Sugar & WEIRD Dreams

Monday's weigh-in: 151.6lbs
down 4lbs from last week
dropped all the Paris pounds even though I didn't hit the gym at all last week.  pretty happy about that!!!

Happy Halloween, everybody!!!  This is far & away my absolute favorite holiday & we spent all weekend doing Halloween-y things.  We always dress up as a group & try to incorporate my daughter's wheelchair into the costume.  I usually spend weeks planning our costumes - its the only creative thing I do all year.  Most people don't generally react well to a kid in a wheelchair and tend to quickly look away or avert their eyes so they don't have to "see"  us.  But I find when we're wearing costumes, people can look all they want without seeming to stare.  So, I try to do humorous costumes that will bring a smile to a person's face.  We've done some good ones in year's past.....a punk band called the "Rock'n'Rollers" where my daughter was the drummer was one of my favs.  Last year, she was a judge behind a big desk, the hubs was a cop & I was a criminal.  This year we did a Peanuts theme.  She was Lucy as the "doctor is in", the hubs was Charlie Brown (complete with huge paper mache head) & I was Snoopy.  super cute!! had a blast!!!  What a difference a year makes though.....last year's criminal outfit barely fit over my huge ass but this year's Snoopy pants kept falling down. :)

Of course, there is now a ton of candy in the house.  good grief!  Of course, I ate several pieces.  Yesterday, I ate 8-10 pieces & had the WEIRDEST dreams ever!!!!  In my first dream, I was with LapBandGal and Catherine55 in NYC, riding the subway & they were lecturing me about my eating habits.  How strange is that??  The next dream was about fumigating a Hoarders: Buried Alive house & me walking around barefoot with giant cockroaches crawling across my feet.  What is that all about?? Seriously, I blame the sugar.

Given these horrendous side effects, time to live clean.  Happy to not be traveling this week!  Just got this month's Cooking Light issue, so the week's menu is heavy influenced by it:

Meals:
Sunday: Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce - not good. don't bother.  the sauce was all wrong - too heavy.  altho' hubs was thrilled to see a pasta again...
Monday: Skillet Chicken with Cranberries & Apples
Tuesday: Chiang Mai Pork Patties
Wed: Dijon & Cognac Beef Stew  - supposed to snow in Denver on Wed so this should hit the spot
Thursday: Pan-Roasted Fish with Mediterranean Tomato Sauce

Workouts:
Sunday: 1hr spin + 1 hr Chisel
Monday: 1hour kickbox + 1 hr Chisel
Tuesday: 1 hr spin but thinking about mixing things up and going to a Yoga for Strength & Stability class.....hmmmmm
Wed: 1hr kickbox + 1 hr Chisel
Thursday: rest
Friday:  1 hr elliptical or run on treadmill or yoga class

cheers,
chloe

Practical Applications of being Skinnier

just had to share this story with you guys...

so I live in Denver & we got our first snow of the season yesterday.  6 inches of heavy, wet snow & lots of broken tree limbs plus a low around 12 degrees F last night.  anywoo, I'm leaving for work this morning & head out to my car.  We live in an old house downtown that only has street parking.  The hubs is a major sweetie & brushed off my car before he went off for his errands.  what a doll!  HOWEVER, when I get to my car I realize that the drivers door is frozen stuck.  it.will.not.open!  Hubs is gone so I can't borrow his car.

hmmm.....what to do? what to do?  I get in on the passenger side, crawl over the middle console & twist myself into the drivers seat.   voila!    the best part of this story?  that I could physically accomplish it.  75lbs ago there would have been no way I'd have been able to navigate my body like that.

sun is shining, everything is covered in a fresh, clean coat of snow & I'm sporting a big smile!!!!
cheers,
chloe

Paree - oo la la!

pic of skinny me outside the Louvre on a fall evening.  Jacket is size small, size 10 jeans from the G.a.p, boots that zip over my calves & daylight between my thighs.  how sweet it is!!!!

