LoseIt!

Last week, a friend of mine introduced me to a new app for my iPhone. I'm in love! I probably would have even paid for it, but it's free! It's called 'LoseIt'. It's a daily food tracker as well as a goal tracker. It's so easy to log what I eat & quickly. It has all the major food brands you find at the grocery store and if you don't want to search for it, just scan the barcode and there it is! It also has the a lot of restaurants in there too! I set up my weight goal in the beginning and it put me on a daily calorie count for what I am wanting to achieve. It logs every calorie and tells me if I'm over or under for the day. (I'm happy to report I've been under every single day!) I wasn't supposed to weigh in today but I couldn't resist the scale this morning :) I'm down another pound! I'll take it!
So far this weight loss journey has been far different than the others, in a good way. It's not something I feel I have to do or struggle with.
Yesterday was my FIL's birthday & we decided to get dinner and cake and have a small thing at home, just us. The teenagers opted for pizza, and the adults, tacos & burritos from a local Mexican food store. We went to Albertsons to pick up the cake and I decided on a roasted chicken breast, a side salad of greens, walnuts & cranberries w/ raspberry vinegar dressing. I even skipped the cake and picked up a black cherry Greek yogurt instead! (i washed it all down with a Vitamin water) I didn't mind missing the cake, as I've never really been a cake person anyway, I just ate it because, well, that's what you're supposed to do at a birthday, right?!
As we got in the car to go home last night, my hubby tells me how proud of me he is :) totally worth it!!!

Cute lil tidbit

This has nothing to do with weight loss, but I had to share something my lil B did this morning that had me laughing. After breakfast, we were hanging out, just playing & she gets on her princess bike and tells me "Mommy, go shoe shop?!". Ugh this little girl! Her most favorite thing is shoes. She would rather play and try on all of her shoes, than play with her toys. Yes, I've created a monster. Ha! I'm sure I will be paying for this at a later date. Literally. $$$

Breakfast of Champions!

This morning I chose corn flakes sweetened with a few leftover banana and strawberry slices from B's breakfast. SO GOOD! I have to admit, I've never tried cereal with fruit, ever. I have always used sugar or already sweetened cereals. From now on.. Fruit it is!! So much healthier for me & I think it tastes better. This may be old news for most, but this is new revelation for me. :) just thought I would quickly share!

Picking Up Where I Left Off..

