2008 - A Reflection.

In every education class that I took while pursuing my degree, the idea of reflection was driven home. I don't know if every education program at every college puts as much emphasis on this as MTSU does or not, but I can tell you that reflection has taught me how to be a better teacher each time I give a lesson. If the reflection process has helped me that much in my professional life, I figure, why not give it a try on my attempt to regain control of my health. So, here I go.

What has worked for me this year: 1) Not being obsessed with a specific diet plan that lays out each meal for me - it seems that when I've tried this, I'm successful for a few days to a few weeks, then BOOM, I've failed & I'm done forever. 2) Relying primarily on exercise to drop the weight. 3) Support - the idea of putting the good, the bad, & the ugly out there for the rest of the world to see on the Internet scared me a bit, but I must say that when I feel like quitting that I think of all of you & keep going. You all know just what to say to lift me up when I'm down & I appreciate each of you for it. 4) Realizing that people who are fit are not judging you when you walk into the gym/class/etc. I have actually found that a lot of the people that I was originally intimidated by are some of my most vocal supporters - you know who you are & THANK YOU! 5) Finally understanding that I didn't gain this 80+ extra pounds in a matter of weeks & that it will take some time to drop it. This is a lifestyle change & when I fall off the wagon - I just need to get back up & on it again.

This year, I hope to do a better job making healthy nutritional choices. Although I don't believe in following a specific diet, I will be trying to follow a general plan about how many calories/fat/carbs/etc that I want to consume on a daily basis. I hope to increase my activity & try some new things as far as exercise goes. Yes, I totally plan to keep up going to Zumba, but I'd really like to gradually teach myself to run a little. There's a small group of ladies that I would like to try & run with some, but I feel like I need to drop a little more weight before I am anywhere near their league (not because they care if I'm fat or not, but because I physically won't be able to keep up with their pace). I also really want to incorporate some strength training in my program this year - this is a big hurdle for me because I have major mental issues about the weight room. Honestly, I'd like to try a spin class, but again, from what I've heard I think I need to get a little more physically fit first, but my goal is to try it by April.

So as we close out this year & begin to look forward to a new one. I am happy with my progress so far. Even after the gain during the holidays, I've lost a total of 17.5 lbs since beginning this journey at the end of September. Since mid-October, I've lost a total of 14 inches off my body. I can't wait to see what I push myself to achieve this year. My overall weight loss goals include dropping another 67.5lbs this year & I want to lose about 6 sizes. I realize that this is a hefty goal, but with hard work & determination - I totally believe I can achieve it. Also this year will be my 15 year high school reunion. I haven't gone to any so far; quite frankly, because I was too embarrassed to go. I may not be at my final goal by then, but I totally know that I can be close & finally after many, many years of being self conscience, be comfortable in my own skin.

Happy New Year to each of you!! Thank you for all your support!!!

DETERMINED!

I've made terrible choices over the 2.5 weeks & now it's time to deal with the effects of it all. My official weight is up 2.5 lbs from my low point. Considering all that I've consumed & how little I've moved - I'm ok with this. Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy that I did this to myself. If I'm honest with myself I know that I COULD have gotten some form of exercise in, even when my class isn't meeting & that I most certainly COULD have not splurged quite so much on all the holiday fare. That being said, what is done, is done. Now it's time to pick back up, refocus & recharge. I've decided to join Scale Junkie's Healthy You Challenge this year, so I'm starting my weight tracker over at the bottom of the page. So please, don't think that I've gained it all back or anything - but I'm setting a new goal for a new year & a new me! I've also decided to join Sparkpeople since I've heard a lot of good things about it - any of you who have experience with this, please feel free to jump in & share.

What I'm still happy about? I didn't gain as much as last year. I had more self control than last year. I'm not quitting! As they say, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. My philosophy on all of this is that I'm trying to change my life permanently, not just lose some weight. Of course, I want to see the weight come off, but mostly I want to be healthy & teach my girls by example how to be healthy & active. I am determined to be successful!

Ready to Get Going Again!

