Week 10 The Early Edition

We’re leaving town this afternoon and I won’t be able to weigh-in on Monday.  My hope is that I will be able to maintain my weight while we’re on vacation.  I’m certainly not going to be stressing about calories, but I really don’t want to come home heavier.  We’ll see how it goes.  I was glad to see a loss on the scale this morning, especially since I’ve been less diligent this week running around getting ready for our trip.  I love small miracles.

• Week 10: –0.8 lbs
• Week 9: –1.0 lbs
• Week 8: –1.2 lbs
• Week 7: –0.4 lbs
• Week 6: –0.6 lbs
• Week 5: –1.2 lbs
• Week 4: –3.6 lbs
• Week 3: +0.8 lbs
• Week 2: –1.8 lbs
• Week 1: –2.2 lbs

Total weight loss: 12.0 lbs

In completely different news…I inadvertently bought 3 pairs of shorts for Eva that require ironing.  I pulled them out of the dryer and they had more folds than an accordion.  I have a few questions regarding this:

1. Why does Carter’s think that I want to iron my child’s tiny little shorts?  Have you ever ironed a pair of size 2T shorts?  It’s frustrating.

2. If we can eradicate Smallpox, why can’t we eradicate the need for irons?  All fabric should be wrinkle-free.  This is the future, anything is possible.

3. Now what do I do with these shorts?  They’re brand new but I will hesitate to let Eva wear them because I will obsess about having to iron them.  I don’t want to spend more money on clothes, but I also don’t want to iron shorts every week all summer long.

4. Why don’t I have a maid?

I’m quite perturbed about this whole thing.  However, I’m going on vacation today so I’ll briefly suspend my irritation. 

Vacation.  YI-PEE!!

Week 9

I weigh myself a few times a week to make sure I’m on track and to see if I can afford to eat a Snickers bar.  This week I was consistently down 2 pounds every time I weighed.  Yesterday morning, I was down nearly 3 pounds.  I was quite pleased that today would be a solid loss.  And then I weighed-in this morning.

I was a pound heavier than last week!  How could I gain 4 pounds in one day?  I didn’t even eat the darn Snickers bar that was mocking me every time I opened the cabinet.  I had vegetables for dinner.  I was faithful. 

This happens every week.  I usually hit my lowest weight around Thursday, then I’m up a few notches by Monday.  Even if I don’t cheat, it seems to be the cycle.  I should really change my weigh-in day to Thursday.

Anyway, I went for a run then weighed myself again.  I managed to eek off some girth but it still wasn’t the loss I was counting on.  And, we’re going to California on Saturday for a week so I’m feeling some anxiety about that.  I need to pull myself together. 

• Week 9: –1.0 lbs (only because of sweating during my run.)
• Week 8: –1.2 lbs
• Week 7: –0.4 lbs
• Week 6: –0.6 lbs
• Week 5: –1.2 lbs
• Week 4: –3.6 lbs
• Week 3: +0.8 lbs
• Week 2: –1.8 lbs
• Week 1: –2.2 lbs

Total weight loss: 11.2 lbs

Someday.  Someday I’ll get there. 

What’s That Alluring Scent You’re Wearing?

Something in my fridge smells like the garbage dump in July.  I’ve scanned the shelves without moving anything to see if I can locate it.  I don't want to touch whatever is lurking behind the milk and wedged between the eggs and the wall.  There are so many possibilities for where the smell is originating, I’m not sure what it is.  Is it the macaroni and cheese that has morphed from electric orange to royal blue?  Perhaps it’s the pot roast that is a striking collage of chocolate-brown and turquoise?  Could it be the blue and yellow Cub-Scout-kerchief spaghetti squash?  Or maybe it’s the sippy cup of milk that is minutes away from being cheese?  It’s a puzzler. 

I hate cleaning out the fridge.  I also never eat leftovers but I always keep them.  I don’t know why.  I feel guilty about throwing food away but then I do it anyway once it’s become a biology project.  It’s Crazytown. 

In college I had a deal with my sister.  She cleaned out the fridge and I cleaned the bathrooms.  It was the perfect arrangement.  She’s no longer interested in being my roommate or cleaning out my fridge and it really bums me out.

Open invitation: if you enjoy long walks on the beach, eating ice cream, fondling rotting food, and scrubbing down refrigerator shelves, please come live with me.

If not, at least get me a biohazard suit for Christmas.

I Fit

Eva is at the stage where she wants to use things that she’s outgrown. 

This bouncy chair:

And this swing:

I was babysitting my friend’s daughter who is 4 months older than Eva.  She did the exact same thing, only she did it after escaping from the bathtub.

Nudity.  That’s something you never outgrow. 

Week 8

I had a good week.  I changed my attitude and it made everything more pleasant, not just the dieting.  It was a good reminder for me that my reaction controls the outcome.  Michael has also been on a diet and has lost 15 pounds since January!  I’m very proud of his efforts.  It’s a hard process but we’re starting to see the results and it feels very satisfying. 

• Week 8: –1.2 lbs
• Week 7: –0.4 lbs
• Week 6: –0.6 lbs
• Week 5: –1.2 lbs
• Week 4: –3.6 lbs
• Week 3: +0.8 lbs
• Week 2: –1.8 lbs
• Week 1: –2.2 lbs

Total weight loss: 10.2 lbs

Now THAT is more than halfway to my goal!

Happiness

I’ve been a whiner lately.  I apologize.  In reality, my life is pretty easy.  I really don’t have much to complain about.  I’ll quit.

Instead, here are some things that Eva does that make me smile.  She:

Dresses herself.

Greets Aika in the morning. 

Adores her daddy.

Really adores her daddy.

Bird watches.

Loves to sit in the fridge.

Combs her own hair.

Cuddles with me in the morning.

Nothing to complain about indeed.

Week 7

Let’s be real. 

I cheated big time on my diet this week.  Big time.  If it was in sight, I ate it.  If it wasn’t in sight, I whipped up a batch.  I ate so much I went to bed numerous nights with a stomach ache.  It leaned very heavily toward ridiculousness.  Fine, it was outright ridiculousness.

I’ve been in a bit of a funk this week.  I’m a little homesick, a little tired of my daily routine, a little hormonal, the usual cycle of discontent that swings around every so often.  I let my emotions dictate my diet.  I let my diet dictate my emotions.  I let Michael have it for putting mismatching pajamas on Eva.  I wasn’t Zen. 

I watched a documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead recently.  It’s about a guy who goes on a juice diet for 60 days, then transitions to a healthy lifestyle.  His motto is moderation, not perfection.  I like that.  I’ve decided to adopt that motto.  I think it’s appropriate for every aspect of my life, especially housework and showering.  The point is that I was terrible this week but that doesn’t mean I’m hopeless.  I just need to find balance and moderation.  This week I went well beyond being reasonable and landed in overindulgence territory, but I can still navigate back.  That’s my goal for this week: moderation, not perfection; balance, not frazzle.

I know I just changed your opinion of me by revealing that I’m riddled with shortcomings, but it’s time you know the truth.  You were going to find out eventually.  The only thing that saved me this week was exercise.  Thank goodness for exercise.

Here’s the damage:

• Week 7: –0.4 lbs (imagine if I had been good…)
• Week 6: –0.6 lbs
• Week 5: –1.2 lbs
• Week 4: –3.6 lbs
• Week 3: +0.8 lbs
• Week 2: –1.8 lbs
• Week 1: –2.2 lbs

Total weight loss: 9.0 lbs

Those are 9 very hard-earned pounds.