I'm Alive!

Holy crap. Being sick has SUCKED. I was sick from Saturday, July 21 - well, today-ish. Haha. I am still on antibiotics and a little groggy feeling but I feel 99.9% human! My diet/exercise obviously lacked. That entire week I lived on Ramen, homemade chicken noodle soup and crackers with peanut butter. Those things were medicinal to me but not really helpful to my weight loss. However, I don't care. I didn't feel good and Ramen was like a Godsend. I craved it.

Friday (7/26/13) Weigh In:
WI: +1.6
Total Pounds Lost: -2.6
Pounds to Lose: 100.6

I'm still at a net loss and this week is going a lot better. Again, I'm not worried about the gain. Being sick kind of puts a hold on life.

WeightWatchers & Food:
As mentioned above, I lived on soup, crackers and peanut butter last week, but this weekend I started to slowly build nutritious foods back into my diet. I've also been drinking a lot of tea to hopefully help flush my system. My menu for today:

B: 2/3 c. granola, 1/2 c. FF milk, banana, black tea
S: String Cheese
L: Chicken thigh, spinach and Chobani Coffee Yogurt
S: Rice Cakes and an apple (more tea)
D: Chicken thigh, broccoli.... tbd
Activity: TurboJam

I made chicken thighs on the grill last night with Teryiaki marinade and they were amazing. That is why I'm eating so much of it today. Plus, I don't have any other meat thawing. I forgot to put something in the fridge. My appetite isn't 100% back yet either (I know, poor me) and I may not even eat everything I have listed above. I'm just listening to my body and eating as I am hungry.

I got in Activity on Saturday and Sunday. Both days Andrew and I walked the dogs 1.5 miles and then yesterday I added on a TurboJam workout. I have earned 7APs so far this week and that's good because I'm in the negative from the weekend (oops!).

On Becoming Debt Free:
This is not going so well right now. I only got 3 hours last week (I'm paid weekly), we have "vacation" planned in the middle of the month (Andrew gets paid 25 hours, I get 0) and he isn't tuning the week we are off. So, money will be uber tight this month. We wrote out a budget yesterday and had to tweak it about 5 times because we were over budget every time we did it. We finally got it to work out. I talked about canceling the time off work; but we have been so excited about this little mini vacation that we want to have the time off. We will be at my parent's house dog sitting while they are in Florida which means we get their house/pool all to ourselves for a week! I may decide to work half days or something if needed... I just don't know.

Our emergency fund was drained to 20%. Last month was apparently "everything go wrong" month. We have plans to get it back up to 60% this month and finish the additional 40% next month. Then October will start the debt snowball.

Guh. I'm trying so hard not to get discouraged!!!

Weigh In Day

Friday Weigh In:
WI: -0.6
Total Lost: -4.2
Pounds to Lose: 99

I lost! Holy crap. Remember my post from Wednesday? I thought for sure I would gain this week. Apparently I got myself back on track quickly enough to counter act any gain. Plus, I worked out like a crazy person on Wednesday and Thursday. Yay TurboJam!

WeightWatchers & Food:
My week has started over. Yay! I like a fresh week. It makes me feel empowered and in control when I know the week has started over and I have the opportunity to be a rock star! I am loving TurboJam too. It is my favorite new workout. I can do it in the comfort of my own home with no equipment at all. Just me and the TV. Easy enough! I sweat like crazy when I am doing it too. It really works me out even though sometimes I think I am having way too much fun to be burning any calories. Obviously it is working!

I am really sad that I ran out of Shakeology. I think after day 5 of drinking it I FINALLY started to see some changes. My body was getting rid of waste faster and I was also not craving anything weird. Like, yesterday I had my smoothie and then I didn't eat until after 12! I didn't have my morning snack. I incorporated it into my lunch. Then, I didn't want my afternoon snack either! I didn't eat dinner until 7:00pm!! I couldn't believe that I wasn't hungrier or craving any kind of food. It was so weird. Right now, with becoming Debt Free we cannot really afford the cost of the Shakeology. Maybe someday.

Today's Menu:
B: Smoothie with WW Chocolate Smoothie Pack, 1 c FF milk, 2 T PB2, coffee
S: Chobani Bite: Pineapple with caramel
L: SmartOnes Chicken Slider, 1 oz Light Chips, Fiber One Lemon Bar, Strawberries
S: String Cheese, Cherries
D: TBD
Activity: TURBOJAM!

