Blah-blah

So what do you gals do when you are totally lacking motivation to exercise and eat right?

What do you do when you just don't want to get up in the morning to work out?

How do you snap yourself out of it?

And how do you keep yourself in the right mindset so you don't get in the no-motivation slump again?

Model-Vation

Feeling the need for motivation today I stoped by Virtual Model and created several virtual models of myself at different weights. I started with my original weight before I joined Curves and went through my current weight and a few goal weights ending with my ultimate goal weight. I made this little graphic of the images and printed it out as a visual reminder of what I'm trying to do. It's so easy to get caught up in a bad meal or a bad day and forget that this is a journey and the only way to get there is to never quit and never give up. I've just got to push my way through it.
I'm on plan as far as food goes today, but it's still early. I did pack a light yogurt and an apple. I also have a Healthy Choice meal waiting on me for lunch.

EAT EAT EAT EAT and EAT some more!

My diet has been awful since Saturday! Saturday we went to our friends birthday and I had chocolate cake which I have been craving for about 3 weeks now. My free day seemed more like a food fest than anything. Cadburry Cream Eggs..need I say more? I only had one, but I ate a lot of other stuff to. Today started off okay, but I was starving when I got home from a field trip with Erin's class and proceeded to eat whatever was on hand. The week before I start my period, it seems like I can't get full. I think that I need to eat larger meals of myabe 400 calories 3 times a day rather than 6 small meals a day. With the small meals, I end up grazing all day.
I haven't gained anything, but I haven't lost either. The workouts are going really well. Last week I was supposed to burn a total of 2070 calories and I burned something like 2168. I did 276 minutes of cardio along with strength training for 45 minutes every other day. I'm going to stick with this workout plan for at least three more weeks. I'll work on the diet too. I've just got to take it one meal at a time. I'm going to freeze the remaining Cadburry Eggs right now.

I didn't know whether to be sad or jump for joy this morning.
I was sitting on the sofa enjoying my first cup of coffee, watching CNN when my snuggler, Sethy, woke up and joined me. He lay his head on my leg and then looked up at me and said

"You're not soft anymore."

I had a pretty good week last week. I walked almost every day, did my weights 4 nights, yoga every morning, only went over my calorie goal one day. No weight loss again this week. I'm thinking I need to increase my exercising a little. Even tho I did walk some every day I didn't do the full 30 minutes each time and I think that makes the difference whether I lose or don't lose any weight. That and I guess as I get stronger and in better shape I am actually wanting to do more - that's a new feeling for me.
I increased my reps with the weights last night and it felt good. A little sore today but not bad.

There is a gym in Ada, owned by the Chickasaw nation, that I have been meaning to go check out. We drove over there today but no one was there. It would be a pain for me to have to drive that far to go to the gym but I may try it.

For my free day today I ate my normal foods for breakfast and lunch. Oatmeal for breakfast, for lunch a crab salad with crab, celery, onion, and a little bit of Miracle Whip. For supper we all went out for Mexican. Of course, I had cheese, cheese enchiladas with a side of rice, and lots of chips and salsa. After we got home Christi made chocolate chip/peanut butter cookies (she makes The best cookies). I only had one (but it was big).

My goal for next week is make the time to do the full 30 minutes of walking each day and I am starting on a new supplement, no flush niacin. I will do 30 days of it before I go back to have my lipids checked. Niacin isn't something you want to take for very long in a supplement form but it really helps lower cholesterol (and it won't damage your liver like Lipitor).

So, how was your weekend?

row, row, row

I have been looking at rowing machines online tonight. I always thought they would be the ultimate workout machine but I've never owned one. Do any of you have any experience with one.
I sure didn't know they were as expensive as they are. Whew.

A little melodramatic...yes, but...

...I'm not sure life is worth living without ice cream.

Is that okay?

I've been trying to do the whole "completely clean" eating thing, but am failing. Yep, I'm a failure. That feels good to admit. :) I just don't want to be very strict when it comes to my eating; I want to eat what is good for me, but not deprive myself quite so much. Make sense?

So I have figured out a diet that is almost "clean" (no processed stuff, no added sugars, etc.) that is still within my calorie intake and macronutrient limits. But it includes Grape Nuts and low-fat, no-sugar-added mint chocolate chip ice cream.

What do you gals think?

