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Week 2

May 15, 2012 By 1 Comment

May 14th

Weight:  136.6

Gain/Loss: +0.2

Ok – so I was bad this weekend.  It was Mother’s Day and we had a full weekend of fun.

A full weekend of fajitas and margaritas.

A full weekend of grilled chicken wings, ribs, red wine…

Thus..the gain.

I felt terrible – literally – felt yucky after the weekend of indulgence.

I should have known better but I gave into my cravings.

Have I mentioned I have no will power?

I don’t.

But, I started anew yesterday…

Then I started throwing up – a stomach bug has infiltrated my home…but only I am affected.

And before you guys start rumors…I am NOT pregnant!

Today, I am a bit better.  Eating normally – which means – eating clean and Daniel Fast friendly.

I am starting a program called Body Back on Thursday.  Pray for me…

A friend of mine is teaching the class and offered it to me – it’s a butt kicking workout – 2 days a week. And the rest of the time, I find time to work out on my own.

It’s accountability.

It’s the devil in a series of 8 counts and free weights…so freaking hard.  I wasn’t going to do it since I’d have to leave Evan for abour 2 hours a day…then I realized…I need this for me.  I need a little bit of time to focus on me – because I’m pretty sure the kid wants so see something other than my face scaring him to death with my rendition of “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Peek a Boo.”

I also have fallen in love with this site to help me eat better.  It’s awesome.

I’m also using the MyFitnessPal app to track my food, calories and work outs.  It’s hard dose of reality when you enter in your meals.  Reality bites…

How are you doing friends?

How was your weekend?

Do you have any tips for me or any recipes you want to share?

Til next week.

Stay strong, weight loss buddies.

Filed Under: Food

Week 1

May 9, 2012 By 5 Comments

Here’s the latest on my weight loss lifestyle change to healthier me!

Weight: May 7 – 136.8

Loss:  1.4 lbs.

Last week I just started eating clean for the most part.  I indulged with chips and dip and a margarita..ok…THREE margaritas on Cinco De Mayo.  But, that’s ok.  I still want to live my life…just make changes slowly.

I did a couple of yoga classes (one of which was dedicated to my Evan!) and that’s pretty much it.

I’m starting to swap things out slowly…

Natural popcorn instead of chips.

Fruit instead of dessert (this is one I really struggle with).

I try and eat a salad for one meal a day…even for breakfast.

I’m finding that I have a serious addiction to sugar. I’m also realizing I turn to food when I’m sad.  Normally – if I’m under stress – I don’t eat.  But, this week, I was crying while washing bottles (not unusual), and I immediately wanted to eat a Nutella on a graham cracker.  Yum.  But, I wasn’t hungry.  Just wanted a bit of sweet to perk me up.

I will do a cleanse/fast for a few days to get my body back to center. I also need some time to feed my soul and spiritual side.

If you want to join me, I’ll be doing Daniel’s Fast and meditating on scriptures throughout the day.  I’ll start the fast starting Monday and will do it for 10 days.

If you have suggestions, recipe sites, motivating words…please leave a comment!  If you plan on joining me on this journey to a healthier me to find a healthier you…let me know by leaving a comment as well!

Cheers!

Filed Under: Food

A weighty (waity) issue

May 4, 2012 By 4 Comments

“You’re FAT!”

Big smiles – loved hearing those words.

Evan’s cardiologist walked in for his appointment and those were his first words to my boy.

Weight gain is something heart babies struggle with.  Remember…bad ticker…and everything else struggles.

Even with Evan throwing up at least once a day, spitting up every other feed, he’s managed to put on weight and grow.

He must take after me (you know….the ability to gain weight without even trying :-( …)

Our goal is get him big .  The bigger he gets, the bigger his heart…and that means (God willing) everything will be bigger and stronger so the surgeon can have an “easier” time during Evan’s open heart surgery (gulp..).

He’s so unlike Iz.  Isabelle was long, lean…and struggled with weigh gain…still does.  She would nurse and take formula and still only gain a few ounces.  It took her 18 months to get to 20 pounds!

Evan is a hearty and stocky little man.  He is a healthy 13.3 lbs.

I am so proud of him.  He is doing everything he is supposed to do.

So now…we just continue to gain weight, monitor his oxygen levels, and let him be a baby.

BAH – this waiting….

And this waiting game is the hardest – because as everyday passes and I fall more and more in love with my boy – I have to watch and see if he starts to deteriorate.  Wait and see if his oxygen levels fall.  Wait and see if he stops gaining weight.

But, today, he’s great.  Today he’s still a chunk and a half that loves to babble, loves to play and suck on his hands, loves to kick and hit his toys, loves to smile and his sister, his Daddy, and his favorite person…ME!

Now…

My weight issues :-)

So, I’ve decided to document my weight loss – life style changing – journey with my blog readers (all 2 of you…).  It gives me accountability and it will hopefully give hope to the everyday woman – like me – who just needs to lose the baby weight but has a  life to live, a family to raise, and serious addiction to all things salty, crunchy, sweet and in a cocktail glass.

