Things I do to NOT Think About Food......

I have tried filling our time so that food is not the only thing on my mind.  Is that just me?  The last couple of days I have had the pleasure to hang out with my super cute nieces Maddie & Saige.

Yesterday Gramma took us to "Color Me Mine" to paint some pottery.  We had so much fun! I painted a cute little bear for my Hanna-bear (finished products will have pictures next week).

Just a few of my cute family, mom (gramma), Saige, & Maddie.

The high from yesterday's weigh in has left, and has been replaced by the feeling of fear.  I guess this is an expected feeling whenever you are making a major change in your life.  I get scared that I won't be able to handle myself, that I will go on an eating binge and get crazy.  It doesn't help that I am out of my comfort zone by not being in my own house.

I know I've been waiting too long to eat and that makes me feel queasy.  If I had Health Insurance I would go to the Dr. and try and get tested for Type 2 Diabetes, but I was hoping that I could shed some pounds and then the low/high blood sugar thing would stabilize.  Sorry, I hate putting negative issues out there because I am a very positive person, but I guess sometimes you just gotta let it out.I also think being away from my husband takes a toll on me (if your reading Dustin, here is my plug that you should drive down next week!).

Tomorrow is a new day (and I still have the rest of today to make good food decisions).  I am continually trying to find a positive to every negative thought that comes into my head.

Q's
How do you turn your negative into a positive?

Quit Worrying & Trust the Process.

I'd like to start by saying that I am staying far away from my mother's scale.  Weigh in today was a 2.8 pound weight loss!  Yay!  I am down 7.4 pounds all together, and I am ecstatic!  This may partly be because I think my mom forgets that I can eat 14 more points than she can, but she gives me the same portion sizes that she eats.  I've been feeling satisfied, so I will let it slide.

I also got my first 5 pound star!  I was pretty stoked.

In the near future this thing'll be packed with stars.

Today in the WW meeting it was on how to stay on track while you're on vacation.  Funny thing is that I am on vacation and so I felt it was really geared towards me.  It was just what I needed to hear after stressing out yesterday.

Thanks for all of the helpful comments.  I just need to keep chipping away and those 2 pound losses start to really add up!

Have a fab day!

Accentuate the Positive (and Negative)

Let's get the negative out of the way quick before it lingers.

**DISCLAIMER** there will be a bit of TMI in this post.  If this bothers you skip down to the Positive portion.  

I have a confession to make: I weigh myself every morning, always have.  Normally, it doesn't effect me for more than a moment and then I get on with my day.  This weigh in has stuck with me all day.  It could be that I got hardly any sleep last night because Hanna decided she would rather play than sleep.  It could be the fact that Aunt Flow has come for the second time this month and that she has been frequently wearing out her welcome about twice a month since I had the baby LAST YEAR!  WHEN WILL THE FLOW STOP!?!?!?!?  UGH!

Anyway, I'm worried about my weigh in tomorrow because My weight has not changed since last Wednesday.  This is frustrating because I kid you not, I have tracked every piece of food that has entered my mouth.  I haven't used any of the extra points they give you for activity, or indulgence, and I STILL haven't lost a pound.  

I use to be so in tune with my body before pregnancy, now it's like I don't know it at all.  I'm not asking for another 4 pound loss, I will take 1 or 2, but 0? Come on.  

Alright, enough whining.  Now on to the Positive!

Like I said in the previous post, my mom is also on the Weight Watchers plan.  This has been great because she has been making my meals for me and has made it so easy to eat well on vacation.  I haven't been to the gym yet and I'm pretty sure that is why I haven't lost any weight this last week, but we'll just have to see for sure tomorrow at the official weigh in.

We tried to get a little exercise in yesterday and walked up to Bridal Veil Falls.  It was gorgeous!

The river is dangerously high right now, but it looked so beautiful.

Hanna didn't even make it through the car ride, she was pooped.

Weigh in day is tomorrow! I'm going to a meeting in Utah so it's a little nerve racking being somewhere different. We'll see how it goes.

Q's


What frustrated you today?  How'd you get over it?
It seemed like everything frustrated me.  I went shopping in Park City and found Hanna a cute swimming suit and cover-up.

Mama Knows Weight Watchers

I made it safe and sound to my mama's house in Utah. we also got to make a quick stop to Dustin's family on the way. I was sad to have to say goodbye to Dustin when he went home, I already miss him.

