Gettin' Shrunk

2011-06-11T12:50:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! Just a quick update on me. I've been super busy lately. My husband and I are now proud, first time, home owners. We are loving it. The previous owners neglected the yard a little, so I have been busy tackling the dandelion and moss issues. It's a great strength training workout though removing that moss. I am having to rake it all out with a dethatching rake and it's alot of work! I do need to get back to my running again, but I'm trying to get my iron levels up first. I just went in for a bunch of blood work and I am borderline anemic again. I'm not sure why this keeps happening but my doctor (and I) suspect food intolerances to either dairy, gluten, or both. I am NOT allergic though (so that's good), we have done tests for that. Right now I'm back to eliminating those foods from my diet and hoping it helps the tummy problems and acne. Otherwise, I am doing great. I go in on Monday to have a dog ear from my tummy tuck removed on my left side. It is a quick, in office procedure. Hopefully after that this whole surgery thing will be put behind me. I do find that even though I'm over 7 months out of surgery, my tummy still seizes up from time to time for no apparent reason. I guess what they say is true, it does take a year to fully recover. I'm still very happy with my results and I'd do it again in a heart beat.

2011-02-01T00:23:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been a long, hard recovery and I'm still not there! I am now 12 weeks post op, but I'm not "healed" completely. I mean, I handled the pain of the surgery well, and I was up and moving right away and living life as normal 2 days after surgery, but the exercise is another story. I was cleared to be active again after 6 weeks, but I found that I actually wasn't ready at that time. I tried ditching my compression garment and after a few days I had to start wearing it again. I also tried walking and running on my treadmill, that didn't go over well either. I would swell up so bad that I would feel like I would pop at any moment! That muscle repair is the worst part of the whole surgery. It feels so tight, like there's a two by four in your stomache. Even without exercising, sometimes (like right now), I'll just be sitting here and BOOM, instant swell for no reason at all. WTH? Apparently, this is normal and can go on for 6-12 months. It really throw your mind for a loop when you will wake up with a nice, flat tummy and by dinner time you look 5 months pregnant. Anyways, as of 2 weeks ago, I am back in my groove. I have been running on my treadmill daily and yesterday was a nice, sunny day so I even took it to the streets. It felt SO good to run outdoors. The only downside is that afterwards my whole tummy feels like pins and needles. I'm not sure why, maybe all the blood flow to my already numb tummy? Very, very odd sensation, but it doesn't hurt, so I'll keep at it. I did gain 5 lbs during my surgery recovery and Christmas holidays, but I've already lost 2 of it in the last 2 weeks, the other 3 will drop off no problem now that I'm running again. I'm not worried. I always journal my food intake, but it really seems like when I'm not being active, I gain weight! I think that I naturally have a slow metabolism and I will forever have to work out if I want to control my weight.

Tomorrow, I have to meet with my plastic surgeon. I am not looking forward to it. Overall, I am happy with my results, but I did have a phone conversation with her at the start of January about my dissatisfaction with the loose skin remaining on my sides. The original plan was to extend my tummy tuck incision to address this issue and at the last moment (literally as they were marking me before surgery) they informed me that they were only doing the incision at the front and not around my hips going towards my back. It is obvious to me that I needed an extended tummy tuck, but what am I going to do now? The surgeon insists that this was the best option for me and there's no way that I want to go under anaesthetic again, so I guess that I'll just have to live with it. It is definitely a huge improvement overall and there's no denying that it was worth every penny. I just wish that they would have completed the job as planned. They say that you should wait until 6 months or longer before you see the full results from this surgery, so I will wait until then before I post a full review about my surgeons and how I went about getting a great price at a top knotch surgical facility.

2010-12-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

I went for my 6 week follow up appointment with my plastic surgeon today. I've got clearance for everything! She said that I don't have to wear my post surgical garments anymore, only if I start to feel tight or sore. I can start exercising again. She wants me to gradually start up though, and to really watch it if I'm going to lift weights and maybe even hold off on those for awhile still. She said to just follow my body as far as both the exercise and ditching the compression garment go. I'm allowed in hot tubs, swimming pools...all of that is fine. My scars look great YAY! I am still swelling but with this surgery that can go on for months.

I asked about the loose skin at my hips, she said that they went as far as they could with the incision without doing a circumferential (full body lift), and she does not feel that a circumferential was necessary for me. She does say that I need a revision for a slight dog ear on my left side. We will do that in February, which is also when my next follow up appointment is.

Time to go for a bra fitting and get some good supportive bras, and some new panties!

2010-11-25T19:12:00.000-08:00

So, I went in today to get the seroma drained from my tummy. I woke up at 6am, and the swelling was gone! My body reabsorbed it? So strange, but I had sent my PS pictures a few days ago, when the fluid was there, and she had agreed that I was more swollen then I was before and said I needed to come in to have it aspirated. So I wasn't imagining things! When I was there today, she looked over my incisions and she had missed a stitch under my breast when she removed them last week, so at least my visit wasn't a total waste of her time. The reason the fluid and swelling went away seems to be because I've been RESTING! Not during the day, but forcing myself to put my feet up in the evenings. She wants me to continue to do so until my next visit on Dec 7th. OH, and I get to stop sleeping in my post surgical bra! YAY! At least I'll have SOME relief since I still need to be in the abdominal compression garment for 3 more weeks.

2010-11-23T12:43:00.000-08:00

Looks like tomorrow I have to go and get some fluid (seroma) drained from my belly. My tummy is numb, so I won't feel it, and I'm not in any pain just pretty swollen. Ah well, tis life!

2010-11-19T12:01:00.000-08:00

I kinda overdid it two nights ago. I went shopping at Costco. I tried not to buy anything too heavy (heaviest was a case of Alphaghetti for the kids), but I think just the effort of pushing the full cart around the store and unloading the groceries into the van, and then doing a quick shop at another grocery store was just too much. I came home and I was sooooo hunched over, swollen, and uncomfortable. I didn't pull or damage anything, just overdid it. I didn't feel right again until the next afternoon, but on a positive note...I have noticed considerably less swelling since then. My compression garment feels alot comfier with the reduced swelling, and I am sleeping much more soundly because of it. I'm even sleeping on my side! :O)

2010-11-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

I went to see my Plastic Surgeon today. I had all of my stitches removed (except the dissolvable ones in my tummy incision). My belly button no longer looks like a spider is living in it LOL! The breast stitches were a litttttle tender coming out, but hey at least I have nipple sensation. I never had any before the reduction. My PS is thrilled with how I'm healing, everything looks great, but she is still strict about no activity for 4 more weeks. Just take it easy she said. I also found out that I had 800 grams of skin removed from my tummy and 187 from my breasts. What a difference 2.1 lbs worth of skin removal makes. She said that I can take 2 X 30 min breaks from wearing my compression garments each day. PHEW! I can't wait to start that! I will be wearing them for 4 more weeks both day and night.

2010-11-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

I'm getting so sick of wearing this stupid compression garment. It's seriously making me miserable! It's so snug, and I'm so swollen, and I feel itchy, and bitchy and UGH! I just want to take it off!!!!!!! Before I go CRAZ-Y! I did manage to get it on all by myself after my shower tonight though. That's the first time that I haven't needed Dh's help.

I still have the Phlebitis going on too, to top it all off :oS

2010-11-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

I didn't sit in my recliner all day. I wasn't doing too much, just sitting at the table with the kids doing school work all day, and sitting at my desk to browse the internet, and walking around a little bit. Well tonight when I was sitting at the table helping my daughter with some school work and it hit me all of a sudden. I started to feel like a balloon getting bigger and bigger. My friend described it as feeling like "Violet" from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That's exactly how it felt. It hit me so hard and so fast that my husband walked by, looked at me, and said, "Oh my God, Are you OK? The look on your face......". I felt like I was gonna pop right through my garments. Both my breasts and my tummy were just huge. I felt desperate to get the garments off so I thought that it would be a great time to take a shower. Phew, thankfully, sitting in the shower and just resting helped the swelling to go down. I had no problems getting back into my garments with Dh's help of course.

