A competition

I was talking to my sister-in-law's sister-in-law (did you follow that?) this weekend. She just organized a "Biggest Loser"-type competition, complete with some very stringent rules, among 13 of her friends and family. They are all pitching in $100 and whoever wins, gets $1,000. Second and third places receive $200 and $100 respectively.

I'm not suggesting we do that here at all. :)

But I thought it was kind of a fun thought...it made me wonder how motivating it would be to have a $1,000 prize to stick to a diet and exercise plan. I felt my competitive juices flowing! (I always say I'm not competitive, but sometimes I really am!) I wonder how we could motivate ourselves like that. I'd love to have a fire lit under my butt like that! Hahaha!

Muscle vs. Fat

This picture is a good reminder to me today that I'm (we're) not working just to be skinny or to have a low number on the scale, but to build muscle, be strong, not worry about the scale, and be healthy.

Thought I'd share it with y'all.

Gugulipid

gugulipid






What Is It?

From the resin of the mukul myrrh tree (Commiphora mukul) comes a remedy--gugulipid--that holds promise for lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels as effectively as certain prescription medications. Native to India, this tree is closely related to the plant that provides the fragrant myrrh described in the Bible.

The tree’s resin is called gum guggul, or guggulu. Traditional Ayurvedic healers in India have relied on this resin for centuries to treat arthritis and obesity. Interestingly, as early as 600 B.C. they were giving it to people who suffered from a condition associated with regular overindulgence in rich foods and a sedate lifestyle--what we now know as atherosclerosis.

Research has subsequently revealed that the refined resin (gugulipid) inhibits the formation of artery-hardening plaque. In addition, it has been found that active ingredients called guggulsterones encourage levels of cholesterol and fat to drop. This in turn lowers the risk for heart disease. Guggulsterones may also help to control arthritis-related inflammation and may aid in weight loss.

General Interaction

There are no known drug or nutrient interactions associated with gugulipid.

3 month evaluation

Ok, I went to the doctor yesterday for my 3 month check-up.

Overall I have lost 14 pounds.
My triglycerides have dropped 64 points... HOO RAY!! this was the one I was concerned about.
My cholestrol only dropped 1 point, but the LDL (bad) was up from last time.
I wonder what in the world that I'm eating would cause that?

I had hoped for a better report but I guess it's not too bad for only 3 months.
I will go back in another 3 and test again and again until I get the weight and the lipids under control.

Guest Blogger, Cheri aka McMom

I thought you guys would find this as interesting as I did. It is from Cheri (a friend of a friend and fellow blogger)who has been having trouble losing weight even tho she watches her diet and exercises a whopping hour to hour and a half a day.


Insulin Resistance
Monday I went to see an Endocrinologist. He confirmed that the pituitary tumor is not returning. That is a blessing! I discussed with him my inability to loose weight, even with all the exercise I do. He is running some lab tests, but believes I have Insulin Resistance (IR), also called Metabolic Syndrome. I fit the profile,( lower blood sugar, high blood pressure and high triglycerides), and what he said makes sense. IR leads to Type 2 diabetes and possible coronary problems. My Father has Type 2 diabetes. I wonder why a Dr. did not suggest this possibility sooner. I have been fighting my wt. for 5 yrs.

Anyway I have been researching it some and found some pretty good links.

http://syndromex.stanford.edu/InsulinResistance.htm

http://www.heartlandnaturopathic.com/irdiet.htm

I have been eating close to the way the diet tells you to eat, BUT I usually give myself a" free day" or have something sweet now and then. Doing that takes me back to "square one" again.
Until I get this reversed and loose some weight I can't indulge, even a little bit. This is going to take some work and discipline, but I have to do it! I want to be healthy and avoid some of the health issues my parents are dealing with.

