Let's Talk Food!!!!!!!

My entire family is about food. More importantly, GOOD food. When I mean my entire family, I really mean my ENTIRE family. I am pleased to say that most family members and my maternal grandma with a push from others, has switched out a lot of their ingredients for more healthy options.

I truly do believe in EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. Generally speaking, I don't feel deprived. I make good choices and indulge every once in a while. If I do indulge more than once in a while, I find that I am satisfied with smaller amounts. Did I also mention that my maternal grandmother has NUMEROUS freezers at her house stock-piled with home-cooked food? True story.

I haven't had to change much about what I cook for supper, either. I have found that MOST (definitely not all) things that I cook are providing necessary and essential nutrients. I believe that most bodies need a little of everything to function properly.

I will say that the things I have been adding to our menus more are vegetables. The sitter serves veggies with every lunch, so I figure it doesn't hurt, plus I love veggies. Now, that doesn't mean Ty and Brett actually eat the veggies, but they are served.

I recently heard from a co-worker on what she does to add vegetables to her meals. She did the 17 Day Diet and it worked great for her. She went from a size 8 to a size 2 is what I think she said. I had heard about it when a few ladies from work started it. The part that wouldn't work for me, is the part where the meal plan is very specific. Obviously being the chef and grocery shopper in the house and with my busy schedule, I don't have time to cook more than one meal at suppertime. It has worked really well for many people, though!! And I digress...apologies.

Anyhoo back to the veggies: once or twice a week, she tears lettuce and spinach and puts them into a bowl. Then, adds shredded red cabbage to the mix along with chopping all the veggies she wants in there as well. She puts it in the fridge and every night with supper, she and her husband are able to grab a bowl and fill 'em up! They eat a salad every night. She said it sucks at the time taking the time to do it a couple times a week, but do much easier when it is accessible. I am going to give it a try! Thanks, SD for the idea!!!!!

I will be trying to season ground turkey to taste more like breakfast sausage. I got a fantastic idea from another coworker to make turkey breakfast burritos. I got the egg whites and black beans, I am ready to roll!!

I love the Archer Farms salsas! They are great! I am particularly fond of the pineapple peach one, recommended by my two doors down friend. Delicious stuff! I also bought the white queso of the same brand. Wow!! I didn't know they could legally package up something that smells so much like barf and sell it. Awful.

I need to work on the meal plan for the next several days. We will have asparagus for sure because I bought some. I could eat just that. Yum. I know Brett and Ty would protest that as a meal.

Strawberries are back and so far, they have been really good. Last year, our desserts consisted of a ton of strawberries and dry jell-o, cherry flavor. Great dessert and KINDA healthy. Kinda. Only kinda.

I look forward to fresh veggies from my parents' garden. Summer can't get here fast enough for that!

I spend a lot of time at the grocery store. This is due in part to my desire to have fresh produce. I do use frozen, but love the fresh.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to me who is now hungry, until next time...

I totally dogged it today

I've been getting up at 4:15 to accommodate the longer workouts. Something happened to me and before I knew it, I had wasted twenty five minutes making coffee, getting water, looking through Facebook statuses and taking a poop. I finally get into the workout and what should have been a thirty-three minute cardio followed by a thirty minute sculpting, ended up as a forty some minute cardio. I got distracted trying to figure out if my pant legs were the same length and felt I needed to take the pants off in the middle of my workout to check, REWIND THE DVD. Then my sports bra is too big, must fix that until I'm happy, REWIND THE DVD. Needed to get some more water, REWIND THE DVD. Oh NOW would be a good time to switch out the laundry, REWIND THE DVD.

You have got to be kidding me, Trish. Nope, I'm not, Trish.

So, due to time constraints, I couldn't even start the sculpting class. So here I sit, two poops down, one super thick protein shake in me, one cuppa coffee as I watch "Ice Loves Coco" and blog. I feel it was a bit of waste. Although, I do love me some Ice-T and Coco!!!! Ty, on the other hand, does not and keeps saying, "no! I dunt wat it! No no no ice t and coco!" Too bad, mommy does!!!

Hey, I did think of something else to bring to you!! Every night as I am starting to fall asleep, I tell myself "I cannot wait to workout tomorrow!" Again, it is a little bit of emotional warfare on myself, but it works!!! Like a meal plan, I already know when I am going to workout and which one I am going to do.

It really helps and suppresses the dread. Believe it or not, I dread seeing 4:15 on the clock in the AM. I sooooo badly want to sleep for an hour and a half longer. I always regret sleeping in, but oddly enough never regret getting up early.

As random as I can get, my new favorite food is a baked potato topped with cottage cheese and organic guacamole. Sounds weird, but it is incredibly filling, high in protein and it tastes really good!!

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you wondering how I came to put cottage cheese and guac on a tater, until next time...

How I hate the days I hate. Hate I say. Hate? No way!

Today was one of those days that you would just like to start over. It didn't start out badly, in fact, it was just the opposite. At the time of writing, it was Free Friday (Starbucks), I got to sleep in an extra hour and then some, had the meal plan planned for the next week and again, it was Friday.

A few things about this before I get to the point. Fridays, I treat myself to Starbucks. White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha, non-fat, no-whip, 450+ calories of pure bliss. I found out that the protein content in my beloved beverage is GREAT. Bo.Nus. I don't workout on Friday mornings because it is weigh-in day and it seems counter-productive (to me) to workout, drinking anywhere from 32-48 ounces of water during said workout, followed by my protein shake, followed by the glorious cuppa java while watching a repeat episode of Dr. Phil only to go to work, weigh in before I start working and call that something other than water-logged. Hence, the Starbucks treat on Fridays and the first sip isn't until I actually step OFF the scale.

This particular morning, I was feeling good, relaxed, got a roast in the crock-pot and turned it to low. Got Ty up and around and went about getting to Starbucks then work. Brett calls me and asks if I have the checkbook because there wasn't a check in the diaper bag for the sitter. Umm, yeah, checkbook in my purse and this makes the THIRD time I had forgotten to write a check out to her. Sigh. I text her right away and bless her, she said I could bring it when I picked Ty up in the afternoon. Problem solved. I tried to convince PIC #2 to go to my house and peel the taters for supper. I even told her she could just peel and put them in a bowl in the fridge. Ask me if she did it. NO! She didn't! Sigh. I tried. I've tried to get her to clean the house, too, or even just vacuum for me, she hasn't yet. Sigh. I tried.

The work day went really fast, I got a lot accomplished and felt good about leaving for the day. I went to the store at break and picked up a few groceries to top off the meal plan for the next few days. On the way home/pick up Ty, I couldn't recall why I didn't go park my car at home and walk over to the sitter's house. At any rate, I knew I had to drive over there, so I did. I get Ty, he's actually happy to see me, is extra snuggly and wants to come home with me. I'm getting ready to pack Ty up in the car and the sitter asks about her check. Seriously, Trisha? Twice in one day you forget to pay the woman that does a stellar and I mean STELLAR job with your sugarbear??? That's why I drove there, MY PURSE WITH THE FRICKEN CHECKBOOK IN IT. Sigh. I apologize again, profusely. Sigh.

We get home and it is really warm outside and knowing we were going to be playing with our neighbors, Ty and I hustle inside to get him his juice and find him some shorts. A side note about Ty seeing me wear shorts, he thinks I'm not wearing pants, which is true, but he thinks this constitutes an acceptable reason for him to not wear pants or shorts or anything but a diaper. Ty and I go to his room to search for the THREE pairs of shorts that he has that fit him. I'm tearing into his closet, literally throwing clothes out of there trying to find these stinking shorts! The whole time I'm doing this, I'm having to go out into the kitchen to check on Ty because he is playing with the screen door letting Dutch and Ru in and out and also HIMSELF in and out, which he knows is a huge no-no.

Anyhoo, I go back to annihilating his closet when my nose starts to smell something... or is it nothing? I don't smell the aroma of the roast in the crock pot, which by the way is the recipe I got from the sitter. I go to the kitchen again only to see that the fresh, five pound roast is sitting in the crock pot, turned on, but NOT PLUGGED IN. Are you kidding me?! Seriously, Trisha? I look up, throwing my hands in the air and scream, "SON OF A B!!!" I really did say "b" and not a bad word. Ty was right there, for crying out loud. He says, "mommy, wha happen? wha happen? don't try (cry). is otay." Ugh. Hard to be mad with him doing that.

