Poster Child For Change

I don't know any other way to say this. Cliche's be damned. 

I have a new found respect for life.  

It's not that I didn't have a healthy one before, honestly nothing has made my own mortality more apparent than becoming a mother. But I have another level of appreciation for the biological side of it. For my body and just how much time I may or may not have in it. 

And I want to take better care of it. 

As you know I started losing weight again about 8 weeks ago.  Almost 13lbs down in that time. Not too shabby. While I obviously failed at not using food to cope with the stress of my biopsy, I still feel like fundamentally I am learning more about what foods are best for my body. 

I'm working to consume more whole foods. Proteins especially, grains, fruits and veggies. And eliminating processed stuff like breads and pastas. As much as I love them them so.  It's not about the carbs, I eat rice, oatmeal, and quinoa (and fruit). It's just the processed stuff. So far it's going well. 

I was able to lose the bulk of the weight strictly by diet, but two weeks ago Brian and I started working with a personal trainer. No, we can't afford it. But we're not actually paying for it. The trainer is a tenant in the building behind Brian's office, and he asked Brian if we would be interested in trading services. We said hell to the yes, and he's been kicking our asses ever since. 

The bummer part is that I've actually gained weight, but I know this is due to the strengthening of muscles, (sore muscles retain water, muscle is heavier than fat...) Yada yada. I've lost an inch around my waist and an inch around each thigh, but it's tough to feel successful when my progress used to be based on what the scale said each week. And ohmyhell am I constantly sore. Anyway, our trainer is great. But I think he is trying to kill us. He really only works with Athletes, so he doesn't really understand our level of "doughiness", if you will. I am overweight, and Brian is just out of shape... This guys got his work cut out fort him!

Wish us luck. :) 

Catching Up

Wooowee, am I far behind on updates! Bullet Points anyone?

Blogaversary - My FIFTH blogaversary was January 31st. I still cannot believe I have managed to keep this going for so long - consecutively. I am always thankful for all of my bloggy friends and all the support I have found in this community.

2x4 - As in my current ass measurement. I started back on the ol' Dub-Dub last week. (Weight.Watchers). I find that the fourth time around I am able to do most of the Points (calorie counting) without actually signing up for it. I found an app for my phone that calculates points the same way WW does. And based on my history I know what range of points I should be within. So I'm exercising regularly again and counting my points. Friday is my first weigh in and since I'm not actually paying for their services, I get to weigh myself neked in my own bathroom. Surprisingly, I can feel a difference already. Even if it's just bloat that I've lost thanks to the metric shit ton of water I've been drinking. I'm just so ready to get my body back. -25lbs is my goal, but ideally I'd like to go for 35. We'll see what I can manage. And barring a second pregnancy, I'd like to hope this is the last time I'll have 25 - 35 to loose. 

I always felt like I needed the accountability of paying someone, and going in to get weighed in order to be successful. But since I'm opting for the free route, I will keep a ticker here (on your right) to help keep me in line. 

Leah - My amazing baby girl. She is so great. I am going to continue to post monthly updates for her. I have last months drafted, I just need to finish and post it. Same with this months, for that matter. Originally I was just planning to do the monthly's for her first year, but going back to read them all I realized  how much I quickly forgot. So I feel like it's important to track it all. 

Blogging in general - I want to keep up on it. I love it. I have been a horrendous commenter as of late though. In fact, I'm a little ashamed of how little I've been commenting. If you are still reading and/or commenting, I love you, and I am going to work on commenting back!

Stay Tuned!

Loud and Clear

I think my body is getting the message. I've been able to make it at least 48 hours in between pumping. Only getting between two and four ounces. I'm going to wean my body instead of stopping cold turkey and resorting to making coleslaw in my bra.

The rest of my body is catching on as well. I've noticed some...differences...in my nether regions. Either my lady parts are aiming to catch up for 8 1/2 months of missed periods (I haven't had any bleeding since postpartum), I'm going to ovulate a Grade A Cage Free Brown Egg, orrrrr - the Whore-Bag is back.  I've had all sorts of pinchy heaviness going on down there for several days. It's starting to get pretty uncomfortable.  I may even go see my Gyno or Acupuncturist. On top of that, I've had an outbreak of eczema, a reoccurrence of hemorrhoids, and a bout of insomnia.

