Back to Basics Week 5

Hi all!

I was very pleasantly surprised this morning to see 226.2 (down from my gain to 228.4 last week). Another new low. I had a great eating day yesterday - sooooooo strange how when I eat well, I lose!!! Who woulda thunk it?!

I finally have a day off today, my first in 11 days, woo! I am spending it doing exciting things like laundry and grocery shopping. Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I have a LOT of friends who tour with bands for a living, so they're regularly passing thru NYC. One of my very good friends is just outside the city with the artist she's currently working with for the next few days, so she may come in later to see my apartment and to have dinner. That would make me a happy girl.

I did some shopping last week from Old Navy, and FINALLY got some new pants for work, in a size 16. They're just right, which means hopefully they won't last very long :) I also bought a new dress in a size L, and liked the way it looked so much I ordered it in 2 more colors! I tried to take some pics, but my phone was not cooperating and they all came out crappy. I'm planning on wearing the dress next weekend, so I will get someone to take pics! I also got some cute new shoes that I will have to post pics of for Draz!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

BYOC!

Bring Your Own Crazy!

A little ditty where we answer a few questions on Friday to get to know each other better and get to give our blogging brains a break. Copy and paste to your own blog if you desire! Enjoy!

Sun or rain? Roses or tulips? Romantic movie or comedy?

Rain, for sure. I am super pale and see through, and burn within 10-15 minutes of being in the sun unless I am wearing at least SPF 70. I know they say there's no difference in anything above 50, but 50 doesn't work...70 and up does. So, by default, rain it is. Altho I do love snuggling up in sweats, watching TV, and eating chili or drinking tea, and listening to the rain hit the windows.

Tulips! Growing up, we had tulips in our front and back yards. They only lasted for a few weeks every spring, but I love them so much. We also had roses, and I like them too...but tulips make me very happy.

I'll steal Draz's answer and say, romantic comedy. Real life is serious enough, I don't need it in my entertainment.

I've been sick lately, and haven't eaten in two days...except for ice cream...which leads me to ask - what's your favorite ice cream flavor?

I like plain old chocolate. Last year I discovered Haagen Dasz Five vanilla bean - holy crap is that good. Here in NYC, where food trucks are all the rage, there's an ice cream truck called the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck that I go to sometimes - they have a cone called the Salty Pimp - wafer cone, vanilla soft serve, dulce de leche, sea salt and chocolate dip. OMFG.

Are you a door locker? In your house and car?

Well, I live in NYC, so....yes. On my apartment door I have a lock on the handle, a deadbolt, and a chain. I generally only use the chain when I am going to bed, but the others are most of the time. I don't have a car right now, but if I did, it would also always be locked, as well as anything valuable (EZ Pass, GPS, etc) being put away in glove compartment.

In the spirit of my being sick and wanting to die, tell me your "go-to" remedies for when you are sick?

I just sleep a LOT. Don't go to work, hole up in my apartment, whine on the phone to my mommy...it eventually gets better.

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

Blogland is still great! BOOBS love is flowing freely and it's wonderful. I've been blogging a bit myself too and it makes me feel so much more connected. I love it.

Real life is fine - just working working working. I will get to see one of my fave bands next week, and then also see Train/Maroon 5 a few times in the next few weeks too. None of my clothes fit right now, which is a good thing, because they're all too big, but also a bad thing, because I don't want to spend money on new ones! I am making do, and I am also making a few essential purchases.

Flight Booked!!!

Woo! Just came back from hand holding (see previous post) for a quick minuto to shout from the rooftops that I booked my flight for BOOBS!

I get into O'Hare at around 3:30pm on Friday, and back out at 5pm on Sunday. If anyone is coming in/leaving around that time, let me know and maybe we can get to the hotel together.

Yay!

(Now my airline account looks insane - I booked a flight to LA for a weekend at the end of August yesterday, my flight to Barcelona for the cruise is mid-Sept, and now this - at least I will earn lots of miles haha!)

Weekly Weigh In

This will have to be a quickie - as everyone here at work seems to have lost their damn minds - and somehow I have to be the one to fix it all.

This morning was 227 on the nose, down .8 from last week and 48 overall. Woo! I did see 226.8 at one point, but I only got it once, and my rule is that I have to see it twice to count. Never mind that my scale is clearly schizophrenic. I am hoping for 225 next week.

That's all I have time for now - have to go hold the hands of the people who make 6 times what I do, and pat them soothingly on the head, telling them it'll all be ok (it will, because I am going to take care of it...sigh).