I go back to ripping Ty's room apart, FINALLY find the flipping shorts and we get to head outside. AFTER I pick up the mess that I made, which Ty again comes in asking the same questions of what happened and then comforting me with "is otay." Gotta love him.

I really dislike days like this one. Or the one about puke-a-Ruca. Or the one about having to cut my hair due to a lemon sucker. Or the one about the TV. And the one about the time my tires were slashed on my 1986 Dodge Caravan, which resulted in me with mild heat exhaustion, changing out the tires myself and missing my good friend's birthday party. (That was the short version.) Days like these challenge my patience a lot. They challenge my motivation. The funny thing is that I now find these things FUNNY. They really do only happen to me. Before I had to "worry" about someone else, so before we got Dutch, I didn't find these things as entertaining as I do now. After Dutch, then Ru and then Ty, things are quickly put into perspective when all three babes are well, unscathed for the day and happy. It makes this kind of crap pretty insignificant except to retell in a blog or as an animated story. The friend that I mentioned earlier, the birthday party that I missed, would always say, "I can't wait to talk to you and find out about your bad days! You always have the greatest bad days ever!" Sigh. At least I was making someone's day when my day was crap.

"The day is what you make of it, I'm busy making mine shitty." - Trisha Miller

Signing off for now. To all of you near and far and to my friend Abbie whom I miss dearly, until next time...

Fat Childhood...and then some

I was born a thin child. I have the pictures to prove it. Then, heredity took over. My parents, my dad 6'4" and a nice thick build and my mom, 5' on a good day with a little heel on her shoes and a very petite, thin build, made your favorite blogger. (That's me, by the way) Without using profanity and looking at this without sugar coating it, I was totally skull f*&(^d in the genes department. No, not the mom jeans, the other genes. I got my dad's build and my mom's height. Fab. My sister, on the other hand, got my dad's height and mom's build. What. The. Hell? She says, "well at least you have straight teeth!!" (yes, I just looked left, then right, then left again. She really does say that.) No, I don't blame my parents for my fattishness, it is just fun to poke at them a little bit. Hee hee.

Okay, my sister called me "fatso" a few times growing up and while it probably wasn't the nicest thing to say, you gotta appreciate the brutal honesty of a little sister. It
was true. Sigh. You know those tests they give you in school
at the beginning and the end of the school year where they measure your weight, height, BODY COMPOSITION, flexibility, ypu ran the mile, did pull-ups, push-ups and sit-ups? I would find myself devastated by the "results" of these types of tests, especially in elementary school. The problem was that not only did I feel like a failure, I wasn't taught how to "fix" the problem. So, what was the point of all of it? Well, in my loud opinion, there was no point. Without teaching me what I needed to do to be in a "good range," I was left dreading the test at the end of the year which was undoubtedly going to confirm that I was still a weak fatass. No, I'm not going to start protesting these tests in elementary schools. I'm just painting you a fatty picture of fatty me. My parents weren't into routine fitness back in the day, so I didn't have someone close by to guide me on what should be done or what to do with that information. Did I also mention that this being back in the day, my jean hiking dad would cook old school with bacon grease? He will tell you to this day, "but it tastes really good!" Umm,
yeah, dad, nothing like your lips glistening from grease. I'll stick with EVOO or cooking spray, thanks.

I struggled with chunkiness for a very very long time and even went a couple years of throwing my lunch away and having nothing but a Jammin' Berry Hi-C juice box once a day and choking down as little as possible at supper time. I got thin. People noticed. Boys noticed. I liked my thinner self, with the exception of the obsessiveness of staying thin.

Fast forward a few years and I pack on the pounds like I am saving up for a trip on an expedition trans-Antarctica.

Fast forward a couple years more and I start losing the weight thanks to the release of Tae-Bo. Thanks again, Billy for the wonderful mornings and some fantastic evenings. Raaaarrrr. This was the point where I had to stop because little did I know that the flab I was carrying around my waist, was also holding up my rather large chest. I recall going for a walk, barely making it back home because my back seized up on me (before cell phones were more than just using
them for emergencies on the road). I finally made it home and
immediately called my jean hiking dad and told him I wanted a breast reduction. He said okay, we will get it done. We did. God bless my jean hiking dad for calling insurance and finding out exactly what we needed to do.

Fast forward quite a few more years, I woke up one morning and decided to make changes. I signed up for water aerobics classes where I happened to be the youngest person there. I even got my mom to sign up for a session or two! What a supportive group - older women. Perfect! That class turned into twice a week, then I started getting braver and trying other classes, toning, yoga, weight training, aerobics, circuit training, step aerobics and my least favorite was a "dance" class that wasn't anything like dancing at all. What a waste. This time around, after all was said, but I wasn't done, I lost 42 pounds. Then, (here's the short version), I started feeling poorly, was diagnosed as being in ovarian failure/early menopause and ended up getting pregnant. Wow.

Fast forward another year plus a few months and I just decided to go for it again. I practiced my START SMALL philosophy
and ran with it, literally.

I am somewhat bothered by the charts at the doctors offices (or the wii fit that exclaims, "that's obese!" whenever i get on there) that tell you where you should be weight wise. I often wonder how every single person can fit into that chart given their genetic makeup and how, other than basic functions of your body, how someone other than yourself can be an expert on YOUR body. YOU have to figure out what is BEST for you and be your own expert.

I am still playing and trying to fine tune things for me. I know what I do and don't want for myself, so there's half the battle already won. I blog about what I do to spark ideas in you all and they are yours to leave or take. I know that it is easier for me to take suggestions from someone who is more like me rather than the person whom has more time to spare, more money and in a completely different place in their life. I can assure you that I am human, otherwise I think I would do a better job being me if I had superhuman abilities.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to my friend BK whom I met in water
aerobics, until next time...

How I got to this point

I didn't wake up and start doing TurboFire. In fact, the warning before each workout strongly recommends against jumping into it like that. I started small. Over a year ago, I had been doing yoga everyday. I bumped it up with the gazelle every night for 30 minutes or more. I went on like this for a month, each time increasing the gazelle time and the level of yoga. This whole time, I was able to get up at 5 and get in a workout. Then, I eliminated yoga because I enjoyed the cardio more and was able to watch reruns of Dr Phil, Full House and a whole lotta infomercials. I started watching the workout infomercials for Insanity, p90x, Brazil Butt Lift, some sort of Pilate machine endorsed by Susan Lucci and of course the machine endorsed by Christie Brinkley and Chuck Norris.

There came a point where I was wanting more of a challenge and something more aggressive. I broke down and bought Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I liked everything about it except Jillian telling me that she has 300 pound people doing jumping jacks. I would whisper scream "bullshit!!!!" and press on. One morning, I saw her face in the DVD cover and decided that Jillian and I needed to break up if only for a little while.

Back to the Gazelle and infomercials. But by this time my 5am workout needed to be moved up to 4:45 to allow more time for the increase. Then, it went to 4:30. I decided to go through all my videos and take inventory. I figured there was no time like the present to rekindle the fire between Billy and I. I started doing Tae Bo for 24 minutes in the morning, then my trusty Gazelle in the evenings. I mastered the beginner Tae Bo and then moved on to the advanced. After watching Billy's junk, sweaty boob girl that doesn't seem to have a whole lot of technique, Billy's oh so irritating daughter and the bouncy girl with the curly hair one too many times, I needed a change. I purchased Billy Blanks Jr's dance DVD. Remember, I AM A TERRIBLE DANCER. HORRIBLE. awful. I liked it enough, but went back and forth between father and son for a while until I couldn't take it.

An old friend recommended TurboFire to me and that's where I am now. As I write this post, I am in week 5. I love Chalene. She's like me but WAY more positive. And thin. And really fit. And blonde. Ty still loves doing TurboFire with me. He provides the entertainment value to my workouts from time to time.

The workouts are getting longer and my time is limited in the morning. I am going to get up at 4:15. I am also only giving myself the one day a week to sleep in. I have decided that getting up at my normal time is way more beneficial than trying to work in my workouts. I feel crazy nerdy saying all that, but there is serious truth in it.