Four months ago was my last post on this blog.. not because I haven't wanted to, I just needed a break from it. I also hadn't been following the plan I set for myself that day. Too much has gone on and a loved one lost on that day. All motivation was lost & my time and energy needed to be elsewhere. But now I am back. Ready to tackle this, again. I'll start back about a month ago..
 I had started feeling horrible one day, while sitting at my desk at work. Bam, out of nowhere I was dizzy, a bit confused, shaking and just an overall feeling of "ick". I hadn't eaten anything that day so far, so I automatically thought "my blood sugar must be low". So I ran back to my mom's office and had her check my blood sugar. (she's diabetic, so she has those kinds of resources available). The meter read a whopping 38. Uh.. not good. No wonder I felt crappy. So, I proceeded to eat something in hopes of it making me feel better. Not so much. I still felt awful. Off to the ER I went. They checked my blood, ran some blood tests, gave me some fluids via IV and sent me on my way, once I was feeling a bit better. I was to follow up with my regular doc in the next few days and get my results. Easier said than done. My doc didn't have any appointments available for 3 weeks. No problem, I thought. Until I tried to eat anything, then that feeling would come on again...tired, weak, dizzy, etc...( I won't bore you with the details, but I hardly ate and mostly just drank those 3 weeks, just so I wouldn't feel awful).
I was finally able to see my doc earlier this week and he said I was insulin resistant. My pancreas makes way too much insulin to try and keep my blood sugars normal. I am not diabetic.. yet. I will be if I don't do anything about it now. So I left the doc's office with a prescription for Metformin and a new mindset. I had wanted to start this weight loss journey to look and feel good. Now it was about being healthy. Luckily, the Metformin will control my insulin production, but also assists with weight loss. Score for me! I needed that extra boost to get me going. As a person with PCOS, it is not as easy as one thinks to lose weight. I have stayed (plus or minus a few lbs) at the same weight for almost 2yrs now. I won't go into detail about PCOS, just know it sucks. Big time. I hate it. I wish it never existed. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
Any who.. I had already had a little unintentional weight loss because of not eating much for those 3 weeks, but when I weighed in at home a week ago I was at 221. Since the doc visit I have been eating healthy and tracking my every food intake, as well as taking my Metformin. I am happy to report, after weighing in this evening (on the same scale as last week) that I am at 215! May not seem like a lot, but it is something! I haven't even been exersizing! (yet). I have cut all soda, sweets, breads, fried & fast food and have stuck to my new eating habits. I am so happy to report I am NOT starving, as I thought I would be. I have learned to stop eating when I am full and opt for healthier options if I go out.
 For example: today, while out and about running errands, we decided to eat lunch out. We decided on Subway. (my choice). I opted for a ham sandwich on wheat, no cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bell pepper & cucumber. No mayo, just vinegar. To tell you the truth, I shocked myself at how good it was. Who says you need fat and carbs to be satisfied?! (I also had low cal, low sugar Lemonade). I hadn't planned on eating dinner out, but Hubby went fishing overnight with my brother and a friend, my niece Ophelia went to have a sleepover at Grandma's and my sister and her Hubby took Adalyn to PoJo's (gamecenter).. So that left just Liz and I at home. Our first thought was "Hell yeah, girls night!!! Drinks, bars, dance clubs..".. Ha! Right. I am entirely too old and too fat to be doing all of that. We opted for dinner and house hunting. (her and my brother are getting ready to buy a home). So off we went. I chose a favorite place of mine and hubby's.. Magic Recipe. Mmm. Delish. I wanted to PIG OUT, as their food is SO damn good. BUT, I didn't. I was good. I chose grilled pork steak with mashed red potatoes (hold the gravy), salad with Italian and grilled veggies..with water to drink.  I didn't even finish the entire meal, but it was so delicious. I was totally satisfied and according to my 'Lose It' app on my phone, the whole meal was under 500 calories! Makes this fat girl wanna do a little dance!!! ( I didn't by the way.. no one wants to see all that).
I know I sound way too excited about food and getting healthy, but if you really know me, you know I love my food. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine eating healthy wouldn't kill me. I mean really.. as a certified 'fat kid', I would have never thought life could be lived without sugar and fatty foods. This last week has been a total shock and surprise to me.. but a good one.
 I don't think of it as a diet.. it's really a lifestyle change. I have to do it.. I am too scared of the outcome if I don't. I thought I would be miserable having to do it, but I must say.. It's really not bad! This is totally something I can stick to. If only they had a disease you would get if you didn't blog everyday.. then maybe I could stick to it :) I try, I really do. And I'll try harder. If you read a few posts back, you'll see why I have a hard time blogging. But I am getting better.
I will be continuing what I started in February, posting pictures and measurements.. I will get some up tomorrow. I will stick with the beginning photos I already have posted, because well, I was only 2lbs heavier when I started last week.
Stay tuned, my friends! Tata for now.. as it is late and my brain is a little fuzzy. Excuse any spelling or grammar errors.. or if it just doesn't make sense at all... I don't function well when I am tired.
G'nite loves!

Sick & Tired... of being a fat kid.

