Ashley's Fat Suit

WHY FRIDAY & VISUAL WEDNESDAY

2011-09-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Since I'm 23 and not 78 I would like to be on less pills. And I don't want to add to my collection that I currently have.

This is 11 pounds of butter.
Yuck.

UPDATE

2011-09-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

So recently I am having trouble updating in Chrome. But i figured out if I use IE, it lets me update. Kinda sorta annoying.

I have been doing soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good on my sleeping. I have been going to bed very close to midnight every night! I have been lacking on the swimming but I want to switch to mornings, so I had to work on my sleeping first. It's all very scientific lol.

Some bad news:
I went back into the Drs and got my blood work again. My body is still not responding to B12. So I am to the injection stage. BUT I opted for the nasal spray, because I don't know how i feel about injecting myself.
My vitamin D is slowly going back up but I'm still on the prescription. I am to report back in 8 weeks.
I hope the spray works.

Still no weight loss, not to worry. I just have to cut more stuff out of the old diet. It's not a race.

WHY WEDNESDAY

2011-09-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today's why wednesday is

To do my job easier

Doing hair is a lot of work. It's tiring, straining and exhausting. There is lots of running around, lifting things, and bending in awkward positions. I think if I wasn't so heavy; I'd have more energy, be less strained, and eventually be faster at what I do. I also want to look like a stylist. Have my clients come in and see me and say I want her to do my hair. So off comes the weight and in comes all the mula. That's how I see it anyway.

and that was WHY WEDNESDAY!

Visual Friday

2011-09-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

I'm really enjoying both kinds of visuals for Visual Friday!

Here is the truth, BAM! right in your face in a delightfully colored poster! I am super ready to be on the right side of the poster!

Notches

2011-09-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

I may have not lost any pounds but I have gone down one whole notch in my belt!! Yay for some kind of noticible change!!

WHY WEDNESDAY

2011-09-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

To live back-pain free!

For my whole adult life, I've had awful pain in my back. It's a constant pain and is only relieved when my sister Kristen sits on it! (miss you Kissy) I am pretty confident that this pain is weight related and partially posture I am sure. I hope this is alleviated with the loss and I can sit on the floor, play with kids, and sleep easier!

and that was WHY WEDNESDAY!

(I hope you read "WHY WEDNESDAY" like how I say it in my head, it's more fun that way. With a deep announcer guy kinda voice. I can't explain it very well :\)

New favorites

2011-09-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

While I work on quitting soda, I have found my new favorite thing:

It's so much better than any other Diet Sodas! I could always taste all the salt and splenda in diet anything. But this is like the real deal! It's the best. Not good enough to get an haiku but pretty close!

Speaking of which, Peaches have gotten soooo expensive. So now I eat cantaloupe, which does deserve a haiku so here it goes:

I can not elope

with this tasty cantaloupe;

I eat it instead

Zero point things are my best friends!

Visual Friday

2011-09-09T03:01:00.000-07:00

11 POUNDS!

That's about the size of this little dog!

Amazing!

I peeked!!

2011-09-08T17:28:00.000-07:00

And i'm at 227!!!! back on track! I've been doing so good! yay!!!!

WHY WEDNESDAY!!!

2011-09-07T01:44:00.000-07:00

Just under the wire here is WHY WEDNESDAY!

To get my smile back.

In pictures, I have noticed a change in how I smile. It looks kinda fake, and kinda forced, and kinda painful. I'm not feeling this way when the picture is being taken, and then when I see it, I'm like "Oh, why do I look constipated??" My face is just puffy, and not me. So for funsies, here is a comparison:

2004

2006

2007

2009

2010

Maybe I'm just getting old :)

And yes that was WHY WEDNESDAY!!

A rough couple of weeks...

2011-09-04T22:49:00.000-07:00

Last week I didn't lose or gain, this week I'm a bit nervous for weigh in. Not because I have been off track or anything. I have been sticking to the plan, I just don't want to be disappointed. So I am recommitting myself for September. I am going to swim longer and go in earlier! It needs to happen. Also I need to stop guessing at points. I am going to get me a set of measuring cups and carry them in my purse. It may seem extreme, but I want to see results.

