General Admission

Humiliated, party of one...

Oh yeah - that's me today! We went last night and picked up the new workout game, for those that haven't seen my other 200 posts about this game - it's called EA Sports Active. Any of you that were around a year ago, know that I was every bit as excited about getting my Wii Fit last year at this time... and I loved it.

This game and I might have a love/hate relationship... the jury is still out.

I will tell you that this is not your children's workout game... this sucker is hard, and really more geared toward the people that truly are looking for a way to work out and have the benefit of a personal trainer that can give you some feedback on how your form looks. (on most things... we'll get to that)

So being the idiot that I am, I put the thing in the Wii and off I went with workout one... OIY! In case you missed it - let me say it again... OIY!

It starts out all nicey nice... and lets you do a little walking/jogging to get warmed up... then it immediately goes in for the kill...

After the two lap walk/jog - it went right into squats. When I tell you that John was cracking up at this point - it's not even a joke. For some reason I couldn't get the thing to register that I was squatting low enough - so I must have done like 20 before it even started counting them! ARG! At one point, John got up and was trying to help me squat lower... and actually pushed me down to the floor.

It might NOT be an understatement to say that I have zero muscle control... so my legs are feeling like jelly already at this point... but I continue on... and we do lunges. Nice...

(I can't remember exactly the order of the exercises... but there was some good upper body work as well as lower body... and cardio too)

So shortly after the squats and lunges... she has you back on the track to do this nifty move where you're running but you kick your legs up high in the back - like running while kicking yourself in the butt. Sounds glamorous, right?

Yeah, this is when it gets really bad... so I THINK that I'm going to be alright and I can't seem to get the brain to communicate with my extremities - so I sort of modify it and walk and kick myself in the butt. John, being the coach that he is... tells me that I'm not going fast enough... so I suck it up and try to do the run... only it doesn't work out.

I sort of hop to get myself off the ground into a run... and kick my one foot up... but when I go to put it down and get on with the second leg... the jelly legs take over and I fall completely on my butt. Insert hysterics... because John and I are laughing so hard that we can't even breathe. He couldn't even ask me if I was okay for a LONG time... and I was sitting there trying to breathe, laugh and cry at the same time. (the crying was a result of the laughing!)

Eventually - I pick myself back up and finish the rest of the workout - there was another round of running, walking, high knee walking, squats, lunges, boxing, and lots of arm work...

When I was done - I was sweating for sure! My muscles were certainly feeling the burn... and I knew right then that I was in BIG trouble. It's going to take me a little bit of time to work up to the 30 day challenge... Laurie and I are talking about starting it next Tuesday, but we'll just have to see if I can walk by then. HA!

I'm not kidding when I tell you before I went to bed - every muscle in my body from my neck to my toes hurt... and I fell asleep in the tub!

The sore muscles were there this morning, but I truly didn't start noticing it until I had to get up and down out of a chair 15 times like I have this morning... and when I went to go DOWN 2 flights of stairs... I'm not kidding ya'll... it was nuts. Picture me in a back stairwell - thank goodness I didn't try to use the main one where the whole building would have seen this... but there I was holding on to both sides of the railing... trying to will my legs to cooperate! It felt like a total out of body experience... like I had zero control over my legs.

Have any of you seen those cartoons where it looks like the person's body is a million miles behind their legs while they are walking... like they're leaned back and walking... that's what I think it might have looked like!

The muscles in my back are screaming too from some of the upper body stuff that I did with the resistance band... my legs and back seem to be the two areas that are the most offended by the workout moves from last night.

Anyway, I'm not sure what I'm going to do tonight - but I'm thinking that it's going to involve me designing a custom workout and avoiding squats, lunges, and the butt kicking run... at least to give my legs a day to recover.

I NEVER had this experience with the Wii Fit... so I already know that it is a much more quality workout... so long as it doesn't kill me.

Have I scared you guys off, or is anyone rushing out to get one??

If anyone wants to get it and do the 30 day challenge with us - let me know... we could push it back to June 1st if needed potentially. Speak now or forever hold your peace... or well hang in there and laugh when I start writing about it. HA!

*** Edited to add: I just found a review on Yahoo that talks about Wii Fit vs EA Sports Active

Skin Care

So, who out there is completely overwhelmed by the number of products that we're supposed to use as women to keep ourselves looking: young, supple, clean, beautiful... etc?!

I for one am, and really it boils down to the fact that I'd rather have 2 minutes more sleep than spend the time making myself beautiful for the people at the office.... I mean really... I'm not trying to attract any of them - I'd honestly rather them leave me alone most of the time. (Oops... lets just call that a character flaw...)

