Svelte

facing the music

2010-07-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been slightly more than one week since I've set my goals. And here's the result......
Let's break it down, shall we?

*Prepare at least two meals a day AT HOME
This has been going so well. SO well! So well, in fact, that I've been planning all three meals because it's been such a breeze with a little planning ahead of time. I don't know why I never did actual meal planning before. I use this system primarily for dinner, but even then... seriously, it makes a huge difference in my life. I look forward to cooking again. I know what I'm making a week in advance, and I know I have all the ingredients. Bryan knows what's on the menu and chimes in with ideas for the week. (like the link suggests, we have a google calendar attached to our normal family/work calendar, so he knows every day what's for dinner) This is huge for us; before, it would always be a last-minute conversation of "what should I make? I don't know..." Food frustration abated!
I save money at the grocery store because I don't buy unnecessary/double items. Less food is wasted. More fresh ingredients are purchased and actually used. I would always buy a bunch of fruits and veggies because that's what healthy people did. But they had no purpose, no dish to be made into. NOW, my fruits and veggies have a home! :)
We sit down for dinner together, e v e r y n i g h t, and my kids actually eat what I make. Our meals are rounded and healthy. And we all clean up at the end of the meal! It's just like a scene from 'Leave is to Beaver'... I'm feeling like the best mother in the world during the dinner hour! Oh how the choirs of heaven are singing!
I do it a bit differently than the link suggests, though the principle is the same. I've started out doing just one week at a time. I actually prefer it this way for now, and I'm sure the better I get at it, the further out I will be able to plan. And for reals, I recommend this little change to everyone. EVERYONE! It is much simpler than it seems, and it saves a whole lotta time, energy, money, stress, and calories!

*Increase veggie intake in my meals
Just like I thought it would, this goal would be born of my previous goal. And how the marriage of these two goals are working seamlessly! Case in point: zuccini. Bryan can't stand the stuff unless it's made into bread. Which is fine every now and again, but it's much better without the extra sugar and carbs. Let me tell you, last week I snuck zuccini into two main dishes and he didn't bat an eyelash. He even noticed it in one of them (shephard's pie, which happens to be his fave), commented on it, and told me HE LIKED THE DISH BETTER! Points all around for moi!
We've also been having fresh green salads with each meal (not the nasty bagged junk), and I am loving the veggie increase. And yes, my 2 and 3 year old boys do eat their salad, sometimes without dressing. How awesome is that?

*Take a walk with the boys 4 times a week
I haven't done this AT ALL. Nada. Oh, wait! I have done some walking with them, but nothing too crazy. We've been to the Wild Animal Park twice in the last 5 days, so that's got to count for something. They have a collective weight of 75+ lbs, so with both of them in the stroller, I'm pushing close to 100lbs. That's not too shabby, right? But I'm not kidding myself too much. It's not consistent by any means. So this will be something to work on this week.

*Get as much sleep at night as possible
Also, not too good on this one. Well, I started out really good, but then fell back into my old habits again. The last two nights I stayed up, on purpose, several hours past midnight. I don't know why I do that; it's not necessarily insomnia. I think I have my internal clock kinda messed up. So time to reset it!

So now I know what I need to work on this week. But all in all, I'm VERY happy with my current results. Nothing is showing on the scale yet, but once I'm consistent with my workouts I'm sure that will come. What about you? How are you doing with your goals???

on the road again

2010-07-02T03:19:00.000-07:00

I'M BACK!!!

I'm going to slowly but surely start tracking my workouts and eating habits again. Those of you who read my personal blog know what's been going on with me and why I've been AWOL for so long. To recap, Reader's Digest style:

*Got pregnant with our 3rd baby in May 2009.

*Miscarried 2 weeks after finding out.

*Got pregnant again 4 weeks after miscarriage.

*extremely complicated pregnancy (a totally new thing for me), leading to VCI, polyhydramnios, and bed rest for those last few months of pregnancy. My baby had some problems in utero as well which made for a crazy, scary 9 months!

*Baby girl (first girl! yay!) born 02-09-10, via emergency c-section. She was diagnosed with esophageal atresia, reflux kidney, and anal displacement. She is still (STILL) in the NICU, awaiting esophageal connection surgery. The reflux doesn't require surgery and hopefully won't later down the road, and the anus can be moved to proper placement around her 1st birthday.

