Ethan and Mommy <3

Kristina Pastina

I am a pasta lover. I love it so much, as a kid I was often called Kristina Pastina. It's one of my weaknesses. I'm Italian. I grew up living on it. When I first started eating healthier, I cut out white pasta and began eating whole wheat. Then my doc suggested I cut wheat so I began trying different types-- rice pasta, spelt, kamut,  cereal etc. This time around, Dr. Som doesn't want me eating ANY grains. While it has been tough and I've had a few moment of weaknesses, it has shown that my body is LOVING the no grain lifestyle. I found these today: red lentil pasta and amaranth pasta. Made from, you ready for it, red lentils and water and amaranth and water. Could it be too good to be true?! Maybe! I'll keep you all posted on the taste tomorrow :)

ALMOST

ALMOST wore this to the pool yesterday... not that brave yet lol. By the end of the summer is my goal.

Yay!

A non-scale victory for me! These jeans fit again! Haven't worn these some summer 2011 (before Ethan).

Dinner!

Yum! Cauliflower rice, peppers, onions and chicken.

Target Dress

I bought this dress today at Wal-Mart for $12! It doesn't fit lol. Well, it fits, it just hugs my tummy a bit too right. This is my new target dress. My goal is to wear it for picture day with my Kindergarteners (usually sometime in September or October).

FACIAL HAIR!

One of the most annoying symptoms of PCOS. In my late teens I noticed I was getting long whiskers of hair on my neck. I started just trimming it with scissors but that quickly wasn't enough and I started waxing it. The waxing left the area with ingrown hairs and red skin, never mind the fact that it hurt like a BITCH! I then heard of Vaniqa (I think on a PCOS message board) and asked my family doctor about it. He hadn't heard of it but called a few places to see if they had it and wrote me a prescription :) I loved it!  It was a cream you put on your face that slowed the growth of hair and as long as you kept using it, it would work. It was too good to be true. They stopped making it available in Canada :'( So of course I couldn't get anymore and the hair kept growing, by then it spread from a tiny 2x3 patch to probably 4 x5.
Then I tried laser hair removal. It didn't work :( My hair at the time was that coarse wirey hair but it was blonde.
Fast forward quite a few years later and here I am. Last year I bought a Wag Jag for laser hair removal again since street my son the hair turned black. They told me I could not continue to wax while getting laser treatment so I started shaving in between sessions. At first I had to shave every day or two. Now I obly shave about once a week :) It worked for the most part although I will probably need to go for touch ups every few years or so. I decided to write this today after reading a post today on a new amazing blog I found here. As with Jess I've never talked to my past boyfriends or even my husband about facial hair. I even tried hiding the fact that I was going for laser hair removal lol.  I'm glad it's somewhat under control now but I really feel for the ladies who still struggle with this on a daily basis.

Belly Bandit

Got my Belly Bandit today!  My sister went to Buffalo yesterday and found it at Babies R Us for $49.99 (as opposed to $69.99 in Canada). As per the website I should have bought an XL but they didn't have any so she got me a Large. WELL, The large fits but I only have like 2 inches before Velcro stops and I can't do it up! Was thinking about exchanging it but then my hubby pointed out that if I got a Medium it won't likely fit after baby #2. So I'm going to see it my grandmother could add some extra velcro.
Wearing it is not too bad. It makes you feel like your abd are engaged. Im sure that's a good sign lop.
I am wearing it under my dress in the photo. It makes me look leaner but I didn't wear it out today lol. It has some bulk near the Velcro that showed through my dress. Im laying in bed wearing it and I'm planning on wearing it through the night. Hope I make it! Keep you all posted! Xo

I Bought a Bikini! LOL

Even though I wrote "LOL", I'm not joking. I seriously bought a bikini today.
I have NEVER owned a bikini.  Not as a kid, preteen or teenager and definitely not as an adult. Then I read this article? and thought "why not?" So I bought one :) Will I wear it out in public? I hope so! More likely a beach than my sister's pool or something. Warning: here is a pic. I decided to go with a different top (all black) since clearly the one in the photo doesn't fit. Enjoy or laugh your ass off LOL

Check up!

Saw Dr Som today.
Before I get into our appointment I must comment on something that really upset me.
I stepped into Dr. Som's office today and it was BUSY! Her and her husband run yhe practice so I was very surprised to see the office full. Then I noticed the patients... Cancer patients :( Here I was trying to lose weight,  getting frustrated at times and sometimes really depressed and there were these women, young and old, fighting for their lives. It really made me feel crappy but put a few things into perspective for a minute.

Anyways, back to my appointment:

I'm down 7.6 lbs. 4.1 lbs of fat, 3 lbs of water and 0.5 lbs of muscle. She suggested I get to bed a bit earlier (10pm instead of 11 or 12). She also suggested I buy a "Belly Bandit" or similar to help with my belly shape. I've noticed a huge change in my waist but barely anything in my tummy :( She was extremely happy with my progress and said I was doing amazing. I see her again mid August.
Hoping to get in the 240's by next Wednesday. Oh, I've also decided I am only going to weigh in on Wednesdays.  Hope I don't cave! :)

2009 vs. 2014

Not a huge difference but this is me in 2009. Bad relationship and stress made me balloon up to 282 lbs. This is me in 2014. After moving out, breaking up with that jerk, losing, 50 lbs, meeting the love of my life, getting pregnant, gaining 70 lbs, getting married and losing 50 lbs LOL

Treat!

This is a TREAT for me.
A whole banana (which I ended up sharing since Ethan loves them)
An apple.
Cinnamon.
Peanut butter.
I also had a glass of almond milk with my inositol.

Last Night's Dinner

Had chicken with oyster sauce, salad and nuts. Everyone else ate spaghetti :)

Sample Menu

I thought I'd share an idea of what my meals consist of lately. I am on a faory free, wheat/grain free eating plan. Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast:
Smoothie - Almond milk,  1 scoop of MediClear and a handful of strawberries

Snack:
2 hard boiled eggs

Lunch:
Hamburger (no bun)
Homemade sweet potato salad
Green salad

Snack:
Apple with cashews

Dinner:
Chicken breast with oyster sauce
Salad

Feel free to send me a message if you want some other meal ideas :)

Updated pics

Here are some updated pics! The ones in the dress are from end of May. The one in black peplum and capris is end of June :)

Still around and losing pounds!

Quick little update!
Last weekend was my birthday and I went all out lol. Cake, homemade meal from Nonna, etc. I felt so sick the next day I barely had anything. Won't be doing that again. I'm down 2 more pounds this week! Only 24 lbs to go until I hit pre-Ethan weight :)