Anyone wanting to start adding exercise to their daily routine should START SMALL. Try 20 minutes 4 days a week for 4 weeks. Increase to 30 minutes 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Keep increasing until you find your balance. I really wish this time around I had taken measurements. The results appear so quick with measurements, whereas with weight/scales, it doesn't always happen that way. Sad.

Whatever your START SMALL is, find it! You can do it. Go for a walk during your work breaks or use your work break walks as "bonus" time. Channel your inner workout nerd!!!!!

Signing off for now. To all of you near and far and to those of you trying to figure out what you can do to START SMALL, until next time...

A boost of self esteem

Right before I start to type this, I was lying in bed with shorts on. I stuck my leg up in the air and admired the view. You know how when you lie on your back and the belly fat blankets your spine creating a grand illusion of having a flatter, more appealing tummy? Try sticking your leg up in the air, your leg should look slimmer, more toned and extremely fabulous with the flicker of the TV. Mine did!!!! I also appear more tan in this light. Lovely, simply lovely!!

I have a specific pose for shielding the camera from my fat. It is a trend that finds its way in many family pictures!!! Here's what you do: stand in a tall lunge, put your forward arm's hand on your knee, point the elbow out, tummy in, chin up, say cheese. Just think Patrick Swayze and "spaghetti arms" and you've got it!! Simply lovely!!!!!

All joking and semi-seriousness aside, I do look forward to ridding my wardrobe of my bigger clothes. I am going to rid those bigger sizes for good this time. I'm not storing them in a Rubbermaid container for "just in case I can't control eating a large pizza" or "just in case I NEED ten candy bars" or "just in case I balloon out and become the next TLC reality show." I'm done this time. I fortunately kept all of my smaller clothes. So, somewhere deep down, I must have known I would pick up this journey where I had left off five years ago, but do it bigger and better and with a different sense of commitment.

I have my days, oh do I have them. I don't enjoy getting up earlier and earlier, but I do enjoy getting rid of the mom jeans!!!

Signing off for now. To all of you near and far and to those of you wondering what in the hell this post was really about, but love my randomness, until next time...

Am I really moving???

The other day, I needed a little pick me up so I asked Ty if he wanted to do TurboFire with me. He said, "no, I do tae bo!" What he doesn't fully understand is that he knows TurboFire as tae bo because that is what I was doing before TurboFire. Or maybe he really likes Billy Blanks, I'm not 100% sure that isn't the case.

We start working out. He is really good at keeping the energy high. I'm rocking this workout. I'm sweating, panting like a dog and jumping around like someone is poking me in the ass with a red hot poker. It nears the end of the workout and I am thinking, "wow, I am really getting a good workout, but something feels different." As I am doing "jumping jacks," I look down at my legs and feet to see that they aren't even coming an inch off the floor!! How in the hell was I sweating so profusely and so winded doing this and not even getting off the ground?? What is going on?? It was bizarre. My legs and hips felt heavy... well, duh. Okay, heavier than usual. That was the first time I noticed it.

The next day, I'm working out and my body just felt old. Really old. Again, felt heavy, (duh again) and just sluggish. That was the 2nd time.

The day after that, I noticed that once again my body felt old and it was like I was moving in slow motion. My brain really wanted me to go hard and fast, but my body literally couldn't keep up. This was so abnormal for me.

I chalked it up to being in week 5 of TurboFire and it being so crazy at times and my body just not used to the consecutive weeks of intense workouts, 6-7 days a week.

Shortly after, PIC #2 text me to ask about my protein intake. She sent me the lovely formula to find my metabolic rate and which also broke it out into how much protein, carbs and fats I should be eating each day. Come to find out, I was EXCRUCIATINGLY low on protein. That night, I chugged a protein shake, 25 minutes later, I felt a lot better. Come morning, I felt back to my normal self.

Since that day, I have been attempting to triple my protein. Yes, 3 times the amount of protein. This is not easy, but let me tell you, aside from the REALLY weird poops, I haven't felt better. I'm able to function better, back to moving faster and building up my strength again. My muscles feel viscus again. (I have always wanted to use that word, "viscus" in a sentence.) I feel back on track. I'll see if the positive results keep coming. Week #5 of TurboFire almost complete at the time I write this post and I am ready to start week #6 especially since I was the winner of the weight loss competition at work this week!!

Only two more weeks left of this competition and I am loving seeing the results this week. It sure does help when you see SOMETHING moving in a positive direction. Aside from the weight loss this week, I am sitting here in a pair of shorts from last summer that accentuated my muffin top making it more like a jumbo muffin top from Perkins. NOT THIS YEAR!! I am proud to say that my muffin top is no more in these shorts and there is barely any bulge atop the waistband. YESSSSSSSS! I'm kind of looking forward to busting out the other shorts I couldn't even wear last year. Hopefully something fits!!!!!

Signing off for now. To all of you near and far and to those of you wondering if your shorts from last year fit, until next time...

Positive and Healthy Relationships

I really believe that whom you surround yourself does impact who you are and where you are heading. People come in and out of your life and sometimes it really hurts and other times, well, meh. Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching? I heard that somewhere. Seems to hold true.

I try to eliminate the assholes in my life as the need be. There are some assholes you may not be able to eliminate, in that case, limit the amount of time spent with those assholes. You must do what is best for you and your family, always. You must also try to surround yourself with encouraging, loving and supportive relationships with foundations of unconditional love, mutual respect and safety. What I mean by safety is you can have a big mouth with all the other qualities, but if they blab your biz to anyone who will listen, it leaves a feeling of betrayal and distrust. Make sense? GOOD!

After almost 17 years and 10 years of marriage, Brett and I have spent almost half of our lives together. We have had to grow up together, which can be pretty challenging. We still have our struggles, but it is amazing that I still WANT to be around him after all these years. He is my favorite person.

Brett is supportive, loving, funny, generous, caring and loves to help others. No, he is not perfect (but this blog isn't about how I wish he would check his pockets for Sharpies before throwing them down the laundry chute or his allergy to putting things away). I am not perfect either, but I think you have figured that out by now. Whenever Brett is doing something around here or out helping someone else in his free time, I feel like I should be doing the same. I read in Dear Abby about how if spouses just woke up everyday and thought "what can I do to help my spouse today to make their life easier?" then relationships might last longer. Something about this rang true to me, so that's where the push to work hard when he is came from.

One night, Brett left to go help out brother in law with a home improvement project. Ty was in bed and I thought this would be the perfect time for me to get some stuff rearranged in the basement in preparation of moving some of Tyson's toys down there from his 1st birthday. I was making excellent time, had moved some media towers, reorganized a bunch of things and was generally feeling great about it all. In this room that is a fancy heated storage unit located in one of the rooms in our basement (aka the crap room), were a couple TVs, one was a small 13 inch. I thought it to be a good idea to put it atop one of the media towers. Brilliant!! I heaved it up there and stood back to admire my handiwork. I noticed the tower was not level, so I had ANOTHER brilliant idea to fold up a chunk of paper to level one of those legs out!! Brills!!!!!!! You wouldn't believe it, but more brilliance shone through when I left the TV atop of the tower and got that paper under that leg!!!! BRILLS!! I stood up and was not satisfied completely and thought a small nudge would polish it off. BRILL-oh. That damn boxy TV came down cracking me in the nog. I caught it on my right shoulder and was so happy I could lower it with control to the floor, but what is going on??? Wait! Is that BLOOD? Dripping on the TV?!?! I swiftly went to the bathroom and when I mean swiftly, I mean I stumbled on everything in my path, ran into the frame of the door and tripped straight into the bathroom, all with my hand pressed on my forehead. I look in the mirror and slowly remove my hand. Blood gushing, almost in my eye, gashed pretty great. I grab some tissues (I buy Puffs, by the way) and hold them to my head. I grab the phone and call 911. No, not really. I called my parents, silly! I simply tell my dad that I need he and mom at my house immediately. Dad doesn't ask questions, just says "okay" and hangs up. I'm starting to feel a little woozie, so I call my sister. I tell her to which she asks if she should send Brett home. I tell her no, just talk to me until mom and dad get here. She is giggling and scolding me and asks if I want to talk to Brett. Now, with most of the stupid crap I do, I am SOOOOOO hesitant to tell Brett because of his reaction. His face says it all and thank God he wasn't there for me to see it. He sometimes doesn't fully appreciate my independent woman being (cue Destiny's Child song here). Anyhoo, my sister tells Brett and I can HEAR the reaction on his face. I tell them mom and dad are there to assess the situation and I am FINE! Dad comes barrelling down the stairs where I have propped myself up against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Mom follows. I move my hand to show my dad because I really cannot tell how bad it is. The look on his face and "it's pretty deep, T" said it all. I had blood on my face, glasses and all over the bathroom. My mom apparently doesn't handle blood well and in her panic, she STARTS CLEANING. I'm bleeding and yelling at my mom to stop cleaning it up!! I tell mom to sit at the house and listen for Ty and dad takes me to the ER. Can I also point out that my dad was Uncle Buck laughing the entire way to the ER? He kept saying "sorry, T!" when he would catch his breath. I said it was fine and joined in on the giggles until the headache set in. 2 hours later and some glue on my forehead two days before Tyson's 1st birthday party, I was back home. Yeah, this crap really happens to me.

