Facebook jail, fat shaming, and whatnot...

So, fat shaming was very popular on Facebook yesterday. From the Huffington Post Parent piece about plus size shopping to the upsetting piece by one of my fellow Libertarians about how we are 'glorifying obesity' by 'promoting' it...let's just say I was annoyed. In fact, I called one commenter an asshole after she insisted that they should stop making clothes after size 20 because 'that's just unhealthy'. This got me blocked from posting on facebook for 24 hours. Fat shaming is cool. Don't you dare call someone an asshole though.

Whatever. Onward to the weight loss journey. Well, I talked myself out of working out yesterday and I feel kind of shitty about it. I was really tired and unmotivated. Both kids were purposely pushing my buttons all day long. By the time their nap rolled around, I didn't feel like doing anything. I did maintain my diet, though. So, it wasn't a total loss. I'm not feeling very motivated today, but I am going to at least do 30 minutes.

I have a cool recipe for you guys though, to cut the carbs and increase the protein in pancakes. My mother in law made these for the kids the other day and they were so good, I just had to know how she made them.

Ingredients:

2 eggs (beaten)
3 cups plain yogurt
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Sugar (optional and to taste)
Cinnamon (optional and to taste)

1. Beat eggs and yogurt together
2. Add in flour and baking powder (and sugar and cinnamon) as you mix to make pancake consistency.
3. Grill as you would regular pancakes.

This is a highly improvised recipe. Play around with the measurements. You can also use sour cream if you would rather. So long as you are coming up with the right consistency, you should be fine. Just don't forget the eggs...or it will be a hot mess. Literally. :)

That's all for now, folks. Just remember, fat shaming is not only mean...it's counter productive. Those of us who like to eat do not want to eat less because someone is an asshole to us on facebook. :)

Stress and some helpful tips!

Today, y'all...I am stressed. First of all, my youngest son, Liam, had his 18 month check up today. Well, OF COURSE, David would tackle him to the ground on top of a hard toy 4 days prior to this appointment giving him a seriously nasty bruise on the chest. One that the doctor informs me is 'atypical' basically making me feel like a child abuser. If that wasn't emotionally stressful enough, we got handed some bad news about Doron's (my husband) Immigration interview. Apparently, it's going to be a figurative rectal exam with the outcome unknown. I literally can't even, right now.

So, as I write this, I'm scarfing down a cheddar bagel with cream cheese. Fuck off, it's delicious. Mmmmmm....Anyhow, I don't want to focus on my stress. I did pretty well today, all things considered. So, onward to much more interesting things.

First let me just say 1) Tae Bo is not as easy as it was when I was 13 and 2) I am not coordinated enough for Zumba without some intense help. Tae Bo worked out okay, there were a few points in the basic work out where I was just wiped and couldn't do a combination. In those cases, I ran in place. Zumba was fun, but all I could think about was the fact that I spent at least four years of college dancing a parties, and if it looked anything like the hot mess going on in my living room yesterday...let's just say it's a miracle I ever got laid. Ever. I think I'm going to go to a Zumba class before I try that again at home. In case you were wondering, though, my body hurts and I want to die.

Second, let's talk about food. I have some tips y'all! One comes from my recently (again) vegan high school bud who has lost 30 lbs over the last months and is a BIG supporter of smoothies. I love ice cream. I can't control myself around ice cream, so I decided to give a smoothie a try (Spoiler Alert: It was good and super easy).

Get yourself a blender, frozen fruit of your choice, a banana, and some fruit juice (or yogurt if you prefer but shhhh don't tell my vegan friend). Put that shit in the blinder. Blend. Done. I will say, I prefer to go as light on the juice as possible to make the smoothie thick (that's what she said). Voila!

