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Mar 28, 2011

A Great Getaway, Thanks To A Little Planning

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This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Slim·Fast.

March eighth was my wedding anniversary – my eighth, to be exact. Because our anniversary is in March, we often do very little for Valentine’s Day and instead go all out for our anniversary. This year we visited Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor waterpark resort, for a pseudo-tropical vacation close to home. We’ve gone there a few times, and while it’s fun with kids, it’s also just as fun for two adults looking to get away and relax together.

And this year, I decided I wasn’t wearing a bathing suit with a skirt. Ever since I became a mom, my hips and thighs have been given as much coverage as possible under loose fabric during any bathing suit occasion. Let’s be honest, though: skirted suits are a pain. I mean, it’s OK if you’re just planning to sit in a lounge chair and read a book, but they’re completely uncomfortable if you have any plans of stepping foot in the water. The wet fabric clings and bunches when you get out of the water, generally destroying any chance at looking good as you continuously peel the cold, damp fabric from your legs. The minute you take a step, the we fabric latches on to your thighs again, and the peel and stick cycle continues for every step.

To prepare for our anniversary, I stepped up my plan to shape up, lose weight, and improve my health. In January, I left behind the sweets and baked goods of the holiday season and once again embraced healthy eating: tracking my calories each day, eating regular meals and small snacks between meals, and focusing on the nutritional value of what I eat. I journal everything I eat each day using an iPhone app, finding it makes me more honest with myself and less likely to overeat.

I’ve also starting exercising more regularly, including signing up for a series of group “bootcamp” classes in February. Group exercise generally makes me sweat without even working out, as I often compare myself to others around me and worry that I’m the weakest link in the class. But I also know that in a group setting I’m more likely to give 100% because of that same worry, so I’m stepping out of my comfort zone to make sure I get the most from my exercise.

I wanted to feel good about my body when I put on a bathing suit in the store, and even better when I wore it on our anniversary. I’ve lost ten pounds since January, and I’m starting to see muscle tone developing beneath the fat. I like what I’m seeing. When I bought my bathing suit, I declared my anniversary-prep a success, and I couldn’t wait for my husband to see me in that suit.

To be clear: I did this both for me and as a gift for him, but my husband certainly isn’t expecting me to be a certain size. Many years ago, when we first met, he saw me at my highest weight ever. More than when I was 9 months pregnant, even. He loved me at my highest weight, and he loves me now, when I’m nearing my lowest weight. Do I want him to be proud of the woman in the bathing suit next to him? Absolutely. But feeling proud of myself is just as important to me.

The results? Well, check out the photo to the left. Never before now would I even think of posting a photo of myself in a bathing suit on the internet, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I’m at the same weight I was when we married. I’m three pounds away from the lowest weight in my adult life. Making the commitment to change the way you eat and exercise is hard, but the payoff of looking better, feeling better, and knowing that I’m improving my health is worth the hard work. I’m worth the hard work.

We had a fantastic time on our anniversary, and all of the preparation and work was worth it. Setting goals for myself helped me get even more excited about our trip, and meeting those goals made me feel fantastic. Having confidence in that bathing suit was my greatest reward as we walked around the waterpark for our anniversary, and that confidence hid any flaws far better than a little skirt would.

Best anniversary yet!

What event are you preparing for?

Now it’s your turn – tell me what big event in your life you’re preparing for, and what you’re doing to prepare for it. It can be anything: wedding, birthday party, moving to a new city, a vacation, etc. Are you shopping for new clothing? Scouting for the best coffee in a new city?

Leave me a comment below sharing how you’re preparing for the next big event in your life (and what that event is!), and you can be entered to win a Slim-Fast gift pack worth $100! Sweepstakes dates are 3/28-4/20.

Visit the BlogHer Promotions & Prizes section for more chances to win as well! And don’t forget to visit the official Slim-Fast site for more information on their products.
Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from two of the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a separate comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a separate comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Full disclosure: I did receive compensation in exchange for writing this post and hosting this giveaway for BlogHer and Slim-Fast. 

Filed Under: success · Tagged: ,


Mar 28, 2011

Bad Car-ma

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Our family doesn’t have good luck with cars. It seems as soon as we fix one thing, something else goes wrong.

Aaron took our little sedan to NYC a couple of years ago. I expressed worry that something bad would happen to it, parked in the big city. Sure enough, it came home with a big dent in the side from being parked on the street.

Whenever we take a car in for maintenance, they always find something major costly wrong with it. And then a month after all of the expensive work is performed, the check engine light nearly always comes on.

Our SUV got a chip in the windshield last year. We had the auto glass folks come out and patch it. Then a few months ago, the patch gave out and the windshield cracked all the way across. Hello, new windshield!

Late last year, we had a nail in a tire on the SUV. We took it in to get the nail removed and patched, only to find it was in the sidewall and couldn’t be patched. And oh yeah, two other tires have nails in the sidewall. And the fourth tire had a broken stem valve. So one nail somehow turned into four new tires.

