this and that

A little bit of this..a little bit of that..

Last night I ended up making this for dinner. I found the recipe off one of my fave blogs, The Domestic Wannabe !!

I ended up getting my hair cut last week. I needed it spruced up sooo badly! I am continuing to let it grow...

My addiction to Pinterest has continued to grow! Here are a few things I'm loving.

&

Oh wait, this is a weight loss blog, isn't it?

Well I lost -2.4 this week and continuing my routine. I am sticking to it; I reallly want to lose those 12 pounds.

Have a great week, everyone!



Temptations

Yikers, I think it's that time of year again where there are temptations everrrrrywhere. Especially at my new job. I'm working in the billing/financial office for a hospital that has an open cafeteria with ohh..just about anything you can imagine, except low calorie, whole, healthy food. How nice, right? Everyday is a battle to stay away and stick to my boring lunch I brought. Has anyone ever encountered this? How have you dealt? Any tips will be greatly appreciated.
Here's a scenario at work:

coworker: Allie there are chocolate covered pretzles in the cafeteria

{me thinking: how the hell does she know I looove sweet+salty..??}

Me: Oh, cool, thanks for letting me know! But I better stay away!

coworker: whyyy?! They're sooo good!

{me thinking: why?! Because I nearly weigh over 200lbs again, THAT'S why!}

Me: I'm just trying to watch what I eat! Need to lose some more weight!

coworker: ohhh girrrl, you look fine! They are so good!

{me thinking: OK enough!}

Instead I just smile and watch her eat that delicious snack...

Life just isn't fair all the time, is it? sigh! I'm trying to always keep this in my head when I'm faced with these temptations:

LOVE!!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Stay out of temptation zones!

Fall Photos

Hello!
Jordan and I got our pictures taken the last weekend in September for a great deal. I saw on Facebook that two sisters were starting their photography business and giving away mini sessions for $25.00! I figured I couldn't pass that deal up so signed up for a session and figured, hey if we only get a few good shots for Christmas cards then it was well worth it. I've been somewhat impressed..timeliness not so much, but quality for price not too bad. Here's a few of our {my} faves:

I sure wish I had a 28 week pregnant belly in these pictures or a baby in these family photos! There's always next year, right? Wishful thinking!

Routine

I love this :)

Let me just say..I'm lovin my new schedule. As I've previously mentioned, I've started a new position with a new company and have amazing hours!! At first I was apprehensive about leaving behind my Friday afternoons off, but I'm loving getting off at 4:30pm Mon-Friday. It has just been a really good change for me. Here's my new routine:

6:00am alarm goes off..I hit snooze until 6:30 :)

6:30-7:25 shower and get ready for work

7:55am arrive at work {on time!}

8am-4:30pm work {in training right now}

4:30pm-5:30pm head right over to the gym and get in a great hour cardio workout Monday-Thursday

5:30-6:00pm eat dinner at home

6:15pm leave for class Monday, Tuesday, Thursday

7:05-9:45pm in class

10pm-11:30pm homework, blogs, Pinterest, facebook, emails

11:30 make lunch for next day, pick out clothes, pack gym bag

11:45 SLEEP!

Repeat for the next day!

Let me tell you..it feels SO MUCH better to have a routine and some structure in my life! There are times I wish there were more hours in the day, but I'm managing. Oh look, it's 6:08pm..gotta go to class! Ta-ta!

How I've gained 12lbs in a year.

That's right. 12 whole pounds. In a Year.
Anyway, I'm sure I know how this happened. I'm sure I have many excuses to justify this gain, but here's the truth: I got lazy. I didn't go on a binge, just pure laziness.

1. I quit working out 4-5xs a week. Before I got pregnant/miscarried in June 2011 I was running and working out like crazy. After, I was so depressed that I just stopped even though exercise probably would have made me feel better.
2. I quit tracking points/calories. I was tracking on the MyFitnessPal app partially..when I felt in the mood and was always in my calorie range, but never saw any changes.
3. I quit planning my meals. I quit packing my lunches for work; I quit making a grocery list.
4. I put my health as my last priority. I quit taking Synthroid, I stopped taking vitamins, I wasn't getting 8 hours of sleep, I wasn't drinking at least 84oz of water. I stopped caring about me.