The next trick I have for you is in the form of a grilled chicken salad. During the day, running around and chasing kids, I'm tired AF. I'm certainly not about to slave over the stove for a personal lunch. So, I bought some of these precooked grilled chicken strips with dipping sauce (buffalo ranch) and decided to make a protein packed lunch by cutting them up and putting them in a garden salad. I used only about 1/3 of the provided dipping sauce as dressing, though you could easily pick your own healthier dressing. Personally, I don't like a soggy salad. I just need a little taste of the dressing to keep it from being a bowl of pure rabbit food. :)

That's basically it today, folks. I just want to think those of you who personally made a point to root for me on this journey. Your feedback, comments, tips, and critiques are always welcome. And if any of you are in this fight against fat with me...ROCK ON! We can do this!

It is time...

Y'all, it's time. Just turned 30, mother of two, I am sick of being fat. Not for vanity reasons. I've always been mostly comfortable in my skin, though I've been overweight - actually, I hate that word - FAT for most of my life. That is not to say I don't wish I were thinner for aesthetics too. While I've always been confident, there is nothing I hate more than having an unedited, poorly shot picture of me posted on social media. An eternal sentence in the 9th ring of hell for any and all 'friends' who post unflattering pictures of me!

No, I'm sick of being fat because life is hard. I have two toddlers and keeping up with them is a challenge. Walking around with my husband puts me out of breath. My father has been diagnosed with diabetes and I don't want to be next. I gained 20 lbs over the Christmas Holidays and topped out at the highest I've ever weighed...in my life. It was a wake up call. I've got to do something. Going down this path leads to being 50 and 400 lbs. I will not do that to myself and I will not do it to my family.

But here's the problem. I'm fully aware of why I'm fat. It's a frustrating mixture of loving food, hating getting off my ass, and shit genes. I still love food. I will always love food. Chocolate is a favorite of mine. And cheese. Oh sweet Jesus how I love cheese - on just about everything. Trying fad diets has never and will never work for me. I have to be able to eat what I want (within reason). I still hate getting off my ass. I'm told that after a while it will get easier and at some point I'll love it. Such a scenario seems highly unlikely, but we'll see. Genes, well...I can't do much about those, can I? So, while it might be an uphill battle, I'm just going to have to decide to deal.

I plan to do pretty regular updates. I'll keep you abreast of what I'm eating, what exercise I'm doing, how I'm feeling. My struggles and my successes. I'll try to maintain some kind of integrity by posting a Q&A every week or so updating my stats. (Fuck, did I just willingly decide to tell the internet how much I weigh?)

For now, let me generally tell you my plan. I got a fitbit and I love it. It motivates me to keep moving. No way do I want to come in last on my step count up against people who actually KNOW ME! I am a bit competitive that way. I'm also doing workout videos. I know, how stay-at-home-mom of me. Well, I'm a stay at home mom. And besides, who doesn't love a little Billy Blanks nostalgia tour with Tae bo work outs?! Right now, I have not clearly defined exercise plan. At this point, just doing ANYTHING will be an improvement.

For food, I'm watching my carb and sugar intake. I'm not cutting them. It is unreasonable for me. But I'm going to stick to complex carbs as much as possible and try very hard to avoid giving into every sweet craving I have, or substituting with something healthier. Like last night, I was craving chocolate and had decaf coffee with about 5 Splenda packets instead. Okay, that's probably not the best example. I'm still a work in progress. I'm going to cook meals with lots and lots of fresh produce and smaller portions of meat, trying to stick to leaner meats. I'm not going to eat just because I'm bored.

And that's about it for now, folks. Without further ado, I give to you the obligatory 'before' picture (from my 30th birthday just a week ago with be loving husband) and my very first Q&A.

Weight: 270

Weight loss to date: 0

Dress size: 24

Waist (inches): I need to get a tape measure. Will do that this week.

Arms (Inches): See above.

Hips (Inches): Yep.

Cravings: Chocolate. So much chocolate. I dream about chocolate at night.

Workouts this week: Rocking the Tae bo. When it gets too hard I run in place which is, surprisingly easier that then work out at times. 

Struggles: Motivation to work out. When the kids nap, omg I just want to join them!

Positive notes: I'm feeling good about how well I've kept my diet this week. I'm really hoping I can make this a lifestyle change!