A Bride's Battle! http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807 I Have Less Than 3 Months To Look Fabulous! en All rights reserved Weight loss extrapounds v2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 1440 http://www.extrapounds.com/images/avatars/users/twinkletoes807.gif Avatar http://www.extrapounds.com/ 100 100 I Have Less Than 3 Months To Look Fabulous! Alli Update! http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/193426/alli-update <p>I just realized that I didn't do a follow up post after my WI last Thursday! JC scale showed a 4.4 lb loss. Not bad for Week 1. Especially not bad since I haven't jumped on the exercise bandwagon as of yet! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/devil_smile.gif" />&nbsp;The food is tasting good again, much to my happiness! One of the reasons I left JC in the first place, was because I was sick of the food! So, I really like it again!! Yay!</p> <p>I am happy to report that taking Alli has been working out great! No &quot;treatment effects&quot; for me!! I am sure this has a lot to do with the fact that by eating JC food, I am eating very low fat, so there isn't much fat to metabolize anyway. I also don't even feel anything&nbsp; when I take the pills. I actually wonder if they are working! But, my daily BAN shows me back in Onederland! So, I have an 8 lb loss [according to my scale] since I started JC almost 2 weeks ago. Not too shabby if I do say so myself! </p> <p>If only I could get on my friggin treadmill! I have been so lazy and I have no real reason for it! I mean, I am working the same 43 hours per week that I always work, and still- I stare at the machine as I type this! And what is more annoying- I would lose faster if I would do some exercise!! I need some motivation people! Help snap me out of it! Tough love is expected and welcomed!! </p> <p>Hope you all are having a great day! Enjoy the holiday tomorrow!! Just step away from the hot dogs!! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" /></p> <p><strong>ETA: I did get off my butt and get on the treadmill!! I did 20 minutes of fast walking/jogging and it felt great! Let's hope I do it again tomorrow! Thanks for the motivational kicks everyone!! </strong></p> <a href="http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/193426/alli-update">Comments(24)</a> 193426 Thursday, December 7, 2006 00:03:12 Doing Good! http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/189904/doing-good <p>Well, Monday is here and I am happy to report that I have been sticking to plan like glue! I have not jumped on the exercise bandwagon as of yet though. <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/confused_smile.gif" />&nbsp;Possibly today, if I can fit it in before I go to work. WI is this Thursday at 10am and I am hoping for a great Week 1 loss! Gotta love losing that water weight! </p> <p>For those of you who may be interested, I did decide to start taking Alli so that I can boost my weight loss efforts. And I gotta tell ya, I feel no different! Maybe because JC is so low in fat in the first place, there is hardly any fat for the pills to break down! I am happy to report that there have not been any treatment effects for me! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/wink_smile.gif" />&nbsp;</p> <p>DF and I are anxiously awaiting all of the necessary checks to be done so that we can get a closing date! A few posts ago I mentioned that the house we were in love with came back on the market when we were already in contract with another house. Well, I didn't want to jinx us so I haven't posted again about it, but we are getting the house that we love!! Yay! The contracts are signed, the commitment letter has been received, now we await for the title search and survey to be completed- then we get our closing date!! We are so excited! Who cares that it will be a 40 mile drive to work for both of us everyday!! We will have our own home!! </p> <p>That's all that is going on in my world right now. I hope that everyone had a wonderful first weekend of Summer. Make sure you stay hydrated- drink that water!! Talk to you all soon! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <a href="http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/189904/doing-good">Comments(6)</a> 189904 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 22:05:12 Restart! http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/188273/restart <p>So, 10am came and went, and I was at my nearest JC center. They are kind of sparse in the consultant department, but there was a nice girl there to help me. Fortunately, I know how the program works and just really needed to be weighed, measured and to be given my food! What sucks is that since I did not renew within a year, I lose my 30% discount and drop back down to 10%!! Grrreeeaaatttt!! Just what I need right now while buying a house and paying for a wedding! But whatever, my health and soul are worth it!</p> <p>So, the scale at JC showed me at 207! Yikes! That brings me only 8.2 lbs down from when I originally started JC in Oct 2005!! It's uphill, but I am determined! I set my goal for 150 at the center, since that is the lowest I have weighed as an adult. And that was when I entered the Police Academy in 1997! But the days til the wedding are still ticking away, and I must confess to all of you, that I am seriously considering taking Alli to help me with an extra boost! I have never had a problem eating Olestra chips, [not that it is the same thing] so I am hoping that if I do decide to use them, I won't have too much &quot;anal leakage!