Well, this last week has been a roller coaster of events. We waited almost a month for Mike to start his new job then he got let go on Friday. Both of us were kinda relieved because the job really sucked. He would go in at different times each day, sometimes less than 8 hours after he'd be getting back home, and would never know when he was getting off work. Some days he worked more than 13 hours. Then he got written up because he wasn't working fast enough for the other guys and because on his break he used an internet station at one of the hospitals he was working at, which apparently was a no-no (don't really understand that one if he paid for the internet usage and was on break).
Of course, I realize that Mike isn't the perfect employee because no one is perfect but I guess he didn't realize that the guys he was working with were in such a big hurry to get in and get the job done because he's used to working at the casinos where he had to make the work last his entire shift. He also didn't realize that the guys he worked with weren't there to make friends, so he couldn't get away with goofing off as much. But I'm done with talking about it...Missouri is another state that isn't a Right to Work state so reasons don't matter.
I haven't been getting much work lately, I've actually made less than $200 this month which is an all time low for this year. This precipitated a decision on our part for me to become an AVON rep. I've been thinking about it off and on for awhile but always was a bit scared of doing it because I'm not the best salesperson in the world. So I started 2 days ago and am more than a bit disappointed in my family and friends because I have repeatedly posted on Facebook links to my AVON site and no one has even looked at it.
I still have high hopes for once I get the brochures I ordered but who knows at this point. It's not like we can afford the money we are putting out to do this especially since there's a chance Mike might not be able to claim unemployment now but I had hoped at least a few people would order so that we'd break even or even make a few extra dollars a month.
We are also going to put off TTC for a few months. We don't have any insurance right now and without Mike working or getting an unemployment check there's no way we can afford to get pg. We are hoping Mike can get a job as a fence installer because it pays almost what we were both making when we were working at the casinos, has 401k and health/life insurance. It may be a long shot and he may hate it but it's a good job and doesn't require any experience. I really think this may be his chance to get into a new line of work. He only has experience in one type of work and needs to broaden his range of abilities.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Atkins - Week 2
Week 2 wasn't as good as week 1 on Atkins. I actually had 2 days where I cheated, and it wasn't light cheating, it was more of a I was hungry and we didn't have the money to go to the store, so I ate the high carb that was on hand. I am proud to say that the next day I jumped right back on the 20 net carb bandwagon and stayed on since.
I do love the challenge of this program and trying to figure out how I can eat as much as possible and stick to the 20 net carbs per day. I am just going to have to learn that I can't just eat a big salad per day and that be it on the veggies. I did start incorporating pumpkin into my foods (4 net carbs = 1/2 cup) as well as ground flax seeds (0 net carbs because all the carbs are fiber).
I was a little upset that I only lost 2 pounds this week taking my total up to 9.4lbs in 2 weeks, but I also lost 9 1/2 inches, so that along with those 9.4 pounds lost reminds me that this is worth doing. I have noticed that on the days that I'm on program and haven't cheated that I don't feel hungry and have no desire to cheat. I realize that after two weeks of looking back at this journey that I have to make sure that there is enough fresh/frozen veggies in the house for me each day or I will fail.
Another thing I worry about with this is that I'm not getting enough calories in per day if I eat a few higher carb things because no matter how low carb you eat, your body does need so many calories each day to function. But that's part of the challenge that I like with this way of eating.
I have started doing a low carb protein shake made with unsweetened almond milk for breakfast, some days with pumpkin to get a veggie in for breakfast. I also have started doing something that I remembered doing for the South Beach Diet. In the SBD they recommend eating ricotta cheese with cinnamon, lemon, or lime and splenda. So, what I started doing as a dessert is 1/4 cup ricotta whole milk cheese with a tsp of sugar free jello mix or 1/4 cup pumpkin with pumpkin pie spice and splenda. It is just like flavored cheesecake and with the SF jello it's 3 net carbs, with the pumpkin it's 5 net carbs.
I'm ready for a week of no cheating and more consistent exercise.