I have an IRL friend who has Ovulatory PCOS as well and after her son was born; ended up with classic PCOS - irregular periods accompanied with regular cysts. Sounds terrific. She ended up having to go on Birth Control to temper the cysts. NOT what I want at all.

The next obstacle is MY ASS. It's umm...Well, it's huge right now.  I have only lost about 15 of the 35ish that I gained during my pregnancy. That 15 came off within a week of coming home, and after that nothing. Breastfeeding didn't do SHIT for weight loss up in here. 

But I also haven't been exercising or even remotely conservative with my diet. Not that I'm eating Junk Food - Leah didn't react well to fried foods, and by policy I try to stay away from a lot of processed stuff and products that contain MSG. I know how to lose weight. I've done it before. Just need to get back on it. Can you feel the motivation behind my words? 

Me neither. 

Headline: Lazy Whore Needs Meal Planning Tips

I love cooking. But while I was pregnant I was completely appalled by most foods with the exception of plain (I'm talking straight out of the colander - still draining in the sink) pasta and half gallon tubs of organic lemon yogurt. I lost my passion for food. By the time I got my appetite back I was too pregnant to cook anything exotic or time consuming. Then I had a newborn and used my spare time to shower and not smell/dress like a hobo. 

So now that things are becoming a little more routine with Leah, I want to start a menu plan. Cooking a few things on Sunday that can be rewarmed or thrown together on a different night during the week. Particularly for the days that I have to work. I've looked at a few 30 minute meal plans, but I'm just feeling uninspired. 

The other problem aside from being a lazy whore, is that I'm fat. And need to get my shit back into shape. I bought running shoes on an insomnia driven whim like 10 days ago (#ImmaAmazonJunkie) and have yet to so much as try them on. I bought new sports bras too. No more excuses! Actually I can think of several. 

I know that I need to lose weight. I have done it before and know the in's and outs of it well. I know that a better menu and more exercise will make all the difference, give me more energy to plan menu's and not groan every time I have to get up from picking up Leah off the floor, blah blah blah. If only it didn't require so much effort.

Any chance you'd be willing to share your tips with someone who is too lazy to construct of plan of her own? Recipes are welcome!

You're da Best! 

No News Is .... Because I'm Boring

So, yeah... I've been a little MIA... Sorry bout that. Iyah... Don't have a whole lot to say I guess - But how are you? What's new?

Okay Seriously. I'm sorry I've been a little out of touch. It's funny because I always wondered about the people who let their blogs go for weeks without an update. How could they not feel compelled to overshare with general public?! I love writing here, I love that years from now I'll be able to look back at April 9th, 2008 and see where I was in my life... I've tried though! I have several unpublished posts that I started and just felt like they weren't really going anywhere, and I didn't want to drag you along with me. Then I happened to look at my calendar and realized that Sunday will be August 1st. (Holy Crap - AUGUST?!) And I can't let the entire month of July go by without a single update, now can I?

So in an effort to keep my future self posted as to where I'm at in my life on this very day, and so you all don't think I've run off to abduct Jason Sudeikis. I give you updates via bullet point, ala: I'm not dead, I swear.

Da Heyouse - I've wrapped myself up in all kinds of household projects. Painting, organizing, purging - all LONG overdue.

Fund Raising - Remember my 34 year old, non-smoking friend with Stage IV Lung Cancer? Well I joined a 5K Fund raiser for the organization he is involved with and I've spent a bit of time emailing and calling folks about it. I've even gone back on to Facebook (gulp) to shamelessly plug it. (Speaking of shameless plugging, if you'd like to donate to a REALLY fantastic and worthy cause, you can email me at bloggyme027 at gmail dot com)

IF Related -I signed us up for a Seminar that a local RE is doing the last week of September. And I set up a phone consultation for a few days after to discuss our future IVF cycle. Exciting! (It's either a phone consultation or a $500 face to face - free shit is better)

The RE's office sent me a package the very next day after my phone call with tons of paperwork, a dvd about them, and pricing. I also found out we might qualify for a 10-25% financial assistance discount that will be based on our income. I'm pretty sure we'll qualify for one of the two - sweetness!

