Words of Encouragement

Wow...it's been a while since I've written my last post. Unfortunately for me, I just wasn't "feeling" it. I hate that feeling when I know that I have something to do and just avoid it all together. Oh well...moving on!

Within the past two days, I've recieved some wonderful words of encouragement from my friends and even total strangers as I continue to embark on my journey. I made a post on my Facebook page yesterday about eating soup and wondered how long it would last me before I was eating my left arm off.

One of my dearest friends and fellow Phi Mu (in this case, we are sisters by choice) put my weight loss goal into perspective. She talked about how "thinking skinny" would be a key to my success. Her comment really made me think - I always thought "skinny". I think that I'm smaller than what I really am, I still wear the same size pants even though I sport the muffin top, and am pretty sure that I'm a little too cocky - I mean confidant - at times.

But...wait! This isn't what she was talking about! Really? I had no idea. lol.

It's about changing my habits and re-programming my body. I can feel full by eating fruits and vegetables before chowing down on some over-rated carbs. Lucky for me, those foods are ZERO points on my plan.

So let me fast forward to today. I posted on Facebook that I needed a cupcake and a Diet Coke. It was a true statement. By 12:30, I was starving and on a mission to eat anything that I could get my hands on. Unfortunately, I also had to make a trip to Wally World in order to pick up some decongestant for The Bean (she's feeling under the weather today).

So while I was there, I went to the freezer section to pick up dinner - Voila! Garlic Chicken. This meal is seriously delicious and has a ton of vegetable in it to help me fill up rather than making poor choices. Plus, one cup is only FIVE points! I can have two cups tonight, a salad and still have enough points to "buy" a piece of garlic bread. :)

Anyway...after picking up our dinner, I looked in the case that held the "Smart Ones". While I was deciding what I wanted for lunch (mind you - my lunch was in the fridge back at the office), a woman walked behind me and said, "You don't need that. You don't...really!"

While you could take what she said a million different ways, I took her words of encouragement to heart. I skipped the frozen meal and went looking for more healthy alternatives. I bought a bag of Ranch Rice Cakes from Quaker, a bunch of bananas, Weight Watchers string cheese and a bag of double-chocolate Weight Watchers candies.

Now...granted...I hadn't eaten lunch yet and was starving. I also didn't eat all of this at once.

I returned to the office and ate my sillet meal from last night's dinner (seven points), had a piece of string cheese (1 point), and ate a banana (0 points). For desert, I ate a sugar-free chocolate pudding (2 points).

While all of that food sounds like a lot (and it was), I was thinking about my points and taking my "skinny" self into consideration. I had enough points budgeted for lunch and still have enough points for dinner this evening.

All in all, it has been an encouraging day. Even if I don't loose any weight during tomorrow's check in, I'll at least know that I have stuck with the plan for two solid weeks and that I can do this.

Until tomorrow's weigh-in!

The stomach bug

Who thought that it was a good idea to bring a stomach bug into our household? Well...there's no shame in my game. I'm going to blame Lucas since he is the one who told me that his stomach hurt yesterday.

Unfortunately, I think that I caught some tail piece of it yesterday. After getting home from work and picking up the babes, I felt like complete poo. Literally. You know I don't feel good when I don't eat dinner and go upstairs to lie down at 7:00 pm. It was just a bad evening.

On the bright side, I didn't use up any "banked" points for dinner! Woo hoo! I ate all of my 26 points yesterday by 4:00. My sugar was low so I had another delicious can of 7 UP, ate 12 points for lunch and was about to eat my desk at 3:30. Needless to say, I spent those points like it was going out of style. Guess it worked in my favor at the end of the day.

So...that leads me to today - Friday. I've done really well so far - I ate my yogurt and had a cup of green tea. I'm having subway for lunch and don't plan on snacking this afternoon. Which in theory...should leave me with enough points for dinner.

I'm trying hard to not dip into my "banked" points everyday. I feel like I need to save them for days when my sugar crashes. I just hate seeing my points dwindle. I start to panic. "OMG!!!! I only have 31 banked points to last me until next Tuesday!!!!" The logical side of my brain, which doesn't work that often, says, "Um....really Lori? You're ridiculous. You have 26 that you can eat every day. Make better decisions and you won't be wigging out when you carefully spend those extra few points."

