Welcome back! Coffee's always on around here. Pull up your favorite chair and a grab a cup. Enjoy your visit today! And don't forget to stop back by again soon.

{Weather}

The weather here in the Seattle area has been just absolutely gorgeous lately! I’m really enjoying it. It’s still cold in the morning and at night – about 30-36?- and warms up to the mid 50’s by noon or so. Quite nice! Things that don’t normally bloom until Spring are starting to blossom already and there are a lot of birds as well.

{Shoulder}

I think I must have inadvertently slept on my shoulder last night because it and my arm are incredibly sore this morning. Not just sore, actually, but downright painful. I hope the referral for my MRI comes very soon. Kinda getting tired of waiting. I want to know what can be done about this pain before it gets any worse.

{Weight}

Now that it’s been almost a whole month since my doctor changed my blood pressure medication, I’m absolutely sure it was what causing the weight gain. Since I began taking the new medication, I’ve lost 10 pounds and I haven’t changed anything else – foods, exercise, etc – so I know for sure that’s what it is. This is very good news! I am so glad it was the answer.

Let me tell you – being “in touch” with your body and what’s going on with it is very important. If I hadn’t been, I’d still be taking the other medication and my weight would still be climbing. Many people don’t understand those subtle things about their bodies and aren’t really in tune with what’s going on. You owe it yourself – and your family – to understand your body and your health. Taking care of yourself is paramount.

{Cane}

My cane arrived last Thursday and I went grocery shopping with my mom Friday. Using the cane was so nice. I was able to take the pressure off my leg a lot and that really helped my endurance. My back didn’t start really complaining until we were nearly finished with our shopping. And I didn’t have that odd grinding feeling in my back every time I took step. I think this is going to turn out to be very helpful indeed! Glad I decided to go with it.

{Projects}

I’ve got two major projects going on right now. Both are for my cousin’s hair and nail salon. The first is designing a website for her home salon and make up line. It’s been fun and challenging! The second is a web-based application I’m building with Ruby on Rails for her to keep track of her client information. I’m having a good time learning RoR as I go along and I think the application is going to turn out well.

{Snow Leopard}

I finally took the plunge and upgraded my MacBook Pro to the latest OS X operating system – Snow Leopard. It’s running great and I like the updates. Lots of new features that I didn’t have in the Tiger edition of the OS. Some of the improvements are just little changes but those are good too. My system is now running faster (although it was never really all that slow) and I gained a few GB of space on my hard drive. That’s pretty cool! Before SL, I had 24gb of hdd space and now I’ve got 30gb, so that’s a bonus.

{The Husband}

My husband has been in college since last Spring, taking the AA degree program in welding. He’s almost finished! Yay! He gets to take a certification test next week and then he’ll actually be qualified to work in the industry in Washington State. Then, he has Spring quarter plus a couple more classes over Summer quarter to complete the full degree. Being that he’s never really finished anything in his entire life, this is a huge milestone for him. Now, hopefully, he will find a good job in the industry and stick with it.

{Miscellaneous}

I think I’ll do an “Around the Web” update this week and maybe even a few other things. Haven’t done those in a while and I know everybody always enjoys those. So look out for that, probably Wednesday or Thursday.

And have a great week!

Until next time -

Be blessed,

You may remember that I’ve been having trouble with weight gain. I was convinced it was due to the prescription I’ve been on since late last spring for high blood pressure. And you may remember that on my last update about this, I finally got the doctor to agree that it was probable.

In fact, the doctor and I determined I’d gained almost 25 pounds since I began taking it! So, he changed the medication on my last visit. I’ve been on the new prescription for about 3 weeks now and I am happy to report . . .

I’ve lost 10 pounds!!! (Note: I have not changed a single thing besides the prescription!)

And it was confirmed at the doctors office this afternoon. I’m so happy about that. I feel better too, of course. Though I am a bit more tired lately. He did say that this particular med could cause some fatigue. I would much rather deal with a little fatigue than a whole lotta weight gain.

I’m also happy to report that my blood pressure was even lower today!! Even on the previous medication, it had still been slightly higher than my normal range. But today it was right in line with what it’s always been. I’m so, so happy about that!

AND . . . I’m also VERY HAPPY TO SAY that my 11 year old DOES NOT HAVE DIABETES!! Yay! He had the testing today and it all came back normal. WooHoo!

