I Challenge You… To LOSE!

A month ago I found out I was much more overweight than I had previously thought. It jolted me into deciding to do something, and since then I’ve been paying more attention to what I eat and trying to be more active. In the past month I’ve lost just under 8 pounds, though I’ve fluctuated and am right in the middle of that now.

One of the things that has really helped has been the support of my friends and family and the support of a special group of mom friends I have online. My mom group started a weight loss challenge that ends this coming Monday… we all contributed some money and whoever loses the highest percent of their body weight wins the pot. What a motivator that was!! I was determined to win.

What a great motivator friends and money can be! I’m not ready for the group support to end, so I’ve decided to start a DietBet. And I’d love for you to join me!

It’s simple…

1. Visit my DietBet page and consider signing up
2. “Bet” $10 that you’ll be able to lose 4% of your body weight in 4 weeks
3. Lose that 4%!
4. Split the money pot with all the other winners losers

The challenge will begin Monday, October 20 and will go through Monday, November 17. Please consider joining me. The weigh-ins are completely private, and the DietBet Referees appear to take our privacy very seriously. The Rules can be viewed here.

This is my new beginning

Please bear with me, as this is really hard to write. My life is going to change, starting now. 

On Monday I had my yearly doctor’s appointment. I stepped on the scale, as I always do, and couldn’t believe my eyes. I wanted to die. 

I have gained about 25 pounds in the past year. I am heavier than I ever have been (and I’ve been through two pregnancies). I surpassed the 200 lbs mark.

I’ve never been satisfied with my appearance. I’ve had moments where I think I look great, moments where I don’t care what I look like or what others think, moments where I’m comfortable… but none of those feelings come naturally to me. I’m not a confident person, and I’m not typically content with myself. 

In high school I hated my body. I wore a size 9, weighed about 125-135, and was (still am) 5′ tall. I did marching band (and don’t you dare tell me that isn’t considered a strenuous workout) and ate poorly, but I maintained my weight, mostly, though I wished I had been about 110. In college I was closer to 140, and after I got married I was around 160. I don’t remember what I gained while pregnant with Trent. With Atticus I got to 199. After I had Atticus I lost more than I had gained while pregnant… so I was around 180. That means that in the last 18 months I’ve gained 35 pounds.

Here is a picture of me a year ago, about 25 pounds lighter. I can’t wait to get back to that, and eventually even past it.

My weight isn’t a surprise to me. It winds me to walk up my stairs. It hurts my feet to stand up and take the first few steps after sitting for awhile. My knees pop more than they used to. My boobs choke me when I lay down, and it’s a workout to clip my toenails.

It’s depressing when I realize that the reason I rarely take my kids to the pool is because I’m humiliated to be in my suit. It sucks to have to avoid skirts and dresses because my thighs rub together. It’s embarrassing to walk up the stairs with someone at work and be noticeably breathless. And worst of all, I hate that I’m not as active as I could be with my children. I want to sleep better, feel happier, play harder and look sexier.

And I’m going to. Starting now. This is my new beginning.

I have an appointment in three months to get back with my doctor and evaluate things. My goal is to have lost 15 pounds by the time I see him. That’s 5 pounds a month, and just about 1 pound a week. I can so do this! Once I reach that goal I’ll set another. For now I want to take small, reasonable steps by creating realistic and attainable goals. I’ve started using the My Fitness Pal app and have also begun using the Pacer app. Pacer will track my steps and link the info with My Fitness Pal. I’ll log what I eat and my exercise in My Fitness Pal and keep track of my progress there.

Yesterday was day one. I stayed under my calories for the day and did some activity. I plan on eating healthier meals and smaller portions while being realistic so I don’t get discouraged. I’m hoping to start walking for 15-30 minutes at work as I’m able via my breaks, and I’d like to walk with the boys when I get home in the evenings also. I think I’ll get the wii fit out again and try using it to keep it fun.

I want to look at gym memberships and see if I can make something work with my schedule and the fact that I am basically operating as a single parent most of the week.

I’ve talked to some of my closest friends and to Nate and I already feel very confident that I’ll have ample support. I’ll be tracking some of my progress here. I can’t wait to see what the next few months holds for me and my health.

Making My Own Fruit Leather

Well Saturday I ended up doing something I’d never done before… I made my own fruit roll ups!