I do love the challenge of this program and trying to figure out how I can eat as much as possible and stick to the 20 net carbs per day. I am just going to have to learn that I can't just eat a big salad per day and that be it on the veggies. I did start incorporating pumpkin into my foods (4 net carbs = 1/2 cup) as well as ground flax seeds (0 net carbs because all the carbs are fiber).
I was a little upset that I only lost 2 pounds this week taking my total up to 9.4lbs in 2 weeks, but I also lost 9 1/2 inches, so that along with those 9.4 pounds lost reminds me that this is worth doing. I have noticed that on the days that I'm on program and haven't cheated that I don't feel hungry and have no desire to cheat. I realize that after two weeks of looking back at this journey that I have to make sure that there is enough fresh/frozen veggies in the house for me each day or I will fail.
Another thing I worry about with this is that I'm not getting enough calories in per day if I eat a few higher carb things because no matter how low carb you eat, your body does need so many calories each day to function. But that's part of the challenge that I like with this way of eating.
I have started doing a low carb protein shake made with unsweetened almond milk for breakfast, some days with pumpkin to get a veggie in for breakfast. I also have started doing something that I remembered doing for the South Beach Diet. In the SBD they recommend eating ricotta cheese with cinnamon, lemon, or lime and splenda. So, what I started doing as a dessert is 1/4 cup ricotta whole milk cheese with a tsp of sugar free jello mix or 1/4 cup pumpkin with pumpkin pie spice and splenda. It is just like flavored cheesecake and with the SF jello it's 3 net carbs, with the pumpkin it's 5 net carbs.
I'm ready for a week of no cheating and more consistent exercise.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Week 1 Down
After hearing seeing a commercial about a free start-up kit and about the success of a friend on the Atkins program, I decided to check out the website. I've heard over the last few years that it's a similar weight loss program to what doctors recommend for women with PCOS to lose weight, and after a lot of research my views on Atkins changed. When the low-carb craze began to really take hold again about 8 years ago, I was skeptical because I only knew what bad things I'd heard about it.
I'd heard that you only eat fat-laden meats, tons of cheese, lots of protein, and little to no carbs. Boy, was I misinformed. I realize now after researching the diet that it's the exact same thing as what most popular diet programs try to do, they want to cut out the refined sugar. If you actually find out what the program is all about without just jumping in and only eating meat and cheese, then you'll know that the majority of the 20 net carbs they want you to eat during induction are supposed to be veggies. Yes, you can load up on all the meat and cheese you want because they have very few carbs, but the focus of the plan is really on getting people to eat 12-15 net carbs per day of veggies, which means eating healthy.
I admit, that after years of eating lean protein, I am still trying to get my brain around being able to eat full fat cheese and other dairy products as well as fatty cuts of meat. I am proud to say that I haven't cheated on the plan and had anything with tons of refined sugar. I am definitely a sugarholic but I've fought the cravings for a week and am still going strong. I am also proud to say that in 7 days I've lost 8.6lbs and am very happy with those results. It's also been difficult with Mike and my mom because they are constantly trying to get me to eat candy or something because they "forget" that I'm on 20 net carbs per day.
I also have realized just how much I hate veggies since I started Atkins. There are core veggies that I like (which of course seem to be the highest in net carbs) and others that I can tolerate but just not eat on a regular basis, and some that make me gag even thinking about eating. I've never liked veggies. I am trying to plan better and find more ways to diversify my palate when it comes to veggies. I am determined to get more veggies into my diet because I have noticed the last few days when I wasn't eating hardly any veggies that my weight loss slowed. I understand why but still can't quite make myself eat one more salad.
On the exercise front, Mike and I have been walking at least 3-4 days a week. It's not as much as I'd like but there are days where we just don't seem to have the time or the weather just doesn't allow it. Usually when the weather keeps us in, I try to do a workout video but it doesn't always happen because there are days that I am just not motivated to do it. I know logically the more exercise I can get in each day, the faster the weight will drop off.
