In case you wanted to know...

Social media is gushing with posts regarding the government shut down and new health care act.  If I am being honest, I have taken very little interest in most political news since the last Presidential election.  Most of the time I am left confused or mad after hearing about the latest political crisis.  However, I did not truly feel the direct impact of our government's decisions until today...

Let me preface this by saying that I am incredibly grateful to be an American and feel extremely blessed to have the opportunities and freedoms so many do not have.  The "Affordable Care Act" (Obamacare), was always presented in a way that made me feel like I would not be affected.  After all, we were told that if you already have insurance that you like, you can keep it.  Yay!  That is great news.  Yes, I still will get insurance for my family through my employer.  However, our plan premium has increased approximately 20%, and our new out-of-pocket maximum has increased by 100%.  Yes, you heard that right, worse coverage for a higher cost.  Because I am the insurance provider for my family, and because I make an extremely modest salary, this is a huge hit.  God forbid we have a medical emergency or illness, because our new out-of-pocket maximum would completely empty our bank account.

I promise I am not trying to get political here.  I have no business debating the Affordable Care Act, because I admit to being uninformed in many aspects of it.  However, I felt the need to share our story and how this affects our hardworking, middle-class family.

In other news, Morgan is 19 months old and pees on the potty very consistently.  (I thought I should end this on a positive note).

Happy October!

Goal update

I have very little time to blog tonight because I have a huge paper due tomorrow for class and am in the process of tying up some loose ends.  However, I knew I had promised myself to do an update today, so here it goes...

I didn't meet my goal.

Nope, not even close.

Didn't lose a single pound.

Not one ounce.

BUT....

I didn't gain either.  Go me.  Here's a picture from a couple days ago showing my "progress."  Ha ha.  I am not sure what I weighed in the "before" picture, but I think there may only be a 2 lb difference.  Maybe the only real difference is that my hair is shorter.  And now its even shorter than my "after".  Maybe I think that cutting my hair will give me magical weight loss powers.  Or maybe I'm a rambling nut case right now who needs to go to bed.  You decide.

Bet you can't guess what it on the TV in the background...

I no longer have an arbitrary date to motivate me.  I have an actual event to get myself in shape for.  Lancer Dancer reunion babay!!!  Oct. 26th, that's a little over a month to get my behind in gear.  Wish me luck!

Goodnight :)

Let's get real

So I start my class tomorrow, I go back to work a week from Friday, and Morgan starts Preschool on Monday.  Stuff is about to get real around here at the Hooper house.  This summer has (of course) flown by and I have only done a fraction of what I originally planned to do.  Maybe next summer, instead of planning to organize and decorate my entire house, work out daily, lose 20 lbs, and make gourmet meals everyday, I should just plan on playing with my munchkin and going with the flow.  Don't get me wrong, I have had a ton of quality time with my baby (yes, she is a BABY), but there is some guilt that I carry with me for not accomplishing some other chores this summer.

Morgan is amazing.  That is all there is to it.  She literally says a new word everyday now.  Today it was "beer."  No, I did not let her drink any, but she was infatuated by Mommy's drink and was quite proud of herself for being able to say its name.  She is so stinkin smart.  I don't know if I am extremely biased because she is my child, or if she is truly gifted.  She is demonstrating higher level thinking, understands almost everything we say, and loves to talk.  One of her favorite hobbies is to find a phone and walk around the house giggling and talking as if she is chatting it up with one of her playgroup friends.  HA larious.  She is a little sweetie too.  My favorite thing is when she kisses my leg while I cook dinner, as if to say "You're doing a good job, Mom!"  She melts my heart and I am so blessed to be her mother.

