Epically Awesome Cool Week!

PLEASE TURN SOUND DOWN BEFORE PLAYING, EPICALLY LOUD!

I'm still injured but I began venturing back into the world this weekend and had a ton of fun! I went to a local festival and to a cool dubstep concert for the first time! I'm also still slowly but surely losing weight! Yay!  Here is a short clip from the balcony area of the concert I went to so you have an idea of what I'm talking about here, not your mothers kind of music, lol! Here is a pic from the festival we went to too, it was fun and we got a caricature made and got to make goofy hats, lol.

Silly hat I made with a paper sack, crepe paper, glue and glitter!

So all in all I had a great week and I can't wait to get back into doing more fun stuff soon! I'm still dieting pretty well (enough to lose 2 pounds this week!) but still not back into a normal exercise routine. I'm really scared to re-injure myself. The good news is my sciatica is almost non-existant now! It really only seems to hurt when I lay flat on my back, so that chiropractor is doing something right! Apologies for not commenting very much lately, but as I said things are picking up and I'm just running around ramapant while I can! Hope everyone has a great week!

Full...

So I pretty much have kicked the soda habit although I still have an occasional diet clear soda... but you know something really amazing I discovered? Drinking one can of diet Sierra Mist makes my stomach feel so FULL. I used to drink like 5-8 Coke Zero's a day with no gastrointestinal havoc or other malady. but now, wow! I guess it could be a good thing because I definitely don't feel like eating afterward... but then again I feel like I just came from a huge buffet and stuffed my face. Anyone else notice anything like this? It's sure new to me!

We're Going Down!!!

Finally back down in the low 160's! My back/leg is starting to feel much better and I signed on for 4 more visits at the Chiropractor to keep up the healing. I don't really have anything else to report since last update, I'm just glad to see that number going down again! I really want to see 15-? by next weigh in, so I'm going to just keep the diet up and do as much activity as I can. Have a lovely week ladies and I'll post again soon!

Just an Update!!!

Chiroprator yesterday was amazing! I saw a new DR that did this really neat, albeit painful move that popped my hips on both sides. I felt really sore after that, but my range of motion seems to be improving with each visit and my hip looks like it is starting to lower back into place. I'm still having some pain, but things are feeling better! I also hopped on the scale this morning and my weight is back down! HOORAY! I just hope it stays there or goes lower for the weigh in on Sunday!

I also stopped into the housing office yesterday to get my answers on this move. I don't know if I told you all or not, but they were trying to move us into another 3 bedroom (about 70 sq ft smaller though) and it had stairs. I told them repeatedly that I couldn't handle stairs while I'm dealing with this injury and wanted to know what would happen if I refused the home they were offering. Well I got my answer yesterday, nothing. They will just have to wait for a single story to open up! I'm really happy about that because it gives me time to nurse my injury and hopefully the next house we are offered wont' be smaller. I'll take equal or bigger, but smaller seems unfair even if it has the same amount of bedrooms. What I'm scared of is being offered a 2 bedroom (because technically, that's all we qualify for) and they would have the "right" to only offer us that if that's what it came to. The 2 bedroom single stories over here are as small as 650 sq ft!!! The house we are in now is 1310 sq ft, I could not imagine putting all our stuff into a home that small. I would hate it, but if that happened I think I'd just leave military housing all together. I need space, I lived in a single-wide trailer my whole life before marriage and I just refuse to go back to a sardine can. I cant, I wont. Some of the 3 bedrooms go up to 1700 sq ft with garages, that would be nice as hell, but those are all 2 story except the handicap homes and I doubt they would offer us one of those even it it came available because obviously there are people that are truly handicapped and would need it over me. I was told to call in as often as I liked to inquire on the openings, so I think I'll do that every Monday and Thursday until we get another offer. I hope it takes at least 2 weeks though and I'm sure it will, people move a lot in the military, but not everyday and when we are waiting on such a specific floor plan it will take longer I'm sure.

That's about all my updates for now I believe, thank you everyone for being so supportive to me through all this. It means a lot to know there are people (strangers even) that care and want to help inspire me. I love you guys, every single one! Thanks!

I Now Know What it Feels Like to be Old...

