Its gross, you don't want to hear it....

but if you're a female taking Phentermine you more than likely know exactly what I'm talking about!

Yep, still constipated. I'm not very "regular" even without phen, but its not much of an issue usually. Not to mention, my stomach hurts this time around. I have those horrible PMS like cramps that won't let up. I also look pregnant, like at least 5 months ha. I'm not bloated anywhere else thankfully since I've been drinking over half my weight in water but I have a little HARD round belly. I would be in a bit of a panic had I not heard from so many that its normal. I'm really hoping the Align kicks in soon though, as well as all the fiber I've been eating. If not, its on to the supplements I suppose.

I'm going to put my scale in the closet today  & keep it there until Wednesday so I can resist the temptation of stepping on it several times a day. I have noticed LOTS of "bouncing around" during the day. I guess that has a lot to do with the Phen diet and the water I'm drinking. So when I do weigh myself I'm going to make sure I never report it here unless its the AM weight because I've always been told that what you weigh first thing in the morning is your true weight without all the yucky junk you carry around in your body every day. It'll be pretty cool to see the difference in the number once I can get back to a "regular disposing" routine lol.

With that said, here's the morning's weight and measurements as well....

Beginning weight: 152    Current weight: 140

Hips: 41 in.

Bust: 36.5 in.

Waist: 31.5 in.

Thighs: 25.2 in.

Now there are my  "to-date" measurements, but I'm not going to be obsessive about checking those.

Like I said, my measurements aren't a big deal for me. I don't mind my huge hips and my waist is pretty small. I would LOVE for my chest to shrink some but its okay if it doesn't.

Now my thighs, that's kind of a different story.

I MIGHT measure those a lot haha. I hate them! I've always had a nice little thigh gap and now they're just completely smooshed together all the time! Hate that! They're the reason (along with my now ROUND butt) that my jeans don't fit!!!

So my thighs and my soft 3x c-section belly are my focal points and thats what I'll be watching the most.

Phentermine-Day 4-Photo Update

Today starts day 4 on the Phentermine.

I'll try to get measurements at some point this week but I'm not as interested in trimming down my waist or hips as I am just seeing the numbers on the scale go down a bit.

I was pretty happy to find out that my efforts yesterday to super boost my weight loss really had an effect on the number I woke up to this morning.

After this week I won't be doing a daily weight check, but I know the first week results in a pretty rapid decline of water weight and whatnot so I wanted to give everyone some sort of idea of what they could expect to lose the first week assuming that they FOLLOW THE DOCTOR'S INSTRUCTIONS.

I won't lie, it really bothers me when people just blow off what they're told to do and then get disappointed when the meds don't work.

The Phen might work miracles when paired with some light exercise and a healthy diet, but its not a miracle pill. It does not give it's users the ability to eat anything they want and sit on their butt all day and night.

So anyway, yesterday I decided I would force myself to eat a few times since I'm supposed to be eating 6 small meals a day. 

I've done just as the doctor told me and cut out ALL soda, decreased my coffee intake to just 2 cups a day, no (or light) carbs, and lots of lean meat and veggies.

When I woke up at 8 am and took my Phentermine, I chugged a huge Voss water with it. 

28.7 ozs to be exact.

I also took some potassium supplements since I have low potassium as it is and it tends to decline when dieting.

Then I grilled some chicken and steamed some broccoli to get me through the day. I just went ahead and made it and put it all in a tupperware dish so I could close it up and warm it up when I wanted some.

This DEFINITELY helps to keep yourself from falling into the "its easier to just grab something out of the freezer and microwave it" trap.

By the time I got my protein and veggies for the day finished up and did the laundry it was nearly lunchtime and I realized I forgot all about breakfast.

So I went ahead and had the chicken and broccoli and in between that chugged 2 more 28.7 oz  bottles of water.

To be honest I could only handle about one and a half 4 inch grilled chicken strips. 

But I'm just glad I ate, and had all the water.

I snacked on the chicken a couple more times throughout the day 

and then I threw some (99% lean) ground turkey in the crockpot along with some tomatoes,

 onions, black beans (for added protein), jalapenos, some chile peppers, and chili powder.

I ate a small bowl of the ground turkey and tomatoes with some chili pepper  as seasoning and drank 2 more 28.7 oz bottles of water.

I didn't get a lot of  exercise in because my energy was actually lacking pretty bad yesterday.

I went for a 30 minute walk with the kids and chased them around the playground for another half an hour so I got about an hour of steady cardio.

Side effects:

+Can't STOP reading! I don't know if this is really a problem but seriously its increased my ability to focus so much that I read EVERY thing. Labels, books, articles, everything! I get lost in a time warp and realize I've been sitting and reading for 4 hours instead of 15 mins!