For the past few days, I’ve been eating clean.  Eating things that weren’t processed (oh how I wish Oreos came from a tree) and drinking tons of water (and coffee…)  Then, dinner time hit and I was starving.  I knew I hadn’t eaten enough during the day because by 5pm I was starving.  I gave in and ate a piece of lasagna the size of Texas.  It was made by a friend – so ate least I know it didn’t have preservatives in it….and the specialty candy from the Philippines was given to me by my aunt…it’s a cross between a piece of caramel and condensed milk…

I am not working out this week to rest my back. Oh…did I fail to mention I pulled something or some nerve is pinched in the middle of my back?  I hurt it while I was trying to save a tiny kitten from a burning house.

OR….I hurt it while I bent down to pick up my chunk-a-rific baby boy and failed to bend my knees…(man I’m old..)

I did manage a yoga class yesterday.  I was kind of ticked off during the class since there was just a bunch of breathing and holding the “pose” and feeling the energy.  What a crock of bull-sh.  Ha…stupid me.  I woke up this morning aching and sore in random places…I guess breathing and feeling the energy is legit!

But, I am drinking lots of water and eating kinda ok…

So, as I pass up the bag of chips, the spoonful of Nutella, the fried chicken – I try and remember why I’m doing all of this…not just to put on one of the 15 pairs of pre-pregnancy jeans I have in my closet (although Craig would appreciate it if I didn’t have to buy an entire new wardrobe) but to be the best me for my Evan, my Iz and Craig.

So…we weight as we wait…

Evan to gain it…

Me to lose it…

Starting weight 4/30/12 : 138.4

Starting Blood Pressure :  138/92

 

 

Three months post baby

P.S. I realized today as I was uploading this picture that there are no pictures of my Evan on here!  Oh blog readers…all 2 of you….you need to see my sweet boy. I will work on getting pictures uploaded in the next couple of days.  Warning…he is really cute and he is not allowed to date until he’s 30…so no falling in love with him :-)

Filed Under: Food, Heart Warrior, Uncategorized

I’m hungry just thinking about this….

April 30, 2012 By 1 Comment

Evan’s little body has endured so much already.

It makes me so thankful for all the things I took for granted.

A healthy heart, a healthy body…

And since his diagnosis, Craig and I made a promise to each other.

We would take care of our bodies because we are so thankful for the gift we’ve been given of a healthy heart and healthy body.

Of course, we indulge on the occasional sweet and occasional glass of wine (or margarita…or beer…or martini…) but overall we’d make sure to care for our bodies so that we could live a long life for our Isabelle, for Evan and for one another.

I mean..how crappy would it be for Evan to endure all of these heart surgeries and then Craig and I keel over.

Now, I know that we can’t prevent many things – but one thing we can do is to make sure we care for our bodies to the best of our abilities.

My sweet Evan forced me to put on 60 lbs during my pregnancy.  I mean…I would crave spoonfuls of Nutella over vanilla ice cream…and all those cravings were Evan telling me he NEEDED those things….

So, now…3 months post partum…I have about 18 lbs of weight to lose to get to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Now…why the obsession with losing weight.

First – vanity.  Let’s be real…I want to look good.  But for me to look good…I have to feel good on the inside.  And, seeing a fit body makes me feel good.

Second – health.  My blood pressure is a bit high.  Yes…I am under a teeny tiny bit of stress ;-)   But, the added weight doesn’t help.  I know this for a fact because I was this EXACT weight when I was put on blood pressure medication 6 years ago.  Once I lost the 20 lbs…my blood pressure was normal…better than normal.  And with Evan already on 8 medications and open heart surgery scheduled….there really is no need for me to put myself in a situation where my heart is in danger.

Third – family.  I want to be here to see Isabelle walk down the aisle and discovers the cure for CHD.  I want to be here when Evan wins his first Pulitzer Prize and wins his first Master’s and gets his green jacket.  I want to hold Craig’s hand when we’re old and gray…

I want to be the person for my family that they deserve.  I want to be the person for me that I deserve.  I want to have a full life…feel at my best to be my best.

So, starting on Monday….I’ll be documenting my weight loss journey.  I’m not overweight like the Biggest Loser overweight.  I’m just a normal mom – who wants to lose the baby weight to be the best version of myself for my family and for me.  I have a normal life – with the added stress of a heart baby.  I have to clean a house, get dinner on the table…I won’t commit to a gym or some crazy weight loss program.  I’ll make adjustments in my diet and make time to work out – even if that work out is a 30 minute stroller walk with my best guy.  I wish I could spend 3 hours at the gym and have a personal chef…but let’s face it…so many of us don’t have that luxury.

Encouraging words and some heckling to motivate me will be appreciated.  Ok…just the encouraging comments.  The last thing I need is to get my feelings hurt because then I’ll turn to my therapist…Mr. Chips and Queso, M.D.

Here’s to a healthier me…

Tomorrow…pictures. EEK.

