Writing is a great outlet for me and this upcoming blog is an experiment of sorts for our family.  With that said, we need your support in the form of sheer numbers.  Please follow our build by subscribing to our blog, joining our Facebook page, etc. (all of the links are on the blog site).  If you know of anyone who might be interested in the blog, building their own home, or laughing as our family gives it the old college try, please share this post.

My goal as always is to entertain and educate so hopefully you won’t be disappointed…you can always unsubscribe if I bore you to tears;-)

www.fresheggbuild.wordpress.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Jessie

With that said, let’s talk about marketing.  We all have something to sell…it may be a product, a service, our personality, or even our companionship.  You don’t have to own a business to sell a product.  We all want to put our best foot forward.  We want to be liked.  We want to be loved.  We want validation for the things we do well.

Not everyone is good at selling.  Regardless of how great the product is, if it can’t be sold it fails.  On the flip side, you may have a mediocre product but if you can sell it, you’re a genius.  Case in point – the Snuggie (nuff said).

But some people are super sellers, master marketers, passionate pushers.  They could sell a comb to a bald man.  These are the people we need to be selling to…they are the most easily sold.

Final Weight:  143.0

Total Pounds Lost in 60 Days:  7.5

Total Pounds I’ve Been Able to Lose and Keep Off in the Past 15 Years Before This Experiment (Not Counting Baby Weight):  Zero

So I’ve finally reached the end of this experiment.  I’ll admit my energy level to post daily was a lot higher at the beginning of the experiment than it was towards the end – sorry about that.  I am absolutely thrilled with the results though – I finally broke through a barrier and it feels really good on the other side.  My weight loss might not seem like a lot to some, but it’s huge for me.

So here are some details about how things played out…I lost 7.5 pounds…dropped a full pant size…lost 1.75″ at my waist, 1.75″ at my hips, and 1.5″ at my bust (that last one really stinks by the way).  I’ve realized that 10 pounds of weight loss is most likely “my happy place” more than 15 pounds is.

I didn’t share this early on but I used to struggle with an eating disorder and for me to accomplish weight loss in a healthy way without taking it to extremes is a huge deal.  The GRAVITY training alternating with cardio has been a great fit for me.  I think that the resistance training that the Total Gym offers has been the key to me losing weight and toning steadily throughout this experiment.

So here are my tidbits and observations over the past 60 days:

1)  More than the exercise you choose or the food you eat, accountability is one of the most important elements of any fitness and weight loss plan.

2)  You know you have willpower when you can turn down a Chocolate Bliss cupcake (nuff said).

3)  Strong is sexy.  Lift weights.

4)  People are less impressed with how you look than how you treat them.

5)  No matter how much weight I lose, I’m still going to wear a size 11 shoe.

6)  I know what Oreos taste like.  Why do I need to try one?

7)  No matter how hard I’ve looked, there is nothing healthy on the Waffle House menu.  Conclusion:  pecan waffles can be a part of a healthy diet near you (in moderation).

8)  No matter how hard I’ve looked, there is not an app that will work out for you.

9)  When you’re stressed, stress eating only makes things worse.

10)  Just do it.

Thanks to everyone who has read along and supported me through comments and encouraging words.  I do plan on continuing to blog – probably not at set intervals but definitely dealing with kids, life, running a business, friendships, marriage, and all the other things that make this life a little more fun and challenging ;-)

Today’s weight:  143.0 (can I just say that I’m very excited that I’m holding my own?!)

Pounds lost / pounds to go:  7.5 / 7.5

Exercise:  Not a blasted thing for the past 3 days – see below…

I have been a complete slacker for the past 3 days.  The cool thing is that I have figured out something during this experiment – my weight is less dependent on exercise than it is on what goes in my mouth.  I have been really good about not snacking and making healthier choices during the last half of this experiment and it has made all the difference regarding my weight.  I know that few people really want to hear that but it’s the truth.

This blog has been a memoir of sorts that I will eventually print out and pass along to my kiddos.  I have recorded simple events in our life that have made me laugh as well as childhood memories as my mommy brain has rediscovered some of my formative experiences.

So this post is simply an update on life right now for the Carters…

My oldest child turned 9 today.  Last night at 1:00 a.m. I looked at Rusty and said, “Can you believe that 9 years ago we were checking into the hospital?”  Addie was born a hoosier (Indiana that is).  Wow, a lot has happened since that chubby-cheeked baby came home to what she nicknamed the “brown house.”