I'm so ready to get back to normal. We have our last Christmas get-together tonight then things should get back to normal. I have over indulged, but probably not as much as last year - so I'm considering it a success. I won't post my official weight up/down until Monday, but I will tell you this, I did weigh out of curiosity yesterday & was only up 1/2 lb - any gain is not good, but considering I haven't been to the rec center in 2 weeks & have eaten well more than my share of heavy foods, I'm ok with this. My classes don't resume until after the new year, but I'm planning on at least walking the track some next week to start feeling better again. It amazes me how much worse I feel when I'm not exercising. We were blessed to have a great Christmas with our family - Liza was sick, but other than that it was great! Hope you all had a great holiday & I wish each of you the very best in the coming year!!

I'm still here.

Don't worry - I haven't dropped off the face of the earth or anything, we've just been amazingly busy & I'm just trying to maintain during these busy holiday times. I haven't really done much in terms of the weight loss journey & kinda don't expect to until they start classes back up at the beginning of the year. I guess they cancel them because so many people are crazy busy & can't come during those times anyway.

Last Friday we took the girls to Opryland to see the lights - it was fun, but not the WOW I was expecting. We had a good time nonetheless. Saturday was a busy baking/sewing day trying to get things ready for the holidays & then Brock & I left the girls with my parents & went out for dinner for our anniversary (8 years today, by the way). I told him that we finally have been married longer than we dated (only by 3 months - lol). After our normal Sunday church activities, we had Brock's family over for dinner. We had fun, and the kids LOVE playing with their cousins. I wanted everyone to come over while we still had all of our holiday decorations up. Today, my mom & I finished up our Christmas shopping & were gone literally all day. So please don't think that I've given up or don't care about everyone - we're just really, really busy. In case I don't post again before Christmas, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!! I promise, I'll be back on my normal schedule after the new year. Hope each of you have a wonderful, blessed holiday season!!

I'm OFF - UGH.

I have been so off lately. We've had stuff going on all week. I had to wait on the tv repairman to come on Tuesday & didn't make it to class. Wednesday night was no better - I had to help Alyssa make cookies for her preschool party today (I had promised) & ran out of time to go. This morning, I really should have gone, but I didn't want to get all sweaty & gross before her party, so I was a slacker yet again. It wouldn't be so bad, but there won't be any classes again until after the new year. I know we've got stuff going on nearly every day till Christmas and I'm afraid that I'm not going to get around to moving again until after the new year. I know I don't need to do that. Maybe I can at least get my butt to the rec center & walk the track some until classes resume. All encouragement welcome - apparently I need it!!

The End of the Challenge

Well, my weight is up a little today - which I expected since I ate what I wanted to at both Christmas parties I went to this weekend. I know myself well enough to know that I hold on to that kind of stuff for a few days & will be back down to normal by the end of the week. Regardless, today was the last day to weigh-in & be measured for the Marcrom's Pharmacy Win To Lose Challenge. I KNOW I'm not even close to being the individual winner, but that's ok because I got a lot of motivation competing & have developed a habit in exercising. So here are my final results of the 8 week challenge: I've lost 9.5 lbs (could've been more if I'd tried harder on nutrition, but that will be a goal for the new year) & a total of 14 inches. I'm really happy with those results. I feel better & it has help me to start something that I consider a lifestyle change.

I took the girls for Christmas pictures today & by the time we got back into town & paid all the lovely monthly bills - I was out of time, so no rec center today. I am looking forward to Zumba tomorrow!! Hope you all have a wonderful week!!!

Need A Push Please.

I did get up & go to Zumba this morning, but I'm just not feeling like myself lately. I don't know if it's just the gray winter sky & evenings getting dark so quickly or what. I feel BLAH. I don't know how else to describe it. I'm having a really hard time getting motivated, even though I know I feel SOOOOOOO much better after a workout. I'm also not eating well at all. Again, I know that when I eat a little more cleanly that I feel better, but lately I just seem to want to put anything & everything in my mouth. So, I've decided that I would call on my blog friends to give me a little push reminding me why I started this journey & how important it is that I don't allow myself to take steps backwards. Have a great weekend!!!

A Major Award!!