The great thing about vacationing at my mom's house is that she is also doing Weight Watchers, and so she packed her house with things I could eat, and today we get to go to the store and buy more food that will keep us from craving foods I shouldn't be eating.

Another plus, is that she has a basement that we are staying in and I have to climb up and down 14 stairs about 30 times a day.

The goal this week is to lose at least 1 pound (lofty goal right?). The weather is beautiful here right now and I'm hoping to get out for walks with Hanna in the jog stroller, or try to get to the gym (I HATE the gold's gym here, it is always packed so if I can find another way to get a little exercise so be it!). We also plan to get out a lot so that I can wear out the baby and she will sleep super great at night!

One thing I didn't mention is that my mom and gramma (who lives next door, and yes, I know that's not the way you spell GRANDMA, but that is what makes her special.) are Weight Watchers veterans. I think my gramma secretly still counts points in her head, even at 91 years old. And my mom will go around the store and say "you know that only has x amount of points in it?", this makes it so much more annoying easier.

Weigh in is on Wednesday! I haven't gotten much activity in this last week so hopefully it will still go well. I feel like I've been eating really well and staying within my points, but the scale never lies!

Going Out of Town Workout!

Today my workout will consist of laundry, cleaning, packing, errands, etc.  Going out of town for 2 whole weeks consist of taking a car load of crap.  It gets even worse when you have children because you feel like you're packing your whole house.

I am always afraid that I am going to forget something. I know there are stores where I am going (even better stores at that), but why spend the money when you already have what you need? I like to make lists. The only problem with me making lists is that I always leave stuff off and isn't that the point from the beginning is to not forget?

That is the first page of about 3.  I don't know about you, but packing and getting ready to go out of town makes me sweat.  I read all of these blogs and the workouts that some of these girls are doing can sometimes be up to 3 hours long!  It makes me feel so lazy with my 45 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of weights.  But, its all I can do right now.  And on days where I find my self running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I have to count that as some activity, so I do!  The only difference is that I don't give myself any extra points for days like those.

I know I will get myself back to where I use to be when I was in shape.  I just have to keep chipping away at losing the weight.

Happy weekend everyone!

Q's

Do you make lists?  Do you ever forget stuff?

What fun things are you doing this weekend?
Packing, driving, all sorts of fun.

Have You Ever.......

Have you ever bought a pair of jeans that were too small purposefully so that you will lose weight?  I have given numerous articles of clothing to the "Goodwill"  that had this back story.

Since you all know my weight I may as well tell you that I am a size 24.  After I had my baby back in October, I dropped down to 266 which was 7 pounds less than before pregnancy.  I had high hopes for breast feeding and that it would help me to lose weight, but instead I gained.

Before I gained another 14 pounds I bought a steal of a deal pair of jeans.  If any of you know how much Seven jeans cost, then I would be embarrassed to admit I spent all that money on them.  I got these Seven Jeans for $20, but they didn't have my size, so I had to go the size down which was 22.

Cute, right?  Hopefully by the Fall when I can wear these they will be too big to fit into.  I love goals that  don't have to do with getting on the scale.

Q's


Have you ever bought a size smaller to help motivate you to lose weight?
All the time.  I am determined to not waste my money anymore by actually becoming smaller and fitting into the smaller sizes.

Popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, & Coke!

No, I didn't fall off the wagon, we'll get to the title in a minute.

After yesterday's weigh in I decided that I needed to indulge a little and the hub's and I decided to go out for lunch (for the first time this week, that has to be a record!).  I had a moment of "throw caution to the wind" and we decided to go to Cafe Rio.  I know not the healthiest choice ever, but I managed to keep it under 20 points, which is amazing, and let me tell you how.  There is this secret thing called the Internet, and if you go to a restaurants website, they usually have their nutritional information right there for the whole world to see.

The special yesterday was Chicken Tostada.  I usually get the Pork Salad, but you gotta change sometime. It had a 6 " Corn Tortilla, with black beans, shredded chicken, cheese blend, lettuce, pico, and Creamy dressing.  I forwent the rice, sour cream, tortilla strips, and sprinkle cheese. Let me tell you that I did not miss it.  It cured my salad craving and I didn't feel deprived all day. Not to mention, that the tostada is cheaper than the salad.  Saving money while eating better?  It doesn't get much better than that!
Now, I don't want to ruin Cafe Rio for any of the lovers out there, but if you want to see some surprising facts  go to their website (I tried to put a link, but they won't let me attach a pdf file).  Some of it may be pleasantly surprising.  Food can be like and Urban Legend, the fat and calories seem to go up the more people talk about it.  One thing that was eye opening for me was that the "whole wheat tortilla" isn't any better that the flour, and the flour actually has more dietary fiber.  This just shows that before I go out to eat, I will be checking websites and making my decisions before I leave the house.