Haha. Even though I am kind of sore today I will be doing TurboJam because I love it so much. And for those of you wondering, that is a BeachBody program!

On Becoming Debt Free:
*grumble*
I knew this wouldn't be easy... but man, it is really making me a little angry that we now have to start all over agian.

Without Prescription Coverage an Inhaler is over $500

That is disgusting. Andrew and I went on my group coverage through the temp agency I am working for. I knew it wasn't great insurance and thought that we'd pay more for scripts than we usually do... but it doesn't cover scripts AT ALL. I called today to cancel and went back to paying for individual policies through Health Alliance. Andrew went to get his scripts last night and the lady told him for everything he needed it would be over $700. GOO. No thank you. We'll go back to our nice $2.00 - $10.00 scripts; and hell, my birth control is free. The individual policies are definitely worth it. 

WeightWatchers & Stuff:

Good week. Bad week. OK week. Good week. Bad week. Bad week. 

This is my cycle. Last week I was AMAZING. This week I am struggling. 

Here is my definition of "lack of motivation and struggling"

Yup. -67 for the week. I weigh in on Friday. Who thinks I will gain!?!? MEEEE! 

I know what I have done wrong. I know that the scale and my body will show the results of my behavior. I just cannot believe that I can go from one amazing week to completely slacking the next. It is my time of the month and I know that doesn't help anything but it is NO EXCUSE for my behavior. Like... you know... Chinese food. I ate 6 crab rangoons. All by myself. Plus some of my noodles, rice and an egg roll. Oh and almond cookies anyone?! Obviously I have tracked it all but it just makes me feel ridiculous. Like I always need an adult and supervision. Ha!

On Becoming Debt Free:

What emergency fund? *sigh* We are back to baby step one because of the random emergencies we have had. Sick dog, car repairs & towing, insurance reinstatement.... so, we aren't starting baby step two just yet. We have to restock our emergency fund again. 

It won't be a big deal, it is just kind of sad that we were there and then all this random crap happened. God is testing me. 

Am I passing?! 

We are being tested....

So, my last post I mentioned that we had our fully funded emergency fund and ready to move on to Baby Step 2.
Well, a higher power apparently decided to put us to the test immediately after we were fully funded because this series of events happened all within a few days.

1. Andrew's debit card was scammed
2. Andrew's phone fell out of his pocket while it was pouring rain - fell into a puddle
3. Andrew's car died. DIED. Like, wouldn't even start with a jump.
4. Hyatt was puking blood Saturday morning

Now, the bank caught the scam immediately and the funds weren't actually taken from our account but they sat out there as "pending" until the bank cleared it. Still made me nervous though. Andrew's phone was immediately put into a bowl of rice but the thing still isn't working correctly and we were able to get one of my parent's old phones to give to him to use until we have an upgrade available. After the tow truck and mechanic inspecting Andrew's car, we found out that his audio equipment absolutely fried his battery and had caused some weird leak and smoke. We replaced the battery and paid for the tow which was right around $140.00. Not too bad! I was expecting worse. 

Hyatt was rushed to the vet and after being examined the vet still isn't sure what is wrong with him, but he did have a fever and is now on antibiotics (again) along with nausea medication and his thyroid medicine. He cost us a whopping $100. 

After all of this happened I looked at Andrew and said "You know, all of that stuff happening right on top of each other could have been really stressful and disastrous but since we had an emergency fund in place and we tackled one problem at a time, I was never really worried about any of it." 

That was the first time in my life that I didn't stop and go "How are we going to afford all of this?!" Now, Andrew and I have never really lived paycheck to paycheck; but the peace of mind we have right now is absolutely wonderful. I cannot even tell you how good it feels to know where all of your money is going and what it is like to have a fund strictly dedicated for crazy stuff that happens in life. I love it. 

Anywhoo....

WeightWatchers & Stuff:

Gah. Weeekend. Enough said. 

I did not track AT ALL and I did not take pictures of everything I ate like I have been doing. It amazes me how much Instagram actually keeps me accountable. I really need to make sure I do that constantly. And tracking, I don't know why it happens... but I just don't track like I should. I don't know if I think it is an annoyance or a bother or if I just don't want to fully admit what I am eating. I am going to go back today and try my best to track what I did eat. I basically remember everything because I didn't so much eat in between meals or anything. I just ate weird stuff at weird times. 