For those of you who know me really, really well - you might know that A Christmas Story is my all time favorite Christmas movie. I LOVE the part where Ralphie's dad wins "A Major Award" - the lady's leg lamp complete with fishnet stockings. So when Amy at Surfing or Spaghetti (who's blog I love, by the way) let me know that she'd given me award, the leg lamp is exactly where my mind went.

So without further ado, the instructions were as follows:

1. Please put the logo in your blog
2. Place a link from the person, from whom you received the award. (I already did this, overachiever me!)
3. Nominate at least 7 or more
4. Put the links of those on your blog. Leave a message on their blog to let them know
6. Sigh of relief, you earned that award b/c I just made you work for it!



I have decided to keep these awards to my fellow getting healthy friends' blogs. My nominees are:

1. Lana at The Fire Inside, for so many reasons, but heck - she's an Ironman.

2. Mizfit who I'm sure has already been nominated, but gosh I love her.

3. Bethany at Running on a Prayer, because although she's just getting started, she's doing so darn good.

4. Thinking Thin, for so many reasons - hang in there girl, things will start looking up soon.

5. Annette at Annette's Awakening, because she has made such unbelievable progress & is absolutely inspiring.

6. Butterfly at I Can See It In Your Face, because she's such a hoot & another inspiring weight loss story.

7. Runningnan at Running From The Pudge, because no matter what's going on, she seems to push through it.

There are so many of you that I find inspiring!!

By the way, on a quick update. I'm down a little bit more this week for a total of 20lbs lost. My eating has been off the charts & between holiday events/commitments & sick children - I haven't gotten nearly enough work outs, but I haven't given up either. Any progress is more than what I used to get & hopefully after we get through the holidays I can get into full swing again. Hope everyone is having a great week!!!

Getting Back On Track - Again!

It seems like I post that a lot - having to get back on track that is. Oh well, getting back on track is much better than totally giving up. I don't have a lot to report - just that I went to Zumba last night & again this morning. Now, the rest of the weekend is always a challenge because I don't have another Zumba class till Tuesday. I'm thinking I might head to the rec ctr tomorrow & walk the track & do a little strength training. I have stayed out of that area up to this point, quite frankly, because I don't fit in. That being said, I think it's time that I overcome another fear I have & get out of my comfort zone for my own good. The sooner I start - the sooner I will be fitting in - nicely. Hope you all have a great weekend!!

No Zumba :(

I was so looking forward to resuming my normal schedule with Zumba class this morning, but it was a no go today. My husband, who had still not passed that pesky kidney stone, had a doctor's appointment & I went with him since we didn't know if there might be any procedures that had to be done. The great news is that he finally passed the stone tonight - which is really good since they were going to do surgery tomorrow to remove it. This means that I can resume my Zumba schedule tomorrow night - yay! We had our "motivational" meeting tonight with my local challenge. My team is currently in 3rd place & we have 2 more weeks to go. Hopefully with some hard work, we can pull ahead. Well, I'm tired & off to bed. Hope everyone has a great week.

Surprising Results!

Wow, miracles never cease to happen. I totally expected for my weight to be up again this week. I was up last week & after Zumba only meeting one time last week I was sure I'd be up again this week. I didn't even get to do my Zumba dvd because our tv died in our living room on Friday & Brock moved the one from the sunroom into the living room & didn't hook up any of the dvd players since hopefully this is temporary until the tv repair people can come. Anyway, the point of all of this is that I'm actually back down this week. Not only did I lose the gain I had last week, but I've lost an additional 1.5lbs. Yipee!! Zumba is back to normal this week & hopefully I will be too. Hope you all have a great week!!!

The Good & The Bad.

Well, I have good news & I have bad news. The bad news is that I haven't had any real exercise since Tuesday. I let myself get too busy with preps for the holiday on Wednesday & Thursday just didn't seem to leave any time either. This morning we woke up to our living room tv being dead, which only leaves the small one in the sunroom & the tiny one in the girls' playroom. I could do my workout in the sunroom if I moved the furniture around, but I guess I feel a little guilty taking the only area that you can sit & watch tv for an entire hour from my husband - who, by the way, still has his kidney stone. Oh well, enough excuses - I will do my best to make time to get some exercise in this weekend & make up for lost time. We were supposed to go out of town this weekend, but it looks like we won't make it now (unless by some miracle my hubby passes this stone by early tomorrow morning), but it will allow us to get the outside holiday decor put up & hopefully I'll be able to pull some make-up time on the exercise.