By the way, I had a Georgia mud pie blizzard last night and it was sooo good. But I think I'll stick with my old standy-by: chocolate chip cookie dough.

Random updates

I'm changing my fitness routine a little: I'll start lifting two days each week and running three days. Weekends will be off but J and I take a lot of walks on the weekends anyway. (When the weather gets warmer, we also play basketball and take walks on the weekday evenings.) As the weather gets better (not in the teens and twenties) in the morning, it's easier to get out there to run, so I want to do more of it! Jeanne and I are planning to walk (I might run a little, too, but we'll see) a half-marathon in September so we've got to start training for it.

Unfortunately, I have the hardest time waking up in the morning. My goal is to be up at 5:45 a.m. Monday through Friday. I am completely irrational in the morning; I can't concentrate or make any important, normal, rational decisions. I can talk myself out of working out so easily, even when I had an iron will the night before.

If anyone has any tips for me...HELP!

Two things I can't recommend enough: natural peanut butter (tons of healthy fat and protein with no added sugar or preservatives--you've gotta keep it in the fridge) and cottage cheese. Some people hate it, but I love it. I think it's so versatile--you can add fruit and make it a sweet treat or add peanut butter or pepper and make it a salty one. It love it for when I need protein, but don't feel like eating something heavy like meat. It also satisfies a dairy craving for me.

I'll be back later to post a really easy, all-natural, super-healthy protein pancake recipe...

fair weather walker

I am finding that I am a "fair weather walker". I have been having a hard time making myself get out and walk in the cold and damp. Ice was a good excuse not to walk but I feel like a slacker today. Monday I walked about half of my allotted time because my sinus infected head started hurting, badly. Tuesday I bundled up with hat, coat, gloves, and my beautiful purple scarf Sandra made me. I was able to do the whole walk without any trouble. But, today it was chilly and windy and misting rain so I bailed. Bad me, bad me.

Do you realize we have another weigh-in coming up in just a week?
I can hardly believe we have been at this for 2 months.

p.s. I got the red dress in the mail. It is very pretty. I bought it two sizes smaller than what I was wearing when we began this journey. I could wear it but it is tight, too tight so I hung it up to look at, hopefully to inspire me.
It's probably the best inspiration I could buy for myself. You see, I am so tight with money that just thinking about the fact that I spent $85.00 on this dress will cause me to have to lose weight so I can wear it and not feel guilty about spending the money.

One week girls...

I started my new routine on Monday. I am doing 45 minutes of aerobics a day for six days a week. This is a combination of The Biggest Loser video, a 12 minute workout from Fitness magazine, and running on the treadmill at a 10% incline. I am doing weights 3 days a week for 30 minutes. Right now I'm following The Biggest Loser workout for that as well. I did it last night, and it was good. My arms are a little sore this morning as are my abs. The only area the video seemed to be lacking in was the butt. I have a squat machine at work that can take care of that though.
I can't say how much I love Spark People! They have an awesome food tracker that has tons of food listed. Just about everything I put in my mouth is on that site. It's good to see it there in black and white. Yesterday, I went over a little on my calories. When I work out, I'm hungry. There isn't much I can do about that. I just try to make healthy choices and only allow myself to eat if I'm hungry. I haven't done any emotional eating or eating out of boredom in several weeks. I'm pretty pround of that. Yesterday I wanted chocolate cake so bad! Luckily David had taken the truck to school so I had no way of going to buy any cake and I didn't want it bad enough to make it.
A friend from work wants to run next week. She said we would start out light with a 5 mile jog. I almost fainted. I have to really work on the treadmill this week if I want to keep up with her. She's a very determined person so I have no doubt she will pull it off. I might pass out half way through it.
I thought this project at Spark People was a good one. I'm going to work on it today.

Maturity and Discipline

It comes to this admission now: I am not very mature yet. There are areas where I am, but there are certain obvious areas where I could be doing better. Regular discplines is one. I really don't have any. It is a small miracle that I am exercising this much when it is so incovenient. But, my eating habits reflect a person who wants the metabolism of her teens. I feel it all going, too. My backside feels larger and more cumbersome lately. My pants pinch my waist.
Those last details make me tremendously uncomfortable. All day long discomfort. I am hoping that I do something about my situation before I just get used to the excess baggage. Yesterday I ate whatever I wanted, even though after a while I just did not Want to eat bad and I ate a mango.
Today is fresh with No mistakes in it. And today I start to acquaint myself with the fact that I MUST choose. I will either eat like I want and always be uncomfortable and increasingly (too small clothes) sloppy looking or I will face the fact that I am older, my body Is different and I will have to make changes to look the way I want.
crossed fingers.