Obviously I haven't posted in a while about my weight loss progress, and it's because I have been SO busy working out, making healthy smoothies, and taking in all of my clothes.  Okay, that's a lie.  Every bit of it.  I haven't posted about my progress because there hasn't been any.  It all started with my birthday celebration and has snowballed from there.  For about 2-3 weeks I have not been tracking my food or working out.  Fortunately I have only gained a pound (whew!), but I know I can't keep this up without ruining all the progress I have made.  Today I decided to get "back on track", but ended up drinking 2 beers (not even lite beer), and had a McFlurry.  FAIL.  I did track my calories though, which makes me feel slightly better.  Tomorrow is a new day, and I hope that I don't let my slip ups discourage me.  I think what I need is a highly motivating goal, like a wedding, so that I have something to work towards.  Since all of my closest family members are married, I have no plans to be a bridesmaid any time soon, and swimsuit season is ending, I am having a hard time finding that motivation.  Here is a crazy thought ... I set a date and REQUIRE myself to do a progress picture and weigh in, and SHARE it on my blog.  Not sure if anyone really cares that much, but knowing that the information is out there for the world to see just might be enough to motivate me.  Okay, so here it goes...

(keep in mind I am down 10 lbs now from my start weight)

September 18th - Goal (-15lbs total)

October 30th - Goal (-20lbs total)

Doable?  Yes.  Realistic? Yes.  Can I do it?  Yes.  Will I do it?  We'll see, I mean, YES!

Wish me luck ;)

New hair, new me?

Happy Saturday everyone!  Today was a special day at the Hooper household.  I hosted a baby shower for my good friend, Amy.  We had a great turnout and everyone seemed to have a good time.  Here are some pics...

You'll notice that I am missing something.  I chopped 9" of hair off yesterday after weeks of contemplating and pinning hairstyles.  I was physically nauseated yesterday morning before my hair appointment and I realized that I was developing an unhealthy attachment to my hair.  It was hard, but I am glad it's gone and I am learning to love my shorter locks.

My brother's wedding was last weekend and was so much fun.  My brother and his new wife were so adorable together and Morgan did a fabulous job walking down the aisle as flower girl.  I was one proud Mommy!

Well with the wedding last weekend and the shower this weekend, I have had multiple excuses to cheat on my diet.  "It's my brother's wedding!"  "It's wedding cake.  I never eat wedding cake." "I am stressed about the shower so I am going to eat."  "I am at the shower that I worked so hard for so I am going to eat everything I bought."  You know the routine.  Needless to say I feel like I am slowly drifting off track.  I haven't worked out in a couple of weeks and I am finding it harder and harder to stick to my 1200 calories.  I am pretty sure this is what happens every time I try to lose weight.  I set a goal (this time it was 20 lbs), get about halfway there, get comfortable and bored, stay at my new weight for a few months, then slowly inch my way back to where I was to begin with.  Am I crazy or does this happen to other people too?  It is such a vicious cycle.  I am going to try to make this time different and push past what I guess is a "plateau."  Maybe the new hair cut can represent a new me (sorry for being so cheesy).  On the plus side, I was down another pound this morning, which I am convinced is due to my hair cut.  

Enough ramblings for today.  Time to get back on track, starting NOW!

Goal 1: Accomplished!

Well, I can't believe I actually met my 10 lb goal, and a few days early at that!  I was a bit shocked when I got on the scale this morning, and I am sure tomorrow it will be up a couple of  pounds because I thoroughly enjoyed myself tonight at my parents house.  Two glasses of wine, steak, chips, and ice cream cake.  Oops!  Tomorrow I hope to get a walk in and eat a little healthier than I did today.  I was glancing at some pictures and have really noticed a difference in my face...

This was taken July 2, courtesy of Lucy Rae Photography (LOVE LOVE LOVE them)

This was taken today, July 24

Only one chin in the second picture!  Yay!  I am feeling more and more comfortable in my own skin as I lose the weight.  I was so uncomfortable before.  I still want to lose 10 more pounds (give or take a few).  I know these last 10 are going to be a lot harder, so I will need all the encouragement I can get.  Random text messages telling me to work out would be appreciated.

Obviously  I have noticed the loss in other areas too.  Buh bye love handles!

Yikes.  I hate looking at that first one but I guess it is necessary to see the progress.

Now I get to feel comfortable and confident in my big bro's wedding on Saturday.  I am so incredibly thrilled for him and his beautiful fiance, Calla.  They are an adorable couple and I wish them a lifetime of happiness together.

Happy hump day everyone!

Feeling Proud!

Well folks, I am finished with my homework, the house is clean, and my sweet girl is sound asleep.  Time to update!

