A Work in Progress

Yes, I’m still on my road to losing this pesky fat!  I’ve been extremely busy since about mid-February.  I went back to work after being off for nearly two years.  (I took a “mental break” after my last miscarriage)  I was on a roll losing my weight with being down nearly 15 pounds from Jan 2nd to Feb 13th.  I figured it was time to move on.  Boy was I wrong!  This damn scale of mine was resisting to budge for nearly three months.  It hit me this week that I just haven’t been making the time for ME as much as I should have.  However, I have jumped back on the bandwagon and I am hoping to get below the 220’s next week (I started at 248 in January)!  I created a six month goal for myself to be down 50 pounds by my 35th Birthday.  That’s drawing near — June 14th — Eeeek!!  Since I took my first photo of myself on January 19th, I figured I’d be a little lenient and go to June 19th to reach my goal.  Of course, I won’t be saddened if I reach it before then.  🙂

On May 7th, I will be giving up my reigns once again as Nanny.  I’m going to be concentrating on myself this summer and preparing my body to go through another round of infertility treatments.  (I haven’t shared it with most of my family and friends — so I apologize if you are reading this and are just now finding out)  I am going to tell you all this… I’m scared as hell nervous and anxious to begin the process.  Most of all, in my current state — I’m not ready!  My goal was to be below 200 pounds before even going to see the specialist.  Our appointment is May 20th.  I just told my husband (literally like 20 minutes ago) that I am rescheduling that appointment… once again!  This time, not because I am too frightened to begin treatment, but because I have a bigger goal in mind.  I want to be below that 200 lb mark!  I want to be a healthy pregnant momma!!  There’s nothing I have ever wanted more!  (Small Note:  I will NOT be posting on this blog, Twitter, or Facebook when/if I do treatments.  You will find out I’m pregnant when I feel I’m ready.  Not trying to be rude, but just protecting myself, my husband and so many other couples who go through the struggle of infertility every day of every year.  I will not be that person who keeps throwing it up in conversation just for conversation.  I have been there and I won’t be doing it!  So, you are still safe to hang around.  Long after the “fun” begins!  🙂 )

I have my Best Friends wedding on May 18th and when I return I will be kicking it in high gear till at least my birthday.  Then, I will see where I am.  (Hopefully below the 200 line!)  At that point, I will contact my specialist (Reproductive Endocrinologist) and go from there.  And hey, who knows!  Maybe I’ll just have a miracle pregnancy!  Psh!  Ha!  Ya, I’ve been saying that for 7 years folks.  (Read MY STORY to find out more)

Tomorrow morning I am joining my new friend and journey buddy (Geri) for Boot Camp.  Yes, I’m going back!  Well, this one is with a different trainer, but I need to have my ass pushed a little harder.  I have NO CHOICE!  Staying fat is not an option for me!  I’m also continuing with my weight-loss challenge group and have recently started a local “Women’s Fat Club”.  I am expecting a call on Tuesday afternoon from a Therapist who specializes in Food Addiction and Binge Eating.  We are hoping to have her come and speak with us ladies.  We also have a cooking class (at our local Diabetes Center), a field trip to see Ruby Gettinger and a Splash ‘N Dash Fun Run scheduled over the summer.  Strength in numbers folks!  I encourage you to grab a few friends and get yourselves moving this summer too!  Get out and enjoy your life!

Ok, now for the good stuff (blech!).  Here’s my progress photo’s….

Not a whole lotta change yet (slightly here and slight there yes), but there will be soon!  You just wait and see!

**Do you have a progress photo, journey story, etc that you would like to share with my readers?  Let me know (by commenting below or contacting me via PM on Facebook) and I’ll post it on my blog for you!  I love to share others stories!  Be an inspiration to others and you will keep inspiring yourself.

Don’t Give Up!

Hey Y’all!  I hope you are having a GREAT week so far.  I’m getting myself back on track and NOT GIVING UP!  I spent the last few weeks surrounded by bad food, bad choices and bad people.  Now it’s time for ME!  I’ve got my week going pretty good so far.  Here’s what I have in store…

Today:  Dance Class

Tomorrow:  Do 3.1 miles at the gym and weights

Friday:  Yoga in AM.  At least 2mi walk at home in the PM.

