well maybe when I drop another 65 lbs they'll make something in my size"

I got my refund and ended up going to Layne Bryant.
No offense, but I hate that store.
Nothing my style and it kinda makes me feel like crap for weighing 199 lbs and having to buy a bra at a "plus size" store. I worked hard to get where I am, but still having to shop there. ugh.

They were a bit better there, but they still argued me on the size.
Once again, I still felt like a lose 40 band was worthless. Even though the 38 is snug, it will loosen up a bit. I also heard the sales lady tell another woman that. I started with a DD cup... and kept trying them on.
I ended up with a 38G. Both of the cashiers asked me if that was right.

I don't know. But it fits.

Friday Fluff: Help Send Diapers to Haiti.

This post is actually from Dirty Diaper Laundry, a great cloth diaper review site.
There is also opportunities to win diaper giveaways.
I thought I would share this post with my readers due to the recent earthquakes in Haiti.
Please take a moment to read the original post.
Thanks.

This is a message from Happy Heineys.  If you can’t afford to send funds, you can send diapers through Happy Heineys!

We have been very saddened to hear that due to the recent earthquakes in
Haiti in the Port Au Prince area, a couple of the orphanages we have worked
closely with over the last fews years have been completely devastated.
Through the years we have not only sent them diapers and clothing for these
babies but also toys and help with food.
When we work with any orphanage in any third world nation we work closely
with missionaries who actually travel to the orphanages and personally bring
our donations to the babies in need. We opt to work this way because sadly
we have found that when attempting to donate directly the goods do not
always arrive to the proper place due to the civil unrest of many of these
countries.
With this recent devastating series of earthquakes there is already a lot of
donations and requests for donations out there. Many are requesting items to
be given to the Red Cross which is a wonderful organization and will truly
help many people.
Unfortunately those many orphanages are on the outskirts of town and
therefore tend to receive less if any help. These orphanages are now in dire
need of new/good condition used reusable diapers. By us providing them with
reusable diapers we are ensuring that a baby who has just learned to sit in
not placed on a toileting pot for 10-12 hours per day in order to prevent
messes.
We are also going to take donations of new or good condition used baby
clothing and small items. Most often these items we donate are actually
brought over in suitcases so we need items that will fit in suitcases.
Again, there is a lot of wonderful support that is heading out that way,
people bringing food, water, medicines, and clothing but this is all going
to the main population. We need to get diapers and clothing to the
orphanages as quickly as possible.
If you would like to make a donation of diapers or baby clothing please send
as quickly as possible to:
Happy Heinys
1529 N Cuyamaca St
El Cajon CA 92020
please mark box for donation
If you would like to be so kind as to help out financially so that we can
afford to send out more new diapers and new clothing as well as shipping
costs and costs of extra luggage for those who are flying out to Haiti.
Please send any donations to us through paypal, please be sure to clearly
mark the payment in the subject box as Donation for Orphanages in Haiti and
select the Personal option for sending the money so there is no extra
charges applied.
You can send funds through paypal to: lbyerline@cox.net
You can send funds using a credit card or cash. If you would like to send
checks please mail them to the above address and make the check out to Happy
Heinys but please make sure the subject is clearly marked as Donation for
Orphanages.
All funds collected will solely be used for purchasing of new items and the
costs of shipping. Any left over funds will be directly donated to those in
need.
Thank you for helping us to carry on our mission to insure that as many
babies as possible have dry cloth on their bottoms, clean clothes to wear,
and food in their belly.
Cheers,
Linda Byerline CEO
MLB Industries Inc
www.happyheinys.com
www.babyfrenzy.com

Please don't think that I am using Dirty Diaper Laundry's content as my own.
I encourage you to visit the site.

Body After Baby 2010 : My Motivation

We were asked this week what our motivation was to lose weight.
I've thought about this many times. In fact I've blogged the subject before.

The short answer: The kids.

I will be happier and healthier. Hopefully the kids will see my healthier choices as "normal" and not have to struggle with the weight and self image issues as I have. Yesterday afternoon it was nice outside and Brandon had to talk to his boss. They have a huge fenced in parking lot so the kids and I played a 15 minute game of tag. It was great to be able to keep up with them. Six months ago, I would be winded just walking up the small hill to my mother in law's.