This post probably doesn't need any other explanation, but what fun is that? I've always known I was big. Growing up I was always the biggest of my friends. I never fit into their clothes, never felt as cute. My mom always used to tell me I hid my weight really well. (Isn't she great!?) This may have been the case when I was younger, but now? Huh. There is no hiding, whatsoever. It's out for the world to see. It's never really bothered me to the point of doing something about it... until now.
The other day while shopping at Old Navy with my dear hubby, I was getting frustrated in finding the right size and fit of jeans. (Every jean is on sale right now for $19 by the way!).. Ahem, anyway.. I had only found one pair that were 'my size'. (They didn't end up fitting, hence the "my size"). Apparently I am not the size I thought I was. My frustration would have ended there, had they been too big. Ha! Only in a perfect world. They were too small and at that moment I decided NO WAY was I going to go UP a size. Hell no! My DH then proceeded to tell me that I "wasn't much bigger than when we met". (HUGE eye roll inserted). He then asked me to grab the size of jeans I was when we were dating and show him compared to the ones I tried on. BAZINGA! Obviously he could tell the difference. Clearly.
We had already been talking the last few days about weight loss and how we wanted to start eating better & shedding some pounds. This all came about because my MIL went to a weight loss doctor and is now on a pre-diabetic diet. (she's doing awesome BTW). So it's been a little bug in our ear since then. Well, after my latest shopping adventure, it was time. Hubby (surprisingly) agreed to start this journey with me. We talked about meals, portion control, exercising, controlling blood sugars, etc. He was on board! Now I had no excuse.
So.. today we started the diet. We are both not big on breakfast, so it was the meal I feared the most. I know it is so important in a daily diet, even when you are not trying to lose weight, but even more when you are. Typically, Hubby skips breakfast and mine is limited to various cups of coffee. For our first day I decided on a 2 egg (1 yolk, 2 egg whites) omelet, filled with low fat cheese, mushrooms and diced ham, alongside 2 pieces of whole grain toast for Hubby. For myself, I had Oatmeal with diced apples, sprinkled with a little Splenda, with one cup of coffee, sweetened with Splenda. I was satisfied and didn't finish the entire bowl of Oatmeal. Hubby was a little hesitant (he wanted flour tortillas)... but he ate it and other than it being a bit salty, he survived. I plan to take pictures and share with you all about the different meals I come up with and how we are doing once or twice a week :)
I made the decision to blog about this journey mostly for myself. I have decided to share it all.. Pictures, Weight, Measurements... ALL of it. This for me, is motivation (along with a little embarrassment) and I hope it will encourage me to hold myself accountable and keep to the plan. Hubby on the other hand, has not agreed to share his all. :) I will still be updating on his progress, you'll just have to trust me on it.

Starting weight: 219lbs
Measurements: Waist: 46"
Hips: 48"
Bust: 44"
Arms: 12"
And here are the pictures (cringe)





Goal Weight by July 1st: 175lbs
Ugh. Just so you know, it's going to take awhile for me to hit the "Publish Post" button.
I am looking forward to the AFTER pictures even more!

We haven't done Hubby's measurements or weight yet, but I'll post what I can, when we do!
Comments are encouraged (be nice!) to any and all of my posts! Can't wait to share this journey with you all!

WIFEY D

Grateful Much?

It's pretty common to hear "I'm so grateful for...." from people. But how often do you really feel grateful? Saying is one thing, feeling and showing it is another. It got me wondering how often I do, as I was driving to work this morning.

The conversation on the radio was about Jury Duty. An old(er) man called in to share his story. He shared how his wife had always wanted to take part in being on a Jury, but the 30 something years they had been married, she had never once been called for Duty. Sadly, his wife had passed away & never got that call... Until 6mos later. The papers he'd received for his wife had read that she must report for Duty, or she would be fined $100.00 per day (for the term of the assignment). He proceeded to call the number on the paper and told them "I will gladly pay the $100.00 per day, if you can get her here to report for Duty!".

Not only did he have a good attitude about the whole thing, but it really got me thinking of how grateful I am for my husband, my family & the people I love and care about. I often hear people give advice to others after loosing their loved one, saying "Tell them you love them before it's too late". But I've never really taken that to heart until this morning. How would my life be without these people I talk to and spend time with on a daily basis? Unimaginable. My life wouldn't be "my" life. It would completely change, as I am sure it does for most people when something like that happens.

Those words of advice have a different meaning for me, not because I have experienced it (knock on wood x10) but because I really thought about and felt what this man must have been feeling receiving those papers. I am grateful for the good and also the bad times with my loved ones. My dear Hubby sure knows how to push my buttons sometimes, but if he weren't here to do so, I'd be lost. I can't get to sleep at night sometimes because of his snoring, but I'd much rather have him next to me, snoring or no snoring. I often get frustrated with situations I am dealt, but realize how lonely I would be without them.

Take a minute to reflect on how your life would change and how it would be without the ones you love. You'll get a much greater appreciation for the time you now have, to spend with them.

You Make Me Laugh!

I cannot even tell you how many times a day those words are exchanged between Hubby and I. Most would think "Oh, that is so sweet"! Some of the time, yes. Most of the time.. I make him laugh because he is laughing AT me. (Not so sweet).

Our marriage has for sure got it's ups and downs (hey, no one is perfect..), but the majority of our relationship is on the Up. After 7yrs of being together (almost 6 married), we are still very much best friends and very much in love. **Disclaimer: I would like to reiterate the key word in this paragraph.. "majority".