Saturday:  At home/gym 5k and weights

Sunday:  Do “something” active with the hubby & pupster.  (Weather permitting, I’d like to go for a walk on the beach or do a local trail.)

What do you have planned for your workouts this week?  What roadblocks have you had along the way?

**My personal goal for this week is to be able to run at least a 1/2 mile non-stop.  I’ll keep you posted!

NO EXCUSES! — Working out, with children in tow.

For those of you who missed my morning post on Facebook…  I was a Nanny for over 10 years.  Ms. F was my last charge while working as a Professional Nanny.  I’ve watched her from the time she was 10 months old.  She is going to be 6 yo in April.  (So hard to believe!)  She is the sweetest, cutest, and most outgoing child I have ever worked with.  She makes my days so enjoyable when I am with her.  It’s just sooo hard to be upset when you are around her.  The things she says and does gives me an instant “perma grin”.  =)  I love her with all my heart; as if she is one of my own.  I am no longer with her full-time (filling in today), but I still get the pleasure of being with her from time-to-time.  I always make sure the time we spend together is valuable.  Life is way to short not to and I value the time I have with her each and every time.
(Nanny M loves YOU Ms. F!)

My workout partner today was amazing! She did the whole thing without complaining. I think she was showing off a little. 😉

I guess I never realized how much can be done in a park with a kid in tow.  Of course, maybe my “healthy brain” was covered under a lot of fat two years ago?! Perhaps.  Either way, we managed to “get ‘er done” while having fun today.  As Ms. F told me, “Thank Goodwess the Wain stayed away”.  

Here’s what we did while at the park….

We started out with a little run in the grass outside the baseball field.
AKA: I’m going to get you! And,You can’t get me!

Next, “we” did ten push-ups (three reps).

This was her favorite part. Running the stairs. She kinda made me nervous, BUT she did an amazing job. We went up and down five times. (Giggling the entire time…)

Every girl should learn how to do  squats at an early age.
(Ha! She actually sat down all the way though.)

I did three reps of 10.

Then, Ms. F made a beat on the conga drums while I….

Drummed out a stepping beat of my own on this here step. (Got 20 on each leg)

Five minutes later. Ms. F crashed her shin into this stair and our day at the park was over. Well, until I cheered her up with a friendly run from the playground to the car. I let her win! 😉

Afterwards, we joined my hubby for lunch.  We were both starving.  Ms. F was asking for Lunch with Tom and Spaghetti.  I managed to talk her out of the Italian Restaurant.  We ended up at Outback instead.  I had Chicken on the Barbie (no seasoning and no BBQ sauce) and Steamed Broccoli (no seasoning or butter).  Ms. F, she had a “Burger & Fries”. Her favorite! (As did Tom too!  She was pretty excited about that.)

We both ended up happy in the end.  Except for maybe the few times I traded her a French Fry for a piece of Broccoli.  If only I had recorded her disgust each time I handed her a green tree.  Ha!  I only managed to walk away with four french fries in my belly.  Thankfully!

After lunch, we hit the car wash.  Her new favorite thing to do.  I got a clean car and a workout (while vacuuming the inside) and she got free entertainment.  DEAL!  I should take her every time I go.  🙂

Now, she’s passed out cold on the couch.  I have to wake her up in 15 minutes to get ready for Dance Class.  I’m pretty sure she will sleep very well for her Momma tonight.

13.8 GONE! — 85 More To Go!

As promised, I’m posting my before and after for month one below.  I’m not completely confident in my own skin yet and this is taking a huge amount of strength to post this to the world!  I can definitely see a difference, but it scares me.  Will I be happy with my “look” once I finally meet my goal weight?  I surely hope so!  So please, be kind to the “skinny girl in the making” below.  She’s on the right path and hopes this picture helps others in her shoes.  ((HUGS)) to all you trying to melt along with me!  We are well on our way!  Month ONE — DOWN!

Since January 2nd, I have lost 13.8 pounds.  It wasn’t easy, but I definitely have learned a LOT and gained a whole NEW lifestyle in just a short month’s time.  I’m so proud of myself for the strides I have made in “Making Marcia Melt”.