Now, on to the good news. I did NOT eat until I was sick yesterday. I ate an ample plate, more than I should have, but not as much as I could have. I also stuck to the plan & only had one piece of dessert. I had a standard slice of chess pie. Yes, it was way more calories than I should have eaten, but way less than I typically indulge in during Thanksgiving. Well, I'm off to bed - hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Time To Face the Music

Well, I've been off track for the last few days. We had made smores at our fire pit in the back yard on Saturday night & that probably wouldn't have been a big deal except that Brock woke up at 4am Sunday morning needing to go to the ER with kidney stones - AGAIN. He spent 2 days in the hospital & I sat there beside him sitting, drinking diet soda & eating whatever crap they might have at the hospital. Needless to say, I'm up 1.5lbs this week. That being said, all is not lost, I'm still down a lot of weight overall & today, I got back on track with Zumba class. I hope I can hold my own with class not meeting anymore this week & Thanksgiving get togethers. I will be trying - HARD. Well, I wish you all a very happy & healthy Thanksgiving.

Nothing New.

Nothing new to report. I went to Zumba last night & this morning. Lisa did add some "new" dances to the routine. Well, new to me - apparently she reintroduced some dances they used to do on a regular basis. I enjoyed the change up, but I like the usual stuff too. This Saturday & next Tuesday morning are the last opportunities for Zumba before Thanksgiving. Guess I will have to break out my Zumba dvd quite a bit over the holiday week. The rec center closes early Wed & is closed all day Thursday. Since I will be out of pocket Saturday & Sunday I guess that means lots of dvd time. The key is to make sure that I keep the exercise up.

I do have a game plan concerning Thanksgiving & the get together we'll be attending on Saturday. My plan is to eat whatever I want, just not to the point that I'm physically uncomfortable (like usual). The other part of the game plan is concerning dessert - my weakness. Ok, I'll be the first to admit it, I normally eat a plate of dessert that is nearly as big (if not bigger) than my dinner plate. I always get a "taste" (translates to portion) of everything I want to try (translates to all the stuff I got last year + any new ones that look good). Of course, I'm always going to "share" (translates to give them one bite of each item) with the kids. This year, I know skipping dessert is probably not going to happen, but I will choose what I like best & have one portion (normal size) & that's it. Of course, I'll be doing that dvd when my Zumba class isn't meeting. Wish me luck!!

WOO HOO!!!

So today is my weigh-in day for the challenge & I had forgotten that this week also included measurements (they take them, week 1, 5, & 8). I'm so excited. I've lost 3.5 inches from my hips, 1.5 inches from my chest, & 1 inch from my thighs. I lost 1/4 inch from my neck, just under my chest & waist at my belly button. I did gain 1/2 inch in my calf, but I KNOW that is muscle from the Zumba. I also gained 1/2 inch in my arm, but when we measured during week 1, I had on a short sleeve shirt & my arm was by my side, this time I had on a long sleeve shirt & my arm was kinda out because of the extra material from the shirt. I'm so happy with my results so far. All of this & 9.5 of the pounds I've lost in 4 weeks - YIPEE!!