Ugh. I hate logic. That's why I don't use it very often. It's totally not me or my style. I am more of an emotional thinker. I also think in bold colors, different patterns and visual space representation. Just like this:

Anyway. Enough about the way that I think.

Since my stomach is always on time, I think that I'll go feed Seymour. Here's to another day of changing my habits, fitting into my clothes better, and living the dream.

And by the way...only 356 more days to go!

Let's go shopping!

It's Thursday and I've been blogging about my journey for a whole eight days now. Unfortunately, I thought that I could write about food, my experience with Weight Watchers and all of that nonsense every day. Well....I can't. I need a break.


Instead of writing about all of that jazz, I thought that I would write about what I love to do best...shop.


Unfortunately, I don't shop for myself anymore. The last time I actually bought myself something was a few months ago. I bought a pair of GAP jeans from my girlfriend's resale boutique - Kelly Lane Resale Boutique. If you live in the area, or even if you don't, you have to make a trip to her store. She's located in the heart of Lebanon and has the most fabulous clothing, accessories, shoes, artisan items and handbags! You can also follow her on FB to see all of the incredible new items that arrive daily. For instance, I would LOVE to own either one of these handbags:

Really, Coach isn't your style? Then what about this? Fendi always makes me happy.

The great thing about shopping is that you find all of these adorable niche stores in historic towns like Lebanon. If you go downtown, the streets are lined with small businesses offering unique items that you won't find at Target. Plus, when you support small businesses, you are supporting the members of your community.

Speaking of supporting members of your community, I don't know if you already know this or not, but Justin and I are the proud owners of an upscale children's resale boutique called - Persnickety's Resale Fashion Boutique. Located in the heart of Lebanon, we offer the finest and funkiest children's clothing labels at a fraction of the cost.

We carry European labels such as Oilily, Cakewalk, Room Seven and other fine International and made in the USA brands like No Added Sugar, Crazy 8, Janie and Jack, Lemon Loves Lime, GAP, Gymboree, Ralph Lauren and many more!

So now that I've written my shameless plug for my own store, I totally think that you need to stop in and see us! While you are at it, you should also follow us on FB. We share new items, offer special discounts and talk about upcoming events on our page. So get in the "know" and save yourself some "dough".


I just made that up. I should be a jingle writer. Hmmmm.............


Anyway...back to shopping at small businesses.


Do your community a favor and shop at small businesses. The rewards are endless and so are the new connections that you will make.


Happy shopping!

And the results are in....

Happy Hump Day! That's right friends, it's the middle of the work week and most importantly - my weigh-in day!

I will have you know that the not-so-pleasant lady behind the counter today was actually pretty friendly. She must have taken "hump day" literally. Sorry...I'm digressing. Back to my weigh-in.

When it was my turn, I did everything like I did last week - I even wore the same outfit. When I stepped on the same scale that I stepped on last week (consistency is important!), it gave me my weight - 165 pounds!! I lost 2.8 pounds this week!! I'm so proud of myself and my ability to stick with the program for a whole week!

The meeting this week way 500 million times better than last week. I laughed and even learned something new. I stayed after class to talk to the instructor about a way to level out my sugars more. I mean seriously, 54 points spent on 7 UPs and PB crackers isn't cutting it. Those points could have gotten me a #1 Extra Value Meal - biggie size - with a Diet Coke!

This week is still about changing my eating habits, making better choices, and introducing exercise back into my life. Maybe I'll see if Lucas and Ellie want to Zumba this evening. Maybe I can step-it-up a notch and be as HOT as he is! Or maybe we'll play a game of Bowling on the Wii. Who knows. I was going to write something funny about getting some sort of activity and linking it back to sex, but then I thought, "My mom reads this. Ewwww. Gross." So....we'll be skipping that comment and activity!

Until tomorrow...peace out!

Totally OFF Today

Well...today has been an entirely OFF day for me! And no...I wasn't off from work. Instead, I spent the day working in Columbus, was completely off my WW plan and have just been a little "OFF" all day.

