Weight Loss Standstill

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After having Om I weighed 170 lbs. Now I weigh 163 lbs. So I've somehow managed a tiny weightloss of 7 lbs. Now I'm at a standstill because although I'm including excersise, I haven't fine - tuned the foods I am inhaling. This is primarily due to the amount of carbs I eat. Breakfast and lunch usually include bread, and then my mother in law cooks indian food daily, and white rice is usually on the menu. I swear the days I eat rice I feel bloated (which is a lot). But it's so EASY to just eat it when it's already cooked and the accompanying curried dish is present. I've debated with dear MIL about the perils of white rice, but she claims that one can eat anything as long as gym is included. YEAH RIGHT. (Insert eye roll here). She's the sweet lady who tells G and I to become "skinny" again yet serves hot kachoris and parathas (fried stuffed breads). Now I know why diabetes is rampant in northern indians!

Anyway so I've resigned to the fact that MIL can't be changed and that she will make fried foods, and include rice in her meals. So after she leaves I hope to change the diet a bit and use more protien/veggies/fruits and less carbs.

For the gym, I usually do the treadmill or the elliptical. I've gotten so BORED and demotivated lately. I began dreading the gym...which makes it easy to have excuses not to go. So I've attempted swimming. I've done it twice so far and really like it. Afterwards I feel so tired and ravenous. And there is something about doing laps that is really meditative. You don't need an mp3 player, no tv, no headphones, no magazine. Just you and the pool. I'm not a good swimmer. I have very poor form and I have no idea about the breathing techniques. But my goal is just to strengthen my muscles and not become winded after a lap. Maybe one day I will take lessons and actually learn!

For the moms reading this blog, when is a good time to get baby in the water? And what do you do about soggy diapers...do you use a diaper cover? I don't want Om to fear the water so would like to start playing around with him in the pool.

Back to the topic...so on a lighter note, here is a current picture of me*:

*pic is from sue @ dreams and journeys

** it's a chubby groundhog in case you were wondering

*** at least i still look cute :D

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Family Circus

Back in the day my parents subscribed to the Sunday newspaper bundle. I would eagerly devour the funny pages while eating breakfast. The Family Circus was published during that time...this comic was so cute!

Look a like and Lazy Eye

Here is G's childhood snap: (no he's not a Mexican kid in Catholic school uniform!)

Here is my baby snap: (Yes that's cigarette ash on my fingers! My 'rents were so safe! LOL ).

Here is Om's snap (one of 10,000):

Guess it's hard to tell at barely 6 months of age, but I think in this pic he looks like me. As long as he gets his Dad's height and IQ I am okay with this! My little pumpkin smoochie woochie mooshie face! Okay I'll stop gushing now.

Today we went to the eye doctor for Om. We suspected a lazy eye, in particular the right eye. We've noticed it in almost all his pictures. G's sister had it as a child and required surgery to correct. My side of the family was blessed with myopic vision (as part of a curse on our family due to an ancestor accidentally killing a snake in the butter churn...oh the hilarity). So of course we are paranoid about his eyes given that both side of the family have issues.

The doctor said he has a slight lazy eye on the right side, but nothing that can't be fixed with exercise and perhaps it will go away on it's own in a few months. The excersises are really simple. We need to hand him toys from the right side of his head and switch sides feeding him (I tend to feed him with his head towards my right side). We also need to make him follow moving objects with his eyes (as opposed to watching objects by moving his head).

Another question for the desis

Again this question can be answered by anyone, just thought the desi folks would relate!

Maybe some of you don't get bothered by this, but I really mind the system of making food in traditional indian households. I know everyone has their own system and that I'm generalizing, and as the number of kids increases or work schedules the logistics of dinner can change, but I've seen this system in both my Mom/Dad's side of the family and in G's family in India.

What I'm talking about is the lady of the house cooking fresh chappattis (indian tortilla bread) and serving them hot off the stove as they are being made. This means the lady has to stand at the stove while the rest of the family digs in.