*All of this sounds life-threatening and extremely scary. I must admit that the first few weeks seemed majorly touch-and-go, but due to AMAZING modern technology and our bodies' incredible 'bounce back' factor, all of her conditions are correctable through surgery to re-connect or re-shape. We will have our little girl home eventually. Se is strong, chubby, smiley, and oh so adorable.

*We are still in a low hum of chaos every day as we go to Children's hospital each night (a 60 mile round trip), care for our two boys during the day, and try to live life as normally as possible for the rest of this year. Hopefully, we will get back to normal before Christmas.

*During this insane stretch of my life, I've completely lost my own 'self', in a manner of speaking. After the c-section I lost about 40 lbs right away (it was a TON of amniotic fluid, I kid you not!) then just kept gaining weight. I never knew how hard a c-section was on a woman's body! I have the yuckiest spare tire that isn't reducing like it did after my previous pregnancies. I am so self conscious about it and it's not something I can hide! Of course, most of my weight gain is due to eating sick crap food on the road, not sleeping enough, and generally having NO time at all for relaxation/exercise. And that's the truth. If I have a spare moment, I would much rather catch up on the stuff that can't wait. Like bills or general responsibilities. Or sleep.

*I have to say something along the lines of "our bodies are so incredible!", because they truly are. I am amazed at how quickly I was back on my feet after my c-section. Granted, I'm not where I want to be as far as weight loss and health, but I am sure that my body will do what I ask it to do when the time comes. AND THE TIME HAS COME...

*SO! I want to be healthy again. I've started making changes to get back to where I was before as far as healthy eating habits. We took a trip to the local Farmer's Market, which was actually so much fun! I felt like a total granola, but it also felt really nice to be there and buy some organic fruits and veggies. Not that I'm pushing organic foods or anything, it's just that it was so nice to have some in-season goodies at my fingertips!

*I want to get back to making all my meals at home. My kids' diets are suffering just as much (if not more) than my own, and that truly scares the pants off of me! Especially since my almost 3 year old is turning out to be an extremely picky eater. UGH. All he asks for now is "chickens", which is his way of saying "I want Burger King chicken and fries, and a diet coke too!" {{{SHUDDER}}} I can't believe it has come to this! The TRASH I'm putting into all of us needs to s t o p n o w ! ! !

My NEW GOALS...

*Prepare at least two meals a day AT HOME
*Increase veggie intake in my meals {zuccini bread, anyone?;) }
*Take a walk with the boys 4 times a week
*get as much sleep at night as possible

Plan of attack? I've already started:

1. MEALS - I've started meal planning. Awesome. And why, oh WHY didn't I ever do this before? Each Sunday I write a list of meals I would like to make for the week. {Usually I end up just planning dinner, as lunch and breakfast end up being mostly the same meals anyway.} The Monday afterwards I go shopping for the items that I don't currently have in my pantry. And believe me, it's been ingrained into my head to always ALWAYS have a well-stocked pantry. I come from a family of 10, you know. Food needs to be around!
I digress... if I have all the ingredients (fresh, if available), and if I have the menu planned, easy peasy. At least in a perfect world. But at least, much MUCH more convenient!

2. VEGGIE INTAKE - This goal naturally follows my meal planning. If I'm not worried so much about WHAT to make, I can be more creative with the meal I'm making. If that makes sense!

3. WALKS - Another logical step. no pun intended :) Walks to the Farmer's Market, the nearest local park, riding bikes with my oldest {whom LOVES to spend all day outside and would seriously do it if I allowed it, and I would [mostly] if we owned or rented a house with a backyard}. One thing I really LOVE about the city I live in is all the local parks. I think there are 12 or 13 if I'm not mistaken. And they are all pretty darn close. Not all of them are walking distance close, but some are, and that's a very good thing for my toosh!

4. SLEEP - I am giving myself wiggle room with this one. I mean, with my recent-born flesh and blood 30 miles away, the commute is killer. And it's usually when I'd be in bed. So I'm going to try to go to bed earlier than I have been (the laundry can wait for a little while longer), and perhaps mix my day up a bit so I can do things during the day that I would normally do at night after the kids are in bed. I'm still trying to figure this one out, but I'm sure gonna try!

