Menu Plan and Weekly Goals

John Dear and I are still rocking the weight loss. With Weight Watchers, JD has lost 9.6 lbs and I have lost 7.2 lbs. The CORE plan is really working for us. If I maintain my current rate of loss, I will get my BMI to the magic number (40) for IVF around November. I'm already seeing a difference in the shape of my face, and my pants and shirts are starting to feel loose.

Goals for this Week
1. Eat only CORE foods from Monday - Thursday.
I'm not sure how this goal will work out, but I'm interested to try. It will help so that I can save my weekly points allowance for the 4th of July holiday (at the beach! Woo hoo!).

2. Exercise every day, Monday - Friday.
I wanted to keep the goal of exercising 6 days in the week, but I skipped Saturday and Sunday, so that goal is shot for this week. Instead, I'll be focusing on exercising during all the days I have left this week by scheduling it into my calendar. I'm still really motivated to hit that 6 days a week goal, so I'm saving it for next week.

Menu Plan for this Week
Monday - Fish w/ leftover Chinese eggplant (brown rice)
Tuesday - Weight Watchers recipe: Grilled Chicken w/ Peppers & Chimichurri Sauce
Wednesday - Steak w/ veggies (baked potato)
Thursday - Salad w/ sliced steak on top
Friday - Jen's Better-than-Crack Salad (recipe below), Hamburgers, Weight Watchers dessert (haven't decided on it yet)
Saturday - BBQ chicken (corn-on-the-cob)
Sunday - Scrambled eggs (sliced potatoes and shallots)
Monday - Weight Watchers recipe: Provençal Beef Stew

Jen's Better-than-Crack Salad

1 head cabbage
1 bunch scallions
1-2 cups slivered almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 pkg. Ramen
Olive oil
Rice wine vinegar

1. Slice cabbage into ribbon strips. Slice scallions. Mix in large bowl.

2. Toast almonds and sesame seeds in a small frying pan to light golden brown. Add to bowl.

3. Take Ramen package, unopened, and break noodles apart. Not too much, just enough to break the noodles into smaller pieces. Add to bowl.

4. Empty Ramen seasoning packet into a small bowl. Mix with drizzled olive oil, whisking in enough olive oil to mix thoroughly. Slowly add in several tablespoons of vinegar, whisking constantly. Keep drizzling and whisking in olive oil until you have the taste and consistency you like.

5. Pour dressing on salad and toss.

Chunks of cooked chicken can be added to the salad to make a more substantial meal.

Strong Women Stand Up -- UPDATED

All right, we're back to Square 1 and coming back strong and more determined than ever. Let's create the "Strong Women Stand Up / Kickass Badass" playlist. Here's what I've got so far:

1. "Survivor", Destiny's Child
2. "Fighter", Christina Aguilera
3. "Stronger", Britney Spears
4. "Hollaback Girl", Gwen Stefani
5. "Express Yourself", Madonna
6. "Rhiannon", Fleetwood Mac
7. "Love Song", Sara Bareilles
8. "Objection (Tango)", Shakira
9. "Straight Up", Paula Abdul
10. "There You Go", Pink
11. "No Scrubs", TLC
12. "Suddenly I See", KT Tunstall

What are the necessary songs when you're being a Strong Woman? Tell me what I've forgotten.

UPDATE: Here's the rest of the songs, including your suggestions and an important ending!

13. "I'm Every Woman", Chaka Khan
14. "Body Beautiful", Salt'n'Pepa
15. "I'm Beautiful", Bette Midler
16. "I Am Woman", Helen Reddy
17. "Before He Cheats", Carrie Underwood
18. "Not Ready to Make Nice", Dixie Chicks
19. "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", Pat Benatar
20. "Strength of a Woman", Shaggy
21. "All or Nothing", Athena Cage
22. "I Will Survive", Gloria Gaynor
23. "Don't Let Me Get Me", Pink
24. "Who Knew", Pink
25. "Free Your Mind", En Vogue
26. "Lady Marmelade", Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Mya & Pink
27. "Did I Just Shave My Legs for This?", Deana Carter

Feel free to keep adding to the playlist via the comments. We could always use more music to pump us up and make us strong again!

And On to the Next One

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments. AF is definitely here and she's a lousy house guest.

I feel so much like the girl who cried wolf, or pregnant, as the case may be. Why should I be trusted? Why should I trust my body? I know that we're dealing with MF and I can't do anything to change those numbers, but my body keeps making me believe. Dr. Chai, who I saw this afternoon, said that I was so focused on becoming pregnant that anything could be turned into something that it wasn't. Basically, a cigar is just a cigar.

But those feelings were there. They didn't come out of thin air. I feel so let-down and cheated. I feel like I don't ever want to tell you about what ifs or tell John Dear or my mother or BFF about what ifs because it's just never happening. I feel like I want to eat all the food in the world and just stuff myself so that I don't have to feel anything.

Advice Please

Warning: Graphic and TMI

Woke up this morning with nausea. Still feeling lots of uncomfortable gas. Light pink streak on TP. Not enough to be AF. Please tell me it's not AF. AF's not due till Monday. I know this was an impossible shot, but I thought this was it. Please please please.

Mild to Moderate

Still feeling some mild to moderate cramping and pressure in the lower regions. Still ranging from mild to moderate nausea. Now we have the added twist of mild to moderate back pain. We're swinging back and forth between mild to moderate anxiety. (The last part, I think, though, is just me and not any unusual health-related symptoms).

Did you know that I'm a sucker? Here's why:

1. I paid my membership dues for this year to the state bar association. You do not have to be a member of the association, but they hunt you down like a rabid dog if you don't pay your dues. They get my money because I don't want the inconvenience. Much like charities who send you those awesome address labels, they do not play fair.

2. Yesterday, I started back up with the prenatal vitamins. Just in case. Cause if I'm going to crash and burn, I might as well do it right and go down in a spectacular blaze of glory with Bon Jovi blaring, fireworks exploding and a not-at-all pointless laser-lights show with fog.

3. Called Nurse to figure out what to do. She talked me down and confirmed my reasoning that I should wait to come in or POAS as it was still early. She told me to try holding out til at least Sunday, which is what I was thinking. AF due on Monday.

Rooting for the Underdog

In the Torah, a rainbow is the symbol of G-D's covenant with human beings that there will never be another flood, never another destruction of such epic proportions.

Do you think that this is a sign?

Yesterday, I saw the most beautiful and brightest rainbows that I've ever seen in my whole life. I've never been so happy for carrying my camera around with me.

I've been experiencing crampy feelings and pressure and some mild nausea for the past two days. I'm now 10 dpo.

Do you think that this is a sign?

This Is How We Do It

Instead of responding to Trace's comment on her blog, I thought I'd post about it. Trace asked me how John Dear and I manage to have a new dinner every night, rather than leftovers. Here's our secret:

John Dear and I are both large people. (shh).

I get the Dream Dinners meals with 6 servings. John Dear and I will eat 2 servings a piece at dinner, and then one person gets the last 2 servings for lunch the next day. If there happen to be more leftovers, then both people get lunch the next day.

If I'm just planning to cook our own meals, then I usually get just enough for that 1 meal. If there are leftovers, we use them for lunch, or I try to incorporate them in other meals. For example, leftover spaghetti becomes a side dish, rather than an entrée; cooked chicken breast gets sliced and thrown over a salad for lunch.

I'm not a huge proponent of freezing leftovers: one, because JD hates leftovers anyways and two, because we usually go through leftovers pretty quickly.