The Dr. also asked what my life has been like the last few years-any stress?! When I told him about the 3 moves in the last year , major surgery and a husband headed for Iraq if he does not get a civilian job soon, he said my stress level is off the charts ! Stress raises cortisol levels and keeps you from loosing weight also

Happy Monday ladies! (I'm only happy because I have Monday's off!) Last week, I managed to meet all my goals. I drank my water each day, took my vitamins, ate my two pieces of fruit each day, and worked out for 45 minutes. This week I'm going to add having a salad for lunch each day. I really need more of the green stuff and having a salad is the best way to get it.
I've reset my long term goal to losing 20 lbs by my birthday. That's three months away. I bought a calander today so I have a visual of my timeline. I'm just going to keep doing what I know I should and see what happens.
The past few weeks, eating has been out of control, but I can feel myself starting to bring it back together again.
David also seems pretty searious about losing weight. He and his friend have been working out for two weeks now. I'm so proud of him!
Here's to a good week ladies! We're getting there even if it is two steps forward and one step back. :)

"Motivation Fatigue"

I found this nifty article on MNS today about "motivation fatigue" and sticking with fitness for the long haul.

One of the things they suggested Sandra is already doing: setting goals for the week. Sounds like a great idea. I also like the suggestion to congratulate yourself when you do something well; I don't think I do that enough. I always focus on what I did wrong.

Enjoy!

My favorite super foods this week have been:

in a very small container (8oz) I put:
1/4 c. or less of organic oats & honey granola
approx. 2T chopped walnuts
" 2T frozen blueberries
1/2 c. low fat vanilla yogurt

And another:

Bowl full of spring green bagged salad mix
thin sliced onions
2T crumbled feta cheese w/tom. and basil
1T balsamic vinaigrette
6 kalamata olives

I've had a healthy week. Did my exercise, ate well, took vitamins, rested from school.
No weight loss. No weight gain.

Tomorrow we are having a picnic in the park with several friends who had March birthdays.

A survey of sorts

Hey gals, I was just wondering...

For those of you doing the low-carb thing, how low have you gone? No more than 50 per day? No more than 100?

For those of you counting calories, what is your daily calorie goal?

Woo-hoo!

I worked out today for the first time in a week and it went great! :)

Following in her footsteps? Weird eating patterns

I watched my mom cook a lot of meals, usually three a day for most of her married life, but I rarely saw her eat any of them. My mom is a snacker. She'd eat meals at restaurants, but even then she always walked out with leftovers to snack on later.

And, until now, I've always been a meal eater, unless I was completely unhealthy (read binging or starving). Three full meals each day, and in restaurants there were rarely leftovers. I've always been able to eat. Pregnancy has changed this, drastically. The only meal I eat, with more than one kind of food on my plate, is breakfast. Meals make me sick. So, I've become a snacker. A mandarin at 9, crackers at 11, yogurt at 1, a hardboiled egg at 3, and then I snack through whatever I'm making for dinner. My stomach doesn't feel big enough to hold any more at a time. It's weird.

Thus, I think I've found the answer to my mother's eternal snacking -- after four kids her stomach just never returned to normal and she kept the same eating patterns.

I have no idea why I'm posting this. I just think it's weird.

This diet thing has me all in a funk. I just can't seem to get a grip on things. Yesterday, I made and ate chocolate chip cookes.
The workouts are great. I feel stronger and healthier. I was surprised at how far I am able to jog.
It's the food. I tell myself each morning that I'm going to make the right choices. I tell myself that when David calls to see if I want anything for lunch I will say yes to a salad. I tell myself that I must listen to the reasonable side of me which wants to eat a healthy balanced diet. I tell myself all of these things, but lately, I'm not listening.

Moving on up

Well, my foot is 95% better. I probably won't be doing any running for another week or two (it's raining like crazy here anyway...what's that saying...March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb? I hope so.), but I hope to get back to lifting weights and riding the stationary bike again tomorrow.

I've been feeling very sluggish lately, and J is blaming it on my lack of exercise. He's probably right. Pray that I can get my momentum back.

I'm still struggling a little with having appropriate goals, especially since my goal of "consistency" has been so consistently SCREWED UP as of late. :) I am pretty happy at the size I am, though sometimes I look in the mirror and think, "Ugh," like most of us ladies do from time to time. Health itself is always a good goal, but it's a little abstract.

Anyway, I appreciate you ladies, and you have really kept me on track, even as I've been unable to exercise (or walk--haha!).

mmmmmm... good

Walmart has been having Red D'anjou pears the last few weeks. Oh, my, they are so yummy. I like pears anyway but these are soooo good.
Our Walmart is doing a little better at carrying some better foods. I've been buying an organic granola there and this week they had a few choices of organic produce. I bought organic carrots and cauliflower.