Wish me luck. Now I'm going to work on goal #4...

shredded

2009-05-25T23:36:00.001-07:00

After a long greuling {FUN!} day with the fam, I finished my first workout of 30 day shred. I am now going to pass out, throw up, and die. In that order, if I'm lucky! Hopefully it won't be so bad tomorrow. My goal is at least five times this week. Wish me luck! :)

eat your way to skinny

2009-05-22T17:09:00.001-07:00

Sooo......

I'm pretty sure all of us are conscious of our portions, or we would at least like to be. How do we know what 1/2 cup of ice cream looks like (the standard serving size)? What really is ONE portion of meat? Everyone knows that portions are much MUCH bigger nowadays. So how do you know how much to eat?

Enter:

Thinnerware

My cousin tipped me off to this delectable creation. He found out through his old mission companion's wife, who created it... didn't follow the connection? Doesn't matter. Aren't they gorgeous? And the colors are customizable.

So... how does it work? Each colored ring/floral design on the dish is a measurement of 1/4 cup to 1 cup. It's built in to the dinnerware. And if you forget what is what, the underside of each dish will remind you. Awesome. Soooo cool. And so much easier than lugging out your measuring cups, stuffing your food into that, then putting it onto your plate. That gives you nothing but wasted time, extra dishes, extra whiny kids/husband who are waiting for you to measure everything out, and ZERO motivation to eat proper portion sizes.

But Thinnerware? Wow, it does all the work for you. Awesome. Grand opening is May 27. I hope they still have dishes left on their shelves after day 1!

2009-05-13T01:15:00.000-07:00

SO EXCITED...

This:

came today! (insert heavenly choir of angels)

After I catch up on sleep and heal, I am all over this bad boy!

2009-05-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

Today I was kid-less for three hours.

Three hours! So instead of going back home and relaxing (which is what I reeeeeeaaaaally wanted to do!), I drove straight to the gym and worked out. It was awesome!

I did the stationary bike for 20 minutes, level 3 most of the time, and a little level 4. I was stoked.
Then I pounded out 10 minutes on the treadmill, 6 point incline, level 8. It rocked my world. I felt like I would never walk again! I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

My daily diet fluctuates. Some days I eat SUPER healthy, then others I totally blow it. I have little consistency. Well, I must say that I have the building blocks of a healthy diet with my everyday foods. I don't normally eat beef; it's either ground turkey or chicken breast. I don't keep a whole lot of processed foods at home. We eat a lot of raw stuff (fruits/veggies, not our meat. Don't want any confusion here!), and I make mostly everything from scratch.
I think it's the sauces that gets me. Hubby really likes Chicken Alfredo, which is such a deceiving meal. You think you're taking the healthy route by eating skinless chicken breast, but the yummy, creamy, delectable white sauce gets you with it's fat and high calories.
Not to mention, I have been STARVING these past few weeks. Like, voracious. Every hour I have.to.eat! Hopefully it's because I'm burning more calories these days and my body thinks I can afford those extra calories. But- NO, body! I am working hard to cut those calories out for good! Sheesh!
Another good tidbit:
Today I ordered Jillian Michael's 30-Day shred workout video. I am so excited!

2009-05-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

Time to redeem myself....................

I haven't done anything in a long time. After my small injuries (so small that I shouldn't even consider them injuries, more like hiccups) and kiddo sickies, I seriously forgot about mama. That would be me. I put myself up on the back of the topmost shelf again, to gather dust and get forgotten about. It wasn't a conscious decision, and that was the problem. Working out and taking care of your body NEEDS to be a conscious decision, one that you make every day!

ANYWAY... I have made the effort to eat more veggies. Not that I don't like them (my kids even eat them plain!), but that they aren't as convenient as, say, Burger King chicken nuggets when you're on the road, your kids are screaming in the back for nourishment, and you are already frazzled. But I have made much more of an effort to cook better, healthier options at home (it's much nicer on the pocketbook, too), which includes vegetables and fruits of all kinds. Oh and guess what??? Fruits and veggies are naturally portable! I came across this article/blog post, and I thought it was pretty darn cool, so here you go: http://www.bartonpublishing.com/blog/2008/05/27/gods-pharmacy-foods-that-resemble-the-body-parts-they-help/
I've noticed that though I've been doing a stellar job of maintaining my weight (who else is good at maintaining their 50lbs overweight-ness???), I've been feeling extra flabby lately. Super un-toned. I know that under all those protective fat layers, I have one rockin' hot body! So I don't want the fat monster to win. And despite my constant battle with mystery migraines (three times in one week? What the what???), I've been battling the bulge with my pilates video and good old fashioned crunches. Lots of 'em. I hate those things! And that's probably why I should be doing them more often. I'm not going to be losing my tummy by thinking about sweat! :)
So..... GO! Get off your butts and do some jumping jacks! I'll do them too! :)