I will be back later to catch up, hope everyone has a great day!

Clarity...and Blogger Help!

So my insane biscuit binge now makes sense (well, other than the fact that they're delish!) - along with my mini-binge today - cheese, ice cream and a bowl of Golden Grahams? Granted, it wasn't that much but still odd. However, this evening I was greeted with my lovely TOM. A-ha!!! That might also explain the small gain for challenge weigh in this week. Hopefully I continue the downward trend!

So I am thrilled that I have lots of new followers - but for some reason, I can't find a lot of people's blog links in their profiles. Am I just a spaz? How can I find people's links so I can read their blogs and follow them back? Please please help!!! (And if you are a follower of mine who I am not following back, that is probably why!! Duh Liz.)

You Asked For It...

I refuse to take responsibility for anything that happens as a result of this post. A few people have asked for the recipe for the evil evil garlic gruyere biscuits I mentioned in yesterday's post.

This is the recipe I used...with a few tweaks that I'll add as notes at the end.

http://www.food.com/recipe/garlic-cheddar-biscuits-191777

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

12 12

Servings Size

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup melted butter or 3/4 cup margarine
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2-1 teaspoon garlic salt, depends on your taste

Directions:

Prep Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 42 mins

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
3. Stir in milk and 1/2 cup butter just until moistened. Add Cheese.
4. Drop batter by tablespoon on lightly greased cookie sheet.
5. Meanwhile, add garlic salt to remaining melted butter.
6. Bake buscuits for 6 minutes.
7. Remove biscuits, drizzle with garlic butter and return to oven for another 6-7 minutes, or edges are golden.
8. After removing from oven but while still warm drizzle with garlic butter again.
9. Serve and enjoy!

I used (obviously) gruyere instead of cheddar, because I am on a gruyere kick. You can use any cheese you like, though. Instead of garlic salt, I used garlic powder, and I also threw some into the dough. The first time I tried the recipe, I used garlic salt & pepper blend, and it was way too salty (and I like salty stuff!) I greased my cookie sheets with non stick spray, and also used a spring loaded cookie scoop (also sprayed). Took no time at all to dish them out.

Here's the finished product. I made these Saturday. Gave 8 or so to my mom and sister. There are none left in my apartment. Do THAT math...

Back to Basics Week 4

Well, I had a tiny gain this week - this AM showed up as 228.4 (up 1.2 from last week). Oh well. It's not as if I don't know why - note to self: do not make garlic gruyere drop biscuits EVER again. I ate a lot of them yesterday - they are small but COME ON. haha.

I've had a very productive day and now have to start getting ready for work tonight. Thankfully I am doing phones and not waitressing, last night was brutal and I felt clammy all night. Ugh.

Tomorrow night a few friends are having a fundraiser party for their theater company, so while I am excited to go and wear a dress and look cute, I know I'll definitely have a few drinks, so I'll have to be extra good for the rest of the week. On Tuesday, we are getting new baby kittens!!! Well, my mom and sister are, but I will consider them mine too :) They're only 3 weeks old, but their mama is having trouble nursing, so we will take them now and bottle feed. I can't wait!!!

BYOC!

4 posts in 1 week from me?! What the hay?!

1. Alright – forgive me – we’re gonna get a little personal here. I was flipping through my organizer and saw in big bright letters “ANNUAL PHYSICAL DUE” coming up soon. Then I remembered that last year my lady bits doc said that since I haven’t had a bad pap in so many years – that I don’t have to come back for another 3 years if I don’t want to. What the what? Did you guys know that?

No speculum in the vaginulum?

Anywhoozle – it sounds all good but really – do any of you follow this medical rule? Do you go every three years if you’ve never had a bad pap?

I would probably still go every year just to be on the safe side. With all of the health issues my family has had in the past few years, it seems silly to not be proactive and on top of things. My doc is a woman and I am very comfortable with her, and it's usually over pretty quickly.

I do have to agree with Draz though, if the speculum was shaped like a penis, I'd have NO trouble making that appointment! :)

2. If you read, what are you reading right now? Or how about what is your fave music right now?

I read like a crazy lady. I literally cannot keep up with the amount I read, financially and space wise. So I am always re-reading books. I did just read the books that HBO's "Games of Thrones" was based on - the A Song of Ice Fire series by George RR Martin. So good, I blasted through all 5 books in about a week. I was dismayed to discover at the end of the 5th book that there are 2 more planned, and not even written yet. I hate waiting.

