Mackenzie made the news!!!!

My baby girl is a celebrity!! Watch the anchors "ooooh" and "ahhh" over how sweet she is!!

DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Updates and a survey!

Lots' going on here!

First of all, I am SO excited to say that I am beginning week 2 of the HCG diet, and I am down 12 lbs! WOOT! It hasn't been easy at all. I have wanted to give up a lot, and I did have a day where I cheated. Going to all the summer parties and BBQ's with amazing down-south cooking has been So difficult. But I am pushing through and it is so worth it!

Mackenzie is just amazing. I don't remember the last time I updated on her, but she has hit quite a few milestone!

-20 lbs, 26 inches

-Sitting up on her own, gets herself into sitting position.

- Says "Mama" "Dada" "Nana" "Uh-oh"

- Will clap, wave, point, and roll her arms on command with speaking only- no visual aids! So she understands words!

- Pulling herself to standing position in her crib...Trying VERY hard to do it with furniture too.

- SO close to walking. She knows what to do, she just can't quite keep her balance yet.

She gets more beautiful everyday. I can't believe she is my daughter. I am so blessed!

Survey time!! Stolen from Emily =)

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed? 
I've blogged on and off since I was a teenager. It all started with Xanga and Myspace. But this blog has been the very first that I have stuck with for more than a couple months lol. Going on 2.5 years now! My blogs have always been about my life. It's a great way to get out everything that I am feeling, and share things in my life that others can relate to.


2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study? 
I did. I got my certification in Medical Administration. I will be going back for my AA in Medical Assistance.

3. Where have you traveled?
All up and down the East Coast, and once to the Bahamas when I was like, 6. I'm not a big traveler.


4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
  College fund for Mackenzie!


5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?
1) People who get away with EVERYTHING.
2) clingy and overbearing "You took my baby away from me" types.
3) 1-uppers. They are the WORST!


6. What is your favorite movie?
That's so hard! There are so many I love. Gone with the Wind is probably my all time favorite.


7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?
Liquor! Vodka and Cranberry juice, please!


8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?
Sing karaoke, and pin things on Pinterest. Also...I love doing a homemade spa type thing. Bubble bath, facial, mani &pedi. It's so fun being a girl!

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?
Does the internet count as a store? LOL. I would do online shopping like a mofo!

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.
Too many to even mention!


11. What day would you love to relive again?
The day I brought my daughter into this world. Even through all of the pain, it was the most amazing moment of my life!


12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?
Hmmm...Abigail Breslin maybe? She's short like me.


13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?
Burger King, CVS, and then I got my first office job in Florida!


14. Show us a picture from high school or college.

See previous post...When I was skinny!!

15.  If you could go anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?
Ireland for sure! J and I have always wanted to go there and visit his "home"

16. Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you.

Just look at the picture I posted of my daughter earlier...Nothing means more to me!

  
17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?
In our home on 3 acres, Mackenzie running around, and myself either pregnant or with a newborn baby (hopefully a brother for Mackenzie!)

Round and round we go

I was doing SO well on the HCG diet. I lost a total of 8 lbs in about 8 days. Exciting! And then I got a call from my doctor who finally received my medical records from my OBGYN. She saw my history with the cancer scares, and how I am high risk for Ovarian, Uterine, and Cervical cancer. She told me I should stop the HCG drops because they would put me at even higher risk for developing these cancers. Oh great. My cravings had finally stopped and I was really getting into the swing of things with great results, and now I have to stop?? Of course. It's me we are talking about. Things can never go smoothly for me, there has always got to be some complication somewhere.

But there is a glimmer of hope!

I stopped the diet and just started doing low calorie (about 1000 calories a day) vitamins, and exercise. And of course, I didn't drop a single pound. Thank you insulin resistant PCOS!  I was seriously bummed out and feeling hopeless. So I started the research!

After hours of research, basically I found out that it is pretty safe for me to continue the HCG diet. What it boils down to is that legally, my doctor had to let me know the risks of the drops and what could happen. Kind of like on the commercials for medications they say "Certain disorders can increase your risk of  'blank' so consult your doctor before starting this medication". But the actual risk and chances of me getting cancer from taking these drops, even if I am high risk to begin with, is pretty slim-to-none. YES!

So I just finished my 2 days of loading (OMG I WANT TO BARF!) I am back up to 240 lbs after the loading, so I am basically starting all over again. But that's okay! Because it worked before, and it will work again and this time I am not stopping!

It's happening!

I'd like to share some pictures with you....

 These pictures are from when I was at my thinnest.....About 125-130 lbs. This was in 2003.

 This is me about 7 years into my bad relationship, living in Florida...As you can see, I was quite heavy (230 lbs) looking pretty depressed and the Florida heat had not been kind to my skin!

 And this was me about 6 months after meeting J. He inspired me so much and I dropped 40 lbs!!

Then I lost my job. And then I got pregnant and had a baby. And now I am back to where I started + 10 lbs.

I am 241 lbs in this picture.

**Picture should say 241 lbs, not 141!!

As you can see, I don't even look like the same person. Not at all.

I mentioned a few blogs back that I was about to undergo some big changes, and I am finally ready to share them!

I have started the HCG diet. Yes. It's an extreme diet. YES it is COMPLETELY safe and has been discussed with my doctor. It's what I need. It's structured, it's strict, it does not allow for mistakes or cheating. It's WORKING. 

Today I am on day 6 of the very low calorie diet (VLCD). 500 calories a day which basically boils down to 2 fruits, 2 veggies, and 2 proteins. NO sugar or sugar substitutes besides Stevia. NO dairy. NO carbs like breads and pasta. The only fruits I'm allowed are apples, oranges, strawberries and grapefruit. The only proteins I'm allowed are chicken breast, fresh white fish, steak, very lean ground beef (I use turkey), and the veggies I'm allowed are pretty extensive but I only like a select few. Basically broccoli, cauliflower, celery, lettuce and cucumbers. NO carrots, corn, beets or potato. I am only allowed 3.5 oz of the meats and the veggies twice a day. I take 10 drops of the HCG 3 times a day. (tomorrow I will be trying 8 drops 3x a day. I have been extremely hungry and I should not be. This can sometimes be caused by taking too much HCG. So I am adjusting my dosage to see if that helps control my hunger.)

For the first two days I had to gorge myself on anything and everything. I had to gain weight and store up fat since my body was going to be living off of it for the next few months. I gained a couple pounds which put me at my starting weight of 141 lbs. After 6 days of the VLCD, I am happy to report that I am down 5 lbs! (And that is with some cheating!).

As I said, I did cheat a little. My cravings and habits have been pretty hard to kick. I have found myself late at night munching on a couple of cheese and crackers. I also had a little "emergency stash" of sugar free chocolate that I would sneak in if I really was craving something sweet. I truly believe this has hurt me, and had I not been cheating I would have lost a lot more. After getting some awesome support and tips from a great support group, I did something I didn't think I would ever have the strength to do...I threw away perfectly good, unopened bags of chocolate! NO MORE CHEATING!

It's been hard. The cravings are so strong. But I know that will fade eventually. I just keep looking at my old pictures, and thinking about how awesome it will be to look like that again! I deserve this...J deserves this, and Mackenzie deserves a healthy mom! It's happening!! Lord, give me strength!