So that, my friends, is how I gained 12lbs this year. I'm not even hitting the 50lbs lost mark anymore :-/ But this is going to change. It has to! I'm sorry I haven't been blogging, but I'm going to get back into that as well. Here's some previews of blog entries I have planned:

• Infertility update (I got a newww diagnosis this month whoohoo)
• Weekly Weigh Ins: getting real
• Meal planning (and sticking to it)
• My New Routine
• Holiday decor and food preparation
• Winter apparel

I'm bound and determined to lose these 12lbs..I want to say by the end of this year, but I don't want to set a lime limit on myself for fear of disappointment. But I am going to lose these 12 pounds. Thanks for the support!
Oh, I'll leave you with one of me and Jordan's new pictures. I'll post more soon!

Free

Sorry for the lack of posting. I have been one uninspired blogger these days. I've actually been quite uninspired about..well..everything for quite some time.
Until..

I put in my 2 week's notice on Monday!!

Who knew that telling your unappreciative, inpersonal boss that you are packin' up would be so..liberating..so freeing? It was a good feeling. Now, I know the grass may not always be greener on the other side (obviously I don't know since I haven't started my new position yet), but I'm just happy for a change. I've been chained to this cubicle 4 years too long. I start my new position at the hospital on October 7th in the business office. I'm thrilled for a change of scenery and atmosphere.

Also, my new hours are lovely. 7:30am to 4pm. Can you say..hello gym?! since I have been working from 8:30-6pm and then going to class right after, I haven't been working out. I know, no excuses, but that's mine and I'm stickin' to it.

So, needless to say, I'm excited for this new experience because I have been unhappy at my place of employment for some time now. I will keep you posted on all of that!

:)

Look back

Sometimes when I'm really down in the dumps about what the scale says or how my pants are fitting it is always nice to reflect. By reflecting I mean dig up the most unflattering pictures of myself out of pure shame to see where I've come from, lol.
Maybe it makes me feel a teensy bit better to see where I started, where I am now and where I want to be. I am still on this journey!

Former fat Bride (240lbs)

Bridal shower blegh

At my aunt's wedding..I remember this top feeling sooo tight on my arms!

It was on this trip I knew I needed to make a change. I went into Victoria's Secret and felt like the girls working there were laughing at me! I joined Weight Watchers 2 weeks later.

 

Oh look, I was a fat bridesmaid too. Good grief!

All of these pictures are part of the journey! Every day I get a little bit better on this..I learn something new everyday..I DON'T need Dr.Pepper in the morning..I DON'T need sour gummy worms in order to study..I CAN run a 5k (maybe ;) And everything's okay because here's today:

Happy Tuesday :)

My solution:

Low and behold: The Crockpot!

Remember when I was stumped as to what to eat between work and going straight to school? I work Monday-Thursday 8:30am-6pm and go to school Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7pm-9:45pm. I pack my lunch everyday so I figured..might as well pack my dinner as well.

Jordan and I have started cooking with the crockpot quite a bit in the last week. Since it is just me and him, the crockpot is perfect for leftovers. Last week I made a taco soup and tonight Jordan made a Venison Pot Roast:

Yum!

And perfectly healthy for lunches/dinners.

Please share with me your favorite healthy/easy crockpot recipes!!  

Weigh in 9-9-11

Let's try these weigh in posts again, shall we? This week I lost -2.2lbs. It's the first time I've seen the scale move in nearly 4 weeks! What a relief.

Oh, btw, sorry for the terrible picture. My husband is my "photographer" and HATES..I mean hates..taking my picture! It is a constant battle! It's not like I'm a perfectionist or anything... ;)

Anyway, this week I tracked everyday on myfitnesspal. I have the app and it is so easy to track all the calories. I am allotted 1410 calories a day. Sometimes I go a little over, sometimes I am a little under, but usually right in that ballpark. I worked out once {eek} and started taking a pre-natal vitamin (not preg) again and I B12 vitamin in that afternoon. I'm not sure if they've made a difference though.

My goal for this week is to keep tracking, fit some more workouts in although it is getting hard with my work/school schedule. It is just going to take a bit more of planning though. That reminds me...I need to leave a workout bag in my car. I also want to up my water intake. Currently I'm only drinking maybe 40oz of water a day. My goal is to increase that to at least 60oz a day.

What are your goals for this week?

Infertility Timeline

This post may be a little long..but I've received a few emails from readers asking about how far along I've been with my pregnancies/what I've been tested for/what medicines I've taken/etc so I think it'd be easiest to just make a little long timeline.