My constant quest is to find ways to cut down the time spent on my beauty regime and more time getting on with my life... and I can only imagine those with children have this desire intensified... because seriously, who has time for that extra 10 minutes of beautification when there are children to feed. Even more, what's the point if you're going to get spit up on 12 times that day?

ANYWAY... let me just introduce you to a life saver that I've found in the beauty section of Wal*Mart. (Apparently, that is how it's supposed to be spelled - according to my database at work.)

First, let me preface this by telling you that for a short period of time... I sold beauty products through BeautiControl. The irony there is not lost on me... a woman with my attitude about beautifying trying to sell such products, but really I was only interested in their line of spa products. I am a horrible sales person... so I lost my status as a consultant... but I can hook you up with a great one if any of those products interest you.

In my training to sell BeautiControl's products - they made a point to tell us that when choosing a line of products, the most important thing with skin care is that you use a cleanser and toner from the same line. They are ph balanced to work together - so it is important to stick with products from the same line. With moisturizers - it is not as important that it be from the same line.

Okay, seriously... back to my point...

In my quest to get ready in less than 30 minutes (yes, I can...), I try to do as much as I can in the shower - sort of subscribing to the one stop shopping philosophy... I've even tried brushing my teeth in there, but the hot water factor didn't quite work for me. So instead of washing my face separately... (and please don't lecture me about needing to wash my face before bed) I found the perfect solution!

Biore makes a line of products called their Daily Recharging line... they also call it rehab for your skin (which makes me giggle a little... when did my skin get an addiction problem) This 4-1 self foaming cleanser is AMAZING! In one product it cleans, tones, stimulates, and detoxifies. The website says that: the airy foaming cleanser gently removes dirt, oil and makeup from the skin. Contains extracts of sugar beet, a known skin-conditioner, antioxidant green tea leaf and eucalyptus to help skin feel fresh and glowing.

Call me extra lazy, but I love that it's a cleanser AND a toner in one step. My favorite part of using this product is that it makes my face have a little tingle in the shower - which is sort of invigorating to me at 5 in the morning... it sort of helps wake me up.

With my extra sensitive skin, products tend to dry my face out and I haven't noticed that at all with this product - and it is oil free for those that have problems with oily skin as well. I've felt no irritation with using this product, and am actually now on my second bottle.

In doing a little research this morning, I found this moisturizer that I am going to have to add to my shopping list... it is listed as a "Perfect Partner" for my foaming cleanser. It again is oil free, if that is a concern for you. It also has built in sunscreen - which is a must in today's world. I has vitamins A, C, and E in with other anti-oxidant ingredients. The website says: Nourish Moisture Lotion SPF 15 formula uses humectants to lock in moisture. That means your skin is optimally hydrated and glowing. Natural extracts of celandine (wild yellow poppy), rose hip, chamomile, and aloe soothe, moisturize and strengthen skin and provide calming, anti-inflammatory benefits.

So there you have it folks... great products at a great price... and you can find them at all of your regular stores. It works for me!

Head on over to We are THAT Family for more WFMW ideas.

Household Cleaners

I'm amazed at how many general household items can be used as cleaners... here is a list that I found in Real Simple magazine this month:

• White Bread - can use used to dust an oil painting. Gently dab the bread over the surface to pick up dirt and grime.
  
• Ketchup - removes tarnish off of copper and brass cookware. Apply ketchup to a rag, use as a cleaner... rinse with warm water and dry with a towel.
  
• Oatmeal - can be used to scrub very dirty hands... make a paste with oatmeal and water.
  
• Rice - can use used to clean the inside of a vase or thin-necked bottle. Fill vessel 3/4 full with warm water and a tablespoon of rice... shake vigorously and rinse.
  
• Tea - can be used to clean rusty garden tools. Brew some strong black tea, cool, and soak the tools for a few hours. Wipe each tool with a cloth - wear rubber gloves or your hands will stain.
  
• Glycerin - can be used to remove dried wax drippings from candlesticks. Peel off as much wax as you can - then moisten a cotton ball with the glycerin and rub until clean.
  
• Club Soda - can be used to shine a scuffed stainless-steel sing. Buff the sink with a cloth dampened with the club soda, then wipe dry with a dry cloth.
  
• Hydrogen Peroxide - can be used to disinfect a key board... dip cotton swab in hydrogen peroxide to get into all the areas of your key board.
  
• Cornstarch - can be used to clean up grease spills on carpet. Pour onto spots and let sit for 15-30 minutes before vacuuming.
  