Countdown - We're 35 days away from Pumpkin Spice Latte's.

Which means we're on the downhill side of the countdown to IVF in early 2011. Hoo-fuckin-rah

Weight Loss - I'm down 21.5lbs total, and I've hit a bit of a plateau. In the last two weeks I've bounced up and down about a half a pound. Which is pretty annoying. Guess it's time to mix up my exercise routine again. 14.5 more to go!

So there you have it. Nothing terribly exciting to post about, but I just wanted you all to know I'm still here. Brian has commented on more than one occasion about how nice it is to "have me back". While I feel like I've been in a good place for at least the last four months, I kind of know what he saying. I'm living my life again, and it doesn't have much to do with TTC or our failure to do so. (though I still demand sex when I'm ovulating). And I think the main reason it's been so easy to let go of is only because there is a silent simultaneous countdown ticking away in my head to when we will finally get to move forward again. So while my world is no where near revolving around it, it is still very much present in my everyday life. And now, if you'd like to discuss Politics, I can contradict myself further.

Melissa G - OUT.

SuppleMENTAL

Since embarking upon on my weight loss journey I've found it decidedly convenient to have something else to obsess over whilst on our TTC/ART hiatus. Don't worry I'm not weighing out my portions of cereal or anything. The food part is surprisingly easy for me. It's actually more of the exercise part that I tend to be obsessive about. I'm working out between four and five days a week and it's really going well. But I fully admit that it takes A LOT of willpower to keep my ass off the couch and motivated to exercise so consistently. That part is not so easy.

So since I'm on this new health kick I have decided to subject Brian to a pretty hefty load of supplements to help his boys get a little more whip in their tails. To be one hundred percent honest, I have no idea if it is even going to work. It's a total Hail Mary, but it's a relatively easy thing that we can try to do to boost our chances for my hopelessly delusional miracle BFP aspiration a successful IVF cycle.

I initially got the "cocktail" from Dee who posted about how it helped her husband with severe MFI. (Dee btw, is currently pregnant with triplets (!) after her SEVENTH IVF) I then ran it passed my acupuncturist, who is a licensed herbalist. She approved and was able to order all the goods for me. So now Brian is chugging two different buffered powders in juices - twice per day- AND taking eleven pills a day on top of that.... (Thanks dear)

So for all I know thirty packs of Tic Tacs could yield the same results since we're still possibly dealing with a chromosomal issue, but you know what? This makes me feel like we're actually doing something. Like the twelve months we're taking off to save up for IVF won't be completely useless otherwise. And I'd hate to get to our first cycle and have it fail, then think to myself that I coulda/woulda/shoulda put him on those damn Tic Tacs, and that maybe just maybe we would have had a different outcome. You know how that goes...

So anyway, I'm assuming the RE we're going to meet with in October is going to order another S/A. And I'll commence hoping with all my might that we do infact see a difference - I'm not expecting a perfect score, but just a little something for his efforts would be nice. This appointment afterall will be over 120 days after Brian started this regimen, and from the various reports I've read sperm mature at 70 - 90 days past production, so it should be just in time. Annnnd I guess that's all I have to say about Brian's sperm.

For now.

Wish us luck!

Rightside Up

Dude. You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for cheering me on and offering your not-so-unsolicited support. It was pretty fun to feel the excitement in some of your comments. And a little overwhelming because it made me realize that I was excited too.