I never want my body to break down after experiencing the last few days, it's depressing. I'm a feeling a lot better in my back and hip, but I am still having terrible Sciatica and am not able to workout. Food choices have been ok and I've been staying between 1200 and 1800 calories a day for the last week. The scales have not been kind though and my weight keeps fluctuating between 166 and 169. I understand my body must be in metabolic shock since my exercise routine ended so abruptly and I'm a a little constipated due to all the meds they have me on. I want to start seeing a loss and it's so frustrating knowing that I'm essentially doing all I can. I could cut down to 1000-1200 a day, but that would be killer since I'm a boredom eater and face it, when you can barely move, you get bored.

I truly have a lot that I need to write about but, the time seems to escape me. I am so behind on my daily activities that I push blogging off even if I'm not getting those things done. So in short here's an update to my week. 1) Back / hip pain 80% better, 2) Sciatica, no change can be excruciating at times, 3) ER visit Tuesday got stronger pain killers, but said my xrays were normal- totally conflicts with the xrays I laid eyes on at the chiropractor, 4) in a vicodin/valium/ibuprofen induced coma Wednesday morning, I missed my physical therapy appointment and the next one available wasn't until the 26th, 5) I cleaned my kitchen last night- win for me, 6) I slept for 26 hours straight the other night, 7) housing still up in the air, trying to get details- will update soon, 8) chiropractor seems to be helping, doing decompression, adjustments, and electrostem (love the electrostem), 9) haven't called dentist, seems pointless in my current condition, afraid I'll miss the appeals deadline for my claim though, 10) did a total Twilight-a-thon and really miss DH now, 11) actually left my house to do something other than see the DR yesterday, first time all week, 12) need to schedule another DR appointment before physical therapy to work on pain management, 13) haven't food journaled in days or written in my "deployment diary" since the 4th and have a lot of entries to make up.

I think that sums up in a nutshell what I wanted to share. I'll come back in a few days and fill you in on all the specifics, but for now that's about all I can handle. Good luck chickies and I miss you guys!

I am ready to SAW off my leg!

This shit has got be fixed quick, I am fucking dying over here! I went to the chiropractor today and got a few answers, but still have a long road ahead. To make a long long story short... my spine is straight as a toothpick. No curve in the lumbar or sacrum, at all. Whether this has been the story of my life or a result of some freak injury is unclear. I have another appointment with him tomorrow right after my physical therapy and I am seriously considering driving to urgent care tonight so that my actual Dr's are forced to take X-rays and see this shit for themselves... pulled muscle my ass! Maybe both, but not just. I did a quick session of decompression therapy today and it seemed to help in the moment, but as soon as I had to sit down in my car the sciatic pain shot through my leg like lightning and I am again almost imobile. The chiropractor did a very short adjustment as well, but I'm not sure if that did anything or not... it was just a few sharp jabs or whatever, but he said he would do more tomorrow.

He also pointed out that I am listing heavily to the right, if I showed you the pictures he took you'd be like WTF? I've been in so much pain and so busy the last few days I haven't really checked myself out in a mirror in over a week. I cried when I got home and looked at how my hips look. It's like one whole side of me is potruding out a good 6 to 8 inches more than the other. I look like some deformed freak of nature standing there with my hip like a huge mountain on the side of my body. How did I not notice this? How did the doctor that did my initial exam not notice that something was seriously amiss? I told the chiropractor I would root around and find some old photos of me standing to prove that I haven't always been the hunch-hip of notre dame and I think I'll probably use the one that's on my old blog of my weigh in side by sides. I'm just completely depressed right now, I want to be fixed so bad and I feel so helpless. Did I mention that my insurance doesn't cover chiropractic at all? The Dr said he'd work with me, so I'm hoping that things won't get too expensive on that front, but at this point I'll do anything to get relief. For now I am seriously going to try to clean my house, it HAS to be done pain or not.

TO DO:
Call Dad
Clean House
Find/Print Old Pictures
Urgent Care Tonight?
Sleep in Time for Early PT Appt.
Cry

Why is being good so hard???