It all started at 12:44 in the am. You guessed it - sugar was low - again. Unfortunately, by 7:30 am, my body was still singing the same song. So...before I even ate breakfast, I logged 13 points - two cans of 7 UP and a package of PB crackers.

I guess I thought, well...my day is already ruined, so an Egg McMuffin from McDonald's sounded like a good idea. So did the hash brown. By the way...they were freaking delicious!

Speaking of delicious, so was the filet of salmon, mashed potatoes and asparagus that I ate for lunch. I decided to be sensible and only eat a cup of beef stew and two rolls for dinner. Love it that I came to my senses at 7:00 in the evening!

Anyway. I logged all of my points on to the computer and here's the kicker - I was 20 points over my limit for the day! Um....really? Those damn reactions are sabatoging my progress to becoming a sexy bitch! That's right...David Guetta wrote that song about me!

So, where does that leave me? More determined to have a bitchin' second week! What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right?

Dolphin Tale Now Playing....for the 12th time

Here's to day # ........

Hell, I don't remember. So, here's to Monday. I made it through the weekend! And for once I'm not talking about food! Have you seen the movie Dolphin Tale? It's a great flick! I love the way it connects its entire audience to a lot of important topics, such as: unique abilities, love, compassion, and the ability for people to look past "physical flaws" and see the true nature of someone's inner-being. Or in this case, the inner-being of a beloved dolphin named Winter.

I'm not going to sugar-coat it - the movie was a tear-jearker, but for all of the right reasons. For those of you that don't know, my dad has been in a wheelchair for almost 20 years. Like lots of other people, my dad has bad days. He'll tell me that he doesn't want to go anywhere because he's "handicapped". It drives me bat shit crazy! My typical response is, "No, you're not handicapped. You're handicapable!" Follow by a, "Now let's get your ass in the car!"

He has been an incredible teacher to Lucas and Ellie. He's taught them that people may not always look the same or that they may have different abilities than the next person, but that's the beauty - we are all people with unique abilities and that we shouldn't be judged on the way that we look. Wow! What a statement that makes to a six year old and his little two year old sister. Yet, they seem to get it. Lucas pushes Eepa in his wheelchair, Ellie holds doors, and I sit there and think, "They get it! Now...why can't everyone else?" And Usher....if you are reading this blog, that was TOTALLY meant for you!

Anyway. My whole point to this depressing intro is that our society has grown to judge people based upon their appearance. It's not right, but it happens everyday. Hell...I do it all of the time. Why....I did it at our Christmas Eve mass. There was a woman sitting in a row across from us whose boobs were way too perky and her smile was so tight that I thought that she was competeing for a Joan Rivers look-a-like contest. Not right...I know.

Unfortunately, it happens all of the time. Why be our own worst critics when society will do it for us? I don't need me to tell myself that I'm fat - People Magazine, Entertainment Tonight and the Bachelor does it for me!

So...where am I going with all of this? I guess it's the fact that I learned a little bit more about what life teaches us at unexpected times. After watching Dolphin Tale for the 12th time (in three days - mind you), something clicked. I have to want to be healthier and be more active for not only my kids, but myself. I can't want to be skinny just for the sake of being vain (even though that was the real reason why I started this journey).

Every person is beautiful. We just have to define what that means to each and every one of us.

Here's a picture of my family on my brother's wedding day! Totally beautiful!

And here's a picture of me on my brother's wedding day in my dad's "extra" wheelchair with a broken ankle! Equally as beautiful and inspiring.

Exercise Dropout

The first step to recovery is admitting something, right? Well...here it goes. I'm an exercise dropout. Shocking right?

Up until I was 25, I was pretty active - I danced, played soccer and didn't have to worry about running out of breath when I reached the top of the stairs. Now that I'm 34, my official form of exercise is either a) chasing the kiddos around the house, b) sitting on the couch and watching them chase each other. I think that last statment makes me officially lazy.

I'm trying to incorporate some sort of exercise into my weekly routine. I still haven't made it to the Y, but I did manage to not look HOT while playing Zumba on the Wii. I even got up this morning and put the Biggest Loser into my console and did circuit training for 20 mintues! I know!! Who am I?!

