The Cleaning Is In Progress...

Last night Mr F issues a challenge...

(it's short folks and worth it for my nighttime fashion alone)

BEHOLD!

Please

I kindly request that ALL reader's watch this video

Mrs F Plays The Blame Game

And in an unexpected turn of events Mr F submits his own video for your review!

The First Step Is Admitting You Have A Problem

Hello we are the Furious Family and we have clutter management issues...














You might recognize many (okay all) of these "hot spots" from other posts. Believe it or not we actually manage to get most of these cleaned up on a regular basis.... but clearly our *storage* and *organizational* systems are inadequate since our house inevitably looks like this every Friday. We do understand how to clean and put things away it is just that we are clearly missing some BIG piece of the puzzle. It might be that we have 2 closets in the whole freaking house, or it might be that we hoard things with an apocalyptic like fervor. Either which way something has to change.... because I've got nine baskets in the living room alone and even that is not coming close to keeping all this crap in order.

Disclaimer:
It should be noted that this morning the house doesn't look as bad as in these pics. These are really the worst case scenario. It should also be noted that we really do know how to clean and organize (really) we just clearly don't know how to maintain it in that state for more than 12 hours (while the kids sleep). Here are the things to keep in mind while reviewing this issue: When Mr F is out of town I am able to keep the house spotless... and in fact feel motivated to do so (unfortunately he does not travel for business). That doesn't mean it is Mr F's fault... I'm just saying there is something about the dynamic that fuels the clutter. Other major issue to keep in mind is that we SERIOUSLY lack for adequate storage and that is a legitimate issue with this house (and don't write in to hang shelves people... shelves full of crap look even worse... and we have old plaster walls, few interior walls, lots of windows, and shelves is not going to happen until we can get built-ins). Also I've already tried FlyLady and I gave it a good six months... it didn't really work for me. Okay now you can have at it. Keep in mind I may not do any of the things you tell me to do and I'll probably still post whiny complaining disorganization posts in the future... so comment at your own risk ;)

* Hot Spots is defined as ALL horizontal surfaces in our home (except the ceilings... so far).

Sometimes You Find That Perfect Piece

We're You Wondering....

If Mr F remembered Valentine's Day this year? Don't worry I reminded him a couple days ago NOT to repeat the "no gifts" V-day mistake he made two years ago (and no Mr F I'm never gonna forget it... or let it go!).

Well I was quite pleased, and surprised, to have these delivered to my door just moments ago...


And yes he did sign that Mr F. Our alter egos are just a little more in love with each other than our real selves ;)

Happy Valentine's Day

See?!?... I Don't Make This Stuff Up

Finally I'm vindicated by both mainstream media and science! Remember when I told you NOT to drink/eat artificial sweeteners? Well it turns out my theories were on the money. So put down the Diet Coke and walk away. Because people that crap is not helping you lose weight, in fact it may very well be making it harder for you to do so. Don't believe me? Well the scientists at Perdue do... you can read about their study HERE... there is a video too (with Diane Sawyer no less... watch it!)

You think I don't have something more to say on the topic?!... You should know me better than that by now.

The Question Is Not Can You Do It... It Is Should You Do It

I'm talking about eating out people. Can you eat out and still live a healthy lifestyle... and more to the point can you lose weight doing it? I think trying to stick to a healthy caloric intake and eating at a restaurant is like being a recovering alcoholic at a bar. Could the alcoholic just order a club soda? Yes... but after a bad day or under just the wrong circumstances they would be setting themselves up for failure. We can all see that.... but when it comes to eating out there seems to be a brain block. We all like eating out. Who doesn't? You don't have to cook and even better you don't have to clean up after yourself. We used to like to eat out too. But when I started dieting last year that was the FIRST thing to go... because as much as I like taking a load off... I believe it is too hard to lose weight while doing so. It just takes a quick look at your local restaurants nutritional information to give you a good smack in the face. I think you have to decide what you really want and if you want to lose weight you might have to give up being waited on. Now that doesn't mean I don't think you can go out every once in a while, but if you are eating out a few times a week than I think that is something you need to think about changing.

For all of you who feel you just cannot give it up here are my restaurant tips:

If possible look up the nutritional information BEFORE you go. If you know how many calories are in your favorite dish it might be easier to pass it up... and you should decide what you will order and stick to it.

If you can't find the nutritional info then you can take one of two strategies:

#1 When possible split your meal with your spouse/friend/child

#2 When ordering your meal ask for an extra plate (or a box) and IMMEDIATELY divide your meal into two... get the extra plate boxed up when you go.

#3 Order an appetizer for your meal. Trust me this is going to be pushing the 300-500 calories most dieters have allotted for dinner.

#4 Ask the waiter NOT to bring the bread/chips/crackers and if you are drinking a drink with calories (gasp) ask them not to bring you refills.

#5 ALWAYS get your dressing on the side and dip your fork into your dressing instead of pouring it on.

Now I didn't make it 10 months without going out to eat or getting takeout. I prefer to order take out since it is much easier to call and place an order for a healthy choice then to resist temptations when you are sitting there looking at them and smelling them! We had 4 takeout options that I felt really good about and enjoyed what I could get in my calorie range. That worked for me on the days that I didn't want to cook... but even that I have kept to 1 or 2 times a week.