I have two weeks before I go back to get my lipids tested again. I'm excited to find out what they are.
But, I'm gonna have to not do what I did tonight anymore...
The only time I like breakfast foods is at night and tonight I was craving them. I only ate 1 biscuit (200 calories), 1 sausage patty(230 calories), 1/4 cup gravy(60 calories), and two scrambled eggs(210 calories).

YIKES!!

But it was good.

I'm so happy. David has decided to start eating helthy with me. He and his friend started working out last week, and this weekend he said he would start watching what he eats on Monday. I've noticed that his stomache is getting bigger, and with a family history of heart diseas, that is scary. I want to make sure he is here with me for a very long time, so I am excited about his choice. Not to mention, it will help keep me on track if he doesn't have all the junk food in the house.
This week, I'm still focusing on taking my vitamins, drinking my water, eating my fruits and veggies, and working out. I'm also adding going to bed at a more reasonable time. I would like to be in bed no latter than 10 each night.
Here's to another week girls!

Falling Off the Wagon

Jeanne is right.

When i was teaching high school, I went to a conference where I attended a very memorable session on changing habits.

What applies to us is that, like Jeanne supposes, making the kind of changes we want is like learning to walk. Quitting any negative habit is a trial and error thing, but your intentions are a very important part of this process. The presenter substantiated his point by stating that of people who had long-term succcess in quitting cigarettes, a very large percentage had been "gearing up" for two years. That is, they had been talking to themselves about quitting, making starts at quitting, going back to it, and so on.

I am not sure we will be able to get around this, though we can do very well at this process overall. And I think togetherness helps. That said, today I am getting back on the wagon too.

Peace to Jeanne at your new job. I have given up worrying for lent! So I am totally with you today.

Today...

I start a new job. Well, it's a job I've sorta done before, in a place where I've worked before...but that was ten years ago, so actually its a new job. I'm nervous though.
Today I begin again with my new lifestyle of eating better and exercising more. I fell off the "wagon" BAD. But, shoot, you can only just get back up again, right? It's a journey; it's a marathon; it's a work in progress. Looking back on this particular aspect of my life, it looks like a toddler learning to walk. Sure is good to have other's hands to hold sometimes. Thanks, ladies.
Today, I choose to not worry about my kids (just because I'm their mom) or my husband who has been sick for three weeks, or my friend who has suffered numerous strokes.
Today I'm not going to watch so much TV. Today I'm not going to eat BBQ potato chips or cookies.
So far, so good. I've been up for 20 minutes. Coffee's perking. It's not raining. (I know some of you really need it, so I'll ask that it be sent to you.)
Have a good today, dear ones.

lurking

I go through this with all my blogs, the ones I read and the ones I write on: i turn into a blogosphere lurker for a while. Can't say why, it is like I run out of typing steam. I want you all to know that I am both reading your posts and cheering you on.

I am totally exhausted today, physically and mentally. I'm so tired my brain won't work correctly. I find myself just sitting here staring at the monitor, when I try to type the words come out all wrong and misspelled (good thing for spell check).

Besides all the moving, cleaning, painting, reorganizing the bedrooms I have been involved in some serious discussion on a couple of blogs this week.. heavy stuff. I don't take matters that have to do with eternity lightly. It has weighed on my heart and my mind and still is.

But, with all that going on I've stayed on track this week with food and exercise. I've increased my yoga by one new pose. My arms have been too tired to lift weights from all the painting and hauling but I did lift 3 nights. I've stayed within my calorie goals and I even lost a couple of pounds this week. It was a little hard to tell on the analog scale if it was 1 or 2 pounds, but I will take it. At least it moved a little.

I'm hoping to finish up the final details of the move by tonight and then do absolutely nothing for the next couple of days.

Hope you all have a restful weekend.

much love,
A

Not so great week

I have been injured all week. I worked out on Monday and Tuesday; both workouts were great. All day Tuesday my neck was really stiff. I couldn't turn my head to the right. I felt like Zoolander ("I'm not an ambi-turner!")

Then on Wednesday night, just as my neck was starting to relax and not hurt so badly, I started feeling a twinge in my right foot. Weird, huh? I have no idea what happened. (Maybe from wearing some tight shoes a few weeks ago...I don't know...) Now I can't walk on the inside of my foot or big toe; it's killing me. Which of course means very little exercising. Heck, I'm having trouble standing up for more than a few minutes, let alone keeping my balance or running.