+ Constipation! TMI I know, but when it comes to losing weight, not being regular can slow down your progress majorly! Going on nearly a week of "nothing" I finally gave in and took some Align Digestive Care in hopes that it would get things moving at some point so I wouldn't end up bloated more and stalling out. I've taken two doses and there's been no change, but I thought I'd give it a shot before moving on to Milk of Magnesia.

+Crazy dreams, can't stay asleep. Not too big of a deal really. Once I finally make myself fall asleep (usually after 3 hours of trying to force it!) I sleep for a few minutes and have a short snippet of a dream that freaks me out and wakes me up, and then I can't fall back asleep.

And that would be it!

No big complaints!

Now for the weigh in and pics.....

Start weight: 152    Current weight: 141

So for the mathematically challenged, thats 11 pounds in just 4 days!

Direction change- Phentermine!!!

Well I've struggled with finding any kind of "Phentermine tracking" blog. I wanted to find something to read along my journey with it but have yet to find more than a handful written by actual Phentermine users  I figured if I was looking, there are probably countless others who want to get an idea of what its like for other people before they give it a shot.

So I've made it my new "job" to educate people on every single thing that happens while I use it. 

For those of you who don't know,  Phentermine is a prescription diet aide. Its an appetite suppressor not a "fat burner". It helps boost your metabolism when paired with a diet and exercise.

I've heard some Requiem for a Dream-esque stories of people becoming addicted and dependent on the medication, some even taking it for the maximum allowed time of 6 months, losing upwards of 60-100 lbs, and then being off of it for a single DAY and immediately going on a binge and eating all they couldn't eat while they were taking it, and of course then gaining it back.

I'm not scared of that outcome at all. I've weighed between 110-120 lbs ever since I turned 13. My highest weight tipped at about 130, and that was when I became obsessed with working out and built LOTS of muscle and drank protein shakes to gain some weight and get more shape. I've always been healthy, I eat well, have fast metabolism, etc. 

I think I'm a pretty good candidate for the Phentermine. I am 23, 5'4", and after 3 kids back to back, I weigh 152 lbs. Not too big of a deal, and I'm toned from working out a lot during the pregnancy and even immediately after. With my last pregnancy (4 months ago) I topped off at 190 lbs. At 5'4", thats a LOT of weight. I've worked out constantly since my c section in September, and have dieted more than I'd like to admit. I no longer eat anything processed, everything I eat is fresh protein and veggies. I drink lots of water and still keep my fitness level up. But my weight loss has stalled, I've reached that dreaded plateau and can't get past it. 

So I went to a place a couple of towns over called Doctor's Diet Program and sat around for about 30 mins waiting before I walked out with the bottle of Phentermine. I started it as soon as I woke up the next morning. I weighed in at 152 when the doctor checked my weight, and we sat my "goal weight" at 120 lbs. This is a good, healthy weight for me and its what I'm most comfortable being. 

So day 1 went well. I was prepared to feel crazy, to be shaky and anxious and paranoid. But I was pleasantly surprised. I took my first dose when I got up, on an empty stomach as directed. I sat around for about 45 mins, waiting to "feel it". I didn't actually expect to, I thought it would take a few days. But I was WRONG! 

I literally felt a surge of energy somewhat like an energy shot when it hits. Not "massive" not insane, just a little jolt of energy that encouraged me to get up and going a little sooner than I usually would. I didn't lay around trying to convince myself to get up and start housework, I just got up! Needless to say, I got a lot of cleaning done. Not like a speed freak would, just like I usually do, but faster. I didn't take as long because I didn't have to take breaks and rest. 

I did everything better than usual, scrubbing the dishes cleaner, washing a few extra loads of clothes and actually getting them all put up, just my normal daily duties, I just finished them a lot sooner than I normally do. My mouth didn't get dry too often, but I like soda so I wanted to have a Pepsi. Tasted like CRAP. I'm serious it was God awful. My mouth rejected that almost immediately! Tried Mtn Dew, same thing. It all tasted like cough syrup! So I went back to my water and chugged it and chugged it. I didn't get hungry a single time all day and by the end of the night I had to force myself to take a bite or two of what my husband was eating just so I could say I ate. It tasted like crap as well. It was more of a texture thing really and it almost felt like my mouth didn't want to chew if that makes sense.

The next morning, I took my second dose, and had the same results. Cleaned, couldn't eat., was in a GREAT mood. I'm extremely moody and pissy a lot of times to be honest. I pick a lot of fights with the hub just to be getting my frustrations out. But since my first dose of the Phentermine I've been SO PLEASANT! Not high, I swear, just so much more calm and focused and nice. I'm able to just say ok, thats fine, instead of arguing or getting worked up about stupid things. I was even able to ignore tantrums from my 3 year old and 2 year old while their 4 month old brother was crying and not freak out about it, but instead just distract them and have fun and make them laugh. They even seemed to hug me more lol. 