The Phlebitis is better today. I slept the entire night (and I slept 12 hrs) with it elevated above my head and it definitely helped. It is no longer red or warm to the touch, and the pain doesn't travel the 4 inches up to my wrist anymore. Now it's just a rice shaped bump, which isn't nearly as sore as yesterday. So hopefully soon it will be gone.

2010-11-10T16:32:00.000-08:00

So I was just at Planet Organic and almost fainted right in the aisle while talking to a sales clerk. I had to sit down on the yucky floor and put my head between my knees. I've had this hard kinda bump like thing on my left wrist/arm area (same side IV was on). It feels to me like a piece of long grain rice in my vein and it's a little red and sore for a few inches up to my wrist. It was really sore last night, and still sore today, so I thought I'd better go to the Dr's which just so happened to be only 2 blocks away from the store that I was at. The doctor said that I have Phlebitis, which I guess is an infection in my vein from the IV. Certain medications e.g. nausea medications that are given through the I.V. can cause phlebitis. I was given gravol through my IV after surgery. I wonder if that's what did this. The doctor said that she was glad that I came in anyways, because she was not happy about a report she had been given about my surgery. Apparently my heart rate dropped during surgery? (Noone told me!) So she just wanted to check my heart, which was fine. Phew!

2010-11-10T09:31:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm in a miserable mood. I think the post plastic blues are setting in. I had a HORRIBLE sleep last night. I thought *hmmmm, maybe I'll try the couch tonight*...yah BAD friggen idea. This compression garment makes it even less easier to bend or move and I was just so uncomfortable, but of course felt too lazy to transfer all my pillows, blanket, and sheet back to the recliner, so I just laid there in agony. The sides of my tummy incision were sore, my left nipple was sore. Maybe my nerve endings are starting to reconnect and I am feeling sensation again? I'm just a big, whiney baby today. I have to keep looking back at my pics and convincing myself that it is better than before and this was worth it.

Here's my compression garment and surgical bra, OMG it's so restrictive. It's necessary though. It kinda bubbles in on the side there, I'm not sure why. There are hooks (like a bra) all the way up the side, then a zipper. It looks like it's dipping and digging into me, but it's not.

2010-11-09T13:24:00.001-08:00

I'm losing weight. I'm down 5 lbs since surgery, despite all this swelling. Usually it's quite the opposite with this surgery and people go up about 10 lbs.

Bandages are off! Drains are out! Holy #$%^ it hurt getting the tape off. That was the most sticky ass tape I've ever seen in my life. It was like she was ripping a layer of skin off. She had to brace herself and use two hands to tear it off. Then she goes "the drain removal may hurt"...PFFFT, yeah right! After what I went through with the tape, no way...I didn't even feel the drains coming out!

I look like I've gone to war, but otherwise I look good! My boobs look freakin' fantastic and she said they only took about 150cc's total out of both of them. I am particularly impressed with the boobs, I've gotta say. I kinda think that there will be a slight "dogs ear" on the left side by my hip, but my Plastic Surgeon thinks it's just swelling and will go down, but she did say if after 6 months we feel it is an issue she will do a revision for me. I still have loads of stretch marks. They seem to stand out even more to me now than before, but oh well...scars don't bother me. She did a nice job on my belly button too. It's perfect (just still in war wound stage). I am allowed to shower now, but Dh is in a meeting after work, so won't be home until late tonight. I have to wait for him to get home because there is NO WAY I can get back into this tight ass compression garment on my own. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOO snug. Comfy, but really snug and I'd strain myself trying to do it up. So when he gets home at like 8pm my time, I will have my first shower (ahhhhhhhhh) and get him to take some pics that I will post in my private album. I can't wait to compare the pics to my before pics. It is hard for me to look past the wounds and swelling right now.

I go back in one week to have the stiches removed from my nipples and to switch to paper tape on my abdominal incision. The stitches that were used for my tummy are all dissolvable. After the paper taping we will switch to silicone tape. I dunno, it just feels darn good to be out of those bandages and into my compression garment and surgical bra. My skin can breathe!

2010-11-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

Today my bandages on my tummy loosened up enough that I can see my new belly button. It is so cute! It's little, but not too small and it has nice shape to it. They got rid of my navel piercing scars that I had. My upper tummy looks good. I still have stretch marks, but it's weird, because it's the stretch marks that use to be further up and are now pulled down. I don't mind the stretch marks though. They were to be expected. I knew that not all of them would disappear with this surgery and I'm OK with that. Only 11 more hours until my bandages are off! I'm only draining 10cc's of fluid per drain, so I know that those will for sure be removed tomorrow too :O)

2010-11-08T17:53:00.001-08:00

Only 14.5 more hours until I go to see my plastic surgeon and get these damn drain tubes and all these sticky, constricting, claustrophobic feeling bandages removed. Finally, I will get to see what is underneath all of this. I'm so excited!

2010-11-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

So, today is my first day of no meds. I am out of Tylenol 3's. I guess if I need something I'll just take Ibuprofen or regular Tylenol. I'm still doing ok as far as moving around and doing things, but today is hubby's day off so I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to rest. I'm just toughin' it out until Tuesday when my PS finally reveals her work under these bandages. I'm really excited to see what's under there.

Oh, and I had a blood grenade explode on me last night. That was nice. One of the little tabs popped open on my drain tube ball thingy and body fluids were all over my clothes and chair. *sigh* This surgery is definitely not glamorous!

Oh and I've found something that hurts almost as much as coughing....laughing. Omg, I read something really funny online this morning and I couldn't stop laughing, but it was hurting so bad! I was holding my tummy as hard as I could. So no laughing, coughing, or sneezing from now on. I can't handle it!

2010-11-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

The card reads, "I'm right there with you to share this great moment in your life. I'm so proud of you Shaunna. Love Karine"

Wow - talk about a tear jerker. This made me cry and that's no easy task! Karine was the only one to send me flowers after my surgery (not that I expect any). I am so lucky to have her as a friend. She has been by my side through "thick and thin" literally.

2010-11-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

I'm doing great today too! I cut back on my pain meds. I managed to unload and load my dishwasher. One plate at a time, but still, I did it. I leisurely picked up a few toys. Fed my kids throughout the day. Stood at my window and chatted to the neighbour. Played some games with my kids. Played dolls with my daughter. I sent my husband back to work today. I felt that I wouldn't need him here at home, and I didn't. My kids were very responsible and helpful, and we all managed just fine without him. My husband told me when he came home that I'm not slouching enough. I can't help it though! I do slouch more at night though. Last night, I did not find it comfortable to sleep in my recliner. I had to lay on the couch and elevate my legs and head with pillows. My bandages have gotten loose at my upper chest area, enough that I can have a little peek in there with a flashlight to see my NEW CLEAVAGE. It looks so cute!!!! I can't wait to see the rest!

Thought I'd share a pic of what I looked like the day of surgery. I still haven't figured out how I will go about posting before and after pics, but I will figure something out so that they aren't too X rated. This is just to give you an idea of where I'm at right now. It looks worse than it is....I think? ;o)

2010-11-04T01:48:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day. I'm still managing really, really well. The only thing that freakin' KILLS me is to cough! Ugh, it feels like I'm getting stabbed in the stomache for real. Everything else is fine though. I can get up and down by myself from my recliner and the toilet. I sit at the table to eat my meals. I made myself a bowl of soup and grabbed my own snacks. I am managing very well. I have taken pictures, and edited them, and have them all read for posting. I am still going to wait until Tuesday though, when I get these bandages off and have more to show. Then I've decided to post them to a private, password protected blog. I will share that password with those of you whom request the info from me. I will not be setting this blog to private. It is helpful to too many people and I don't want to take that away.