So how have I been doing?
B-A-D
I know, I know. You're thinking "She's exaggerating."
I gained 4 pounds... Since Saturday.
I gave myself a cheat night this weekend, and I binged. Then I was afraid to weigh myself. So I finished off the chips that I started the night before. It wasn't pretty. I realized that I was eating more products with soy in it, and had started back the diet soda habit. I've also run out of vitamins and have felt run down.


I am scared that I might have messed up my metabolism by eating a reduced calorie diet for so long.
At the weight loss clinic that my husband and I went to, we had to have a high calorie week every third week. Maybe after this bad week I will be back on track.

On the positive side, I bought Wii Fit Plus and have done it 30 minutes a day.

As part of the Body After Baby Challenge on MamaNotes.com, we're doing weekly mini-challenges.
This week's?
How many days this week can we do some physical activity.

Check back next week to see how I've done, and in the mean time visit some of the other moms and leave them some words of encouragement.

Beating the Cravings: My "Diet" Pizza

I am a pizza nut.
I could eat pizza 24/7.
Guess that explains why I weigh as much as I do.
In all honesty, it's my downfall.  When I go off my diet and end up binging, it's on pizza. When it's my "blessed moon time", I crave pizza.
I was eating Lean Cuisine's microwave pizzas for a while but a few things bothered me. First off, they are kind of high in calories, carbs and cheese. I hate cheese. I am the weird chick who orders pizza at pizza hut without cheese. Oh, and they have to be microwaved.  I really try to avoid microwaves if at all possible.

I found a recipe for pizza dough made from flax seed. Errr. I am a picky eater. I don't think I could have handled the taste. Then, I got this bright idea to use a "low carb" wrap. I tried to find a low-ish sugar pizza sauce but haven't found anything yet. Peperoni is kind of high in fat. I think I'm going to just use ham from now on. I am trying to fit more fibre into my diet, so this helps.

So I take my wrap, and fold it in half. I could use half of it, and reduce some of the calories and carbs, but I like the extra "crust". I used 1/8 of a cup of sauce and 1/2 oz of pepperoni. I tried it with some cut up ham for supper. I really think I'm going to switch out the pepperoni for the ham. It gives me 2 more grams of carbs and 6 more grams of protein, but less calories and fat.




Here's the run down of the "pizza" I had for dinner
1 Toufayan Low Carb Wrap
1/8 cup of Great Value Pizza Sauce
1/2 oz Hormel Pepperoni
2 slices of Lowes Food Baked Ham








Calories: 275
Fat: 11.5 grams
Carbs: 17 grams
Fibre: 9 grams
Protein: 24 grams

Compared to Lean Cuisine's Three Meat Pizza

Calories: 390
Fat: 9 grams
Carbs: 55 grams
Fibre: 2 grams
Protein: 22 grams

Profit or Honesty?

Each day I ask myself that question.
I work a retail job.  A job in which I am supposed to "sell up" and suggest more products than you originally came in to buy. I get asked about products, that while safe, are not entirely worth it.  *cough* detox diet pills *cough* The science is kind of shoddy and you can spend less and get better results.

Do I lie and tell customers they should buy the products?
Do I tell them my honest opinion and make less money?
If I'm honest, would they trust me and come back?
Do they take me seriously?

As a customer, I would prefer that someone be honest with me.
I know that would be enough to turn me into a repeat customer. I absolutely hate it when a sales person pushes the most expensive items on me, especially if they make commission.

In the end, I go with honesty.
I hope that people will trust me and come back.
I may lose commission in the end, and have slightly lower sales numbers, but there are now customers who come in to specifically ask me for my opinions or to discuss alternative medicine.

My Issues With a "Certain" Weight Loss Centre

I've previously mentioned on facebook how upset I am with "Medical Weightloss Center" here in my home town.

"Huh? You blog about weight loss most of the time, so what's the problem?"


They're getting people here hooked on phentermine!
I have people coming into GNC all the time asking for something like it. Then they tell me where they can buy it cheap online since they will only give them so much every month. It's similar in chemical make up to amphetamines.  We live in an area that has a bad meth problem as well a high unemployment and poverty rate. Are you putting two and two together? I have this bad nagging feeling that people are using phentermine, either from a "friend" at a weight loss clinic or having it "prescribed" to them by an online pharmacy.
Most of the people who do ask about it are twitchy and a paper thin. When I tell them about other products that can help with appetite or help with weight loss, they walk out. I am one more "do you carry anything like phentermine" customers away from telling them if they can't get it from a doctor, then they need to see a drug dealer for some speed or meth because they have a problem.
I met an elderly woman who was given phentermine. That screams healthy and ethical.