I am excited. And hopeful. And almost even giddy when I think about how we're going to get to move forward soon. I'm so grateful to be in such a good place right now that it makes me wonder where I'd be had we not been forced to take a break. I've almost forgotten what it was like to cry on a daily basis, or feel slighted by a complete stranger at the grocery store just because they're pregnant. And things are going really, REALLY well with Brian and I, and I've truly cherished every second since I've stopped wanting to punch him in the face (Not entirely his fault, of course). I'm not saying by any means that the feelings about infertility ever went away, I'm just saying that they were much more manageable... Anyway, I'm not going to sit here and preach about taking a break, because really - who in their everlovin' right mind would want to extend their stay in this horrendous land of limbo? I initially planned to forge ahead, not stopping for anyone or anything until I saw that second line, so I know how it sounds when someone tells you that you need to take a break. (Maybe that's where the whole wanting to punch Brian in the face thing started) I'll just say that a break isn't anything you should be afraid of. (btw, I've been relaxed for four whole months and I'm still not pregnant - can you believe that advice doesn't work after all?!?)

So I guess my new found Zen is part of what made me hesitant to announce anything official here about us doing IVF next year. I was afraid that admitting it in my bloggy life might fling me back into the world of emphatically monitoring my cycle days and cervical mucus. And the next thing you know I'm drinking cough syrup with a straw and screaming in the bathroom at work at a used OPK to give me a more definitive line. For realsies.

Okay here's part of the plan. We're going to interview with one more RE. He used to be a part of my old clinic but opened a practice of his own a while back. He deals strictly with IVF, and has built a very reputable on site lab. The other great thing about this clinic is that he offers a shared risk program, and if we qualify we could be eligible to receive 90% of the fee's back if our first fresh IVF cycle, and subsequent FET's don't end up with a viable pregnancy. In which case we would most certainly put that 90% towards another cycle. He will be giving a seminar at a local Hotel the last week of September, and my plan is to schedule an appointment with him for the week after while I'm signing up for the Seminar. Which in reality is only a little over three months away!

So I'm down almost 15 pounds - yehaw! It's exciting because there are a bunch of clothes in my closet that fit now, so I get to wear somewhat new clothes without having spent a dime. Ahhh the fat girl's consolation... A varied wardrobe to accommodate any pant size. So according to my original plan I only have about 11 more pounds to go. HOWEVER, the clinic we're going to go to really stresses the research they've done between the correlation of BFP's and BMI's. So I'm probably going to need to loose another 10 pounds on top of my original goal. Equaling another 21 pounds total that I need to loose... Fortunately time is on my side -for once. So I might just be able to get all the weight off by the seminar. I'm not going to kill myself doing it, it's just a goal.

Anyhoo, thank you again for all of your support and encouragement. I'm truly grateful with all of my heart.

Injured Reserve

You may or may not have noticed that I've been MIA for the last week or so, I am sorry for that because I've missed you all, but I have a relatively good excuse. I threw my back out last week. ***Whispers in the crowd "I though she was like 31, not 72"***. I am in fact still thirty-one though I feel like I'm Seventy-two. I wish I had an awesomely heroic or acrobatic story to accompany my injury, but I don't. I was reaching for a hairbrush and BAM(!) I couldn't stand back up... (pathetic, I know)

Sadly this is not my first back injury. Those of you with medical degree's or previous back injuries are likely rolling their eyes with a simultaneous "DUH". The first injury happened almost three years ago when my uncle was dying from Colon Cancer and we had to drive six hours each way to his house because he was moving back home. I didn't lift anything particularly heavy I think it was a combination of the emotional stress from the pending loss and moving, and having two, six hour drives with in three days. My other serious relapse was stress related as well. I guess that's why this injury is so baffling. It wasn't stress related at all.

I saw my chiropractor, and he mentioned something about my Sacroiliac Joint and the ligament that wraps around it... I don't really remember the details because I was in excruciating pain and wasn't really paying attention to anything that wasn't making me feel better. I spent the next three days either flat on my back or standing, because sitting was extremely painful (which made going to the bathroom... interesting). The three days I was at home I couldn't bare to sit down in front of our desktop, and our router is busted so my laptop is somewhat useless. And by the time I've gotten home from work this week, all I want is a big glass of wine and to be flat on my back. So please forgive me, because I'm WAY behind on all your posts. I have to say though that Brian has been absolutely incredible. Sunday he went to Costco for me and came back with flowers. Then when I came home from work Monday evening the lawn had been mowed, the kitchen was spotless and he had vacuumed the entire house. (Thank you again dear!!!)