I'm back from my weekend in Paris with the hubs.   We had a lovely time!  Walked all over the city & tried to just soak up the ambiance.  sat in cafes drinking chocolat chaud & eating croissants.  Did do some shopping but funny thing is I didn't buy anything.  I did feel confident enough to walk into several little boutiques & try things on.  It was interesting to be waited on by French lady shopkeepers..."bonjour, madame!  'ow can I help yoo?  ah, oui, yoo are a meedium, no?"  Everything fit but nothing really struck me.  Now,  I want to ( I expect to) fall in love with everything I'm going to buy.  I've earned that much :)

First time in a very looooong time where I volunteered to be in as many pics as possible.  kinda nice to make an appearance in my own life again.

Definitely did some damage but I don't regret it.  I know what I need to do to get back on track.  Back to cooking at home, planning the weekly menu & hit the gym.  voila!!
Monday's weigh-in: 155.4lbs
up 4lbs from last week.

Its also my 10-month bandiversary so here are those pics, too

 cheers,
chloe

Paris, people!!!

Monday weigh-in: 151.4lbs
down 2lbs from last week.
truly, I find the whole thing simply amazing.  I'm almost in the 140s.  who is this girl?

Good weekend!  totally gorgeous here in Denver on Saturday.  Seemed like the last of the nice weather so I skipped my garden chores & went for a long bike ride instead.  I rode solo & got sooo lost.   I ended up riding almost 70miles.  70 MILES!!!! and it felt so gooood.  For the first time, it feels like my body is mine to command.  I'm feeling strong, confident & capable.  again, who *is* this girl???  because I really like her :)

In all fairness, my recent downward trend was greatly helped by a way-too-tight band.  I've been living the mushy life lately and while I do love the results, its not sustainable.  Nighttime heartburn has raised its head.  I do not want to go down this path so I went in for an unfill today.  Last visit they put in .5ccs - today they took out .25ccs.   Hope this is my green zone.

Other than fighting heartburn, I have an even better reason to loosen up my band.  My husband is whisking me off to Paris!!!!! Its our anniversary so we've decided to be a couple of crazy kids and jet off to Paree for a long, romantic weekend.  how sweet is that?

some very good friends have volunteered to take care of the kid this weekend which lets us get some adult-only time.   I'm so grateful!  Its been years since I've been in Paris & the hubs has never been.  I'm just looking forward to wondering the streets, lingering in the cafes, people watching, holding hands, kissing in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower....and, of course, eating!!!  sorry - may not be bandster orthodoxy but there it is.  I want to munch on a croissant :)

cheers,
chloe

Shrinking Ring

a quick NSV I had to share.......went to a jewelers today to get my wedding ring resized.  Literally, my ring was just falling off.  Old size? 8.5  new size? 6.5  the look on the clerk's face was priceless!!!!

cheers,
chloe

LBD

Monday weigh-in: 153.4lbs
down 1.6lbs from 2 weeks ago
also, this is another milestone for me.  actually, its my last milestone.  that sounds so strange.  when I started this journey, I broke it up into 10% chunklets.  With this weigh-in, I just hit 90% to goal.  only 8lbs to go.....even though its gotten really slow, this still just blows my mind!!!

Sorry no weigh-in or posts last week.  While many of you ladies were enjoying BOOBs fun in Chicago ( so jealous!!! love all the great pics), I was off to a huge company conference.   I was one of 45,000+ people to invade San Francisco for the week.  It was absolutely crazy - so much to do.  I'm still tired.  My band is quite tight so I only munched sporadically.  I actually packed my Magic Bullet, favorite protein powder & soy milk to ensure I was trying to get enough protein in.   One night I did have a big dinner & I could only nibble a couple of bites.  it was one of those awkward bandster moments we all have....

One HUGE new NSV for me.  I arrived in SF on Saturday morning & found some time to squeeze in some shopping in Union Square.  There is a big event coming up & I wanted a new dress.  I wanted something I've never had....the little black dress.  It should be a staple in every woman's closet but its never been in mine.  til now!  I didn't want just any LBD - I wanted something epic.  And I totally found it in a small boutique off some little alley way.  It's short (yes, above my knees) & all sequined.   Its from a British designer so its got a tough (but sexy) edge to it.  no way I'm NOT going to get noticed in this thing.   love it!!!

cheers,
chloe