This stuff honestly seems to be working more like an anti depressant for me to be honest.

And of course I know you're wondering about the weight so far.

I thought I was crazy when I stepped on the scale and I didn't want to tell anyone what it said because I thought they'd think I was lying. But then I read some blogs saying almost everyone had that exact same reaction only to find out it was normal.

So here's the weigh in after 3 doses of the Phentermine (that would be 3 days, of course):

Start weight: 152      Current weight: 146

So that's 6 pounds in 3 days, and I just have took the 3rd dose so it hasn't technically done its job yet.

And I've been up since 9 am and its 12:30 pm now and I've yet to be able to force any food down.

Chelsea Houska Hair How-To

Any Teen Mom fan has probably seen Chelsea on Teen Mom 2 and wondered how the HECK she gets her hair so freaking cute. I searched and searched and searched for the way to do it and even watched the how-to videos on youtube but none of them quite came out right. I did find one that was similar though, so I took what I picked up on hers and added a few of my own tweaks and came out with something more like what I was going for. My webcam decided to be a POS and lagged really bad so I just did some quick pictures instead since its really simple and just extremely repetitive!

For those of you who haven't seen Chelsea's hair, this is what I'm kind of going for:

Ok, so here we go, and I'll try to be as detailed as possible!

What you'll need:

Half inch curling iron (I just used your standard Conair)

Hairspray (I used Suave, its super light and still holds well)

Hair clip to separate hair

Optional: 

Frizz reducer (I used Avon Advance Techniques Frizz Control Lotus Shield

Curl enhancers (I used John Frieda Frizz Ease Dream Curls Curl Perfecter and TRESemme Curl Activator Spray for the Thermal Creations line)

Straightening iron

Start off with unwashed hair. It holds curl better. I have naturally wavy hair but its blown out straight.

 Separate hair. This is extremely important! You need to start at the bottom and work your way around and up, otherwise you WILL miss hair!

Apply products

Wrap hair AROUND the barrel of the curling iron. DO NOT CLAMP! This is how you achieve the perfect spiral you need here. The clamp will crease it!!! Start about a couple of inches from the scalp, at the END of the barrel.

Holding the iron still, wrap your hair around the barrel. You need it to be wrapped tight.

Stop wrapping about an inch or half an inch from the tip of your hair. If you want that undone messy look this is pretty vital, plus you need something to hold onto so you won't burn your fingers!

Hold the curl for about 45 seconds (longer or shorter according to how your hair takes and holds curl.

When you unravel it KEEP A HOLD ON THE TIP YOU'VE BEEN HOLDING ONTO.

Just lightly pull the iron out without moving the hair much.

When you release it you get a cute bouncy curl!

Spray with hairspray (I RECOMMEND SPRAYING EVERY CURL, EVERY TIME!)

Repeat with half inch sections all the way around your hair. When you reach the middle just start on the other side and you'll meet!

 Repeat on the other side. Its easier to hold the barrel down on the opposite side and the results come out the same.

Here's the bottom all finished up

Now let down the top half of your hair (I have the top split as well so this is only one half of the top of course)

This really looks cute if you have layers because the curls get super messy and cute with different lengths.

It is VERY time consuming if you have thick hair but because the curls are on such small amounts of hair it holds well.

Finished product:

You can also straighten the bangs or play around with straightening bits of it to pull back.

It really creates a romantic fairy tale curl effect =]

And you'll get LOADS of compliments, trust me!

 

A look inside my bag (my cute Juicy bag at that)...

I came across a few different blogs with this posted, as well as a few magazines over the years, so I thought I'd do it too =] 

We women are magical little creatures and we can pack our whole house in our bag so its always interesting to take a peek into a stranger's goods without getting in trouble!

(This will also answer a few of my Facebook follower's questions of what I do with the travel sized stuff I get with coupons!

There is the "before" dump capture =D

And of course, after.

From left there's the two small bags (which have been emptied as well)...

Juicy & Dooney, of course.

Then there's Maybelline Fit foundation, PerfectSkin #2 Toner, Olay Body Wash, Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea, wallet with the basics (ID, insurance, debit, coupons, cash, etc),

Posh chapstick, Sally Hansen nail polish, Black & White bleach cream for sun and acne spots (WORKS MIRACLES!). Then there's Bath & Body Works Vanilla Sugar, Bach's Rescue Remedy (for adults and children!); Bath & Body Works hand sanitizer in Warm Vanilla Sugar, Sexy Motherpucker lipgloss, lipsmackers, Bengay (for random pains ha), Little Tummies Gripe Water for the little guy, Secret Deo travel size, MacKin's back up paci, random tampons and pads of course, the trusty ol' booger sucker for the kids runny noses, and Old Reliable, aka birth control.