I've put it off all day, but I'm going to go and work out now. I am going to try the six week Biggest Loser workout. Also, I bought some dumbells that came with a video and I'm going to do that as well. My eating today hasn't been the best. It's so hard when we are all home together. I'm not going to freak out about it. After ten days of not working out, I didn't gain anything. I am so relieved. I expected to have gained something.
I have a new goal. I want to lose another 5 pounds by March 18th. We are celebrating David's birthday that weekend and while we are only going to his sisters, I've just set it as a mental date that I'd like to reach 189. My birthday is in July and I hope to be around 160 by then. That's 34 pounds in 5 months. That's six pounds a month. Think I can do it? I think it's pretty lofty, but I'm going to give it my best! I hope we all have a less hectic week this week and can focus on oursleves.

Back in the saddle again

So I'm back on track today!

I thought a little about beating myself up, guilting myself into doing better, but decided there is absolutely no point. So much of my "falling off the wagon" this past week and a half has been about circumstances beyond my control anyway...so it's time to move on.

Of course, I have two meals--one today and one tomorrow--that are totally "outside the plan." Tomorrow is my coworker's going-away party; long story short, we are basicallyeating a cafeteria. So I'm not so sure about the food choices...should be interesting. The other is dinner tonight; I thought Jason's sister and brother-in-law were just "stopping by" tonight, but no, I'm cooking dinner and that means spaghetti. Whole wheat, yes, but not sugar-free sauce or very lean hamburger or anything like that. Sigh. Oh well.

My workout went well this morning. I did split squats for the first time (similar to a lunge, but your feet are stationary, if that makes sense), and boy, my quads were/are burning--in a good way.

Since I don't eat much fish, I decided to start taking fish oil supplements for all their wonderful benefits. I thought I knew a lot about fish oil, but what I didn't know was that they can make you nauseous when you first start taking them. Ha. Glad I know now; I was worried I was coming down with the flu or something. (I have been overly tired lately...) As I was searching to figure out what I was nauseous, I discovered fish oil is sometimes used to treat depression. Very cool.

Anyway, hommies, how's your day going?

gettin' busy

I feel much better about my free day this week. I probably didn't go over my calorie goal by much but I'm not going to count. The only thing I ate extra was some cheese on my spaghetti tonight and a couple of macadamia nut/white chocolate cookies. I don't feel over-stuffed or guilty.
I am ready to start a new week. I have missed walking this weekend but I didn't think going out on the ice would be too smart.
I rented a basic yoga video so I could learn a few new poses and I did. I also upped the weight that I do curls with. I am using 10 pounds now, the 8 pounder was getting too easy. I do 5 sets of 10 curls with each arm and then some over my head lifts. When we get Seth moved into his new bedroom we are going to get that weight bench we looked at.
I bought some lotion with elastin and collagen that is supposed to help your skin as you lose weight. Don't know if it will actually do that but it smells and feels wonderful.

I hope everyone has a better week this week. Some sunshine and warmer temps would do wonders for me.

So This is LIfe...

Hey there,
Aola, how was the wedding?
Sandra, are you feeling better?
Erica, how's Judah's hand?
Becky, maybe your baby is practicing for syncronized swimming for the 2026 Olympics.
Kristen, thanks for being my girl.

I have two good testimonies. Darren got a call from the guy at FedEX in Jackson and they want him to start on March 6. So, God's really taking care of him - housing, job, car, ministry, mentoring. I know this is the right thing for him, but I'm still having a hard time silencing "mommy." LOL.
The other cool thing: a couple weeks ago we had a bad wind storm (wind from the southwest); then last night we had high winds again (from the northeast). This morning I took the dog out and there was this huge branch in the yard. It was 15-20 feet long and 6-8 inches at the biggest part of the base. What's so neat about this is that if it had fallen a couple weeks ago, our house would've been badly damaged and one of us may have been hurt; but it just fell in the yard. I cried this morning when I realize God spared us.
Even with all this good news, I am feeling so tired and unmotivated. It's all emotional. Positive emotion and negative emotion - it's making me exhausted. I desperately need to get back exercising. It's the only thing that's gonna get me thru this, I think. I need prayer, too, because there are some real negative things happening too with my job.
Kristen and Jason are coming over for awhile tonight. That'll be nice - they always perk me up. Thank you all for being there, too.