• Rubbing Alcohol - can be used to erase permanent-marker stains from hardwood floors or solid-surface countertops. Pour on a cotton ball and apply to stain.
  

There you have it! Enjoy! Pop on over to We are THAT Family to find other Works for Me Wednesday ideas.

Sensitive Eyes

It's that time again... Works for Me Wednesday!! (And the crowd goes wild... oh wait - that's just in my head)

I thought that this week, I'd remind you guys of the two times now in the last couple of months that I've had some sort of allergic reaction to either my eye makeup OR the environment here in the lovely city of Houston, Texas.

I have highly sensitive eyes to begin with and regular mascara just makes them itch in ways that are really just unimaginably irritating.

Then with recent events - and lets just call them yellow goop days... because honestly that is what is coming out of them at said allergic reactionary moments. (In the event that you ever have this happen... cold compresses really seem to help!)

I decided that it was once again time to throw out EVERYTHING related to eye makeup in the house and start over.

I went to the store - and well - since I met Dave Ramsey a while back - I can no longer justify going to Macy's for my makeup purchases... because well... that would dip into my fun money WAY more than I'm willing to allow for such things. So I tend to stick with the makeup section of Target or HEB these days.

Our HEB is one of those fancy schmancy ones that is a combination HEB and Central Market... so they have these wonderful women assigned to the beauty section for the sole purpose of helping you pick out such products.

So there I was... looking for something that was going to cure all of my issues with eyes... and make them look pretty for Easter - and the lady walks up. I ask her what they have for EXTREMELY sensitive eyes... and she gives me two options.

1) Neutrogena
2) Loreal

I tried the Neutrogena product last time around, and while it was a vast improvement from what I had before that... it wasn't quite as good as I was looking for. So I opted for the Loreal product this time around.

Ladies, I introduce to you... Loreal Bare Naturale Mascara - they have a whole line of Bare Naturale products... if you're looking for something else. (I only wear eye makeup... so this is my only area of interest.)

Not only is it FANTASTIC... but it's lighter than any other mascara that I've ever tried. It feels more like a lash tint or something than it does mascara... She mentioned that people told her it was creamier than other mascara products... I don't know if that's true, but it certainly goes on lighter and there are no clumps whatsoever.

If you have sensitive eyes... I highly recommend you check this product out. It absolutely works for me!

Go on over to We are THAT Family to read more of the Works for Me Wednesday posts.

Migraine/Headache Help

Yesterday, I found myself in the throws of a serious headache situation... and by serious - I mean block the sun... mute the entire world... tunnel vision... PAIN.

I used to be able to take Tylenol or really any other variety of pain relief products out there - but since having weight loss surgery... I don't absorb pills much at all anymore. So I find it better to use alternative medication methods whenever possible.

Since they don't make an injectable headache medicine... and lets face it - liquid meds are disgusting... the more palatable they try to make them, the grosser they become.

Around Christmas time - my sister introduced me to the BEST thing ever invented. It's called the My*Grastick.


Ya'll - who knew that a combination of peppermint oil and lavender oil could save your life like this?! You simply roll the stick along your temples, forehead and the base of your neck... and it starts pulsing and by God's grace gets rid of the pain.

I'm telling you - I haven't used Tylenol or anything else in 4 months!

It didn't quite save me from my mess yesterday - but with all the medicines I'm on - there isn't really any way to know what might have been causing it.... but I will tell you that I HIGHLY recommend it to any and everyone!

It does say that you shouldn't use it while pregnant - and I've heard something before about peppermint and pregnancy not being a good combination, but you could certainly talk to your doctor about it - since it is nothing more than natural oils.

It works for me... and if you suffer from frequent headaches... it might work for you too.

Go on over to We are THAT Family to read more of this week's Works for Me Wednesday tips! (Kristen's "Vulcan Grip" parenting technique sounds wonderful!!)

Advice for Me

Today on Works for Me Wednesday we are going backwards - which means instead of me telling you what works for me... I get to ask you what works for you!

So I wracked my brain over what advice I would love to hear from my readers... and well - with the overall theme of my interest and life right now - I came up with something that I thought would be brilliant.

I'd love to know from all of you - parents and non-parents... what is the one piece of advice that you would give someone that is hopefully about to start a family.

What do you wish someone would have told you before you started down that journey?

What do you feel you were completely not prepared for?

I'd love to hear from you all - so please leave me a comment with your tidbits of wisdom... I'll need all the help I can get!

Then go over to We are THAT Family and help out the other ladies participating in this carnival... or if you choose - write your own post for people to help you out with something you've been pondering lately.