Movie Date with the Hub's


Yesterday me and the hub's had a chance to go to a movie.  This has been something that we have only done twice since we had the baby back in October.  The movie theater is a huge trigger for me and I have inherited my love of movie theater popcorn from my mom.  We saw "Super 8", which was very entertaining.

I had prepared for cravings of popcorn, sour patch kids, & coke, with apples, carrots, & water.

Apparently all I need is something to munch on during a movie.  Once it started playing I didn't miss anything, and I actually felt good once the movie was done because I didn't stuff myself with popcorn and soda.  Once again, an AHA moment.

Q's
What foods do you sneak in at movies?


If you checked out the Cafe Rio nutritional fact page, what was most surprising to you?
Someone had once told me that one of their tortilla's had like 800 calories in them.  They are bad for you, but that person was off by like 300 calories.  Good to be informed with correct information.

Drumroll Please..........

And the first weeks weigh in results are............278.2!  That is a 4.6 pound weight loss!  I was really hoping it would be at least 5 since it was my first week and I felt starving for the first part of it, but I am not going to be hard on myself.  I can honestly say I did everything I could and earned every pound of it!

It's a funny thing that happens when you eat things that are good for your body.... you start to get use to it.  For the last couple of days my body seems to finally be regulating and getting use to the food that I am eating.  By no means am I in any sort of habit of healthy eating....yet.  We're not out of the woods and I strongly agree with the phrase "21 days makes a habit".  These next couple weeks are crucial in my weight loss journey and I need to keep my head on straight.

On Sunday I get to venture to Utah to see family for 2 whole weeks.  I am so excited I could do a happy jig.  But this also comes with some hardcore triggers.

1. 4th of July.  Do I really need to say anymore?
2. Seeing friends and family.  Some friends I haven't seen in years and of course you have to go out to eat!
3. Being out of my familiar surroundings. I am annoyingly OCD about my schedule and I hate when there is a stick in my spokes.
4. Going to a different WW meeting and using a different gym.  Way out of my comfort zone.

There will also be some good things that will be proven within the next two weeks:

1. 4th of July.  Parade and lots of walking because the art festival will be going on.
2. Seeing friends and family.  I will focus on spending time with family instead of what crap will I next put in my mouth.  Also, me and my mom have already decided that we are going to be cooking delish meals so that both of us stay on track.
3. Being out of my familiar surroundings.  I won't have the same triggers that I do in Colorado.  I live in a pretty small town where there is not a lot of healthy options.  There will be lots of options in Utah.
4. Going to a different WW Meeting and using a different gym.  It is detrimental in life that you stay out of your comfort zone.

Life is all about perspective.  I choose positivity, it will be the only thing that can get me through the hard times.

What a FABULOUS First Day of Summer!

Sweat it out:
30 Minute Elliptical Intervals
Abs/Lower back Strength Training
1 Mile Nature Hike

Happy Summer everyone! What better way to celebrate the first day of Summer than to take advantage of FREE day at the Colorado Monument with the 8-11 aged girls from my church. How fortunate I am to live in beautiful Colorado and get to partake in the gorgeous nature that is all around. I took a lot of pictures, but I wasn't sure if any of the girls parents would want me putting their pictures on the blog so I will show you the pretty nature shots, and how cute little Hanna looked on her first hike.

Hanna chillin in the backpack (living the life). How would it be to have someone carry you around everywhere you go?

We most certainly live in a beautiful place!

I still had the itch to go to the gym. I am now pooped.

Dinner was light tonight because I was too lazy to make something. I had a roasted chicken breast, sugar snap peas, and an apple. I didn't want to eat too much because........my first weigh in is tomorrow, yay!
Make sure to check back tomorrow to find out how on track I am!

Q's

What did you have for dinner tonight?

Every Other Week Seven Day Vacation......

Don't get to excited, I don't really get a week long vacation every other week, but sometimes it feels like it.