Oh, one more thing. Thanks for praying about the period thing. It's almost over and I'll be so much more comfortable driving cross-country with my son. I appreciate you all.

mixed bags

I didn't lose any weight since the last weigh-in either. It is my fault because i have been "treating" myself to fun foods: ice cream, cheese cake, pizza. I obviously don;t do deprivation well. The weird thing is that I have been much better about the food aspect in the past. Now I am much better about the workouts. as I mentioned before, i upped the intensity of my elliptical workouts, and I am feeling stronger on my neighborhood walk/runs, I live in a really hilly neighborhood so it has always been a challenge for me. I am rpud of my workout record. It shows a maturity and commitment that I haven't ever seen from myself before. I was super-fit in high-school, but I didn't have the challenges then that I do now of course. I only went to school half a day and had an eighteen year old's body. I am prouder of myself now.

So hopefully I will focus better on my eating come monday.

I didn't have any weight loss this week but no gain either. I imagine that the no loss is from not walking every day. I was a little disappointed but not surprised. I was also disappointed this week when I started pulling out clothes I haven't worn in a long time looking for something to wear to Levi's wedding and the clothes still fit the same as the last time I put them on, too tight in the belly. My legs are getting nice and thin and strong looking and I've lost that extra butt I was carrying around but still the belly. I know, I know, it will go eventually. I have these brief moments of discouragement and wanting to just give up but they don't last. I am not giving up.
I did have a couple of encouraging moments this week, too. A friend of ours who we hadn't seen in a couple of months stopped by to visit and he actually noticed that I am losing weight. And, today after the wedding the kids wanted to go eat at Golden Corral (huge buffet) and I did not overeat. I had a small Caesar salad, a little crab, and a few vegetables. I felt satisfied and full and not like I was being deprived for not getting to eat a ton of rich, fattening stuff I didn't need. When we left everyone else was moaning and groaning but not me. I was amazed at how disciplined I can be now.
Hopefully, next week will be a little calmer and I can get back into my regular routine.

For my free day this weekend I have decided to do just one meal where I eat whatever I want and not feel guilty about it. We are going to go out somewhere so there won't be leftovers to lust after. I think that will work better for me and I won't feel like I am having to start all over again come Monday.

Hope everyone has a blessed weekend!

How did everyone do this week? It's been slow around here. Do I need to pull out my boot camp whistle and whip you all into shape? Seriously, I'm sure you are all working out so hard that you don't have time to post. That's it right?
I'm ready for Monday, and to feel better. I've still got a runny nose and I've been really tired the past two days. I haven't gained anything though. That is a relief!

What's your favorite excercise? Mine is a back exercise where I lay on the floor and act like I'm flying like Super Woman. :)

I have not worked out since last Thursday. I've noticed two things.

1. My appetite is much less than when I am working out. (This is very reassuring to me because I was begining to think I was a garbage disposal.)

2. It's very hard for me not to work out. I've been working out consistantly for two years now. Last night I did a small part of a pilates video but my stuffy nose kept me from breathing properly.


I've lost 2.5 pounds since last Thursday. I'm sure part of it is muscle and part of it is from being sick.
It's interesting to me to see what my body does when I change things. I'm considering doing a different kind of workout when I start back on Monday. I've been visiting Spark People and I like the strength stuff they have there. Really, you should all check it out. It's a very nifty site!

Just call me Lemony Snicket

So here's the dish on my happenin' V-day:

Through a series of Unfortunate Events, Chris and I were left sans babysitting last night.
My firstest thought was, I kid you not girls, " shoot, now I won't be able to parade around in my fabulous V-day dress."

But that turned out to be the least of my immediate concerns: Judah burned his hand on the humidifier i use at night for his cough. Today it has a huge blister on it. Last night this accident pushed back the eating of our expensive takeout by at least an hour, but when we finally sat down, I had my hair curled, my fancy dress on, and red frou-frou slippers.

I love my husband. We ate, we watched Kill Bill vol.2, we made out. I am sure that last part seems like too much info, but I am ALSO quite certain it was tame compared to most other people. I had a great valentine's day.

