Mar 13th - 6 months down...

Today is the 6 month anniversary of when I started the hypnosis program and what a great and rewarding 6 months it's been.

I can't speak highly enough of the program.  I see Julie Ann Kibe of The Key Hypnosis (http://thekeyhypnosis.com/) - for anyone who may be interested and local in MA.

I still have a lot of work ahead of me and the true test will be when I get into maintenance mode. This is where my true fear sets in!

For now, though, I am focusing on getting rid of the last bit of weight- only 2 more sizes to go - and celebrating the extreme success I have had over a VERY short period of time.

A quick celebration recap-

• My blood pressure is way down (last read was 120/80) and my cholesterol is down a bunch too.
• I've gone from a size 22 to a 14! I'm embarrassed to admit the first number,but it really does show how far I've come. I may even be inclined to take a photo or two and post some before/current shots.
• I am down to the last of my "skinny" clothes in the attic. I have 2 pairs of size 12 capri's w/ tags on, but that's it. I only had a few 14's up there. I didn't realize (or used selective memory) that most of my "skinny" clothes up there were 16's. 
• All of the dresses I wore the summer I got married and to all the weddings we went to around that time (10+ years ago) are too big. 
• I haven't had anything sweet (sugar, soda, fruit, ect) or anything with any significant gluten (bread, flour, beer, ect) since the day before I started the program. Not even a glass of wine & that one is hard!!
• I have significantly more energy, patience, & self-confidence.

So now, after a few moments to pause and reflect, I can say this - I am happy - truly & deeply happy - and that is the best gift I could have given myself and my family.

Mar 6th - Things that help with Balance

Since there really isn't anything new or exciting to comment this week in regards to weight loss, I thought I would share some websites and podcasts that I love and have found really helpful as I continue to strive for balance in my life - especially when it comes to mothering

1) Busy Mom Survival Guide - PJ Jonas is a homeschooling mom of 8 and runs a very successful business - Goat Milk Stuff. She is the sister-in-law of my high school & college roommate.

http://goatmilkstuff.com/Busy-Mom-Survival-Guide.html - I subscribe via iTunes.

2) Power of Moms - I don't know anyone here, but I do enjoy their podcasts. I haven't gone into their website all that much. I subscribe to the podcasts via iTunes and started with the 1st one.

http://powerofmoms.com/learning-tools/podcasts/

3) Scary Mommy - You probably see links to this on my Facebook page, but I just find it funny - hysterical, actually.

http://www.scarymommy.com/

4) Pinterest - well, you all know Pinterest, but I find it really does make me "appear" to be a Super-Mom, when I really am not. I am a copy cat and proud of it.

http://pinterest.com/trsboston73/

5) Groupon, Eversave, Living Social, Amazon Local, Family Zip, Breathe NH - I use all of these sites frequently to find deals and savings for me and my family. I can't tell you the last time I paid full price for a hair cut....

http://www.groupon.com/
http://www.eversave.com/boston/bottoms-up-detail-2
http://www.livingsocial.com/cities/2-boston
http://local.amazon.com/boston
http://www.familyzip.com/
https://www.breathenh.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=948

That's all I got. Enjoy!

-tammy

Feb 28th - On feeling skinny

I am going to preface this post by stating that I know I am not skinny - not yet anyway! And by that I mean, when I walk down the street I am pretty certain people (aka: strangers) don't look at me and say "That's one skinny girl..."

However, I feel skinny and with that comes an ability to carry myself with confidence. I stand taller. I walk prouder. I feel like - in the first time in AGES - that I actually look 1/2 decent in clothes.

Happily, I am running out of "skinny" clothes in the attic. Some of the things up there, with tags on them, mind you, are actually too big. Isn't that exciting?

Well, the exciting part is that come spring and summer, when I am done losing and ready to maintain, I'll be forced to go shopping...bummer for me!

What I am realizing, though, is that it really doesn't matter what size I end up - feeling skinny and feeling good about myself is what does. So I may never be a size 6, and I may never be that girl on the street, but inside I sure as heck will be. :)

Don't get me wrong, I still want that tummy tuck - dang twin pregnancy - but with a little Spanx, it might not be that bad....And, if I actually exercised, it's even possible, I could look decent in a bathing suit this summer.

So, here's to feeling skinny at whatever size that is for you. Right now, it's a 14/16 for me, and I am pretty freakin' happy with that!

Feb 20th - Houston, the door appears to be stuck....

Getting out of the house is harder than I thought. It's just one of those things that seems to get pushed to the bottom of the list...or forgotten all together.