I just peeked at the scale and I am down to 229! So this bodes well for tomorrow!

Visual Friday

2011-09-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a different kind of visual for this week's Friday:

It's interesting to me to see how much the weight has effect on your body. It changes your skeletal system and your organ placement. This picture also makes me want to do a cleanse. All that black stuff through out the intestines is waste...

If this isn't motivational I don't know what is!

Adele

2011-09-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

So there I was...

At work, doing two pedicures at the same time. A mom and her daughter. And they were talking la la la, and then, Adele's new song Rolling in the Deep ("we could have had it baaaaaaaaad"....that one) comes on over the radio. And then the conversation turned ugly.

The mother starts with "The singer of this song looks nothing like I thought. When I was watching the Vh1 music awards I didn't expect THAT!"

The daughter "Oh I know, I was expecting someone more like that girl with the dreads from american idol"

The mom "Well I just wasn't expecting someone so BIG..."

daughter "Ya you would never thought someone like that would sound so good."

the song changed and then they started talking about Katy Perry.

I was embarrassed and upset all at the same time. Here I was scrubbing their nasty feet and they were going on and on about a full figured girl, like me, like she was beneath them.

They were average people, nice enough looking. I know they weren't directing their comments at me. But their words stung me. I thought them over while I was swimming last night.

Here is this successful, young women who can sing her heart out and she is being judged on how she looks. Like fat people can't have talent? Because why?? I don't understand.

WHY WEDNESDAY!

2011-08-31T02:15:00.000-07:00

that's right kids it's

WHY WEDNESDAY!

Cute clothes

I feel like I don't really have a style yet. I wear whatever fits or whatever comes along. I'm excited to donate all my clothes and find myself a cute style AND look good doing it!

and that was WHY WEDNESDAY!

sleeping woes

2011-08-31T02:06:00.000-07:00

No loss no gain. kind of a bummer, but I am pretty sure I know why. Hopefully this week I can make up for it.

This past week I have had trouble with that whole sleeping thing. I'm always tired no matter how much sleep I get. :( I have been struggling with waking up pretty much as long as I can remember. I have this one memory of being woken up for school when I was in like 1st or 2nd grade, and I fell asleep in front of my closet, and my mom left me there and took everyone else to school. I woke up and she was gone! It was more dramatic then how it sounds! As I am writing this it doesn't seem that bad, but I was traumatized. And then all through high school my sister Mandy had the pleasure of waking me up everyday. To this day, it makes me grouchy if I am not woken up correctly because she used to wake me up in a very angry way lol. Anyhoo.... it's a problem. I stay awake all through the night sometimes because I am afraid I will miss something the next day if it's early in the morning and that makes me exhausted, and then the day after that I sleep for like 20 hours. As my mom says I have my days and nights mixed up. My doctor put me on this sleep hygiene stuff but I think I need to look into some kind of meds, just to get me in the rhythm.

(awww! Mandy on the left and Me on the right)

VISUAL FRIDAY

2011-08-26T11:00:00.001-07:00

I have lost 8 pounds, about the same size as a new born baby!

This is me semi-newborn! It's kinda fun to get a visual of what 8 pounds is. Sometimes it doesn't feel like a lot but when I think of it this way, it makes me feel great about it! woo hoo for me and let's keep it coming

WHY WEDNESDAY!

2011-08-25T00:23:00.000-07:00

Because these three are getting blunt.

And Nathan said he will still love me when I am skinny. But not if I cut my hair. Priorities.

and that was WHY WEDNESDAY!

Snails Pace

2011-08-23T02:04:00.000-07:00

So I dropped another two pounds, which bring my total to -8 and my weight at 230...sigh. While that's all good and swell,* I'm not feelin it. What I mean is, I thought with all these pills I'm taking (especially the thyroid meds) I would see a bigger drop. I'm not talking -10. I just thought maybe a -5 or -3 even. But here I am on this steady slope** kinda chugging along. v e r y s l o w l y. sigh.