Chris writes the best cards. We recently watched The Constant Gardener (film about being radical activist for africa and getting killed in the process) and both cried our eyes out. So on my valentine's card he wrote:

Valentine,
I wouldn't even consider saving the world with anyone else.

You would have to watch the movie to truly appreciate the reference, but I have been over the moon about it all day.

enough gushing.
I just didn't want any one to feel sorry about my dress.

Love to my girls,
Erica

Just had to show you guys...

my massive biceps.

Hee-hee.

I'm putting a few Valentines photos on my blog.

erica??

I'm still waiting to hear about Erica's Valentine's Day wearing the black lacy Audrey Hepburn dress....

Update

Yesterday, I had my 20 week appointment, and everything is going well.

I've gained 2 1/2 pounds, though I feel like I've gained ten. My blood pressure is 120/60, which they say is good, but I have no idea. My uterus is now at my belly button, and the baby is the size of a large mango. I think I feel the baby moving, but it does not feel like butterflies or flutters. It feels like a kick.

I just wanted to let you all know that I am taking the rest of the week off from diet and exercise. My mind needs a break from counting every little bite that goes in my mouth, and my body needs to rest.
I'm a little woried about gaining any of the weight back, but I'm not at all worried about never getting back on board. Come Monday, I will be back in the saddle again. I just really feel the need to rest. I'm not going food crazy or anything. I still plan on having healthy portions and eating well. I'm just not counting any calories or keeping score for the next few days.

Happy Valentines Day

I hope someone does something very special for each one of you today and may it include some really good chocolate.

Free day???

I'm thinking that free day may not be worth it. I think I may change the way I do my free day, maybe just have one extra thing or one free meal instead of a whole day. It's getting where it makes me feel terrible. I've been eating less and lighter for long enough now that I don't really enjoy eating heavier, richer and more food. I like thinking about it and planning it more than I enjoy actually doing it.
The new lasagna recipe was really good but I could only eat a small portion. I had more salad than anything and a couple of pieces of nice crusty french bread. I felt really sick and then stupid when I forced myself to eat a piece of the chocolate cake I had baked.

So, next week I will be thinking about doing something different.

I pushed myself too much this past week. When I was tired, I didn't give in. I worked out anyway. I painted for three nights in a row. I got everything ready for Erin's sleep over. Now, I am paying the price. I'm sick. I woke up last night at 3 a.m. with a fever. I had the chills early in the evening but thought it was just cold in the hotel room. I was wrong. I'm feeling a little better now, but I'm regreting not giving my body the rest it needed. It was trying to tell me something wasn't right and I ignored it. Now I'll be out of commision for a few days at least. It seems that recenly our household has been bombarded with sickness. We've never been sick like this. Sure one or the other of us would have a cold or something but this is just crazy!
I didn't lose a single pound this week which is so frustrating considering I worked out and ate right for the most part. My body just loves to hang on to the fat.

The weekend is here again...

I lost 3 pounds this week, that makes a total of 14 so far. Long way to go still.....

This was not a particularly good week. I didn't walk every day, missed two days. Stayed under 1400 calories except for one day but several times wasted my calories on empty, useless sugar.

Next week will be a better week.

For my free day this week, tomorrow, I am going to cook lasagna (the cheese thing again). I don't make the best lasagna, just have never come across a recipe that is just right. I am trying a new one tomorrow. The problem is that Mark doesn't like vegetable lasagna and I do, he doesn't like ricotta cheese and I do so I try to compromise and then I never really like it. But we'll see how it turns out.
Lasagna, salad, bread, and some yummy dessert yet to be decided upon.

So, what are you up to this weekend?

floating downThat river in egypt

I went through a major slump and noticed that I wouldn't blog it. I don't know why. I guess that would be denial.
I was sick for a week and a half during which my workouts stopped and the eating was okay. not great.
After I got better- this past saturday really- I started working out again and that has been good. ieven stepped it up on the cardio notch, but the eating... well. well. it took a turn toward I-don't -careville and that is the last I saw of my documentation too. I stopped writing in my eat joural when I was sick, but I wouldn't write down my bad days afterwards. denial.

And all the valentine's excuses are already creeping in my head.

I DID however get this REALLY supremely beautiful sexy black lace dress, the kind that has fools your eyes into thinking you are naked underneath but really has flesh colored fabric under it. Sexy though, not slutty.

