Monthly Archives: September 2011

I guess I can’t do this alone

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I have been drafting this in my head all morning. I walked out of my doctor’s office in tears and needing to process everything that had just happened.

After a few pleasantries, he flat out told me he’s worried about me. I’m no longer in a position to say I “want” to lose weight, I NEED to lose it. After looking through my records, I’m 20lbs heavier since my previous heaviest weight, and 70lbs heavier than my lowest on record with him. My blood pressure is so high I can’t even be prescribed a birth control pill, my heart rate is way too fast and my blood sugar is borderline diabetic. I felt like a contestant on The Biggest Loser and didn’t know what to think.

I just started crying. I can’t keep doing this. I can’t let my family lose someone else. After weighing my options, I realized that trying to do this on my own wasn’t going to cut it. So, I did it. I called Weight Watchers and I’m going to my first ever meeting tomorrow morning.

I feel like a failure. I feel like a total loser.

I’m nervous, excited and terrified all at the same time about this meeting in the morning, but it HAS to be done. Things HAVE to change.

One Year Ago

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One year ago, on September 25, I started running, and I haven’t looked back since then.  I added up all the miles I have logged using Nike+ and my garmin and I almost fell over!  510 miles.  Later on, I realized that I didn’t use my garmin or couldn’t get my phone to work every time, so that didn’t even include some workouts. 

I was kind of disappointed though, because I used to run a lot more when I used Nike+.  It was like a game to me, almost, to see how far I could go, and then brag about it on facebook when I linked up my phone.  However, the distance and pace were always off on Nike+.  Sometimes by a mile!  And the pace, well I knew I wasn’t ever running a 7 minute mile.  So, I decided to buy a garmin.  (Read: I bought it for myself but then justified it to my husband that it could be for Mother’s Day)! I got the garmin and then I lost my motivation.  I’ve only ran 150 miles since May 2.  I lag.  But I’m still proud of my 510 miles.

Next Sunday I’m running the Long Beach half.  The Sunday after that I’m doing the CHOC walk at Disneyland.  I don’t like to run races on Sunday but it seems like it just can’t be avoided.  I don’t want to miss the CHOC walk either.  A friend of mine lost her 2 week old baby due to a heart defect and she was at CHOC.  I want to show my support for their family.

Eggs and Rice

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After finally perfecting making brown rice, I was thrilled to have some left over. I had dreams about what I would do with it, but I knew eggs would be involved.

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Breakfast:

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1 egg (mine was semi-dippy, left it cooking a little too long)
  • Hot Sauce

I thought the rice last night was perfect, but letting the flavors melt together all night in the fridge, it was SOOOO good this morning!

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And when I sliced into the egg and the yolk poured out, I mixed it all together and it was heaven. Bliss. In my mouth. (that’s what she said)

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I found this at the store the other day when I was replenishing my Izze stash. These were on sale and almost gone, so I snagged what I could. Must get more immediately!!! Today I tried the Black Raspberry and it was delightful.

Just because I don’t drink, doesn’t mean I can’t have fun glasses for water.

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Martini glasses. Not just for alcohol.

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I’m off to make another batch of brown rice. I wonder how many meals in a row I can eat it…

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Perfect Brown Rice

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Normally, I’m not a fan of brown rice. But, that has all changed tonight! I know that it’s way better for you, but I could never get it to turn out right.

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It’s either too dry, too watery or too bland; never again.

Baked Brown Rice  (This served our family of 5, with lunch for the husband and a little left for me )

  • 1.5 cups brown rice
  • 2.5 cups chicken broth (or any other broth, or water)
  • 1 Tablespoon Earth Balance
  • Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt (to taste)

Bring above to a boil while you’re waiting for the oven to pre-heat to 375. Once it reaches a boil, place into an oven safe dish, cover and bake at 375 for 60 minutes.

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Uncover and stir and then let sit for about 10 minutes, stir again and serve. I’m not kidding when I say this was perfect. It wasn’t watery or dry and had the perfect amount of seasoning. So, so, so good!!!! I saved just enough for a special breakfast tomorrow that will have me dreaming happy dreams tonight.

Along with the rice, I made baked BBQ pork chops (cooked the same time and heat as the rice) and green beans.

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I may or may not have licked the plate.

WIAW: Lazy Bum Edition

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On most days, once we take the kiddies to school, Aiden and I use the morning to run errands, go to the library or park or just somewhere to get out of the house. Every once in awhile, we don’t have anything planned and spend the day being bums. It’s currently 1:45pm, Aiden is down for a nap, I’m chilling on the couch and both of us are showered but still in our pajamas. And we couldn’t be happier about it Smile Some days you just need a lazy bum kind of day. So today, I bring you What I Ate Wednesday: Lazy Bum Edition

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Breakfast:

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Apple Cinnamon Chia Steel Cut Oats

  • 1/4 cup steel cut oats
  • small apple
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 cup water
  • Cinnamon (can never have too much)
  • Nut Butter (again, never too much)

Mix chia seeds, oats and water. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes and then reduce to simmer for about 30 minutes. The last 5 minutes add in your chopped apple.