Mom and dad left and shortly thereafter Brett came home. Sigh. I got the look and I explained the whole, you work hard, I work hard and Dear Abby said what?! He said he appreciated it, but wait to move TVs until he is home to do it for me. Dammit. Sigh. I haven't moved anything big since. Sigh.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those second guessing doing something nice for someone else, until next time...

Favorite Foods

On this life changing path, I can honestly say that I haven't had to give up any of the foods I adore and stroke and sometimes make out with and kiss from time to time. I do however, find myself searching for things that keep me more satisfied and help curb the cravings that I don't need.

I talked about the chicken in the crockpot and foil packs in my last post. One cannot sustain on that alone, obviously, but I do go through food phases. Right now, I love jalapeno hummus and pita chips for a snack. I eat a lot of yogurt. My friend told me about Noosa yogurt and it is oh so good, but oh so not so good to eat all the time. I bought three containers of it and ate them as fast as I could just to get them out of my house. Ty loves yogurt and I thought briefly about giving it to him instead, but I didn't think he would truly appreciate the creamy, fatty goodness that is Noosa. So I ate them. All. Gone.

Since I can't have peanut butter, I have resorted to eating seedless strawberry jam on whole wheat bread as a sandwich. I rather enjoy it.

I love Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal. The original, hint of brown sugar flavor. Good stuff, very filling.

Shredded Wheat - love all the varieties except the touch of fruit in the middle ones. Me no likey the chewiness that goes with those. Eek.

I recently discovered Dulce De Leche Cheerios and WOW are they good. At 100 calories a serving, I can't go wrong with filling my belly and lowering my cholesterol!

Triscuits and Laughing Cow Cheese - great pick me up snack for sure.

I still eat the things I really enjoy, but just like the healthier options, I eat it all in moderation. Everything in moderation.

My all time favorite foods are: Diet Orange Sunkist, Dove Milk Chocolate, Great Plains Pizza, The Cafe Mac and Cheese, Hickory Park Cheeseballs, the ranch dressing from Hickory Park, steak, Canoli Cake from The Cafe, REALLY REALLY good cupcakes, Cheetos (Puffs), Doritos, M&M's, nachos and that's all I can think of off the top of my head. The funny thing is that with all the things listed here, I don't eat a whole lot of them anymore. Not even on my free days. I find myself gravitating away from these foods even when the opportunity knocks to eat them. Funny how your body tells you things if you just listen.

I encourage you to read labels. I spend way more time at the grocery store these days because I am reading what I am buying. I'm reading the nutritional information as well as the ingredients list. I like Calorie Count because it assigns a letter grade to most foods. You receive an overall grade for all the food you log in a day. I like that. Most of the time, I am able to keep my grades in the A- or B+ range. I'm pretty happy with that. It is realistic.

Signing off for now. To all of you near and far and to those of you trying to figure out what you are going to snack on now, until next time...

I have a contingency plan!!!!!

I tend to over think a lot of things. One that crosses my mind is, "what if I get injured and can't workout?" Well, I have figured it out!!!!! Now I can rest easy.

Signing off for now, to all of you, wai, what? You want to know what? Oh! I'm sorry, didn't know you would want to know the contingency plan!! Well then, if I get injured, I will join water aerobics again. AND depending on the injury, I just might get into those workouts that they do in nursing homes where the people sit in chairs and use chairs for stability. Yes, I am totally serious.

This at least gives me hope should the unthinkable happen and I'm not able to go on a quick date with Chalene. You know, it has been weeks since I've seen Billy or his son. I am not missing either one of them right now.

I do want to try a date with Jillian sometime soon to see if I can dominate that now. I have been so hyper-focused in my relationship with Chalene that I have dropped all of my other friends. I may have to kick the tv in just for fun when the wii fit says, "that's obese." Thankfully, that thing doesn't have a face because I would either have nightmares or punch it in its face. Wow! This got kinda violent in a short amount of time.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you rocking your chair aerobics, until next time...

Meal Plans

This sounds really really lame, but I make a meal plan. I do it for many reasons, which I have conveniently listed for you below:

-It helps me to plan my grocery list.
-It takes the guess work of "what should we have for supper tonight?"
-If I have a plan in place, I am less likely to binge on whatever I can get my hands on.
-It saves me time because I am able to utilize magnificent creations like the CROCKPOT.
-It is easier to create healthy, well-balanced meals.
-It helps me to stay organized.

I definitely feel less disorganized when I have the meal plan done and in place. I don't do it by week, but I keep it rolling as the days go on. I created a tab on Awesome Note that lists the plan for at least the next 10 days. As I plan these meals, I am able to give it thought and it allows for us to have VARIETY in our meals. I also plan it according to anything that we may have going on on a certain day. It helps a lot.

Another perk to planning meals in advance is that I can log my dinner calories in ahead of time, making it easier to see the big picture of where I stand at the end of the day. Sadly enough, it could determine whether or not I workout a second or third time.

If I know I am going out to eat ahead of the time, which almost 100% of the time I do know, I look up the menu for the particular restaurant I will be visiting. I usually either choose or narrow my meal choice down prior to getting to the restaurant. Chain restaurants like Applebees, Red Lobster and almost all fast food restaurants (piss) are way easier to choose from in advance. By picking what I am going to order before I go, it usually gets me to stay away from the less healthy choices I may make just because I am THAT hungry. Some experts (heard this on Dr. Oz) will tell you to eat before you go out to a restaurant. I'm pretty sure the guy said to eat a banana or apple or something of the sort before you go so you aren't so hungry that you overindulge. Sometimes this technique works for me, sometimes it doesn't. Going to restaurants where there is complimentary bread or chips and salsa on the table is a lose-lose for me, unless I don't eat the complimentary items at all, which can be very challenging at times.

Thankfully, I don't eat out very much. I prefer to eat at home because I KNOW what is going into the food I make. I know what kind of food I bought. I know exactly what I'm eating.

A couple of my favorite things to make these days are bone-in chicken breast in the crockpot and foil packs. I love the chicken breasts because I can make a ton at once and make three meals in a row containing chicken and then freeze the rest. With foil packs, I can make each of them different for the different eaters. I like lots of veggies, little potato. Brett likes no veggies, lots of meat and a lot of potato. You can make some with ground turkey or ground chicken and some with ground beef. Hallelujah, a way to cook for different tastes without having to make separate meals (which I do not do, by the way) and little complaint!!!

Signing off for now so I can go prepare supper for tonight. To all of you near and far and to those of you that don't know what you are making for supper tonight, until next time...

Oh Sunday Mornings...

Sundays are by far my worst motivational nightmares. Brett gets to sleep in, I get up bright and early with Ty.

Ty and I lounge around, he drinks watered down juice in a sippy cup and I drink coffee. We watch an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse of his choice, then another, a couple poops go on between the pups, Ty and I and it is a generally glorious morning. I'm relaxed, enjoying the great company and sometimes grandparents come for coffee and playtime with Ty.

By the time everyone clears out and the coffee has run dry, it is time to prep lunch. Then after lunch is nap time and I am usually pooped by then and am ready to relax.

This Sunday, we had my brother in law, nephew and niece come over. They stayed the entire morning and for nap because my sister had some crazy weekend shifts. We ate a REALLY REALLY healthy (umm, yeah right) Hickory Park lunch since it was kind of a spur of the moment visit. I did have time to pick up the house, change sheets all over the house for the three nappers, start laundry and watch Brett vacuum.