I have also experienced a side effect that I wasn't aware of...because of the drastic change in my carb intake, it kind of shocked my thyroid/hormones into a reaction. At first I was a bit concerned because it moved my cycle up by a week, but after some online research I found that this is quite common during induction on Atkins. Now, I don't exactly enjoy this side effect coming up a week early, but I'm looking at it as a positive sign.
I'd heard that you only eat fat-laden meats, tons of cheese, lots of protein, and little to no carbs. Boy, was I misinformed. I realize now after researching the diet that it's the exact same thing as what most popular diet programs try to do, they want to cut out the refined sugar. If you actually find out what the program is all about without just jumping in and only eating meat and cheese, then you'll know that the majority of the 20 net carbs they want you to eat during induction are supposed to be veggies. Yes, you can load up on all the meat and cheese you want because they have very few carbs, but the focus of the plan is really on getting people to eat 12-15 net carbs per day of veggies, which means eating healthy.
I admit, that after years of eating lean protein, I am still trying to get my brain around being able to eat full fat cheese and other dairy products as well as fatty cuts of meat. I am proud to say that I haven't cheated on the plan and had anything with tons of refined sugar. I am definitely a sugarholic but I've fought the cravings for a week and am still going strong. I am also proud to say that in 7 days I've lost 8.6lbs and am very happy with those results. It's also been difficult with Mike and my mom because they are constantly trying to get me to eat candy or something because they "forget" that I'm on 20 net carbs per day.
I also have realized just how much I hate veggies since I started Atkins. There are core veggies that I like (which of course seem to be the highest in net carbs) and others that I can tolerate but just not eat on a regular basis, and some that make me gag even thinking about eating. I've never liked veggies. I am trying to plan better and find more ways to diversify my palate when it comes to veggies. I am determined to get more veggies into my diet because I have noticed the last few days when I wasn't eating hardly any veggies that my weight loss slowed. I understand why but still can't quite make myself eat one more salad.
On the exercise front, Mike and I have been walking at least 3-4 days a week. It's not as much as I'd like but there are days where we just don't seem to have the time or the weather just doesn't allow it. Usually when the weather keeps us in, I try to do a workout video but it doesn't always happen because there are days that I am just not motivated to do it. I know logically the more exercise I can get in each day, the faster the weight will drop off.
I have also experienced a side effect that I wasn't aware of...because of the drastic change in my carb intake, it kind of shocked my thyroid/hormones into a reaction. At first I was a bit concerned because it moved my cycle up by a week, but after some online research I found that this is quite common during induction on Atkins. Now, I don't exactly enjoy this side effect coming up a week early, but I'm looking at it as a positive sign.
Friday, April 29, 2011
We Have Arrived!!!
I know I'm a week late in posting this but I just now got a wifi router so I could use internet on my laptop. We left earlier than expected on April 21st, partly because neither of us could sleep and partly because we only had 2 hours between when we finished loading the car and when we were supposed to be up and ready to go. We'd planned to leave at 4am but instead left my sister & BIL's apartment at 2am and left the gas station after topping off our tank at 2:30am.
We had a short stop in Boulder City because Mike forgot he's an adult (he knows I'm kidding) and didn't go to the bathroom before we left. Our first gas stop of the day was a little before Kingman, AZ and it was a freezing cold, windy welcome. We had to dig out sweatshirts because we didn't even consider that the weather might be like 55 degrees there. We stopped about 3 more times for gas and to take our furbaby Ruby out to stretch her legs.
We got to Amarillo, TX a little later than we expected at almost 7:30pm. We checked into the motel, showered, then got something to eat and were in bed by 9:30pm central time. We woke up at about 1:15am and decided rather than waiting for the complimentary breakfast at 6am that we'd just head out again. It was cool and sprinkling rain but by the time we got gas and got out of Amarillo it had stopped. Then, when we hit the Oklahoma border we hit about 100 miles of dense fog.