2010-11-03T00:44:00.000-07:00

Oh, and just for the record. I am getting emails from people wanting to know what cup size I went up to for my breasts. I didn't, I had a reduction. I was a DD cup, and my surgeon figured I would end up being a B, but we won't know for sure until these bandages come off. She was going to leave me with all of my breast tissue and just take off all the skin, there was ALOT of extra skin. I am so curious to see my new boobs and tummy, but I have to wait a week to get these bandages off.

It is midnight now, I am starting to hunch a little bit, whereas I wasn't at all before. I still wouldn't consider myself to really be in "pain", it just feels like sore muscles and tightness. Tomorrow may be a different story, I guess time will tell. I will update again!

2010-11-02T18:59:00.001-07:00

I'm still doing great, and I've been out of surgery 6.5 hours now. The drive home was a breeze. My hubby kept going "are you ok" every time he went around a corner, or over a bump, or put on the brakes and I was honestly completely fine. I didn't need to hold a pillow over my tummy. Then I got home, and stood in my driveway talking to my neighbour for 15 mins. I've been in my recliner ever since on my phone and laptop. I'm tired (sleepy), but otherwise fine! I will have a nap soon, but first I'm going to get up and stretch my legs a bit.

I've been taking pics, but I'm not going to start posting any until after my 1 week post-op when they remove my bandages and there will actually be something to see.

2010-11-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

I am copying and pasting my email to Shirls aka Happychix, just to make things easier for me right now.

I had a really bad panic attack at the surgical center this morning. I almost fainted on them (both my surgeons reached out to grab me). I had to sit down and was pale and dripping with sweat. It lasted about 20 mins, but as soon as I stepped into the operating room, I was good to go. The surgery lasted 4 hrs. I was super itchy for 1.5 hrs afterwards from the meds, but I felt (and still feel) GREAT! The staff was surprised at how well I am doing. I worked my butt off to be in the best health possible for this surgery, and it's looking like it's paying off. I expect to be more sore later, but right now I am feeling no pain. They have me bandaged up for both my tummy and my breasts. So I'm not in a compression garment or surgical bra yet. At my one week post-op appointment, they will remove the bandages and I will start to wear my garments.

I know that I was a total wreck for the two weeks leading up to the surgery. I only slept 45 minutes last night, but now I see how silly it was to fret so much because everything went great, and I am pleased as punch!

2010-10-28T00:38:00.000-07:00

ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT until surgery day! Omg, I'm freaking out. Thoughts of "what have I gotten myself into", "how are my kids going to handle my being out of commission for awhile", "how will DH cope", and "how bad is it REALLY going to hurt". I'm also scared shitless about being put under anaesthetic. I just better wake up! So, I went to my pre-op appt a little while ago, it went well. I couldn't be more confidant in my surgeons. I also went to an appointment on Monday to get sized for my extremely attractive post surgical bra and abdominal compression garment ;o) Hey, at least they had black ones for me. I was happy about that.

I am getting alot of emails from people wanting information about where I am getting the surgeries done and whom will be doing them. I will be willing to share all of this with you guys after my surgery is complete (as well as pre and post op photos). I don't want to give out recommendations until after I have gone through the procedure and can give you all detailed notes on my experience.

I'm sure that I will post with some pre-op jitters on Monday night, but if not...please keep me in your thoughts on Tuesday morning when I go under the knife. Thank you!

2010-09-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

Change of plans! On a whim (and at my doctors suggestion), I decided to contact a residency program in my area to see about having my abdominoplasty done as an instruction thing. I have heard EXCELLENT reports about the program, and it would also save me a ton of money. Besides, I wanted a second opinion, as I had only met with the one plastic surgeon, and everyone knows that you should seek at least two different opinions. So I fired off an email, not expecting to hear anything back, but I did, and only a couple of days later too! Things started to move rather quickly. They set up a meeting with me, I met the resident doctor and immediately liked her MUCH more than the first plastic surgeon that I had consulted with. Anyways, after two meetings I decided to cancel my surgery with the first plastic surgeon, and go with the second doctor (known as being one of the top 10 in Canada) and her resident doctor. They are giving me a smoking deal too! Normally the abdominoplasty with lyposuction and breast lift/reduction would cost a whopping 16,000 dolllars with this plastic surgeon....my fee will be only 4,000!!! I'm thrilled beyond belief to have found not only one, but two doctors that I trust and feel comfortable with doing my surgeries. I have put down my deposit and secured my surgery date. It will be done on NOVEMBER 2nd and my pre-op appt is Oct 4th :O)

I'm still kickin' it on my treadmill, lifting my weights, eating gluten, dairy, soy, red meat FREE and I feel FANTASTIC! Hopefully all of my hardwork helps to pave the way for a successful surgery and speedy recovery. I will update soon :O)

2010-09-08T01:22:00.000-07:00

Wheeeeeeeeeeee! I'm rockin' it! Weight is dropping, muscles are toning up, and I bought a treadmill yesterday! I've been running regularly, but now the weather has changed. Normally, I have to wait until my husband gets home from work at 7pm before I can head out for my run/bike/gym workout so that he can watch our kids. Where I live, it rains ALOT in the fall/winter months, and that dreary, rainy weather has hit this week. It also gets dark alot earlier, so I bit the bullet...and bought a treadmill. I am LOVING IT! Today, I went for my run in the morning (on the treadmill). I have never done that before! It was so nice to get it done and over with for the day. I was able to have a nice shower, do my makeup and hair, and be ready for the day. Another added bonus, my kids have been doing daily workouts on the treadmill too! I'm still eating gluten, dairy, soy, caffeine, red meat FREE, and limiting my intake of sugar and prepackaged foods. I've been following this new way of eating for just over 5 weeks now. I am positive that this is why I am dropping weight and have the energy to workout again. I feel so much better now that I'm in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height. It was getting scarey when I saw the scale creeping to the upper end of my healthy weight range. I am confidant that I will be in the best health ever come surgery time in 37 days :O)

2010-08-25T11:16:00.001-07:00

THE FINAL CHAPTER :O)

Omg, I'm so excited! I have booked my surgery for breast reduction/lift and abdominoplasty with a touch of lyposuction (on the sides just to shape the tummy tuck properly) for OCTOBER 15th!!!! That's not very far away! I met with this plastic surgeon over a year ago. I have been saving money ever since our first consultation. Finally, his office contacted me with a surgery date and I have all of the funds! I can't believe this is finally happening! The most depressing thing ever was losing all of that weight, only to be stuck with a saggy flap of skin on my tummy and saggy breasts to go with it. Finally, I will feel "normal" and be able to fit clothes properly. I have been working out really hard this past month. I've been alternating between running 5k and cycling for my daily workouts, and throwing in some dreaded strength training every second day too. I've also been following the "Endometriosis Diet". My gynecologist suggested it (as well as a birth control pill) in an attempt to avoid surgery. Well, the diet is working! I am pain-free for the first time in 3-4 yrs. One problem, I am very limited as to what foods I can eat. No gluten (wheat), no dairy, no soy, no red meat, no caffeine, no chocolate (omg), limit refined sugars and honey, no ALCOHOL, and limit tinned and frozen foods as well as foods with alot of preservatives and additives. So what do I eat? Alot of fish, chicken, nuts and seeds, veggies and fruit, which is resulting in WEIGHT LOSS. My weight is creeping down and I am thrilled. I've never felt healthier, and I feel well prepared for surgery. I will of course blog the before/after pics as well as my healing progress after surgery. You know me...I share it all! :O)

I also want to say thanks to Happychix (Shirls) for sharing so openly about her surgery with me and for being a supportive friend. She is always so positive and encouraging. There should be more people like her in this world ♥

2010-08-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

I went to visit some old friends back in the city that I grew up in. One of my friends got a few pics of me and some of my kids too. I thought that I'd share, as it's been awhile :O)

2010-07-12T15:53:00.001-07:00

Just poppin' in to say Hi :O)

And to let everyone know, I am doing well. I'm trying to be active and still religiously counting my WW points. I am still in the "healthy weight range for my height" after THREE YEARS on maintenance! I'm bouncing around the 160's, but gradually dropping weight because I finally quit taking the "Diane35" pills for acne treatment. My doctor assured me that the prescription wouldn't cause me to gain weight, but it has gradually causing me to gain (went from 140's to 170's) so I quit taking them, and I'm losing again (16 lbs in the last month). I've decided that if the acne comes back, I'd rather live with that then be fat again.