The kiddos have been going to Vacation Bible School this week and have been having a blast.  The big news around our house is that we will be building a house in the near future (hopefully sooner than later) but I’m okay with either – I don’t want to rush the process.  I’m normally a pretty pessimistic individual but I’m very glass-is-half-full right now – nice change for me.

The highlight of my days continues to be the small things with the kids.  Addie is discovering the power of words and how she can use them to express her sense of humor.  Gracie relishes in any alone time she can get with either me or Rusty.  Tonight we sang The Ants Go Marching while trying on outfits complete with jewelry.  Of course we had to make up our own lyrics so our ants that went marching 8 by 8 stopped to buy shark bait.  She was all giggles when we couldn’t stop saying the Nemo line, “Sharkbait!  Hoo ha ha!”

And last but not least, Will questioned if he could start shaving (remember he is 5).  He said he would do it without the “laser” – this after feeling my smooth legs.  I told him that boys don’t shave their legs but then asked him if he knew what boys did shave.  He said, “Uh, huh – their tummies and chests.”

No, Rusty has not taken up body building.

Today’s weight:  143.0

Pounds lost / pounds to go:  7.5 / 7.5

Exercise:  Day of rest today; GRAVITY training on the Total Gym for 30 min on Friday; walking in the neighborhood across the street (the hilly one) for 30 min on Saturday

I had a really stressful day at work on Thursday.  It wasn’t one particular thing, just a bunch of little stuff that all added up to one frazzled me.  The cool thing is that instead of hitting the dark chocolate M&M stash, I jumped on the treadmill and ran.  It was the best thing I could have done – decent workout and I didn’t have the guilt that goes along with a chocolate binge;-)

The next day, I was sore.  I can still feel the effects of that run in my hamstrings and right calf three days later.  I run because it’s easy and I can burn a heck of a lot of calories in a short amount of time.  It’s just never been “my thing.”   I was telling one of my patients (who loves to run) what I did.  She cracks me up – she is one of those total running addicts who lives for the sport and will run rain or shine.

I’ve determined that running is like a bad lawn ornament to me (see below).  I snapped the picture below at a salvage place in Nashville today.  Some might think that these sitting monkeys are to-die-for but I am not one of those people.  I think these are one of the most hideous ornaments I’ve ever seen.  No matter how long I stare at these monkeys, position them, or paint them – I will never like them.

I want one for each side of the entry (to kick)

When I was growing up, there was this really nice section of homes in our neighborhood that we would drive by every now and then.  One of the largest homes in the neighborhood had a stone statue of a bear in the front yard.  Honest to goodness, the bear looked like he was squatting to relieve himself.  We nicknamed him the pooping bear.  The pooping bear undoubtedly cost thousands of dollars.  Evidently, there was a market for stone replicas of wildlife defecating – it just wasn’t anything I would ever embrace or enjoy.

Running is like the pooping bear to me.  It might be all that and more to someone else, but no matter how much I try to like it, I fear it will just be a sqatting nightmare to me.

Yesterday’s weight:  144.o

Pounds lost / pounds to go:  6.5 / 8.5

Exercise:  Ran a 5K loop on the treadmill today in 26:50 – first time I ran the whole thing with no walking breaks; Roman lifts with heaviest Versabar we have, bicep curls with PowerBlock dumbbells, Get-Delt-With-It with 5# dumbbells, gluteal series with no weight

Since when did “they” become the experts?  You know who I’m talking about…they say this restaurant isn’t worth the money…they say this movie is really good…they say this is going to be the hottest toy this Christmas…they say this helps you lose weight.

To illustrate, take the recent flooding we had in our area.  There were rumors running rampant about roads closing, the city turning off the water, and dwindling supplies of the necessities.  It was nutso - local hysteria perpetuated by they.

One of the biggest rumors was the pending closing of an interstate bridge - my route home.  Around 10:00 in the morning, we were told we had 30 minutes to get home before they closed it.  When I crossed over it at 10:30, there were no signs of officials ready to divert hundreds of vehicles.  When I crossed over again at 11:00, there was still no they to be seen.  This didn’t stop a local radio show from announcing it was already closed and multiple Facebook users from saying I better get home.

I was even on the phone with a friend when I crossed over for the third time at 11:15.  I was told that wasn’t possible because they planned to shut it down at 11:00.  I guess me physically being on the open bridge was not enough.  They had more sway over firsthand knowledge from a trusted friend no less!

