BYOC - Getting back to Blogging

1. What day of the week do you love and what day of the week do you hate?
I love Saturdays. That is my lazy day. I don't comb my hair and I just lay around the house. I don't care for Monday's at all.


2. What is your middle name and is there a meaning behind it?
My middle name is Elaine. It means LIGHT. Don't know why my mom picked, but I do know for a while during my childhood I struggled with it's spelling. I couldn't figure out if the i went before the a or not. I felt like a dunce.


3. Since Draz is dreaming of her next tattoo, do you have any tattoos? How many? If you don’t have one – what would you get if you did have one?
I don't have any tattoos, but I thought about getting one once, but decided against it.


4. On that same theme of dirty little secrets…how many piercings do you have? Any you wish you had?
I only have my ears pierced. I have never thought about getting pierced anywhere else cause I can't even imagine the pain. Especially folk who have their nether regions or nipples pierced....OUCH!!!


5. Repeat question: Summarize your life in blog land and in real life.

Blog Life has been off. Until Joey mentioned it I didn't realize that I would only blog when things are going good. I have to do better. I'm so glad that Stephanie contacted me on Facebook and let me know about BOOBS 2.0 cause I missed the first one, but I DO NOT plan on missing this one. I even have roommates, and I'm so excited!!!

Real Life is going good, I'm stressed, but it's a good stress. I'm in 3 classes and have good grades. I think that I'm obsessed with these classes. Things are getting interesting for one class as my professor is kinda nice looking and seemingly paying me some attention. Don't worry though I'm not going there cause to be honest I'm enjoying being single and I need to stay focused. I don't want to get all off gazing up into some dude's face when I should be studying.

Happy Friday!!!

All is Well

Hey guys!!!

I have to do a quick post and say HEYYYYY!!!

I am in school taking 3 classes (9 hrs) and am LOVING IT!!! It is amazing and scary at the same time. I am always on pins and needles to do well and I am doing very well in my classes. A colleague was shocked when I told her I was taking 9 hrs. She couldn't believe I was doing that and working full-time. I guess I go hard in the paint ;-).

Weightloss is going. I am at a plateau, but at least I haven't gained. After I finish my protein shake I am going to exercise and then get ahead on some reading & classwork since I am snowed in. YAY!!

I have to say a BIG THANK YOU to Stephanie for alerting me to the BOOBS trip in September. On my way to the page now. Thanks again Step!!

Weird Shoulder Pain

I just had to make a quick post and ask this question.

I have noticed that when I don't eat I have this nagging dull ache in my left shoulder. I sometimes don't pay attention to my body, but I noticed yesterday while I was waiting on my son that my shoulder was hurting. I knew I hadn't eaten since about 5 (2 cookies) and it was now about 9:30. We were going to dinner so I didn't want to eat something and not be able to enjoy. As soon as I began to eat the pain decreased and soon went away. Same thing happened just now. I am having lunch with a colleague down the hall, but it won't be until 12:30. I haven't eaten anything since my protein drink this morning about 7:30. I have had water, but the pain goes away after the water stops being satisfies my thirst. I popped open a 2 oz can of tuna and mixed it w/mayo and have some wheat thin crackers and pain goes away.

Has anyone else had this problem? I call it weird because the shoulder pain I have heard people speak of with regard to having a band is when they have eaten to much. Mine is just the opposite.

Weight Loss Tips and running around....WHOOOO-HOOOOOO IT'S FRIDAY

Howdy Howdy!!!

Ok, I'm going to make a quick post, but had to stop in to say HEY *waving* to all my blog buddies out there. I gained only 1.5lbs over the holiday Whooo-hooo!! I celebrate because I thought it would be at least 10 they way I ate. I look back though and realize that I cooked my holiday fare with low fat substitutes. I hosted Christmas and New Years by the way. There were many dishes that I was afraid would pack on the pounds, but they didn't. I'm so happy.