They have BAD customer service and they're rude!
I had looked into it. My husband and I went to a similar weight loss clinic before this one popped up and it was a "fad" in this area. He was told he had to lose 100 lbs or else he could die in his sleep due to sleep apnea. I talked him into going and he ended up losing 40 lbs in the first month! It was at least a 45 minute drive to the clinic. I wanted to compare prices. I KNOW I don't need diet pills. I can get by without them. They couldn't tell me anything other than It's $100 a month regardless. No information other than, Pay $150 and you get a handy book and we'll tell you about the diet then. I explained that I was only looking for the hcg shots since I didn't need the pills.  She laughed at me and said that "No One can lose weight like this without phentermine... it's impossible. Everyone needs it".

Incomplete information
Yes, between the phentermine, hcg and "eat more protein" speech that I've been told about by people, you can lose some weight.  They offer no real support. People come in all the time talking about how they've been there 4 months and only lost 20 lbs. Whaaaat? I did an 8 week Body After Baby Challenge and lost more than that. FOR FREE. All I did was reduce my caloric intake, drink more water, take a multivitamin and all that with barely any exercise. Did I mention Free?
From the weightloss clinic, we learned the amount of protein to eat and when as long as the amount of fat and carbs. We were taught about supplements and foods to use/consume (and avoid) as well general tips to help us on our "journey".
From talking to many people who go there, they are told to eat protein for breakfast and lean meats.
What did we learn?
30 grams of protein without 3 hours of waking up with less than 10 grams of carbs. It's important for breakfast. Through out the day, you need 75-125 grams of carbs, 80-110 of protein and 20-50 grams of fat.
That sounds drastic. If you eat high protein foods, then you're set.
Also, you should avoid soy, milk and nuts.

Sorry to have rambled on about this, but I just feel like these people are only being given 1/2 the resources in order to keep them coming back.  I know everyone's body is different. No one likes to hear the truth and everyone wants a miracle.
I am proud to say that I did it the right way and have kept it off.
I mentioned before that I went to the clinic. I went for two months for about $225. I took home phentermine the first time, but only took a day's worth. I did the hcg shots. I lost a total of 30 lbs in two months. After stopping the diet and watching what I ate, I gained 20 lbs back. Brandon lost 40 lbs the first month and then another 35 lbs the second month. He took the phentermine and had a BAD time with it.  He has only gained about 15 lbs back in 10 months, but he eats everything that got him up to 350+ lbs.

To keep weight loss simple:
-Track/Log and Reduce Calories. Buy a food scale. I reccomend My Daily Plate on LiveStrong.com
-Exercise. Something as simple as a pedometer and trying to get 10,000 steps is more beneficial than being sedentary.

Body After Baby 2010 : Week 2

Update time ...again.
This has not been a really good week.
I got down to 202 pounds, but today I'm back up to 206.3 pounds.
The only ideas I have are water retention, even though I can polish off a 24 case of .5 litre bottles of water.
The other idea is that I've been working out a bit. I've been doing my crunches, which might account for the extra inch on my waist line... sigh. I've also been sparring and boxing a bit with Brandon. Here's to hoping that it's muscle.
I've been sticking to my reduced calorie diet.
I'm back in the situation where I am stuffed but only eating 800 or so calories a day. The last few days I've been squeezing in more veggies and even wheat bread. I know pork rinds aren't the healthiest, but the ones I eat have no carbs, some protein and only 70 some odd calories. I've been snacking on them to try and get my calorie intake up so my body doesn't panic and try holding onto the fat.
Want to nitpick my diet? Heheh. You should be able to see my profile and "daily plate" on LiveStrong.com

We were asked the question this week: What's your favorite part of working out? 
I would have to say the best part is the energy rush I feel afterward. Yes, I am usually tired and sore. My muscles are burning all over, especially after sparring.  But after a few minutes I feel so accomplished that I want to do it again. I don't though, I know I would hurt myself and not be able to do again for several days.

Want to see how everyone else is doing?
Head on over to MamaNotes.com and see how the other moms are doing.

Oh, and on the bright side, it's finally starting to warm up so maybe when I'm not working 7 days a week I can get out and run.