Last week, I tried to drive to work in the sedan, only to hear something thumping. Stopped at a gas station and found one tire flat. I tried to put air in it, but could hear the air hissing back out. I filled it up enough to drive home and switch cars, cursing our continuing bad luck with cars.

This poor little car has 188K miles on it. It’s running on a frayed rubber band at this point. It officially has a Do Not Recesuitate order on it – comfort care only. But I need it to last a little longer until we can save up for a down payment on a new car, so I had to buy two new tires for it.

As I drove the car home after getting two new tires, I pulled into the driveway to see the SUV had a low tire. With a nail in it. Seriously?

And then the same day, while driving on the highway, a small rock jumped from a semi-truck, over the car in front of us, and chipped the new windshield of our SUV.

Maybe we need to move to a city with better public transportation? Because we clearly aren’t meant to have cars.

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Hey, have you been over to my weight loss blog lately? I recently shared a story about planning to wear a bathing suit for our anniversary trip this year. Come read, share what event you’re planning for at the moment, and enter to win a fabulous gift pack!

Filed Under: daily life, fate laughing at me, money, random ·


Mar 28, 2011

As Good As It Can Get?

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Saturday at my boot camp class I stepped on the scale expecting to see no change again. After all, this past week hadn’t been the best: I’d had deep dish pizza one night, ate several small bites of sweets, and other than my Tuesday and Saturday boot camp classes, my butt had been firmly parked in a chair. Even on weeks when I’ve put in extra effort for the gold star, the scale has rarely given me more than a quarter or half pound loss.

So I was a little surprised when the scale showed I had lost three pounds in a week.

My current weight is 171 pounds. That means in the last seven weeks I’ve lost ten pounds. I’m so very, very close to the magical 160’s. Why magical? Because I’ve only seen the 160’s once in my adult life, and it was for a very brief moment in 2002, when the scale went no lower than 168 in my quest to look good for my early 2003 wedding. Back then, I considered that just about as good as it could get.

But that’s not as good as it can get. I’m going to reach 168 soon, and then I’m going to pass it. The BMI charts recommend a weight of no more than 158 pounds for someone my height, and I’m not stopping until I’m no longer considered “overweight” by the medical community. I’ve gone from obese to overweight, so I know I can do this as well.

Let’s review for some motivation, shall we?

Highest weight post-kids, BlogHer06:

(On the left, obviously. Note: NOT my highest weight ever!)

How I looked when I first made the decision to turn this ship around, March 2009:

And now me in a bathing suit, March 2011:

(And I’m surprised I’m not bursting into flames from embarrassment right now!)
I’d call that progress. I still won’t be winning any awards in a bathing suit at the moment, but I’ve graduated away from the bathing suit dress at least. I can look at that photo and see a lot of hard work accomplished, while also still seeing a lot of potential for the future.
I’m starting to feel semi-comfortable in my own body, and it’s a nice feeling. Too bad it took me 34 years to get there.  
Filed Under: success, weigh-in · Tagged:


Mar 21, 2011

Temple Grandin Gives Me Hope

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Seems like anytime I send for an old-fashioned DVD from Netflix, it then sits around our house for weeks and weeks before I ever get around to watching it, even if I was so excited to see it. Just another reason why instant streaming always wins in our house.
But I did finally dig the latest DVD out on Saturday night, and I sat down to watch the HBO movie, Temple Grandin. I roughly knew the story – a biopic about the life of a woman with autism who has gone on to do incredible things both in spite of and because of her different mind – and I was interested in learning more about Temple. I thought it might help me understand my own daughter a little bit more and maybe even help me feel more confident about her future. However, I wasn’t prepared for the emotional gut punch that came with the story.

If you have a child with autism, I highly recommend this movie. With tissues.

If you don’t have a child with autism, I also highly recommend this movie. Possibly with tissues.

The first part that brought tears to my eyes was near the beginning, in a flashback scene where her mother remembers when Temple was four years old and diagnosed with autism. Her mother asked how soon they could start treatment to cure her, and the doctor flatly told her that in these cases they recommended institutionalizing the child for life. Her mother’s reaction – one of confusion and horror – reached right out and grabbed my heart.

I’m thankful that research for autism has come so far since 1960. I can’t imagine being told my child would have no chance at a life outside of an institution. But I shared a similar reaction when the school told us they thought Cordy had autism. Oh sure, I put on a pretty brave stiff-upper-lip about the whole thing when it happened, but I can honestly say now that I was so very, very scared. In those first few days I was faced with an entirely different life plan for Cordy, one where I had to wonder if she’d ever be able to go to college, or have friends, or even live on her own. While it was a complete overreaction, for a short time autism felt like a death sentence for all of my hopes and dreams for my beautiful curly-headed firstborn.

Temple, despite being nonverbal at four years old, wasn’t put in an institution. Her mother worked with her daily, brought in others to teach her as well, and she eventually went to school, then to college, then to graduate school, and she now has her PhD. Her family didn’t give up on her, and they didn’t let her give up either. It was interesting to see how her family worked with her through her quirks and needs in high school and college, but at the same time they still insisted that some things must be done, no matter how difficult. I only wish the film had been longer to show more of how Temple was brought out of her shell as a child.