Today's food:

B: Shakeology with 1 c FF milk, coffee

S: String Cheese, Cherries

L: Frozen Dinner and a Chobani flip yogurt

S: Wheat thins, carrots and hummus

D: Chicken with basil and tomatoes (WW recipe) and 1/2 c brown rice 

Activity: TurboJam

I did have some good news this weekend though, I earned 5 APs without even really trying. I just moved a LOT and swam. I was happy that I got my movement in even if it wasn't planned exercise.  

Weigh In Day Change & Things

Today is going to be kind of a bullet point brief post. I am so happy it is Friday and even though my weekend is super busy, I am excited to spend it with family to celebrate my baby brother's birthday! He is 22 years old today!! (Not really a baby anymore, huh?)

After much deliberation and consideration I have changed my WI day to Friday. I have done really well in the past with a Friday weigh in and it usually works out well because I am gone on the weekends a lot. So, here we go!

Friday Weigh In:
WI: -6.3     (WHOA!)
Total Lost: -3.6
Pounds to Lose: 99.6

YAY! Imagine that. I tracked all week correctly and honestly and worked out. Hmmm... weird how that works huh!?

• I'm still feeling super good about becoming Debt Free. It is amazing how much better you feel when you have a budget and follow it. I feel like Andrew and I make more money...even though we don't.
• I am trying Shakeology. I got some free samples and I am going to see how it works for me. All I can say right now is I was STUFFED after I drank it (made with milk and some fruit) and I am still stuffed. The thought of food is kind of making me ill. ha!
• I have recently been doing TurboJam workouts. It is a BeachBody program and it is really fun. It gets my heart rate up and makes me sweat like crazy! 
• Really. I'm so stuffed. I feel like I ate an entire Thanksgiving meal. There might be something to this Shakeology thing.
• TGIF!
• Andrew works until 11:00pm tonight so I plan on exercising and doing laundry. If I'm feeling really productive I will go to the grocery store. 
• I have no idea what I am having for dinner tonight. 
• I wish my husband had an iPhone. iMessages are so much better than him texting from his flip phone. Yes, a flip phone. He can iMessage me from his iPod but only when he's home. 
• I really don't have anything else to say. 
• I'm still stuffed
• TGIF AGAIN! 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

I WON!

Have you ever won anything off the radio? I haven't but did today and I am super happy about it. They called me to let me know that Malcom's picture won Cool Pet of the Day and I got tickets to the Corn Dog Kick Off at the State Fair Grounds for Saturday night. Tickets for this event are $50 a piece so I am kind of excited! The only problem is that it is all the fair food, wine and beer you want. BOO! Saturday is my weigh in day and I will have Weekly Points+ to use, but fair food is outrageous and to me, not always worth the points. So, maybe I can talk Andrew into going to dinner somewhere before hand and then I can pick one thing I want more than anything else and have it.

Here is the picture that I submitted:

Isn't that funny? I love that dog. He is so incredibly lazy it is ridiculous. 

WeightWatchers & Food:

Yesterday went well. I had 20 P+ at the end of the day when I got home. How that happened I had NO idea. So, I had my dinner and then a snack later on of popcorn and a few WW candies. I did not exercise because I exercised Monday and TWICE on Tuesday so my body was pretty sore. Today I feel good though so I plan on doing something tonight. 

My food for today:

B: Smoothie with WW Chocolate mix, 1 c. FF milk, PB2 and wheat toast

S: WW Cheese Sticks and fruit

L: Sandwich with wheat bread, lunch meat, cheese and 1 T lite mayo, 1 oz lite chips, pickles and WW candies

S: Fit&Active cookies

D: Chicken Breast, brown rice and green beans

Activity: One of my TurboJam workouts 

On Becoming Debt Free:

BABY STEP ONE IS DONE! We have our first emergency fund 100% funded! Very excited. So, starting August 1 we move on to Baby Step #2. Get rid of all debt (but the house) that we don't even have. Baby Step #2 is going to take the longest, but I am ready. Having a plan, a budget and working together with Andrew on this plan is really improving everything in our lives. I have never felt so good about finances. Even being on this budget for a month and a half I already feel like we have way more money that we used to. Exciting stuff! 