In anticipation of planting time (it’s almost here! I think we might plant some stuff this weekend, in fact!) my library has purchased some new gardening, homesteading, and food preservation books. I picked up two of them last week, and got out several of the books from my personal library for Nate and I to peruse as we consider what to plant and how we’ll use our harvest. I love this part of the year! Anyway, I digress as usual…

 

One of the books I got from the library was called DIY Pantry, and as I was flipping through it I saw a recipe for fruit roll ups. I scanned it, and noticed I had everything it called for, including 2 cups of fruit. At the end of the season last year I made raspberry jam and ended up with 2 cups of fresh raspberries that I knew we wouldn’t use. I froze them and have had them in the deep freezer ever since. I see them every now and again and wondered how I should use them… enter the DIY Pantry book!

First I mixed all the ingredients together in my blender. The ingredients included 2 cups of fresh or frozen fruit, honey, yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Then I thinly spread the mixture on my parchment paper-lined dehydrator trays. My innovative husband cross-cut holes in the paper so the dehydrator’s motor could sit down properly between the trays.

I left the dehydrator running for about 5 hours. The recipe suggests 4-8 hours, and I typically check my dehydrator right at the low-end of the time frame given, though I almost always end up having to keep the dehydrator on a bit longer. At 5 hours the fruit mixture wasn’t wet anymore and was just slightly tacky. I removed the sheets and tried to figure out how to cut them into sheets and roll them. While I was pondering I ate one whole sheet.

One. Whole. Sheet. It was so delicious.

I ended up cutting the sheets into triangular rolls, basically just like slices of pizza. I tried rolling the papers up, but they didn’t stick because I took too long to “ponder” and the fruit leather cooled too much. Oh well. I just put all the slices into a sandwich baggie, and have been having them as snacks or for part of my lunch at work. I’ve had a few friends try and they all love it more than I thought anyone would.

Score one more for the dehydrator! Looks like I have another way to use fruit this summer in addition to canning jam. This was so easy and cheap, too. I’ll be reviewing The DIY Pantry by Kresha Faber after I try a few more of her recipes. So far I’m pretty sold on buying a copy for my personal library.

Plainfield Library Arts Gala & How I Love Planning Events @ the Library

I’m super excited to be a part of this year’s Arts Gala at the Plainfield Library. Last year, the first year for the gala, I was on maternity leave, so I wasn’t a part of the planning or the actual event. I saw pictures and heard about it, and it really sounds like it was a magical event.

This second annual Arts Gala, entitled “Visions,” will be held March 21-23. The focus this year is on abstract art. Artists from Indiana and surrounding areas will display and sell their artwork at the library with the library receiving a percentage of the proceeds to fund the facelift the children’s room is receiving this spring. People who pledge to spend $50 are able to attend the exclusive Starlight Reception event on Friday, march 21, from 6:30-9:00pm. There are multitudes of local hors d’oeuvres, beer, and wine as well as music and obviously the opportunity to be among the first to see and purchase the artwork.

I’m no art connoisseur, but I do love art and have a large amount of respect for artists of all kinds. I heard from my friends and coworkers who planned and attended the event last year that it was extremely fun. I can’t wait!

It’s currently being advertised on the Plainfield Library’s website, if you want more information, or (of course) I can pass along any information. It’s a great event that supports local artists and helps to plant the importance of art in the community, and it’s a super fundraiser for a wonderful cause: my favorite library.

 

One of my favorite things about working at this library is the opportunity I have to make my voice heard in program planning. We do all kinds of interesting and varied things for all kinds of audiences. Our programming meetings are crazy, because we’re all so amped all the time with excitement and creativity. I never know what’s going to happen. From discussing the possibility of a cardboard maze, to possible Post Secret events, to ways to market our resources and programs. 

Here is one of my favorite stories that illustrates my love for my job and my library’s craziness: When I was pregnant with Atticus last year, on Valentine’s Day, the Harlem Shake was all the rage. Everyone thought it was hilarious. We love making videos, and at a programming meeting that afternoon we all decided it would be awesome if we made our own version. So we did. Within the afternoon. I do some of the filming and all of the editing for things like that (it means I don’t have to be in front of the camera…) so we got a bunch of staff together in the work room in the back. I’m very short, so in order to get a good camera angle of everyone in the room, I stood on a step stool. I was 9 months pregnant. I looked like this:

We shot the video, edited it, and posted it within 2 hours. Check it out here. And of course our patrons loved it. I went home, went to bed, couldn’t sleep, and headed to the hospital 12 hours later. A few hours after that I had a little baby named Atticus.

I love my job.

“Life Goes On”

“Sometimes you’re flush and sometimes you’re bust, and when you’re up, it’s never as good as it seems, and when you’re down, you never think you’ll be up again, but life goes on.”

Blow

One of my favorite movies.