It was also painful to see how others treated and reacted to her. She was bullied, she was called a freak, and she was an easy target for others. I already know Cordy will face an onslaught of bullying in school, and I don’t know how to protect her. Thankfully she often doesn’t notice if someone teases her, but I know that kids don’t like to be ignored and will drive their point home if she misses it, physically if needed. She has such a gentle soul that believes everyone is good – how will I prepare for the day when that soul is crushed by cruelty and she realizes her rigid definition of humanity doesn’t fit?

The second time I cried was at the end, when Temple attended an autism conference and was asked to speak. Just the full realization that this woman – with autism – has led such a successful life overwhelmed me with happiness and hope. Her different way of thinking led her to design cattle pen systems that are considered some of the most humane ever invented, and over half of the feedlots and slaughterhouses in the US now use her designs.

She wouldn’t have been able to do it without being autistic and seeing the world the way she does. She’s published many articles and a few books on her work with animals, and she’s also written about what it’s like to have autism, how she overcame her challenges, and how she embraces her autism as a part of her. She meets nearly every definition of success.

I still have days when I look at Cordy and wonder what her life will be like. She’s come so incredibly far from that three year old who recited entire episodes of Dora but couldn’t carry on a simple conversation. The kid who had a 20 minute meltdown, trying to bash her head into the floor over and over, because her routine had changed, or the room was too loud, or she had touched fingerpaint.
She’s full of life, she’s outspoken (although she tends to talk way too much), and she’s smart. She still has no grasp of sarcasm, takes everything you say literally (never say you want to kill something in front of her), and is still bothered by certain sensory stimuli. Will she continue improving? Will she be successful?
I don’t know if she’ll go on to college, but I plan to do everything I can to get her ready for it if she wants to. Maybe even if she doesn’t want to – after all, Cordy needs a lot of pushing to face her fears and grow. If I didn’t force her to go outside of her comfort zone, she’d still be unable to deal with a loud room and still drinking only out of sippy cups. I feel like the bad guy when I make her do things she doesn’t want to do, but I really believe she has to conquer those fears if she’s going to realize her full potential.
I have yet to read any of Temple Grandin’s books, but I plan to add them to the top of my priority reading list. I want to know more about her experiences and how she felt about her family and teachers and how they challenged her. I want to better understand her in the hopes of better understanding my own daughter, and perhaps get some tips on how to better reach out to Cordy. I’m considering going to see Temple speak when she’s in Indianapolis in April, too.
So yeah, if you get the chance, add Temple Grandin to your Netflix queue or just buy it outright. And don’t wait as long as I did to watch it.

Full disclosure: Just because it needs to be said, no one contacted me asking me to review this film – I just wanted to watch it. Although the links above do contain my Amazon ID, meaning if you click on the link and buy the DVD, I get a few pennies in return.

Filed Under: Autism, being a mom, Cordy, reviews ·


Mar 18, 2011

Nobody Ever Said Life, Or Weight Loss, Was Fair

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First, I had that Shamrock Shake yesterday. The only one I was allowing myself for the entire year. And it tasted…eh.

Either the memory was too grand in my mind, or they’ve changed the recipe, but it really wasn’t all I was hoping for, and afterward left a rock-like feeling in my stomach. Good thing I only planned on having one this year!

Weight loss can be so unfair at times. I’m kicking butt, working out, counting calories, choosing whole, nutritious foods over junk, and yet my weight loss has been only inching downward ever so slowly. Since January I’ve lost about 8 pounds.

My husband, on the other hand, has been working out just as hard and watching his foods just as closely and in the same amount of time has lost nearly 20 pounds.

That’s just not fair.

Now, I’m in no way trying to say he is undeserving of his accomplishment, because he’s really done a lot of work to get to where he is and deserves all of the praise he can get. I just wish I could see such a dramatic improvement in the same amount of time.

He points out that he had more weight to lose, which is technically true. But I’ve been tracking my calories and workouts very closely, and according to the science of it all, I should have lost more weight by now.

I love science, but I have to admit: when it comes to weight loss, science can’t be trusted.

There just seems to be an unknown factor with our bodies to ensure that just when you think you’ve got it figured out, you find you were completely wrong and still know nothing. Calories in, calories out is only one factor. Metabolism, gender, hormones, the number of fat cells you have, the type of foods you eat, your body structure, the way your body has reacted to dieting in the past, the daily wind speed and phase of the moon – there are so many unknowns with weight loss that it’s impossible to predict what the scale might display each week.

(OK, the last two may not be factors in weight loss. But then again, scientists might someday find they are, and I’ll then proclaim you heard it here first.)

I’m trying hard to not let it get me down. The scale is still moving in a downward trend – slooooooowly – and I’m making an effort to focus on the bigger picture instead of the number itself. So what if it takes me longer than I planned to get to my goal weight, as long as I do get there, right?

Still…sometimes I wish it was faster.

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