Sweet 75!

At work, so this has to be quick. I reached 75lbs down today! Yay! I am so excited. I seem to be at a good fill level now, and it is forcing me to really watch what I eat, which, for me, is very necessary at this point. Maybe when I am a year or so out, I will feel differently, but I need the physical assistance- I just don't make the best choices without it.

Last night I was out at a work dinner and was a little nervous about what I could eat. It was just three of us, we sat outside, and I had never eaten with these colleagues before. We ordered (to share) the most delicious mozzarella- burratta- it is homemade, and has a creamy center. OMG- so yummy. It came with slices of beefsteak tomato, which were actually ripe and delicious. For my entree, I ordered seared scallops that came with roasted mushrooms. Very yummy. I ate about a third of that, but one of my colleagues was happy to enjoy one of the four large scallops that came with the dish. The mushrooms were hen of the woods, which I hadn't had before, and were also yummy. We shared a bottle of wine, and then the obligatory dessert share- a bite of cannoli and a bite of tartufo (icecream ball covered with chocolate). I was stuffed at the end, but didn't have any problems eating. I was very careful, took small bites, and lots of breaks in between bites, and just enjoyed the food. I didn't feel compelled to finish anything (except the burratta, which was, again, the best thing I have eaten in a very long time).

Otherwise, life is good. Ups and downs, stresses, all part of the usual, but all taken in stride. My daughter started her first playschool session yesterday. It's one day a week, for two hours, and we thought it would be helpful before she starts preschool in September, which is three half days a week.  She made the most adorable picture for me, but wouldn't cough up any details about the class.  I asked how the teacher was, what the kids were like- she rolled her eyes, and said, I don't know the teacher's name, Mom! Can we just drive to Grandma's now? I asked if she wants to go back? Of course!

She's three.

Back to the grind. Zumba tonight!

smooches!

Annie

Zumba Tonight!

I am off to my first Zumba class tonight! Very excited, and hoping I don't pass out!

Health Assessment, Finally Friday

Yesterday we had health assessments at work. My employer is launching a wellness program and is incentivizing all staff to get their now annual health assessment before 7/15 by issuing $100 Amazon Gift Cards to all staff who meet the 7/15 due date. They are having people from our insurance company onsite to do the assessments, and have made several dates available to staff to get their assessment at each of our locations.

The folks who do not get their health assessment by 9/30 will not be eligible for health coverage for 2012.

I guess they are taking this seriously, huh?

So, anyway, I had mine yesterday and was a little nervous. They check total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, Glucose (non fasting), blood pressure, waist circumfrence, height, weight and BMI. The verdict- pretty darn good!  My cholesterol was 152, the HDLs were a little low at 40, the height (they shrunk me by an inch), the weight (2lbs down from my last recorded- which puts me 71 down according to their calculations!!), BP normal, glucose normal. Waist measurement- 34"! This is 6" down from when I measured a few months back. I am very excited.

That's it. We are going to a concert tonight, which should be fun, and my Morgan is having a sleepover at my Mom's house.

Have a great weekend!!
xoxoxo
A

69- No, I am Not Being Dirty

So, today I hit 69 pounds lost! Yay!

Things are going pretty well, I am trying my hardest to be a good doobie about the band rules, but it is not easy. What's interesting is that when I am eating slowly, and taking small bites, and not having a problem, I seem to over-eat. Ugh. More to work on. I did eat a tuna melt yesterday- one slice of rye, tomato, tuna, cheese- in the broiler. Yum. I made it about half way through when I wanted to eat more, but knew I was full. Full on a quarter sandwich??  Impossible! I kept going. Regretfully, it was not good. Minor pb, but overall, progress. I am really a slow learner when it comes to this band thing, but I guess 20+ years of bad eating habits will do that to a person. You can't unlearn it all immediately.

It is hot as Hades here in the NYC area- very grateful for air conditioning, and my hubby thought he might be able to set up our small pool today, which would be awesome. It is one of those plastic pools with a ring that gets inflated? Anyway, if you like, here's a pic:

It was a cheapie, at the Christ*as Treee Shoxppe- awesome buy at like $69 bucks. It does the trick, believe it or not, for just my little one, my hubby and myself. Haven't joined the pool club yet, and may not, with the recent purchase of my car!!!!!  Anyway, I need to start a budget and get real with myself. In the meantime, I will be enjoying the pool on my deck, I will take a pic of it set up.

What I do need to invest in is a bug zapper! With the woods right behind us, the bugs can be fierce at night. I hate the idea of killing innocent months, stink bugs, mosquitoes, gnats, no see ums (well, maybe not), but it seriously infringes on my enjoyment factor to be swatting away all night.

Enjoy the day lovies!!!

xoxoxoxo
A

BYOC

It’s FRIDAY – which means it’s BYOC – Bring Your Own Crazy…around these parts. We answer a couple of questions to get to know each other better and to give our blog brains a break. Copy and paste to your own blog if you so desire…and ENJOY!!


1. If you could pick any name on Earth for yourself – would you change yours and what would it be?
My name is Ann Margaret, but Ann seemed to stick after I started grade school. I have always thought it was a boring name, but  I do like Annie. What name would I pick? Hmmm.... I love the name Morgan, which is what we named our daughter- it's so strong and is both a family name on my side, and kind of unique, but I don't see myself that way. I guess I would stick with Annie.
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2. If you’re a worker-outer…what time do you partake in such activities? There are SO many theories about when it’s best and not best to work out….like the morning is better since you have an empty stomach or the night is not good because you won’t be able to sleep…etc, etc. – so I’d like to hear your theories.