&quot; Ewww!! That is just a gross statement!! </p> <p>Anyway, just wanted to post and hold myself accountable. It is now or never. If DF wants to have a baby soon after we are married [which he has said many, many times] then I need to get my weight down- not just for vanity reasons as far as my wedding gown goes, but also for the health of my future child! One day at a time right? Wish me luck people. I am on my way.</p> <a href="http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/188273/restart">Comments(11)</a> 188273 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 22:01:14 With My Tail Between My Legs... http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/187209/with-my-tail-between-my-legs <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I will be returning to Jenny Craig. All of this nonsense of me, trying to figure out how to lose weight the fastest, all in time for my wedding [that is rapidly approaching in 86 days] is making me sick! Enough already! Enough. The fact is, I don't cook, and I have an eating problem. I do not stop when my stomach tells me too, nor do I want to eat what is healthy for me. And I don't have the time or the patience to figure out what I should be eating! So, JC it is- again!&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I started out on EP thru a recommendation from the JC message boards. I began JC in October 2005 at 213.2. I left JC in June 2006, having lost 39.9 pounds, but bored to tears with the food and I had also hit a plateau for about a month. I decided that I would try out WW for variety. Bad idea for me! Too many options, not enough discipline. WW lasted about 3 weeks for me.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">My weight was holding steady for a while. Then, two short months later, DF asked me to marry him! All was great in the world! DF and I celebrated with dinners out and the devil- Cold Stone Creamery! We set the date for 9/14/07. The months started to tick by and I was gaining weight back. I told myself that I needed to start losing again so that I can start looking for my wedding gown! Well, time came and went, and in February 2007, I ordered my gown in a size 18. I was actually kind of impressed with this size since&nbsp;it wasn't too far from my street size&nbsp;which was 16, at that time.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Well, now it is less than 3 months till the wedding, and I have tried sticking to: the Atkins diet and the Soup diet, and what has happened? I have fallen off of the wagon yet again, and my weight is back up! As of yesterday, I am at 206 pounds! I hate it when I weigh more than DF. HATE IT! The stress of buying a house and paying for the wedding is too much to deal with, along with trying to eat healthy!&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">So, I am going back to where it all began. Jenny Craig, as many of you already know, takes the guesswork out of dieting. They literally tell you what to eat! And you just follow it and viola! You lose! Of course, exercising helps too! And I am hoping that my damn foot feels better soon so I can get on the treadmill-even if it is for 15 minutes! Luckily, since I paid for the Rewards Program, all I have to do is pay $99 to renew it [it has been over a year&nbsp;since my last consultation] and I will be back at&nbsp;receiving a&nbsp;30% food discount! &nbsp;This, I am happy about!&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">My appointment is this Thursday, June 21st at 10am. I will be going to a different center- one that is closer to my house. And when I move next month, I will have to change again! But whatever! As long as I get back on the wagon. I am feeling totally out of control with my eating and really lacking focus. I know that I have a lot on my plate right now but I also know, that if I don&rsquo;t try and lose some of this weight that I have&nbsp;allowed to return to&nbsp;my body, I will be miserable when I look at myself in my wedding gown. Bubbling back fat coming out of my strapless gown is not my idea of a pretty sight. I may be really ambitious, but I am hoping for at least a 25 lb loss by the time my wedding rolls around! Wish me luck people! I need all of the help I can get!! Until next time&hellip;</span></p> <a href="http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/187209/with-my-tail-between-my-legs">Comments(5)</a> 187209 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 23:09:18 The Dress Zips! http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/184660/the-dress-zips <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Please excuse my absence, as I was having a meltdown!&nbsp;<img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/sad_smile.gif" /> All is well in bridal land, so have no fear! After I last blogged, I came to the conclusion that I could not stick to a low carb diet, especially since I did not see real results. This prompted the eating of a couple of pints of Ben n' Jerry's over the past two weeks! