Healthy Living – The Ups and Downs

Posted on December 9, 2011 by

It has now been a month since Justin and I went to the nutritionist.  It has had some pros and cons.  How it works is our nutritionist gives us weekly meal plans and workouts and we follow them (I still find my times to rebel) and then we go over what we did during the week (how many times we exercised, are we tired of any meals) and they adjust the meal plans and workouts.

For the last month I have been doing weightlifting and cardio.  The cardio sucked because I was getting asthma attacks while on the elliptical and it got very boring on the elliptical.  I tried using our iPad to watch a show on Netflix but it kept falling off the elliptical and when I would try to push myself but my asthma was limiting me.  The weightlifting was perfect because I felt like I was accomplish something.  I am currently lifting 8.5 pounds which is amazing!  I couldn’t have lifted that four years ago!  I found a cardio workout on Netflix that I really like and I’m not getting asthma attacks as much.

The meal plans are a completely different story.  I hated it that first week.  I had to watch how much sugar and salt were in things and I felt that all our meals were blah.  We had plain grilled chicken (no salt) and plain steaks (very little salt) with plain potatoes and veggies.  It was very painful to cook that way because I knew that our meal would be bland.  We bought a book the nutritionist recommended called Eating For Life.  It has recipes for meals that we could prepare.  It gave me great ideas on how to spice up our bland meals and I was able to figure out how to adjust our favorite recipes to adhere to our meal plan.  It is going better but I still like to rebel a little (I ate a candy bar today because I had a pretty good day).

Now here’s the part I hate to admit, my weight.  I weight 211 lbs when this began.  I have now lost 8.8 lbs and am still losing.  My stomach looks as huge as it was before by my nutritionist told me to stop being a girl and fixate on something else :) .  My clothes are definitely baggy on me and to be honest, my bras are too big for me.  Justin and I made a deal that if I was under 200 lbs by Christmas, I could go to the movies and have my usual (nachos and an Icee)!

I don’t think I will ever follow the meal plans exactly but I am sure trying to get healthy before I go through any more treatments.  Wish me luck!

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Updates From The Carmony’s

Posted on November 23, 2011 by

Well friends, it has been several months since I’ve posted.  We have had some busy and very trying months.  We finally went to a fertility specialist and went through several tests to see why we are unable to have children.  The tests we took are minor compared what is to come but I’ll explain that later.  

I had six vials of blood taken, a vaginal ultra sound, and a HSG (don’t ask me the full name because I can’t pronounce it).  I’m actually getting better at taking blood, however, I look like a heroine addict.  I also don’t like vaginal ultra sounds.  I was uncomfortable the whole time and my doctor was trying to make small talk.  He told me he was trying to get me to relax but being probed while discussing my vacation plans is not relaxing.  The HSG was my last test and it was awful!  The doctor gave me a Vallum but it wore off before the procedure.  It wasn’t his fault but McKay Dee Hospital’s fault because they were two hours behind at 9 am.  Oh, and Justin had one test.  If you don’t know what his test was, ask your hubby.

After all those tests, we found out that…nothing is wrong with us.  The doctor actually said that we are perfect for having kids, but we can’t.  I have to admit I was hoping for something to be wrong, then we could fix it, but knowing that nothing is wrong and nothing needs to be fixed is very disheartening. The doctor has given us several options but I’m not quite ready to go down that road.  It’ll be much harder than what we’ve already been through.

So we decided to see a nutritionist.  It is a good idea to be healthy plus we’ve heard (from doctors and others going through infertility) that if we lose weight it will be easier to go through the treatments that are coming up.  So far it has been over 2 weeks and I’ve lost six and a half pounds.  My only con is that my eating is restricted.  

Now this isn’t a diet but I do have to eat the right foods throughout the whole day.  I am eating six meals a day plus working out every day.  I haven’t had a drink of lemonade or made my favorite treats during these two weeks and I’m dying!  I used to have a sweet drink with either dinner or lunch and water the rest of the day.  Now it is just water until I reach my goal weight.  

It’s been great doing it with Justin because he’s been my cheerleader (don’t tell him I said that).  He motivates me to keep trying to eat according to the plan and also create new recipes that work with this eating plan.  It will get easier but right now I feel annoyed.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving Holiday and I’ll post again after the holiday.

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Semi-Homemade Dinner

Posted on September 1, 2011 by

Sorry bloggers for not posting sooner but I was super busy taking tests and working (yes, I was still called into work even though I asked not to be).  I’ve started cooking meals again and I have to say that tonight’s was tasty and even a little more nutritious than usual.  Justin and I loved it.  It was steak and Pasta-Roni.

