Can I go to bed now?

I've done a lot today, including a mile long powerwalk with the Wii and sorting though boxes and boxes of clutter. These boxes will need to be moved out of my living room and entry way well before Thursday. I've got my kitchen looking fairly good again, just need to get the desk area back in order and then do the floor.

Tomorrow I take a cat to the vet and then attend a Holiday Tea. Then I drop Kiddo off at the skating rink and home to see what Sweetie and his father have accomplished while the 3 generations of "ladies" were at their "tea."  I suddenly wish that I had a wide-brimmed hat with flowers. Oh well, it would probably class with my sweatpants, anyway.

I'm hoping kiddo will stay overnight then at her friend's party. It would be nice for me and Sweetie to have time to ourselves. Sunday is a long church day with bread communion and origami crane making or some such fun afterwards. The rest of the day will be spent prepping for turkey day.  Besides my pumkin pudding and turkey breast, I have no idea what's on the menu. We need to figure that out soon!

Shopping & stuff

Well, it's gettin kinda chilly in NW Ohio these days and last year's coat is way too bulky on me now. I also noticed that bras are definitely in order, and some hoodies or cardigans would be good. I'm looking for inexpensive stuff to get me through this size and or maybe the next one down. I don't even care if they're a little snug at first - I know it won't last long.

I'm thinking "just my size" website. Any other suggestions? Anybody know any good coat sales?  Maybe I'll just do overstock.com again.

trying to shop online while I'm watching Biggest Loser. the strategies mess it up for me. That and the same scenes playing before and after the commercials. bah. These people better help me get inspired.

Hand-Me-Ups

Just a quick note before we leave for church.

It's cold out and normally I don't mind, but this less-obese me is not tolerating it well. I know it's going to get a lot colder in the months to come. A few weeks ago, when BFF gave me some sweaters that she's no longer fat enough to fill out, I thought it a shame that I'd probably never wear them. Well, today I tried one on and I am nice and toasty comfortable. It fits, it's cute, and my teeth are no longer chattering.

This probably counts as an NSV. I'll appreciate it more in the summer when I'm not broiling because of the lack of insulation.

Any suggestions?

I've learned all kinds of new terms since I started blogging about my weight loss but I need one more.

It's going to be a little while before I reach "onederland"  or the "hundred pound club" which are both great goals. But what about when I can where clothes whose sizes begin with a "1"?  My next size down will be an 18 and I think coming from wearing 26/28W that it deserves a term all it's own. Is there one already and I just haven't picked up on it yet?

I could call it

Xless (but some 18's are Xlarge depending on the manufacturer)
TeenWorld?
Re-teen?

Let me know what you think!

BFFs

What you might infer from this photo

I am taller and fatter than Mandy
She is happy
She is wearing one of my Champion workout suit jackets that I cannot yet stuff my hooters into
I am a peacenick
I don't wear proper shoes unless absolutely necessary
I got to see my BFF today
I am still big, but much smaller than I was.
Mandy is all thigh & breast, keep Colonel Sanders away!
At least one of us is unafraid to ask a shoe salesman to snap our photo

We got together for a few minutes today, just long enough to be our silly selves. No eating, just exchange of some clothes that I'm paying forward and she will return as hand-me-ups when she is a bit smaller. We each drive halfway - 30 - 45 minutes depending on traffic - while the kiddos are in school and we can steal a little time together and entertain the locals with the ever-popular "Mandy & Lanie show."  She gets top billing - it's the smile.

Thanks to Allan and Sue again for the workout clothes. I am planning to make those XL's fit nicely real soon!

Dr. Watkins, I presume

I really like my doctor. She is so kind and supportive that I can almost overlook the annoying fact that she is thin and pretty in a Halle Berry kind of way.  So, when she proclaimed today that I made her day - and possibly her entire week, I was like a little kid who had pleased her mother. (Well, I assume I was, I never experienced that feeling myself - but I see it in my sister all of the time).

According to her records, I've lost 35 lbs in 3 1/2 months. She is extremely pleased with my current approach to health and apparently, so is my body!  My blood pressure was great the first (and only) time they checked it today! Normally, it is pretty high when they first check it, as a result of anxiety, and they take it again as I'm leaving and it's normal. And when she asked, I realized that I did not even take my anti-anxiety meds last night! So anxiety is down, BP is down and the thyroid is in the normal range.

My assignments for the next two months are to (1) keep up with my current eating and activity habits, (2) win at a foot race across our front lawn against my daughter, and (3) lose 20 or more pounds. She had talked about visiting with me again near my birthday in December, but agreed to checking in just before Thanksgiving instead. She seems genuinely happy and excited about this. She thanked me for making her job easier and for not making her come see me in the cardiac ward of the local hospital. So, we have our date Nov 15 and I will try to live down to her expectations. Maybe by then I'll be able to fit into the workout clothes Allan is sending!  Now I need to win a free sports bra or 2 or get a raise in my allowance!

Thanks everyone for your continued support. This 'flip floppin lunatic' loves the lot of ya!  MWAAAH!

Finally!

I finally broke through the 30 lb lost barrier into the world of 31.  With daily fluctuations, who knows how long it will stay there, but I've been on a downward trend for the last few days and plan to keep it going. Feels good to have a scale victory again.