Morgan & I did walk to the bus stop 1 day last week and that was really fun.

She got to discover ice "glass"

And we had a great time breaking it 

She also played Queen of the Mountain on the snow banks

And we talked, just the two of us.

Why, then, is it so hard to fit all of those great moments into my day??

It's just not easy when life is busy to carve out 10-20 minutes - or remembering to take them.

I'm trying though - and that should count for something - shouldn't it?

Feb 13th - Getting out of the hamster cage

Have you ever thought of your life like living in a hamster cage? I hadn't until a few weeks ago.  But I think it's true in a sense - I live surrounded by 4 walls and, generally, my days are pretty predictable - wake up, get dressed, drop of kids, go to work, pick up kids, come home, cook dinner, baths, bedtime...you get the idea.

So, one of the things I have been thinking of is how to fit exercise into my day and breaking free from the hamster cage.

Here is the advice I was given & I think it's pretty good -

As humans, it's pretty easy to just open the door. The sense of freedom will come from not following a program or joining a gym, but just at random, and whenever I can, opening the door and taking a quick walk - sun, rain, sleet or snow. Truly giving myself permission to get outside and get moving, so whether it's 5 minutes or 25 minutes anything is better than nothing. The end result is continuing to build a desire to do more exercise and reach a level of fitness I haven't seen in many, many years. :)

I don't have a specific goal in mind or anything, but I do believe that this is the next thing I need to make a priority in order to help me reach my pant size and, definitely, some thing that will be needed in order to keep my ass in them!

Sounds easy, right?

Feb 9th - A suggestion for stress

Something that is incredibly difficult for me is seeing the positive first.  I tend to be very quick to comment on all the things that aren't done or that I don't have. The dishes not being done, the house is a mess, the kids are fighting, the commute sucks, money, work ridiculousness...

I am working on this because it's important to me, and I certainly don't want to pass along to my children.

One of the suggestions I received recently was at night just before I fall asleep to think of 2 positive things that happened throughout the day - even the smallest of small things.  

When you recognize and acknowledge these things on a daily basis - and right before dream land - it is supposed to help you focus on the positive things that happen throughout the day instead of always heading down the rat hole of negative. And, therefore, helping reduce the stress (that is caused by focusing on the negative things) For me, it's so easy to get sucked into this way of thinking.

10 things I have thought of over the past week -

1. Liam gave me the biggest hug and kiss when he woke up
2. Morgan made a sticker chart for Liam to help him get rid of night time pull ups
3. Shannon snuggled with me on the couch & held my hand
4. Brian reminded the kids that I am not a servant to them and to speak nicely to Mommy
5. Listened to the kids giggle in the girls room.
6. Made muffins and cookies with my Monkeys (& being ok that I can't even lick my fingers)
7. Seeing the kids light up after a face time with Daddy while he was away (after we hung up of course)
8. Watched Peter Pan with the kids for the 1st time (& snuggled on the couch)
9. Brian took the time to make sure we were ready for Nemo.
10. Watched the sun peek through and making the snow glimmer

I'm pretty lucky aren't I? 

Jan 29th - Refresh, Reset, & Recommit

I'm calling this day one because I went in for a refresher session tonight and I feel as good as I did on Day 1 of the program - mentally. Physically, I feel a million times better. :-)

Technically, I am 4 1/2 months into the hypnosis program and the success so far has been pretty amazing!  Really, absolutely no complaints what-so-ever.

The reason I wanted to go in for the refresher is because I felt those tempting thoughts creeping back into my mind, and I wanted to push them away. I like not being bothered by the limited diet. I like feeling positive instead of negative about this new way of life. I mean, who wouldn't, right?

The finish line to my goal pant size is in view (2-3 more sizes to go). I want to get there as fast as I can, so I can start the long, hard process re-training my body and mind to accept that this new weight is THE weight! I have no misconception that it's going to be easy, but I'm pretty excited to take on the challenge.

I also feel energized and interested in exercise, so that will help a ton! Can you believe I have done all of this without any exercise? It's pretty crazy.  I finally feel like I am at a point where I am capable of exercising and am eager to build up my core strength. I am remembering how it felt to play field hockey, lacrosse, run a marathon, ski all day. I can't wait to feel that strong again.  What an amazing thing to feel - especially as I welcome the big 4-0 in December.

So while I am busier than ever, I feel (today anyway) incredibly balanced with work, family, life, ect. This journey has given me a renewed belief in myself that anything and everything is possible.

And that's why I am resetting the clock to Day 1...