2009-03-11T02:17:00.000-07:00

Yes... I have been slacking off. I *slightly* fell off the bandwagon for a little while. I sustained two minor injuries, then my kiddos were sick for two weeks! Needless to say, I haven't been able to go to the gym during that time.
But! I found a new workout buddy! We went to the gym last Friday(a different location with free child care; could it get any better!) and had a good workout and a great time! I ran treadmill for 12 minutes. I ran the whole time and I've NEVER done that before! I don't know how it is for you, but for me I find that I am subconciously trying to "1-up" a workout partner. In a good way, though. It's been really motivating!
Anyway, after treadmill we tried a weight machine to work our laterals (the upper back muscles), then went back to the elliptical machines for 5 minutes. After that, we tried out different weight machines around the gym. So we honestly got a total body workout! I especially loved this dead mans hang thingy, that worked out your abs. It was awesome.
Anyway, hopefully this will satisfy my readers; all two of you! For now I have to tend to a baby with a hurt arm. Probably a run-in with my oldest, the little stinker. I'll keep you posted. Until then, work your butts off!

2009-01-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

WHY DO I EXERCISE??? WHAT IS THE MOTIVATION BEHIND MY GOALS???

I've thought a lot about these questions lately. I exercise for me. And I want my husband to say I'm hot. I mean, he already does, but I want to feel that way when he tells me. I also exercise because working out -and the goals I make- are the very few things I am in control of at this time in my life. It's all up to me. If I fail, I have no one else as a scapegoat. On the flipside, when I succeed and make a goal, I have myself to be proud of.

There are things that happen to all of us that we have no control over: the choices of others that directly affect you (I.E. hit & run drunk driver, neighbors doing/saying rude things, friends letting you down, your judicial and legislative system taking advantage of you). But how one chooses to invest in their health is their choice alone.

More of the same today. But I've found that after yesterday (@ home with a couple of sickies), I really miss it when I get off my routine.
I'm technically supposed to already be in the weights phase of my training, but there were no open appointments until next week, so cardio it is for a few more times!

Anyway...

Treadmill- 15 minutes. Can you believe it? I'm not sure I can! I guess I was really wrapped up on the new bill coming to pass (you know about the 9823123645 gazillion dollar infusion into the economy that won't even go to people like you and me so it's a stupid thing to think it will do anything immediately like politicians are trying to dupe us into believing. But let's not get political here...). It was nice getting so upset at what is going on, and directing my frustrations out on the treadmill. My body is gonna suffer a little for it tomorrow :)
Bike- 10 minutes. I am not surprised at this one at all, and neither should you be. Turns out I love the bike. I could be on it for 30 minutes and still love it. But I am still trying to mix it up (lol, not really) a bit.

2009-01-28T13:48:00.001-08:00

The flu. Yumminess. That's what I have been dealing with all night. No me, but my oldest. He was barfing up a storm last night. Why does child sickness always need to include throw up in the middle of the night? Never during the day, unless it's spawned from a late night of spewing. {sigh}
So needless to say, I did not go work out this morning, nor will I be going in the afternoon. I need to recover some lost sleep. You know you're not supposed to operate heavy machinery on 2 hours of sleep, right?
What I did instead:

Took O to his 1-year physical (yeah, I can't believe it either!). Turns out that the doctor's office is within walking distance. So we did. Well, he rode in a stroller, I walked.
Ran down the hill, ran back up the hill (much slower, but I'm proud that I was able to!). There is a nice slope of hill that I live on the top of. And we have quite a few things we are in walking distance of.