After the last week of being off plan, being good is really hard to do. Combine that with my limited mobility and I feel like a disaster waiting to happen. Today I had a tv dinner, 2 fiber bars, some leftover tortilla chips, and a grilled cheese sandwich. Definitely not my normal diet food (the grilled cheese and chips), but I think I'm doing ok considering the massive cravings for other things. It's almost 10pm and I'd usually be up until about 3am, but tonight I'm about to try to make that midnight because I have to be at the chiropractor at 11:15am tomorrow. My weight was up today a pound and a half, so I don't know what's going on there, delayed reaction to all the beer? I'm really gonna try not to let that bother me, but it's high time I get back into my daily routine. Recording food calories, weight each morning, and journaling. I haven't made an entry in about 6 days, so I have a lot of catching up to do on that. The leg has been killing me today and I've been hobbling around from the couch, kitchen, and bathroom all day and haven't done a thing at all. Being so limited is truly making me crave a lot too, I am most definitely a boredom eater.

I usually don't like taking diuretics because you have to be careful not to dehydrate yourself, but I think I going to try that for a day or two to see if I really am carrying a lot of water weight. I know that weight doesn't come on and off literally "overnight", but it'd be damn nice to see 163 again before the week is out and at least know that I didn't royally screw myself. Thanks again ladies for all the support and comments. I would reply back to you all individually, but my meds are giving me general malaise and just clicking around, reading and replying seems like a feat right now. Mr. Chiropractor, I sure hope you are a miracle worker because I'm ready to actually get my fat ass off the couch for a while!

This Week I Gained, but I'm Proud!

This week has been one hellacious rollercoaster ride for me health wise, but I've managed to pull through it and know that this week is going to be a whole lot better! My cousin got here last Saturday and as I mentioned before, she is not a fan of healthy eating and all around very picky. I did manage to keep at least one meal a day on plan and ate my healthy snacks. The bad was I drank waaaay too much alcohol and not nearly enough water. Her BF came up on Wednesday and we all hung out and had fun until they they left this morning. My bad foods for the week were... pizza on 4 occassions (if you count leftovers), homemade spaghetti w/ meat sauce and garlic bread, a loaded funnel cake, cheese fries, bacon egg and cheese biscuit and hash browns from Hardee's, homemade chicken and dumplings, cream potatoes with butter, and bacon cheese bread. Mind you this was the bad stuff for the entire length of her trip that I indulged in, which was 9 days. Not great, but not completely horrible and I did try to control portions very well. Now as far as alcohol goes... they like to drink and when I'm around drinkers I like to drink too. I never drink alone and rarely have anyone to drink with, so I did take advantage of that. If I were to guess I'd say over the course of the week I had... 2 tall boy bud lights, 2 hard cider beers, 1 mikes hard lemonade, 4 shots of rum with assorted mixers, 1 woo woo shooter, 1 woo woo mixer, 1 sex on the beach, 2 long island iced teas, 2 screw drivers, 1 tequila sunrise, and probably only 1 or possibly 2 more mixed drinks. Other than the afformentioned I didn't consume much other food at all, a few fiber bars, a handful of tv dinners, and a homemade chicken wrap. When you combine the activity level with the overall calories, I think it balanced out in my favor, as I am only up .4 lbs for the week. I'm fairly certain my colon is aching for a nice poo and I'm most definitely still retaining water from the booze and my injury. I am pleased overall that things did not turn out worse. I'm not happy with a gain, but I'll accept it in light of the circumstances!

My leg/hip/back/butt is still hurting and I made a chiropractic appointment for tuesday and my physical therapy appointments start wednesday, so hopefully I'll be feeling well enough to do some real exercise very soon. For now though, I have to lay off the gym and probably rest up until after I talk to the physical therapist. I know I've been way overusing the leg, but how often does your family come up for a visit? I couldn't just lay up on the couch the entire time they were here! We went to the amusement park and walked for hours one day, went clubbing twice and did plenty of dancing to break a sweat, went to the beach checked out the sights, and generally tried to stay on the move. Again, considering my injury, I am pleased with the activity that I did get in. Today however, I plan to relax and watch True Blood- and of course purge any bad leftovers and get back on plan immediately! I also need to clean up the house, so hopefully the leg will cooperate enough to let me bend over and pick up. I was so tired when we came home last night as we shut down the bar, and I slept from 6:30am to 6:00pm. I think I might take a double dose of valium to get back to sleep tonight, lol!