Guess What?

I'm tired! What?! Haha, why am I so tired all of the time? It is really starting to get frustrating. Seriously.

Last night I got to talk to my friend, Valerie, on the phone. We talked for over two hours! She is one of my closest friends that I grew up with in Davenport, IA. When I moved away we remained friends and she was even in my wedding.

Anywhoo, Valerie is getting married in October and I am super excited for her! I cannot wait to see her get married and have her special day. Last night during our 2 hour conversation she asked me to be her Personal Attendant for the day! I'm very excited about being a part of her day in such an important role. I will do everything I can to make sure her day goes as smoothly as possible and be there for anything she may need. I have never been a PA nor have I heard much about it and I was reading on line and a lot of the information was about girls who were offended that they were asked to do such a job and not be a Bridesmaid. I couldn't quite understand why they would be offended. It is the bride's day and if she wants a PA, then give her what she needs! You're not much of a friend if you scoff at the idea of helping your friend on her special day. The wedding is about her! After weeding through a lot of petty comments I finally found some information that was useful to me and now understand what my role will be a lot better. Thank goodness for the internet! 

WeightWatchers & Stuff:

I have an ActiveLink complaint. I LOVE my AL. I really do. It makes tracking my movement so much easier without a lot of thought on my part. The one thing that I really do not like is that when I do workouts such as a Jillian Michaels DVD, it only gives me like 1AP. If that. When I know for a fact I work my butt off and am almost unable to move when I'm done. I did Ripped in 30 last night and it gave me 1AP. ONE. In my head I know I did more than that, but it is still frustrating to plug AL in and have it say so little. Oh well. That is really my only complaint. 

Menu for today:

B: 2/3 c. granola, 1/2 c. FF milk, coffee, banana

S: WW Cheese Sticks, watermelon

L: Jimmy Johns!

S: Carrots w/2 T hummus

D: Leftovers

I have quite a few things I can throw together for a quick dinner tonight. I haven't decided what my activity will be. My C25K app keeps yelling at me on my phone (haha) and I need to finish out week 1. I just dread the evil dreadmill treadmill and need to just suck it up and go. I don't think I could handle another Jillian workout right after last night. I am definitely sore today!

Oh, and I peeked at the scale and am down considerably from Saturday's weigh in. Phew! 

I have become very diligent about posting my food on Instagram. I feel that REALLY helps keep me accountable. So, if you're tired of seeing my meals, too bad. Ha! Just scroll past them. :)

On Becoming Debt Free:

We are 75% funded in our emergency fund and after Friday it will be at 100%! After that, we are going to stockpile money for the remainder of the month so that we can start off August and the snowball correctly! I am very excited about moving forward with our journey! 

The Weekend Comes to a Close

A weekend recap:

Friday I was sent home from work at noon because we were DEAD. I went to the bank to take out some cash for the weekend and then I went to pick up Jimmy John's for Andrew and I for lunch. I had the #6 Vegetarian with no mayo and a giant pickle. Yum!

The rest of the day/afternoon was spent lounging around, cleaning and drinking some wine. I ended up drinking a little too much wine and made a bad food decision. It happened though and I didn't beat myself up for it. The only problem was weigh in on Saturday morning. Not purdy.

Saturday Weigh In: 
WI: +4.7
Total Lost: 0
Pounds to Lose: 105.9

My choices on Friday night definitely affected my weigh in on Saturday morning. Obviously. However, it is what it is and I am moving on. I have done really well the rest of the weekend. Here were today's meals:

Breakfast Takeout (YUM!)

Breakfast was so filling I had this small lunch at 3:00

Dinner! Sometimes, you just have to have hot dogs! Those are only 1 P+ each and the buns are 4P+ for two of them. I really enjoyed my dinner. 

To use up my remaining 8 points of the day I had air popped popcorn with Kernel's Seasoning on it (just butter flavored) and then I ate an ice cream sandwich. I still have 1 point left over but I am very satisfied and don't think I would even have room for anything other than water! 

So, Friday afternoon I went to PetsMart and got a harness and a leash for Hobbs, our cat. Why? Because that cat honestly cries to go outside. If he wants to go out, then he definitely has to be leashed since we live in an apartment. 

