Christmas Is Coming!!!

 

I love this time of year! Our kids are so giddy with excitement. The elves are keeping them in check too.

We've watched The Polar Express, The Grinch (the cartoon and the movie), I watched White Christmas and our last movie night consisted of our first viewing of Elf. It was cuter than I expected. We also drove around to look at Christmas lights, the girls had their Christmas concert, and the girls and Nana even made cookies while I was out of town for work.

 All set for their twirling show before their concert!

Oh and we must not forget our annual visit to our favorite Santa. We missed him last year due to schedule conflicts, but we made time this year. The day we saw him my Timehop showed me a picture of Emmy Lou with that same Santa exactly seven years before. She's growing up too fast!!

The Awesome Foursome & Mr. Claus

Bitty Lou (2009) & Big Lou (2016)

All of the presents have been bought... I just need to wrap. I'm so ready for Christmas to just get here already!!!

Until then... I have jumped into the plans the doctor set for me with both feet. First off... eliminating carbs completely for seven days the week before Christmas is not the easiest thing in the world. I have a couple of NSV's there though...

1. I passed up the candy that was passed around our three-hour meeting yesterday... TWICE!
2. I have not eaten a single Christmas cookie - even though they are everywhere!
3. I went out to dinner with my two best friends last night and instead of ordering something with a yummy side of french fries or a baked potato, I opted for a grilled chicken salad.
4. I bought a small Christmas goodie bag of Nestle's Bunch o Crunch because I was feeling week and then I didn't eat it!!!
5. I have not touched the three different bags of Christmas goodies I have gotten from my Secret Santa, my co-worker and my boss.

And for all of those NSV's, I have one SV... I'm down 8 pounds since Saturday!! All morning I've been singing, "All I want for Christmas is 199!" It's amazing how the change in my eating has also helped change my mood. I feel more like me already!!

I did suck it up and start taking the Metformin my doc prescribed. So far, today has been the worst day, but I don't know if it's the meds or if my that body hates heavy cream in my coffee. When I took Metformin back in my 20s while I was trying to beat my PCOS and the infertility it brought with it. Oh my, did it make me sick!!! I lost 20 pounds, but that's only because everything I ate went through me at warp speed! I have only taken it a few days, so we will see what the future brings there.

Other than all of that, I'm keeping a journal of everything I eat and drink. I'm still sidelined for a lot of physical activity, but I see the ortho on December 23rd to find out what the next step is with that. I'm getting sick of sitting out!! I miss both karate and muay thai and I am bummed that I can't be in class "finally" learning my blue belt material. I'm so NOT a patient person!!

This week is insanely crazy... Last night was our annual holiday girls night out with my two best friends where I finalized my Christmas shopping. Tonight is my holiday party at work, Abbycakes has hockey practice, Kenziebug and Emmy Lou have karate and then Emmy Lou has her first Kali4Kids test. Tomorrow will be more karate and kali for Emmy Lou. Thursday is Kenziebug's birthday and The Hubby has both kids for the day, so the six of us are going to celebrate with a day of fun. Friday, Abbycakes has hockey practice and then we have family coming all day for Christmas Eve on ! The best part about all of that is that our campus is closed December 23rd through January 2nd and I also have the 22nd off, so vacation starts the day after tomorrow!!!!

I have some goals though... I will stick to the doc's plans of very minimal carbs until Christmas Eve. I'll have a break on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then I'm back on track. I want to get up and moving for at least 30 minutes each day of break, even if that means going for a walk with the dogs. I won't let winter slow me down! I meet with the specialist again on January 12th to check in, show him my food journal, report on how my body is doing on this new medicine and get a game plan for the next month. His goal for me was 45 pounds... I have 37 to go according to my home scale! I also have just over 10 weeks until we go to Disney (and wear shorts and tank tops).

Food for this week is simple so I can stay on track...

Protein Shakes for breakfast, leftovers or salad for lunch with some cottage cheese, apple with string cheese for snack, or peanuts & peas, and the following was our dinner menu for this week:

Saturday: Mozzarella Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Breasts with green beans (kids had mashed potatoes)

Sunday: Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs (we had the cheese, might as well use it) with salad (rest of family had pasta too)

Monday: Chicken Caesar Salad (out to dinner with friends)

Tuesday: Shrimp Tacos on Low-Carb Tortillas

Wednesday: Sausage & Cheese Omelet with Fruit

Thursday: Eating out for Kenziebug's birthday

Friday: Kid's Choice (probably eggs for me)

It feels good to be on the right track again! Plus, a loss over Christmas would be a major victory and a challenge I gladly accept!

If I don't post again, I wish all of my readers a very safe and very Merry Christmas and a wonderfully, happy new year. Prayers to all those who need them over the season and hugs to all of those missing their dear loved ones during the holidays.