I'll be back when I have some good pictures to post. I just went on a LULULEMON splurge 2 days ago. Omg! I got 2 "Remix" hoodies (dark blue and light grey), a black "Admiral" jacket, the Turqoise "Zen" wrap, a yellow "Shape" jacket, a black "Cool Racerback" tank top, 2 "Scoop Neck" tank tops (one black, one peach), a bright pink "Power Y" tank top, a "Knotty" tank top, the black "Totally Twisted" dress, a pair of the black Wunder Under full length pants, and a "Flow Y" bra, a "Scoop" bra, and 2 "Tata Tamer" bras. PHEWWWW! Now THAT'S a shopping spree!!! :O)

2010-03-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Cool website! Bellaboo from the GDT posted about this website called www.fatsecret.com It is AWESOME! I am totally going to use it. It's for tracking your food, exercise, and weigh ins, and you can set it to keep track of your WW points as well as calories, fat, fiber etc. I totally love it! Best of all it's FREE and it has a mobile app that you can put on your itouch, ipod, blackberry for FREE as well.

As far as how I'm doing this week, so far so good! Doing well with points (haven't used any flex yet), and earning those AP's!

2010-03-06T11:52:00.000-08:00

I'm still here :O)

Not much going on really. Still waiting to get in for surgery, but I've started running again. I went in and had a big talk with my doctor. I told her that if I didn't get back to running, I would need to go on antidepressants for my panic disorder. It's getting pretty bad. She agreed that I could run but not to overdo it, and I had to promise her that I'd do blood tests every 1-2 months to check on my anemia.

Here's a pic of my cute Yorkie girls.

2010-01-11T13:44:00.001-08:00

Down 5 lbs in my first week back on track. It seems that I can count points alllll I want and I don't get anywhere, but as soon as I throw some exercise into the mix, things start to move in the right direction!

2010-01-11T00:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!!

First, I have to share recent pics of my Yorkie girls...

Missy

Dora

Second, I have to show you the Santa Chocolates and Gingerbread men that I made for my kids to bring to school for Xmas.

Thirdly, I'll fill you in on what's being going on with me medically. I went to my doctor and insisted that she send me to a gynecologist. I haven't been able to run or do any high intensity cardio for a year, and I'm sick of it. I feel like crap, and I've been anemic for a full year. Not to mention that the scale has crept up, and I am now at the very top of the healthy weight range for my height. I want to know why I'm losing so much blood and why iron supplements aren't helping. So, I had my appt with the specialist a couple of weeks ago, he did a hysteroscopy and found that everything looked normal, except for unexplained bleeding inside my uterus. He's come to the conclusion that he thinks it's due to hormones and he is going to do a procedure (day surgery) called "Endometrial Ablation". It is going to take awhile for me to get a date for when he will do the surgery. He said that he is so overbooked that I likely won't get in before Spring. Until then, I am fighting back again my body. I may not be able to do high intensity cardio, but I can sure as heck lift weights, do ab/core work, and walk my butt off. I've already started, and I had an AWESOME week. I was strict with my point counting and I earned a fair amount of AP's. I have no hopes of the scale budging (weigh in is tomorrow) BUT I feel a bazillion times better. For the last while, depression has been starting to kick in and I just can't sit back and let that happen. So it's back on the exercise train for me *toot* *toot* :O)

2009-11-27T09:35:00.000-08:00

Check out Crazy Dora at the breeders yesterday. I am picking her up TONIGHT!!!! WOooO HoOoOoo, so excited!

2009-11-24T22:04:00.000-08:00

I will give you guys a little upate on me and how I'm doing lately. I'm still not exercising. I just hate "light exercise", so honestly, I'm not doing anything at all. Remember how my doctor was sending me for all those tests (blood, urine, stool, ultrasound)? Well, the blood test came back as still anemic (although I've been taking iron supplements) and laying off the high intensity workouts/running, so she upped my iron intake to 3 pills per day. At the ultrasound, my doctor had ordered an abdominal and pelvic exam. While the radiologist was doing it, she asked me why I needed these ultrasounds. I started explaining to her that I have sporatic and heavy bleeding, along with being anemic for a year, and I have alot of pelvic discomfort. It's been going on for 4 yrs now. When she was done, she asked me to wait while she talked to the doctor. When she came back, she said that the doctor would like to do an internal ultrasound, so I agreed. They said that if my doctor needed to see me she would let me know this week because she gets the results in a matter of 2-3 days. I didn't hear from my doctor, so I thought that all was good, but she did end up calling me...8 days later :O( When I went in for the appointment, my doc told me, "you have nothing to worry about, it's just polyps, they are almost always benign, we will just wait 6 months and do another ultrasound to see if they've changed. I went home and felt very nervous. It was really bothering me that I'm having these symptoms. If we know what *might* be causing these symptoms, then why aren't we doing something now to fix it? It's gone on for 4 yrs! So I wrote a letter and dropped it off at her office requesting a referral to a gynecologist. She did so immediately (within 5 mins of dropping off the letter). For the next day, I kept visualizing the little diagram she had drawn on the ultrasound report describing to me what polyps were and blah blah blah...but the whole time she was drawing, my eyes were scanning that report...I didn't remember seeing the word "polyp" anywhere. It drove me nuts for 2 days, so finally I just went in and requested a copy of my ultrasound report. Sure enough! I read the report and it says that I have thickening of my endometrium (6mm) at the fundus, and NO VASCULAR STALK indicating that it was polyps. What am I crazy? Why would she tell me I have polyps and nothing to worry about, when it says right there in black and white that I don'thave polyps I have thickening of the endometrium? Anyways, I see the gynecologist on Dec 17, we'll see what happens then. If anyone has any experience with these things, feel free to fill me in. I am still counting my WW points and being a good girl, but I can't lose weight. I am stuck at the upper end of my "healthy weight range". It is SO frustraing eating with my points set "to lose weight" and just being stuck at 167 lbs. I'm still considered healthy, but not where I like to be. I guess the lack of exercise is why. Anyhow, that's how I'm doing in life these days. Now, on to happier things... :O)

New pics of Dora! Her breeder was telling me about how crazy she is. She said that I'd better be ready to give some time-outs LOL! I guess she's a real handful and thinks she's a little Diva. I think that I can handle her ;o)

2009-11-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

New pics of little Baby Dora! She is 7.5 weeks old now and 1 lb 11 ozs, the breeder says she can come home when she is close to 2 lbs. She had her first set of shots today, and I ordered her 2 pairs of jammies. One is a yellow "retro puppy" nightie with purple trim, the other is a pair of 4 legged jammies that are pink with pigs all over them.

I love this pic where she's tilting her head to the side when the breeder is talking to her. It's cute to see her with her Mommy too. Doesn't it look like she's smiling in the last picture? Missy does that too. Awwww, can't wait to finally have this little one home, but I'm not going to rush it because I know that it's so crucial that this little one stay with her Mommy as long as possible.

2009-11-11T16:53:00.000-08:00

Earlier pics of Missy's Mommy with the new Yorkie babies.