Yesterday after work, my foot was so swollen I could barely shove it into my shoe to go drive home (fortunately, Jason was driving). I started bawling on the way home; poor J didn't know what to do. I had been holding it together all day (it was a huge day at work yesterday), but dang, it really hurt! He took me to McDonalds (not a great option, but there was no way I was cooking that night).

I was supposed to drive down to Portland today to see my best friend who I haven't seen in two years (she just moved there from Colorado Springs), but there is no way I can do it. I might be able to drive, but then I'd just need to have my foot up all night and wouldn't be able to really hang out with her. I'm so disappointed...about missing workouts, about not being able to go see Carissa, everything. Blah. These things may sideline me for a while, but I'm not going to let myself get discouraged.

I've found that, for me, the less I think about food the less of an issue it becomes. When I'm not franticly counting every calorie, I manage to stay within my calorie range.
I've done well with drinking my water, taking my vitamins, and eating all my fruits and vegetables this week. I've also been working out for at least 45 minutes each day. Yesterday I ran for an additional 20 minutes. My knees were killing me afterwards and I was bummed because I thought it was from the run, but when my elbows started hurting too, I knew it was from the weather. The temperature dropped and that always means achy joints for me. This morning my hips, knees, and elbows are hurting just enough to make me uncomfortable. I'm a walking barometer!
I really think that taking my multivitamin has a huge effect on me. It could be placebo. All I know is that when I didn't have it for the last two weeks, I was eating like crazy and having a craving for something I could never figure out. This week, I've been eating normally and no cravings. Of course there are many other factors involved, but I'm going with the multi.

Update -- I'm not sure where to post this

24 weeks
Total gain - 6 1/2 pounds
Ultrasound tech says baby boy is around 2 lbs, big for this early. They'd love to move the due date up and make me suffer through every two week appointments sooner, but I refused. Nate was 10 lbs at birth, and I was 8 lbs. 6 ozs., so I have no delusions about this being a small baby.
Baby and I are both perfectly healthy.

Pomegranate

A source of:

Vit B-6
Vit C
Polyphenols
Potassium

Pomegranate juice my have 2 - 3 X the anti-oxidant power of equal amounts of green tea or red wine.
As little as 1/4 cup per day(of juice) may improve cardiovascular health, reduce LDL cholesterol.
possesses potent anti-inflammatory phytochemicals (helps arthritis) and has been shown to lower blood pressure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have never eaten a pomegranate. Guess I ought to try it.

new products

I tried two new Schwan's products this week:

the fully cooked pork loin roast - probably the best loin roast I have ever eaten (except when Richard slow cooks one in the smoker)
very lean, 130 calories per serving (3 oz.)

and

the peach mango fruit bar - yummy!!! only 60 calories and no fat.

I went for a jog with Patches and Erin today. It was nice. We jogged for about 30 minutes. The lawn at the park we went to was freshly mowed and the scent was lovely. I'm planning on going to the park to jog four days a week. Two of the days I'll take Patches and two I'll go alone.
I'm learning to take this weight loss thing slowly and to not freak out when I don't get it all right. When I focus on keeping everything inline I lose it, but if I focuse on a few things I can keep it all going. This week I'm focusing on taking all my suplements, drinking 64 oz of water, working out 45 minutes each day and getting all my servings of fruits and vegetables.

Hi There

Well, this Wednesday is my last day at Kirk's. I had my exit interview today. It was okay and the general manager blessed me. I got a new job at my church. It feels kinda weird...I worked there before. When I left, I was totally burned out. FAL had become my world - my social circles, my worship, my ministry, my work. That stupid obsessive-compulsive way of mine. I know you understand. It has taken me literally years to get over it. My dearest friends are happy that I'm doing this, partly because it's a proving to myself that I'm not a failure. And it fits me.
And these changes bring with them their own set of stresses...ah well.
Darren is settling in in Mississippi. My heart is still spasming, but it's not an aching mess anymore. I was feeling bad and sorry for myself and I remembered my friend ? who had a son Darren's age who drowned. Sorta put things in perspective you know? Course I did not want to hear that last week, but I knew it would get better. And it has. I was able to redecorate Darren's room and it's cute and ready for guests. Anyone want to come? Any time, girls, I mean it.
So, 24 is on and I need to go to watch it. My husband is looking at me like I'm a crazy woman. AND he just said to me, "You'd rather watch THAT than SuperNanny?" Well, duh!
He loves WifeSwap shows, too. What a funny guy. I hope its making him realize I'm pretty normal. Ha ha. So, see you all soon. Eat well, exercise as much as you can and love who you are.
(How's that for profound.)