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And then top with the nut butter of your choosing. Today I went with another sample from the box Artisana Foods sent me; Macadamia Nut Butter

Revel in the creamy yet crunchy texture of raw macadamias and cashews as you savor the naturally sweet, wild flavor of Artisana™ Organic Raw Macadamia Butter.

Blend with fresh red peppers to create a creamy Alfredo sauce for your favorite pasta dish or simply slice up your favorite fruit and spread it on. Every spoonful is delightfully delicious. (Taken from the Artisana Foods Website)

While it was an excellent topping for my oats this morning, turning it into an alfredo sauce sounds simply amazing!!

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Lunch:

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  • Potato Pancakes topped with applesauce
  • Steamed broccoli

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Don’t forget to check out the rest of the posts for What I Ate Wednesday…I’m headed back to my DVR and a cup of hot herbal tea.

One of those days

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It’s been nearly 18 months since the day my Dad died, and even though I miss him every day, I’ve been healing and able to move forward. Today, it seems as if everything is reminding me of him and I have been thinking of him and remembering him all day long.

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I like to think this means he’s thinking of me too. It started this morning when Aiden and I arrived at the library, I saw a grandpa carrying a little baby boy and holding a little girl’s hand. The man was wearing a shirt and pants my Dad used to wear and from a distance the little boy and little girl were about the size of Karlie and Aiden the last time my Dad saw them. I felt like my Dad was right there, I swear I could smell the cologne he used to wear.

We stopped at the store on the way home and ran into someone he used to work with and she didn’t know he had passed away and started talking about what a good man he was.

On the way home I saw his car 3 times, and it wasn’t that far of a drive! Right after the accident, I would see his car everywhere, it’s not as often now, but when I see a shiny black Lincoln SUV coming at me, I get that pit in my stomach again and know it’s not him.

I think today is a good day to go to the cemetery and place fresh flowers for him.

Birthdays and a Birth Story

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Saturday afternoon we all met at my mom’s house with my Grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins for birthday party for everyone with a birthday in September (me, my mom, grandma, brother, and Tyler). After some snacks and family picture taking, we all headed off to a local restaurant for dinner.

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Dinner at the Highland House is a rite of passage around here, homecoming, birthdays, sports banquets, it’s all done at the Highland House. The greek salads are amazing and the breadsticks are to die for!

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We started off with the breadsticks and garlic cream cheese dip.

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So good. I stopped myself, but I could have devoured this entire basket by myself and then licked the garlic cream cheese bowl clean. After the bread, we moved on to salads. I just had the tossed salad with ranch.

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“You’re taking pictures of your food?” Yes, yes, I am.

I decided on the Grilled Chicken Fettuccine with Bell Peppers and Mushrooms. It was good, but I barely ate a 1/4 of it!

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Because I knew the highlight of the meal was coming. Birthday cake!

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Costco cakes are my favorite. White, fluffy cake with cheesecake filling. It doesn’t get any better!!!

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Moving along, yesterday was my Tyler’s 9th birthday. I can’t believe it’s been 9 years since he was born. I’ve never done this before, so I thought I would share his birth story. His pregnancy was the hardest one out of the 3. I had morning sickness for months, gestational diabetes and around 32 weeks was put on blood pressure medication 3 times a day for high blood pressure. I was scheduled for an induction on September 26th because I would be 38 weeks on that day (it was a Thursday). The Saturday prior to that, I woke up that morning feeling “off”.” By the time I got to the hospital, my blood pressure was near stroke level, I was given a stronger blood pressure medication and admitted to the hospital. My OB approached me and said we could start the induction, but it could take days or we could do a c-section right then. I opted to start the induction. On Wednesday morning, I was sick of the hospital, sick of pitocin all day long and still no baby! Finally I was starting to make progress and my water broke around 9am on the 25th. At 1pm, I was fully dilated and started pushing. About 5pm, my body started giving up and I had nothing else to give.

The last thing I remember is sitting up to do one last push and I woke up in the operating room being prepped for an emergency c-section. Tyler Ethan was born at 5:37pm weighing in at 8lbs 12oz and 22”.

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I don’t remember much about the next day, I was in bad shape and was dangerously close to needing to be placed in the ICU and having a blood transfusion. I spent another 4 days in the hospital before being healthy enough to go home. Thankfully everything healed as it should, but I was on blood pressure medication for almost a year until it stabalized again.