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/smiley_png.png" />&nbsp;So, it was Friday of last week, when I was feeling bloated and chubby as ever, that I come home to a voicemail from my bridal shop!! &nbsp;My consultant tells me, in a cheery voice, that my dress is in! &quot;Oh shit,&quot; I think to myself. The consultant goes on to inform me that the manufacturer may have made a mistake with the length of my gown [when ordered, I was measured hollow to hem so that my dress comes full altered for length, due to the intricate work at the bottom of the dress and therefore, cannot be hemmed!] The consultant advises me to call and make an appointment asap, so that I have time to send the dress back if necessary!! Ughh! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/omg_smile.gif" />&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The problem with that scenario is #1: I do not have my shoes yet! When&nbsp;I got measured for my gown, I was supposed to have my shoes but didn't, so I wore a plain pair from the shop with a 2 and 3/4&quot; heel. I was expected to get shoes with the same heel height for my wedding day!! I needed to go out and find shoes immediately!! Problem #2: I have not lost any weight since I ordered the dress in March, and may have gained weight!! &nbsp;Between yo-yoing and gorging myself on Cold Stone every once in a while [see below post!] I did not loss any weight and it shows! The problem here is that when I ordered my gown, I was running on the treadmill and was doing well with my healthy eating. Then I started having foot problems, stopped running and starting eating crap! When the consultant took my measurements, my hips put me in the size 20 dress [and more money for the extra size!] but my waist and bust had me in the size 18. Since my dress is an A-line type, and would not be fitted to my hips, I convinced the consultant to order me the 18, thinking that I would lose!! Wrong!!&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Well, that's the background! Fast forward to this past Monday. I found 2 and 3/4&quot; heels to bring with me and I tried on the gown. It friggin zipped!! Hallelujah!! The length was a bit shorter than it should have been, so to correct that, I tried it on with a less full slip- and that did the trick! Problem now is... the disgusting back fat that is blubbering over my gown! Ugh! I knew I should have stayed away from strapless!! Who do I think I am? Gisele?! Well, it is what it is. What can I do, other than work out and try to get rid of it as much as I can?!&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Sure, just add the exercising and diet stress to my overflowing plate that already contains- one bum left foot, trying to close on our Dream House by Mid-July, getting all of the wedding details taken care of, go to work full time and pack up the house!! I want to pull my hair out of my head!! Que sera' sera'!&nbsp;One&nbsp;day at a time! I am going to&nbsp;focus on breathing!&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Today is officially 3 months&nbsp;until our wedding day and exactly 2 months until my first fitting!! The seamstress said that August 14th is the absolutely latest that they can start alterations and have the dress completed on time! Let hope that&nbsp;I can get my act together and make some magic happen in the next 60 days!! Cross your fingers and toes for me folks!&nbsp;I need all of the prayers and hugs I can get!! Until next time...&nbsp;</span></p> <a href="http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/184660/the-dress-zips">Comments(6)</a> 184660 Tuesday, December 5, 2006 23:04:20 Cold Stone Must Die! http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/177439/cold-stone-must-die <p>It was so nice to read the comments from some of my old blog friends as well as new ones!! Thank you for the warm welcome back! So, it is 2 weeks and 3 days since I started my low-carb prison sentence, and I am down only 3 pounds!! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/cry_smile.gif" />&nbsp;As you can all imagine, I am not a happy bride-to-be! Of course, in true male fashion, my DF is down 8 pounds! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/omg_smile.gif" />&nbsp;And yes, if you are wondering, I am totally jealous about that! It is frustrating to live day after day on 20 grams or less of carbs and only see a 3 pound loss! But, I do admit, that my face looks noticeably thinner and my pants are feeling looser. So, I am doing my best to forget about the numbers on the scale. It ain't easy though, let me tell ya!</p> <p>Then, last night, DF and I decided to watch Forrest Gump. DF went to Blockbuster and bought the movie, then called me on the phone. And what did my beloved ask me? Did I want ice cream? Ugh!! Of course I wanted ice cream damnit!! And not just any ice cream... but the momma of all ice cream stores- Cold Stone Creamery!! For the low price of about $8, you get yourself a huge sundae type concoction of fatty goodness. Well, my DF brought some of this yummy devil's food home and I had some. Actually, I had a lot less than I ever would, so I am happy about that. After the damage was done, I would say about 1 and 1/2 cups were consumed, if that much! </p> <p>Luckily, I got the guilt of eating the ice cream out of my head and am fully on the wagon. Maybe it's just a rationalization, but I have not eaten a morsel of bread, pasta or potato in the 2 and 1/2 weeks on this diet, so a slip up of 1 and 1/2 cups of ice cream will not be my undoing!! And for those of you who are familiar with Atkins or really low-carb diets, and know about being in ketosis, even after the ice cream party, this morning I am still excreting a small amount of ketones. So, all is not lost!