Up LATE With Things On My Mind

Up late with things on my mind. 

My daughter..... starts fifth grade tomorrow, 10/3, and will head to school early to move out of her fourth grade classroom and into her new room/class. I'm excited and nervous for her and can't wait to hear how her first day goes. 

My son.... He's been quite a handful lately. Misbehaving. Strong willed and thinks he's invincible. Climbing and getting into things purposefully put away up high and out of reach. Wants to do it by himself and I'm okay with it when it won't harm him. Like wearing his clothes backwards. But not okay to play in the litter box. Not okay to hit his sister. I want to give him more positive attention. More one on one focus. I'm thinking I want to get him letter and number tracing books so he can start practicing. Less TV! More play! But still manage to have him occupy himself somewhat too, because I've got my hands full! He will be going to kindergarten next year! Is he going to be ready? 

My husband.... he works so hard and we love him dearly. We have been so stressed out; my surgery, my daughter's pneumonia, my son's potty training (or lack of training), my husbands root canal.... it weighs so heavily on him and I wish there was a better way to deal with the stress and worry. Thank goodness we're all better. But yeah the worry and stress never seems to diminish. 

ME.... I have a great group and a great team! I love coaching and helping where I can. It fills me with immense joy. But sometimes I get so busy I lose myself in the mix. I need to sort out the working out part now that I'm 8 weeks post op. It's time to press play. It's time to refocus and reset my why. Why do I want to workout and eat better? Why is it so hard? Why is it still "work"? I want to go back to school and take a dietics focus to become a registered dietitian. I know what I want but starting seems overwhelming. I love my credit union job. Truly love it. My boss is amazing and I'm honored to work with her. We do incredible work. Important work. We are so community driven. If I won the lottery tomorrow I'd still want to go in to the office and I'd still want to be a coach. I want to be a career woman, earning income and contributing to my family. I want to feel valued. I want to be respected. I want to motivate and inspire; others AND myself. I want it all! And I know I deserve it all. Just wondering HOW to have it all. Maybe it will be logistically more realistic when both kids are in full time school and my daughter is old enough to "babysit" my son. Maybe I just need to map out a long term plan. Make a plan; work my plan. That's what I tell others. It's good advice. I need to tell myself this. 

My Heath..... I had a bad flare day. Even though my uterus is gone, and that's finally fixed/resolved, I still have a diseased colon that's never going to get better. Today was a not so gentile reminder of that. My chronic insomnia is also a not so gentile reminder of my UC. My toe still hurts, 2 years post foot surgery and that pisses me off. My scars from my hysterectomy still itch and I still get super swollen and likely will continue with that over the next year. I'm the healthiest sick person I know! It's frustrating beyond explanation!!! I postponed a colonoscopy due to the hysterectomy, but flare days like today remind me that I need to get that back on the calendar. How am I going to pay for that? Let alone prep for it. (Ugh).

Shocker I can't sleep!!! 😳

What keeps you up?

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Baked Turkey Meatballs Recipe

Baked Turkey Meatballs Recipe

Total Time: 32 min.

Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 12 min.
Yield: 8 servings, 3 meatballs each

Ingredients:
1 lb. raw 93% lean ground turkey
½ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 large eggwhite, lightly beaten
½ cup whole rolled oats (planko crumbs are good instead, if you don't have oats)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
1. Combine turkey, ½ tsp. salt, pepper, egg, oats, garlic, parsley, and cheese in a large bowl; mix well with clean hands.
2. Roll mixture into 24 1½-inch meatballs. (I fill two cookie sheets)
3. Place on cookie sheet (I cover the cookie sheet with foil and use a cooking spray on the foil to keep the meatballs from sticking. Or use parchment paper and no spray!)
4. Bake in oven at 375F degrees for 15 min.

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Fresh Tomato Sauce in Crock Pot Recipe

Fresh Tomato Sauce in Crock Pot Recipe

4 garlic cloves minced
4 tsp of oil
Paprika
Salt and pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
3 or 4 bay leaves
7 fresh tomatoes diced
1 green onions chopped
4 tsp sugar (may need to add more if tomatoes are bitter)
Cook in slow cooker 6‐8 hours on low

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Salsa Chicken Recipe

Salsa Chicken:
Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

Prep Time: 2 min 

Total Time: 4-6 hours and 2 min.