For all we know, they might be Aunt Bessie in Tuscaloosa.  Since when did Aunt Bessie get to have so much control over our lives?

Pounds lost / pounds to go:  7.5 / 7.5 (it’s not going to be pretty tomorrow – I’m feeling fluffy)

Exercise:  30 min GRAVITY training yesterday (lower body emphasis) and 30 min interval training today as per previous posts (boring I know).  I’m going to order a workout book from Total Gym (hopefully this week) that gives me some more “put together” workouts.

I have officially become my parents.  I used to groan growing up when Mom and Dad would listen to talk radio while we were in the car.  Remember that I grew up outside of St. Louis, home of KMOX 1120 AM.  Mom and Dad had it on what seemed to be all the time.  I don’t really remember ever actually listening to it – I thought everyone sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher.

Peanuts Teacher on YouTube

Now, whenever we are in or around St. Louis, I turn it on just because it’s comfortable.  If I’m lucky, there will be a Cards game on and the best memories of growing up flood back.

Well, I have become a talk radio junkie.  Between driving to and from work and carting the kiddos around, I feel like it’s the only way I can keep up on news.  It’s probably also why I don’t know the lyrics to any songs   Yes, the kids groan and you know what I say?  You guessed it, “Grandma and Grandpa used to make me listen to this – you can decide what to listen to when you are the grownup.”

So here is my tidbit from listening today.  I think it was Dave Ramsey (not certain) but the point was that “you should never make a decision based on fear.”  It made me stop and think.  We all make decisions day in and day out.

How many of those decisions do we make based on objective facts and prayerful guidance?  How many do we make based on assumptions, false evidence, or fear of what may (or may not) happen?

Today’s weight:  143.0 (I weighed 3 times just to make sure this was legit)

Pounds lost / pounds to go:  7.5 / 7.5

Exercise:  Day of rest today and boy was it glorious!!!  Friday was a brisk walk on the treadmill for 30 min (interval training as usual) and yesterday was nothing more than the activity involved with having a birthday party for my almost 9-year-old – Sam’s Club trip, moving and setting up tables, vacuuming/cleaning, etc (I actually broke a sweat doing this).

I haven’t been completely honest with those of you who continue to read my posts so I’m finally going to come clean.  I have continued to drink Diet Coke and eat McDonald’s breakfast burritos throughout this experiment.  There I said it.  Ahhh, I feel so much better.  It’s not that I’ve lied, I just haven’t talked about those things for more than a month so that’s a pretty good sign that I’m not doing so great in that department.

About a week into the experiment, a friend texted me with the following message – “I ate a frozen fruit cup (homemade) this morn instead of sandwich!  Thought it might make u smile”  Like my breakfast burrito addiction, this friend is drawn to the Burger King Croissan’Wich.

We have discussed at length the draw of the fast food fix in the morning – we both head to the drive-thru after a usual hectic morning packing lunches, prepping backpacks, getting the kids out the door, bickering (usually between the kids but sometimes involving us), and getting ourselves ready.  The protein and calories I get in the morning, while not of the best quality, keep me going all morning.  I don’t snack.  I don’t yawn.  And if I get swamped and can’t get lunch, I’m not miserable all day.  I’m still searching for a viable alternative so suggestions are welcome

So after I got the message, I felt like I had failed her but she would eventually find out if I had fibbed so my return message read – “Funny – I had a breakfast burrito and hashbrown;-)”  Her response, “Lolol…well my sugar count is probably worse with the mtn dew but u can’t win everyday:)”

This totally made my day.  In my quest for perfection and being this pillar of will power throughout this experiment, she made me laugh and realize it’s okay to be human while I’m figuring all of it out.

My weight and stress have both gone down as I’ve eased up on myself.  Funny – the more I’ve become my own friend in this process, the easier it’s become.

Pounds lost / pounds to go:  6.0 / 9.0

Exercise:  30 min GRAVITY training – feeling a little stagnant with my routine today but lest the show must go on

THIS ONE MIGHT BE GROSS TO SOME SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!

Okay, let’s talk about fat.  When I was in physical therapy school, our first class was gross anatomy.  I remember the anxiety and unnecessary worry (see yesterday’s post) that I experienced prior to that infamous first day when we had to select a body to dissect.  There were six cadavers to choose from and all of them were bagged so we were choosing blindly.