BUT! Something awesome has started to happen! My body is getting used to eating right portions. When I try to eat the way I used to, like when I go out, my stomach doesn't let me! I'm like HEY I have the points let me at it! So what I am saying is: IT'S WORKING! Weight Watchers knows what it's doing, and my stomach is getting trained!

So about those goals I set last time...

I failed.

I sort have set my self up for failure because they were more like wishes than actual reasonable goals. So I'm going to pick one for this week and work on it. So I am picking:

Go swimming earlier

I do like being the only one in the pool so late at night, plus no one can see me and judge. But it is reeking havoc on my sleeping, which is a problem all in it's self. I also like going with my husband and he doesn't get off until 11pm. Which get us to the gym around 12 or later. I guess I just have to be a little more independent and go right when I get home from work. I also think since I don't have a gym partner I just figure I can go all whenever I want, so I am not accountable to be ON TIME for anything. sigh... So..

I'M WORKING ON IT!

Oh and here is the ugliest picture of me EVAR! from last week. enjoy.

yuck. you're welcome.

*I am very happy about losing the weight. I am terrified about plateau-ing

**I know this is the healthiest way, and it is the ideal amount for being on ww. I just want more and that's ok :)

Ode to Peaches! a Haiku

2011-08-18T03:01:00.000-07:00

Golden juicy ball

hunger is no match for you;

you are my hero

WHY WEDNESDAY!

2011-08-17T01:29:00.000-07:00

I'm going to post a reason why I am losing weight every Wednesday! A weekly reminder to myself to motivate and to inspire! They aren't in any order.

Reason Number 1:

SO I DON'T DIE!

My doctor tells me I am in great danger, and losing the weight will help all my vitamin deficiencies, sleeping disorders and all around well being. I am too young to be in this kind of danger and I intend to get my self out! Now I am not about to drop at any second but it's the path that I am on that puts me in the danger zone.

And that was WHY WEDNESDAY!

A week of swimming

2011-08-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

What a week! Second week of ww and it'going really good! Swimming at Gold's Gym is, well interesting. People watch me swim and I always get a comment or two on how good I am. I always get asked if I am on a high school swim team which makes me laugh. I don't feel very fast/smooth yet but I know I will get there. It is getting easier everyday! I bought a lock and a water bottle and I have a before and after gym routine! Routines are way good for when your losing weight.

I found this website that says it can get me to swim a "swimmers mile" in six weeks. I have been following it and I do feel like I can swim longer with fewer breaks! It's pretty awesome. Also since I don't really kick while I swim, I did a 500 yard kick after my regular set. LET ME TELL YOU HOW SORE I AM! lol But it will all be worth it in the end :)

First week work out:
200 warm up
4x100 15 sec rest
4x50 10 sec rest
4x25 5 sec rest
200 cool down
500 kick

Still no gym partner. I cheated the other day and weighed myself! Down another 2lbs! woo hoo! I don't think I am going to make my goal of -6 lbs, but I am super happy with -2! if i lose 2lbs per week, like I have been, I will make my goal of -25lbs by HALLOWEEN! I have been doing good on taking all my meds and vitamins and I really hope I get some results at the next Dr's visit.

Changes for this coming week:

Go swimming earlier
go to bed before midnight
Find a book to read
wake up at nine everyday
work on getting a bigger clientele
completely stop drinking soda

Swimming Day 1, and weigh in

2011-08-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

This week has flown by! I have been doing very good on sticking to my plan, and I officially lost 2 more pounds so I am at 234. I was hoping to get to 235, so I could get my first milestone star but there is always next monday! Today I am measuring my self and taking a progress picture. I want to take one every week so i can see my self shrinking. Ya i'm weird like that.