Today was a good lesson for me that even though you can't get to the gym to work out, there are several opportunities throughout your day that you can take advantage of. Instead of driving the (seriously) .2 miles to the doctor's office, I decided to run/walk there with baby in tow. So I saved gas and lost calories! Go me :)

So, what can YOU do to give yourself a little extra push? Sit-ups during commercials? Running in the backyard with your kids? Walking/riding a bike to work? Give yourself little goals to accomplish, little milestones to surpass. You will feel better in no time!

2009-01-27T23:25:00.001-08:00

So since I only did two workouts last week (I've committed to at least three a week), today (Monday) is my final workout for last week. I told you I was screwed up by the Holiday! It's also my last workout for the cardio portion of my program. Woo Hoo!
Ha ha, I woo hoo'ed too soon...
It took me FOREVER to get out of the house. For. ev er! I dodn't leave until around 11am, and the kids were cranky and a little clingy. Well, a lot clingy. My initial response was to stay with them and hang out at the playground, but the little Jillian Michaels in me told me to get my butt movin'! So I dropped them off at the child care center, sad and all. Let me tell you, big L is NEVER sad to go there. He loves playing on their playground, the blocks, all the toys, and he even likes sneaking snacks with little O. So I was very surprised when he was literally crying as I was leaving. And even after many distractions and love by the child care staff, there was no consoling him. And since L was crying, O had to chime in, too.
After 2 minutes of elliptical, I was interrupted by a member of the staff coming to get me to take care of my kids. Grrr. (Not upset that I had to take care of them, but a little frustrated that I had to stop my barely started workout)
I am SO lucky that Bryan works there. So lucky. I count my blessings every day. Seriously, his job there has been such a huge blessing in so many ways.
He was able to watch them for the 25 minutes that I wanted to work out. The best part was that he and his boss (we are good friends with he and his wife) both got to go out to this little playground and play with them. You guys are SO awesome!

So here's what I did:

Elliptical- 20 minutes. It was awesome! I broke out in a great sweat (and I hate to sweat), and even got to finish an episode of 'Designed to Sell' on HGTV (there are TV screens hooked up to each elliptical).
Bike- 10 minutes. Can you tell that I like the bike? I want to do a spinning class after this program. Looking forward to it!

Wednesday will be interesting. O has a doctor's appointment (check up) and both kids will be ready for naps after that. But I will be ready to work out. So hopefully they will be willing to play at the Y for a few minutes before nap time!

2009-01-27T18:37:00.000-08:00

So today (Saturday) I didn't go work out. Bad me. This is an example of not carving out the time before I plan out my day. It doesn't get done. But instead of beating myself up over it, I will just continue to move forward!
Next goal to add (since they are building blocks of sorts and work with eachother):

Work on diet
More fruits/Vegetables to replace the overly processed stuff

I know that I cringe every time I give my kids fast food chicken nuggets, so why don't I cringe when I put sub-par things into my own body??? Okay, no more treating myself as dispensable. So those are my goals.

2009-01-22T18:24:00.000-08:00

Today didn't have very much time. I was lucky to have Bryan at home watching the kids, so I didn't need to use my day care credits (if you are planning to use YMCA for your gym and you have kids, they have an awesome day care center where you pre pay for several hours/days of child care. I'm not sure if this is normal protocal at other places. I'm still new to this!). Thanks honey! Anyway, because he has such a tight schedule, I only had about an hour and 15 minutes, travel time included. So, 25 minutes to get to Encinitas (including parking, walking into facility, etc), and 25 to get back equals a short workout. SHORT!

So I busted it out in 20 minutes. And I did what I know best. Boring bike and treadmill. But I knew that these two machines would give me the best workout for my time because I wouldn't have to mess around with buttons/straps/programs/etc.

Bike-15 minutes. I warmed up, then did fast bursts for almost the entire time.
Treadmill- 8 minutes. Pretty much did the same thing.

So, I think I spoke a little too soon last time when I said I didn't like cardio. I may not like it as much as lifting weights (which I really do like, incidentally), but this time I really got into it. I was able to get out all my stresses, frustrations, and anxieties about life. It was great. It was my time. It was actually very nourishing, relaxing, and cathartic. Hopefully from here on out it will be this way!