I don't think I mentioned my dental thing, so here's an update on that. They denied me based on age and didn't seem to take into consideration what my dentist said about my future medical concerns, so I plan to file an appeal, but I need to get on that soon because there is a limited window to get it done. Problem is with everything else that is going on around here, I have no idea when I could fit all that in or where to even start, as the dental insurance company is less than forthcoming with information required for the process of appeals. I need to call my dentist soon and get it all figured out.

My housing situation is up in the air, but that is a hugely long story that I will have to write about later because my head is already starting to hurt writing this novel of my latest woes! SO next blog post will include... my mold test results, my information on where I am being offered to move and the details/concerns of up being uprooted against my will, DH updates and a possible chance to fly out to see him, updates from the chiropracter and physical therapist, and whether I have a whoosh after I start funneling water like a frat boy! Good luck chickies, this WILL be a good week and I am DETERMINED HELL OR HIGH WATER to lose at LEAST 4 pounds! Watch. Me. Shrink.

Is Bud Light really light?

LOL, today was a "party" day with the family before they head back home and I've had enough beer to last me until next summer. Do you think Bud Light is better for you than regular been or screw drivers? LOL? Hope you all had a great weekend, I'm scared for the weigh in tomorrow, but I'm confident I can get it done next week!

Thanks for the encouragement everbody!

I'm still feeling down in the dumps, but I'm hanging in there trying to see the brighter side of things. I talked a little more to my housing representative and got some new information. They told me the address of the house they'd like to move me to and I drove by to peek in the windows. I also got to look at the floor plan online. I'm undecided as to how I feel... It is also a 3 bedroom like the one we have now, but it is 70sq feet smaller because it is a 2 story unit. I used to love living on two floors, but it does make chores harder and with my bum hip right now, it would be a pain in the ass. It's also a townhouse set up that is smack dab in the middle of 4 other units. My current house is a single floor duplex style unit that we only share one wall to the bedroom with. I  really like our current house, it's got a big back yard, 2 storage sheds, a corner lot, and only one floor which makes laundry a lot easier. My neighbors are also pretty chill and really don't bother us at all, hell I don't even know their names. I also only have to worry about one other family when it comes to fire, that's one thing I hate about townhouses- if one person leaves an iron on, everybody's house goes up in flames. That's just scary to me! I know millions of people live in apartments, but it just gnaws at my mind that I have to worry about someone else's carelessness.

I'm not quite sure how this is going to play out, but I plan to take me concerns to my representatives and see if it would be possible to wait for another unit that is more comparable to the one we already have. I know it's hard and that I'm sure the problems must be rather extensive to warrant a full move and not just temporary living quarters, but I just feel like it's not fair to lose the amenities and square footage of our current home. I'm just kind of at a loss, all this stuff is happening so close together. Some good news is that my cousins boyfriend is coming up tonight and he will be driving her home on Sunday, so that eliminates my 8 hour drive and stay in SC. Thanks goodness! I don't know how I would have been able to handle all that with my injury and this new housing predicament.

I tried to stay close to OP with the diet today; I had a fiber bar, a small tv dinner, and 2 egg rolls with duck sauce from a chinese place that the cousin ordered at. All in all not great nutrition, but not bad on calories for going off plan with the egg rolls. I also have been peeing a lot today so I hope that means I'm getting rid of some of the excess water weight.

I also went and got a deep tissue massage today and it really helped with the referred pain that I was getting shooting down my leg. I can only hope that it continues to feel like this or better. She told me that my right hip was about a half inch to and inch out of line with my left hip and that I should really see a chiropractor as soon as possible. I think I might just make an appointment tomorrow, cause I am really hating this. It's making me really dread getting old, I feel like an 80 year old grandma every time I have to sit down, get up, or bend over. I also have to call to set up my first physical therapy appointment tomorrow, I hope they can get me in soon. I am so ready to get this all taken care of. I should get to view the house they want to give us tomorrow or Friday, so I'll update you all when I have more information. Until then, thanks for all your support and I hope you are all doing well, sorry I'm so busy or I'd take the time to comment on everyone's pages this week.

OMG I am having a terrible week.