Wanting Doritos

My middle sister is coming to MT next week with her current boyfriend. I could eat a house full of Doritos in preparation.

I haven't thought this many negative thoughts since high school. I only know this guy by reputation and as background in phone conversations. Thus far, I don't think he's a kindred spirit. I want to be supportive of my sister, but I also don't want a creep in my house. Sigh. I'm sure I'll survive a few days.

My walking has picked up a bit and become more regular, partly due to decent weather. Pilates is still very sporadic, but my back has been in constant agony, so I've been doing it more often because it helps.

Burnt out

I got a little depressed (unrelated to working out) this week and burnt out (mostly unrelated to working out) and kind of fell off the wagon.

I haven't exercised since Tuesday. And Tuesday was so hard. I literally did not want to finish I felt so exhausted.

Wednesday no one (Mom and Dad) was around to spot me in the morning so I skipped my scheduled weight lifting. That day my friend (we were maids of honor in each others' weddings) went into labor and had her baby boy, so working out that evening was out--I was off to the hospital.

Yesterday I was so busy and so down, I skipped working out--and eating most of the day. Sometimes when I'm depressed, I don't overeat, I just stop eating.

Today I just couldn't get out of bed. I might do some cardio tonight. We'll see.

Since this is a lifestyle now, I just have to hop back on the wagon. I don't feel guilty, mainly because I needed the break, but I want to learn to keep working out no matter how I feel emotionally. I need to try to protect myself from getting down and burnt out again and forgoing workouts.

Honestly though, I think I needed a couple days off. It probably is helping me more than hurting me in the long run.

Love you ladies and wanted you to know what was going on.

Oh La La

I bought the red dress.
I got as far as the checkout the other day and got to feeling guilty about spending the money. Mark told me today to just go ahead and buy it (I believe there is a hidden agenda there, what do you think?).

So, I did.

Sexy red dress from Victoria's Secret on the way. Hell, it made me feel sexy just ordering it :) I've never bought anything from Victoria's Secret before.

Now, I have to work even harder so I can wear it (and look good in it).

Today was tough. I didn't want to work out. I didn't want to care what I ate. I just wanted to be blah. You ever have those days? I'm not sure what got me in the funk, but I managed to survive it. I worked out and only splurged on a coffee.
I've been busy painting my living room. It's a nice warm yellow or at least it will be when it is finished. I'm 3/4 of the way there. I'll have to finish up tomorrow. It's difficult painting a room that is lived in. There's so much stuff to move. I'm a spur of the moment kind of gal. I picked out the paint and started painting yesterday. I knew if I waited I would talk myself right out of it. I'm so glad I didn't. It's made the room so cozy and I can't help but smile when I'm in there although I'm sure I'll smile more once the painting is done and everything is back in it's place.
Painting is a workout! My arms were so sore last night. I have a friend who paints for a living. I have so much more appreciation for the work she does now.
I hope you all are having a great day and are gearing up for the weekend. The weather is lovely here and we are having a sleep over part for Erins' birthday. She's very excited! It should be fun fun fun. I'm going to avoid the cake this time since I indulged in the ice cream cake last weekend.

SUPERWOMAN...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'm SO NOT superwoman, but sometimes you just gotta do what seems right, you know? My sister is really struggling with anxiety right now...has been for a couple years. I feel bad 'cause I've been in her shoes.
These last two days have been SO hard. And for some silly reason it makes me question who I am, even. I haven't quite worked all the way through it yet.
Anyway, I don't really know how to express my appreciation for you all. Just knowing you're there means a great deal to me. I read your entries, but just couldn't respond. Please know that you've been in my thoughts and prayers.
Love you guys.

Where, oh, Where has Jeanne gone????

I was reading on the "Better Body" website a couple of days ago and the post titled "State of my Nation" really stuck with me. She talks about how easy it is to slip back into your old eating habits without hardly even realizing that you are doing it.

I think I was doing that. Eating a little more at supper or going over my calorie goal just a little but more often....

I'm glad I read that, it woke me up. So, at the top of this weeks journal page I wrote:

GET STRICT YOU'RE SLIPPING

And, for the last couple of days I have been more aware of staying on track. I am just NOT going to screw this up this time. I have 40 more pounds to go. I expect it to take a while and that is ok because this is for the rest of my life.