Steadily Moving

Hooray!! I'm down another 2lbs! I looked back today to see when I started all of this business & the journey began for me around Sept. 22 - this means that I've lost 17.5lbs in just under 2 months. I'm really excited & I know if I could just get my eating under control, who knows what kind of results I might see. So far, what is driving the loss is exercise. I think that's why it's working for me. When I have tried to lose weight in the past, I have focused on food. The problem with that for me is that I'm a little obsessive/compulsive when it comes to food (& probably a few other things - lol). When I go on some plan that outlaws specific foods, I'm just not very successful for more than about 2 weeks. Based on what all of you are telling me, good old fashioned calorie counting seems to work pretty well. I'm not much on researching all the foods that I'm wanting to eat - so I'm going to consider doing the WW thing, since the points seem like they'd be easier to keep up with, but I haven't made up my mind yet, so don't flog me if next week I decide to try something else - lol. I did purchase (from ebay) a beginner & advanced Zumba dvd for the days that our class doesn't meet at the rec. I have only tried the beginner tape so far. It's not nearly as hard of a work out as what we do in class, but it's a good option for me when we don't have the class. Brock even did it with me Friday night, which shows the great amount of support he is giving me because he doesn't really like to dance. Well, I've got tons of errands to get done today, so I'm out. Have a great week everyone!!

Just Thursday.

I don't have much to say today, no amazing news or anything. I did go to Zumba class both last night & today. I will say that last night was the toughest the class has ever been. I don't know if it was because it was hot due to so many people or what. I guess I also hung in there a little more instead of modifying when I needed to because there were people I knew, but don't necessarily hang out with, so I was more self concious, especially since once again, I was the biggest in class. Hey, that's ok - these people will be amazed at my transformation before their eyes if they will just keep coming.

I still am not following any food plan & would like any suggestions from you guys out there in blogland. I'm not a real fan or extremely rigid plans, but I need something to follow & just haven't really seen anything (nor have a looked very hard yet) that I love. Since most of you have probably had some experience with a plan I haven't tried before - I'd love to hear from you. Thanks in advance for your help!!

Date With Zumba.

I've got a date with Zumba class tonight. My wonderful husband is watching the girls so that I don't have to drag them to the rec center & take up spots in childcare that others might need. This will be the first time I've taken the class on a week night, so a little out of my comfort zone in terms of not knowing who else will be in the class. I know that's silly to worry about stuff like that, but I do. Hopefully here in a few months it won't bother me so much. Well, I've got to try to get the house cleaned back up before Brock gets home - that burns calories, right?

Slow But Sure.

Slowly but surely, the weight keeps coming off. I down another 2lbs this morning. I realize that this is all exercise, because my eating hasn't been great. I think I need to try to kick the eating into high gear now. I have 5 more weeks in the local challenge & I really need to turn up the heat if I want to be in the top 10 or so people. Well, we've got a lot of little jobs to get done today - so I'm out. Have a great Monday!!

I LOVE ZUMBA!!

It just gets to be more & more fun every time. Maybe because I am finally not totally lost on what we are going to do for several songs. I still get a killer workout - I sweat like you wouldn't believe. I'm also feeling soreness in my legs, so I know I'm working those muscles too. I got my mom, & two other friends to go this morning. Our class was pretty full. I already take the class on Tues/Thurs morning, but found that they have a Wednesday night class in addition to the 2nd/4th Saturday schedule. I'm going to try going to the night class this week. Maybe if we keep having such great attendence, they will add more to the schedule - I hope so. So I think my new schedule this week will be: Mon-some sort of weight training or do the Power 90 tapes, Tues/Wed/Thurs-Zumba, Fri-some sort of weight training or Power 90 again. Saturday this week won't offer Zumba, but I will try to get a walk or something in & take Sunday for rest. I didn't work out Mon or Fri this week, so I really need to make a point to do something tomorrow. That way I can max my points for my team in the local challenge. Well, I've got to take Alyssa to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese today, so I gotta run. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Happy Thursday!

I don't have a lot to say today, but I did make class both yesterday & this morning. Yesterday, Joyce absolutely killed my legs in class. I've never done so many squats & during Zumba this morning, I could tell. I'm walking around the house like a little old lady - lol. Well, as they say, no pain, no gain. Hope everyone is having a great day. It's a warm beautiful day here in Tennessee. I have my windows open enjoying the fresh air. Well, I gotta run & pick up my big girl from school.