Just found out the results from our mold testing and We. Have. To. Move. My husband is gone, I'm injured to the point of limping around and can't bend over, I'm retaining so much water that I can't get my ring off my finger and now I'm supposed to move a 1300 sq foot house alone. I am so stressed out right now, oh and my weight is up damn near 8, yes EIGHT pounds since last Friday, how is that even possible??? I'm seriously considering a water fast to relieve this bloating and swelling. I feel like an absolute whale and I'm still supposed to drive my cousin home 7 hours on Sunday. I was going to stay and visit for a few days, but now with the move, I don't know what I'm going to do. I feel horrible too because I just entered this challenge and I don't know how I'm supposed to pull off a loss with all that has happened. I know it's not the end of the world, but I'm so frustrated and was so excited about participating. Now I'm just plain depressed and sad. I'm supposed to be able to view the house they are offering us, but I'm seriously afraid I'm not going to like it. I love the house we are in now, it is one of the better ones in this neighborhood and I just know I'll be livid if the new one isn't just as good. I'll keep you posted, pray that everything is gonna work out for me if you are a believer in the power of prayer.

Good News and Bad News

I went to the Dr. this morning and got some good news and some bad news. The Dr. thinks that I have a pulled muscle and not sciatic pain, so that is good because a pulled muscle should be easier to treat that sciatic pain. The bad news is I am not supposed to work out for a few days at least and have to start physical therapy. She suspects that I have unbalanced amounts of muscle and that I would benefit from therapy to strengthen the appropriate areas. I will probably have my first appointment next week and am schedule for 4 to 6 weeks at first. They gave me 800mg Motrin and Valium for the pain in the meantime. Today it was a lot worse that it was yesterday, I'm sure that walking around the amusement park and riding all those roller coasters did not help, but I would have felt terrible not going since my cousin tried so hard to come up here. I am also supposed to drive her home this Sunday and then stay in SC for a few days and visit family, so things are going to be hard to schedule around and right now I'm just feeling really discouraged. I know that somewhere deep in me I have the strength to stay on plan, but when you've been told to take it easy, it brings the boredom eating temptation to a new level. They told me I could still take my phentermine to help with appetite suppression, so I'm praying that it will help me stay on track and not over eat considering I won't be burning near as many calories.

My cousin is really skinny, but she's one of those types that can eat just about anything (within moderation) and not gain a ton of weight. She's been here since Saturday and everyday she wanted pizza, she is also VERY picky in the food department and doesn't like a lot of things. It's gonna be hard to not indulge anymore when I know she will be eating the things that I would love to have. I know she'd be supportive if I asked her not to "temp" me, but truth of the matter is 1) I have to get used to the fact that I can't eat what some people can eat and 2) she spent a ton of $ to come up here and have a good time and I already feel like my bum leg/hip/back is putting a damper on her vacation. I don't want to make things any worse by restricting her food choices too.


I am also sleep deprived today and really wish I was one of those people that could lie down for a nap whenever I felt tired, but I'm just not made that way. My goal is to lose at least 2 pounds this week and end up around 163 next weigh in, but I'd love to see closer to 161 to be back on my original track. I didn't post a weigh in for this week but officially I gained .80 lbs last week, although last friday I was down a pound. Now TOM, my not so great food choices and my swelling have pushed me up a pound from the week before. For the next 4 days I'm going to have to keep a very close eye on my calories and food choices, sleep, and water intake to have any hope of getting these pounds back in check. I actually have plenty more to write about, but my eyes are feeling heavy and I don't think I can think straight enough to get anything else out today. Hang in there everyone and I'll update you again later. Good luck this week! -Pepa

Howdy to the Red Team!

Hello to the Red Team, Gertie, Lyrical, Jel and me! Just wanted to say hi and lets kick some ass in this challenge! This week my cuzzo is visting me and I promise I'm gonna try to be on my best behavior to pull a good number for the team! We'll be hitting up a theme park tomorrow and the beach all week, so hopefully I'll burn calories walking and swimming! I'm currently fighting either A) a pinched nerve in my lower back or B) a pulled hip flexor or lower back muscle, but I'm trying to not let it bother me too bad. I have to admit it is getting worse though, so I might be hitting the DR's office this week if it doesn't get better soon! Keep my poor leg/back in your prayers and lets smash this first week outta the park! Good luck ladies and I'll try to find time to write a real blog post by Wednesday!