This is the site I get to see every other Monday when my husband starts his days off:

Luckily, I have been blessed with a husband that turns off the video games when I ask him to, and got headphones when we had our baby so he wouldn't wake her up with the sound of gun shots. He is a keeper!

My husband is a sub-contracted Water Plant Operator. On the weeks that he works, thats all he does is work. 12 hours a day, with a total of a 2 1/2 hour commute. But, luckily he works 7 on and 7 off so every other week I get to enjoy 7 whole days off with my hub's (that is if he doesn't get called into work, which happens more often than not).

The down side to this schedule is that every other week is like a vacation for our little fam. we tend to go out to eat at least 4 times, and my schedule goes out the window.

Yesterday, we prepared to eat at home the entire week. We went to the grocery store and got plenty of lunch time food so that we would not be tempted to go to any of our favorite lunch spots. We are trying to plan some activities that take us out of the house and keep us active. We are learning to enjoy going to the gym together. The saddest part is that it is the closest thing we have to date night.

Last night, we tried Habanero Monterey Jack Chicken Sausage. It was delish!

I topped mine with saurkraut and mustard, and made a caesar salad. Initially, my hub's had been looking at brat's which have a load of fat and calories. Then we discovered these chicken sausages which only have 120 calories and 6 grams of fat. I forwent the bun, my body has a hard time with bread so I try to keep it to bagel thins only. I didn't miss it.

I am off to the Colorado Monument to do a little hiking and exploring (pictures to follow).

Q's
Have you ever tried chicken sausage? What do you think?
Never had until last night. Love it.

What activity are you going to be doing today besides the gym?
Free Day at the Colorado Monument, ya buddy!

Getting Use to This: Feeling like Crap While not eating Crap?

Sweat it out
45 minute Elliptical Intervals

Notice I changed my profile pic. Here's a larger view for the seats in the back:

This will serve as a good before picture, don't ya think?

It has been a hard transition in this lifestyle change. The last year with being pregnant and having Gestational Diabetes, my body handles food differently than it use to. I can't tell anymore if I have eaten too much sugar or if my blood sugar is too low. Lucky for me I have this handy dandy little glucose reader.

I just took this reading because my sugar felt a little low, but it is right on point. This is an example of being use to the feeling of having crap in your body all the time. That feeling becomes the norm and then when you fuel your body with fruits, vegetables, protein, and whole grains they feel foreign and uncomfortable for the first little while. It makes you feel like crap, ironically enough.

Today's workout was 45 minutes of intense intervals on the Elliptical. Usually when I use the term "interval" it means it goes from a lower level to a higher level every 2 minutes, but I usually exert almost the same amount of energy. Today I decided I wanted more out of my workout. For the 2 minutes that it was at a level 6 I used full range of motion and went as fast as I could, and then I recovered at a level 4 to catch my breath. By the time the 45 minutes was up, I was spent. I was going to lift weights, but oh no, I was done. I have to admit though it felt awesome.

I am glad that I was, at one point in my life, really in shape. It keeps me going knowing that it does get easier the more you do it.

It is the same way with food. Unfortunately, I've been eating so horrible for the last few years, it's going to take time to embrace the new feelings that good food and exercise give me. Until then I must push through and not get discouraged. I didn't gain 100 pounds overnight and it most certainly will not come off in a matter of weeks. This is a lifestyle change and so I need to suck it up and roll with it.

Q's

Have you ever had a goal that took you a long time to master? What goal and how long?
Obviously weight, and it seems to be taking me a lifetime so far. I haven't mastered it yet.

What food makes you feel like total crap?
Ice Cream, but I love it oh so much! I've switched to Fro Yo and don't feel quite as guilty.

Fatherless and Husbandless on Father's Day.

Yup, its just me and the Hanna-bear on Father's day. Dustin is working today and my dad lives in Utah so I will get to make a phone call instead of dinner with my family. 7 days and counting until Utah. Here is a special post for all of the men in my life. Where to start, there are so many?

This is my oldest brother Garrit(and his wife Millissa). He's a stud. He is an example of a supportive involved Daddy. He let me crash his first few years of marriage with movie watching and going out to dinner with him and his wife, what butt rock music is, and let me braid his mullet before he had to cut it off. You can tell his kids adore him. He has had so many personal triumphs in his life and has never let anything hold him back. He's the bomb.com and I love him more than he will ever know.