As far as music, I am obsessed with the new songs from my fave artist, who I flew to London to see this week. If we are friends on FB, you prob know his name (I won't post it here, bc people do google his name and mine together, would rather they not find this blog). If we're not friends on FB, what are you waiting for?? Click on my badge! If you're curious, email me and I'll tell you! :)

3. Name some of your favorite smells.

Mmmm. Clean laundry. A man who I'm attracted to (or used to be haha). The smell of my dad's fingers (he was a smoker, so his fingers always smelled tobacco-ey...reminds me of childhood and knowing that I always had him to fix things for me).

4. Showers or baths? Shampoo only or shampoo & conditioner? Shave daily or just when you start feeling and looking like an ape?

I'm a shower girl. I like the idea of baths, but I am too tall to fit into standard bathtubs and have everything submerged. So something is always sticking out of the water, getting cold. I like showers with a strong water pressure, and I'll stand under them for far too long.

I use shampoo and conditioner, and then sometimes a light spray conditioner as well to detangle. I don't heat style my hair, so I can take or leave the spray depending on my mood.

Shaving is very hit or miss. Obvi when I am going to be wearing a dress or something sleeveless...or I think someone may see what I usually keep covered up...other than that, (especially in the winter) when I started getting annoyed by it I will shave. One of these days I am going to do full body laser treatments so I never have to think about it again.

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

In blogland, there is so much BOOBS love going on! It's fantastic. The amount of support flying around there here interwebs is mid-boggling. I love it!

In real life...I had a GREAT week. I went to London earlier in the week for a quickie trip to see my fave artist play a show. It's very hard to explain if you are not a live music junkie, but something about seeing him perform fills my soul. I hadn't seen him since Oct, and a LOT has happened in my life since then. I am so very glad I went. One of the folks who works with him regularly happened to be in London ramdomly with another band, so I got to see him as well. We're pretty good friends as well, and may or may not have a "special" relationship ;-) We all went out after the show, had a great time, then I got to spend some one on one time with my guy. Fun times.

Since I got back, I have been pouting that I am back, haha...and just chugging along. Working, working, working. I started PT last night for my shoulder which has been screwed up for years due to waitressing, big boobs and bad posture. Hopefully they'll get it resolved. I also strained my sacrum (2 vertebrae above the tailbone) a few weeks ago, and THAT is finally feeling better.

Weight is still going down! Slowly but surely. This morning's peek was 227.2. Hoping that comes down a little bit by Sunday's challenge weigh in.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!!!

<3 <3 <3

Caught Up!

I finally caught up with all the posts I missed over the past few days, you have all been a busy bunch!!! You may carry on with your regular posting, heehee.

Now I am off to start reading the blogs of my new followers (whoa, when the number hit over 100?! <3) and the featured BOOBS who I'm not already following!

I Can't Catch Up!!!

You guys are blogging at a crazy rate of speed....I am trying to catch up but they just keep coming, hahaha! Slow down! ;-)

Since today is Thursday, it's official weigh in day! Today's weight was 227.8 (up .6 from Sunday's challenge weigh in, but still down .8 from last week's official weigh in). Considering that this was kind of an insane week for me, I'll take it! While I didn't overeat by any stretch of the imagination in London (kind of the opposite, I prob did not eat enough), I definitely drank enough to make up for it.

I think the fill I got last week may have.....(I am scared to say it...) put me in the green zone! After eating a very small amount, I am full and satisfied. I am able to eat actual food, and the only time I have a problem is if I eat too quickly, don't chew enough etc. My mom and sister were in the city yesterday, so they called me to see if I wanted to have lunch with them. We went to a fancy restaurant near my job that was participating in Restaurant Week (3 courses, prix fixe). I ordered the salad to start, burger for my main, and creme brulee for dessert. I ate about 1/4 of the lettuce (sticking mostly with the crisper greens), about 1/8 of the burger (it was damn good, wish I could have fit more, haha) and about 1/2 of the creme brulee. I was completely satisfied.

Anyway, that's all I have for right now - I am only on day 2 of working 11 straight...blah. Hope everyone is having a great week, and I'll do my best to catch up!!!

<3

Just a Quickie!!

Just got back from London so I can't do a very long post. I had a fabulous time, and got to have lunch with the lovely Nora (Traveling Bandita!) I really need to learn how to do links... Anyway, Nora and fantastic and fun...and I hope some of you NYC area ladies get to meet her the next time she is in town.