There I am with Brett and my brother in law and three kids. It is more chaotic with... Brett and my brother in law. Ha! We got all the kids down for nap, the big boys were going to nap as well. I took advantage of the wicked nice weather (overcast, warm and a light breeze) and headed out to the neighborhood...alone. It has been a while since I have been able to walk at a good pace and not have to talk about the number of hoops in people's driveways. I walked for exactly 30 minutes to return sweaty and with tight hamstrings and butt. Wow! It is amazing that after working out sometimes twice a day, then going for sustained walking at a nice clip how out of practice my legs and butt were. It was like they didn't know what to do with themselves after a while. I didn't think I was going to make it home.

I made it home. The big boys headed outside and I fired up TurboJam with the sweet sounds of my niece snoring, Ty snoring and my nephew STILL opposed to taking a nap at my house. I continue to sweat. Sometimes, you have to get creative with how you get your exercise in for the day. You have to be willing to bend and do something different when your first choice isn't available. It is a proud moment that I got a workout in with 3 kids sleeping... twice!!!!

Signing off for now. To all of you near and far and to those of you trying to figure out how Hickory Park cheeseballs fit into your daily calorie allotment, until next time...

Thank you!!

Thank you to everyone that has told me how much you enjoy my blog!!!! It helps me stay focused and motivated when I hear from you. I love hearing about what you are getting from my stories and what it all does for you!

Muah!!
Trish

Logging in the food. Eek. Eek. Eek, I say.

I love Calorie Count. I really do. It really helps me stay on track and I DO log in my free days. It really puts things into perspective. Some free days, I do myself proud on going all out and then other times I find that my choice in foods to "binge" on has drastically changed. The foods I crave have changed. I know that your taste buds change every so often, but I also think you can train your taste buds and your body to like and dislike certain foods.

Because I don't drink Diet Orange Sunkist but maybe once a week, there are sometimes that it tastes like crushed aspirin for kids. My taste buds prefer water most of the time, but I do imbibe in the occasional DOS.

I used to buy these frozen, preservative-free meals to have for lunch at work. I had one that I was particularly fond of and at 300 or so calories per meal, how could I go wrong? There was one day that sticks in my mind as the day from Hell. I started my day with a workout and started my workday. About a few hours into my workday, I realized I was scratching my face and the back of my neck. I look in the mirror to discover hives. I have no idea what is going on. It's not unusual for me to have hives, but it had no reason. Until, I remembered that I used some shampoo and conditioner left in my shower by our latest house guests. It smelled great and I thought I would give it a whirl. I was in the middle of plotting my shopping trip to Bath and Body Works to get their shampoo and conditioner because I loved how my hair smelled and felt, when I became aware of the hives. Instead of a fun shopping trip on my lunch break, I had to run home to re-shampoo, re-condition, re-wash my face and re-moisturize my face. I took a couple Benadryl to speed up the process, too. I returned to work, hungry as all get out since I used my lunch on personal hygiene. I popped my meal in the microwave and continued to work. BEEP! I retrieved said meal, returned to my desk. I set the meal on a stack of files and was slightly distracted reading an email while peeling back the cellophane from my wicked awesome meal. The top file started to slide, as did my meal. I went to catch the FILE from falling, which jarred the now opened meal, splashing piping hot sauce all over my arm. I yelled. Not sure where to start first, I actually tried to salvage the meal. Yes, I did. HEY! I WAS HUNGRY!!! I grabbed a paper towel that seemed to be made from recycled sandpaper and started to wipe the sauce away. Ummmmm, ow? Yes, OWIE!!!!!!!!!!!! The piping hot sauce mentioned above had melted my skin and part of my skin actually came off with the sandpaper towel. Now, I am watching my arm turn a lovely shade of crimson. I tell my boss I am leaving because my arm is on fire. Not literally, of course. I go home and have to call First Nurse to find out what I should do because it was painful and getting grosser by the minute. It didn't require a trip to the doctor that day, but I did have to go about a week later. Awesome. That was months ago and I shudder when I see those frozen meals in the freezer section at the store. I haven't had one since. Very true story. I have the burn scars on my arm to prove it. Seriously. So, I inadvertently trained myself to not like those meals.

I am signing off now to go boil some Dove Milk Chocolates and dump it on my arms and legs. To all of you near and far and to those of you wondering what the Hell this post was about, join the club, until next time...

Apples and Peanut Butter

Five years ago, I developed an allergy to nuts, except cashews. It really gets to me in the fall with all the apples fresh off the orchard trees. My favorite snack on my last weight loss journey was honeycrisp apples with PB Loco white chocolate raspberry peanut butter, with either coco-banana or banana PB Loco running a tie for second.

There is a saving grace, apparently PB Loco is no more. Okay, it is a saving grace for ME, but not the general public. Some days, I want to pull into the ER parking lot with a cooler of PB&J sammies, scotcheroos, some of those PB cookies with those chocolate stars in the middle, Do-Biz Garbage or Monster cookie dough, Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch and the new Peanut Butter Cheerios and CHOW DOWN! I miss Puppy Chow, too.

I've tried using Sunbutter as a PB replacement, but I can tell the difference. I have made cashew butter, which was good, but not the same. I have even bought cashew butter, but wanted to gargle with gasoline because it was that bad. Maybe a bad brand? I don't know, not brave enough to try another.

What I have not found yet is a good replacement for nuts. I am open to suggestions. Many meal plans include almonds or peanut butter. Obviously, that rules out quite a few different things. So, I am constantly on the hunt for satisfying snacks that are low in calories and fat.

My latest love is hummus and pita chips. It is a bulkier snack and keeps me satisfied. I am going to attempt making my own hummus sometime soon, just need to get a good idea of what I want it to taste like.

I love food. Which is a shame. Sometimes, my love for food blinds me and makes it easy for me to lose sight of my goals. In that case, I start looking at food as strictly fuel for my body that doesn't necessarily need to taste like the best thing I have ever eaten. That usually curbs the appetite. Earth colored beans on a bed of lovely spinach. Raw. Yum.

I keep only healthy snacks at my desk EXCEPT for a bowl with Dove Milk Chocolates. Why, you ask? Well, because when I have some of the things I crave and love at my disposal, I am less likely to eat it. Sounds odd. I know. But I've never claimed to be anything but odd. If I don't have those tasty chocolates at my desk, I crave, over think and daydream to the point of not being productive about the smooth melty morsels. So, I walk to the store at break and I don't buy A candy bar or A bag of chocolates. I buy FOUR candybars and proceed to eat them one after the other until I am so sick of them, almost 600 calories later, feel sick that I want someone to call Poison Control and induce vomiting. The streamlined version of what I just said: I overindulge. Badly. So, I keep accessible and just knowing that I can have some at any given point Monday through Friday, keeps me on track. Then, with the healthy snacks and meals I keep at work, even though less appetizing than getting a slice of Great Plains pizza or some fried rice from The Spice, I will eat them if I am truly hungry enough. I always seem to have room in my belly for the things that aren't as healthy. Oddly enough. Again, I am odd.

Signing off for now. To all of you near and far and those of you who are eating a snack while reading this, until next time...

Weight Loss Competition

I am in the midst of a weight loss competition at work. There are four official players and two "at home" players. There is a pot of money to be won at the end of the 12 weeks. So far, I've lost some weight, but not enough for my tastes. Who would have thought it would be harder to lose weight after having a baby???? Why didn't anyone tell me!?! Kidding.

After this competition, my co-worker and I are going to continue on in a non-competitive way. He and I intend to set goals, keep track weekly and push each other to do more. He is training for Dam to Dam and I am working towards getting out of my car to flip my hair Charlie's Angels style. Seriously. And yes, his reaction to when I told him that was, "seriously?" Yeah, seriously.

My goal is just to be a smaller version of me. No, the scale isn't THE determining factor of how one should feel about his/herself, but it sure doesn't hurt, dammit. I want to be a smaller version of myself, minus the giant Goodyear I tote around the middle and flip my gloriously straightened, shiny, flowy hair once I exit my vehicle. I fully intend to have someone take frame by frame pictures of this.