Mike decided to drive most of the way that day though we got to Vinidy, OK and he needed a break because he was tired, so I took over for about an hour before we hit Missouri and then I could barely keep my eyes open. We decided to stop for lunch hoping it would wake us up, and it did. Mike finished driving the rest of the way and we arrived in Smithton at my brother's house just in time for the tornado warnings. Poor Ruby didn't know what to think because she got chained up in the yard first then put in my brother's utility room while we went to the storm shelter where we stayed for about 2 hours.
I do have to say that Ruby did much better than we expected. Normally, when we took her in the car before she whined the entire time but she just sat there staring out the window at the scenery and didn't whine unless she had to go to the bathroom.
We are relieved to be here and that the move is finally over. Now the job hunt for Mike begins and he already has a phone interview set up for the 3rd of May with SMS Children's Hospital. Hopefully, he'll get a few more set up once we update the address on his applications with a few places.
We had a short stop in Boulder City because Mike forgot he's an adult (he knows I'm kidding) and didn't go to the bathroom before we left. Our first gas stop of the day was a little before Kingman, AZ and it was a freezing cold, windy welcome. We had to dig out sweatshirts because we didn't even consider that the weather might be like 55 degrees there. We stopped about 3 more times for gas and to take our furbaby Ruby out to stretch her legs.
We got to Amarillo, TX a little later than we expected at almost 7:30pm. We checked into the motel, showered, then got something to eat and were in bed by 9:30pm central time. We woke up at about 1:15am and decided rather than waiting for the complimentary breakfast at 6am that we'd just head out again. It was cool and sprinkling rain but by the time we got gas and got out of Amarillo it had stopped. Then, when we hit the Oklahoma border we hit about 100 miles of dense fog.
Mike decided to drive most of the way that day though we got to Vinidy, OK and he needed a break because he was tired, so I took over for about an hour before we hit Missouri and then I could barely keep my eyes open. We decided to stop for lunch hoping it would wake us up, and it did. Mike finished driving the rest of the way and we arrived in Smithton at my brother's house just in time for the tornado warnings. Poor Ruby didn't know what to think because she got chained up in the yard first then put in my brother's utility room while we went to the storm shelter where we stayed for about 2 hours.
I do have to say that Ruby did much better than we expected. Normally, when we took her in the car before she whined the entire time but she just sat there staring out the window at the scenery and didn't whine unless she had to go to the bathroom.
We are relieved to be here and that the move is finally over. Now the job hunt for Mike begins and he already has a phone interview set up for the 3rd of May with SMS Children's Hospital. Hopefully, he'll get a few more set up once we update the address on his applications with a few places.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
A Week and a Half To Go!!!
First, I have to vent a little. I understand why family doesn't want us to go and that they aren't going to be shy about letting us know their feelings on it. I think Mike's mom was trying to manipulate us into staying by FINALLY giving us a little bit of information on his real dad's family when we went for a visit two weeks ago. Mike hadn't seen his real dad since he was 3 years old though he talked to him twice since then (he's almost 28 now).
I think she was hoping that if we found his dad's family, we wouldn't leave since we'd just met them and had so much time to catch up on with them. I hate to point out the obvious, but family is family whether they are near or far. Family is supposed to want their loved ones to be happy even if that means they aren't in the same city. I will say this plainly: Mike and I are not happy in Las Vegas and have not been happy living here for a very long time. Why should we live somewhere we are miserable just to make our family happy?
Second, though Mike wasn't sure about it, I contacted his cousin, Mari, and we arranged to surprise that side of the family at her daughter's birthday party. Mike knew he had a half-sister, Christina, but also discovered he has another sister, Judy, while we were there. There was some disappointment though because Mike was kind of hoping he'd get to get in contact with his dad, and his cousin and one of his many aunts told us his dad had died from a heart attack in July last year. It was a little overwhelming to say the least because they are all fluent in English and Spanish and expected him to be, too, but he only speaks English. That and the fact that there were about 50 family members there, and we still can't remember all their names.
I told his sister at the party that I was happy he finally got to know that side because I know he really wanted to find them but he's the kind that unless the information is volunteered by his mom, he's not going to risk possibly making her angry by asking. The other thing was that he seemed so much a part of them while his other dad's family obviously loves him but he always seems separate from them whenever they get together.