2009-11-10T12:09:00.000-08:00

I've got exciting news! It's two new furbabies. One is with me now, she is a black kitty named "Princess". This is the first cat that I've ever liked. She is an awesome little kitty, and so great with my kids. The 2nd furbaby is not home with me yet, as she isn't weaned from her Mommy. She is another Yorkie that comes from a litter that Missy's Mom and Dad had, so basically they are sisters! She is only 6 weeks old right now, so I have to wait another 4-6 weeks before she can come home. Isn't she precious? My husband named her Dora. I like the name, it's cute and original :O)

Woo Hoo! I can't wait until December when I get her!

2009-10-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Finally I got to bake something for my middle childs kindergarten class! The teacher didn't want cupcakes, so I was stuck decorating cookies. I think she wanted to cut down on the sugar, BOY DID I FOOL HER! Ty picked out the cookie cutter, then decided how he wanted them designed. I did my best to make them "cute". We will be packaging them all individually in little cello bags that have a skull design on them. These were made with roll out sugar cookies and royal icing. It took me 9 hrs to make 4 dozen cookies.

2009-10-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

*sigh* They just put a new Sephora store AND a new Lululemon store in my local mall. I am going to be so broke! I'm posting this picture to show off my new "smokey eye" make up that I bought :OP

2009-10-12T18:25:00.001-07:00

Notice anything different? :O)

Yes, I got a new haircut, and I got BANGS! It's been awhile since I've been to the hairdressers, so I thought that I'd share.

2009-10-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

I'm still kickin' around. Counting my points, and also counting the days until I'm allowed to run again. I'm still anaemic, and my doctor is doing all kinds of tests and stuff to try to figure out why I'm not absorbing iron. So for now, I still have to stick to only light/moderate exercise. It sucks!

Here's a recent pic of me n' my crew, the cake I made for my son's bday (Transformers), and a couple of pics of Missy on her first birthday :)

Take care!

2009-07-26T15:09:00.001-07:00

2009-06-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

I made a cake for my friends birthday this weekend.

2009-06-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

Me and the kidlets at the Zoo :O)

2009-06-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

Cupcakes that I made for my son's class.

2009-06-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I've been really busy the last 2 weeks celebrating 4 family birthdays (mine, my dad's, my son and my daughters) and my anniversary.

This is Ty's cake. 18 batches of rice krispie squares for the stadium and four 13 X 9 cakes for the hockey rink. The icing was rootbeer flavoured.

Jade's cake. She was very specific. She wanted one big butterfly coloured purple, pink, green and yellow.

2009-05-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Yes, I'm still alive. Thanks to those who have checked in on me because I haven't been posting in awhile. I've been busy getting back into my running groove. Gotta make use of those new runners. I am having problems though, just like I was before. It seems like once I get up to the point of doing 20-25k a week (besides my other activities) I start to have problems with energy. I feel weak, dizzy, tired, sore, and headachey. It's almost like the flu. I know what it is, it's because I'm anemic. My doctor did blood tests on me to confirm this, and I am on an iron supplement. It seems that the running is what is effecting this though. Does anyone else out there have this problem? Some of my research has shown me that it can be related to running. I'm wondering what I can do to fix this because I can't keep making myself sick like this from running, and I don't want to stop because it's my most favourite activity. I'm bored with using exercise machines, and I need that high intensity activity, so I'm not willing to just go for a walk or swim.

As far as the tummy tuck thing (someone asked for an update on that). It's kind of funny because I went into the plastic surgeon asking about coverage for my tummy tuck, and the doctor said that he could get a portion of costs covered (basically only hospital costs) but that he could fix my breasts for free. Excuse me? LOL! I wasn't even asking about my breasts, and I didn't know there was a problem there HAHAHAHHAH! Anyways, I updated my doctor on all of that the other day, and she was FURIOUS. I have never seen her so angry. She said "forget that, we will try someone else then...there is a medical reason for this". So, I guess my quest for a tummy tuck isn't over yet. I will leave it in my doctor's hands.

Today is haircut day! I haven't gone for one in 5 months. I will try to get hubby to take some pictures to share with you all :O)

As always, I will finish my post with a pictures of my beautiful little Missy. She is nekkid, so don't be shocked ;o) She is growing up to be such a pretty girl. Her fur is growing. I can't wait until it reaches the floor. She is now 8 months and 1 week old, and she had a growth spurt, she is now 3 lbs 6 ozs. I'm still hoping that she may reach 4 lbs, we will see! My little girl has healed up perfectly after her leg surgery and spay. The money we spent to fix her broken leg was definitely well worth it. She has healed 100% and can use it just like normal.

And one of her in her new Burberry overalls :O)

And showing off her new "Epik" dog boots. These are THE best dog boots I've seen. She is so comfortable in them.

2009-04-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

I bought new Asics last night. Finally, I can start running again. I've had to stick to the ellipical for the last couple of weeks.

Here's Missy in her new Louis Vuitton *designer inspired* playsuit and hooded jacket, and her hooded skull tutu (kinda matches the decor of my blog dontcha think?

2009-04-07T12:15:00.001-07:00

A little update...

I went off of the Diane35 pills that I was taking for acne. Low and behold, I can't eat all my flex, I have more energy, I'm less irritable, and I'm down 4 lbs for this week. I am so glad that I made that decision. Also, I was given a FREE elliptical trainer, which makes it much easier to get in my daily workouts since hubby is on night shifts and I can't always get to the gym. Those WATP Dvd's were getting pretty boring.

And of course I have to update about my lil Missy Mouse too. That screw ended up rejecting from her leg. So she had to have yet ANOTHER surgery to get it removed, and then tomorrow she goes for her spay operation. This poor little thing has been through SO much these last 9weeks. I can't wait for her to be off of "restricted activity" and go back to being a playful puppy. We went shopping, yes AGAIN :OP She got some booties and did amazingly well walking in them for her first time. She's a natural born fashionista, that's for sure! She won't be wearing booties all the time. I just got them for the mornings when it's chilly and she INSISTS on coming to my son's school. She gets SO cold, even though I carry her and she wears a tracksuit and jacket.

Here's a video of her first steps in them, and a couple of pics.

2009-03-23T23:25:00.000-07:00

I ♥ dressing my furbaby :OP~~~

Yes, we went on a shopping spree. As you can tell by the last photo, she liked it! :O)

Spoiled little girl in her pink and black velour Juicy Couture tracksuits, her Juicy parka with the fur lined hood, and her Chanel T-shirt.

2009-03-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

So, I reopened my WW.ca account just to double check that I have been tracking everything properly on paper. I'm really baffled as to why my weight has crept up from 137 lbs to 155 lbs over my 2 yrs on maintenace (Yes, it will be 2 yrs in May woohoo). I don't understand it because most of the last 2 yrs I've spent with my pts lowered to try to lose the lbs that have crept up on me. Anyways, I am calculating everything right, so I dunno. I guess that I should just be happy that I'm still healthy. The healthy weight range for my height is 139-174 lbs. As long as I keep eating right and exercising, what more can I do? Oh, and I have that appt next week with the plastic surgeon to find out about my tummy tuck. I still don't really believe that it will end up happening. I'm not getting my hopes up. I will update you all after I have my consultation.

Missy goes in for her spay surgery in the next week or two. She is now 6 weeks post-op from her leg surgery. She has to have follow up xrays done so my vet wants to do her surgery at the same time because she will have to be sedated for xrays anyways. I'm a little worried because she is still so tiny. It has to be done though! I just hope that everything goes OK.

Here's pics of my little darling Missy in ANOTHER new "go.fetch" dress. I ♥ dressing my dog :OP

2009-03-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

First, a little bit of weight loss news, since that IS what this blog is suppose to be about :OP You know how I've been trying to get my weight back into the 140's since June? I've been kinda floating around the 150's all this time, and my weight went all the way up to 159 recently even with my points lowered for losing (23 pts per day plus flex) for all this time. Well I finally got it back down to 153...how? By getting a WICKED case of the flu. My kids and I have been SO sick all week. Now, how do I get the loss to stick? I'm not sure what to do about my points. I can't lower them anymore, that's as low as they can go...I'm wondering if I should actually try increasing them a tad. Not as high as maintenance, but maybe somewhere in between. Or keep them lowered, and see if it works since my body may be kicked back into losing mode from being so sick. Suggestions?