Everyone is always searching for that 'key' to marriage...Mine occurred to me as we were driving home from his parents house last week. I couldn't tell you what I said or did, but he looked at me and said "I don't know that I could be married to you this long if you didn't make me laugh like you do". Now, my first thought was 'What the hell do you mean you couldn't be married to me!?!".. But then I thought about it a second time (which, I might add, I rarely do).. and it hit me how true that statement was. The rest of the drive home we talked about how often we make each other laugh and how most of the time, even when we are angry or upset at the other, just one look or comment from them and we forget whatever made us mad in the first place. The true 'key' to our marriage is laughter, for sure.

"Live, Laugh, Love" has a new meaning in my life.

Wife or Wifey?

What is the difference you ask? I am, by no means, the expert on this topic, but I am sure I have a few good ideas. The label "wife" just sounds so boring to me. Wifey sounds so much more exciting, and a bit 'younger'. (Hey, anything I can do to feel younger, I'll do.. except maybe plastic surgery or Botox). I said MAYBE.

Maybe there are no real differences, maybe it is just personal preference. I like the sound of Wifey. There are arguments out there that suggest "Wifey" means a woman who is not married to a man, just 'playing house' and that "Wife" is a more respectful name for a legally married woman. To those who think that, I have legal binding documents that suggest otherwise. :)

The Urban Dictionary has many meanings for the term, yet I don't agree with those either. Have you ever looked at the Urban Dictionary? It has some whacked out stuff in there. For instance, my name:

1.	Dustie
	A southern gal with an attractive smile. She has many guy friends and can be a superb wing-man. She makes you fall in love with her personality and is always ready for fun however; she can be scary when you make her angry Men know to respect her and if they don't, they learn quickly. Dustie sure can throw a punch.

OR

2.	Dustie
	A first name, usually reserved for girls. Tends to be associated with those that are particularly scary. Everyone is afraid of what Dustie might do.

Huh. Not quite me. Now you see why I don't believe it. I believe Wifey to be (in my case) a term of endearment and I take it as that. Hubby often refers me to as that & I have taken on the name.. Hence the new name & revamp of my blog. From now on I shall be known (in Blogger world) as Wifey D. It also reflects the new direction my blog is taking. I wouldn't say my life is super duper exciting, but being a Wifey comes with its ups and downs...and all-arounds. The good, the bad and the ugly, as they say. I choose to share all of these, with you my friends. Be prepared for the ride. I promise to make you laugh, maybe even cry, cringe and even wince at times. Let the journey of Wifey-ness begin.

To Blog or Not To Blog...

This is a question I often ask myself. Why? Because I always feel the 'want' to blog. But by the time I start up my computer, fool around with the layout & design a bit, check my Facebook (because that is a must whenever opening my browser) and then finally clicking on the "New Post" button.. I realize I have no idea what to write about. I read my friends blogs & they all seem so well written, have clever and witty titles & always have "exciting" topics to write about. Mine just seems so boring. My main audience is my family, so they might be interested in what I am writing, if they are interested in what we have been up to, but honestly, I just feel like my blog is BLAH. I've enlisted help of one of my clever & witty blogger friends to help me come up with a name for the blog.. If only she could just write it for me. :) I feel like there should be a lot to update on since its been nearly a year and a half since my last post, but considering I can't even remember half of what I did last week, who's to say I will remember over a year ago? Well, I will try my best. I've decided to sort of 're-vamp' our blog and my future posts will hopefully be more often & more entertaining. Hopefully. Before that happens, I will update you all of what is new in our lives.

2011 was a year full of ups & downs for us. With financial issues & family problems, we made the decision to have JR quit his job of over 7yrs & enroll in school full time. Talk about scary. His final day at work was December 29th. He has always had a love of welding & his job he has held for the last 7+ years was going nowhere & paid next to nothing. We looked into what sort of financial aide we could get if he was to go full time, if we could live off of it until he was done with school (in case my temporary job ended & I couldn't find employment) and also what he 'wanted to be when he grew up'. He decided on a Associates in Welding & Metal Fabrication. He started at College of Western Idaho on January 17th and is so far, loving it. He has only had a few assignments thus far, but has done very well with them. One of his instructors even posted on the Blackboard for all the students having problems understanding the assignment, to read his essay, which was very well written. I am one proud wife! Most of the time he doesn't realize his ability & capability to do things, but I do. I know he will do so well the next 2 years. I tease him that he had better, considering the amount of $$$ we have spent to get him school 'ready'. It almost felt as if I had a child starting school for the first time: New clothes, school supplies, a new laptop, school books etc. I didn't mind, as I wanted him to have what he needed & not worry about the things he needed to make it more comfortable for him to complete homework, do research, etc. My heart sank a little as I saw money signs fly by, but I know I will get a much better reward at the end of the 2 years, so that made it easier. Everyone has been so encouraging about this big decision we made and we wanted to thank everyone for their support. Especially my dad & my uncle, as I know it eases JR's mind that he can always come to you for support or help with anything he needs.