Happy Monday!

I thought this was a really good article about transitioning from an occasional exerciser to being a bonafide fitness freak. :) I can't even sum up all the good points it has, so be sure to check it out when you've got the time.

This is another cool article with bodyweight (no equipment necessary) exercises you can do at home. Good stuff.

Everything's going fine here. Peanut butter cookies are tempting me a little, but my workout this morning was awesome and I'm looking forward to a really great week!

Patches and I went for a long walk this morning around the park by Erin's school. I'm feeling much better about things. There's nothing like the fresh air to cleanse the sences and focus the mind.
I've come to far to think about giving up or going in the wrong direction.

recap

This week is one of those weeks you just get your red Sharpie and mark out with great big X's
and forget that it every happened and you move on to hopefully a better week next week.

I didn't over eat, didn't feel much like eating at all. But, I sure didn't exercise. I think we walked one day this week. I lifted once early in the week and then last night. I was surprised at how weak I felt just after 3 days of not lifting. I had to push to get thru my sets. So, of course, it was yet another week of no weight loss.

I did do a few really healthy things like buy some extra dark chocolate. I'm eating one small block each day. It pretty much fills the craving for chocolate I have this time of month with no guilt involved. I ordered and received two boxes of organic foods from Net Grocer and an order from Web Vitamins for bee pollen granules and lecithan granules to add to my daily smoothy. My refrigerator and pantry could be an ad for the Super Foods book.
It makes me feel good just to stand at the door and look at it all.

Sethy sometimes acts like I am slowly killing him when he stands at the door and looks. :)

I'm feeling very unmotivated today. I am very tired of couting calories. What do you do when you just lose the motivation. I love working out. That is never a problem, but this counting thing has my brain fried! I'm constantly thinking about food, what I can eat, what I can't, and what I want to eat regardless of weather I should or not.
Last night we grilled burgers. I chose to have my burger on a portabello mushroom rather than a bun, and I skipped the chese and chips. It was delicious so it wasn't a hard choice for me, but when everyone else had an ice cream, I had one too.
It feels like it's a constant battle to make the right choice. I thought it might be easier by now, but it seems like it's gotten harder.
Sorry for the whine, but I'm just feeling very frustrated this morning. I know it will pass. Thanks for listening ladies. :)

Totally unrelated to fitness, but...

I didn't want to put this on my regular blog, but I need some input from my friends.

What do and your spouse do when you get home at night? How do you spend your weekends with each other?

(Not including, um...sex.)

What does a typical week night or weekend look like for you? I know we all have kind of crazy schedules: Mark works a lot on weekends, David's at school, taking care of our kids. But...

Where this is coming from: sometimes (not always, but sometimes) Jason and I are too tired from working hard all day to do anything but stare at the History Channel all evening. I'm just wondering what other couples do, realistically, to make their time together quality time.

Other issues involved:

-We work in the same office in a high stress environment. When I say, "How was your day?"...well, I already know, and the day was probably frustrating. Talking about our days just takes work home with us and makes us irritated.

-He doesn't have a lot of outside interests for us to talk about. Other than work, which takes a huge chunk of his time and energy, he likes football and gardening. I have done my best to be interested in those things, but when football season is over and gardening season hasn't begun, the guy just doesn't do a lot.

Thanks for helping me out, y'all.

Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds are the best plant source of Omega-3 fatty acids.

A powerful source of:
fiber, protein, magnesium, iron and potassium, lignans (which are the phytoestrogens).

They have to be ground to be able to absorb the nutrients.

And, yes, my book says you can used them in quick breads or pancakes.

1 - 2 T. a day is all you need.