Presently, I am not a worker-outer, but I am starting Zumba on Monday, and am very excited. It's an after-work class at my job, and seems like it would be fun. When I was a workerouter, I prefered going either right before, or right after work- I loved the energy rush I would have all day after a morning workout, and I also loved the stress relief component of working out after a hectic day in the office. Hopefully, now that I have a family, and small child to pick up, I can find the time here and there to go to the gym. I foresee going in the evening after my daughter goes to bed- it's time I spend on the computer, and may work out to be a good time for me to go to the gym.

3. If you drive a car – what kind is it and if you could drive any car – what would it be?

We have two cars- a FJ Cruiser, and a Honda CRV. The CRV is "my" car, and the FJ is the hubby's. I drive the FJ to work now, because it's newer than the CRV, which is on it's last legs. We are going car shopping tomorrow, and I am torn between a certified pre-owned CRV, or a new Lexus CT 200h- it's a hybrid, and get's great gas mileage, and is in the 29-30K price range. I have a huge commute by car now, and the FJ is such a gas guzzler. Fingers crossed, we will get something soon- my hubby wants his truck back! I feel torn between the two- the practical (budgetarily speaking) side of me says CRV, and the other side says, Hell, I work hard, and I deserve to drive a Lexus!! My fantasy car is a BMW 6 series. Convertible, of course, but that's not practical, with my daughter at this time, but maybe my next car- just in time for my mid-life crisis!

4. Can you be totally honest in answering this next question and tell me what you think of tattoos? More importantly – what do you think of the people who have tattoos – specifically women?

If I am completely honest, I would say that I am not a fan of tattoos. Maybe because I was raised in a "tattoos are trashy" household, but everytime my hubby says he wants to get one, I cringe.  I think tattoos are very popular now, and the old thinking about them is very antiquated, and I do know lots of girls with tattoos, but I think most professional, or aspiring professional women are not taken as seriously as they could be when they have a visible tattoo. I am all for the small, indiscreet, or for private viewing only type tattoos, and I have contemplated getting a tattoo on my lower back when I was younger, or something on my hip, but I feel like I would possibly regret it someday, so I have always chickened out. I have gotten temporary tattoos, though, and felt hot when I had them!




5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in blog land and in real life.


This week has been good, overall. I feel like I am making progress on my personal professional aspirations of getting my PMP certification by the end of the month, and that feels very good. Band wise, I am losing weight, which is also good. I need to follow the rules more closely to be more successful and reduce the potential risks of not following band rules, so that's something I will be focusing on. I also have plans to get my butt moving in Zumba, and possibly joining a gym in the near future.


That's my BYOC!


Love love love!!!!


xoxoxoo
A

No Unfill and Comments

Hello there,
I had an appt. with Dr. Ren today- I am down 10 lbs this month, as predicted, and I told my tale of woe regarding the pbs. Dr. Ren had little sympathy, and convinced me it was due to lack of proper chewing, sufficient waiting between bites, and not following band rules. I hate to admit it, but she is probably right. My mission? Chew! Wait between bites! If I follow band rules, and still have a problem, I am to call for an appt. I can live with that.

I have been commenting a lot this week, only to be frustrated by blogger! Sorry for my lack of comments, I am hoping this improves soon! 

Tomorrow is Friday! Yay!!!

xoxoxo
A

2 More Down!

So, first the good news! I am down two more pounds. I am now a svelte 278! I know that does not seem at all svelte, but I sure feel svelte! I went shopping yesterday and am in the 18s and some 20s. I am very excited, and eager to keep the scale moving in the right direction, so that I can say farewell to the plus size section in the next year! YAY! 

Ok, so now for the bad news. I think I am again too tight. Ugh. I never got that unfill last month, and I think I am around 6.8. As I have said, bread of any type is out, and by the way, so are hot dogs (sans bun)- not a pleasant experience yesterday. I woke up with a thought yesterday morning that it seems very harsh that the one thing I truly loved doing (eating) is now making me sick. I feel like an alcoholic on antabuse- that's the drug they give alcoholics to get them to stop drinking- (if they drink, they get violently ill, although, I don't have any experience with that drug, it's information I've acquired through watching tv :)

 If I try to eat the wrong thing (who knows what that is), or too fast, I get stuck. Getting stuck is a vicious cycle. Stuck begets stuckness- the pb causes more pbs (unless I stop eating altogether- which I guess I am suppossed to do!). 

I started today with a protien shake and coffee. So far, so good. I am going to take it easy the next day or so, and then on Thursday, when I go back to the MD, I may ask for a small unfill. .1 or .2.  Honestly, they seem a little reluctant to take any out, or maybe that's my imagination? I did have a big loss this month- like 12lbs, so, I guess I could live with the level of tightness, but who wants to?  I don't want to be miserable! I even chewed some orzo salad and spit it out before it could get stuck yesterday, just because I wanted to taste it.  Needless to say, I am not the best dining companion these days.

Am I alone with this craziness????????  Hunger is not the problem, at least 90% of the time. I am still figuring out how to train my brain, I guess. I want to be at 100 down by 10/1!!!!!

Contemplating joining a pool club, but not sure- anyone familiar with the Holmdel, Marlboro, or Hazlet pool clubs? I am not that concerned about my figure in a bathing suit- I have a three year old to entertain to keep my mind off that, and that's why God invented miraclesuits and cute wraps. My main concern is the Mommies- are they clannish stay at home'rs with rich hubbies and BMWs? Will they shun me because I have a career and my hubby is an edgy rock dude (no alligators on his chest)? Will we fit in? Ugh. Why do I care about these things?? It's so bizarre that the biggest concern I have is not about my weight!



Love you!
xxoxoxoxoxooxox
A