Criz-tawl, to answer your comment about "Cute ... but I do feel bad for dogs that are made to wear clothes. That's not what they're meant for ... they aren't dolls!"...Missy isn't MADE to, she LOVES to and she HAS to. Why? Because she is a Yorkie and they don't have an undercoat (particularly the silkies which is what Missy is). Their fur is just like human hair, so her running round with nothing on is just like her being forced to run around naked. When she's naked, she shivers her butt off whether she's inside or outside. She's still a puppy! Do you think I cut her out sock sweaters in her earlier months just for fun? It was necessary! Otherwise her blood sugar levels would drop and she could die from a hypoglycemic attack (which she battled with anyways)! She wears clothes almost every minute of the day and night. Maybe in the summer she'll be OK, but for now she gets mad at me when I take her clothes off and comes running to have them put back on. It's very cold where I live in the winter months. Trust me, I do NOT enjoy brushing the mats out of her fur from her constantly having to wear clothes. I figure because she has to wear clothes, she might as well look cute in them. Plus, I have to custom order from a very nice lady because of her small size. She just so happens to sell gorgeous dog clothing in small sizes (www.mygofetch.com). I think it's best not to judge until you've done your research on the breed. So many people do this and it infuriates me! No, a German shephard shouldn't be made to walk around in a sweater, but a Yorkie or Chihuahua, or Mexican hairless may very well NEED to be dressed, particularly when they go outside!

Here are some more pictures of Missy DRESSED UP in all her cuteness. This is her first dress and a pic of her new trick....sticking her tongue out at me! Check out how she smiles for the camera now. SOOOOO CUTE! She's such a little angel. I love this dog :O)

2009-02-27T21:14:00.000-08:00

Missy got some new duds :O)

2009-02-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

I whipped this cake up last minute for my hubby's friend. I made the tools out of chocolate and painted them with luster dust for the metallic finish. My border is sloppy because my icing was too soft. It was getting to crunch time so I didn't have time to fix it. Oh well!

2009-02-20T18:25:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I'm still kickin' around. Taking iron pills because I'm anemic and cutting back on strenous activity for a month or so. Just sticking to walking, swimming...stuff like that.

Here's a picture of my little one in her first set of pigtails.

2009-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Life has been CHAOTIC! Geeeez, here goes.....

On Sunday, I went to set Missy (my puppy) down on the carpeted floor. She is always so eager to be put down and does this little pounce as she's getting close to the floor (maybe 3-4 inches above). Well this time when she pounced, she landed the wrong way. I guess jumping off a hand kind of threw her off balance. She landed, and kind of rolled and started yiping like crazy! I went straight to the yellow page and found a vet open on a Sunday. He was just finishing up a surgery early, so was able to see her immediately. He examined her and said that he didn't feel it was fractured, so he gave her a shot of Metacam and sent me home with more to give her orally at home. Well, he prescribed and gave her a shot of 2.5 times what she should have for her size, so she was flyin' high! She seemed like she was getting better until Monday night...she had the most horrible sleep ever. Alot of crying, so the next morning as soon as my vet opened I called them and asked them to see her.....
They did xrays, and discovered a fracture of her right knee. They weren't able to repair it because it's such a complicated fracture and she's so teeny, so we were referred to a (VERY EXPENSIVE) specialist as an emergency case. They called me within 2 mins of receiving the referral and booked Missy to have surgery the following morning. We went to the consultation before surgery and learned that she's fractured her right lateral humeral condyle. Basically, she busted the one side of the knuckle where her upper leg bone connects to the lower. The specialist had to put in a screw and a pin to hold it in place. She needs 6 weeks of restricted activity because he said if it gets wrecked again, he won't be able to repair it twice. Missy was doing really well yesterday, but then last night she got her bandage wet, so I had to take her in and have it replaced. Now it's bothering her because it feels "different", so she as to wear her cone. Monday the bandage comes off and I KNOW she'll want to chew those stitches, so she'll probably have to wear the cone for the whole 2 weeks. She is on 3 different medications taken at 5 different times of the day. Poor thing...so, that's the story. Total vet bills and surgery cost me $3,500 (that I don't have). Thank goodness my wonderful Mom gave me a loan. I don't know what I'd do without her.

THENNN, amongst other little things going wrong constantly throughout the week. I ran out of gas (close to bedtime wih 3 kids) while hubby was on nightshift. My car was parked somewhere that it couldn't just sit, so we had to talk allllll the way home, pray there's a jerry can of gas in the shed for the lawnmower (and there was), and walk alllll the way back. Fill up the car, dumping gas all over myself...then head to the gas station where my bank card, for the first time ever, wouldn't swipe.

All 3 of my kids and I are sick.

I got my blood test results back from the doctor, and I'm anemic!

Oh, on the positive side. We went to Monster Jam again this year, here's a pic. Also, I'm down 6 lbs! Stress always does that for me.

2009-01-29T19:03:00.000-08:00

Missy's new Napsak bed. Too cute not to share :O)

2009-01-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

I was down 3.6 lbs last WI, but nothing has budged since. It's like I'm stuck. I want to get back into the 140's and I can't! My weight creeps up a couple lbs, then down a couple lbs. It's really frustrating. I'm still totally healthy, and I know that, but I just felt better about 5-10 lbs less. I stick to my daily points of 23, eat all my ap's and flex...and I earn 20-28 ap's per week. My doctor ordered me blood tests. I went and had them done yesterday. It's just to check on my thyroid (issues run in my family), iron levels, and all that. I'm pretty sure it will all come back as normal. Anyways, I've increased my strength training for this week, hoping that maybe adding more muscle will help things. Time will tell :O)

Anyways, just thought that I'd pop in to say "HI", and letcha all know I'm still around.

2009-01-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

These pics are too cute not to share. Here's Missy in her new nightie and jammie's from mygofetch.com

2009-01-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

Hellooooooo everyone! I'm just poppin' in to update. I haven't been blogging but that's because it would be boring! I have nothing to really say right now. I did gain 3-4 lbs over Christmas, and I'm at the gym full time again. Still counting my points like a good little girl, and I've already dropped those 3 lbs. Still want to lose a few more though! Seems my body is just stuck here. Ah well, I'll keep trying. Exercise and eating well is good for me anyways. Here are a few recent pics. Some of Missy, she's 16 weeks old today and a WHOPPING 2 lbs LOL! The last pic is of the kids and I. We had this one done a couple of days before Christmas :O)

2008-12-12T17:01:00.001-08:00

Made these cakes for a beautiful friend of mine.

These cupcakes were made for my son's class party. It was a multi-cultural going away party for someone who's from England, so I did the cupcakes like the flag of England.

And, here's a cute video of Missy's little bark

2008-12-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo! WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!
WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!
WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!
WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!
WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!
WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!
WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo! WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!
WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!
WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!
WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!
WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!
WOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo HOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo!

H*A*P*P*Y D*A*N*C*E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you know how much my doctor ROCKS? She has been trying to get me covered for a tummy tuck at no charge, and it looks like she pulled it off because I just got the phone call! I have a specialist appointment for March 24th :O)

YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME! A new puppy and a tummy tuck, I couldn't ask for anything more :O)

2008-12-08T14:01:00.000-08:00

Down 7.2 lbs today. Wow! I must've done something right this week :O)

2008-12-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

I am struggling so much with weight right now. It's very frusterating. After months of trying to lose and not getting anywhere. I kind of gave up, and for the last 2 weeks I've been eating what I want and not counting points. Stupid, I know...but I needed a break. Today was my WI, so a start to a new week. I am going to buckle down again and try to lose. I will change the foods that I'm eating and see if that helps. I've pretty much been eating the same things for the last 2 years. Maybe my body wants something different, who knows.