Our group picked “Rosa” – she ended up looking like a sweet, Italian grandmother who was as big in diameter as she was in height.  Oh, dear Rosa.  We were so indebted to her by the end of the class.  Her death (but then gift to science) meant that we learned more than she will ever know.

Beyond Rosa’s muscles, bones, and organs, she taught me about fat.  Good gracious – Rosa had every type of fat known to man.  I have dissected bumpy fat, lumpy fat, icky fat, sticky fat, slimy fat, grimy fat, mushy fat, and gushy fat.  Wonder if Dr. Seuss ever wrote a book about fat?

Needless to say, I didn’t eat fried foods for nearly a year after that class.  But now we hear a lot about good fat and bad fat.  What’s the diff?

Fat – love it or hate it, we need it.  It helps form every cell, insulates our nerves, keeps us warm, balances our hormones, keeps skin and arteries supple, and lubricates joints.  The key is recognizing which type of fat our body needs and how much of it we require.

Saturated fats are not your friend.  These are the fats that are hard at room temp – they are harder to digest and tend to be full of cholesterol.  They come from animals and are found in meat, eggs and cheese.  Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and can be further divided into two groups - monounsaturated fats (Omega 9) such as olive oil OR polyunsaturated fats (Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids) such as sunflower oil.

Omega 6 (safflower oil, sunflower oil, pumpkin oil, sesame oil) and Omega 3 (mackerel, salmon, tuna, flax seed oil) are the ones you really want in your diet to fulfill your fat need.

So here’s the skinny on fat:

1. The ideal body-fat ratio should be approximately 19-26% of a woman’s body weight and 12-18% of a man’s body weight.
2. There are two different types of body fat (brown and yellow).  Brown fat is situated inside the body and is “active” – it contains cell structures that produce heat and burn energy.  Yellow fat is found nearer the surface and is “less active” and more likely to accumulate.  Women tend to have a higher ratio of yellow fat than men – of course.
3. Women need higher levels of fat because it is essential for reproduction and so the body stores it “just in case” – joy yet again.
4. An average healthy intake of good fats in the diet should be approximately 30-40 grams a day.  The fat content of diets in affluent populations can be nearly four times this amount.  Yikers!
5. Heat, light and oxygen destroy essential fatty acids, which is why it is best to keep oils in dark containers.
6. Essential fats (Omega 3 and Omega 6) must come from the diet because your body cannot produce them.
7. Weight for weight, fat provides more than twice the amount of usable energy than carbohydrates or protein (you’ll find 9 calories in every gram of fat).
8. Fat contributes to the palatability, texture, and smell of many foods – amen to that!  It also slows down the process of digestion providing an extended period of ”feeling full” after a meal.

Fat can be fabulous but when choosing between green eggs and ham and one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish – go for the fish

Today’s weight:  144.5

Pounds lost / pounds to go:  6.0 / 9.0

Exercise:  30 min walking / interval training on the treadmill as previous

We got a tax notice from the IRS on Monday.  This within an hour of putting money down on a piece of property.  Don’t things always happen that way?  The envelope was really thick so I automatically panicked.  I had reason to after I opened it up.

Knowing nil about taxes, I worried all night Monday.  I worried more Tuesday after I got word from my husband that he got absolutely nowhere talking to them.  The first time he called, their computers were down and the second time they wouldn’t give him any information because I had to be the one calling.  Of course that info wasn’t given to him while he waited on hold for 15 minutes.

After waiting on hold my obligatory 15 minutes this morning, I was distraught.  In 3½ years in business, we haven’t goofed when it’s come to tax stuff.  This error was legitimate and we learned a lot to prevent the same error from happening.

It was how I was treated that was appalling.  The lady was extremely rude to me on the phone – imagine that from the IRS   From the get go, I was the enemy.  At one point, I stated while crying, “Ma’am, it is very scary to receive a tax notice from the IRS.  You are going to need to quit speaking to me with a condescending tone if we are going to accomplish anything.  If you can’t do that, then I need to talk to someone else.”

My mountain ended up being a molehill, yet again.  What a waste of my time and energy.  One of these days I’m going to actually apply this knowledge.

Lessons learned in dealing with the IRS:

1)      They are some scary dudes so avoid dealing with them if at all possible.

2)      Put your big girl panties on if forced to deal with them.

3)      If #1 and #2 don’t work, cry (evidently it’s effective at getting all penalties and fees removed)