March 2009: Pregnant! Wow, out of the blue. Jordan and I just moved into our house and-oops- weren't married yet.
April 2009: Had first OB appointment at 8 weeks and everything was perfect..sono measuring exactly where it needed to be, heartbeat. We were THRILLED. I was SICK as a dog (whatever that means).
May 2009: 5/3/09 woke up with terrible back pains. Worst pain ever..Jordan called my OB's office and they suggested going to the ER. Went to get checked out, sono showed heartbeat and growing baby, however, my cervix was open and I had a UTI. Dr. was RUDE and ordered me anti-biotics and sent me home. I was in intense pain 10, on a scale of 1-10. I even told the nurse I was scared to go home. I miscarried an hour later at home at 11 weeks. 5/5/09 I had a D&C by far, the worst experience of my life.
August 2009: It has been 8 weeks and Dr. said we could try again so that we did!
September 2009: BFP on 9/2/09!! Miscarried 9/11/09 at 6 weeks, sono showed no heartbeat, also I have absolutely ZERO symptoms. Dr. ordered labs and diagnosed me with Hypothyroidism. Started Synthroid.
October-December 2009: Nothing.
January 2010: Decide to forego TTC, but do not got on any birth control..just trying to be "safer." I start Weight Watchers and lose 50lbs. My thyroid levels are where they need to be. We pay off a lot of debt, Jordan is continuing school and we are HAPPY, but something is still "missing."
April 2011: I go for my annual well woman exam and express that we are ready to start TTC'ing again. She suggests Clomid and progesterone. We decide to start actively trying to conceive in May.
May 2011: BFP 5/13/11!! Sososo HAPPY. Confirmed pregnancy at PCP, was seen by OB very next week. 5/19/11 beta: 582, 5/24/11 beta: 2400, 5/26/11 beta: 3281. Not quite doubling every 48 hours, but sono showed heartbeat at 6weeks so we were thrilled.
June 2011: 6/4/11 ended up miscarrying at 8weeks. I had slight pregnancy symptoms: exhaustion, sore chest, strong sense of smell.
July 2011: My cousin tells me about a Reproductive Endocrinologist who she felt was a God send to her family. We submit an application to be seen and finally hear back that we've been approved.
August 2011: Start seeing the RE. Transvaginal sono showed "beautiful" uterus, ovaries, lining. Dr orders an HSG test and genetic testing. Insurance approved HSG test first=perfect clear tubes and uterus. RE is concerned about auto immune disorders especially Hashimoto's Disease. Insurance finally approves genetic testing.
September 2011: Tomorrow we are going for genetic testing at 8am. We are anxious and optimistic. We should have results in 4-6 weeks.

I never knew how strong I was until I was faced with infertility.

Questions/suggestions? Email me: amarshall627 @ gmail.com

The jeans.

These jeans?

oh..you know..have been hanging on my closet door for..oh..2 months.

They are size 14 GAP Curvy-fit low rise jeans from 2008 that do not fit.

They used to be my favorite pair, but sadly, I have not worn said jeans in oh..3 years.

Pathetic.

The goal?

To fit into these jeans by October 1st. I do realize that is only roughly 4 weeks. The "good" thing is..I can pull them up, but they will not button at this present time! My goal is for them to fit comfortably by the first of October. And hey, if I meet that goal, I think it's time to get some new favorite jeans..circa 2011 :)

What is your current goal?

High School eating vs. College

I was pondering this during my History of Western Music class tonight (which is totally boring btw!)...why, all of a sudden, do I think I can eat the way I did in High School now that I started taking some college classes? Maybe it's the thrill of being in class and feeling younger or maybe it's because I feel like I'm on the go all.the.freaking.time? I don't know, but I really need to get out of this mind frame..

When I was in High School, I was pretty average..I remember going to my routine physical for freshman basketball and my weight being 127...I thought I was huge.

{2004}

I worked as a waitress about 30 hours a week and was always on the go. I was always out with friends, but I had a terrible diet. My favorite meal was a McChicken from Mcdonalds with buffalo sauce. Nice, huh? I drank tonssss of Dr. Pepper and Wendy's chicken nuggets. Yet I always stayed pretty slim.

So, why am I reverting to that lifestyle? I ate a McChicken today...with..guess what? Buffalo Sauce and oh guess what...a Dr. Pepper! How did I feel  afterwards? Disgusting. So what did I do when my class go out an hour early?

Work out!!

I plan on coming up with some kind of plan in regards with what to eat between work and class because fast food is the worst thing for me. Oh, and I need to cut that Dr. Pepper crap out..I quit drink regular pop a long time ago..why start again?!