To prepare for February, I’ve already prepared my workout plan and have started on my meal plan.  I’ll post it in another posting later today.  Stay tuned!

In the meantime, enjoy my new bod!  Ha!!  =)  Can’t wait to see what this is going to look like in May when I reach my 1/2 way goal!!  Oh ya!!

FYI, No Breakdown posting this week.  Instead, I’m going to go enjoy the Super Bowl with my hubby and pupster!  =)  I’ll post my calendar and my Healthy Super Bowl Spread later today though via Twitter & Facebook.

Who do you want to win the Super Bowl?  I’m in it for the commercials?  Let me know which was your favorite!

The Break Down (Week of 1/21/13)

As you learned in my Call 9-1-1….I have a FOOD COMA! post, this past week was not my best to date.  I had a couple of “cheat” moments that definitely lead me down a path of self-resentment for a few days.  Thankfully, I am back on track today!  Somewhat…. I’ll explain later.  For now, how about a little re-cap of last week?

Monday:  Boot Camp almost killed me this past week.  She made us RUN!  Did you hear me?  SHE MADE US RUN!!!  Ok, maybe she just made us run down the one side of the church to the dumpster and back — TWICE!  But still.  My body was screaming pretty loudly at 5:30am.  Sadly enough, I was also the slowest.  😦  I’m ok with that though.  I’m the big girl on campus…. for now!

Tuesday:  I took the day off.  Sat around in my PJ’s ALL DAY and played on my Kindle and watched TV.  It was great!  It was my first true “Pajama Day” since starting the new lifestyle.  Figured I owed it to myself (if only I had known what the rest of the week would have looked like).

Wednesday:  The day started off good with me waking up, loading up on apples and water and heading out for a Aerobic Dance class with our 62yo House Guest.  Boy, I was literally the YOUNGEST person in the gym filled with at least 50 over 50yo’s.  But hey, for $1, I’ll be going more often!  Well, after class is when the day went steadily downhill.  My driver (let’s call her “Canada” to protect her identity), she got a little turned around and we ended up in the wrong direction to her storage unit (we had a lot of errands this day).  So, our original plan to stop at a small soup and salad joint was busted.  We ended up walking into a Thai Restaurant instead.  Then, that night…. I had dinner with friends at the Ale House.  Again, see my Call 9-1-1….I have a FOOD COMA! post for more details.  I’ll just sum it up with this photo….

Thursday:  Besides beating myself up.  Thursday was another lay low day and I ate pretty decent.  Looking back, I wished I would have gotten off my A** this day and worked out.  But, you live and you learn.

Friday:  Uh yes!  Finally, I talked myself out of my depressive state.  Ha!  I headed to the gym (as I really wanted to sleep in and not get kicked back down at Boot Camp) and ran Day 1 of Week 1 of the Couch 2 5K program.  I also did my arms on the weight machines.  To reward myself, I went out to our local farm and purchased some veggies and had a nice quiet lunch with me, myself and I.  It was WONDERFUL!  =)  This really helped to lift my spirits.

Saturday & Sunday:  I didn’t do much in the terms of “working out” this weekend.  However, I did manage to finally clean off my desk in our extra room.  That desk has been piled with the past for the last 6 months.  I finally went through it all and trashed most of it.  I am now sitting here at a nice clean desk and able to have MY own space back in the house.  I’m in LOVE!  On Sunday, hubby and I went to our local farmers market.  Didn’t get anything; as I got so much on Friday.  However, it was nice to scope out the prices and see what they have available for next time.  I’ll definitely be back.  Afterwards, we headed to the grocery store and then to pick Strawberries!  YUM!  I have enough strawberries to get me through the week with my smoothies and just general snacking.  I should have got more, but there’s always NEXT weekend!  🙂