I just want to be a better version of me. One that can take anything that comes her way. Wait, I'm already doing that. My goal is to lose at least 20 more pounds. I'm not in a rush to do it, but I am not going to go extreme measures to get there faster. While it is disheartening to see the scale stall at the same weight every week, I know I'm giving it everything I've got. I'm doing it the right way, by eating right, keeping it real and working out.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and those of you keeping it real, until next time...

Excuses, Excuses

I have my days. This morning, I could have thought of 7 reasons to not workout, but I didn't use any of them. Instead, I decided to workout, then figure out what I could tackle next. I was glad I did.

Some of you may not know all there is to know about me and my situation. I will give you a bit of insight and say that I have plenty of excuses that I could use every day to NOT workout. I have chronic headaches, which I now have under control, I have other aches and pains, blah blah blah. All of which are true, but I would prefer to not spend too much time dwelling on them all because it isn't worth it.

My ENTIRE life, I have had migraines and headaches. My earliest memory of a migraine was when I was 5, spending the night at my grandparents' house. Months ago, after dealing with chronic headaches and feeling that ibuprofen and Tylenol were not effective, I went to the doctor. I will also say that I avoided the doctor because the last time I was there for my headaches, they "threatened" me with an MRI. I'm claustrophobic and don't particularly enjoy going to the doctor anyway. Anyhoo, while at the doctor, he is prescribing me some meds to help me through until I get into the Neurologist. I had found that my headaches were directly related to working out and I would get a headache either during or immediately following a workout. As he is closing the appointment, my doctor says to me, "well, only you can decide if it is worth it to continue to workout and have headaches." Without hesitation, I said, "I'm not giving up my workouts."

That was a pivotal point. I could have used that excuse, but I didn't. It sucked. I'm not going to lie. It really sucked. I now have them under control and am SO glad I didn't give up that day. There are so many days I could use those excuses that I come up with, most of them excruciatingly lame:
-I'm tired
-I don't feel good (although if you really are sick, take a rest)
-The kids are sick
-My ____ hurts.
-I've got too much to do.
-I've got a big day tomorrow.
-I've got to pick up the house.
-I need to laundry.
-I don't have time.
-I didn't sleep well last night.
-My uncle's brother's sister's former roommate is in the hospital.
- (fill in your own)

I ALWAYS feel better after I workout. If I'm not feeling the love of working out completely, I will do a shorter one or bring it down a notch from high impact. At least I'm doing something. Again, I have learned to really love sweating. Yes, I shower a lot - sometimes three times in a day. It is a small price to pay to feel good about overcoming an excuse and creating an accomplishment.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you thinking of all your sweet excuses, until next time...

Free Day and the Doctor

I love my Free Day of the week. Where I can enjoy a food or foods without feeling deprived all the time. This day was not a Free Day, but I thought I would ride the momentum of a great day.

This particular day, Tyson had to go to the doctor because he had caught a horrible respiratory virus. Brett met us at the doctor this time because the last visit I had with Ty to the Pediatrician's office ended with me having to cut some of my hair due to a lemon sucker being stuck in it by a rabid Tyson getting x-rays, a load of laundry with EVERYTHING Tyson and I were wearing and me having to take 6.5 hours of vacation for what should have been an hour visit because I was emotionally drained. Which, by the way, I sat in the recliner the entire afternoon, TV off, staring into space while in my pj's starting at 1PM.

Anyway, Tyson was a perfect angel at the doctor this time around, the prognosis was good, nothing new to do and treatments with which we were familiar. We dropped Brett off at home, went to pick up his prescriptions and hit up the McDonald's drive-thru for Tyson's lunch. Ty was in a great mood, was a great listener and was stoked about his Mickey D's cheeseburger Happy Meal. As I am waiting to place my order, I notice that the SHAMROCK SHAKE is back!!!! How exciting! I fricken LOVE me some Shamrock Shake. Feeling good about the day and all that has turned positive, I order myself a small shake and Tyson's meal. I figured I would not go completely ape-shit on nasty food and have something a little more sensible when I got home. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that this was NOT a scheduled Free Day. I repeat, this was NOT A SCHEDULED FREE DAY.

We get our order and head for home. Tyson is talking away in the back, I'm feeling the sun on my face, enjoying the little slice of Heaven that is called the Shamrock Shake. Ty starts a small coughing fit and I look in my handy carseat mirror just in time to see him puke all over the backseat of my car, himself and his carseat. OMG. I hate puke. As I try to hold composure, I have to crack the window, then the little voice from the backseat is saying, "uhhh, mommy, whas dis? whas dis?" I look in the mirror to see him holding something in his hand, in my best panic-stricken voice, I tell him to not eat it. I grab a Boogie Wipe and have him place the foreign matter in the wipe. Stopped at a stoplight, I examined the odd matter to determine it was a chunk of string cheese from over two hours prior. I couldn't help myself and just started laughing. I honestly couldn't believe that had just happened. I picked my Shamrock Shake back up and continued drinking and laughing, all the way home.

I had to dismantle the carseat, wash everything he and I were wearing AGAIN and hose off the seat in the shower.

It was a great day for a Shamrock Shake and I don't think I want another one ever again.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those nasty little leprechauns, until next time...

My Biggest Fans

I have mentioned that I have a fan club of my own that has four members. Hopefully, I don't need to list them out because it seems pretty logical to me.

I do have to say that my biggest fan and best supporter is Brett, my Partner In Crime #1. Although, sometimes I think he feels like he is on the back-burner, he never says one word about it. He really does help me to keep going because he doesn't try to guilt me into anything, nor does he try to make me feel any way, but good about what I am doing. He encourages me every step of the way and congratulates me when I hit a milestone. It makes it so much easier to have support at home, even if he isn't working out with me, which I have tried and offered to have him do multiple workouts with me, he declines, but he is still there cheering me on. I appreciate that support a ton!

My other biggest fan is Tyson. Brett coaches him on telling me that I'm beautiful, which at first, I was like, "he knows maybe 20 people!" Now, I'm like, "he knows 20 people and I'm beautiful!" Ha!! I'll take it for now until he hits that point when he realizes that there are way more women in the world.

Since I've had TurboFire, I've had my sister do a couple of workouts with me. She's trying to get herself back into the workout routine and is finding the same challenges that many of us find: kids, work, home, spouse, fun, etc. So, we've been trying to incorporate our workouts with our almost weekly get-togethers. It is fun and dangerous for my sister and I to workout together. One of us is going to get seriously hurt one of these days. Typically, we get to laughing so hard when we try a new workout together for the first time, that we are not able to complete it. She usually has to bust out her inhaler and I am on the brinks of wetting my pants.

Last weekend, I introduced her to a TurboFire HIIT workout. Everything was going smoothly and we were doing our thing, sweating like crazy and we get to the last interval. We were to run high-knees in between jumping jacks. I look over and she has succumbed to the fatigue and intensity of the workout and instead of high-knees, her feet are kicking in the air like she is doing a Russian dance. I couldn't help but laugh.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to my sister who is either laughing or ticked that I posted this, until next time...

Holy balls!

I can ALMOST do a pushup!!! This is huge for my flabby ass!

That is all.

Great weather and Daylight Savings

As I write this post to be posted at a later date, I look forward to the nicer weather coming our way. The sitter lives close to us so I am able to come home after work and grab the stroller to go pick Ty up. I love these days. I love the opportunity to get in what I call "bonus time" where I am moving and burning! I shake my head as I type that because I sound soooooo nerdy and like a motivational speaker. Ha!!

I pick him up, snacks and a juice box for him in tow and he and I view the neighborhood sights. We can usually get in a couple miles before we head for home to start supper.

The beginning of the walk is usually pretty good because I haven't yet raised my heartrate and am still able to catch my breath. He points out EVERY basketball hoop in the neighborhood and I had never noticed it before he was able to shout "HOOP!! MOMMY!! HOOP!!" Now, I notice them all the time. During the beginning of the walk, I'm able to point out different pets people have, kids playing and Ty and I discuss the things we see. By the end of the walk, he's doing the talking, I'm out of breath and sweating (in my mom jeans, by the way) and I am only able to respond with "yeah" or "umm hmm" every so often. This is when Ty asks me "mommy? Whas za mattur? You otay?"
I respond, "umm hmm... mommy... is... exercising."
He responds as if he really does understand what is going on and says, "OHHHH!! Mommy, essersizing!"