2009-01-20T17:32:00.000-08:00

So, the Y (and I'm not talking about BYU) was closed for the holidays (MLK Jr Day) and I wasn't aware of that until the actual day. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it earlier... anyway, it pretty much messed up my groove for the whole week! I was off an entire day.
Regardless, I ended up going today (Tuesday), and did ALL cardio. I am beginning to realize why I don't like working out so much. I think cardio is just so dang BORING. I mean, I really enjoy the bike, but treadmill? Where are you running to? And the elliptical machine? You are climbing and climbing and there. is. no. end. in. SIGHT.
Anyway, despite my disdain for cardiovascular exercise, I signed up for this program, and cardio is for the first two weeks. I am still accountable for my body, and I want to look rockin'. So I have to put in the work.
Going back to work out after a long weekend is really rough. I don't recommend it. I mean to say, I DO NOT recommend taking a long weekend unless you are out for surgery or having a baby. haha Unless you are extremely motivated (as I am) then it is so much easier to say "I'll do it tomorrow" for another day, until you find yourself out of a routine. Yeah, not good. So stick to it! Make yourself a schedule and follow it. Even 20 minutes is better than none.
I digress. Sort of! Tuesday, I did the following:

Bike- 15 minutes
Treadmill- 10 minutes
Rowing machine- 5 minutes

People are saying I'm already looking good. That's good to know! I myself haven't seen any progress (because everyone knows how much MORE you scrutinize yourself over other people doing it), but it's really motivating to hear compliments from others. Thanks, everyone!

2009-01-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

I'm late on my posts, better catch up! Friday was the last day of this workout week. It was awesome! I'm really enjoying this time for me and no one else. I always used to think that it was purely selfish of me to have some 'me' time, but I am finding that it makes me a better person by far! With the exception of an Ipod fiasco this time (I do much better without it. Or maybe I can figure out how to download my playlist so it actually PLAYS.) my workout was really rewarding, totally exhausting, and it felt great to sweat out all those skin impurities! I did 15 minutes on the bike and 10 on the treadmill. Awesomeness. Next session I'm going for more time, and I want to incorporate the rowing machine. Gotta get my Madonna arms somehow, right? :)

2009-01-14T01:08:00.000-08:00

I worked out for the 2nd time today. It was much better than the first! I actually sweat. I pushed myself. I was on the bike for over 10 minutes, on the treadmill for a greuling 10 minutes, then the ellpitical for 5 minutes.

I was EXHAUSTED!

25 minutes of cardio may not seem like much for some people, but for me it's a big deal. I felt so proud of myself, empowered, and giddy with serotonin (that happy "feel-good" chemical released to your brain when you exercise)!

I felt even better because the night before, during my Tuesday night ritual of watching The Biggest Loser, I did all types of crunches during the commercials. See there? Cancelling our DVR wasn't all that bad! :)

2009-01-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

So, I started my 12week program at YMCA today. It's not exactly what I expected, but it will at least get me in the habit of working out.
I suppose I was expecting my personal trainer to be more willing to kick my butt. However, my instructor was more concerned that I was going to be scared away! So she went really soft on me, which I was a little dissappointed about. I honestly didn't even break a sweat. I know.

Anyway, there were some cool things that I did as part of the program:

I wrote down goals (typical practice), but also wrote down reasins why I wouldn't be able to achieve them. I thought that was genious. It really allowed me to focus on the excuses I've given for letting myself get soft and lazy.
I got a personal walk-through of every machine, how each one works, etc.
I got tips on what I could do to get the most out of my workouts.

Since I am on a twelve week program, I have committed to working out 3 times per week. I have a personal trainer to help me with the first session of all six phases of the program, and after that I'm left to my own devices (mwahahahahaaaa!)

Like I said before, I am a little dissappointed at how easy my instructor went on me. I guess I was expecting a Jillian Michaels or something. So I have made my own kick-butt attitude goals for next time.

2009-01-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

I have never been good at working out. I have never been the type to want to exercise. I hate to sweat, though I do enjoy the empowering feeling of post-work out exhaustion.
This year, it's all changing. I have watched too many seasons of Biggest Loser and felt motivated to change my life, and never done a thing about it. So, I've started this blog to stay motivated about my goals. Well, what are my goals?

Lose 30 pounds
Gain shapely arms
Lose post-baby tummy
Lose 2 pant sizes

Wish me luck! I'll be tracking my progress.