I've decided to go back to working out at Curves alternanting days between upper and lower body. I feel like I get a much better workout when I'm doing that. I'll probalby incorporate some free weights into my routine too.
Aola, does flax seed have the same benefits if it's baked into bread?
My co-worker is comming in early to work for me the last part of today and then I have four days off. It will be so nice! I hope it doesn't go by too fast.
Some things I'm lovin right now...
Sugar free instant chocolate pudding
Breyers all natural sugar free chocolate ice cream (Thanks for the idea Kirsten)
and pears!

I'M BA A AA CK

Hello Ladies,
Yes, I'm back from my travels, but I'm still recovering. I've missed you. I had internet one day, but all I could do was read, the connection was so weak.
I'm gonna have to start all over again. It's a good thing I'm not feeling guilty about it. So, Monday is my new first day.
I'll be reading and commenting this week.
Talk to you soon.

The bad thing about David being out of school is that I want to eat what he eats. I've been doing so great in the mornings! I've been packing my lunches and snacks. Today I had an omlet for breakfast with an orange and green tea. I have a light yogurt for a snack, and letuce wraps for lunch. My goal today is to not eat when I get home. I will have lunch at work around 12 and I don't want to eat again until 3 when I have my afternoon snack which will be 3 whole wheat crackers with laughing cow light cheese. I know if I can hold off, I will stay at my calorie range. It's those hours between 1 and 3 when I tend to snack like crazy. I know I can do this. I'll be checking in tomorrow to let you ladies know how I do.
With David home, I'm much less likely to workout. I ran for 30 minutes at work yesterday but did nothing else once I got home. I really feel like if I can just push myself through this it'll be great, but I'm having the hardest time staying focused.

Pumpkin, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, orange bell peppers

Pumpkin, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, orange bell peppers:

A source of:

Alpha carotene
Beta carotene
High fiber
Low calories
Vit. C and E
Potassium
Magnesium
Pantothenic acid

Associated with reduction in:

Cancer
Cardiovascular disease
Inflammatory conditions, ie., asthma and arthritis
Diabetes mellitus

Recommended amount:
1/2 cup 5 - 7 days per week

Chili's Molten Lava Cake...enough said?

Thought I would post my Super Foods list:

SUPER FOODS

Dark chocolate (100 calories of daily or 2 small nuggets)
Citrus fruits – lemons, grapefruit, limes, etc.
Kiwi
Blueberries – grapes, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries
Apples, pears
Plums, pomegranates
Pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes
Beans (all kinds)
Tomatoes
Soy (all soy products including edame, soy nuts, soy milk, tofu, etc.)
Avacado
Garlic
Onion
Broccoli (all brassicas including brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower)
Oats, flaxseed (all whole grains including wild rice, barley, couscous, etc.)
Nuts (all kinds)
Honey
Tea
Yogurt
Salmon, albacore
Turkey
Chicken breast
Cinnamon
Black Pepper
Turmeric
Oregano
Olive oil, canola oil

I can't convince myself to like cottage cheese again, but I can deal with riccota. I'm having my midmorning snack of one fourth cup of low fat riccota cheese, 1/2 a sliced pear, and a drizzle of honey. It's yummy. When I did the South Beach diet there were a lot of deserts made with riccota cheese. One I really liked had cocoa powder and splenda. It was pretty good. I had my green tea this morning and felt similar levels of awakness as when I have coffee. I don't think this will be a difficult transition at all. I planned out my meals yesterday and had my lunch bag ready for work this morning. Today this weight loss journey seems doable and maybe even a little exciting.

somebody slap me!!!

Ok, I am feeling bloated (probably because I am), like I am never going to lose anymore weight.. I doomed to be fat for-ever, hormonal and weepy.
I just had a quick email from Jeanne, she didn't really say anything, much, and I sat here and cried.
I read Rachelle's post, again, about her pain and I cried.
I'm in one of those "who gives a flyin' rip" moods...................

If I had any "bad" food in my freakin' house I would go eat it, right now, but silly me refuses to buy junk so I have no reserve stash. :)

organics

For those of you who don't have an organic grocery store close to you I have discovered that Net Grocer www.netgrocer.com has a pretty good selection of organic products at reasonable prices and the shipping is not too bad.

