I'm Back!

Sorry for my absence. I have had so many things going on lately.  Don't have time to post at work and when I get home I am so exhausted all I want to do is sleep.

Work is KILLING me!!!!!
I have been super busy at work.  These guys can't seem to do anything for themselves and additionally the girl that works in our Houston, TX office got fired or maybe she quit. Who knows?!?! I don't really care... I just want them to find a replacement and I mean SOON!!! I have been doing all of her invoicing as well as catering to the guys in that office.  Why?  Because we all know men can't do anything for themselves... and why should they when they have AWESOME women like us to do it for them. I was able to find a little free time this morning to catch you all up on what's been going on with me though... and I am thankful for that!

I feel like sometimes I am being pulled in so many different directions. Sometimes I just need time for me.  I haven't had much of that lately.  Been too busy trying to make everyone else happy that I seem to let myself suffer.  My fitness level this past month has been pretty much zero. I had to take a little time off from Boot camp due to just needing a break from the everyday hustle.  I haven't been running lately either. Well I take that back I did do the Play Dirty Adventure Race this past weekend.  That was a blast!  Katelyn and Cody did the 3 miler with me and Ben did the 3/4 miler with a friend and a cousin.  We all had a blast and were filthy!  But heyy... that's why they call it Play Dirty right?  Can't wait to do it or something similar to it again.

The weather has been pretty nice here lately which means IT'S TIME TO START RUNNING AGAIN!  (Cristy are you ready for the lakes?) I miss it when I don't go, but my kids have had a lot going on and I just felt like I needed to be at home a little more.  I realize now that if I take an hour out of my day to run or go to boot camp EVERYONE is better off.  I am much less stressed and boy do my kids and hubs like that!  October is going to be my month to really get back into running.  I am making a vow to keep it up at least 3 times a week.  I am going to do my best to go back to boot camp, but because that costs me $$$$ that tends to be the first thing to suffer. :(

Oh!!! I have been taking my medicine.  I have been taking it faithfully every single day!  Guess what????? I have lost some weight!  WooHOO!!!! Got on the scale this morning and it read 226.  I can't believe it!!! I was stuck at 232 for the longest time.  No matter what I couldn't get under that stinking number.  Finally I am over that hump, and the pounds are coming off.  I hope it stays that way.  Pray for me!!!! :)

Dietitian - Recap

So... I asked my dreaded question. The dietitian looked at me like I was silly! LOL... Yeah I know it was a silly question and I totally deserved it!

Anyway my appointment went like this...

It was basically a "Get to Know You" appointment. We didn't go into great detail about anything besides my current eating habits which aren't as bad as they could be. Kate, the dietitian, asked me a ton of questions like what I expect to get out of the visit, how active am I, what are my long term goals.  You see... I don't so much care about being skinny!  I would like to be healthy.  I don't want diabeties & I am certainly ready to get rid of IR.  When I told Kate that I stopped taking my medicine she fussed. Well... really she didn't just fuss... she kept going on and on and on about how important it is for me to take my meds. OK!!! I get it!!! I am going to start taking the meds. (I started back last night) Next we went over a meal plan. She cut my calorie intake to 1500 calories a day.  Which is going to be a walk in the park.  The only thing is that I have been focusing on carb control this whole time. (She knows I am IR) When I mentioned the low carbs she wasn't so concerned about it.  She was more concerned about me getting back on my meds, and in some type of routine as far as my meals go.  She wants to see me back in three weeks to make sure things are going well and said we would talk about the carbs then.  She didn't want to stress me out too much with carb counting. But... I am already focusing on low carbs. So what I decided to do is use the meal plan she gave me and focus on low carb. I think that will help. Hopefully I will start seeing some results soon because this week my weight is up.  I know it has something to do with me and my stupidity (i.e. no meds).

Anyway... You all (me too) should be happy to know that I am now back on my meds thanks to the comments I received as well as Kate's lecturing. ;) 

Ready to see some results!  Oh... and a tiny bit sad because Mel and I are going to be missing bootcamp on Saturday.  It is for a great cause though... we are attending a conference at a local church. I can't wait!!!!

  

Appointment with a Dietitian

Most of you know about me being insulin resistant. You can read a little about it here.  Sometimes I think this is just a fancy way to say... You're FAT!!! Now get off your butt and do something about it. And... I haven't actually figured out if my "thinking" is correct because I haven't had the nerve to ask anyone about it.  I don't like to offend anyone, but then again... I am labeled as IR too. Anyway... I am SICK of taking pills.  Let me just tell you what my doctor wants me to take DAILY.

Metformin (2 pills/2x day), Vitamin D, Iron, Synthroid (for my underactive thyroid) & Byetta injections (2 shots/2xday).  Psst... have I mentioned that I am ONLY 33 years old????

 

Listen... I am not a professional in the medical field, but I don't see what all of these medicines can do for me that I can't try to remedy through diet and exercise. They have some of the worst side effects ever.  You don't even want me to go there. YUK!!!!! 