Third and last, we are getting our room organized and ready to move. I haven't been working as much as I should, but we've been saving everything I earn for our move for extra spending money. We are going to be so busy getting ready to move, looking for a job for Mike, and me working to be sure we have enough money to make the move over the next week I don't know when we are going to sleep. Plus, we have plans with his aunt and cousins as well as his Rideout sisters this Saturday...it's beginning to become so real.
Don't know when I'm going to have a chance to update this again, so keep us in your prayers that we have a safe trip across the country. We are hoping that this move will provide us with new opportunities that we aren't able to get in Vegas. We are hoping that this move will also help us get back on our feet and maybe give us a jump on starting our family.
I think she was hoping that if we found his dad's family, we wouldn't leave since we'd just met them and had so much time to catch up on with them. I hate to point out the obvious, but family is family whether they are near or far. Family is supposed to want their loved ones to be happy even if that means they aren't in the same city. I will say this plainly: Mike and I are not happy in Las Vegas and have not been happy living here for a very long time. Why should we live somewhere we are miserable just to make our family happy?
Second, though Mike wasn't sure about it, I contacted his cousin, Mari, and we arranged to surprise that side of the family at her daughter's birthday party. Mike knew he had a half-sister, Christina, but also discovered he has another sister, Judy, while we were there. There was some disappointment though because Mike was kind of hoping he'd get to get in contact with his dad, and his cousin and one of his many aunts told us his dad had died from a heart attack in July last year. It was a little overwhelming to say the least because they are all fluent in English and Spanish and expected him to be, too, but he only speaks English. That and the fact that there were about 50 family members there, and we still can't remember all their names.
I told his sister at the party that I was happy he finally got to know that side because I know he really wanted to find them but he's the kind that unless the information is volunteered by his mom, he's not going to risk possibly making her angry by asking. The other thing was that he seemed so much a part of them while his other dad's family obviously loves him but he always seems separate from them whenever they get together.
Third and last, we are getting our room organized and ready to move. I haven't been working as much as I should, but we've been saving everything I earn for our move for extra spending money. We are going to be so busy getting ready to move, looking for a job for Mike, and me working to be sure we have enough money to make the move over the next week I don't know when we are going to sleep. Plus, we have plans with his aunt and cousins as well as his Rideout sisters this Saturday...it's beginning to become so real.
Don't know when I'm going to have a chance to update this again, so keep us in your prayers that we have a safe trip across the country. We are hoping that this move will provide us with new opportunities that we aren't able to get in Vegas. We are hoping that this move will also help us get back on our feet and maybe give us a jump on starting our family.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
One Month to Go
This week hasn't been the best but not the worst either. Nothing really happened, it's just been more or less boring. I guess I'm anxious to get this move and everything behind us.
We did hear from the hospital again in Omaha, so Mike is going to call tomorrow and hopefully get some answers. I told him that if they called after 2 weeks (since the first call), they probably really are interested in him. He has me worried a bit because he seems so despondent about the possibility of moving to Omaha. He knows that we have to go where he's going to have a job, but he just doesn't like the idea of Omaha at all. He's hoping that we are moving back to my hometown instead because he knows there are things that he wants to do there, and we have no clue what would be awaiting us in Omaha.
Neither of us are really excited about Omaha, but I'm looking at it as, if it's where we are meant to be then that's where it will be. I'm not exactly excited about moving home, either, mostly because I don't feel like that's home anymore and feel like somewhere else between here and there is going to be the home we've been looking for.
I did have a strange dream the other day. I dreamed that we were moving into my great grandma's old house. A cousin bought the house shortly before my great grandma died but it's been sold, and I haven't been to her house for years. I was looking at houses on Craigslist the next day and one of the houses I looked at was almost the mirror image of her house except it didn't have a garage. Kinda creepy and maybe prophetic.