I didn't walk Sunday or Monday because I was cramping so bad but we made two rounds today at a pretty steady clip, I did my yoga exercises this morning and plan on doing weights tonight. Levi called me a minute ago from Walmart to tell me they had a nice weight bench and bar in stock for $50.00. Hopefully, I will pick that up this week sometime.

Hang in there you guys! We have to do this for life.

I found this article and thought you all might like it too.
The heel of my foot is throbing! I don't know what is wrong with it, but something is! I still worked out, but took it very easy. I won't be doing anything else today. I'm just going to elevate it and ice it. Hopefully that will fix whatever is wrong with it.

The diet is going great today. I've already hat 64 oz of water which is unusual and I had the most delicious salad from Togo's. It's their Asian chicken salad. MMMM Good. I only use have the dressing and pick out most of the little wonton things.

Free day frenzy

I have noticed a discernible pattern to my free day frenzies... and it involves cheese and lots of it.

I love, love, love cheese but I don't eat it at all during the week. (or bread) How do I survive it?

I have found that no matter where we go to eat on my free day that I eat something with cheese.. cheese enchiladas, cheesy pizza, cheese dip and tortilla chips,

Ahhh... the power of cheese.

This week we went for the new Pizza Hut poppers only to be disappointed. They were out of them. I was not happy. In fact they wound up giving us our drinks and salad free because they not only screwed up my free day but they also put sausage on my pizza after I asked them not to.

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I had a dream about wearing a sexy red dress the other night. I think I will buy myself that red dress and hang it on my closet door for inspiration.



isn't that sexy? now if I could just get the body to go with the dress.....

It was a busy weekend! We went to my sister-in-laws house to celebrate Erin's birthday. We had a great time. I had pizza and ice cream cake but other than that managed to be pretty good. I'm sure I burned off most of the calories chasing around my neice and jumping on the trampoline. My sister-in-law and I decided to have a competition to see who could bench press the most. Really, I just wanted to see how much I could lift, but she insisted on seeing who could do more. I totaly smoked her! I maxed out at 105. When I did 100 I could feel it and at 105 I could barely lift it back up. Not to shabby huh? I've never really been into weight lifting so I'm not sure what is the norm here, but David said it was really good.
I made chicken orientale for our Super Bowl festivities. They were delicious and nutritious. I think if I make them again I will add a little spice.
I now have Mondays off and am so proud of myself for going to workout after taking Erin to school. It would have been easy to just take the exit and come back home, but I didn't. I went to work out and acctually pushed myself really hard.
I'm going to do a HIIT session this evening after I pick up Erin and that will be it for the day.
I went shopping today and bought a super cute new pair of pants with little gems going down the side. I love em! They are my new favorite jeans. :)

Dear Becky

I miss your blog.

Love,
Kristen

:o)

Saturday

Ahh, the weekend is here. It's a beautiful day here in Oklahoma, sunshine, 65 degrees, very nice.

Mark and I are fixing to go for our walk. I'm being good today, had my oatmeal for breakfast, eggs for lunch but I'm thinking about tomorrow... Free Day!! Can't decide for sure where I want to go eat, all I know is that I don't want to cook tomorrow. I've been thinking about that new Pizza Hut commercial I saw, the one with the cheese popper crust. Yummy! or maybe Mexican. I don't know, will just see how I feel tomorrow when it is time to choose.

Choices are good.

Seth's buddy, Kevin, spent the night with him last night. When his Dad, Dax, came to pick him up he told me that his doctor told him he has to lose weight. They are walking every day, watching their diet. I am going to try to get them to join us here. The accountablity of having blog/diet partners has helped me so much and I want to see them succeed, too.

So everyone give a shout out to Dax and Renee and make them feel welcome here at skinny.

Sandy, you might remember Dax (Frantz) his Mom is Vicki Frantz.

TGIF

I've got to admit: staying track on the weekends is hard for me. Saturdays are my cheat day, but Friday and Sunday, I am usually so tired, I just want to eat whatever I want.

Another admission: today I ate a butterhorn danish thing and half a bagel with cream cheese. Neither are terribly bad, but definitely not on my plan, you know? And the danish is just chock-full of refined sugar. When I am tired, my body craves carbs like crazy! In fact, most of the things I am craving for my cheat days are very "carby"--pancakes, cookies, that sort of thing.