Kristen, I took your advice and am having green tea this morning. It's an adjustment from my morning mocha, but I like it. I've had green tea before. I used to drink it every day, but got out of the habbit. I'm going to try replacing my morning mocha with green tea except for on Sunday mornings.
I bough The Biggest Loswer book at Target last night. The diet is everything I already know. There are some good recipes and I love the stories of the cast members. They are very inspiring. There is also so good workout advice.
I finally started my period. Last week was horrible! I just wanted to sleep and eat. I didn't even workout yesterday because I was so tired. I'm feeling much better today other than cramps. (nothing midol won't cure) The week before my period always kills me.
Comming to work at 8 a.m. rather than 6 a.m. was nice. The sun is out and shining a complete 180 from yesterday when it was hailing! I'm trying to convince David and Erin to wake up in time tomorrow to drive to the nature reserve down the street from us and enjoy the sunrise together. We can't see it from our place and I really miss it!
Have a great weekend ladies!

Another Article...

Weightlifting may help women battle abdominal fat

By just lifting weights twice a week for an hour, women can battle the buildup of tummy fat that often takes hold with aging, a new study suggests.

And they didn't even diet.

The study focused on intra-abdominal fat, the deep fat that wraps itself around organs and is the most unhealthy because it's linked with heart disease.

"One of the most common complaints in women, especially as we continue to age, especially as we go through menopause, the No. 1 complaint is abdominal growth," said Dr. Tracy Stevens, a cardiologist who directs the women's heart center at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City.

"It's the apple-shaped person I'm most worried about," said Stevens, who was not involved in the study. "The more central the fat, the more it's laid down in the arteries."

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and is being presented Friday at an American Heart Association conference in Phoenix.

In it, 164 overweight and obese Minnesota women ages 24 to 44 were divided evenly into two groups. One group participated in a two-year weight-training program and the other was simply given a brochure recommending exercise of 30 minutes to an hour most days of the week. Both groups were told not to change their diets in a way that might lead to weight changes.

Women who did the weight-training for two years had only a 7 percent increase in intra-abdominal fat, compared to a 21 percent increase in the group given exercise advice.

The strength-training group also decreased body fat percentage by almost 4 percent, while the group just given advice remained the same.

"I think we need to provide people with multiple possibilities, multiple roads to the same end. If this is what you're willing to do, I'll tell you what you can get out of it," said the lead author of the study, Kathryn Schmitz, an epidemiologist at the school of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Researchers reported only marginal effects from the training on total fat mass and the fat you can pinch under the skin.

Using both free weights and machines, the women in the strength-training group worked out for about an hour and were encouraged to gradually increase the weights they lifted.

"This is not a program you could do in your home, unless you can afford to have a full gym in your basement," Schmitz said.

The women, who completed 70 percent of the advised exercise throughout the study, were in supervised strengthening classes for 16 weeks.

Schmitz said the focus was on chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, lower back, buttocks and thighs. She noted that adding muscle mass can help overweight women move faster so they burn more calories.

Dr. Rita F. Redberg, a cardiologist at the University of California San Francisco, pointed out that since muscle burns more calories than fat, increasing muscle mass means losing more calories.

"Certainly, any kind of exercise is better than not doing anything," Redberg said. But for "maximal benefit, cardio with weight training will get a lot more bang for your buck."

"I think exercise is the fountain of youth," she said. "If it was a pill, everyone would be taking it."

I got a new book yesterday, Super Foods/ Healthy Lifestyle. Most of what is in it I already knew but I love reading about nutrition and health related issues.
I have learned one new super food that I was not aware of... the kiwi.
I love kiwi but I had no idea it was so power packed.
Most of what I eat is on the super foods list.

What are you guys planning for your weekend.
We work and then we work some more and that's about it.
Mark has people in the studio tonight and tomorrow.
Sunday Jason and Shyla, Levi and Christi are coming for dinner.

I am making a shrimp and chicken alfredo, salad, and bread for our meal together.
and lemon bars for dessert.

And, that takes care of my weekend.

Hope you guys have a safe and healthy weekend.

What Kind of Eater Are You?

This came to me in one of my daily Denise Austin e-mails. Thought I'd share it with y'all. I don't think it's "all-inclusive" obviously, but it is good advice. (I'm more of a rebel eater myself.)