Journey to a New ME

Get your own graph at skinnyr


How did I get here?!?
About six years ago I looked at a picture of me and thought "OMG where is the skinny farm girl?"
Growing up, I spent almost every available second running around outside, swimming, biking and sometimes even lending a hand on the farm.
I remember being in Girl Guides and wearing one of the smallest uniforms.
Even when I moved to the states I was dressing out of the Children's Department.
Things started to change about the time I started dating Brandon. We didn't have a lot of food or money at home and I spent most of my time at Brandon's because they always had junk food.  Brandon's mom always cooked big meals. The bad thing about that is she used lard in almost everything. One day last week she added lard to Brandon's sausage biscuit. *Vomit*

I started going to the gym the spring before I got pregnant with Brye. I had planned on joining the Army and was losing the weight to enlist. Once I got to 218 lbs I got pregnant. I delivered him weighing 256 lbs.
The next 2.5 years were spent my me visiting the gym off and on. Once I started a low/no carb diet the weight dropped like crazy. Guess what happened? Yep. I reached my pre-pregnancy weight and within a week was pregnant. Creepily enough, I also delivered Freedom at the exact same weight as Brye. Over the summer, thanks to partying, my weight climbed back up PAST the delivery weight and I reached 264 lbs.

At the end of February 2009, I convinced Brandon to go to a weight loss clinic with me. We did hcg shots along with a strict diet. HE lost 40 lbs in a month.  Me? Well in the two months of going there I lost 30 lbs. I gained 20 back when I stopped being OCD about weighing my foods.
I tried all summer to lose weight to no avail.

Then along came the Body After Baby Challenge.
I started back on a low calorie diet and mixed in some of the information that I learned at the weight loss clinic. I've tried several times to get in the habit of working out with the Wii. I own both Wii Fit and EA Sports Active. I just find it hard to motivate myself to work out in my living room.

We had planned on starting the New Year right by running a couple of days a week.
Mother Nature had a different plan.
It's been so freaking cold that we can't get out.

So as I write this, I currently weigh 204.6 lbs.
I plan to update the ticker above, as well as the graphs as I progress though this "Journey to a New Me"!


I have to say that, to date, the greatest tools that I have come across are My Daily Plate at LiveStrong.com, Traineo.com, and skinnyr.com. I am dorky and love statistics and graphs.
For motivation, I really like SparkPeople.com and the Body After Baby Challenge at MamaNotes.com.

 

 

Before Sept 2009, After Dec 2009

View my posts regarding my weight loss and the Body After Baby Challenge.

Body After Baby 2010 : Week 1

It's Body After Baby time at MamaNotes.com.
So how have I been doing?

I weighed in this morning at 205.1 pounds, so that's a 4.9 pound loss from my last Body After Baby post. I know it looks like a lot, but I had plateaued at 210 for a while. That seems to be my trend. I will bounce around a certain number for a few days, and then a week or so later it drops.

No major exercising going on here.
There's been a couple of times when I put on our MMA gloves and Brandon will hold the punch mitts and body shield (I think that's what it's called). I've been kind of hit and miss with the crunches. One night I will do 200, the next I run out of time and don't get any in. Some nights I do get my pre-planned 100.
Here in "Mayberry", this is the longest cold "snap" that we've had since the late 1970's. Needless to say it's been hard to get out and run. We're waiting for our tax return before we get a gym membership, especially since all the extra Xmas money went towards buying kerosene and our increased electrical/heating bill. We will probably just get a year's membership that way we won't have any excuse not to go.

I've been drinking a bunch of water.
I've heard that to prevent bloating, drink more.
My pants are tight again. My new, were baggy on me before I started drinking so much water.
I measured my waist and sure enough it's up.
Ummm, WHAT?!?
I thought it was supposed to prevent bloating.

I can't wait to get the gym membership.

Oh, and since I promised....
Here are some pictures.
The first picture in the set is from the beginning of the last Body After Baby Challenge.

 

 

Giveaway: Three Boondock Saints II : All Saints Day Movie Posters.

As you know from my previous review, Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, is in theaters now. There’s not much time left to see the film, so if you haven’t already, check out Sony’s official site for a listing of local theaters near you.     

In light of the theatrical release of I’m giving away three of the following posters from the film.

Answer the question below correctly and make yourself eligible to win.
The First three readers to answer correctly win a poster!  
Update: All posters have been won. I am still waiting to hear back from one entrant to get their address.

Email your answers to melinda@hippie-mommy.com.
Unfortunately for my international readers, this giveaway is for U.S. Residents Only.
Sorry.

Special Agent Eunice Bloom lays what color of rose on Smecker's tombstone?

Need to get your Boondock Saints fix?

You can download or watch the Official Movie Trailer online.
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