He LOVES it. He doesn't fight me at all when I put the harness on him and the minute I open the door he dashes out to go explore/walk. It is the funniest thing. He would stay out there all day if I would let him. 

I love that cat so much. He is my snuggle buddy. I don't know what I would do without him! 

I did not exercise at all this weekend. It has been SO HOT. I have a gym membership, did I go? No. :( When it is that hot outside the only thing I can get motivated to do is either swim or sit in the air conditioning. Haha. I plan on doing Week 1 Day 3 of C25K tomorrow. It is going to be 90 degrees and storming so I am definitely doing in on a treadmill. Ha! 

Anyway, I just wanted to do a quick weekend update.  The only other news I have is that last night Andrew and I went out to dinner with some friends and then went to the drive in theater to see Despicable Me 2. It was adorable and I loved it! 

I need to go pack my lunch for tomorrow now and then take a shower. Not looking forward to the work week but I must make money! 

Happy 4th and Wednesday Recap

Good morning! It is Friday after a Holiday and I didn't take the day off work (what's wrong with me right?!) and it is going to be a QUIET day. I can already tell because I've been here awhile and haven't even taken one phone call. AND, all of the trucks are out in the lot meaning.... we don't have a lot going on today. Easy money my friends. I'd rather make the money than sit at home and not make it.

Weight Watchers & Stuff:
I won't go into detail of my menus for the past two days, but this snapshot shows that I am still doing well this week!

I still have 6 WPs left and I have earned 18 APs! I spent most of my WPs yesterday to enjoy a few drinks by the pool. And a few flavored tootsie rolls. They were delish!

On Wednesday night I went for another run with Hyatt and made myself the most filling and delicious SIMPLE dinner.

My dinner was brown rice, great northern beans seasoned with cayenne pepper and shredded cheese. Yum!

The run went well. I didn't take Caesar this time so I was able to go a pace I wanted without having to cater to a dog. Hyatt goes along with whatever pace I set and is perfectly content to do as I do.

 

It was definitely warm and when I got back I was sweating like crazy. I felt so gross. I flopped down on the floor until I cooled off a bit and then changed my clothes. Totally worth it!

Today I woke up late (oops) so I didn't have time to do much for breakfast or pack a lunch. I made a quick sandwich this morning for breakfast and I have planned Jimmy John's for lunch. I have a few snacks I did pack though and as you can see from above, I'll have 15 points left for the day.

I do NOT plan on working out tonight. After running Tues and Wed and then swimming almost all day yesterday I am POOPED. I feel like I could sleep for another 5 or 6 hours with no problem. I went to bed at 10:30 last night and slept until 7:05.... but I am still tired!

On Becoming Debt Free:
60% in our emergency fund! Woohoo! I am going to see what else I can throw in there today. If nothing, I am going to plan on putting in a big chunk next week. We are definitely starting Baby Step 2 in August.

I'm behind on my podcasts but that is because I haven't been listening to them at home like I usually do. I've been reading and enjoying the quiet. I am going to try and listen to a couple of them today here at work... not  like anything else is going on....

We are doing week 4 of FPU tomorrow and then having our weekly budget meeting to go over everything and make sure we are still on track. After that, we have nothing planned for the weekend.

Just how I like it.

Doing Better

Good morning, all. I slept terribly last night so today I am dragging a little bit. I couldn't get comfortable and I couldn't relax. It was after midnight when I finally dozed off. The last time I looked at the clock it was 12:18am. Goo.

Current Obsession:

I got this 4 pack off of Amazon and I LOVE IT. EOS has to be bar far the BEST lip balm I have ever gotten and put on my lips. I love the smell, the texture, the feel on my lips.... everything. The sweet mint is my absolute favorite. If you are a chapstick junkie like me.... you MUST try these. MUST MUST MUST.


WeightWatchers & Food:

Yesterday's Menu:
B: 2/3 c. Granola Cereal, 1/2 c. FF milk, black coffee
S: String Cheese, Banana
L: Leftover brown rice and broccoli, WW Mini Fudge Bar  Jimmy John's #6 Veggie Unwich with no Mayo, pickle, thinny chips & a cookie
S: Rice Cakes and an apple if I'm still hungry    No snack. Stuffed from lunch!
D: Boneless pork loin chop, trimmed & grilled, potatoes brown rice, broccoli

Om nom nom 

Activity: Week 1 Day 1 of C25K  I cleaned like a mad woman last night. My Active Link says I got 108%. No APs... but I got over 100%! 

