Monday Madness- YAY for K!

So it's Monday. Pour the coffee!What have you got on your agenda today? Your MUST list? How about your life goal list?In case you're new here at Macaroni and Chicken Fingers, you have to know about Karen's journey to get in shape. Doing it the right way, she exercised and ate right and lost a bunch of weight. She looks FABULOUS!And I do mean fabulous! 


Something else you may not have realized about Karen- she's a giver. Not the kind of person who gives and brags about it. She never makes a show about it or embarrasses people. She just goes about, quietly doing her bits of good wherever she goes. 
Now she's going to get paid for it! YAY! And believe me, that's not the reason why she's doing it. She will tell you that it's because she needs to get out around other people, mainly ADULTS, and she enjoys doing what she'll be doing. She's going to work for Weight Watchers.


But if you know her at all, you'll know she just wants to make a difference in other people's lives. Nothing makes her happier. So she's going to share her health journey and inspire other people to achieve their goals.I love that about her. 


Yours, thinking I want to be like Karen when I grow up,


Melissa

I DID IT! I REACHED MY GOAL!!!

FINALLY, I reached my weight loss goal! 

50 POUNDS LOST!!! 

YAY ME!!!

Can you tell I’m a little bit excited?  Well, I should be!  I’ve worked really hard over the past year and a half to lose this weight the right way, through healthy eating changes and exercise.  I don’t consider myself having been on a “diet.”  If that was the case, then the diet would be over and I would be going back to my old eating habits (and of course the weight would come right back on).  Hopefully, I’ve learned a lot since the beginning of 2009, lessons that will keep me at this weight for the rest of my life (ugh, that seems like such a long time). 

So what have been the most exciting results of losing this weight?  Well, besides the obvious of looking and feeling better about myself physically, there have been other, incredible benefits.  The first, most awesome one is how proud I am that I accomplished this goal.  I feel so empowered, which has really leaked into other areas of my life.  It has given me strength where perhaps I was lacking before.

The second one that is so amazing to me is that I have actually become a source of inspiration to others.  People at the gym and at Weight  Watchers have come up to me and told me that I have inspired them to keep working out or stay on the WW program.  I can’t begin to tell you how incredible that makes me feel.  And it helps me want to keep the weight off, not just for myself now, but because I don’t want to let anyone else down!  (Isn’t that funny how we do that?  But hey, if that helps me be accountable in keeping it off, I’ll use whatever works!)

Here you can see before and after pictures (and the sad thing is, the “before” picture is after I had lost about 10 pounds already!):

So, am I a little nervous about keeping it off FOREVER?  Yep!  But I know I can do it if I just keep everything in perspective.  Will I indulge every so often?  Of course!  I do now!  That’s what keeps me sane and on track!  Am I happier now than I was 50 pounds ago?  YOU BETCHA!!!

(Skinny) Karen

MONDAY MUSING: MY A-HA MOMENT

Many of you already know that I have been working very hard this year to lose weight, and although I have lost about 28 pounds, it has been a real struggle for me. I’m now on Weight Watchers, I work out 3-4 times per week, and still the weight only s-l-o-w-l-y drops off.

Well, my A-HA moment came last week while I was having lunch with my sister, Margee, and her friend, Anne, who is a Nurse Practitioner at a Neurologist's office. (Anne was in town for their 30th high school reunion. 30th, can you believe it? And the worst thing is, I’m not far behind. Um, no, I won’t tell you how many years until mine!) I was telling Anne how tired I am all the time, so she asked what meds I am currently taking for my migraines. I told her which one I take daily to prevent them and she said (are you ready for this?), “Oh, well that’s why you’re so tired. And did you know that it makes you gain weight?”

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????

So those 17 pounds that I gained in 2008 was NOT due to the fact that I was laid off and not working any more? And the fact that I’ve only lost 28 pounds in 9 1/2 months is because of my MEDS???

AGAIN….ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? IS THIS A CRUEL JOKE?????

Okay, sorry, I’ve regained my composure. Although it would have been nice for my doctor to have mentioned this to me, I suppose I have to own some of the responsibility since I never really read the information that came with it from the drug store.

So I went to my doctor (who, when I mentioned this, was totally nonplussed and just nodded and said “yeah, uh huh”) and we are slowly weaning me off this medicine and starting me on a different med that might help me LOSE weight (oh, yeah, and also help prevent my migraines). The first time I tried this particular medicine I didn’t like the side effects, so I’m not sure how it will work this time, but I’m determined to try it. The one side effect that I am already seeing is that I can’t stand Diet Coke anymore. No, really! It tastes flat but then my tongue burns after I swallow from the carbonation. It’s really weird. So already I’m missing my Diet Coke. I know, I know, it’s bad for me anyway. Whatever! All I know is that I WANT MY DIET COKE!!! (And yes, that was said in a VERY whiney tone!)

So wish me luck adjusting to the new medicine and getting off the old. But even more, wish me luck for getting off the Diet Coke and caffeine!

Karen

Monday Minute

I’m going to let you in on a little secret… I joined Weight Watchers. (oh, by the way, this is Karen. Melissa would NEVER need Weight Watchers!) I’m on Day 10, and doing pretty well. My first weigh-in last Friday showed a 2.4 pound loss. Yay!!!! Had a little set back on 4th of July, but I’m making up for it by working out and not going over my daily points.

I need all the encouragement I can get, so if you’ve ever been on Weight Watchers and have some advice for me, please give me a holler. Even if you’re not on WW but have struggled with your weight, let me know. It’s nice to know I’m not alone out here!

I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Oh, if you don’t hear from me for a while, just figure I’m not doing so well and give me a kick in the butt!

Karen

Names I Wish I Didn't Know

(Warning. . . I'm going beyond my humor . . but please keep reading). . .

We've heard them so many times. Over and Over, especially if you watch any sort of news program. My husband and I were watching the news last night and we were reminded of the world we live in.

Casey Anthony.

Shawn Hornbeck.

Ben Ownby.

Natalee Holloway.

And the latest, Haleigh Cummings.

Every time I hear one of those names, my gut simply wrenches for the child, for the parents, for anyone who knows that person. I can't even start to imagine what it would feel like, the questions that would go through my mind, how I would react, what I would do. Would I be capable of doing anything at all? Yet the simple fact is that thousands of children go missing every day.

My son, Z1, being the fearless adventurer he is, has gotten separated from us several times in highly populated places. The zoo. The waterpark. The mall. And each time, the terror that rose up inside of me was unbearable. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see straight. And that was for all of 30 seconds to twenty minutes.

When Karen and I started By The Book, we knew we wanted to include a section where you could keep all of the emergency information in one spot. We call it,"The section we hope you NEVER have to use." It includes all of your child's stats- height, weight, birthmarks, recent photos, fingerprints, the works.

We don't like to think about this kind of stuff. After all, we're safe, right? It only takes one moment, five seconds of averting your eyes, ten seconds of getting distracted with something else. If I had to give my child's information, what would I remember? Would I think about the gap between his teeth? The location of his birthmarks? Do I know his weight, height off the top of my head? Can I remember what he was wearing? Do I have his fingerprints? Pictures?

Click here to see what is in the book. You can find the table of contents and look through the emergency section.

Whether or not you buy the book, just do something today to put all of your child(ren)'s information in one, safe, accessible place. ANd give them an extra hug tonight.

Yours, grateful to know mine are asleep in their beds,

Melissa