This is my second oldest brother Ryan. Doesn't that picture say it all about his daddy skills? He lives in Arizona and I miss being able to see him on a regular basis. He is the man that made up all of our grown up names (his is Ron) and has given me the confidence to sing along to his guitar playing with my fake Cranberries Irish singing voice. He let me tag along with him and his college friends when I was fifteen to keep me out of trouble, and we were partners in crime when stealing dad's Mustang when we thought he was out of town (he wasn't, he was driving a rental car right behind us). I love this guy.

This is my 3rd oldest brother Tyler(and his wife Angela). We were only 2 years apart growing up so we are pretty good buds. He use to serve me lunch on a mini-trampoline when we were playing restaurant. We would have coloring contests and he always won(we colored a barbie coloring book so really I won). He would warn his girlfriends about me, because I am ultra protective of him. He's gonna make a great daddy one day. Love, Love, Love ya!

This is my daddy. He annoyed me with the term "only little girl". He taught me how to shop at Nordstom, cutting the grass is not to be taken lightly, and to give your all in everything you do. He "made" me go to Hawaii when I was 15, and dragged me kicking and screaming to every activity (come on, I was 15!). He has instilled in me a strong work ethic and because of that I have always held leadership positions at my jobs. He has supported my every venture and for that I say I love you Dad, happy father's day!

Now this guy, he's the man. This is my husband Dustin, my baby daddy. He is my everything. he supports me in all of my crazy schemes. He keeps me laughing every moment of every day. He takes the trash out without being asked. I never have to ask him twice to do anything because he knows if mama's happy everyone's happy. He takes me out for ice cream when I'm feeling a craving. Hanna already has him wrapped around her little finger and I know he would do anything for her. He is the cornerstone in my life, and I love him more than words can say. Happy Fathers Day poopers!

I hope you all have a fabulous Father's Day! This post has taught me that I need to take more pictures, and I had to steal most of these pictures from their blogs. Expect a nice camera in your face the next time I see you guys.

Finally a Workout, and the PERFECT Smoothie!

Sweat it Out
45 Minute Elliptical Intervals
15 Minute Core Strengthening

I have a love/hate relationship with the weekends. My husband works every other weekend so the weeks that he works, I hate it. I'm also on my way to Utah for 2 weeks starting June 26th, and so the days could not be dragging any longer.

I was determined to get to the gym today since I had only been twice this week. I put my gym clothes on right after I put the kid down for a nap so that I had no excuse to not go. It felt GREAT to sweat. I have found that I sweat more the better I'm eating. I don't know why that is, but it feels so good.

I also love how dead the gym is on Saturday. That is one of the differences between Utah and Colorado. Love me some Colorado gym time! I go to the big Gold's when I'm in Utah visiting family and it seems to always be packed! Not looking forward to that for the next two weeks.

I'm pretty sure I'm just behind the times, but I just discovered what my protein smoothies have been lacking......Vanilla Almond Milk. Another "how did I live without this" moment. These are the ingredients to the perfect smoothie:

Gold Standard Protein Powder in Chocolate, half a frozen banana, handful of strawberrie, TBS of ground flaxseed, and Almond Milk of course. The only thing I was missing that I usually put in there is spinach, but I haven't been to the store, so I had to do without.

Put it in this bad boy so its creamy and smooth.

Finished product, so yum and only 6 points for WW.

Alright, I better go the kid has crawled herself into a corner and can't get out.

Q's

Do you drink smoothies?
Almost everyday.

Have you done the spinach in a smoothie thing, or are you scared of the color?
I was sceptical at first, but about 3 years ago I caved and tried it. I couldn't tell the difference between it with or without. May as well get some extra greens, right?

Holy Hanna, my Brain is FRIED!

What a totally useless day today was.

It started out with the Pediatrician where Hanna had her 6 month wellness check-up (even though she's 7 1/2 months). She was a brave little girl and pleasantly surprised the nurse by only crying for about five seconds while she got 3 shots. I think mama cried more than she did.

Put Hanna down for a nap and she slept for almost 3 hours!!! They flew by, and I'll tell you why. I've been trying to get this blog up and running with all the bells and whistles. I am an over-thinker when it comes to technology, my downfall. I wanted to create different tabs at the top of the blog so that posts will be easy to find and organized. Could I figure out how to do this,no. I spent the entire alone time I had trying to figure the ins and outs of blogger. Three hours later, I had made very little progress.