Anywho, I ran across this article in fitbie that I adapted to fit my likes. I post it here in hopes that it will help someone else. Or read the article and adapt it to fit what you do. I didn't use every tip because a couple I do automatically, like the one about flax seed. I use fiber in all my dishes as well as protein. Check out below.

30 Second Weight Loss Tricks

1. When you get the urge to snack mindlessly give yourself a mini-manicure and pedicure. “Do a quick 30-second manicure in the evening,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “A coat of clear nail polish just makes it harder for you to stick your hand into a bag of chips.” By the time you are finished you may no longer want to snack.

2. Slice Your Food. Can good manners help you slim down? Exhibit A for why table manners ought to make a comeback: Cutting your food into smaller portions slows down your food intake, and it also visually tricks you to think that you’re eating more. Researchers from Japan’s National Food Research Institute found that people thought piles of sliced meats and veggies were 27 percent larger than when the food was kept in one piece. Satiety is affected by visual cues, so making your portions appear larger will help you feel satisfied with less.

3. Weigh Yourself Daily. Think you can guesstimate how well you’re losing weight? Study after study shows that regularly stepping on the scale can help you drop pounds. How much more weight? People who log weekly and daily weigh-ins lose about 12 to 18 pounds more than those who check less frequently, concludes a review study in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

4. Dress Down. Take advantage of Casual Friday. A University of Wisconsin, La Crosse study found that people who wear jeans to work take 491 more steps a day than those in business wear. How many calories could you burn if you walked for 30 minutes a day?

5. Brush Immediately After Dinner. Tap into years of Pavlovian training (watch videos of Pavlov’s theories), and brush your teeth soon after you’ve finished supper. Traditionally, brushing your teeth is a signal to stop eating, explains Blatner, so you’re primed to resist after-hours snacking. The essence of peppermint has been reported to suppress appetite, and cleaning your chompers with strong-tasting toothpaste may help distract your taste buds from craving another flavor.

6. Eat before you go to a party. This will cut down on overeating and eating fatting foods from the party table.

7. Rather than eyeball portions, place a measuring cup in your pantry so that you’ll know exactly how much you’re doling out, recommends Blatner. Keep a serving of cereal to one cup, a portion of dry macaroni to ¼ cup.

8. Reach for the phone, not the potato skins, the next time you’re feeling blue. Emotional eating can spiral out of control really fast, so instead of turning towards food for a pick-me-up, dial a friend to vent or schedule some Frisbee to blow off some steam.

9. LASTLY: MAKE A CHOICE…..You have the ability to make the choice to be who you are or want to be. If healthy is what you aspire after then choose healthy. It’s that simple. You make the choice to eat that extra cookie or piece of cake. You make the choice to hit the snooze button for that extra 15 minutes and not get up to exercise. You make the choice. So what will you choose??

Here is a recipe that I found in a group I'm in on Facebook. Enjoy and HAPPY NEW YEAR and NEW YOU!!!

Peanutty protein bars
by Fit on the Fly on Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 4:32pm
Tired of paying all outdoors for the equivalent of "Snickers on Steroids"...me too!! We hope you enjoy this recipe hand-tailored especially for YOU! XOXO

2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup peanut flour, dry (such as Trader Joe's)
1 cup (4 scoops) vanilla protein powder
1 cup water
2 T. calorie free caramel dip (such as Walden Farms - I find mine at Market Basket)

Mix first 3 ingredients in mixing bowl and stir until well combined; Add water and stir until mixture is well combined; Stir in caramel dip; Pour mixture into a square pan, lined with wax paper; Freeze for one hour, cut into desired size, and wrap individually; Store in refrigerator.

Nutrition information:

Snack size (cut bars into 8 portions)
Calories:190
Fat: 4
Carbs: 19
Fiber: 4
Protein: 23
Sodium: 30
Sugar: 3

Meal-replacement size (cut bars into 6 portions)
Calories:235
Fat: 5
Carbs: 25
Fiber: 5
Protein: 30
Sodium: 40
Sugar: 3

MERRRRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

I know it's been a while. I have been mad busy. No excuses for being a slack blogger, but hey it's all I got.