I love being able to include Ty in on my shorter workouts. He loves doing TurboFire with me, especially the Fire Drills. I don't feel like I'm not paying enough attention to him with the very little time I have with him, which is still only about 3 hours a day Monday through Friday. He and I are doing something together with an added bonus for me! He loves being the waterboy when I'm in my 45-60 second recovery in between Fire Drills. Again, when I'm out of breath, he kindly reminds me after he has given me water when he says, "Thank you, helper!" Sigh... oh how life is so different this time around trying to lose weight and stay motivated with a child around. I think I'm figuring it all out, though.

I am also looking forward to springing forward because that means I will be able to take the furry babies on walks after Ty goes down for the night. You do know that I am not able to take both dogs at the same time due to a SEVERELY pulled neck muscle about 4 years ago because I thought it would be a great idea to get a Y leash for them to take them together. WRONG IDEA! I seriously couldn't turn my head to the left for over a week. They were both trying to keep up with each other, then trying to get out in front of the other. It was awful. So, I have to take Ruca first for about 25 minutes then I come back and get Dutch and take him out for a walk. They love it and individually, they are GREAT walking pups. Together, not so much.

Although I am able to include Tyson in the things I do to burn those extra calories, I must say, the time I used to spend hanging out with a good friend and her son has decreased a lot. It is sad, actually because I really looked forward to that time with her and her son almost every day. I am hoping with the weather getting nicer, we can go for walks to the park and get back into our Mommy's Sanity Hour. :)

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to my good friend who lives two doors down, until next time...

Awesome Note

I have a lot of crap on my plate these days. Don't worry, I won't bore you with the detailed list. Part of my motivation is fueled by organization. I eliminate having to eliminate working out. What I mean is that I keep lists, I make meal plans, I utilize my work breaks, lunch breaks and naptimes to accomplish smaller tasks so I'm not forced to do so when I should be sweating my bootay off.

I get news feeds from my girlfriend Chalene Johnson and she was talking about an App called Awesome Note. Let me tell you, if you can get it for your phone, is truly is AWESOME. You can customize it to fit your list types and what you want it to do. Here, I can keep a meal plan next to the grocery list and the never-ending Target list.

I feel like I have my crap together!!! Before Awesome Note, I was using my work calendar, family calendar at home (which by the way, I still use this because Brett doesn't remember much more than a day out, so telling him about something a week in advance is pretty pointless, but I still love my family calendar), my phone and miscellaneous postie notes later found at the bottom of my purse. I now feel like my smartphone really is smart!!!!! And I must admit, I feel pretty smart using this App!!!

I still get the satisfaction of crossing things off my list, which I have to admit, having a piece of paper that I could violently scratch out CLEAN BATHTUB was more than satisfying. If you don't have a smartphone, get a small notepad to keep in your purse or car and jot those little nagging tasks down so you can start your to-do list whenever you get a moment. I love using to-do lists because it makes all the crap, which let's face it, we all have a ton of crap to do these days, seem less intimidating. When I can see that I have vacuuming upstairs, clean hard surface floors, change Ty's sheets, dust ceiling fans, etc. is broken down instead of CLEAN HOUSE, I can manage the smaller bits and pieces. I can cross off a task or two in less than a half hour. Sense of accomplishment? I think so.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and for those of you without a smartphone, until next time...

Mom jeans and my butt crack

Let me paint you a picture: Over a year ago, Tyson was getting used to drinking milk instead of formula. I had recently begun working out again due to the incredible muffin top/post c-sect belly I was STILL sporting. Brett had just left to go help our brother in law with something and Ty and I had just settled down to watch Mickey before he went to bed. He was drinking milk.

Tyson was on my lap, Dutch and Ru were on the floor, Ru at my feet in front of the recliner. I am relaxing, enjoying the glorious moment of a freshly bathed boy and having a little quiet time. I hear this rumble like I have never heard before, like a truck rolling up the street at a high rate of speed. No, this was closer, much closer, like a dog puking, I look around, no one puking. Then I remember the little boy in my arms, it was he making that noise. Milliseconds later, milk vomit EVERYWHERE.

Everyone is stunned except for black, 80 pound Ruca whom is covered in the lovely dairy gift from Tyson. It was like he aimed for her back. The whole left side of my body was covered.

Panicked, I call my parents to come help the situation. I had to banish puke-a-Ruca to the garage until reinforcements arrived.

My parents arrived, I handed Ty off to my mom to change and calm him down. I had my dad help me to hose puke-a-Ruca off in the front yard with frigid hose water. I could see my breath it was that cold out. As my dad is helping to corral Puka, I am bending over scrubbing my baby girl as fast and as furious as Vin Diesel or Paul Walker, pick your poison. All of a sudden, I feel my pants being hiked up. That would be my dad's doing. He said, "I just couldn't look at your ass crack hanging out anymore, T." thanks for having my back, dad. Literally.

Fast forward to about a month ago when I'm over at my parents' house bending over putting my boots on. My dad walks in and says, "Trish! Your butt isn't hanging out anymore!" I broke the news to him, "dad, I had to buy 'mom jeans' after you were yanking my pants up." His response was a deep belly laugh similar to that of Uncle Buck.

The good news is that I am going to have to replace my mom jeans soon. Don't worry, I'll leave the demi-jeans alone and stick with full coverage. I'm old enough.

Signing off for now. To all of you near (including my jean hiking dad) and far, until next time...

Keep moving!!

Sometimes it is really difficult for me to get time for a second workout with Ty underfoot and curious. On those days, I keep moving. Literally keep moving.

Using household chores to accomplish a low impact, quicker workout really works! If I have to bring things upstairs, I bring it up in small batches, requiring multiple trips up and down the stairs. If I change bedding, I carry Ty with said bedding to the laundry room and him back up with the fresh bedding. Vacuuming with squats, leg lifts or standing an work. Yes, nerdy, but perfect for me with a lot on my plate.

Many people who have come to me for advice on how to start a workout regimen find it to be a daunting task. Then I tell them about the household tasks and tell them to START SMALL.

Start with thirty minutes four times a week for so many weeks, then increase. You WILL get stronger. You WILL build stamina. I have confidence that you WILL reach your goals. I can't stress it enough that this doesn't come naturally to me. I have to work at it. Again, I love sleeping and eating and can get carried away easily if I let the motivation monsters get me.

START SMALL and work your way up! How will you START SMALL? How will you break your goals down to manageable tasks? You know where to find me if you need a soundboard!

I like to sweat. Seriously, I do. I also like having a workout kick my ass. Seriously.

Signing off for now. To all of you near and far and those so close I can smell you, until next time...

Positive thoughts even when people suck

Not too long ago, someone eluded to my use of drugs to be able to workout and do other normal tasks because it couldn't possibly be ME driving myself. It really amazes me that people older than twelve feel like they need to try and knock you down a few pegs.

People suck. Okay, I rephrase: people suck sometimes. Wait, let me rephrase again: some people suck sometimes while others suck all the time. It really sucks. I mean, I bust my ass sometimes twice a day shaving off the fat, while having a household and I MUST be using drugs. Well, I couldn't let it go. I told the accuser that she must be doing some great drugs to have an ass that big.

Okay, so I didn't say that, but I really wanted to. I stayed on that High Road and said, "sorry you feel that way and sorry you feel the need to minimize my accomplishments, biotch." By the by, everything is true except the biotch part. Point is that sticks and stones make break your bones if the fat doesn't buffer them.

I also find it offensive that people think that I must have an eating disorder. Pretty sure if I had an eating disorder, I would be WAY thinner than this. Pretty sure I eat enough and have it go through my poop chute at a normal rate of speed because I hate barfing.

I think I will let it go now and spend my energy sweatin' to the oldies. Wait, do they have that anymore?!?! I may need to get it. Hmmm...

Signing off, to all of you near and far and to that big ass that only fuels me to push harder, until next time...

More Motivation!

I love my family of five. Love them. I love my life. The only thing I don't love is that I don't spend enough time away from working out and the household. My lady friends (Partner in Crime #2 included) and I try to get together once a month. Doesn't always happen. We are getting together this week and I am so ready. We usually do dinner and this time, we're doing fro yo for dessert!!!