Did i mention that I stopped taking the meds?  Yeah... I stopped!  They just make me... well they make me a lot of things, but one thing they make me is GASSY!!! Yes I said it!  Not to mention that they are expensive. The byetta alone is $150 a month because my insurance won't cover it. 

So... I am going to see a dietitian today!  Yes I am!!! I can't wait for 2PM to roll around. I am super excited to see what she might have to say, and I might even ask her my dreaded question about IR. Hummmm still contemplating that one.

I will follow up afterwards and let you know how it went. Hopefully she doesn't tell me I should start taking the meds again because (whine) I really don't want to! 

Wish me luck! ;)

ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

Grilled Chicken Salad & yet another fail...

Monday - Dinner:

This is a super special day... at least my kids would say.  You see... I don't cook all that often.  I get home late most evenings and my hubs usually has dinner cooked. Well last night I was in the mood for salad. I had seen Melissa's post yesterday with her salad pictures and decided I needed salad. 

Amber's Grilled Chicken Salad:

It comes in around 500 calories, 27 grams of Protein, 13 Carbs & 28 grams of Fat. I could have done without the avocado, but just wanted some good fat! 

Ingredients:

1/2 Avocado, sliced

1/4 cup - Cucumbers, cubed

6 - Grape Tomatoes

1 - Hard Boiled Egg, sliced

1/4 cup - 2% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese

1 Cup - Romaine Lettuce

1 tablespoon - REAL bacon bits

2 - Large olives, sliced

4 - Mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup - Grilled Chicken Breast, sliced

1 tablespoon - Reduced Fat Ranch Dressing (to dip my fork in)

TALK ABOUT DELICIOUS!!!!

Fail...

So I finally had time to calculate the nutrition facts for the Allison.  I am so disappointed. I should have known that something so darn good would be so darn bad for me!!!  You see... I am insulin resistant. So... carbs (a lot) are a no no for me. Here are the results... I am so sad! 

THE ALLISON'S NUTRITION FACTS:

Calories: 463

Fat: 10

Carbs: 87!!!!!

Fiber: 29 

Protein: 27

I guess this means no more Allison for me! :( 

It's a sad sad day in Amberland!

Is She Really Cursed? lol

Who is the "she" I am referring to?  My car!  No I don't normally give my vehicle it's own personality, but I feel it is fitting in this case. You see it began in May... I went through a lot of effort to find exactly what I was looking for and in my price range.  The dealership had to get the car shipped in from another town which is about an hour and a half away from where I work.

Below is the day I picked her up from the dealership.  Isn't she pretty? LOL

Within two weeks I had Safelite Auto Glass come to my office to repair TWO chips in the windshield. :(

At around 1 month Katelyn and I were minding our own business in the local Academy parking lot when this chic backed into me out of no where!

I filed a claim right away with my insurance company.  The cop that came out said that it was pretty much my word against hers because we were on private property.  and the fight begins...

So about a week later I am minding my business driving to work and out of no where i hear this LOUD POP!

See that little hole?  Yeah well when the Safelite guy came out he said it looked like a bullet. Hummmm I may have believed that for a minute (maybe longer), but I know better.  Anyway... I was able to get a discount for being a frequent customer. LOL... $280 later (window and replacement tint) I am back to only a dent and waiting for the insurance company to come out and assess the damage their insured did to my car.

They finally made it out on July 5th to complete their estimate. It was my turn. I was in a hurry to get her fixed, but just knew it was going to be a long drawn out process.  I faxed the estimate to my shop of choice (big mistake) and waited for them to call me to say the parts are in and I can drop her off for repair.

July 25th I put her in the shop thinking it would take a week at the most given the little amount of damage. NOT!!!!

The nightmare begins...

I have been round and round with this girl's insurance company. Whatever you do... USAgencies is sooooooo NOT the way to go!  They are a huge headache to deal with. 

I kept close tabs on what was going on because I wanted my car back... besides they gave me a hatchback to drive.  Cody is VERY tall... driving that thing with all of my kids was torture. Anyway... Myself and the guy that was in charge of my car at the collision center were both leaving messages with the adjuster because they didn't approve enough work. urgh... no return call!!!! Well... I decided it was time to get to the bottom of this poor customer service. I managed to get my hands on the email address and phone number of the adjuster's supervisor. I sent a very detailed and lengthy email to the adjuster as well as her supervisor. That is when things started falling into place. Finally... some progress is being made. I mean this car sat in the shop for days with nothing being done all because the insurance company wouldn't go out and approve a claim (which I was told they had 24-48 hrs to do so).

So finally on Thursday August 11th I get the call that my car is ready to be picked up. YippEE!!!! I drop that crazy lil clown car off and head to the shop to pick my girl up!  Ha!  They bring her around and I am all giddy. The hubs is looking at me like I am nuts!  Yeah I might be just a little obsessed with this car. Anyway... thank goodness he was with me because i immediately notice something hanging down in the front under the bumper. So he brings it to someones attention. They pull it around back and put in some clips they forgot. (oops... rolling my eyes already)

I get home later that evening and notice two things... Keep in mind that my girl is brand spanking new... no blemishes what so ever!!!! So in the first pic below you see a tiny blemish. I only notice this because after the accident there was a chip of paint missing. Looks to me like the collision center only filled it in with paint. It is rough as all get out!!!