Before I get into all that has been going on I must first say a warm thank you to TessieRose. She gave me a holler on Facebook (it's easier to post little blips than to post a thought provoking blog and it takes less time too)to see if I was alright. I am so thankful for folk like Tessie thinking of me. I told her in a message that I was just thinking that no one would probably notice if I didn't blog. I guess I was wrong. I think we underestimate the value we have sometimes. I wasn't being down on myself it's just that I'm not superstar in the blog sphere like others. I will say that I don't underestimate the need to be here in this forum because as before I realize how much it helps to blog and keep a virtual diary of the successes as well as the slip ups. I will try not to stay away to long again. Thank you again TessieRose for thinking of me.

Ok it wouldn't be true to form or me unless I did this in scattered bullet points, so here goes.

•I will be starting classes Jan 13th. Yay me!!

•I have decided that after finishing up my bachelor degree, I am going to take some courses to become a Life Coach. This is something that I have been doing since I was 14, but never knew there was a name for it. I will then consider whether going for my Master's in Counseling will be best or not.

•My SUN is home!! YAY!!! He had a rough time this past semester and didn't do so hot in the grade department. I think he underestimated just how much time Marching Band and studying would pull on him. He told me (after he got home for Christmas break) that he almost went to the emergency room for exhaustion right before Thanksgiving. My heart started racing. What a thing to tell me AFTER THE FACT. I asked him why he didn't call me and he said with all the other things I was worrying about that he didn't want to add HIS health to it all. He had only slept 2 hours in a 78 hour span of time. Needless to say, I am asking him to set some priorities. Band isn't one of them in my opinion.

•I GOT MY HOUSE BACKKKKKKK!!!!! My baby sister and her 2.5 children finally got a place of their own. I love my family dearly, but my house is small so having two little ones underfoot all the time can wear on you. I had no privacy OR patience on many occasions. I was not only taking my niece & nephew to daycare, but taking my sister(who is pregnant again) to school and then I would get to work (late). I'm glad we don't clock in, but believe me my boss and the former Executive Director always made it a point to let me know I was late and that they didn't like it. Nevertheless, my sister and her children are happy and I am happy right now.

•Got a new person in the office who is an ANGEL!! I have been trying to train her as best I could with limited resources because the former Executive Director who left the position conveniently left no word on how to do her job. It has been stressful for me and the new person because she wants to do a good job. She wants to raise the morale around here and I for one am happy about that. We got together and threw a Christmas party for the division and everyone had a blast! SN: the former ED is still on contract and will be coming back in January to supposedly train the new person. I don't hold high hopes for her (new person) learning ANY-THING!!

•On the weight loss front, I have been eating like crap. I put on about 3 pounds but am confident I will loose it and more after the holidays. I'm not stressing over it because everyday someone brings in treats. It's hard as heck to resist, so I haven't.....*shrugs*. I bought the "400 Calorie Fix" by Liz Vaccariello cause it looked really good and so far so good. I just got it yesterday so I will let you know if it helps. I did copy Lap Band Gal and arranged a drawer with healthy stuff. I am still adding stuff, but here is a picture of it.


Ok that's enough of my rambling. I hope and pray that you all have a wonderfully blessed and memorable holiday season. May Christmas be filled with love, laughter and family and may the New Year bring new adventures and happiness your way.

MERRRRRRRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

WOW.....Really.....Seriously??