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Happy 9th Birthday Tyler, I love you!!!

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A Lunch Made in Heaven

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I have some coupons for free items, and I thought Whole Foods would carry them, so the little nuggets and I headed to the mothership Whole Foods and I purposely went around lunchtime.

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Oh baby. I don’t go very often for the salad/hot bar, so when I do, I make it worth my while and fill it with everything I desire!

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Lunch:

  • Romaine and spinach
  • Broccoli
  • Tomatoes
  • Peas
  • Onions
  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Squash
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Croutons

And from the hot bar:

  • Mac & Cheese
  • Polenta veggie bake

On my way out, I saw something I have been waiting and wanting to get since I read about them on Janetha’s blog. If you aren’t reading her blog already, do yourself a favor and start now!! She’s awesome!!!

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Izze Sparkling Blackberry. It’s what dreams are made out of. I have been trying to cut out diet coke, but sometimes plain water just doesn’t cut it and I need something sparkly. Enter Izze. I can’t wait to try all of the other flavors and stock up on these little gems!!! Thanks for the recommendation, Janetha.

What did you have for lunch today?

Run Hundred

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I was contacted yesterday by Chris at Run Hundred . From the website:

  • It’s free.
  • You’ll get the weekly updates and the monthly top 10 list.
  • The songs come from Top 40 radio, college radio, and the clubs.
  • Each song’s BPM (beats per minute) is listed, so you can sort them by tempo.
  • If you like any of the songs, there are links to buy them on Amazon.com and Itunes

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    All you have to do is enter your email address and you’ll get an email once a week with songs and a top 10 list once a month. Chris sent me the Top 10 list for September to post here, as a sample.

    SEPTEMBER TOP 10 LIST

    Though summer is wrapping up, there are plenty of great, new releases to keep folks outdoors and active. T.I. and B.o.B. collaborated on the former’s new single. Switchfoot’s new song is one of those rare rock tracks to make the monthly top 10. “Saxobeat” is the latest European dance hit to crossover to Stateside radio. And two of the summer’s biggest hits (“Give Me Everything” and “Party Rock Anthem” ) have been given the remix treatment.

    Here’s the full list, according to votes placed at RunHundred.com–the web’s most popular workout music blog.

    Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer – Give Me Everything (Sidney Samson Remix) – 129 BPM

    Nicki Minaj – Super Bass – 128 BPM

    Switchfoot – Dark Horses – 83 BPM

    Gym Class Heroes & Adam Levine – Stereo Hearts – 90 BPM

    Lady GaGa – Edge Of Glory (Bare Noize Remix) – 140 BPM

    Pitbull & Marc Anthony – Rain Over Me – 128 BPM

    Nadia Ali, Alex Kenji & Starkillers – Pressure (Alesso Radio Edit) – 129 BPM

    T.I. & B.o.B. – We Don’t Get Down Like Y’all – 92 BPM

    LMFAO, GoonRock & Lauren Bennett – Party Rock Anthem (Russ Chimes Remix) – 129 BPM

    Alexandra Stan – Mr. Saxobeat – 129 BPM

    To find more workout songs-and hear next month’s contenders— check out the free database at RunHundred.com. Browse the song selections there by genre, tempo, and era-to find the music that best fits with their particular workout routine.

    I’m always looking for new music, so I already signed up for this! Thanks for contacting me Chris, I look forward to more music suggestions!!

    It’s a rainy day over at Casa FoodFamFit and of course, the two oldest have the day off from school (Developmental Day). We are planning on watching some movies, hanging out with Grandma, cousins and dinner with Nana tonight.

    Breakfast:

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    • 2 eggs (almost dippy)
    • 2 slices of toast
    • Banana (last one of the bunch and it was perfect!)

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    And finished off with a steaming mug of herbal tea.

    What are your plans for today?

    Boring

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    I admit it, lunch is my least favorite meal of the day. I’m always starving for breakfast and almost of all of my favorite meals are breakfast foods and dinner is when the whole family is together and I like finding new recipes to try out. But lunch, lunch is usually just me. Aiden takes an early nap, and by the time I’m hungry, he’s already asleep. While it’s nice to have a little bit of peace and quiet, I don’t like making big meals for just me for lunch.

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    I wasn’t even that hungry today, and all I wanted was cheese and something spicy, so a cheese quesadilla it was.

    Lunch:

    Cheese Quesadilla

    • Whole wheat wrap
    • Sharp cheddar cheese
    • Hot sauce

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    And a Black Cherry Chobani on the side. This is becoming one of my favorite Chobani flavors.

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    Just noticed my spoon, check out the sky reflection. I could pretend and say I meant to do that, but I’m not that awesome.