Clothes aren't fitting right and I hate to buy new things in every size. Maybe I'll hit the thrift store today and see what I can come up with for this cooler weather.

It looks like there were a lot of  updates over night, so I have some reading to catch up on over in the sidebar. Ready to be (even more) inspired!

Fit Points: I have some catching up to do!

When I first began this blog, I was sometimes at a loss of what to write. At that time, I was only reading my bil's blog and I noticed he had been using FitBlogs as a tool. I figured joining that would give me at least one weekly somewhat original subect on which to write. Lately, I haven't had that issue and have been sadly neglecting my duty of weekly updates. The more behind I got in it, the more guilty I felt and the more avoidance I practiced. Then I noticed fangirl got all caught up in one post. I'm totally stealing her idea.  Click the banner in my sidebar to join FitBlogs.



The Fit Point of the Week is similar to Wordless Wednesday, New Friend Friday, etc. We supply a topic, and you write about it! Pretty easy eh? And it’s a free topic you didn’t have to think up! Of course, come back every week for a new topic too! 


The Rules

•Write a Post related to the topic. It doesn’t have to be exactly on point but it does have to be relevent.

•Link the person you discovered it from. (optional)

•Use the Banner, linking back to Fit Blogs, and share the rules on your blog.

•List yourself there!

•Comment on the person before you in the list!
 
 
This week’s topic:


Your fitness Idol:  Everyone has an idol when it comes to anything. Who inspires you to do what yo’re doing? Who inspires you to try harder?

See my sidebar for "blogs that inspire me". Mostly, though, my daughter inspires me. Having grown up in a single parent household, I know I don't want that for my daughter. The best way to prevent it is to take care of myself. She is also a good trainer at 8 years old. She encourages me, keeps me honest with myself, keeps me on track for my goals. She's simply amazing.
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Now for the catsup

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Eating Out! It’s summer, and for a lot of people that means more holidays, more vacation, and more eating out at restaurants. What restaurant satisfies your tastebuds and your health conscience?

Whenever possible, I check the menu online before I leave home and plan ahead. Grilled chicken salad or baked/broiled fish are my standbys.  Local diners are my favorite.

Workout Videos: 
Some people can answer this is one word, others have tried many videos. Some of us have found that one that works, and others are still looking.


Workout Videos have been a staple in women’s fitness for a long time, but now it’s become common for a man to use them as well.


So what Videos have you tried, and how well did they work for you? Have you found THE ONE?

I find I can't do the same video over and over, but I love almost every video Richard Simmons has ever made. The man is a comedian. He makes me laugh. I also like the Billy Blanks Jr. cardioke.  The people take some getting used to, but it's fun and different.

Most days I use my Wii game called Walk It Out if I have to exercise inside.

Workout Clothing!



What do you wear when you workout? Something cool? Something warm? Do you want to sweat? Are you avoiding heat stroke? Or do you just dance around in your underwear in your living room?
 
If I'm outside, I'll be wearing either my swimsuit or shorts & a tank top. I suppose I'll have to move onto sweats and a t shirt soon with the NW Ohio weather. If I'm inside, it's a tshirt and shorts.
 
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That wasn't so hard. I guess I wasn't as far behind as I felt. I find that is often true with avoidance - it makes things seem worse than they are. Definitely, avoidance is not a good coping tool and is one of the many crutches I'm going to have to rid myself of as my journey continues.
 
 
 

Clothing dilemma

Tomorrow I'm expected to attend a girl scout function at a public pool. Yes, I have a swimsuit and yes, I've been seen wearing one in public before - but here's the catch.

This paticular swimsuit was CHEAP - I mean like $5 on clearance and also not just inexpensive but poorly designed. And I'm not talking about just not being flattering. This damn suit is PAINFUL. It has a big plastic hook that lays on (presses against) the top of spine just before my neck and hurts like HELL on a hot biscuit after about ten of fifteen minutes.

Now at home, I can just take the straps down and swim around in the pond soaking up the algea and burning calories and I don't care. However, I'm convinced that people will think I'm trying to look sexy if I don't wear the straps in public. Like what the hell is tha fat chick doing with no straps? Does she know what sh'es risking? Holy crap! There are Children here!

Yeah, so, I can afford a new suit but I really didn't want to buy one until I got another size down. I'm having this issue with a lot of my clothes - when do I buy new ones? I know the old ones are going far far away never to be seen again. There will be no "after" photos of me holding up my old pants a la Jared of Subway fame. Yes, I'll keep the photo of my 8 year old daughter fitting into one leg of my "before" jeans, though. I love that picture.

So, I know I won't be able to withstand the pain of the damn cheap swimsuit and I guess I'm going to buy a new one. I'll probably even buy one that fits a bit tightly. As for the rest of my clothes, I'll probably wait until (1) they are falling off of me or (2) I need something else for a special occasion.

But I'm curious - my weight loss blogosphere buddies - when do you decide to buy new clothes? Every size down could be quite expensive. Anybody who thinks they might need my size 24/26's in the not-so-near future is welcome to them, by the way> I'll be donating them to charity anyway so if you're a step or two behind me, and you want them, they're yours.