The above is who my doctor acts like. I went in today for my appointment and was debating on a fill. I think I needed one, but at the same time really didn't want one. I will get to that in a minute. Dr. Woodman, has absolutely no bedside manner whatsoever. Not that I can't take anything this man can dish out, but he just trips me out really. Today my scale still read 237#. I was hoping to see Dory, his nurse but no cigar. I knew his scale would read differently. As in more than what mine says, differently. And boy did it ever. His scale read 241. That means I am 4 lbs down from the last visit in which I weighed 245 lbs. I told him what my scale says and not to disagree with his scale, but to say that I have some adjustments to make, he told me "it doesn't matter what your scale says, mine is the only one that matters." Wow, really? The doctor then tells me that none the scales out on the market are reliable for people over 200 lbs and I'm wasting my time and money. He then asks me what I have been doing in the last month and I told him truthfully that my exercising has been off because I had the flu and I have been eating more than a saucer full of food on occasion. You would think that he would say something like "well since you know what you are doing wrong then I'm sure you know how to fix it." Hey I could take that, but he tells me...."well I think you need to schedule a surgery to have the lap band removed because obviously you don't want to comply with the rules to lose the weight." He goes on to tell me that I still have 100 lbs to lose and whatnot and I just sit there and zone out. I tell him I don't think I want a fill and he tells me that if someone doesn't follow the rules that a fill won't help them. I again tell him I don't think I want one and he says well I think a little adjustment might help. Contradictory much....I hear him, but not really. I didn't fall into his negative trap though because all of a sudden he pays me a back end compliment and tells me, I have had some success in that I have lost 36 lbs (according to his scales - 41 lbs according to my own). He then gives me a fill and gives me a thumbs up after giving me a cup of water. On another note I knew he as an

when I signed up with him. So it's all relative. And for the record my goal weight is 160 lbs so I only have 77 lbs to lose or 81 by his scale.


I owned up to the fact that I have been off with my food intake. Fat grams (because he doesn't believe in counting calories) I believe I am good on, so I feel I need to kick up my exercise regimen and increase the water. Yesterday my nephew celebrated his 8th birthday and I went over to my sister's house with some of my other fam and had cake and a little Hawaiian Punch. I would normally not have had any, but my nephew really wanted me to have cake. He doesn't understand about dieting and losing weight so you know I couldn't explain the lap band to him. He kept saying "auntie are you gonna eat some cake with us?" How could I say no. This is the nephew that has Cerebral Palsy and uses a walker. My sister tells me all the time how he asks for me. So I couldn't let him down. Here are a couple of pics of him. He is such a sweetheart.



I'm a little bit afraid of Thanksgiving, but hey it is a holiday. That's the reason I didn't want a fill because truthfully I want to enjoy the meal. I know it's wrong, but shoot, it's Thanksgiving after all. Dr. Woodman gave me a fill and I think it was .5 ccs because he doesn't tell his patients how much he fills. I did ask Dory because I saw her afterward. I am doing a bladder study for her and getting paid $250 to do it, so she looked in the computer for me and said he hadn't put it in there yet. Doesn't matter right now because I will find out later. I did get paid $50 for the 1st study visit today and I have 4 more visits in which I will get paid $50 more each time.

I won't see the doctor again until Jan. 6th and I plan to be at least 10 lbs down. When I saw Dory I asked again about the 1-2 lbs a week and she said that's standard and good pace to lose weight. I won't go into the spill Dr. Woodman gave me about successful lap banders and how much they lose. Sometimes I wonder if this guy has all his screws tightened.

Anyway, Happy Monday!!!

frickanfrackanfrickfrackan!!!!!! Can someone help me find an old post????

I need a bit of help y'all!! PLEASE!!

I'm looking for a post someone made a little while ago. In the post there was a picture of their desk drawer at work with good HEALTHY stuff in there. I don't know who posted it or exactly when but I know it couldn't have been over 3 months ago.

Can anybody help me???? Please. I am a certified copy cat, but long story short....I have a new storage cabinet right by my desk and I want to fill one of the drawers with healthy stuff to snack on in case I forget lunch or stuff like that. I found a list online and I have some thoughts, but just wanted to look at that post again. HELP!!!!

Please and thank you!!


UPDATE: Jen & Tessierose are my certified HEROINES!! They led me right to Lap Band Gal's post I'm doing my happy Snoopy dance right about.....now!!!!