Morgan is having so much fun this summer at playgroup (and I am too!).  We have had an excellent showing lately and the kids are so adorable together.  See?

Poor Waylon

4 out of the 5 of these kiddos were born within 2 months of each other.  It is very interesting to get them together and see how each child has their own unique quirks.  Waylon is always a hit though, and bless his heart, he tolerates a lot.  I am so proud of him.  Not your typical nippy chiweenie!  The mommies have a great time chit-chatting about the kids, their husbands, etc. and it's a fun, free way to entertain the little tikes for a couple of hours.

Operation LOSE WEIGHT BEFORE YOUR BROTHER'S WEDDING is going really well.  I have logged into the My Fitness Pal app very consistently for the past few weeks and have been exercising a lot more than my normal (which was not at all).  Today I stepped on the scale and was down...

8 pounds!!!!

That is huge for me.  I am only 5'3" and with about 15-20 pounds to lose total, 8 is a good chunk (both literally and figuratively).  I have two more weeks until my big bro gets hitched, and my goal is to lose 2 more pounds by then to make it a nice, even 10 pounds down.  I think I can I think I can!!!  I have definitely had my slip ups with my eating, but I am trying to balance the mistakes with healthy choices and cardio.  I am currently reading an AWESOME book that I highly recommend...

http://www.amazon.com/Naturally-Thin-SkinnyGirl-Yourself-Lifetime/dp/1416597980

I am not a huge housewives fan or anything, but Bethenny makes some great points in this book.  She is not big on counting calories or dieting, just making your nutrition and health balanced.  Don't like to exercise?  That's okay, but you will need to eat less.  Love cardio?  Great!  You can eat more.  This is definitely a fun read if you are looking for the motivation to get healthy and are sick of dieting (although I completely admit to being on a "diet" right now).  If you want to get this book, get it off Amazon.  Barnes and Noble is an outrage.  I paid $4.00 TOTAL (used, good condition, including shipping).  B&N wanted $16.00 before tax.  No thanks.

My ultimate goal is to get to the weight I was at on my wedding day, 129 lbs.  Isn't it funny the ridiculous stuff you remember?  I couldn't tell you what I ate that day, but Lord knows I have a mental image of 129 on that scale.  I remember being so happy because I was in the "120's".  Silly, I know.  But we all have our own goals, and this is mine.  Here is what 129 lbs looks like on me...

And here is what 173 looks like, HAHA...

YOWZAS!  I know, I know.  I was almost 39 weeks pregnant here.  I had Morgan 2 days later. I miss that big ole preggo belly!

Okay enough ramblings for tonight.  Much love!

Diet Update

So I know it's only been 2 days of this new "diet" (I hesitate to call it that because I know it's technically supposed to be a lifestyle, but let's just call a spade a spade shall we?), but OMG this is tough.  Yesterday was awful.  Not so much because I wanted to pig out on junk food, but because I genuinely felt like crap.  I was nauseated, dizzy, tired, and a little down in the dumps.  Last night I tossed and turned half the night because I felt so bad.  True to form I jumped on the scale this morning, hoping that my one day of misery would result in a magical transformation.  I am down 3 pounds, which I am assuming is all water weight.  This makes sense, as I made at least 40 trips to the potty yesterday.  I am trying to do around 1200 calories a day, using the My Fitness Pal app.  I totally recommend it.  It's completely free, and you can scan your food items and it pops up with all of the nutrition information.  But back to the point...1200 calories is not much.  I think a small Blizzard from Dairy Queen is about half that, and I used to eat those on the REG!  So I believe the feeling like crap yesterday was my body going into shock with the fewer calories and the healthy food.  Kind of sad, right?  Fortunately today has been a thousand times better.  I have felt pretty good overall and I am hopeful that I can stick with this for a while.  Brad is eating healthy with me, so that helps a lot.  He of course will lose 15 pounds by cutting out potato chips and dessert.  Don't you hate that?!

I also want to thank those who have shown so much support for me while I work on getting myself healthy.  It is amazing and motivating to me at how much this topic resonates with others.  It is a reminder that we are all imperfect creatures!

Now, I am going to pop some 100 calorie popcorn.  Yum!