Ingredients:

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
16 oz salsa* (if using store bought find the freshest one available with lowest sodium)
and no (or fewest) preservatives

Directions:

Put chicken breasts in crock pot (can be added frozen) 

Cover with salsa. 

Set for 4‐6 hours on low. 

Chicken should shred easily with fork when done.

UPDATE For Instant Pot: 
Prep Time: 2 min
Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients: 
See above
Directions:
Put thawed chicken breasts in Instant Pot
Cover with Salsa
Select the manual button (+/-)  and set the timer for 20 minutes.

Once done, turn the valve to venting for QR (Quick Release). 

Remove lid

Chicken should shred easily with a fork when done.

PRO TIP: Use a hand mixer to shred chicken evenly and quickly.

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HIRED

HIRED! Finally!!!

What a long 2 years this has been. We thought when we moved across country that it would be easy to find work. How wrong were we!!! Sure, California is a larger state than Vermont, so more jobs... but with that size come much more competition.

I ended up temping, which I never wanted to really do, just to get steady work and income. And with each assignment, I fell in love and would try to make it permanent. Always with some reason why it wasn't meant to be.

I kept pushing onward though.

The commercial real estate firm got sold - hiring freeze just at my 90 days mark. Meh... didn't really like that job anyway.

The STEM Non Profit job doing conferences and even getting to travel to Washington DC - Loved them. Loved that job. But they underpay big time, and even thought they're STILL looking for good employees and have been hiring since I left, they can't afford me. That's an odd feeling. So MEH to them too (but we're all still friends)...

The Lighting company in Monterey... that was great! Up until the part where they ran out of money and couldn't pay me anymore. But did ask me to stay for free... SERIOUSLY!

All the while I kept applying. I kept networking. I kept trying.

Filled in with temp jobs. So many temp jobs!!!

In April I intereviewed for a temp job at a local credit union. And I interviewed for a Chinese Herb company. The credit union had me come on immediately and asked me to commit to 6 weeks. To do so, they upped their contract offer and gave me more money. So I said yes.

The Chinese Herb company seemed a good option B for me. The job was a Marketing Coordinator and I'd get to start a social media platform for them. Kind of the stuff I like to do.

At first I wasn't excited about the Credit Union. But really connected with the CEO who I was working closely with. But as my contract got closer to an end, I was sad to see the end to a job I liked. Once again. This is getting old!

(contract ends next Friday-6/3/16)

BUT then the CEO invited me to interview with her for the position I was already doing. Then she had me interview with the CFO. They went well. My interview with the CEO was 3 hours long, and 1 hour with the CFO. Mind you, I'd already been working with them about a month.

Then my competition came in to interview too. So I was super nervous.

Seems I didn't need to be. :)

I was verbly offered the job with the credit union on Tuesday. And then Wednesday the Chinese Herb company made me an offer!!!

FLATTERED!

I accepted the Credit Union's written offer today (overall best package and we get along swimingly) and officially start on 6/6!!!

Finally think I'm done looking for work. This time I'm with a stable business in the financial market, with a solid foundation. Good staff. Good history. Safe bet and a smart choice. AND WE DON'T HAVE TO MOVE NOW! (yeah, it was getting scary how we were going to stay with me in between jobs so much).

So if you have read this far... wow, I'm impressed. Thank you all for your encouragement and support, and love. Never judging and always cheering. Your support really means the world to me. I love you all!!!

I really have my focus from my getting my health back on track to thank for all of this. It's really reset my attitude towards everything I take on now. It's made me physically and mentally stronger. I've lost over 100 lbs. and I've discovered this journey is so much more then just that number on the scale. I really am a NEW person. Determined and Driven!!!!!!!!!!

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XOXO

Love the Skin You're In

I've lost soooooo much weight, and a lot of people tell me they'd like to lose too, but are worried about the excess skin. Truth is, the skin stayed. It's still with me. It's likely going to stay with me for the rest of my days or until I save enough money to pay a nice surgeon to remove it for me. Not likely, as that's insanely costly, and no one's making any donations. ;)

This is what it REALLY looks like when you lose over 100 pounds

Anyway, here's my thoughts on my excess skin. I can stuff it into my clothes. I can hide it fairly well. I have pictures (you've all seen them) where my workout pants are high waist-ed so you don't see the skin flap. My muscles are growing, and I'm toning up nicely. But look closely, and you're going to see my skin wrinkles and what not.