I find my will power really fades when I'm tired. What do you all do to keep yourself going and motivated when the weekend comes or when you are tired?

Water, weights-->Finishing up my 14th cup right now. This morning I did lateral raises (shoulders), chest flyes, barbell pullovers (back), lunges and sumo deadlifts (great for inner thighs and hamstrings).
Cardio-->Not scheduled today. Had a good HIIT session last night.
Diet-->Mostly on, other than two exceptions above.

How are y'all doing today?

My pattern in the past has been to start a diet do fine for a while, cheat one day, and then give up as if one day of cheating ruined the entire diet and rendered me incapable of any weight loss.
This time things have been different. As you all have seen from my posts I have slipped, fallen, and picked myself back up and kept going several times over the last month. Today was one of those face in the mudd days. I had chocolate and a cup cake. It wasn't horrible. I probably went over on my calories by a couple hundred. I felt guilty, but this time I didn't feel like throwing my hands in the air and saying "Forget it. I can't do this."
I went shopping today and tried on clothes. I fit into a size 14 fairly comfortably. I didn't buy them because I don't want to stop here. I will buy new clothes when I can fit into a 12.
For my one month reward, I'm getting a pedicure tomorrow. I'm taking miss Erin with me for her birthday. It should be fun. :)

Heart rate monitors

I have always used rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to monitor myself during cardio, mainly because it's easy (just a scale of 1 to 10) and I'm a nerd and have never been able to accurately take my own pulse.

For those of you that go by heart rate, do you think it would be worth it to buy a heart rate monitor? I was reading about some recommended cardio exercise recently, and the article suggested going to 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. Right now I have no idea what the level is for me. I understand how you figure it out and everything (220-age, etc.), but I can never seem to get an accurate pulse reading with my fingers on my wrist or neck. Should I buy one of those doodads I can strap to my arm until I get the hang of it?

PS:
Yesterday: weights, diet, water-->all on.
I did the bench press (chest), overhead press (shoulders), bent over rows (back), squats (quads) and conventional deadlifts (hamstrings). I really worked my chest and back hard and I am sore today, but a good kind of sore. Legs aren't nearly as sore as usual; must be time to increase the weight! :)

Today: cardio (about to do it right now), water-->on.
Diet-->Way off. One of those work lunches again with NOTHING healthy on the menu. Seriously, I looked. I didn't go too crazy, but still. Of course, I'm not hungry at all now, so calories will stay pretty close to normal, even if the quality of those calories leaves something to be desired!

So, is my stomach ever going to shrink so that I don't feel like I'm starving?

and I'm wondering how much of the "hunger" I feel is mental ???

My overall weight loss since I began is 11 pounds.

Since Jan. 1 I have lost 1.5" in my bust
1" hips
1" belly

didn't lose any in my waist.

I didn't measure my thighs when I began but I'm thinking that most of the weight has come off my thighs and butt. At least, that's where Mark says I'm losing.

At first I was disappointed in the loss or the way it's coming off but then the determination kicked in. I know the areas I need to work on a little harder.

Damn that pilates video.

Reporting

My measurements and weight are pretty close to the same, but in the all-important mirror test, I am improving.

More important than that, I have only missed one workout this month (basically just ran out of time that day--gotta do it in the morning!), and I don't feel sugar has a stranglehold on me any more. I literally used to go out and buy a candy bar (mainly to make myself feel happy) almost every day at the gas station next to my work. The people there know my name! I felt addicted.

I haven't done that since before Christmas. Nixing sugar seemed insurmountable to me. But I'm not even eating the abundance of sweets available here at the office!

Holding Steady

I'm the same weight as last month, though I've gained a 1/4 of an inch around my stomach and lost (for no reason at all) an inch around my thighs.

Drum roll please.....

I weighed and did my body fat today. I've lost a total of 4lbs and droped from 37.8% to 37% body fat. That's about 3lbs of fat I'll never see again! I didn't do my measurments because I'm very bloated. That probably threw of the pounds and body fat just a little too.

What about you? What are you going to add to our pound-o-meter?

Wowsers!

Hi. I measured today. Good news: I have lost 5.5 inches overall. The most I lost was from my hips, then waist. I am very happy and remotivated. I haven't weighed yet, I'll do that when I go to work. Then I'll add it to the comments on this post. How'd you all do? I can't wait to hear.
Thanks for helping me.