The good news is this has given me a good excuse to go see my acupuncturist, whom I love, love, LOVE. And I've seen my Chiro almost every day which has yielded significant progress. I was thrilled when he recommend acupuncture, and he was a little surprised when I told him I already had a particular office I'd being going to. Which lead to the discussion of IF, and then about how my current injury might be impacted by pregnancy (g*d willing). He said even after I'm feeling better I should come in for adjustments every few months, and that he will definitely be able to help me when I do (eventually/hopefully) get pregnant, and that I shouldn't worry about it too much.

Two other crappy parts about being sidelined by this injury is that one, I wasn't able to complete or submit my Project IF post by the deadline - which breaks my heart but I just couldn't sit in front of a computer, nor was I really in the mood to write. (If you think I'm agro here, be thankful that you've never seen me while I'm in a lot of pain) And two I'm not able to excersize AT ALL. Which is not so good when you're on the weightloss train. But, it is what is it I guess. I'm just focusing on recovering. So if you'll excuse me now, I have a CRAP LOAD of blogs that I love, to catch up on.

OH one more thing! My very good friend Jessica gave birth to her little girl last week. I am so thrilled for she and her husband and I can't wait to meet her daughter. Jess has been very supportive through my journey, and because of that she is one of the few IRL friends that has access to this blog. She also struggled a bit with PCOS so I'm even more thrilled that she's finally got her little one.

Long Time, No ICLW

I've taken the last four months off ICLW because I couldn't honestly commit to getting all the commenting done. But I'm back now, and feeling better. I typically like to sum up my blog in the introductory ICLW posts, but I'm having a hard time describing my current status as anything but a loud, exaggerated fart noise.

So here's some history!

My husband and I started TTC back in the summer of ought seven. I say it all old timey like that because it literally feels like it was that long ago that our TTC journey began. And I now refer to that time as a completely different era. We were a happy-go-lucky couple that was completely clueless of the odyssey that lie ahead. I genuinely believed we would get pregnant on the first try, imagine that.

Fast forward to December 2008, we were diagnosed with severe Male Factor and told IVF w/ICSI or Donor Sperm would be our only hope. After much deliberation we chose donor because it was the most financially attainable, and because we were concerned about the implications that the severity of his diagnosis might mean for our future children.

Fast forward AGAIN to December 2009 when we had our SIXTH and final dIUI. All of them left us with straight up BFN's and a fair amount of credit card debt. My RE at the time, and the second opinion we got a month later were dumbfounded, and couldn't explain why none of the IUI's worked because my charts looked so great.

And that brings us to the present time: Infertile Purgatory. We're currently emotionally and financially tapped out - (Donor sperm is EXPENSIVE!) You can see our protocol for the IUI's in my timeline up above. Although, none of them worked so I wouldn't exactly say they were exemplary. Anyway. Back to the purgatory. We have no idea what the next step is. Possibly IVF using my husbands sperm and donor for back up, or possibly adoption... We just don't have a stinking clue, or any money to move forward anyway, so here we sit. This break is a blessing and a curse - depends on when you ask me.

At the moment I'm working on some loosing some weight. I went a smidge overboard with the comfort foods, and found myself 26.4lbs heavier than I'd like to be. I'm a Pisces. I love hockey, blogging and this IF community. I don't believe in butter or sugar substitutes. I look forward to getting to know all of you.

The Ass Kicking of a Lifetime

I'm going to be completely honest with you. Jillian Michaels made me cry.

Trembling bottom lip and everything.

On Saturday I started her 30 Day Shred Workout DVD, and OH. MAI. GAHD. I have never, EVER in my entire life been so sore. Head to toe. Wince when I walk, groan while getting out of bed, because sitting up actually requires abdominal muscles that I apparently have now. Anyway, I popped in the DVD late Saturday morning and listened to her little schpeal: "I'm awesome and strong and thin and you're not; so here's what I'm going to do about it", blah, blah,blah.