</p> <p>In other news, crazier things have been happening with the house we are in contract for. Originally, DF and I fell in love with a colonial that we made a bid on. Apparently, another party also bid, and the sellers made a counter offer to both of us which was 10k more than our bid. Not knowing what the other buyer's bid was, we went up 5K and ended up losing the deal because the othr buyer went 5k over the seller's counter offer!! I literally cried over losing this house. I was so upset that when I found out- I had to leave work early! It was heart breaking! DF and I really saw ourselves getting old in that house. And it had such wonderful charm! </p> <p>Fast forward a month. We are now in contract with a home that we like a lot but it is not our dream home. Our down payment is 20k. And what happens? You guessed it- the&nbsp;favorite house's deal fell thru!! And so we have our attorney look over our contract to see if we can get out of it, since they already cashed our check, and of course it is looking grim. DF and I really did a lot of soul searching and discussing about the favorite house. And we then come to the conclusion that even though we cannot really afford it, we are going to walk away from the down payment and do our damnedest to get the house we love! We figure, that after all is said and done, we would spend more than 20k on renovations to get the house we are in contract in up to the point that the favorite house is presently at. So, now we wait... Please cross your fingers and toes that we get this favorite house of ours!!</p> <p>On the agenda for today- go to DF's niece's 6th birthday party, where I will resist all carbs! And then pick up my brother and his GF at the airport at 6pm. I will be on vacation from work this week! Yay me!! I will have to make sure I get on the treadmill. I finally did 35 minutes of hard core running and walking [mostly walking] the other day and I felt sore but good! Gotta get that exercise in!! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Be good to yourself! </p> <a href="http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/177439/cold-stone-must-die">Comments(7)</a> 177439 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 00:02:10 Stress Is Not Even The Word! http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/175158/stress-is-not-even-the-word <p>So, here I am. Honestly, I didn't think I would ever come back to my weightloss blog. It just kills me to be a failure at something. But yet, here I am. I guess I came back because of the blogships that I have made in the over 1 and 1/2 years that I have been visiting this site. It is because of the people who have dropped me a line and let me know that they were thinking of me, regardless of my laziness to get back to them. That is why I needed to get back here. Oh yeah, that, and also because I am only 107 days away from my wedding and I am a blubbery 199.2 pounds. I guess you can feel&nbsp;the dissapointment in myself. Let me share what's been going on in the 2 months since I have last blogged.</p> <p>So, about a day or two after my last blog entry, I was told that my fiance and I had to move out of the house we live in. By July. Now, to some people, that sounds like a reasonable amount of time to find a place and move- but to us- this made us want to jump off a bridge!! For those of you who don't know my story- DF and I are getting married in Sept. This September! The 14th to be exact. And we are paying for the whole wedding ourselves. And by NY standards, it is a small affair- 150 people, but considering NY prices, this small affair is costing us an arm and a leg!! </p> <p>Needless to say, when we got the news that someone is buying the house that we live in- we felt&nbsp;a nervous breakdown setting in! How the hell could we do this? Renting in NY is like paying a mortgage payment. And buying a house is quite a daunting task as well!! What were we to do? Rent- and give someone else about $1700 per month, essentially paying their mortgage; or can we pull off scraping some cash together for a down payment and getting our own mortgage? And if we could get some money together and get a mortgage, where could we find a house that we could actually afford? And not be forced to carry our guns around in our own neighborhood! Sidenote- for those who don't know it already, DF and I are NYC police officers- not criminals! ;o) </p> <p>DF and I decided to get in touch with our inner psycho and go the home ownership route!! We knew that in order to close on a house quickly, we would have to move our asses- and fast! Even though we were told that we didn't have to be out of our home until July,&nbsp;being that the wedding is in September, I would feel a whole lot better being in our new house&nbsp;ASAP! Knowing that we would&nbsp;only be able to afford a small house&nbsp;that needed some TLC,&nbsp;and would need a bit of time to&nbsp;actually do the work, we wanted&nbsp;to be in this new house by June!! So,&nbsp;our plan was to look for and find&nbsp;a house, secure a mortgage and close within about 8 weeks!! Insanity, I know!