 

Filed Under: Family, Food

Installment #1

August 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It’s an unspoken rule – a law in our world – the pregnant world – that you should give into every craving for the 12 months you’re pregnant.

Yes 12 months…because for 3 months after you give birth – it’s still ok to wear your maternity clothes without being judged and that means you still can push out your belly in the comfort of elastic.

I'm in real danger of looking like this soon. Fat...not a different species...I mean.

But, in some case, eating everything in sight isn’t the best thing for you or the baby.

Supposedly, you’re not really eating for you two…you’re just supposed to make better food choices and eat foods rich in essential nutrients.

Whatever.

Since I’m supposed to stay off my feet, I’ve had to halt my desires to eat french fries at every meal, ice cream after dinner (every night), and hamburgers (with bacon and cheese…with a side of onion rings)…bummer.

So here goes – the 1st of many installments in the next few months of:

A Day in the Life of Pregnant Woman

Breakfast – my latest craving – egg white sandwich on whole wheat bread with pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  The egg white is for protein.  The whole wheat bread adds a bit of sweetness and heartiness.  I toast the bread because I love toasty warm bread.  The pepper jack cheese adds the little bit of heat I need these days.  I find the older I get, the spicier things have to be to taste good to me.  They say the first thing to go is your hearing…for me..it’s my taste buds.  The tomatoes I like for slight sweetness and hint of acidity.  And cucumber is for crunch and I feel the obligation to eat something green. Sometimes I add a bit of mayo..today I didn’t. *Pictures are really poor – I only had my small camera*

 

Snack – what I really want is Cheetos.  But, if I have Cheetos in my house, I’ll have perma-orange fingers because I have an addiction to them.  Pirate Booty, though, has the Cheetos feel without a lot of the guilt.  It’s airy, crunchy, and cheesy. (Note:  Be careful looking up Pirate Booty in Google Images….you may find something that will make you blush and nervous that you’ll get caught looking at)

Lunch – my Dad picked me up and we went to Zen Baking Company.  It’s not just desserts, but we have great desserts.  But, we’ve expanded our menu to include Asian inspired tapas with a lot of Filipino influence.  Today I shared, vegetable lumpia (crispy, spring roll fried to perfection filled with tofu, cabbage, and other veges with a spicy vinegar dipping sauce or the spicy banana ketchup), fresh crepe egg roll (also vegetarian but this one is a housemade crepe filled with green beans, sweet potatoes, and other veges that have been slightly sauteed and topped with a peanut sauce), and I took a bit of my sister’s field green salad tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette topped with miso glazed salmon bites.  YUM!

Field Green Salad

 

Crepe Spring Roll

Dinner – this was a throw together meal.  I got home late and didn’t know what we were having.  I saw the mac and cheese and thought maybe mac and cheese for everyone.  But, I found pork chops in the freezer, saw the potatoes and the stir fry vege pack and decided to make grilled pork chops with thyme and a little bit of lemon, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables….and mac and cheese since it was already on the stove.

I don't know why my veges look X-rated

Overall – a pretty good eating day.  Nothing too bad for me and all in moderation.  High fives all around.

Addendum #1 – I forgot that I also might have had a bowl of Chex Mix. But, that’s it.

Addendum #2 – Ok – honest mistake – I was working on potty training and we reward Iz for going pee pee in the potty with M&Ms.  I wanted to set an example so I went pee pee too…so I got an M&M…or a handful…what…I wanted to see if they would melt in my mouth and not in my hand.

Today's Public Service Announcement

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Addendum #3 – FINE.  I didn’t skip dessert.  But come on – how do you say no to a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich.  That’s right…you don’t.

Just say YES!

 

Filed Under: Food

Because I like to eat.

August 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Did you know that I was 175 lbs and 5 feet tall in the 5th grade?

Needless to say…I loved to eat.

But, alas, my love for boy trumped my love for Poptarts and burgers, so I went on a crash diet lifestyle change and went from fat to phat.

The love to eat part of me never went away.  You know what they say…”You can’t take the appetite out of the girl but you can take the girl out of the appetite.”

Ok – not really has ever said that…it doesn’t even make sense.

Fast forward from my 5th grade hefty years to now.

I’ve used my obsessive compulsive love for food for good instead of evil.

After a brief lapse of judgment, aka medical school, I followed my dreams (with the relentless prodding and coaxing of my sister) to open up a bakery.

Thus, Zen Baking Company was formed.

If you don’t know about my Zen side, here’s a few pictures of what we make.  We’re known for cake balls – our balls are awesome. But, we are expanding our retail/restaurant to include lots of savory yumminess.

So this “Food” area will be devoted to talking about food, talking about Zen, sharing recipes, sharing food adventures, videos of “how to” stuff (like stuff you read in recipes and have no idea what they are talking about), and just overall great food.  And yes…since this my site, I’ll be promoting Zen and all it’s glory.  I’ll host promotions and give-aways here too…so take it or eat it!

Here’s a snippet of who we are…stay tuned for more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcJa_hNTui0

-Later fellow foodies!

 

 

Filed Under: Food