And then, it started.

Forty-seven seconds into the warm up I was already panting. Christ, I thought, only 19 minutes and 13 seconds to go - I CAN DO THIS!

So I did. But not without crying about sixteen minutes, and THREE different types of crunches later.

Something you should know about me.

I'm Norwegian.

I don't sweat.

Unless I'm sick. Or apparently about to collapse from exhaustion. (Seriously though, I never even have to wear deodorant.) But half way through this DVD, I was sweating like a whore in church. Pit stains and a stomach line, drenched in sweat. Alright, so maybe I can't blame the lack of sweating on being Norwegian. Maybe it's because I've just successfully maintained an exceedingly lethargic lifestyle for the last thirty-one years.

So I've worked out with this DVD everyday for the last four days. I'm following the lowest strength level, and so far it's not any easier for me than day one. It's probably even harder because my abs and quads are so sore that their tolerance is a lot lower. It's fucking hard man. By the end of the DVD I'm completely out of breath, sweating, trembling and bellowing with each of the slightest movements. But I'm going to keep doing it. Because it's good for me.

So this is the part where I'd tell you it was all worth it right? Today is Wednesday, weigh-in day. This is where I go on and on about how it was all worth my diet, sweat, and tears. But instead I'm sort of speechless. I only lost 0.5lbs.

I worked SO hard this last week. It just doesn't make sense. I have exercised Every. Single. Day. since last Thursday, and have almost nothing to show for it. My eating was good, I stayed right within the amount of calories I'm supposed to, I don't get it. I feel so, so defeated right now.

Thankful Thursday

On a regular basis I try to stop what I'm doing and think about how lucky am, and how great my life is aside from IF. Ceejay did a post recently that reminded me it's been a while since I said those things out loud. So here it goes:

• Being on a break: As batshit crazy as that sounds, I am so incredibly thankful that we had no money therefore were forced to take this break. Okay, I'm not thankful that we don't have any money for A.R.T., but I really think this break was much needed, and so difficult to see through my BFN haze. It's really been a good thing for me, and my marriage. There is a certain freedom that comes with not knowing what cycle day you're on. Almost like being a normal person. Well "normal" is relative, but you know what I mean.


• My Husband: My husband who works so incredibly hard to keep the dollah billz flowing in even through this horrible recession. Being a small business owner is no piece of cake these days, yet somehow he's still managing to keep his shit together. Even outside of his business, he's been working incredibly hard to make things better in our marriage. The last eight months have been really challenging for us maritally speaking. Not all the time or everyday. And not to the point where either of us started making other plans. On the worst days though it seemed like not wanting a divorce, was the only thing we had in common. While we're not quite finished, I'm overjoyed to tell you that after a fair amount of couples therapy and a lot of hard work, we're doing much better. I don't mean that to sound like he was the only one who had work to do. This blog should be all the evidence you need to prove I've got my own brand of crazy. Marriage is work. And sometimes, it's a lot of work. And not something you as a couple can handle alone. Which leads me to my next bullet point.


• Therapy: Alone, together, WHATEVER. I think everyone should have a therapist. We're all a little crazy and if you think you're not, well let me tell you something: The really crazy people- don't know they're crazy. And even if you might not need it now, you should consider it someday. My final word: All ttc and no therapy makes Melissa want to climb up on to a rooftop with a semi-automatic weapon.


• Humor: If we weren't laughing, we'd be crying right? Truer words were never spoken my friends. By the way, the last two sentences in my previous bullet point WERE A JOKE, and I hope I didn't offend anyone, but come on people, you know you've been there too. I digress. What I was going to say is that I've lost count of the amount of times I've come a cross a blog post put up by some of you out there that has completely disarmed me, and left me with tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. And I'm so, so grateful to know it's out there.


