Fat and Happy

I cannot tell a lie. I am fat and happy. Happy is good. Fat - not so much!

This spring has been quite an adventure. Steve has had work on the west coast, and - long story short - we've been to Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii since June 1! See? Happy!

 Space Needle

 Willakenzie Wineries - THE NICEST PEOPLE EVER - We are madly in love with this family.

 San Diego - Seaport Village - Wish we could afford to move here.

Makapuu Lighthouse - TREK UP A HUGE SEMI- MOUNTAIN! Nearly killed us. I thought I was going to have an aneurysm - and that is not a joke. I probably need to get some sort of scan of the area over my left ear.

Anyway, here's the thing: Being married and happy and cooking...that equals a gain of 5, 10, 15 pounds... AND MORE! I am guessing this weight gain occurs yearly...

We LOVE mini-golf, but check out that arm... :/...

So...

Here is my new strategy!

The Mason Jar Salad Craze AND a religious attachment to the My Fitness Pal App.

Tuna Salad - 182 cal

Basil Shrimp in Creamy Tomato Sauce - 195 cal

Peaches-n-Cream in Applesauce - 147 cal 

Caprese Salad - 400 cal

OK - so here's the deal. I am a mere 5'1". I need to lose 40-60lbs. Not even kidding.

That's not a vain statement; I just happen to look like I weigh less than I do. I hide it well - and still, look, er, rather plump. And I hurt. I have had arthritis since I was 13 years old among other things. I was a child athlete and a dancer, blah, blah, blah. And now I am a forty-year-old who loves to adventure and travel who won't be able to if I can't get this weight off.

I have lost 5 lbs in the last couple of weeks by cutting calories and going with three key vitamin supplements: 1 multivitamin with 100% iron, calcium supplement, and a omega-3/fish oil.

I know the first week is easy. But here's the thing: I am going to do this for 173 more days. I have committed to a 180-day diet/exercise routine. Here is the problem with the exercise routine, though. I have let myself get SO out of shape that I am worried I will hurt myself if I do "real" exercise. I have all sorts of former-athlete issues, so what I am doing is (sort of) silly, but actually it is a HUGE improvement over what I was doing for the past two years - which was NOTHING.

Here are my rules:

1) Mason jar salads or meals: 2/day, occasional cheats like lamb meatballs and a night here and there of too much wine

2) Try not to eat after 7pm

3) 2 caffeinated beverages/day

4) Space out a multivitamin with 100% iron, a separate calcium supplement, and a 950mg of Omega-3 supplement/day

5) Here is the SILLY part: I am going to try and stand up at work every half hour and do squats, twists, toe touches, and any other manner of calisthenics for at least 5-10 minutes. Yes, I know I was training for the FBI in 2007 - but, ya know, that was SEVEN YEARS AGO NOW and I am 40!!!

6) Drink only red wine for alcohol. (I was doing REALLY well on this one until I discovered Vanilla Vodka. Also, I prefer white. But still trying to cut out all of the lovely toasting calories.

7) I am going to try to up my intake of green tea, hot pepper, ground flax seed, and cinnamon. (I made lamb meatballs tonight with ground flax instead of breadcrumbs. They were pretty darn good.)

So, I have made up approximately 50 recipes to adhere to for the next 180 days. If I lose 20 lbs, I will be HAPPY! I should, in theory, lose more. But, reality is what it is, and I'll be lucky to lose 10lbs. But seriously, I need to do something because I am just plain uncomfortable at this point.

I will try to publish a new recipe every few days. I am excited to HAVE to report to you. While the 5lbs sounds GREAT, I had gained eight pounds this year prior to the five pound loss, so...I am actually only, at best, close to where I was in June 2012.

Reporting from what feels like Ground Zero:

Love, 

Andrea et al.