On a positive note, I had someone contact me through my blog about a product called Mary Lou's Weigh http://www.marylousweigh.com/ She asked if I'd like to try their product and post a review on my blog. I figured why not! I'm always into trying something new. Mary Lou's weigh is a scale of sorts, but the one thing that differs is it never tells you your weight in numbers. I did my first WI on it last week, so this week when I stepped on the scale, it told me that I was down 1.5 lbs and offered some encouraging words and tips for the coming week. It's pretty neat actually. I like that it talks to you. I will update on the Mary Lou Weigh thing more in the coming weeks.

Here's a pic of Jade showing off Missy who is 10 weeks old now. I can't believe that people recommend NOT getting these tiny Yorkies as pets if you have kids. I beg to differ! My kids are incredible with this puppy. They treat her like gold, and are sooooooo careful. They've yet to break one of the "rules". So, I guess it must depend on the kid, because mine are great :O)

Look how sweet and innocent Missy looks. Is she fooling you?

Here comes the inner demon...

RAWRRRRRR! And she lunges at the camera. This dog seriously thinks she's 10 feet tall LOL! It's hilarious!

2008-11-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

9 weeks old! These little dogs don't have an undercoat, so they get cold easily. It's necessary for them to wear clothes in the colder months, it's not just a fashion statement. She's so small that I can't find clothes in her size though. So I made her a sweater out of a sock :O)

2008-11-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

Lil Missy needed a new bag :O)

It's a Pet Fly carrier. Here's the LINK

2008-11-15T16:39:00.000-08:00

What my new baby's been up to...

I love this little bundle of cuteness. She's the best :O)

2008-11-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

I was up 1 lb for WI....AHHHH! So frustrating.

But, I've got other good news. Check out my new baby. She's a little 1 lb, 7 week old Yorkie, named "Missy". I am SO in love with her. She's a sweetheart.

2008-11-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

Psssssttt...WI is 3 days away, but I'm down .8 already for this week. I felt "skinny" when I woke up this morning, and that's before I peeked at the scale :O)

2008-11-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

I don't wanna jinx myself butttt *knock on wood*...I think after 4 months of trying, I may have finally kick started my body back into losing. I sure hope so anyways! I had two nice WI's in a row. I lost 2.8 this week, and 1.6 last week. Next WI will tell for sure. If I could just get back into the 140's, I would be SOooo happy :O)

And no it's NOT about the number on the scale. It's about this bulge around my middle :oS

2008-11-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Some more pics from Halloween. The cupcakes that I made for Chad's class, some Chocolate Spider Lollipops and mini Chocolate Spiders, and a couple of shots of the kids. My oldest was the Hulk by day, and Batman by night :O)

2008-10-31T23:23:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-10-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

Another weekend means another cake! Here's the one I made for Brodiegirls daughter for her Sleepover Birthday Party tonight :O)

2008-10-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

Boop Boop A Doop!

Made this for a friends birthday. The big heart cake is a confetti cake, the mini heart cakes are chocolate. Those music notes are chocolates that I made. I designed Boop and drew her on the cake in icing. It was tough, especially the eyes. I hope she likes it :O)

2008-10-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

First cake of the weekend made and delivered today. One more to go, then another a few days after. Phew!

2008-10-05T10:23:00.001-07:00

Cake pic to share. I made this for Brodiegirl's son for his birthday :O)

2008-10-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!

WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Brian did it! He passed his goal of losing 100 lbs today! This guy ROCKS, and has a great personality. He's reset his goal to lose another 20 lbs, but I think he look amazing as he is now.

Please check out his blog, and if you have time maybe post him a comment to congratulate him. I know that online support means alot to Brian. Besides, it's so neat to see someone lose over 100 lbs! :O)

http://q102briand.typepad.com/waistmanagement/

WAY TO GO BRIAN!

2008-09-29T19:13:00.001-07:00

It was Dh's birthday, so I of course had to make a cake. I didn't have time for anything extravagant, but he loved it none the less. It tasted delicious! Mmmmmmm, chocolate :OP

2008-09-23T23:48:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend! Bellaboo hopped on a plane and came to visit us VPC'ers. Azriel and Pamalam drove several hours to get in on the action. It was a blast! I haven't had that much fun in a long time. Brodiegirl, being the gracious hostess that she is, had a get together at her home for everyone. I couldn't partake in all of the weekend festivities, but I guess the ladies went for Sushi, Gelato, and had pedicures done.

Here is a picture of Bellaboo and I. I ♥ this lady. She is just an absolute sweetheart, and it was so nice to meet her in person.

Azzie brought everyone some of her infamous "porch wine". It's the best! She insisted that I take a bottle home (twist my rubber arm).

We played some Rockband. MsBlingBling has quite the voice!

Here is a pic of Brodiegirl and I sampling MsBlingBling's fabulous Vodka Fudge. Normally this fudge is only 2 pts per serving. I'd imagine with the vodka it would be more...but who was counting that night? ;o)

Thanks everyone for a fantastic night! I loved seeing you all, and can't wait until the next VPC get together. We'll have to plan one soon!

2008-09-13T10:43:00.001-07:00

Another person with a weight problem :O(

It's my son, and he's only 6 yrs old. I've noticed him "growing" these last few months. Back in spring, I started to become concerned. Particularly when I did some research and found out that he should only be 56 lbs. At that time he was 67 lbs. Since then, he's grown an inch taller and gained 8 lbs. At the doctors last week, he weighed in at 75 lbs, he should only be 58. She was a little concerned, and offered a few suggestions. So, I've changed some things at our house. Juice is now limited to ONE per day (she said not to buy it at all, but I feel one per day is OK), and that goes for all 3 of my kids. Just because the other 2 are at a normal weight doesn't mean they can't eat healthier as well. I am serving more veggies than I was before, and not catering to fussiness. If they don't like what's on their plate, they can pick it out or avoid it. I'm hoping that by offering a variety of foods, they will take the plunge and try new things from time to time. My 6 yr old has already tried several new foods this week. Most importantly we are watching portion sizes. My son tends to eat VERY fast, then wants 2nds before his brain has had time to realize his tummy is full. Now I ask him to wait 10 mins, and if he's still hungry I will give him more food. Not once has he waited the 10 mins, then needed more. We are also putting more emphasis on drinking water, cutting down on sugar, and increasing the amount of activity that they get. My kids are already very active, but I'm giving them even more opportunity for exercise. I am proud to say that after one week of making these few changes, my boy is already weighing in 4 lbs less on the scale. I'm not putting him on a diet, or trying to make him lose weight...I'm just guiding the kids towards a healthier lifestyle. If he loses weight then great. Right now my goal is just to prevent him from gaining anymore.

Now, as far as my weight loss attempts go...starting Monday (weigh in day) I'm going to try Sparkspeople.com again. I used it in the past, and loved it. I just found it a little more time consuming than counting points. Something mustn't be right though. For me to be on plan for this many weeks, and not lose a single lb, is just odd. I like how accurate sparkspeople is. So, that will be my experiment for next week. If it doesn't work for me, I'm done trying. There is no point in depriving myself of food if it's not helping me to lose these 5-10 lbs that I'd like to get rid of.

And since this post was partially about my kids, here's a pic I took of them yesterday showin' off their new haircuts :O)

2008-09-10T12:18:00.001-07:00

Still tryin' to lose, still not getting anywhere...this week I'm not using any flex and keeping my pts lowered to 25 per day. I will earn my 28ap's this week as well.

Soon, I'll just give up. My body is comfortable in the 150's whether I like it or not.

AH WELL - tis life I guess!