On the weight loss front, this week was a bust...I have the feeling it's because I've been off the NPC for 2 weeks. While I was using it for 21 days each cycle, I was having consistent weight loss, and now that I changed it to the last 14 days of the cycle, I start gaining again. I'm sure there are other factors involved but we'll see next weigh in.
We did hear from the hospital again in Omaha, so Mike is going to call tomorrow and hopefully get some answers. I told him that if they called after 2 weeks (since the first call), they probably really are interested in him. He has me worried a bit because he seems so despondent about the possibility of moving to Omaha. He knows that we have to go where he's going to have a job, but he just doesn't like the idea of Omaha at all. He's hoping that we are moving back to my hometown instead because he knows there are things that he wants to do there, and we have no clue what would be awaiting us in Omaha.
Neither of us are really excited about Omaha, but I'm looking at it as, if it's where we are meant to be then that's where it will be. I'm not exactly excited about moving home, either, mostly because I don't feel like that's home anymore and feel like somewhere else between here and there is going to be the home we've been looking for.
I did have a strange dream the other day. I dreamed that we were moving into my great grandma's old house. A cousin bought the house shortly before my great grandma died but it's been sold, and I haven't been to her house for years. I was looking at houses on Craigslist the next day and one of the houses I looked at was almost the mirror image of her house except it didn't have a garage. Kinda creepy and maybe prophetic.
On the weight loss front, this week was a bust...I have the feeling it's because I've been off the NPC for 2 weeks. While I was using it for 21 days each cycle, I was having consistent weight loss, and now that I changed it to the last 14 days of the cycle, I start gaining again. I'm sure there are other factors involved but we'll see next weigh in.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Official Moving Date
It's official, we are moving on April 20th, the Thursday before Easter. We talked to Mike's parents this afternoon and told them we were moving. They took it a lot better than we were expecting. So, it is officially a countdown to our move.
I know that day is going to be hard for Mike because he's only ever been away from his family once and that was for JobCorps up in Reno. I think once we are officially on our way, he's going to be even more excited than he is now.
On the plus side...I weighed in 2 days earlier than usual and have lost 2 pounds this week. I think the combo of progesterone cream and acknowledging and meditating my stress away is really what's doing it.
Now, we have to get a bigger storage unit, move almost all of our stuff into it and it's going to stay here for a year until we come back next year to visit his family with my parents and then we are going to get a uhaul truck and drive it back to wherever we are living then.
We also have been talking about what we are going to do for Mike's work. We are thinking about starting a green home deep-cleaning business for him. There are some maid services and some carpet/floor cleaning businesses but not any that combine the two in the area. I know enough people there that we can probably get some business just through word of mouth and with the 2 of us doing it. We would both probably have to work for the business until we find out where it's going or if it's going anywhere, but that's doable. We just would have to come up with the money for the business licenses and equipment.
At least with our own business, if it's even moderately successful, then we don't have to worry about Mike having work and I can still do my freelancing there, so we'll have money coming in.
I know that day is going to be hard for Mike because he's only ever been away from his family once and that was for JobCorps up in Reno. I think once we are officially on our way, he's going to be even more excited than he is now.
On the plus side...I weighed in 2 days earlier than usual and have lost 2 pounds this week. I think the combo of progesterone cream and acknowledging and meditating my stress away is really what's doing it.
Now, we have to get a bigger storage unit, move almost all of our stuff into it and it's going to stay here for a year until we come back next year to visit his family with my parents and then we are going to get a uhaul truck and drive it back to wherever we are living then.
We also have been talking about what we are going to do for Mike's work. We are thinking about starting a green home deep-cleaning business for him. There are some maid services and some carpet/floor cleaning businesses but not any that combine the two in the area. I know enough people there that we can probably get some business just through word of mouth and with the 2 of us doing it. We would both probably have to work for the business until we find out where it's going or if it's going anywhere, but that's doable. We just would have to come up with the money for the business licenses and equipment.
At least with our own business, if it's even moderately successful, then we don't have to worry about Mike having work and I can still do my freelancing there, so we'll have money coming in.
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