The rest of my afternoon was dealing with a sad panda who was irritable because of her shots.

By the way, you'll notice I have tabs at the top of my blog. I figured it out at 8:00 in about 2 minutes. What a waste of a good nap.

Why it is Super Easy to go to the Gym with Kids:
Sarcasm at its finest. One thing that has been the hardest thing to get use to after baby is that you are a slave to their moods and schedule.

I like to go to the gym in the afternoon because that is when I like to snack. If I'm at the gym no snacky for Carrie. I thought it was too good to be true when Hanna handled her shots so well. I was totally planning on doing my regular gym thing.....enter sad panda. Every time I tried to put the little gal down she would cry, and it was a sad cry, the kind that melts your heart, and you think I am such a bad mom if I don't comfort my child. Argh! Those are hard! So no gym today even though I had the motivation. Hopefully we can get our act together for tomorrow morning.

Q's

Are you technologically challenged?
Not usually, but today I just could not get it together!

What's an obstacle you have when going to the gym besides motivation?
Obviously my child has been my biggest obstacle. Before child I would say sleep.

5%, Ya Baby.

If you direct your attention to the right of my blog you will find a weight tracker. A new addition as of yesterday. Don't be alarmed I am not only trying to lose 15 pounds, that won't even make a dent in the work I have ahead of me. My first goal for WW is 5% of my body weight which is 15 pounds.

I have decided to try and take it 10 pounds at a time (but my goal with WW is 5%). Overall goal is 120 pounds. You totally saw that right. This is a jaw-dropping moment people........my first weigh in was 283 pounds. Ugh, my honest thought of that number is disgust. It's hard to not be completely negative when you see a number like that. How did I let it get this bad?

So I have broken this number down into mini-goals, which I will celebrate and not think about the HUGE number that lies ahead.

You'll also notice that I added some blogs that I stalk for motivation. I have to read these everyday in order to stay motivated. You should check them out if you need motivation for any area of your life. They are inspiring and keep me hopeful.

Now I am off to the Pediatrician for Hanna's wellness shots (I hate these days). There is something wrong about holding your child down so she can get poked with needles. That'll teach her.

Bagel Thins & Brussel Sprouts

Excuse me Mr. Thomas of Thomas Bagels, I would like to shake your hand for your delicious bagel thins. How did I ever live without these? FYI I don't plan on posting a picture of everything I eat in a day, just the things that I think are pretty and worth sharing.

Example: My super-awesome turkey bagelwiche I had for lunch today......

Or maybe my even more delicious pork chop & roasted brussel sprouts......

How can brussel sprouts be delicious, you say? Because I got a little creative. Start with fresh brussel sprouts from the produce section. Put sprouts, 2 TBS olive oil, 1 TBS minced garlic, salt and pepper, and a little bit of parmesan cheese in a plastic zip-lick bag. Shake it to your hearts content and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Viola! Delicious brussel sprouts.

Workout:
I did not go to the gym, instead I cleaned my house for 6 hours. I feel justified.

Q's
Do you like brussel sprouts?
I have to be in the mood for them. They are definitly not my go to veggie.

What's your favorite veggie?
My favorite is broccoli. But really my favorite is broccoli with velveeta cheese melted on top. Man that takes me back.

I Like Picture Books, How Bout' You? Oh, and Sugar.

I really do like picture books a lot. To keep the posts more interesting to look at, I will be adding obvious pictures. Pictures make things fun, right? Right!

This is what I woke up to this morning. A GIANT headache. I am prone to headaches, and I get them on a weekly basis. Funny thing is that when I was pregnant and had diabetes, I had to count my carbs at each meal and keep them below 40, snacks below 15. Needless to say, I ate a lot of eggs and peanut butter, practically no carbs. The eye opener was that I NEVER got headaches! After talking to my Dr, she let me know that headaches were a sign that my body was overloaded on sugar. The hard thing is pretty much everything turns into sugar if you don't work it off.

I attended my first WW meeting yesterday and to my joyous surprise they let me know that the program has changed, and fruit is now 0 POINTS! I LOVE fruit, I am a total sweets person and fruit is a great way to sub for starbursts. I should have listened to my body though, and I overdid the fruit and bread yesterday and didn't get in enough protein. So bring on the headache that would not go away all night. I could not even enjoy the fact that Hanna had a great nights sleep. I really could have benefited from that!

