An end of the day update

I tried a recipe that I got off of Pinterest for dinner.  (You can find the "recipe" here: http://becomingbetty.blogspot.com/2011/09/avocado-chicken-salad.html )  I used 1 lb of chicken, the juice of one lime, 2 avocados, 4 scallions, some freshly picked cilantro from my neighbor's herb garden (thanks, Lin!), 2 tsp of light mayo, and a little salt and pepper.  We ate it on whole wheat sandwich thins.  It was pretty yummy, but I think it could have used even more avocado ( I LOVE avocado!), and perhaps a bit more salt.  Here is what mine looked like (it is less green than the example on the other blog even though she used less avocado):

My boys were very sweet today.  I thought I would share a few things Topher did throughout the day.  He said a new word (lawnmower), played this little piggy with his brother's toes (he didn't actually say the words, but he wiggled his toes and babbled in a sing-songy way), climbed into one of the dining room chairs all by himself, and held his little brother in his lap, sweetly giving him back his pacifier when he dropped it.  I am so proud of my big boy!  I wish I had pictures of some of this, but kids never do anything in front of a camera!  Luke was his usual sweet, cuddly self, and sat quietly in his swing long enough for me to give Topher his lunch and put him down for nap.  Yay!

New Blender; Before Pics

Since I started making smoothies this week, my blender decided to die on me.  Thankfully, my mother bought me a new one.  Thanks, Mom!  Here it is in all its glory:

Today's not-so-appetizing concoction consisted of 1 cup of almond milk, 1 cup of water, 2 scoops of protein powder, 5 huge strawberries, some frozen blueberries, and, as usual, a couple of good handfuls of spinach. 

It's not the prettiest or the tastiest smoothie I have made so far, but it filled this glass three times and kept my tummy satisfied for 4 hours.

Now, as promised, here are the ugly "before pictures."  No sucking in here!

Yikes!  If that isn't motivation, I don't know what is.

Sunday Weigh-In (A Day Late)

Weight: 266.6 lbs
BMI: 45.8
Weekly Loss: 6.4 lbs
Total lost: 6.4 lbs

Not too shabby for the first week!

Strange Place for a Retreat

This morning I went for my 2-hour 6 week postpartum glucose tolerance test.  I chose to have it done at the hospital near my house rather than driving all the way across town to my endocrinologist's office.  I arrived at the hospital, checked in, had my fasting blood drawn, and drank the disgusting sugary orange drink.  Then, when I thought I was going to be led back out to the waiting room, the nurse took me to a quiet, dimly lit room with a reclining chair.  She handed me a pillow, a blanket, and a TV remote.  Needless to say, as a mom of 2 kids under 2, I took this opportunity to take a nap.  It was delightful.  When the test was all over, the nurse gave me a voucher for a free meal in the cafeteria, saying that she knew I probably wouldn't have any peace at home to have a decent meal after fasting for the test.  She was so sweet!  I had a nice, relaxing morning that I totally was not expecting, and tonight I have a night out with my mom's group.  Hooray for a (mostly) day off for Mommy!

Starting Fresh

When I created this blog, I had some lofty expectations that I obviously did not meet.  Today I am committing myself to starting anew.  I don't know if anyone will read this or not, but I think it will be helpful for me as a person to put my thoughts into writing.

To tell you a little bit about myself:  I am a 27 year old wife and mom of 2 boys.  We also have 2 cats, a rabbit, a turtle, and a hermit crab.  We have one full house!  My pregnancy with my second son was a rough one, and has made me realize just how important my health really is.  I am making a commitment to get in shape and lose weight so that I can be healthy enough to keep up with my children and to set a good example for them.  I want to be open and honest about my journey to a healthier me, and share some tidbits from my crazy along the way.

My starting weight: 273 lbs (yikes!)
Starting BMI: 46.9

I will get hubby to take some before pics soon.  I don't really want to remember myself like this, but I would like to be able to look back and see how far I've come.  If nothing else, it will hopefully scare me into ever getting this overweight again.