The only thing that’s not good news is that xrays on my back confirmed that I have arthritis in my lower spine. So, the doctor ordered an MRI for both my back and my shoulder.

In any case, this is shaping up to be a good month! I am just over the top that my son isn’t diabetic. My dad and sister were both diabetic and I remember all they went through. I didn’t want that for my son. I know diabetes isn’t the end of the world, but remember — he’s the one with autism. So, adding another thing to the mix . . . well, lets just say, it was a very stressful thought.

Hope your week is good one!

Until next time . . .

Be blessed,

I was beginning to think Mother Nature had forgotten what “Spring” meant. But it appears she has finally remembered. And I’m excited about that because snow and rain and cold, icky weather was just getting old and tiring. I can finally see why senior citizens and other retired folks go to Arizona and such for the winter months.

For the past few days here in NW Washington, we’ve had sunny skies in the 60’s. Great weather for this time of year! And it’s what makes me love spring in the first place. Nice, cool (but not cold) mornings and warm afternoons.

Beautiful.

The kids are funny, though. They insist on wearing their winter jackets to school.

Gman – “But mom, what if it gets cold? Or what if it rains?”

Little Girl – “Yeah, mom. He’s right. We should wear them just in case.”

Short Dude – “No, mom. I really want to wear my warm jacket.”

Me – “Ok, fine but trust me, you won’t need it.”

And then when they get home from school,

All of them – “Geez, mom. It’s H-O-T out here!”

Um, yeah, guys. Tried to warn ya.

The bummer of the whole thing, though, is that LAST week – when it was still cold and rainy – was SPRING BREAK. Go figure. So, the kids were cooped up in the house all week with not much to do because it was too nasty outside to do anything or go anywhere. And we all were definitely ready for school to resume this week!

Can’t wait to get outside and ride bikes! Biking is one my favorite pastimes. Another good thing about Spring. I know – there are people out there who ride year-round no matter the weather. But not me. Sorry. Rain, I can deal with – but freezing temps are another thing. And as that’s about all we’ve had since last November, I haven’t ridden in a while.

Not that I have a bike to ride at the moment anyway. I’m looking into getting a new bike as I gave mine to The Teenager because she outgrew her old one. So, I’ve been researching new bikes and drooling over them.

Due to my back and arm issues, the doctor and physical therapist have all recommended I ride a recumbent bike anyway so giving my bike to The Teenager made sense. It’s really a nice bike – 24 speed mountain bike with some extras including a nice seat, top of the line shifters and brakes that were easy on my arm. It’s a smaller frame so it fits people in the 4′8 – 5′4 range quite nicely. If she continues to take care of it as I have, she should have it for many more years.

I am looking forward to getting a recumbent so I’ve whittled my list down to a couple of 3-wheel (trike) versions that I think would really work well for me. Now it’s just a matter of making a final choice and biting the bullet. (Recumbents are typically quite expensive. In fact, some of them are even more expensive than what my CAR is worth! LOL) Too funny.

The models I’m looking at are:

1. TerraTrike Path 8
2. Catrike Pocket
3. Greenspeed GT3
4. Sun EZ Tad

I really like the looks and everything of the TerraTrike, but I’m leaning towards either Catrike or the Sun. They all seem fairly comparable to me though the Catrike Pocket comes in a smaller size to fit shorter folks. Actually, so do the TerraTrike and Sun models. I really like the look and reviews of the Catrike and Sun and I know of 2 of each of those models for sale for a little less than the retail prices.

If you’ve ridden a recumbent – and specifically, one of the models I’ve listed here – let me know what you think and why you like (or don’t like) that model. I’d appreciate any input I can get. Hopefully, I will make a choice and be able to purchase one by the end of the month.

Aside from my back and arm issues, the other reason I want to start riding again is part of my exercise plan for weight loss. I used to ride everywhere as a kid – all over the place, really – and if I wasn’t at home reading, my friends and I were hanging out and riding bikes. I even built my own bikes when I was a pre-teen & teenager because I couldn’t find one exactly like I wanted.

Funny enough – the bike I was riding when I trashed my arm was one I had *just* finished building. It wasn’t even 24 hours old when I had the accident. (No, the accident had nothing to do with the bike – just stupid teenage error on my part; i.e. – riding down a really steep hill going very fast.)