Sunday's weigh in for the challenge was down to 227.2! That is a new low, and I am pretty excited about it. Something clicked a few weeks ago, and the weight started coming off again. I will not complain!

Lastly, I was the BOOBS blogger of the Day! OMG, you guys are the bestest. Your comments are so sweet. I <3 you all, and can't WAIT to meet everyone in Chicago. I have a ton of blogs to catch up on, but I will definitely be checking out my new followers. Yay!

FINALLY! Out of the 230's!

Man, I have been waiting for this day for months now! This morning's weigh in was 228.6!!!!!! That's 2.6 down from last week. My technical lowest low was 228.2, but that came on the heels of being way too tight for a few months, so I actually got an unfill the day I saw that. This one is legitimate loss :) I am officially claiming the 220's! I hope I don't become very good friends with the, though. I'm also only 3.6 lbs away from being 50 lb down!

I went in on Monday to see Gaspar for a small fill. He gave me an additional .2cc, to bring me to 7.7cc. We're treading lightly here, as this seems to be a good zone for me to be in. I go in on Aug. 10th to see Dr. K, and then I also made appts to have an unfill before the cruise (don't want to run into any issues when I am overseas for 11 days!), and then an appt the day after I come back to have it put right back in, haha. So far this fill is interesting - after eating a small amount, I'm no longer hungry, and satisfied for a few hours. I haven't quite gotten to solids yet (although I did have some turkey yesterday, which counts I suppose). I am making sure to chew chew chew, and take little bites :)

I'm off to the orthopedist to have my shoulder checked, finally. I've had a serious knot in this shoulder for the last 10 years or so, and it's becoming really unbearable. I see a chiro every week, and we decided that we need to take this to the next level. While I'm there, I am going to see if he can help me with the tailbone that is sore all of a sudden!

Back to Basics Weigh In #2

This morning's weight was 230.8, down from last week's starting weight of 232.2. I did see as low as 228.8 yesterday, but apparently that was fleeting. I am hoping that this week I'll finally get out of the 230's for GOOD, since I've been hanging out here since early February!

I'm not nearly as hungry these days, which is ironic since I'm going in for a fill tomorrow. I could definitely use a little tweak. When I'm not hungry, and less interested in food, I do make the good choices. I've been eating a lot of Greek yogurt, egg white omelettes and Kashi hot cereal.

I see lots of people are having good weigh ins for the challenge today - I am trying to comment but Blogger is being a pain in the ass! It lets me comment on some pages and not on others.

I'm off to have an exciting day of food shopping, laundry and apartment cleaning, woo! Haha. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Another Week, Another -.2

I can't complain at all. I weighed in this morning at 231.2...which is only down .2 from last week (but down 1 from Sunday). I had a food and alcohol filled long weekend, hence the lack of right to complain. I have been moving more, even if it's just walking somewhere rather than taking a cab, and I feel good.

Friday night, I went and had sangria and appetizers (aka lots of cheese and toasted bread) with my BFF and cousin. After that, my cousin and I walked to my apartment, and my sister called in apanic bc she needed someone to help out at night job for a few hours. After that, I went and met my cousin for a movie (Bad Teacher - highly recommend, but only if you have a slightly screwy sense of humor!). All in all, I walked exactly 3 miles. Not bad for a relaxing night.

Saturday, I had planned to go to yoga, but the studio was closed for the holiday weekend. Instead, I went out with BFF and Hetero-Life-Mate for some alcoholic fun. We bar hopped a little. One of our stops was a place where a male friend of mine works. There's been unspoken chemistry between us for a few years now, and a few vodka drinks and lots of harassment from my friends later, I finally said something to him, telling him that they (the friends) wanted to know why he and I had never gotten together. (Um, it wasn't quite that family friendly - but I am keeping it clean for the kids!) We ended up having a very interesting conversation on the topic. Basically, he has been interested for as long as I have, but never made a move because he wasn't sure if I was interested or not - and his friends harass him much in the same way that mine were. Unfortunately, he has a girlfriend right now, so my timing was a bit off - but still good information to have for the future...We shall call him N.M. for future reference. We ended the night at a bar ANOTHER one of my boys works at (S, I have mentioned him briefly before), but he was in a crabby mood, and I was too giggly from the previous stop, so I didn't pay him much mind.