The sad part about getting back on the exercise bandwagon is that I've been off of it for so long that 20 minutes seems like an eternity! I set my level to moderate today so that Bob could kick my ass. And he did. I was totally sweating!

I guess there is a bright side to working out - I earn activity points which equates to = Lori gets to eat more food. I guess I'll see it as a win when I step on the scale on Wednesday.

Which...I'm going to bet that the read out is unchanged. After 4 days/nights of lows, 5 cans of 7 UP and 5 packages of PB crackers, I'm going to just throw it out there and bet that I haven't lost any weight. Which sucks, because all of those cans of 7 UP and pb crackers = 45 points! That's a lot considering that I only eat 26 points a day and only have 49 extra "banked" points.

Hopefully week 2 will be better.

Now...what did I do with my fork? That chocolate cake isn't going to eat itself.

Totally NOT related

Well, here I am on day #4 of this challenge. This is going to sound stupid, but I need a break. lol. I'm tired of writing about exercise, what I ate that day, and essentially, how fat I have become over the past few years.

So instead of blogging about my blissful weight-loss experience (boy...that was dripping with sarcasm), I'm going to write about a completely un-related topic - poop.

I know...I know. Why in the world would I write about such a disgusting topic? I'm even appalled as my fingers sit here and spew out all of the crap that is in my head. lol. That was totally intended.

Anyway...back to poop. We've had a major breakthrough at our house recently - Ellie and the potty. She's been doing incredibly well in regards to peeing on the potty. She's typically dry all day at school. Yay for her teacher! Unfortunately, the minute we get home, she starts screaming, walking like she just got off a 500 mile horse ride and telling me that she's wet. Yay for mommy!

So...we had a "come to Jesus" meeting. After our little discussion, she told me that she wasn't going to pee on Dora anymore. Guess that means that all of the other 20 pairs of panties in her drawer are fair game! I mean really. Cinderella has been shat on her entire life! There's no reason for a two and a half year old to jump on that bandwagon.

However, we had a break through yesterday and this morning! Ellie decided that pooping on the potty was fun! She even did it twice! After she dropped the kids off at the pool this morning, she said, "I did it mommy! Yay! Now go get me some candy!" I wonder where she gets her demanding attitude from? Must be from her daddy. Oy!

I'm hoping that we are turning a new leaf and we can quit spending $25 a month on Pull-Ups. Not sure what I'll spend that extra money on - maybe something fun - or more realistically, maybe something for the kiddos. Like these shoes that I have in my shop - Persnickety's Resale Fashion Boutique. A brand new pair of Pampolina, silver high-top Kiss shoes for only $24.99! Ellie will be in a size 9...someday, right?

Like clockwork, it's 12:30 pm and I'm pretty sure that my stomach is eating itself. Again. Guess I'll go pig-out on my PB sandwich and rice cakes! Who's jealous now?

Until tomorrow.....peace out!

Two things I know:

1 - Love makes the world go 'round

2 - So do margaritas!

Okay...so I realize that I know a little bit more than just two things. For instance, I know that I HATE the layout of this blog, but don't have enough patience to sit down and figure out how to make it SUPER adorable like I want it! I also know that jeans don't fit so well after they have taken a bath. And I HATE that even more!

So where does all of this lead me? Why...to day #3 of course! I would like to say that I did REALLY well yesterday, and I did - up until my sugar was 55 before bed. Then it all went to hell in a hand basket. I drank a 7 UP and woofed down another pack of PB crackers. To be totally honest, it was incredibly delicious! Anyway...that was nine extra points that I wasn't really accounting for. Oh well. Guess it was a good thing that I played the Wii last night and earned two, that's right, two activity points!

The kiddos and I strapped on our Zumba belts last night and acted like complete idiots in our own home! Total bliss! I love it when Lucas is dancing like a comple buffoon and the game tells him that his moves are HOT!! Then...I get to hear all about it! "My moves are HOT mommy", "That's HOT", and my personal favorite, "Mommy, you are not doing so HOT. Watch me!" I mean, really?!

So, today is a new day and I'm going to succeed at sticking to this plan - even if it kills me! I even thought about going to the Y. I know....why? Here's the short answer - because I'm paying $63.90 a month and not using it! It's a total waste in my eyes! So...I am going to try and change that and make it something that I like to do - like eating!