Sigh. Every day battle, huh?!

Giveaway Winner!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 8

^^Giveaway winner is..Lacey! Thank you for supporting my blog! Lacey is a former co-worker and saw me at my heaviest weight and has always been a great supporter. She is also an awesome couponer so check out her blog!

I cannot believe I've been blogging for a year now!

 Here are some of my favorite posts from the past year:

• My 1st entry
• My 1st 5k
• 2011 goals
• 50lbs lost!
• Running with Dad
• Shake Weight
• Pregnant!
• Miscarriage
• 17 day diet (I need to do this again!)

Anyway, thanks again for all the comments, emails, facebook messages..I'm going to continue blogging (even though I'm sucking lately!) and LOSE THE REST OF THIS WEIGHT! xoxoxo

1st Giveaway!

I'm hosting my first giveaway to one of my awesome readers!!

I hit 50 followers (51 actually) and want to THANK you for all the support you've shown me this past year!

Who loves Scentsy?

I want to give you this adorable zebra plug warmer and a scent of your choice.

Here's what you have to do:

1. Follow my blog (duh)

2. Comment with your favorite Scentsy scent (1 entry per person)

I will pick the winner by random.org on Wednesday, August 31st in honor of my blog's 1 year anniversary!!

What I'm Loving Wednesday:

I'm lovin..

Blogging! I know I haven't really kept up, but I promise I'm coming back full swing. I'm starting to feel like myself again :)

This picture of my niece on her first day of Kindergarten!!

My new phone! I'm lovin all the apps and how easy it was to learn (I was worried)..oh, and it's eco friendly. Go Green!

MyFitnessPal

I've been using the app to track my calories/look up food/restaurants and it's been great! I haven't lost any weight (go figure) but it really does help me keep in check with how I'm doing calorie wise.

Stir Fry! I never really cared for it before, but I've really started to like it..especially how my husband makes it! Yum!

Demi Lovato- Skyscraper. I love the emotion in her voice in this song.

My awesome husband whom I love dearly!

 

What are you lovin??

 

**I will be back tomorrow to elaborate on my appointment with the Reproductive Endocrinologist**

Facing the reality..

I forgot to mention that I started seeing a counselor to help me with my grief and depression after my 3rd miscarriage. I didn't really want to talk about it because of the embarrassment I was feeling. It has been 2 months (in 2 days) from my miscarriage and I really thought I would be able to pick myself up off the ground by now..at least more than I have. But I am still crying..daily..mad at everything..everyone..negative attitude. I am still living in a timeline of what would have been. It is literally the worst feeling ever when you just feel darkness all around you and you are looking for any kind of silver lining and you just can't. This is what I'm working through.

I do have good news. On Monday the long wait to see the Maternal Fetal Specialist will be here. I don't know what he'll say, do, whatever, but I'm anxious to maybe have some answers, hope, positivity, and so on. We will just have to see.

Not looking for pity, just blogging my feelings. It really does help to acknowledge what I'm going through instead of being in denial and just hoping I start to feel better soon. That's not fair to my husband or myself. I can't wait to pull through this though.

Amazing.

Who know all it would take was a little sweat to bring me out of my funk?? Marlene and I are back at it..training for the Race for the Cure 5K..just like we did last year, and it felt great! I mean, it was freaking hot, but I'd say we did pretty well for the 1st night of training. We started with week3 of Couch to 5K because we're just awesome like that..annnd we only have 8 weeks to train. Eeek! I will be back at it tomorrow :)

I also tracked my calories all day on MyFitnessPal. I ended up at roughly 1255 calories and burned about 200 on my 30 minute run at the gym. Not too shabby!

Question: What motivates you to stay on your weight loss journey??

And since posts without photos are pretty boring:

{2007}

Happy 5th Birthday to my sweet niece, Ariauna! I love you!

Woman with a plan.

Ok. I'm back, and tired of being fat.

There for a while I was like "Oh, I'm cool with how I look."

That was a lie.

But I'm not just one of those women who can just randomly lose weight (is there such a woman?). It takes hard work, dedication and repitition for me. I HAVE to count points/calories/cut out carbs/not eat sugar/work our 4-5xs a week/eat a lot of fiber/stay accountable to lose weight. That's how I lost 50lbs in 2010. I was obsessive about it..I weighed daily, I measured my food, I drank 100oz of water a day, I tracked my Weight Watcher points. This year I've been maintaining..I'm STILL right around the same weight (give or take 3-7lbs) from February. I still have roughly 30lbs to lose though. I know I've been saying that for awhile :(

So, here's the plan:

(This is a 2 week trial to hold me accountable, I'll re-evaluate in 2 weeks.)