Todays focus is getting in my protein and balancing out my carbs. Which means I'm going to have eggs for breakfast instead of delicious oatmeal. Then I have to mop ALL of the tile (I'm sure that will earn me some activity points!) because I have a 7 month old that is now a crawling beast and I want to keep her hands and clothes clean. I'm OCD like that.

I leave you with Hanna and her daily push-ups.

I love this picture! What a cute kid!

P.S. I fixed the comments so everyone can comment. Make sure to "follow" my blog so I can see who reading!

Q's

Is there a food that you associate headaches with?
Banana's and lemonade. Just thinking about lemonade makes my head hurt.

Do you take a medicine when you get a headache, or try and go natural?
Excedrine is my life line! It was a rough pregnancy without it. But now we are reunited and it feels so good! (insert annoying song here).

A Fresh Start..... The First Day of the Rest of Your Life..... New Beginnings

I don't know how to title this first post, I seems I have a million different topics running through my head.

I joined Weight Watchers today, hence the name of this fresh new blog "Shrinking Carrie With Weight Watchers". I've decided after weeks of reading health and fitness blogs, I finally have the motivation to start anew. A few things that have changed in my life lately:

1. I became a mama to a beautiful little girl that is my Hanna-bear.

2. Not only was I obese before I got pregnant, but because of my inactiveness while pregnant, I am jelly EVERYWHERE.

3. Being a stay-at-home-mama doesn't have very good health benefits, and when you're 100 pounds overweight you get denied Health Insurance coverage.

4. Staying home all day is a breeding ground for snacking and memorizing the afternoon tv schedule on TBS.

So I figure while all the changes are occurring, I could make some changes for the positive. I have "AHA" moments pretty much everyday, but none such as the one I had when my baby was born. I realized that I am the life line for this child. She depends on me for everything and I can't let her down.

One day I was making my own healthy baby food for the Hanster and I got on my high horse and thought about how good of a mom I was for giving my babes fresh fruits and vegetables to eat. I thought about how I was not going to pass on my bad eating habits to my daughter. But then I also thought about how if I don't change my ways she will follow my example no matter how well I feed her. If I choose to pick up a candy bar at the store on my weekly shopping trip she will want to eat a candy bar as well. I've decided that I must lead be example and become a healthier more well rounded person, for myself and for my family.

On my profile it says that I want my outsides to match my insides, let me explain: I am fascinated with the world of health and fitness. I have done so much research I could easily tell you how to lose 120 pounds, but would you actually listen to me? I do not reflect any of the knowledge that is in my head. I want to walk the walk. I want to feel as healthy as I once was.

For those of you who haven't known me for the way back when days, I lost 85 pounds when I was 21. I did the Weight Watchers program on my own with no meetings, along with a 6 day exercise program that I mapped out myself. I lived 10 steps from the gym and I LOVED working out. I was running 5 miles a day and I felt exhilarated on a true runners high. I also LOVED eating well. My decline to gaining my weight back was a treadmill injury. Someone left the treadmill going at a low mph and I stepped straight onto the grid and it flung me off, but first I landed on my kneecap and fell on the floor. My pride was hurt and so was my leg, but I still got on and ran my 5 miles like nothing had happened. Well something did happen, I messed my leg up major.

Next in the slippery slope was actually the best thing that ever happened to me, and that was that I met my amazing husband Dustin. I got in the relationship world where you go out and eat way to late and just didn't care. I still watched what I ate, but without working out my weight started to creep up.

The last thread was emotional when my parents married 30+ years got divorced (sorry any family who is reading this, I love you all so much!). I don't want to blame, I take full responsibility for my own actions, but emotional eating was the way I dealt with this change in my life.

Gaining weight is sneaky. All of a sudden I woke up and realized that I was 100+ pounds over weight. Dustin and I tried for 5 years to get our Hanna, and if I hadn't had a weight problem I know it would have been so much easier to get pregnant.

Pregnancy was hard when I tipped the scale at 296 pounds (yep, you read that right 296!!!). I had gestational diabetes, and I was miserable. Couldn't move, slept horribly and my ankles were the size of my calves.

So that is most of my story, the short version. I hope to find therapy and humor in this blog. It will be more than just weight loss, but daily happenings. Weight is just the beginning. I hope you'll find anything I have to say interesting, and maybe even inspiring!