Anyway....this post today is totally boring. I thought that I could be funny everyday! Guess I need a break. So with that in mind, I'm going to end with my motivation for the day: I WORK OUT!!

As the song goes...."I'm Lori and I know it!" or is it.... "I'm sexy and I know it!" Either way...they go hand-in-hand!

Day #2 Puttin' Away the Groceries

Here I am on Day #2 thinking to myself, "what in the hell have I gotten myself into?" That's right...I said it.

First and foremost, I would like to say that my WW home scale is a POS! And I say that will all sorts of affection. When I got to the meeting yesterday, I had to fill out all sorts of paperwork. I wondered why every woman I saw getting ready to step on the scale was stripping like it was their job. After all, I was on Dixie - maybe it was their job! Anyway....back to the scale. When I finished filing out my information, the not-so-pleasant lady behind the counter told me to step on the scale. The stupid read out was 168.7 pounds! Are you effing kidding me?!!!! My WW scale told me that I weighed four pounds less that morning! Next week, I'll be sure to be nearly naked when I step on that scale.

So, the meeting was okay. Nothing that I already didn't know. Track this, eat that, you're fat....blah, blah, blah.

With all of my "new found knowledge", I went to my mom and dad's house to celebrate my mom's fabulous birthday, and ate three pieces of veggie pizza and woofed down a piece of cake! I for sure thought that my stomach was going to explode after all of that food. Surprisingly...it didn't.

So here I am on my second day and I'm already in the friggin' hole nine points! I had a minor reaction last night and had a 7 UP and a package of PB crackers a 2:30 in the am. I counted it in my total points because that's what I'm supposed to do. Needless to say, all of my daily points will be enitrely used up by lunch. Crap! Guess I'll be dipping into my "extra" points bank this evening so that I can feed Seymour dinner.

Oh yeah, and by the way, that's what I've decided to call my nuisance stomach - Seymour. And yes...I know that the carnivorous plant's name is actually Audrey. But really...who names their stomach Audrey? That's just silly.





With that in mind, here is my food plan for today:









Eat your heart out! LMAO!!!

Peace Out! This hungry girl is starvin'!

Day #1 on the road to recovering my inner hottness

Today is the first day on my road to recovering my inner hottness! I figure that the only way that I will be able to stay on track for 365 days is to track my progress through journaling. Let's hope that I'm able to stick with it! lol

Today, I started the morning off by weighing myself. I don't know why I did that - totally depressing. I figured that I would probably weigh less in the morning, so I took advantage of the opportunity and gave my mind a little consolation.

I guess in order to be completey transparent and true to my journal, I should probably reveal my weight. Ugh....to make it public is the hardest thing that I have done this morning! And that includes getting out bed! So...here it goes. According to my Weight Watchers scale, I weighed in at 164.7 pounds. Bleh!

So...in order to change this number and drop it like it's hot, I'm going to my first Weight Watchers meeting at 12:15 with my MIL. I'm super excited! My MIL lost a lot of weight by attending the meetings, so I thought that I would give it a try. I'm not so great at the online version - I don't have anyone but myself to hold me accountable for my actions. And believe me...I'm not holding anyone accountable for eating cookies, cake and all of the other crap that I shouldn't be eating. And for the record...I can put away the groceries...if you know what I'm sayin'!

Unfortunately, it's 11:07 in the am and I'm pretty sure that I could eat my left arm off! It would be silly to eat my right arm - I'm right handed! My mixed berry yogurt sure isn't cutting it this morning.

I thought that I would eat a light breakfast and lunch so that I could pig out at dinner! Ha! That's probably not the way to do things, but it's my mom's birthday today and I want to eat pizza and have a piece of cake. So, that's what I'm going to do!

Speaking of food, here's my food journal for the day as of right now:

6 oz. Mixed Berry Yogurt (Breakfast)
6 oz. Mixed Berry Yogurt (Lunch)
1 package of peanut butter crackers (Afternoon Snack)
2 pieces of cheese pizza (Dinner)
1 piece of cake (Dessert)

How many points this equates to - I have no idea! Guess I'll figure that out in an hour!

Wish me luck! Only 364 more days to go!!!