Now, here's where I start chewing. Motivation and chewing blending in harmony like Boyz II Men. I use caloriecount.com to track my food, activity, weight and water intake. It gives me a good idea of calorie intake versus the burned calories. Speaking of, anyone want to take a stab as to why I only have my venti white chocolate peppermint mochas non fat no whip on "free Fridays"???? Hint: it's about the same amount of calories as two slices of pizza. Okay, I gave it away, but you get the point.

Leading into my next topic: FREE FRIDAYS!!!! My motivation to make good food choices at least six of the seven days a week is knowing that on Friday if I want Starbucks, I can. If I want a diet orange Sunkist, I can. If I want a bag of Dove Milk Chocolate Promises or a large pizza from Great Plains or a steak smothered in brown butter sauce or an order of The Cafe's Mac and Cheese, I can. Just because I can, doesn't mean I SHOULD, but giving myself the opportunity to binge as I wish one day a week, still tracking everything, makes me feel normal. I have truly been able to continue my life change because I allow myself to do normal things.

I believe in the "everything in moderation" motto. Being a mom and wife that works full time outside the house, it is not realistic for me to completely eliminate food groups or just never eat out. My body functions better with a balance of all different foods. Not only that, I want to continue to develop healthy eating habits that Ty will learn by example. So far, so good, but the boy sure does love chocolate aka "chokit."

Something else to chew on: Make time for yourself. I need to practice that more. I need a haircut, color and a pedicure. I should probably get my brows waxed as well, but why does it seem so hard to just do even make the appointment. Aside from having my skin coated in wax and ripped off quickly or the Asian man who can get a little rough with the foot massage, rendering me limp in the chair, these things should be fun!! Ugh. Better go make some appointments, after I workout with the TurboFire power yoga class (which I detest for some reason).

With all that said, please be sure to read my disclaimer to the right. Just so we're all on the same page.

To all of you near and far and to my cousin that loves me, I miss you, lovey!!!! Until next time...

Working out at home

We aren't talking chewing yet. Still motivation foundation!! I am trying to make this more interesting than a mass college lecture on a Friday afternoon. Like a couple times before, I woke up thinking, "holy hell I'm tired of being a fatass!" And there begins this chapter.

As you know, generally speaking, I workout at home. The reasons are simple: I am gassy and I don't have much time. I am really gassy. My friend Shannon and I frequently share of our gassy times. As a side note, Dutch is also gassy. He licks his paws incessantly and it fuels his "boat." people LOVE coming over and having Dutch nearby. Ahh, the smells of...well, shit.

I really have no excuses when working out at home. I don't have to brush my teeth in the morning to workout and I sure don't have to have that cuteness factor to my workout outfits (and believe me, there is absolutely NO cuteness to what appears to be a lion's mane aura'ing my head at 4:30 in the morning wearing an old Ames High shirt and giant sweatpants). It's just me and whomever I am "dating" with the occasional audience of my very own fan club of four.

Speaking of which, I am currently dating Chalene Johnson and the TurboFire team. I love it. I haven't had this great of a workout program since 1998 and Billy Blanks. The beauty of TurboFire is it comes with a schedule. I don't guess what DVD to do next. I like that structure.

In addition to Chalene and Billy, I have a plethora of videos, yes some still on VHS. Yes, we have a VCR. Yes, some have been eaten recently. I have listed all the different things I have at my disposal when workout time draws near.
Tae Bo - yep, that one where his irritating daughter is in the advanced tape and the "boob sweat" girl
10 Minute Fix Cardio Hip-Hop - let's be very clear I AM THE WORLD'S WORST DANCER. However, I pretend I am the greatest for forty minutes. This DVD is broken out into ten minute segments, perfect for a little pick me up.
Billy Blanks JR's dance video - again, being very VERY clear: BAD DANCER. JR isn't too bad, dated him for a spell until Chalene arrived. Another one broken out into ten minute segments.
Yoga - I can't even begin to list all of the DVDs and VHS tapes I have if these. Love yoga, particularly the Gaiam brand and Suzanne Deason.
Gazelle by Tony Little - yes, I own one!!! Google it if you don't know what it is. I have had this gem for almost eight years. Great buy for me, doesn't take up a lot of room, good for sweating and toning the bootay.
Wii Fit - along with multiple video games for keeping it moving, but my library does not include Just Dance or Zumba. I tried both, but don't enjoy either.
DDR - Dance Dance Revolution for PS2, nope, dance skills haven't improved with the DVDs, but it is less like dancing and more like stepping to the beat. I pretend a lot with this one.
Balance Ball - on VHS. Good stuff, but if you aren't familiar with it, best to familiarize before you do and to also do ALONE. You may fall off, your dog may be delighted by the giant ball and knock it out from underneath you, your child may have the same delight and decide it is a good idea to run up and kick said ball while your head is dangling over one side.
Pilates - I only have a couple. It's not by accident. If you want to find out EXACTLY how weak your core is, then do Pilates. I don't like anyone seeing me do Pilates because I shake like I have hypothermia.
Bicycle - in the garage and let's be honest, I think it has been hanging upside down in the garage, next to Brett's (Partner In Crime #1), for seven years.
Resist-a-bands - I do have toning DVDs made by the Gaiam company

Again, there aren't any excuses for me not to workout. I wake at 4:30, do my thing and then usually around 7:30, I do my thing again. I will tell you that it is NOT easy to do this. I want the extra hour or more of sleep and I want to watch reruns of True Blood while snuggled under a blanket eating buttery popcorn with plain M&Ms. When I feel like this, I simply grab my belly flab and jiggle it a few times in the most non-sexy way I can. I realize that no one is going to do it for me, there isn't a magical Fat Fairy that zaps your flab while you sleep and most importantly, no one can motivate me but me. I have heard it a lot of times, "I would workout if someone would do it with me!" I think that is bogus. Sure, it's nice to walk with a friend or take a class with a friend, but what happens when the friend can't make it, is just too tired or simply bails on you? Do you follow suit? Or do you pick up and push on? You MUST push on!! No one can do it for you. No one can make you get up and get moving. Only you can do these things. Orrrr, if you want to pay someone to beat you senseless when you don't follow through, then do it, it's your money.

To all of you near and far and in the Netherlands, until next time...

Welcome to What Would Trisha Chew? Or WWTC? for short.

Welcome, Friends!!! In the last few months, the number of emails and text messages I receive has grown substantially. In this first post of WWTC? I am going to be basic. Don't worry, don't worry, we'll get down to the dirty details of my horrific fat childhood, adulthood and some of the icks in between as well as talking about slashed tires, getting my head glued, pooping and farting. Anyhoo, every one of these emails/texts ask the same questions or beg for the same things.

The question that inquiring minds want to know is "how in the hell do you stay motivated?!?!" Most of you already know, I spend almost all of my free time working out, first workout of the day begins at 4:30 in the morning. Eek, I know. The answers I give to this are:
-I'm tired of being a fatty.

-I don't want Tyson to be ashamed to be seen with me in public because of the whispers of "which one's Ty's mom? The FAT one?"

-I'm tired of being a fatty. Yep, twice as tired of being a fatty, maybe even three, but not quite since I don't seem to have THAT much time to dedicate to complete obsessiveness.

And the begging: "TRISHA, PLEASE HELP ME! I'M USING THE 'I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP' IN THE MORNING BIT TO GET OUT OF WORKING OUT! SEND SOME MOTIVATION TO ME!!!"

The motivation I can lend is that no one is going to do it for you and I have all the confidence in the world that you can get moving and do it. I AM doing it and I love Dove Chocolate, those nasty little cheeseburgers from Mickey Don Don's, lounging on the couch, hanging out under an electric blanket and sleeping past the hours of when the cops are profiling drivers for drunk driving.

Most recently, I've been asked for advice on which workout programs to try. This is probably one of my favorite things to talk about because I have tried quite a few. I prefer to workout at home (another topic for another post, but it DOES have a little to do with gas).

Before I sign off on this first post, I wanted to be sure to give a shout out to my #2 partner in crime, Allyssa. You are the wind beneath my wings. In the Bette Midler sort of way. You are Barbara Hershey. And I'm putting this in writing on this blog because you refused to do so when you had the opportunity. ;)

To all of you near and far, until next time.