ITS DECEMBER!!!! Christmas time!!!

Well, I don't know about every where else, but Georgia sure has me stumped. Its still not cold!!! Its December 2nd and its not even bundle up weather yet! I'm so disappointed! My sweater dresses must be worn! So while I'm wishing for this........

I'm still hanging out in t shirts and flip flops until the sun goes down.

Oh well!

December is by far the most busy time of the year with 3 kids.

FOR REAL!

Its insane! I got most of my shopping done on Black Friday (wahoo!) but I do still have some spoiling to work on :) Did any of you ladies go Black Friday shopping? I sat in line at Belk from 10 PM until they opened at 3 am. Crazy, I know. But it was fun! 

We're having our first Christmas dinner of the month next weekend with my oldest best friend. Pretty excited about finally having some adult conversation after a month of being stuck at home with 3 kids!

Maybe its just the Christmas spirit rubbing off on me, but I seriously have no complaints in life at the moment! Oh oh, I take that back. Anyone use Opinion Outpost? I do surveys there and use the rewards for Amazon codes. Its how I've went 8 months now without ever buying a pack of diapers! Pretty good deal! Well I've been saving since the beginning of November so I could get some Cyber Monday deals. I was pretty excited at how much I was going to snag without paying anything, when I went to cashout. There, to my surprise, I discovered their Amazon code request page was down! WTF?!? Bummer!

So here I am, a week later, with LOTS of amazon codes.... and no way to get them!

I'll seriously have over $100 by the time they get it fixed (assuming it takes as long as they said-1 week!) and  let me tell you, that digital money is burning a hole in my pocket lol. I'm ready to shop and get the stuff!

Well, thats all for tonight.

Trying to get back into the swing of things but there just hasn't been much time lately!

Maybe when I start sleeping again I'll be inspired!

But the newborn isn't having that right now!

And there he is!

My sweet MacKinley Benjamin Marlow!

Born September 15th via c-section of course.

We've been home for some time recovering and getting into a good routine.

And now things are getting back to normal, albeit a little more hectic than before.

I've neglected this blog so many times and I hate myself for it. I've gotten so overwhelmed with Mommyhood that I truly need this outlet. 

I was thinking back to when I was 16 and all I could do was dream of being Carrie Bradshaw.

Well I wanted to live Carrie's life, but write like Sylvia Plath.

That's just me! But the point is, I wanted to write. That's all I can ever remember wanting to do other than be a wife and mommy.

I've got that down for the most part, minus the big wedding.

I think somewhere along all the craziness of raising three kids under the age of 3,

and only being 23 myself,

I lost something in myself.

I always promised I'd never do that because its not healthy and I think part of being a good mom is being a happy and secure mom, and I'm not that right now.

Don't get me wrong, I am truly happy.

My kids could make the saddest person in the world happy.

But I'm not one for sitting around watching life pass me and by and sometimes it feels like I'm doing that.

I know you fellow stay-at-homes feel me on that and you probably feel just as guilty as I do for it.

I've tried working and letting someone watch the kids part time, but that doesn't do it for me either.

We're okay financially with me being home and I'm grateful for that but when I'm here day in and day out I feel like I'm missing out on something I'm destined to do.

I've been thinking about it and searching, trying to figure out what it was that I did that got myself off track.

Its like when I go to bed at night, I just don't feel like I've accomplished anything.

On the days that I teach my sweet angels something huge, 

you know, potty training, counting further than yesterday, a new song, something of that sort,

it feels great. But I started feeling like one day my daughter is going to look at me and say "You never did anything for yourself". Because see I went to college, I didn't like it, hated it really, and it bummed me out. 

I dreamed of college life since I was in elementary school honestly!

I didn't know what to do when life didn't work out the way I thought it would.

So I've been making lists in my head, just moving those huge stacks of memories around in my brain that are collecting dust, rummaging through all my old ideas, trying to figure out what ELSE it is that I'm supposed to be doing.

I know its at home, I know that, I can feel it. I'm only happy with my babies.

I feel like I'm walking around missing something huge just running to the store without them.

When I was working, those 8 to 12 hours a day were killing me. I didn't even know how to function.

So I've got to do something.

I'm awesome at the "housewife" thing now.

I can cook, clean, do crafts, teach the kids something new every day, take time to spend with my man,

and even have down time. I can manage ALL THAT, but something isn't happening in there that I need.

I feel like my education always meant too much to me and I've spent so much time exploring everything I'm interested in and pursuing things I enjoy to just watch myself grow old without accomplishing something for myself.

And that all brings me to this:

I'm doing it.

I don't know what it is yet, but its going to find me and I'm open to whatever.

I'm looking for a business venture, something of my own that I can build from the ground up.

I know the success I have with it will depend solely on what I put into it and that is whats going to drive me.

And mark my word,

its going to happen!