Bath Junkie

I don't know what has come over me in recent months, but I've become a HUGE fan of soaking in the tub with bath products. The funny thing is that I'm not a huge fan of bubble bath by any stretch of the imagination... I don't know why - it the bubbles make me feel like I need to rinse off before getting out.

Anyway, my old boss gave me a Bath Ball from Bath Junkie for Christmas - and I just used it a week or so ago... AMAZING!

These are about the only pictures I could find on the internet to represent what I'm talking about. This is a small spa package sold by Bath Junkie... but in the bottom right - that is what my Bath Ball looked like.

This is what the actual ball itself looked like - except mine was orange. The scent of mine was persimmon - which wouldn't be something I'd choose for myself, but I liked it just the same.

I took the ball, dropped it in my hot tub and it fizzed away. The water turned a lovely shade of orange, and the scent was amazing... it's also good for you!

* safe for indoor spa tubs
* sweet almond oil moisturizes
* vitamins E & C nourish skin
* calming effervescent fizzing action
* mineral salts soothe sore muscles

They also have them in lots of other scents - rain, aloe vera, fresh air, honeysuckle, key lime, lavender, lemon balm, spring fling, oatmeal, and milk & honey all will be making an appearance in my bath tub in the coming months!

The cool thing about the stores is that they will make products to your specifications right there on the spot. And they make all sorts of products - not just bath things, but cleaners for the house as well. I even saw where some of the stores do parties... where you can have Girls Night Out parties or whatever - it's $25 a person... but each guest gets to make their own products and walk out with them! Very COOL!

They have stores all over the country - so I had to share this lovely find with you. I don't know how reasonably priced their products are, but they are well worth it!

Lemons to the Rescue

Have you ever passed by your kitchen sink and thought that there was an odor? Or it just smelled less than fresh?

Is it just me? Oh. I. guess. so.

Well, if you are like me... even if you don't want to admit it - one of the best and cheapest things to use to remedy that situation is lemons... limes... or any other citrus fruit.

Being in Texas and the Mexican Food tendencies of our area - we constantly have a hefty supply of limes on hand... and with our other passion of homemade salad dressings - I always have plenty of lemons too.

Sometimes when they get close to spoiling - I use them to clean my disposal... or when it smells a little less than is appealing.

I just quarter the fruit and plop it in the disposal - after I've run it for a minute or so to make sure that there is nothing else in there... and it leaves a lovely citrus scent.

I've also been told that keeping a pitcher of water on hand with sliced citrus fruit is a great way to encourage yourself to drink your daily 8 glasses of water... so at the end of the day when you're out of water... just plop the fruit slices down the drain, and you'll get an instant boost of a lovely clean smell out of your disposal!

I only do this about once a week or so... but it totally works for me!

Food Journaling

They say that food journaling is a key component in the success of people that are trying to lose weight... and lets face it - how many women out there aren't trying to lose a few pounds in some form OR aren't trying to tone/reshape at least one part of their bodies?


It does take discipline to food journal - but it is the most eye opening thing you'll ever do! There are several forms of food journals - as my friend Meg once wrote about. I choose to follow my daily intake right now in two different ways.


1. I like to use Daily Plate at Livestrong.Com - this gives me the ability to look at my calorie intake and how it breaks down for the day. They also have periodic contests and give aways for people logging their food everyday and the like. I think for those that managed to log their food everyday in March, they are giving away an Ipod Touch... which I don't need, but I could always sell on Ebay to buy some new clothes or something - right?


2. I like the idea of a photo food journal - because truly looking at images of everything that you've put into your body has a vastly different impact than just seeing a list at the end of the day. Maybe not for everyone, but for me - it makes me realize that I've eaten much more than I thought. Or at the very least - it will give me the power to reach over and grab one of those Special K Protein Water packs instead of looking for something more to eat. (At least it did yesterday!)


I promise that I won't bore my regular readers indefinitely with posts that have pictures of my food intake, but I'm going to hit you with it again today. You'll see some repeats, but some new things too - and at the end I'll break it down for you so you can see how the numbers flushed out upon entry into Daily Plate.


6:15 AM - An Atkins Advantage Shake to start the day with a good healthy dose of protein. I drink it in the car on the way to work.





9:45 - Del Monte Diced Peaches with Splenda and Breakstone's Liv Active 2% Cottage Cheese eaten at my desk. (60% of my meals are eaten here!) I enjoy this meal because it gives me a little something fruity in my day - and I'm going to try to change it up a bit at times and bring in some fresh strawberries to go with my cottage cheese. I use the Liv Active cups because they're the same price, and I can use any added benefit of digestive help that I can get.