&nbsp;</p> <p>Another reason that I&nbsp;want to be in this new house as soon as humanly possible, is because I have yet to order my wedding invitations!! Ugh! I basically need to wait until I close to do so!! And of course the invites that I want take about 4 weeks&nbsp;turnaround time, so who knows&nbsp;when I'll be able to order them!! Everyone is telling me just to have the response cards addressed to my parents house. But hey- I am totally NOT a bridezilla, but DF and I are paying for the friggin wedding all ourselves and I want the joy of receiving my responses where I&nbsp;live! I do not want to stop by my parents' house everyday hoping that the mailman came and delivered some! How anti-climactic is that?!&nbsp;So, I must wait.&nbsp;Gotta have an address!</p> <p>Anyway, DF and I searched and scoured as best we could. Oh yeah- when this all happened, DF had to get foot surgery so walking was impossible for him for a week, and then he hobbled around with a cane! Luck was on our side in that, my stepmom is a real estate agent. This helped tremendously! Thank heavens for her!! DF and I settled on an area that we could afford with great schools [for our future rugrats] and looked at every home in our price range. We ultimately fell in love with a colonial and were out bid by $10k. I still regret not putting in a higher counter offer. It was not meant to be though, so I gotta let it go. </p> <p>We then made an offer on another house. After a little back and forth- our offer was accepted!! Like I predicted, it needs some love- specifically a new boiler and a fence- but we can move in and do things little by little. We were officially &quot;in contract&quot; as they say, last Friday! We are keeping our fingers and toes crossed for a closing date in 3 weeks. According to our contract, we are to close no later than July 1st. This would make me happy!! The lawyer is working on the title search and the mortgage guy is working on the mortgage. And in the meantime, my favorite dear sweet Aunt, had come into an inheritance, and offered DF and I, $100,000 to put down as a downpayment on our house! Essentially, it is a loan, but we will be paying it back at 2.5% and affording us the privilege of NOT paying PMI!! She is saving us about $400 per month!! Needless to say, I heart my Auntie!! </p> <p>As all of this craziness has been going on, I had been steadily gaining weight. :o( Not good. Out of stress I had been eating total crap. I'd have Cold Stone Creamery or a pint of Haagen Dazs or Ben and Jerry's after I came home from work almost every night- at 12:30am!!! Uhhh- not a smart snack is it? Not to mention all of the disgusting things I had been putting in my mouth during the day!&nbsp;And time is just flying! I am getting married in 3 and 1/2 months! </p> <p>So, to handle this problem and try to at&nbsp;least get some weight off in time for the wedding, I have chosen [and so has DF who has put on several stress pounds himself] to do a very low carb diet. Yes people, we are doing Atkins. I know, I know, it is totally unhealthy! But ya know what? I am desperate at this point. I am wearing a strapless gown and have scary arm flab and fat back going on! And my waist is looking very thick! So, Atkins it is! What really sucks is that DF and I have been doing it for about 2 weeks and it is only showing that I have lost about 2 pounds!! Not cool. I have not cheated once! But I have faith that the scale will be friendly to me in the coming weeks. And my clothes are feeling looser, so I am trying my best&nbsp;not to focus on my BAN weight. I also need to get my chubby self on my treadmill, because that is how the pounds are gonna start moving! </p> <p>And for those of you who asked, I did participate in the Revlon Run/Walk 5K on May 5th. It was a beautifully clear day in Manhattan. I was not able to run the full 5K but I ran and walked, finishing in 47:45. Not impressive, but not horrendous. I am proud of myself that I finished such an important charity event!&nbsp;Central Park in Spring is gorgeous! </p> <p>Well, ladies and germs, that's my story and I am sticking to it! Since I now longer have to hunt for a house, and it is just basically a waiting game, I&nbsp;am now able to get back into the wedding planning that&nbsp;has been put on the back burner.