2008-09-03T23:34:00.000-07:00

Wow - I got an email from another blogger sharing the link to his (yes I said his) WW blog. I was so totally blown away by him that I have to share the LINK with you all. He's lost 89 lbs since February, and his goal is to lose 100 lbs in total. It's looking like he'll reach his goal in under a year. Now THAT'S pretty freakin' amazing!

ANYWAYS, I found this guy to be very inspirational, so I figured you all would too :O)
http://q102briand.typepad.com/

P.S. I started at the gym again today after some time off. I'm trying kind of a mid-range pts for this week. I normally do 30 for maintenance, and 23 for losing, but 23 hasn't helped for several weeks now. I'm trying 25 (plus flex and ap's of course) for this week. Hopefully some good workouts will help get things moving. I'd really just like to get back into the 140's again...PLEASE!!!

2008-09-01T23:35:00.000-07:00

Still a big kid at heart :OP

2008-08-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here's the cake that I made for my 6 yr old. Everything is edible except for the Hot Wheels cars. The big Spiderman and the spiders on top of the cake are made out of chocolate. The buildings are royal icing, as well as the little web shooting out of Spiderman's hand. This is a stacked cake, the bottom tier is a 14" round, and the top tier is a 6". This is my first stacked cake, it was interesting that's for sure :O)

2008-08-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

My son requested Wall-E cupcakes for his birthday party yesterday. Phoenix lent me the stand, isn't it awesome? That's 38 cupcakes there. I'm making a cake for his actual birthday on Wednesday. I will post pics :O)

2008-08-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

Say....CHEESE!!!

This pic was taken in Kamloops :O)

2008-08-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of new things to show you guys :O)

First...a new haircut!

Second...a new bag! This is the Core Gym Bag *Dip Dye by Lululemon. I LOVEEEEE this bag!!!

Here's the Description...

* Rich Purple (a beautiful range of shades) patent-leather like exterior (wipes clean), with matching light purple lining with teal accents in the interior
* Faux croc trim and bottom part of bag
* Long handles for over the shoulder carry
* Exterior material has script from the lulu manifesto written on the front, along with little embroidered emblems randomly dispersed on the bag
* Engraveable name tag on front
* Many pockets and compartments, including a lap top pocket and a large zip pocket seperate for your gym gear (with a shoe bag). There are also 6 pockets on the outside of the bag that you can't even tell are there
* Comes with detachable shoulder strap
* Water resistant liner wipes clean easily
* Tested to hold 50 lbs

All for $98 bucks. I think that's one heck of a deal :O)

2008-08-13T20:59:00.001-07:00

Sharing some pics of my family and I that were taken on my trip last weekend.

Haha, my 5 yr old took this shot and told us all to pose "like silly statues". This is my Dad and his girlfriend in the photo. We were over at their place for a BBQ.

2008-08-12T08:14:00.001-07:00

My new plan is working! One day of lower points/healthier eating, and I'm already down a lb. The lowest I've been in 5 weeks. I hope this continues! I'm excited! I want to see those 140's again :O)

2008-08-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

I really appreciate all the helpful comments everyone. I'm so lucky to have all this support :O)

So, I'm done pouting and moping about my body not wanting to lose weight. I'm ready to tackle this again. I've tried low points, I've tried high points, and I've tried mediocre points...all of these options have gotten me nowhere. Now, I'm going to try the NOT GIVING MY BODY A DAMN CHOICE plan. I will drop my points again to 23, and I'm NOT going to eat my flex this week (which will be hard because I always eat my Flex). I'm going to revert to the old WW plan and only eat up to 4 AP's per day. I will do my best to earn 28 ap's during the week despite this crappy ankle injury that I have. I'm also going to take some of your great suggestions and try to incorporate more of the Core-style foods into my menu. I'm still going to count points though because I don't trust myself not to overeat. I guess that I'll be doing kind of a Flex/Core combo. I really hope this kicks my body into weight loss mode. I think once I get the ball rolling, I will lose consistantly like I did before.

Wish me luck!

(Oh, and weigh in today was 151.5 lbs, so basically I stayed the same again)

2008-08-04T10:04:00.001-07:00

Well...I'm 151.6 lbs today. Which is down 2 lbs from last week, but right back to where I was the week before. So basically, in the last 3.5 weeks of lowering my points, I haven't gotten anywhere. I GIVE UP! I'm sick of eating so few points, especially since it's not working. So, I'm bumping my points up to 27, which is 3 less than I normally do for maintenace, and 4 more from what I've been doing these last few weeks. I feel totally defeated :O(

2008-08-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

This will be my last week of eating 23 pts. It's just not working! I will finish the week because that's just my style. I don't quit. The lowered points isn't doing a darn thing though! I've been trying for 3 weeks now, and I've been earning my AP's just like I usually would (28 per week).

2008-07-29T22:36:00.001-07:00

Just poppin' by with some cool cake pics. I made my graduation cake for Wilton Course 2 tonight, and I'm also sharing pics from my Gumpaste Flowers class on Monday (Sweetpeas and Orchids). The cake is a low fat yogurt, vanilla cake. I worked out today, so I can have a piece. I'm really trying to keep my activity level up with some good workouts. I can't run right now because I've done something to my calf muscle...how weird is that?!? Watching PHOENIXRISING *LINK* working so hard this week is really helping me to stay motivated though. That newbie enthusiasm is so catchy :O)

2008-07-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

GAIN - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *jumps off bridge*

I lowered my points from the 30 that I usually eat on maintenace, down to 23 for losing. I earned 28 ap's this week. Ate all of my flex and AP's, and what do I get? A FREAKING GAIN! Up 2.6 lbs. Do I even bother to try again this week? It seems so hopeless.

2008-07-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

Omggggg, I stood on the scale this morning and despite lowering my points and exercising lots this week, my weight is going UP! I can't believe this! I've switched my WI's back to Monday, so hopefully things change by then. Something tells me it won't though. Talk about frusterating, I could just SCREAM!

2008-07-23T00:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've found something that I suck at. Royal Icing! Last week I made a batch for my Wilton class, and it was totally runny by the time I got it there. I couldn't make it form a flower if my life depended on it! So this week I made sure to make the icing good and stiff, and it still didn't do me any good! I CAN'T make Royal Icing flowers at all! Here's a pic to prove it! They just look like blobs! LOL! Feel free to laugh at me!

However, I can still make cupcakes. Here's some that I made for my cake instructor/friend that I mentioned below. It was her 30th birthday today. See what a good little "weight loss" friend I am? *mwahahahhahah* She's a "Wall-E" fan, and these cupcakes are chocolate cake with my homemade Hostess Twinkie Filling, topped with Chocolate Buttercream :O)

As far as weight loss goes...I'm on my 2nd week of trying to lose. I need to get my weight down about 10 lbs or so. No, I'm not overweight, but I'm not where I like to be. The extra weight always shows right in my gut, and I HATE THAT! So, week 2 of lowering my points for losing, and am I getting anywhere? NOPE! Since being on maintenance, whenever I try to shed a couple of lbs, my body won't give it up! I will win this battle though. Mark my words.

2008-07-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

Here's what I learned in our Gumpaste Flowers class tonight...

2008-07-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

These are fondant flowers that I made in my second "Gumpaste Flowers" Class on Monday night. The second pic is of the Superman cake that I made for MsBlingBling's hubby.

Oh, and the scale is down 3 lbs so far. Hopefully it's a good weigh in on Friday :O)

2008-07-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted any pictures of myself in a couple of months, so I thought I'd share these (of me stuffing my face) that a friend took at the company picnic.

2008-07-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

OMG, my weigh in was SO terrible today! I'm not sure why...but I was up 6.7 lbs! THAT'S INSANE! I've lowered my points for now. I think it's because I haven't been earning as many AP's as I usually do :O(

Here's a cake I did last night. It's a frozen strawberry cake I had kickin' around in the freezer and wanted to use up. Plus I had leftover icing, and I wanted to try making the apple blossoms out of marshmallow fondant to see how it would turn out.