Bike riding has always been one my favorite outdoor activities and I always miss it during the cold winter months. With that and my arm/back injuries, I don’t ride as often as I’d really like to so I think getting a recumbent is the answer I’ve been looking for. Maybe I will even want to venture out when the weather isn’t so cooperative.

Luckily, my kids and my husband also enjoy riding. In fact, that’s we did after our wedding – we packed everything up and went bike riding for the afternoon!

Yes, I’m a funny girl. My kids think I’m downright weird.

But it’s okay . . . it runs in the family. I’m pretty sure I’ll get to laugh at them when they’re my age as much as they laugh at me now.

When I started this post, I had intended to write something about my weight loss achievements over the past few weeks but I think I’ll end here and save that for tomorrow.

Hope you’re enjoying your week!

In the arena,

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.
~ Denis Watley

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

I just finished a 14 day cleanse program and so far, I feel pretty darn good! It was a really easy “kit” I bought at Wal-Mart for about $20. All you do is take a handful of herbal pills every evening before bed and drink at least 64 oz of water a day. I didn’t expereince any bloating or consipation which is nice, although I did have a couple days of the “runs.” Not very bad, just a little more liquidy than normal.

Anyway, I’m sure I lost at 5-8 pounds and maybe even 10. My pants are extremely loose in the waist. I can literally pull them out a good 5 inches WIHTOUT sucking my stomach in! Wish I could say the same for my thighs. Oh well.

I know for sure I could wear at least 2, if not 3 sizes smaller if my damn thighs weren’t so thunderous.

Hopefully I will be able to lose 20-25 by May and another 15 by July.

Tomorrow I go in to the YMCA to get our membership set up. I filled out the application last week and got the approval in the mail today. My plan is to go 3 days a week after I drop the The Short Dude off at school. I’ll probably use the treadmill and I want to try the eliptical as well. I might do a little strength training once a week too. We’ll see what the schedule is like and what is available in the mornings. Later on I’ll add in some swimming but I will have to buy a new swimsuit before I do that and I don’t want to buy one now only to have to buy another one in a few months.

So, all of that to say, I think it was a successful week! LOL

In the arena,

“You must do the the thing you think you cannot do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

Just a quick update for the weekly weigh-in . . .

Being that I don’t weigh myself, I suppose it’s not really a “weigh” in but I’ll go with it anyway.

I do seem to be losing a little bit. I’d say 4-5 pounds so far. The problem, though, is that even though the waist of my jeans are practically falling off, the thighs are not. So although I could technically wear a smaller size, it ain’t gonna happen until I lose some inches in my thighs.

Any suggestions? I’m all ears!

And besides them nearly falling off my waist, my favorite jeans are getting some holes and I’m going to have to replace them soon whether I like it or not. So I need to lose a few inches in the thighs fairly soon or I’ll be pants-less!

Trust me, that’s not a good thing! It’s too cold for shorts.

What seems to be working . . .

1. Fiber. It isn’t just for old people. I have a hard time getting enough fiber in my diet. I know that’s probably a big reason weight loss is slow going but I’ve been making a point to ensure there’s lots of fiber filled foods on my plate lately.
2. Water. Contrary to popular belief, drinking more water does not make you RETAIN more water. In fact, the exact opposite happens. When you drink enough water, the body doesn’t NEED to retain it. So the excess – plus all the toxins and what-not – get flushed out of your system. I’ve been drinking about 60 ounces or so of water a day. I should probably drink another 8-10 ounces but as soon as things level out a bit and my body gets used it, I will up it a few.
3. Organic. We try to eat mostly organic and natural foods around here. Sometimes it’s a chore but it really does make a difference. A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t pronounce something in the ingredients, it’s probably not all that great for you. I know it’s time consuming, but cook from scratch. And no – that doesn’t mean buy a ready-made pie crust and a can of filling and put them together. I mean – make a pie crust with water, flour, eggs, etc and fresh or frozen berries, etc.

So that’s all for now. I’ll be back later with more!

In the arena,

Hear with your ears. *Listen* with your emotions.

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.

One of the keys to losing weight for me has been to not only ensure I’m eating the right foods but also the right amounts. So here are my 5 tips for eating smaller portions.