Today's Menu:
B: 2/3 c. Granola, 1/2 c. FF milk, coffee
S: String Cheese, Strawberries
L: Grilled Pork Chop Sandwich with 1 T. Lite Mayo, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and hummus, WW Mini Fudge Bar
S: Cheddar Rice Cakes, Apple
D: Grilled Teryiaki Chicken, potatoes and broccoli
Activity: Week 1 Day 1 C25K at gym

I've decided that I need to peek at the scale during the week. People worry that a person will become scale obsessed if they do this, but I remember being most successful when I did look at it a few times a week to see how I was doing. So, I am going to start peeking at least once a week to see where I stand. It is helpful to me and not harmful.

On Becoming Debt Free:
Not too much progress considering it is only two days into the month. Ha! I went to Ace Hardware last night and picked up some spray bottles for the new cleaners I have (organic from ProTek) I have the green cleaner and the enzyme cleaner for urine, feces, vomit, wine, grass stains, etc. Totally worth the investment. I have never been happier with a cleaner and the fact that they are organic makes me REALLY happy.

I also stopped by CVS because Andrew needed razor refills and I needed foundation and concealer. I have $12.50 worth of coupons so my damage there wasn't that bad.

Best part about these purchases? THEY WERE PLANNED. I do not feel guilty about spending the money and I am also not going "I shouldn't have gotten that stuff." You know how big of a deal that is? To go to the store, spend the money and go "This is OK. I told this money where it was going and now that it is used up, I'm good." It is liberating. No joke.

I am just very excited to get started on Baby Step Two. Soon!

My random crisis of the day?
My dog eats cat poop out of the litter box. If the litter box is in a closet, my cat pees on the floor. So, I am now facing the dilemma of "Do I put up with Caesar eating poop? Or do I put up with cat pee on the floor?" And no, I cannot use a covered litter box. Hobbs is HUGE and him not fitting in there is another reason he peed on the floor so much. Also, Caesar is on a very good food that provides him with all of the nutrients he needs and meat is the first ingredient in the food. Hobbs hasn't peed on the floor since we moved his box and uncovered it.

Animals.....

I just don't know what to do....

Monday Weigh In

Let me just tell you.... I was SHOCKED at today's weigh in.

Monday Weigh In:
WI: +/-0
Total Lost: 2
Pounds to Lose: 101.2

I maintained. I was not expecting that. This last weekend was full of beer and cheesy, carbalicious goodness. I am definitely happy about my results for this week.

WeightWatchers & Food:
So, we already know what my weekend was about. Not so healthy foods and a lack of movement. Go me. I am just really having a difficult time convincing my mind and body to work together to achieve what I want. I'm fed up with how I feel/look, however, I'm not fully committed to changing it apparently. I buy healthy foods, I have good intentions to work out, I just never follow through. I have to build the habits. That is the hardest part.

Today's menu
B: 2/3 c. Granola Cereal, 1/2 c. FF milk, black coffee
S: String Cheese, Banana
L: Leftover brown rice and broccoli, WW Mini Fudge Bar
S: Rice Cakes and an apple if I'm still hungry
D: Boneless pork loin chops, trimmed, potatoes, broccoli
Activity: Week 1 Day 1 of C25K

Yes, I'm starting over. I did ONE DAY the last time and never went again. So, back on the horse. The weather is perfect for an outdoor run and I know Hyatt needs to run out some of his energy now that he is feeling better.

On Becoming Debt Free:
We went through FPU week 3 and I really enjoyed it. It was all about the monthly budget. Andrew and I finished the lesson and then we sat down and figured out where our money was going to go. It is nice knowing that all of your money has a name. You know where it is going and once you are out in that category... that's it! Also, this month we will completely Baby Step 1 completely. That is exciting. We plan on moving on to Baby Step 2 in August. That will being our debt snowball. I cannot wait for that. Right now we plan on having everything paid off in 4 years or less. So excited. Hopefully my excitement will keep up and I can keep the momentum going!

That is all I really have as far as updates. No pictures today... sorry. Just a boring blog. :)