• The Internet: I don't even want to think about where I'd be, had I not found this community. Endless resources, and endless support. I love the Internet.
  
• Wei.ght Wat.chers: I'm down another 0.8 lbs. Not what I hoped for, and I'm trying not to beat myself up for such a lame-o drop, but I guess it's better than gaining.


• Friends, fertile or not: Through this hardship I have learned a lot about my friends, and especially what kind of friend I want to be from now on. I've met some amazing people in the IF community. Ones that I hope to know and keep in contact with for the rest of my life. And my IRL friends, fertile as most may be. There are a select few of them that have been absolutely incredible. The awesome ones know of and have access to this blog. The rest of them can suck it. Just kidding. The rest of them just don't get it, and I won't hold that against them because I wonder what kind of friend I would have been had the situation been reversed. I like to think I would have not been a complete asshole, but you never know. Oh, and I'm not completely out of the IF closet, so some of them just don't know about our problem. Though we've been married for almost seven years, so I'm sure they're wondering. P.S. one of my very good IRL friends is going to do a guest post very soon, so stay tuned!
  

Okay, that's not EVERYTHING I'm thankful for, but those are the first few things that floated in to my teeny tiny brain....

What are you thankful for?

Accountability

I'm not sure whether to thank you all, or yell at you for letting me off the hook. What do you mean, what am I talking about?!?! I'm talking about the big fat ass of mine that I was supposed to get rid of three months ago. Remember this post, when I said I had started a diet, and already lost a few pounds, and that I'd put a ticker up shortly?! Well I never put a ticker, and I gained those few extra pounds back in one- Boston-Market-sitting. Man, I could eat their sweet potatoes EVERY. DAMN. DAY. Maybe a with a little side of Mac & cheese. Oh dude, and their Chicken Pot Pie? I'd cut a bitch for their Chicken Pot Pie... It's that good.

Annnnnd that's my problem.

I love food. So, so much. Good day or bad, it's a perfect reason to cook up something comforting. Ten minutes in my kitchen is really much harder on my diet than a half hour at a Burger King. Okay maybe that's not a fair comparison. Fried food is not my problem. I'd pick a wheel of double cream Brie over a plate of fries ANY DAY. Seriously, cheese is one of my weakest spots. Oh and Peanut Butter. I actually don't really care for, nor do I visit fast food places often. So other than my Peanut Butter and cheese habits, portions are my other problem. I'm guilty of eating when I'm not hungry, just cause it sounds good. An extra scoop of rice, so I don't have to dirty a Tupperware container? Why not.

So yes my weight has always fluctuated a bit. In the two years after we got married, I gained a good 35 pounds. It wasn't because I stopped caring - like I didn't have to try anymore because I was married. I actually call it Happy Fat. I was loving life, and cooking my way in to oblivion. Then I joined Weight Watchers and lost 45 pounds. Got back to my high school weight. And I felt really, really good. I gained a little of it back but lost it again in the spring of 2007 because we were going to try for a baby. And when it didn't happen right away things pretty much started to go down hill from there. The depression and heartache I endured was too much at some point and I turned back to food to make me happy.

But I'm ready to do something about it now. And it's not really about the way I look. It's more about the way I feel. I don't feel as good as I do when I'm eating better and exercising regularly. So last week, I started Weight Watchers. Again. And it's going alright. I think the first week is one of the toughest - for me. Getting used to planning every single meal and sticking with the smaller portions is not easy. But I drink my weight in water to avoid an empty stomach, and I stick with my motto for this point in my diet: If you're not hungry; you're not doing it right... A month from now, the portions I'm eating will be more than enough, and making the right choices won't be so difficult. I know that once I loose the amount of weight I want to, I can go back to eating cheese and peanut butter in moderation, and as long as I keep exercising regularly. I used to hate running, but now I love it. It really clears my head.

Anyway, I went in to get weighed this morning. My first week I lost 4.7 pounds at home or 2.8 pounds on the WW scale (with all my clothes on). And if you look up and to your right, you'll see my new weight loss ticker. Just to keep me in line.

Here I go...