Yummy, huh!  I marinated the steak in those Grilling Mates by McCormick.  This one was peppercorn and garlic.  It was a nice marinade for the New Yorks.   I then started on the pasta.  I followed the box directions but I added asparagus to it (that is my extra healthy for the day) near the end of the process.  If you don’t like asparagus then peas or broccoli will do just as well.  I sauteed the asparagus in a little oil (no more than a few teaspoons), salt, and pepper. I sauteed them for about 7 minutes because I still like them crispy, then set them aside.

Once I added the milk and the pasta sauce, I added 1/3 cup grated asiago cheese.  It makes the sauce creamier and adds a little nutty flavor.  Then I added the asparagus just so they were coated with the sauce.  I finally added a little more pepper to the pasta.  That is optional but I love pepper.

I added the side salad to make sure Justin was getting lots of veggies :P

The lesson I learned tonight is that I can spice up any box meal and even make it a little healthier.  I challenge you all to do that this week.  Enjoy your cooking!

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Posted on July 30, 2011 by

I have been meaning to update y’all about my reading progress, but to be honest, I have really only read my CPA Exam books.  Good news, I felt very confident taking my test on Friday; however, I will not know the results for 6 weeks.  Sorry guys.

Anyway, I have finished reading the Percy Jackson Series as well as the book one in the follow-up series The Lost Hero.  Rick Riordan has an interesting way of writing.  I know these are young adult novels but I absolutely loved the story lines and Greek mythology.  The Lost Hero series compares Greek mythology to Roman mythology and how they overlap.  I do recommend that everyone read these series.

I haven’t even started the Harry Potter series.  I know I should have but at least I went to the midnight showing of the movie!

I plan on reading the series in September.

I have started reading Jane Eyre, but alas, I am behind.  I am only on chapter 10 and I am having a hard time coming back to it.  Other thing seem more important than reading the book, and the language is hard to keep up with.  It isn’t as bad as Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter but it is still difficult.

Hope everyone else it keeping up on their summer reading.  I keep getting updates from Emily from Goodreads :P

Enjoy the reading!

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Backyard Fun

Posted on June 27, 2011 by

We have finally put sod in our backyard!  It has been a long time coming, but I don’t want to get into that part.

I finally ordered sod from Evergreen Sod and they gave us a great deal for our little patch.  They even gave us a few extra strips just in case.  Justin, Chris, and I laid all of it in 2 hours.  I tried lifting the sod but my back was revolting so I did all the detail work.  I lined up the sod after Justin and Chris dropped them on the ground and I cut all the little puzzle pieces we needed once the long strips were positioned.  I feel so proud and Justin loves doing outdoor work (who knows why).  Here are some pictures of our work.

Before

This is it before we laid the sod

After

I’m glad it is finally done.  I have bruises on my knees from kneeling the entire time.  I haven’t had bruises that bad since the MTC.  Hopefully the grass will have grown in enough that we can have a BBQ in July!

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Summer Reading List – Updated

Posted on June 22, 2011 by

Okay, so since the original post I have read several books and decided that my romance/classic book will be Jane Eyre.  I started it so long ago but never finished the book.  I hope it’s good :) .  I will also be updating my blog with my progress on my reading.  I am way behind in Harry Potter because I tend to drop everything (including my studying) to read those books.  I also recommend GoodReads.com.  It is a free website that lets you review books and see books you’ve read and ones you friends have read.  You add friends like Facebook so you can accept or deny a friend request if you don’t know them.  Ashley and I are already on this website, however, she is more prompt on her book reviews.

I also suggest reading The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden.  IT WAS AMAZING!  I finished the book in eight hours and never put it down!

Enjoy the reading!

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Summer Reading List

Posted on June 7, 2011 by

I have some free time on my hands now that I am taking a break from work.  I have created a summer reading list for myself but I seem to be lacking in a few areas.  Here is the list thus far

  • Science Fiction – Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
  • Young Adult – Percy Jackson Series
  • Coming to Theaters – Harry Potter Series (I am reading 1-7 just for kicks before July 15th)
  • History – King and Queens of England

I am missing a classic book and a romance novel.  I was thinking Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, but I can’t decide.  I am up for any suggestions y’all might have.  And Ashley, I won’t read Dracula :P .  Post some suggestions y’all.

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