Part of overcoming your struggle with weight is understanding how it began. Need some help getting started? See if you can recognize your overeating type. Keep in mind that you may be a combination of these:

The Indulger: For indulgers, eating is used to nurture and reward. While you should be good to yourself, that doesn't have to come with calories attached. Think of some nonfood rewards instead. How about a bubble bath, pedicure, or some new flowers from your garden, for example?

The Critic: Critics are always telling themselves that they're never going to be good enough — so why bother? "You can't, you won't, you aren't…" And on and on it goes. Remember, being fit isn't about being perfect. It's about doing your best and getting back on track when you derail.

The Rebel: Rebels eat "bad" foods to feel good. But remember, unhealthy eating doesn't "get back" at anyone. In fact, the only one you're hurting is yourself. So dye your hair, listen to alternative music, or wear red when everyone else is wearing gray, but skip the chocolate cake!

The Victim: The voice inside the victim's head says, "You just can't stop yourself. You're helpless." You eat and eat, then tell yourself it wasn't your fault. There's always an excuse. But the reality is, the only one who can control your eating is you. So stop feeling powerless and start taking charge!

another question

I have a question, too.

My knees are in pretty bad shape, when I walk up stairs they creak and grind (sounds awful). I don't have a lot of pain in my knee but some....

I have started doing some knee bending type exerices, going very slowly. I know that any exercise and especially weight bearing exercise is good for the bone and also good for people with arthritis but how much is enough or too much? I shouldn't push to the point of being painful, should I ?

Let's play 100 questions....

I'm not hungry. I'm not hungry. I'm not hungry. Maybe if I keep repeating it, I won't eat like a starved crazy person. :)
I only worked out for ten minutes yesterday. I felt really guilty about it, but I'm over it now. It's a new day, and I'll workout today.
I've noticed that if I don't have my short not fat no whip mocha, I eat more. I'm sure it's the caffine in them that keeps my appetite a suppresed, and that's okay with me. They are only 110 calories.
Hey Kristen, weren't you asking about Faxseed Oil? I found this article and that you might like to give it a read.
Anybody have any suggestions for when I should change the amount of weight I'm doing in my strength training routine? Is it better to have more weight or more reps? Also, I know I need to skip days between stregth training, but what if I do two strength training sessions a day? Let me explain. I am currently doing TBL strength workouts which use dumbells for arm workouts and some but and thigh stuff. It focuses a lot on the biceps and triceps. Is it okay to add a Curves workout on the same day I do TBL stuff as long as I still have a day in between so that I get a more overall workout?
And one final question that has been bugging me. What is a better factor in calories burned..the activity or your heart rate? For example at Spark People it says that doing a circut program for 30 minutes I would burn 334 calories or something like that. However, it I put in 30 minutes doing Curves circut it drops to 204. But, if I am keeping my heart rate at 80% couldn't it be more than that? Where do they come up with these numbers? Is there a way to calculate it myself? have I asked too many questions?
Thanks ladies!

Slow and Steady wins the race....

Ok, you guys keep telling me that.

March stats:

I only lost 3 pounds in February (makes a total of 14 since we began)
I lost 2 inches in my bust,
none in my waist or hips.

Mark swears he can tell a difference in my tone. Which I choose to believe.

I need to lose 6 pounds in March to have reaced my goal of losing 20 pounds before I go back to the doctor. Hopefully, the warmer weather and working in my yard will help.

I am feeling pretty disappointed but I wont' give up!

I was relieved to step on the scale this morning and see the number back to what it was prior to my food frenzy. That, of course, means I have not lost anymore weight, but I can deal with that. I did my complete measurements for the first time since January 10th. The results are inspiring. I've lost a total of 7.5 pounds, 2.71 pounds of body fat, and 13 inches. I am adjusting to the fact that I don't lose weight fast. It's a slow process for my body, but it's worth it.
I did much better diet wise yesterday. I managed to stay within my calories and not feel like I was straving. I think somedays our bodies just need a little more for whatever reason.
Other than weight loss, I am seeing other more significant results. I am more capable of pushing myself to workout and less likely to come up with excuses not to. I can fit into a smaller size jean. I have more energy durring the day. I feel better emotionaly. I haven't had the ups and downs that usually plague me especially during my period.
I'm going to reward myself with some Burt's Bees citrus facial scrub. :)

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.