I didn't do very much exercising last week. So my goal is to try to go everyday this week! I went swimming today for an hour and then on the elliptical for 15min. I am still looking for a gym buddy. It's proving harder than I thought. My two friends that would come with me live too far away. Isn't that always the way. So I am going to see if i can go to the gym everyday after work, just drive straight there and go for an hour and a half. I would like to lose 6lbs by next weigh in.

Swimming felt Ah-may-zing! I have some experience coaching beginner swimmers on a high school level so I was able to give myself sets and knew where to push and when to let rest. What I didn't like was my goggles kept breaking, making me stop all the time when i didn't want to. I will have them fixed by the time I go back (tomorrow night right?!) Also there was this creepy guy watching me the whole time, just sitting on the steps. AWWKWARD! Shout out to the lady that thought I was on a high school swim team! That made me feel good, and maybe not as floppy as I thought I looked :) After that I felt like I needed to work on my legs since I don't kick while I swim, (I know you should, I just never mastered that even though I have been competitive swimming forever) so I got on the Elliptical for 15 min. The cool thing is that they have them in a movie theater , the not so cool thing is that I was in there for the last 15 min of a movie that i didn't even know. Something with Denzel and a train. :\ Better luck next time :D

Looking forward to swimming day two

2nd Doctor's visit

2011-08-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

So i called back into the doctor's office yesterday. I was semi nervous because she was going on and on about my vitamin levels at the first appointment. I thought she was going to tell me something horrible. But! It wasn't too bad and i got to weight in again and this time the numbers read 234! Can you believe it? 4 pounds just like that! That lifted my spirits and I walked into the exam room forgetting all my fears. So the Doctor came in and she went over all my blood work. And the only thing she told me I didn't already know was I have a very serious Vitamin D deficiency. And the over the counter pills will not help. So i have to take prescription Vitamin D. I had the lady print out my blood work so I can keep track and maybe share it with all of you! I know! It's so exciting! I'm just that giving! Also it finally happened. The thing my mom has been waiting for. The thing that she has had Dr. after Dr. check all my life because she was so sure I had, has happened to me. I have low thyroid. It runs in the family and it is directly related to weight loss and gain. :\ I'm kinda bummed about it.

Drum roll please!
mine normal
Vitamin D Low 17.8 32.0-100.0
Vitamin B12 Low 297 211-946
Chol High 246 <200
trig High 381 <150

I go back in 6 weeks and hopefully the numbers will be different!

First 2 Pounds Gone!

2011-08-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

I started weight watchers Sunday night. I'm actually enjoying it! It's pretty easy to understand, and all the online info makes it easy to look up different types of food. I am on the online program which is AWESOME. I have a app for my phone and my itouch so I can track everything right then and there, and not say oh I'll do it later and then not. AND! It's totally like a game which I love too! You click on how much liquids, vegetables, dairy products and your vitamins, oil and activity. I find that totally fun and informative. And it keeps track of your weight loss and all your measurements and puts it into charts and graphs. That way you can see that your losing inches if your not losing pounds. Its totally awesome. I also like that on my phone and itouch it tells me how many points i have left after everything I put in. No math = happy me.

I get 35 points a day. It hasn't been hard at all to stick to the 35. I'm not starving myself and it is making me very aware of portion sizes. You can eat fruits and vegetables all day long so if i feel hungry at all i can grab a banana or drink a glass of water.

My weigh in days are Monday. And I have dropped 2lbs since that doctor's visit! I also tracked my measurements monday and i'm excited to see them drop as well as that BIG number! I am turning into a weight watchers nerd! My Granny also gave me an OFFICIAL ww scale so I am totally legit!

I had a little fun...

2011-07-31T03:14:00.000-07:00

I was watching an infomercial about this other weight-loss system that interested me. It said to take a picture of yourself, your before picture, and write on it to show what you want to improve. SO I DID. It felt a little odd, and then it got fun. I look a little deformed, but it shows me what i really don't like about my body. It will also show me what work outs to do. So for your viewing pleasure here it is! I took the same before picture to keep things consistant, and carved out a new and improved me!

What do you think? Realistic?