Woke up on Sunday wanting way more sleep, and a lot of water, heehee. I had promised my mom I would get on an early-ish bus to her house, since she was making a trip to the cemetary and I haven't been since we interred my dad's ashes in May. It was raining softly, and the cemetary was very quiet and peaceful. I didn't really feel any sadness there - I don't think of him as being there. His presence is all over the house, but not the cemetary. We stopped by my grandmother and uncle's graves as well, and discussed the possibility of moving my grandfather down from where he is buried way upstate, since he is all alone there. My mom and I grabbed lunch, and then headed home. I was planning on spending the night hanging at home with her, but my sister needed my help at the night job again, so I relented and went in. Well worth it $$ wise, so I guess I can't complain there either. Came back to my mom's afterward and went to bed.

Monday dawned bright and sunny, and we had a small BBQ. not many people, just my BFF, HLM and her husband, my mom and sister, and a friend of ours from the night job. It was a nice relaxing day filled with lots of food, and lots of pool time. We made a whirlpool at one point, and I was literally running in circles around the pool. Got myself a nice unexpected workout! Also, an NSV: I haven't worn a bathing suit without shorts or a tee in a long time, and I did so without feeling self conscious. I have to say, I think I looked pretty good!

So, as you can see - this loss, even tiny as it was, was not earned :) I'll take it though. Eating has been pretty decent the last few days...I really need to start tracking though, just to be sure. I am heading to the gym in a few minutes to walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes to get some sweat going before I have to head to the night job. Hope everyone is having a great week!

BYOC (on Saturday!)

It's time for BYOC - Bring Your Own Crazy! A few questions we answer in an effort to get to know each other better and to give our blogging brains a break. Copy and paste to your own blog if you wish. Enjoy!!

1. Let's stick with the pictures/exercise and shoe topic and post a picture of (or describe) your workout shoes.

My gym sneakers are at work (my gym is there), but they're basic black and white Nikes. I mostly walk, and they're very comfy for that.

2. Again with the summer/hot theme of the week...what does your current swimsuit look like?

I actually went and dug it out yesterday, since I am spending 2 days at my mom's house and her pool is OPEN and ready for business :) I have 2, a blue/green floral tankini top and navy blue bottoms, and the second is a deep purple floral v-neck one piece. I tried them both on, and the tankini doesn't have enough support for my saggy girls :( The one piece looks really good, actually (I would wear this in front of a guy I thought was cute for some context!) but I am not thrilled with the style....I was considering buying a new one but I like the Lands End suits, and it doesn't make sense to spend that kind of $$ at this point in the journey. Next year, perhaps.

3. Do you lay out, fake bake, sunless spray tan or use tanning lotion?

None of the above. I am white white white. So white I am see through (no, literally...) I can't go in the sun, as I will have sun poisoning within 15 minutes. SPF 80 has been a lifesaver, just so I can actually be semi-normal. I've accepted the fact that I will never ever be tan. I am considering trying the Jergens Natural Glow lotion...since it's more of a gradual thing.

4. Describe your week in blogland and in real life.

In blogland - I have been better about both posting and commenting. While I always read faithfully, I don't always have something "valuable" to say, or have the time...but it's such a great feeling when I get comments that I need to do the same for others. I'm excited for the BOOBS challenge, even though the last 2 challenges I participated in, I ended up weighing MORE by the end...but I have a feeling that my 5 month plateau might be coming to an end.

In real life, there's some scary stuff going on at the day job. Lots of "organizational changes"...a dept mine works closely with announced a 40-50% reduction over the next 18 months...our changes are running a few weeks behind theirs, so it's scary (especially since I JUST went through this a few months ago). Sigh. I haven't been working much at the night job...just needed a physical and mental break from it...but now my bank account is crying, so I'll start that up again next week. I'm lucky to have such a flexible source of income in my life.

I had off yesterday, so met up with a few friends for sangria and apps, then went into night job to help out for a few hours, then went and saw "Bad Teacher" with my cousin. Suuuuuper funny (but messed up humor, so it may not be for everyone). Bonus, between all the walking back and forth, I ended up walking 3 miles total yesterday. Nice! I am also off until Monday, so I am taking it easy at home today, and going out tonight with some friends. Tomorrow when I get up (after taking my starting challenge weight pic!), I'll go to my mom's house, and spend the day in the pool and relaxing. BBQ there on Monday, then back home to start the new week. Can't forget my crazy impulsive decision to go to London for 2 days in a few weeks - I am really excited about that - I can't wait!