This bugs me. I enjoy eating with everyone in the house. Together. On the table. Having someone at the stove makes me incredibly guilty and I can't enjoy the food I'm eating. It's almost as if they are a hired cook who do not deserve to eat first. And I do NOT like the idea of "switching." This means that one lady stands at the stove and cooks chappatis while the second lady eats, then the second lady switches places with the first lady while she eats. I enjoy sitting together & eating together, even if it means the chappatis are slighly less warm than they would be hot off the stove. Hello, there is a reason we have those plastic dishes with the lid that keep chappatis warm!

And it doesn't just apply to chappatis. I've seen it done with pakoras (fried veggie fritters) and all sorts of foods that require one to stand at the stove for sometime.

My MIL has talked wistfully of her desire to have me at the stove making chapattis while she eats. I don't mind serving anyone, but the idea of feeding everyone and then sitting down makes me feel odd...during the course of a meal I can get up and hand things/get things, but eating seperately feels weird. Of course, the man of the house (son, husband etc) is never expected to stand at the stove! And if they do, all the ladies should scream in delight.

One day, when Om is older and realizes what is happening around him, we will all eat at the table together. I will not allow chaos in my house with one person on the laptop, television blaring, another person in the kitchen cooking.

I'm a Bette!

I love the elegance of old - time actresses! And I think this quiz is very accurate!

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else?

You Are a Bette!

You are a Bette -- "I must be strong"

Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Stand up for yourself... and me.


• * Be confident, strong, and direct.


• * Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.


• * Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.


• * Give me space to be alone.


• * Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.


• * I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.


• * When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette

• * being independent and self-reliant


• * being able to take charge and meet challenges head on


• * being courageous, straightforward, and honest


• * getting all the enjoyment I can out of life


• * supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me


• * upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette

• * overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to


• * being restless and impatient with others' incompetence


• * sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it


• * never forgetting injuries or injustices


• * putting too much pressure on myself


• * getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Bettes as Children Often

• * are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit


• * are sometimes loners


• * seize control so they won't be controlled


• * figure out others' weaknesses


• * attack verbally or physically when provoked


• * take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Bettes as Parents

• * are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted


• * are sometimes overprotective


• * can be demanding, controlling, and rigid

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

3.5 Years Ago

Me and G. Makes me so nostalgic! 3.5 years ago...in my law school dorm. The furniture was the standard stuff they gave all of the residents. Gray and boring! :-) Also this is about 20 pounds (or more) ago for both of us! LOL. I think we were about to go to see the play Les Miserables in Minneapolis. My roomate took this picture right before we left. The play was wonderful, but we had crappy seats in the balcony that didn't get us a good view. I recall coming back and making shrimp pasta for the first time (for the first time in front of G that is!). We ate it in our pajamas and chatted with my roomate in the living room. I was blissfully happy to spend that weekend with G.

Question for the Desi folks reading this blog

Well this question is for everyone, but I thought the desi (native indian) people may relate a bit more.

Both my mom and mom in law (MIL) have this idea in their head that one must shower first thing in the morning. Even more so my MIL...at first when she would comment/criticize my nightly showering habit, I let it go. But I've heard this comment several times by now, and it's just getting annoying. Today I came back from the gym at 5pm and she went upstairs to do her evening prayer. I was with Om until G came home, then I figured well G's here to take care of the baby I'm going to shower and get my pajamas on. She started a huge speech and rant about what an odd time of day it is to shower!

A while ago, when I asked her what's behind the reasoning, she has nothing to support the argument besides "Beta yehi achha hotha hain tereliye aur tere bache keh liye. " (Daughter this is good for both you and your baby). What, if anything, does that comment mean? If I do happen to shower in the morning, boy do I get a cheery approval, like I've just won the Nobel Prize for cleanliness. It is just hilarious. I enjoy showering whenever I get the chance, whether it is morning or whenever.

Anyway there ends my rant. But maybe the desi folk can help me out with why showering in the morning is so important? Is it a cultural thing or just her?