Video Games

Hear me out.

I hate video games and I figured out why. It's because my first husband played them constantly. He once wore out a Nintendo player, bought a new one, then put the old one in the box and RETURNED IT and they actually gave him his money back. He was a real jerk, a great scam artist.

So we don't have the games here. I'm lucky to have a TV with the way my husband is. We don't want our kids going stupid or getting thumb arthritis.

But I have to tell you I have Chuzzle and Diner Dash on my computer and I LOVE THEM. They are my stress relief: matching colored puff balls and playing a waitress. The kids play Chuzzle sometimes, but usually I am mean and make them play with each other or read or something instead.

Got a favorite video game?

Flabby Body as Shell

For those of you who believe the human body is merely a shell to hold our souls: I absolutely agree with you!

However, the back part of shell hurts more lately because of the boobie and belly and back fat roll weight it has to support. And my shell moves more slowly, which is bad when I have kids to save and I need cat-like reflexes. And my shell doesn't need diabetes or further heart issues. My man loves my shell like it is, but I want my shell healthier.

I don't expect my shell, at age 38, to be bikini-ready by June. I'm cool with stretch marks, saggy boobs and cellulite.

But if I don't lose this weight now, menopause will soon slow my metabolism down so freaking fast that I won't have a chance of being even merely comfortable in the years to come. And what if, God forbid, I get pregnant again? What I weigh today is what I should weigh NINE MONTHS PREGNANT. I can't imagine packing on another 25 pounds to this frame as-is.

And yes, I plan to bore the living crap out of you about weight loss. I started at 159, by the way, and am not afraid to share that. I am 5 feet and 2 inches tall. And I am going to lose this weight ... the goal is 129, in case you are interested. And I'm going to do it without Weight Watchers. Or Jenny Craig. Just me counting calories and attempting to move my butt. Do you think I can exercise and breastfeed at the same time? I'm gonna try, dammit.

Help me out here ... share with me your body issues so I know I'm not alone! And please don't tell me I look good for having 5 kids or that I'm still nursing and shouldn't try to drop the weight. I'll sit on you, and you know I will.

Journaling for Weight Loss

I'm telling you, journaling works. If not for journaling, I would've killed many a person over the years. And if not for journaling my weight loss (yep, I have a special spiral notebook just for weight loss ramblings), I would bore my friends and family nonstop about my food obsessions. Also, it holds me accountable.

Where do I find the time to journal, you ask? Well, I try to do it whenever I sit down to nurse and hold a sleeping baby on my lap. Hopefully by the time Baby Sam is old enough to stop napping I'll not need to journal anymore because hopefully I'll have my food issues under control.

Breastfeeding and Weight Loss Myth

Why is it that I can eat what I want when pregnant and only gain 25 pounds each time, yet when I'm nursing I eat twice that amount and start packing it on even faster? I weight 12 pounds more today than I did at 13 weeks pregnant with my latest son.

I'm RAVENOUS when I'm nursing. That's why weight loss is so dang hard this time around. You know how you are buring like 500 calories while nursing? Well, I EAT those extra 500 calories, twice over. And I do it after giving birth because I'm stressed out. Taking care of a baby takes everything you have. It's completely physical. I didn't gain much when I only had 1 kid to take care of because I could pour myself entirely into him.

But with each kid I had starting with Joel, I gained an extra 5 pounds, for a total of 25 (okay, it's actually 30) pounds. That really adds up on a 5'2" frame.

My pal over at Meet Virginia is having the same struggle after the birth of multiple children. It's good to have support, and that's what ya'll are to me. My dad and his wife just lost a lot of weight ... I'm hoping to follow in his healthy footsteps.

New Year's Resolutions 2013

Happy New Year! Yes, I'm gonna try to drop some pounds this year ... only I started last Sunday instead of today. It's getting bad when your back rolls have rolls of their own. I don't have the time or money to join Weight Watchers again, but I do know how the program works, so I'm going with that. Instead of trying to count the points of every freaking food I put in my mouth, which I certainly don't have the time to do these days, I'm going to end this sentence because it's a run-on.

So I had Aron buy me a bunch of WW Smart Ones so I know the amount of points each has. I also have a bunch of yogurts for breakfast that I know the points of. I know the points of apples and veggies and milk. And I plan to hit the site of a WW meeting so I can buy some of their chocolate snacks with the points written on them. That way all I have to do is write points down somewhere each day and keep track and not go over 30 (the points a nursing mom gets to eat in one day, plus she gets an extra 30 for the entire week if she wants to use them ).

I also need to journal about what's going on because I'm practically a food addict. I wish Dr. Drew had a Food Rehab to go with his Drug Rehab and Sex Rehab.

Don't worry, I'll probably keep you annoyingly abreast of my weight loss fun. Hoping to not turn into one of those annoying Food Nazis. Friends and family, please don't bring me sugary stuff!

My biggest challenges: Dr. Pepper, Coke, anything chocolate, Quarter Pounders with Cheese