In the below pic you will see the chrome molding bent.  They took the entire right side of my car apart to paint it (supposedly) and when they went to take the molding off looks like they bent it. 

I am so annoyed. So I sent a very long and detailed email to the guy handling my car at the collision center.  The email explained my frustrations as well as ALL of the issues I expected to be taken care of in a timely manner. There were 7 issues that needed to be addressed... and counting  These two are just the ones I was able to get pictures of.

1. The poor paint job on the side

2. The bent chrome

3. They took a piece of paint off the door frame when removing the molding

4. They hooked the airbag up in reverse... strange.

5. The rear bumper (which they removed and repainted) has spots of grey where the paint didn't adhere

6. The license plate is missing a screw. What?!?!

7. There are tiny white paint markings on the passenger front window.

Now... all of this might seem petty to you, but this is my car and I take pride in the things I own and pay for!  I had a brand new car prior to the accident and I expected one returned to me.  I didn't expect to have to do a quality control inspection myself.  I had a lot of faith in this collision center and they ruined that!  So... today my girl is back in the shop, and I am driving a rental (courtesy of AllStar Toyota Collision Center).  Not sure how long she will be there but man I miss her already. LOL

I am done with my rant for the day. Tell me do you think she is cursed? 

Smoothie Fail - well kinda

So the other night I was craving one of those amazing Allison smoothies. I don't live close to the smoothie shop, so I couldn't just go get one. I decided to buy the ingredients. Sounds great right?  I could make this amazing smoothie at home anytime I want if only I could get the recipe right.  Well... It didn't come out great at all.  It was good, but nothing close to what Del made for us the other night.   

Isn't that a pretty green?  ;)

It wasn't nearly as sweet as I would have liked... And I think Del had something special he added only I can't figure out what it is.  I did forget to add the honey. (Maybe that is what was missing... hummmmm????) Anyway... I have some left over so I will be having this for breakfast for the next couple of days. My kids turned their noses up at it for now, but I will perfect it. ;)

best.idea.EVA!!!

I had such a good day today!  I have been rushing in the mornings, so i really don't have time to make breakfast. I usually grab a EAS AdvantEdge Carb Control shake and that fills me up until it's time for lunch. Lunch rolled around and I had to run a few errands so I ran into Whole Foods to grab a sandwich. Best sandwich and I don't even remember the name!!! ;(  I just don't even want to know the nutrition facts.  Anyway... My dinner last night was so yummy and I think it is super good for me, but that is still up in the air. I am going to figure out the EXACT amount of ingredients today.

You all know my girl Melissa. Well after bootcamp she suggested we go to Paradise Smoothies.  A friend of hers had mentioned this smoothie to her a while back and she had been wanting to try it.  We walked in and Mel starts talking to the owner about this smoothie that we want to try. She is naming off some of the ingredients and he stops her and says "You want The Allison". We both kind of looked at each other and were like ... ummm we guess. Given the ingredients that were in it we weren't too sure if it was going to be a hit with us.  I asked if he had a money back guarantee... he laughed. Ha! Anyway... Del, the owner, is so awesome!!! The nicest guy ever!!! Ready to hear what is in this FANTASTIC concoction? Are you sure??? Ok... well do me a favor first. Promise me you won't knock it until you try it!  I almost wrote it off after I found out what was in it.  BIG MISTAKE!!!

Ingredients:
Avocado
Broccoli
Carrots
Cucumber
Kiwi
Pineapple
Spinach

Squash

A small amount of honey

Whey Protein

2 oz. Vanilla Soy Milk

2 oz. 100% Pineapple Juice

A splash of Boost Kiwi Juice

12 oz Ice

Can you say YUM??????

This is me and Mel last night after bootcamp!  Sarah really kicked our butts last night!!!

So... the hubs was waiting for me at home so we could go to town to buy a lawn mower. Urgh... I guess because it is a pretty big purchase I needed to be there. Well I am so glad I was.  I don't like to haggle with people. I don't ask for anything... usually!  Well we were trying to buy a lawn mower and I really wanted the pull behind wagon to go with it.  I wanted the plastic John Deere pull behind wagon that matched with the lawn mower we were about to purchase. Well... I asked and guess what???? He threw it in for FREE!!!! I saved $199 last night all because I asked. That little guy was so nice.  I did have to persuade him to throw it in for free, but it didn't take much at all.  Katelyn was with me and she helped too. The hubs and Ben walked off because they didn't want any part of it.  I can say I was a little red faced after it was all over with, but only because I don't normally act like that. But WOOHOO I got a free trailer to match my new lawn mower all because I was willing to ask!  Go Me!!!! ;)