TODAY:  Ok, I have another confession.  On Saturday night, I decided to enjoy a small slice of a loaf cake that “Canada” had purchased at Fresh Market.  It had been staring me in the face all week.  Let’s just say, my body is NOT happy with it!  I’ve needed to be near a bathroom for the last 24 hours. (Sorry, TMI, I know.  Deal with it!  I’m only HUMAN!) I guess there is the slight possibility it could be a stomach virus, but I don’t think so.  I’m starting to figure myself out.  So, I had to skip Boot Camp again.  It was the last day of my pass today too.  😦  It’s ok.  I made a pact with myself.  Get down another 20 lbs and we can sign up for another round.  I think I’ll need it once I hit a plateau anyhow.  (Yes, I do talk to myself.  Don’t judge!)  In the meantime, I am going to train for my first 5K.  My husband and I are going to WALK one on February 9th.  The first big RUN 5K will be April 7th.  I’ve got PLENTY of time.  If I can tackle the 5K, I may even upgrade to the 10K at the race.  🙂  So, my plan today was Boot Camp.  That got blotched, then I decided to do the gym C25K program, that got blotched… so I just stayed around the house and walked 1.51 miles with the puppy instead.  I went strong for the first mile.  The last half, I had to slow it down a bit as my stomach was starting to shine its awful face at me.

The upside to having a stomach issue — Down 1.8 pounds on the scale in 24hrs!  HOLY F###!!  Why couldn’t I have weighed in at that yesterday??  Errr.  Oh well, this weeks weigh-in should be pretty decent.  Watch out girls!  😉  Currently, I am down a total of 12.8 pounds since January 2nd!!!  WOOT WOOT!!!  Enter Happy Dance….

I’m going to leave you with a little quote I got while at Tory Johnson’s Spark & Hustle Business Conference last year.  It’s one of my favorites and it will be my theme this week.  Feel free to take it for yourself too!  Have a fabulous one!

Do Not Let Your Fire Go Out,
Spark By Irreplaceable Spark…
The World You Desire Can Be Won.
It Exists…. It Is Real… It Is Possible…. It Is YOURS.
~ Ayn Rand

Grocery Shopping this Weekend?

Check out this great Grocery Shopping Guide from Undressed Skeleton.  There are a few things on there that I personally would not choose to put in my cart, but to each his own.  Basically, choose wisely!  Try to stay on the outside lanes of the store.  Everything in the middle is PROCESSED.  Meaning, it’s a looonnnnggg process in getting those foods off your thighs/hips/etc.  😉

Also, it’s really wise to sit down and plan your weekly meals out before going.  Not only does it keep you accountable on what you will/will not eat… it helps to prevent wasting.  When you are paying for those FRESH fruits and veggies, the last thing you want to do is to have to toss them.

Do some research too.  Pick up some new recipes from Pinterest, Online Sites, Blogs, Facebook, Friends, Books/Magazines, etc.  Try not to get in a rut with eating the same things.  This is when you will reach for the wrong thing.  (I’m trying to do one NEW meal per week to keep things fun.)

There’s some great info in this guide to get you through the entire grocery store without making any mistakes.  You can do it!  Prepare, Research, Shop!  Have a great trip!

 

A MUST PRINT

My Cheat for the Week….

These truly are IMMACULATE!

 

Last day before my hubby returns back to work after being off since December 22nd.  I haven’t cooked one day since… so, I felt it necessary to cook him a nice breakfast.  Typically, I would have purchase a WHITE FLOUR version of cinnamon rolls, made them all and ate half of them — WITH ICING!  This time, I did things a little differently.  I took one slice of the roll, sprayed my waffle iron with non-cooking EVOO spray and layed it in there.  Two minutes later, I had a warm chocolate chip WAFFLE!  Yum!  I topped it off with some butter (literally a scrape and nothing more), lite maple syrup and added blackberries & strawberries on the top.  Also, I had to have my morning Yogurt too!  😉  When I was done making mine and his — I threw that damn can away!!  Who needs the rest??  We don’t!  And, I didn’t get to the bottom of the can where the icing was, so I had to get rid of the thing — QUICK!  I don’t feel guilty for this simple pleasure, things could have turned out so much worse.  But, like everything — consume in moderation and you will be fine.  Now, to do 50 squats….  Have a great day!

**Oh, did I mention I’ve lost 4.6 pounds this week?!  =)  Check out the update in progress.