As for me (Dustie), I have been working with my Mom at NFD off and on since May 2011. I left for a couple months to start a job I thought I would love, but ended up being miserable & back at NFD. I am currently working on a project for the Rural District, converting all of their paper files into electronic files. I also assist with phones, burn permits, checking in plans.. Admin. stuff. I love it there & love the people I work with. (Who wouldn't want to work with my awesome Mom?). Unfortunately, being that she is my mom, I am not able to hold a permanent position with them. I am through a Temp. Agency currently. I don't know what the future holds for me after this project is finished, but I have faith there is something wonderful for me in store. I have also recently started selling some of my hand made items on Etsy. My sister Carey helped/is helping me get this started up. For those who know me, know I love to scrapbook & have some of my scrapbooks and cards listed for sale. This past summer my mother in-law and I started making hair bows, mainly because they seemed expensive to buy & looking at them, I thought "those would be so easy to make"! So, we did. Some of those are also listed on my Etsy site. I have had some orders which has allowed me to figure out the shipping and sending aspect of it. I have so much more to create & list for sale, hopefully soon. I am working on some items for Valentine's Day coming up, so please feel free to share with friends & family!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bellybowtique

As I mentioned before, I am in the process of re-vamping our blog. I fully intend on blogging a lot more & putting a 'theme' to this madness I call our blog. :) Hopefully I am able to succeed in this adventure. Stay tuned!

Love,

JR & Dustie

Update!

Where do I start? On August 31, 09, J.R. was officially released from probation. YAY!!! I can't tell you what a relief that was! He is a free man! He has accomplished so much and is finally able to enjoy life with no restrictions. It's been a long road for him, but he has done so well & paid his dues. Way to go babe!

I can't believe the holidays are already here... Where has the year gone?? I love this time of year though. I love the weather changing & the colors of the trees... I love baking & this time of year is perfect for it. I can't wait to get in the kitchen & start baking all the holiday goodies~!

This year, all of my family is coming to Idaho for Christmas. I can't wait! My brother will be here with his wife and my little niece. My oldest sister and her wife are coming, along with my cousin who lives in California. I love Christmastime because J.R.'s family celebrates Christmas on the 24th, so it is really nice to not have to choose which family to spend Christmas with. We get the best of both worlds..and 2 Christmas'! I was able to take a few days off for vacation the week of Christmas, so I will be able to spend some more time with my family. I can't wait!!

Although it's not official...I am going to break the new anyway!!!....My sister Tami is going to be getting married!!! I am SO happy for her. She was introduced to a guy named Jason aka "Mace".. and they hit it off really well. He is so good to her & I couldn't be happier. She has waited a long time for this & I can see it in her eyes she is truly happy. I will be posting more about it wedding etc.. as details come & as the Maid of Honor I will have lots to share!! Yay, I love wedding planning!!

Although I love fall..I HATE the flu season. This year seems to be pretty bad with the swine flu and all... I caught another bout of Pneumonia a couple weeks ago..and although it wasn't as bad as in March, it was still not fun. I am doing better though and feeling fine. JR was sick also a couple weeks ago, and for those that know him, know he rarely gets sick. He was down for a week or so & we finally went to the DR and thank goodness it wasn't the swine flu. It was some nasty virus that also happens to be going around. Hopefully we are done with it for the season. There are so many people out there right now sick & its pretty tough to not be around it since I work at a Medical Credit Union. Uggh.. I have stocked up on sanitizer though & it seems to be helping. Hopefully you & your families are all well~!

Well, thats all I can think of at this moment to update on...sorry we don't lead exciting glamorous lives!! :) I hope all of you are safe & well......

Happy Blogging~!