1. Use a smaller plate. Seriously. This is a very good starting point. Your eyes are often bigger than your stomach and by using a smaller plate, it will look like more food since it takes less food to fill the plate. My favorite plates are Corel and they’re slightly oval in shape. Very nice size for adults as well as kids. I find that while I don’t often overeat when I use a regular size plate, I tend to waste food. And that’s not good.

2. Eat more often. I know, this sounds like it goes against conventional wisdom but it works for me. Eating 5 small meals per day helps cut down on wanting to snack, among other things. And it helps keep portions to a more recommended size. Plus, when I know I’ll be eating again in a few hours, I tend to put less on my plate.

3. Drink more water. It’s a tested and true method of eating less. One of the reasons this is true is because people often mistake thirst for hunger. It’s easy to do! If I’m feeling a bit hungry but not really sure I should eat something, I drink a glass of water. That helps fill me up and tells me whether I’m actually hungry or if in fact, I was truly thirsty. I find that more often than not, the water did the trick.

4. Measure. Now, this doesn’t mean you must use a scale and weigh everything out. In reality, we all know we just don’t have the time (nor the desire!) to stand there and weigh and measure everything. Instead, a good rule of thumb is a deck of cards, your fist or the palm of your hand. Each portion should be no larger than one of those items. Except things like leafy greens and other vegetables. You can get away with eating more of those as long as they’re not caked with things like cheese.

5. Eat more satisfying foods. Sometimes the foods we eat don’t really satisfy our hunger nor our bodies. And pretty soon after eating, we feel hungry again. Part of this is because these foods aren’t dense enough. They don’t have enough fiber and other nutrients our bodies need for optimum health. When we eat more dense foods, we eat less because we feel full faster.

All of these things together help reduce the amount of food we feel we have to eat. In our household, they all help cut down on wasted food, too. And of course, that helps cut down on the amount of trash we put out each week. In fact, we don’t put out a trash can every week. We only have garbage pick up once a month for an average-size 30 gallon can.

Bonus Tip -

6. Eat Slowly. The faster we eat, the more food our bodies think it takes to feel full. When you eat slower, chewing your food thoroughly, it takes less food to fill up. This is because eating isn’t purely a physical sensation – it’s a psychological one as well. When you eat, your body releases hormones into it’s system and these hormones send a message to your brain which then triggers your brain to tell your stomach when it’s had enough. Generally speaking, I find that when I take at least 20 minutes or more to eat, I eat less.

I hope these tips are helpful to you. If you have others that work for you, please feel free to share them in the comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

You know, I must admit just one thing . . . when it comes to weighing myself, I’m horribly lazy. In fact, I never even owned a scale until about a year and half ago. Knowing what I actually weigh has just never been an obsession nor even a very big consideration. I just don’t care to know.

I do realize it has its merits. I mean, it’s definitely much easier to know whether your weight loss plan is making any real difference or not. But I just don’t like weighing myself. Even when I actually weighed what I should weigh all those years ago. And that has been longer ago than I care to admit.

Boy, it kinda sounds like just don’t care, huh?

That’s not entirely true. While I don’t always need to know how much I weigh, I do need to know I’m at least healthy. Eating healthy, engaging in healthy activities. I figure that as long as I’m not needing to buy a larger size clothing that what I already wear, it’s fine. Probably not the most beneficial way of keeping track but . . . oh well.

Now the problem is The Short Dude broke the scale a while back. That was just . . . nice. And I *still* have not replaced it. I just couldn’t justify replacing something I rarely use, that seems to fascinate the kids so much so that they want to mess with it, only to run the risk it’ll get broken yet again.

Maybe someday. Or probably not.

That means I’ll just have to do something else. Like get a membership at the Y. Which I am going to do probably tomorrow. It was on my agenda for today but Gman was home sick from school so my errands got pushed aside this morning.

And it means keeping an eye on calories again. I used to track – somewhat loosely – the calories I ate daily. I didn’t obsess over what each meal was and such. I simply used an online tracker and input each meal. This time I’m using Calorie Count. According to my profile, I should be eating about 1450 calories per day. So far, I come pretty close that.

Before I end this post, let me just say . . .

Congratulations to all of those in the Shrinking Jeans Sisterhood who’ve lost weight! You gals (and guy) ROCK! Good job. Keep it up!

In the arena,

Politics on AABlog?? Yes, I’m breaking my self-imposed no political talk rule and discussing President elect Obama and what I think it means for the American people. Check it out soon!

Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business – just as if it were her own.