11:45 AM - For lunch today, I'm eating my Meatballs in Marinara which sadly aren't as low in calories as I had hoped for. They aren't too bad - around 253 calories for my portion size, but it's the highest caloric meal that I'll have for the day. I am glad that it is my lunch so that there is plenty of time for me to burn those extra few calories in my workout this evening.

1:45 PM - Chicken Stir Fry, I don't have a recipe over on the other blog for this one - but when I run out of portions of this in the freezer, I will put one up and take some pictures of my actual stir fry. Again it has chicken breast pieces, zucchini, mushrooms, mung bean sprouts, soy sauce and a little bit of butter. It's pretty basic, but yesterday I realized that I'd forgotten how yummy it really is!

3:45 PM - A South Beach Living High Protein Cereal Bar - Peanut Butter. This is my favorite of their flavors, they do have a Chocolate one and a Cinnamon Raisin... I'm not a fan of the Chocolate personally occasionally I'll grab one... and I don't like raisins... so there you go. I am however a HUGE fan of all things peanut butter - so this works well for giving me that little fix along with some protein.

5:15 PM - A serving of dry roasted cashews gives me a little boost to make it through my workout - I could change this up and have some of that Special K Protein Water instead of I'm having a particularly bad day calorie wise... but today - I'm alright to eat these. A serving is about 21 nuts - so I stay under that amount.

7:00 PM - Dinner tonight will be my Chicken Fajita Salad. It is a good mix of veggies and protein... with a little bit of the "good stuff" too. You can click on over to see my version of how this is served up.

In addition to all of that - I try desperately to get in at least 60-80 ounces of water or liquids per day. Sometimes I get in most of it in water, but then at the end of the day - my little bit of decaffeinated iced tea makes up the rest.

Today's Nutritional Breakdown:

1,141 Calories

70 g Carbohydrates (25.06%)

96 g Protein (34.45%)

50 g Fat (40.5%)

I feel pretty good about my calorie intake - even if it hasn't been getting my stupid scale to move... it's a good number - less than the 1,200 calories a day that I shoot for. I am planning a workout tonight, it might not be the level 10 one that I've been doing... but I am going with the philosophy that anything is better than sitting on the couch for that extra 30 minutes. I might try a level 7 or something...

So there you go... it's almost time for my meatball lunch...

Okay, the totally bizzare thing - after writing this post - I feel more exposed than I've ever felt when writing this blog. I guess truly writing this and sharing the details is pushing me outside of my comfort zone, and I see that as a good thing - because if I find myself staring into the pantry later... or at a vending machine... I'll remember this post and it will help me walk away!

Menu Planning

This week we're tackling Meal Planning... and boy is this one that I've been educated in over the lats year since Weight Loss Surgery!

Growing up - the grocery store was like my very own candy land... I loved it - I mean some people it's a jewelry store that catches their attention (don't get me wrong - diamonds make me act like a moth to a flame too!)... you know the response... OOOOH shiny... yeah that's me on both occasions.

So knowing that - and knowing that my ultimate goal right now is to keep this waist line that I've now earned... and if it becomes more defined in the process - EVEN BETTER!

What I've done, and will be starting to do again now that John will be in the same boat...

I sit down on Saturday mornings and plan out exactly what I'm going to eat during each of my 6 meals throughout the day - it takes planning to figure out what you're going to have each meal and make sure that you don't leave something out.

I have a spreadsheet that works for planning this out, and I use it weekly. I use the spreadsheet to make my grocery list and I head off bright and early each Saturday to the store.

By shopping based on the list - I save myself from some of the impulse buying... now that being sad - I do allow myself the freedom to put in a few new things that I'd like to work in and try - but overall I have a plan and I stick to it.

I'm flexible enough with my plan though that if something doesn't get used - I work it back into the plan for the next week.... so nothing gets wasted. Or at least as much as can be avoided. I still don't understand how I can have so much JUNK in my pantry.

When John started his liquid diet - I literally gave his parents/sister 5 bags full of food that we no longer needed in the house... HOW did that happen? When I've shopped like this for the better part of 5 years?!

Anyway - in recent months I've tried planning our evening meals a month in advance to try to keep the variety up, and work in new recipes... that has worked really well too. Interestingly enough, it's almost easier for me to plan an entire month than it is to plan one week at a time... go figure!

I'm happy to share both spreadsheets with anyone who is interested - just leave me a comment with an email address.

**I'll be back with my regular Q&A Wednesday post in just a bit... I've got to finish writing my answers.