• Track calories daily on myfitnesspal.com daily and then re-blog it.
• Start Couch to 5k (again) there is a 5k I'd like to do on September 24th
• Drink 100oz of water a day.

Those are my 1st steps. Totally do-able. I just have to do it.

Oh, and in case you were wondering. Here is my new hair:

hair......help.

Help. help. help...

Did you miss me last week? I needed a break. I completely FAILED at the 17 Day Diet last week. I haven't even been able to make it 100% through 17 days of phase I. Losing weight is hard..and repititous..etc etc. and it's hot outside and I have no motivation to get to the gym..and I'm battling some depression..oh, annnnnd I'm whining at the moment!

So, let's talk about something other than weight loss because obviously I'm at a stand still in that department.

Here are some of my favorite hairdo's..along with my weight loss stand still I am in a hair rut! So help a girl out here.

Short, light blonde

long, light blonde

Shorter bangs, reddish tint, long

long, hightlights and lots of lowlights

caramel highlights and the "curl down", long

Shorter, longer bangs, mostly blonde, a few lowlights

current hair: shorter, all blonde with some root re-growth 

Obviously my hair isn't long again over night, but I think I do want to keep growing it back out, but I need a lot shorter bangs.

Here's what I'm thinkin'..

{style}

{color}

Sooo...what do you think??

Weigh in 7-15-11

This week..

-1 lb even

(clearly I suck at editting pics!)

So, obviously I need to get back on the ball with things. Last weekend we went out of town to an amusement park with my little sister, and I didn't stick on the 17 Day Diet. It was easy to get back on track Monday-Thursday, but then last night Jordan and I went on a little date night to an italian restaurant and I pretty much blew it there. I know I could have lost more if I wouldn't have had some "cheating" thrown into the mix. Better luck this week, right? I'm going to make a weekly meal plan and stick.to.it. I will post that tomorrow :)

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Jennie-O

Oh, how I love you so!

See that word Easy?!?! Thank you, Jennie-O!

This actually makes for a great dinner. The serving size says 3, but I've found that it usually only makes 2. My husband could easily eat the whole thing.

Here is my dinner tonight:

Not too shabby!

And perfect on the 17 day diet :)

I was not endorsed by Jennie-O at all; just showing off a brand I use a lot..the prices are very comparable, healthy and easy :) My kind of brand.

{I'm sorry my blog entry yesterday may have been depressing. I'm not looking for a pity party at all; I was just remembering my 3rd pregnancy that ended way too soon and unfairly. It is a daily struggle for me to focus on the things I DO have in my life rather than think about all the things (+hopes and dreams) I've lost. Thank you for all the support I've received through this blog (for almost a year now!) I can't explain how much I appreciate you all!}

one month.

I can't believe it's been one month since my 3rd miscarriage. I am sad today. I've cheated a bit on the 17 day diet today. I wish I was still pregnant today. Not much more to say today...
Thanks for listening.

Weigh In 7-8-11

-3.4lbs

..and that is from when I started the 17 Day Diet on Tuesday :)

I am doing really well following the 17 Day Diet so far. For instance, for breakfast I eat a 6oz Greek Yogurt and an apple. For lunch I'll eat like a chicken breast, green beans or celery and for dinner I'll either have a salad with grilled chicken with vegetables. And I'm learning to like Green Tea. Oh, an drinking about 100oz of water!

Have a great weekend!

Salsa Chicken {recipe}

If you know me, you know that I need easy recipes!!

My husband is the main cook in our home, but lately he's been working 2nd shift so I've taken it upon myself to get in the kitchen. The 17 day diet is pretty standard..2 serving of fruit before 2pm, unlimited veggies except the starchy ones, lean meat (chicken, turkey, fish) green tea and water. I may be missing something, but that's basically what I'm going by.

I found a recipe (sorry, can't remember where) for Salsa Chicken.

-Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

-season chicken breasts with taco/chipotle seasonings

-Top chicken with 1Cup salsa

-Bake chicken in the oven for 30 minutes

East enough!

It was very good, light, and again..easy!! I'm on day 2 of the 17 day diet and I must say I'm holding out strong. I already peaked at the scale this morning and I'm already down 2.4lbs..and it's only Wednesday. Stay tuned for my Friday weigh in!