The Grand Scale

So for the last month or so, I have not had a scale in my house. I had a nice digital one for a while, but the batteries died. My mom was sweet enough to buy us new batteries, but my scale is uhm, broke.

I finally bought another scale- a regular, dial scale. Brian tested it for me, and he still weighs... less than me! Hehe, any way, I got on the scale and it said 235.........

Wow. That is a lot. And that is not all baby.

I mean think about it, I haven't had a scale in the last 6 weeks and I gained 12 lbs... this is right on track of what I would have gained, pregnant or not. When I do not see a number glaring back on me at the scale, it keeps me in the dark.

I knew I had gained some weight. But I was not entirely convinced that it was ME who was out of control, because I didn't FEEL out of control.

It sucks because now I have to get things under control again and this time it's not just for me, it's for the baby. I am not setting out to lose weight. I just want to regain control. I want to say- hey, this is what I will eat, when I will eat, and walk for 30 minutes a day. Drink lots of water.

Lately I've been a soda fiend. We bought fifteen 2 liters in the last week and they are ALL gone! My cravings have been out of control.... Did you know I ate a whole cheesecake pie? Out of the two I made? I threw the other one away this morning- even though there was more than half a pie left. I had to get rid of it.

I just want to get back to feeling healthy, to making informed decisions, and to keep my weight in check. If I just maintained this weight, fine. I won't be upset. But to gain even more when it's not medically necessary (like my doctor keeps telling me) is stupid, foolish, and down right dumb.

This picture....

...reminds me a lot of this picture.

In it, we weigh the same. One is where I weigh enough for a person and a half, the other is me with a half a person inside me... It's crazy. Yes, I know I do not look like the latter picture anymore. I realize my face is thinner and I am pregnant. But I am saying it could easily happen again.

The baby bump picture was my first wake up call. 

"Oh my god!" I said when I opened up the pictures. 

"What?" Brian asked

"Is that what I really look like?" I stared in disbelief.

"What do you mean?"

"I feel like I look very fat."

"You're pregnant. You look nothing like you used to." 

It's true, but it still feels like I am on that verge. I just want to take back control.

It all started this morning when I threw away that pie. And it happened again when I downed my first glass of water (12 oz). And it's about to happen again when I go on that 30 minute walk with Max. He doesn't know it yet, bless his heart, but we are going. 

I need to find some socks and put on my walking shoes.

Today, I start walking proudly again.

A Walk In September

Unsurprisingly, the day after I announced I was going to start taking the dog on a walk every day, the temperature rose and the heat index settled into the low 100s.

Being pregnant, I figured it's best to stay indoors on those days. Having an all black dog doesn't help either.

Today, however, it was only 70 degrees. Perfect weather for a brisk little walk. I set the timer on my phone to 15 minutes, laced up my shoes and grabbed the leash. We were gone!

We only walked around the apartment complex, because I didn't want to go to far. 15 minutes was plenty of time though- by the time I got back upstairs and in the apartment, both Max and I were panting! Hehehe.

It felt good to get out there walking again. Walking is one of my favorite forms of exercise. Considering you can do it just about anywhere, any time, well... it makes it a perfect free activity! Not to mention that Brian actually has a hard time keeping up with me once we start walking... I may have shorter legs, but generally I can go for longer without getting tired.

I hope the weather keeps like this for a while, I would love to continue on walking!

Stuffed Peppers

I made stuffed bell peppers for some friends of ours who came to visit today! I actually took pictures too, so I thought I would share! 

Serves 8*

What you need:

1 lb of italian ground sausage (I used mild)

.75 lbs ground beef

8* bell peppers

1 package Uncle Ben's Ready Rice

1 package Italian blend cheese

1 package shredded mozzarella cheese

1 32 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce

Vegetable juice as needed.

Meaty goodness. Vegans beware.

Brown that shit up

 Start off in a cold pan and turn it up to medium heat. Start crumbling and stirring constantly.

Stir frequently. Crumble.

Eat while you cook

Papa John's Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu w/ Spinach Alfredo sauce

This is 1 half of the sauce

Add in the sauce

Transfer to a bowl

Best rice ever

Add in 

My beautiful peppers

I love this cheese
Notice there is still sauce in the pan- that's part of my dinner!

Chop off the tops and a little of the bottoms so they stand up 

Filling them up is easy- spoon until overflowing

I got a lot of filling left over- probably got enough for about 4 more peppers

Then I cleaned the kitchen!

Look how nice!

I actually cooked up over 3.5 lbs of meat, part of it for spaghetti and part of it for peppers.

So there- I used my camera and made food. :) PS- it was well received by the company :)