I get to live with this.

Let that sentence sink in. I-GET-TO-LIVE!

Had I not lost those 100+ pounds, I might not have gotten to live. So LIVE with this, IS SOOOO OKAY!

Would I like to see the skin go away? Totally! I'm over 40. I get that skin elasticity is a phenomenon for younger folks. I understand that at my age, eating the dark greens and dark oranges will help but not with any significance. I understand that to really make this skin go bye bye I'm looking at a skin removal surgery. And maybe that might still happen. Unexpected things happen all the time.

But until that day comes (not holding my breath), I will be proud of my new body. Skin flapping in the wind and all. I worked DAMN hard to get this saggy baggy skin suit. So I'm going to embrace it, in all it's wrinkled glory.

High Waisted Workout Pants... Skin tucks in nicely

Long Workout Tops, hides skin nicely!

Gravity is not my friend... but it WON'T STOP ME from getting the workout in!

I will NEVER be bikini perfect again and honestly? I'm okay with that. I think all those weight loss programs out there give us the impression that that is something obtainable, so we make it an unrealistic goal. I lost weight. I kept the skin! I'm not going to be walking around in a bikini.

Again, it's important for me to remember to love the body I'm in, it's the only one I get. And also to remember, had I not lost this weight, I probably would not be alive right now. Or if I was, probably not much longer. So I'm LUCKY. I get to live a long and healthy life, skin and all.

Maybe it IS a badge of honor of sorts. I worked really hard to look like this. Whether you like it or you don't, you have to admit, I did work very hard, and I did lose a lot of weight and I did manage to extend my life so I can now enjoy my family, my kids, maybe their kids one day, and I have every intention of being that "Granny" that's still kicking butt and raising hell at age 95!

🚫🚫🚫FYI... If you can't tell from my post, I have ZERO interest in wraps, lotions, potions... But thanks all the same! 🚫🚫🚫

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Plateau vs. Patience

Is it really a Plateau? Or do you just need to be Patient?

"I started logging my meals on My Fitness Pal, and I've not seen any loss yet! I've changed my food, eat healthy, and exercise 4 days a week. I've been doing this for 2 weeks and I haven't lost ANY WEIGHT! What am I doing wrong? How do I bust this plateau?"

"I just started working out but I'm not losing weight!"

Sound familiar?? It takes time. It really does. Think about how long it takes to gain the weight; it takes longer to lose it. When you start a new program your body goes into a WTH mode. It doesn't know WHAT's going on, so it hangs on to everything. BUT if you keep doing what you're doing, eventually your body will catch up and get with the new program. Results will come. As hard as it is to be patient, you have to be patient.

Sooooooo here is the deal. These scenario are asked ALL THE TIME in my fitness groups, and it boils down to needing to continue to do the healthy habits, and being patient. Not technically a plateau. Not technically a concern of Thyroid Failure. Not technically an issue at all.

When you make a change you have to wait, sometimes up to 6 weeks to see that change yield results. AND it's not always pounds off. Sometimes it's inches. AND you have to be patient. 

Ask yourself this: Are you changing your calorie goals frequently? Are you changing your loss ratio goals frequently?

When I started with MFP, I was 288. I was nursing my son (my only calorie burn), and I was logging my food. At the time, MFP suggested I eat 2400 Calories. So I said, why not, and just went with it. Lost 11 pounds that first month. I didn't touch any of the settings, just logged my food. Upped my water, and clocked a 500 calorie burn from nursing.

That's how I discovered the calorie goal readjustment. When I lost that first 10 lbs, the calories re-adjusted to around 2360, and slowly that number dropped to where I am now (roughly 3 years later).

ALSO... clothes may feel looser before you see a change on the scale. OR you could retain water around your muscles and see a gain, that's water weight and not actually fat.

I consider a plateau to have occurred when I'm doing the same thing for 4 weeks or more and no change. THAT's the moment when it's time to make a change. And that change sometimes is adjusting your food, sometimes it's trying a new workout. Not necessarily something harder, just different. If you're always walking, try adding a run. If you're always doing aerobics, try strength training... just keep mixing things up.

Be FLUID and open to new things. And be open to being your own guinea pig. Test the waters and see what yields results.

Make a change to see a change. But also practice patience. That bit is tough, I know, but truly, if you are patient you'll start to see changes.

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