&nbsp;And part of that planning is getting myself in shape. So, though I won't make any empty promises, I really think that I would benefit coming to EP and checkin in on my buddies on at least a weekly basis. I am going to do my best to&nbsp;make the time. </p> <p>I hope everyone is feeling strong and enjoying Spring. Summer will be&nbsp;here before we know it!! Keep your chin&nbsp;up! Have a fabulous day! :o)&nbsp;</p> <a href="http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/175158/stress-is-not-even-the-word">Comments(8)</a> 175158 Monday, December 4, 2006 22:09:22 Wedding Stuff and Workin Out! http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/137540/wedding-stuff-and-workin-out <p><strong><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">So, it has been almost two weeks since I've made my last blog entry! </span></strong><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><strong>&nbsp;I am a bad girl! But at least I have been busy for&nbsp;good reason! I have been keeping up with my Couch to 5K program- I did Week 6 Day 1 today! Also, there has been a lot of wedding activity happening the past two weeks. Between shopping for BM dresses and a Mother of the Bride gown, trying to decide if I want to go for the insane but gorgeous letterpress invites, having my first makeup trial the other day, tracking down a flower girl dress that doesn't cost $100- it's all very time consuming and a&nbsp;lot of work! </strong></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <p><strong><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Luckily, I was able to find my BMs their dresses $60 cheaper than at the store that they tried them on at. And my step Mom is diligently looking for a dress as I type this. Also, my makeup trial went pretty well- though I will be doing&nbsp;two more&nbsp;with other MU artists so that I can really pick the best look for me!&nbsp;As&nbsp;for the invites- well...that's gonna take a while. I love the look and feel of luxurious letterpress! But averaging about $900 for 100 invites...eh...not so smart, considering that my FH and I are paying for everything ourselves! But, ever the wonderful man- FH tells me that whatever I want, we will find the money for it!! So, maybe if I do a couple of hours of OT, I won't feel so bad? Hmmm...decisions, decisions!!</span></strong></p> </span></p> <p><strong><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">As I mentioned above, I started Week 6 of the C25K program today. Last Friday was a killer- 20 minutes straight of running! Today was gentler- two 8 min and one 5 min runs with 3 minutes of walking in between. This Friday will be a challenge- 25 minutes of running, straight! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/smiley_png.png" />&nbsp;I am a bit intimidated by it! But, I will run at my 4.5 mph snail pace and get it done! </span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">The scale has been my friend before this weekend. I was slowing a BAN weight of 193.2- which puts me at exactly 10 lbs down since I recommitted again, and 20 lbs down since I started the whole weight loss saga and EP back in October '05. Unfortunately, this weekend was a hectic one with the kids and chores that needed to be done. So, a slice of blueberry pie, one meal of McDonald's, some mac n' cheese, and some other &quot;bad&quot; foods, kept me from losing any more weight. Truth be told- I'm blaming it on my PMS cravings!! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/angel_smile.gif" />&nbsp;But today is Monday and I am back on plan in full force! No cryin' over eaten lard here!</span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">I figured that I'd post a link to the wedding website that I frequent, so if anyone is interested in looking at my wedding related pictures, you can! I have lots of pictures and most importantly, pics of my makeup trial that I had last Saturday! So...if you're bored- check it out! Click Here: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2tfl6r">http://tinyurl.com/2tfl6r</a></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Hope you all are doing great! I'm going to check in and say &quot;Hi!&quot; Keep up the great work! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/wink_smile.gif" /></span></strong></p> <a href="http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/137540/wedding-stuff-and-workin-out">Comments(16)</a> 137540 Saturday, December 2, 2006 22:06:20 Helloooo Out There! http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/129276/helloooo-out-there <p>Hi all! Sorry I have been MIA for a while. Work has been crazy and the wedding planning is taking up most of my free time. FH and I had his children with us this weekend and unfortunately, the 2 boys were really sick! I never cleaned up so much vomit and wiped so many little butts in my life! Lol! They had that horrible virus that is going around. And at 4 and 6 years old- it is just&nbsp;miserable to deal with! Luckily, FH and I were able to take off from work on Monday, and we kept them with us another day. They went home to their Mommy last night. Poor babies. Looking on the bright side- at least FH's daughter [she's 2 &amp; 1/2] wasn't sick too!! She had the virus last week! Whew! </p> <p>On the weight loss front, I am moving right along! My only problem has been getting in more than 3 days of exercise. I started Week 4 on the C25K&nbsp;program yesterday, and I am feeling great. But my feet have been bothering me a bit so I am refraining from doing running or fast walking on my days off from the program. I am going to get my Pilates dvd back in action so that I can keep my commitment of doing 5days/week of exercise. </p> <p>Happily, several people have donated to the Revlon 5K Run/Walk for Women on my fundraising site! I am really excited to be able to participate in this great charity event. Here's a link in case you'd like to donate a few dollars:&nbsp; <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2guubv"><strong>http://tinyurl.com/2guubv</strong></a><strong>. </strong>That's all that is going on with me right now. Gotta get ready for work! Check in with you all later!! Have a great day everyone! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" /></p> <a href="http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/129276/helloooo-out-there">Comments(10)</a> 129276 Saturday, December 2, 2006 23:03:13 The Battle Is On!! http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/123732/the-battle-is-on <p><span style="COLOR: teal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Hello everyone! I cannot believe it's been almost a week since I've last blogged!! Bad girl, I am! Bad! I am happy to report that I have not fallen off of the weight loss wagon, but rather have been running around crazily all week for work and then for the wedding, this past weekend. Have no fear! </span></p> <p><span style="COLOR: teal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"></span><span style="COLOR: teal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">I went with 2 of my bridesmaids looking for their dresses, all day yesterday!! Ugh! What a&nbsp;time consuming process. Those poor girls were exhausted by the end of the day! Next Saturday, I will be doing it all over again with my other 3 BMs. Hopefully we will have the dresses ordered no later than the first week in&nbsp;April. &nbsp;I am trying my best to not break the bank for them. My great friends keep reminding me that it is my wedding day and so on, but I am of the school of thought that- they have to wear this dress, pay for this dress and be comfortable in this dress! I am looking for the most cost effective dress which is also beautiful, that I can find! It ain't easy, I tell ya! </span></p> <p><span style="COLOR: teal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"></span><span style="COLOR: teal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">So, one of our stops was to the bridal salon that I am getting my dress from. Yesterday was to be the day that my bridal consultant took my measurements to order my dress! I had been holding off from putting in the order to the designer, in hopes that I could lose more weight and could therefore order a smaller size. My rationale was that if I do in fact lose even more weight after the order goes in, then the dress could be taken in up to 2 sizes and not be totally ruined! Then of course, we all witnessed my gaining almost all the weight I originally lost!&nbsp; &nbsp;The consultant took my measurements- and let me tell you, I have one crazy body! My waist is 10 inches smaller than my bust and 16 inches smaller than my hips!! Talk about hourglass!! &nbsp;Ahh, well at least I was smart enough to purchase an A-line gown, so that my hips go with the dress! The verdict is this: I was ordered a size 18. Honestly, I am not upset about it. Surprisingly enough! For the last several years, I have been wearing size 18, so the number does not shock me. And in the warped world of wedding dresses, typically a wedding dress size is 2 sizes smaller than its real world size. So, looking on the bright side...a size 18 wedding dress is a size 14 street size! Not bad! I can deal with that! All I have to do is keep on working out and eating well, so I can lose more weight and be an even smaller size! &nbsp;All in all, not a bad experience! </span></p> <p><span style="COLOR: teal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: teal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Today, I will be starting Week 3 of my C25K challenge. I am excited to say the least. My HR monitor has been tracking my heart rates and telling me to slow it down. That is what I intend to do today! <strong>I am happy to announce that I have signed up for my Revlon Run/Walk for Cancer that will be held on May 5th in Central Park!</strong> I want to make sure that I am actively working toward another goal in addition to finishing the C25K program. </span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: teal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Here is your chance to help women with cancer, fight the good fight!</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #ff6600; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">&nbsp;<strong>DONATE HERE:</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2pdsv5"><strong><span style="COLOR: #ff6600">http://tinyurl.com/2pdsv5</span></strong></a></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: teal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> Don't be shy ladies! Donate what you can for a fabulous cause! Any amount is a help! Think about the loved ones you've lost or who have fought the disease and won. The women that benefit from this cause are underserved and cannot afford the proper medical care necessary to fight the Big &quot;C&quot;. So, do your part!! Help someone who is in a battle for their lives! Donate today! Have&nbsp;a fantastic day everyone! <img src="http://www.extrapounds.com/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/shades_smile.gif" /></span></p> <a href="http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/twinkletoes807/comments/123732/the-battle-is-on">Comments(8)</a> 123732 Sunday, December 3, 2006 00:05:11