This Week The Plan

Well I made it through last week and that is really all I can say. I tried to be more frugal with my grocery spending but on Friday I went and spent a good amount on produce and such and realized that in order to cut back on my spending I was cutting back on the best parts of our diet. So I'm just going to go back to focusing on buying as many whole foods as I can and not worry too much about what it costs. I did make some pretty good headway clearing out my freezer though so it wasn't all for naught. I am going to go back to some of my "dieting" ways and NOT buy pre-made cookies and snacks... impulse buys mostly anyway. And I realized that a lot of the time I buy produce to round out the kids diets but I don't buy enough to round out mine. Mostly because I'm being cheap and this week I'm going to focus on being sure I have enough fresh produce so that I can have some at EVERY meal and not just dinner. So this week my focus is going to be on getting my diet under control and getting back on track with the exercise portion of my "lifestyle".


On to the plan...

MENU:

Monday - Spaghetti & Meatballs w/ steamed broccoli & carrots

Tuesday - Salmon Noodle Casserole

Wednesday - Kid & Mr F's date night

Thursday - V Day... hmm I'm not sure what we're doing

Friday - Huevos Rancheros

Saturday - Chicken & Corn Bread potpie

Sunday - Sweet Potato & Molasses Beef Stew



Diet & Exercise:
Okay I'm getting back on track and I'm going to get serious about lowering my body fat %.
So this week I'm going to do 4 - 60+ Cardio workouts and 2- 60 minute pilates workouts.

On the diet front I'm going back to daily food journaling. I've been feeling like crap lately and have gotten into a really bad cycle of caffeine and sugar consumption it is wrecking havoc on my whole system. This week I'm counting my protein grams and really trying to focus on making good choices. I'm not going to be having any baked goods or soda this week. And I'm going to get more whole fruits and vegetables for my breakfasts and lunches.



Chores & Errands:
I need to get my desk back in order and get my paperwork squared away. Hopefully I'll get this done TODAY.
Also I need to figure out what is shedding all over my carpet. I'm not kidding when I say I need to vacuum just about every other day and I can't figure out what is going on! Anyone have a Roomba ... and if so does it work? I need to know!

Monday - DESK!!!!!!!!!!! & Laundry

Tuesday - Grocery Shopping & vacuuming

Wednesday - Vacuum upstairs & clean downstairs floors (no really it needs to be done)

Friday - Finish Desk and Paperwork!

Saturday - Finally clean out my cubby of shame!

FYI

I am opening up my Food Diary blog. Anyone who is interested can check it out HERE and let me know if this is a tool that they would like to use.
I used this format with great success during my weight loss phase.
My intention was to have it available to my friends and family who were interested in tracking their food and/or exercise intake. You will see that the last post was back in October. I'm going to be starting back up and anyone who might want to post their food journals as a way to stay motivated and accountable are welcome to do so.
You can use this tool in whatever way is helpful and motivating to you. You do not have to be counting calories, what you want to track and post is up to you.
Send me an email or give me yours in the comments of the Welcome post and I'll be able to set you up as an author.


Oh and on a completely unrelated note here I am....
Talking right to YOU

Enough Is Enough

I'm stopping the madness and I'm stopping it right now. I woke up this morning wanting to throw up.... and no.... not because I have the stomach flu. I'm pretty sure it is because I ate nearly an entire loaf of cinnamon streusel bread yesterday. I've been going pretty hog wild with the baked goods these days and I have got to step away from the oven.... NOW.

Some of you may know that during my weight loss phase I religiously kept a food diary. In December, after reaching my all time low, I actually suspended my food journaling because I found I was too food conscious and I was having a hard time eating enough food to maintain. Well let's just say I no longer have that problem. I had intended to take a reprieve until my weight went up.... but I can't wait that long. I feel like crap all the time and I find I am eating ridiculous amount of sugar and most likely fat. I'm making bad food choices just because I can... and at first that felt great and like I had earned it... and now I feel terrible and like I am letting myself down.

To be perfectly honest I expected my weight to go up as soon as I stopped journaling and didn't really put much thought into my diet assuming I'd be back to calorie counting in a matter of weeks. Well folks I'm throwing in the towel. When you find yourself sick because you couldn't stop eating a loaf of bread (that wasn't even good!) just because it is sitting there.... it is time to call it quits. Gorging on crazy amounts of baked goods was fun for a bit and now it is just disgusting. Today I'm going back to food journaling. Not because I need to lose weight but because I need to make better choices and keeping a dairy helps me do that. If you haven't tried keeping one before today... then today is the day. I promise you that just by writing down what you eat (not even figuring out the calories) you will eat less and make more informed choices. I promise.

So for this week I am going to start by tracking my food choices not my calories. If I feel that that is enough for me to turn this crazy carb fueled ship around then I will stick to that. If not then next week I will go back to tracking calories. Either way I am not going to be baking EVERY day. In fact I am not going to be eating "baked goods" at all. Or soda. Or McDonalds. I'm getting back on board and you can too.