Coming Out of the Fog

I feel so much better today. I made it to Zumba today - it is sooooo much better than trying to do a tape. I just don't feel motivated or work nearly as hard when I'm trying to do a tape all on my own. My eating still wasn't great yesterday - I told Brock to take the Halloween candy out of the house. It is a trigger for me & I just can't have it in the house. We tried putting it on the top shelf of the pantry, so I would have to get a stool to get to it, but it didn't stop me from grabbing a couple of pieces every few hours. Halloween candy is so bad for me because the pieces are small & don't seem like much, but reality is that if you eat 3-5 then you just had a full size candy bar.

I don't know that I've addressed this on the blog any so far, but I might as well come clean & tell it like it is. After all, that's why I started this blog - to be honest in my journey to becoming healthy. I have an addiction - to food. For those who have never suffered from this, you will not understand what I'm telling you. My husband, bless his heart, tries to understand - but will admit to me that he just can't imagine what it must be like. He does, however, agree totally that it is something that is chemical with me & I cannot control the addiction. What I can control is, putting myself in situations that I know trigger binges. This is something that I've struggled with since high school. I actually went through a really bad time with it around my junior year & bought & hid food & when my parents, who were into country-western dancing at the time, would leave to go out on a Friday night - I would choose to stay home rather than going out with friends & binge. After the binge, I always felt ashamed & proceeded out to the big outside garbage can with any "evidence" of it & disposed of it carefully so that no one would notice when they took out other trash. There are certain foods that are considered "bad" that I can have around me & have no problem, but others are just off limits. Halloween or small individually wrapped candies are one of my triggers, along with mini powdered donuts, brownies, & cheese bread. These are just a few of the major problem-causers for me. Well anyway, the candy is out of the house & I'm starting to come out of the fog.

On a good note, I was down 1.5 lbs on the local challenge today (my weight was up a little when I weighed last week due to water). I am down 1/2 lb today compared to yesterday's steady hold - I won't officially count anything till next week since I'm such a fluctuater. Thanks to all of you who read this & support me daily. I truly appreciate you!! Have a great day!!

Climbing Back On the Horse

I have been terrible all weekend long. Between the rushing around to trick or treat on Friday, the 2 birthday parties on Saturday, & all the stinking Halloween candy in the house - I've eaten nothing but crap for the last 3 days. I think my kids must have gotten 5lbs of candy Friday night, but they sure looked cute & had a good time. I skipped out on working out on Friday because my knee was so swollen & hurting. Ok, now that I've fessed up to all the bad stuff I've done it's time to yell, "do over" and start again. On a good note, I didn't gain when I weighed this morning. I'm holding steady where I was last week & I'm happy with that because I've not eaten very well. The plan today is to do the Dancing with the Stars workout dvd that my mom got - I didn't think my knee would be ready for Joyce's step class today. I will also get to Zumba tomorrow & plan to do my usual workouts Tues-Fri this week. Well, guess I better go & get motivated to do some aerobic dancing.

Pushing Myself

It's been a busy couple of days lately. Yesterday was just plain crazy. I did make it to the 8am class & Brock was kind enough to watch the girls since he had to take off work for our SIL's father's funeral yesterday. My right knee has been swollen since Monday, but I just keep trying to push through. I'm afraid if I don't I will fall off the wagon & quite frankly, that is just not an option for me. I did have to modify a little bit in Zumba today, but I still hung in there for hour-long class. My eating has been a little out of control this week. I think because we've been rushing around so much & being TOM, I'm craving constantly. It's not like I've sat down & eaten ice cream & brownies or anything, but just not as clean. Halloween will be real challenge for me too. I'm not even buying any candy for our house. The girls go trick or treating, so it's not like we'll be home. The key will be not dipping into their candy - I LOVE caramel, nerds, & basically any straight sugar candies. Chocolate is ok - but it's the sugary stuff that I love. I had to bake cookies last night for Alyssa's Halloween party at school today, but cookies aren't the worst for me so it wasn't too hard. Well, I better go ice the knee & recover a little from Zumba before I have to break down & clean up the house. I only have 3 hours before I have to go get Alyssa. Hope everyone has a great day & a Happy Halloween tomorrow!!

Getting Easier

Zumba class is getting a little easier now - not that I don't sweat my butt off, but I'm not quite so lost on the steps for each song. I weighed in for my local challenge & was down 2.5lbs from what they had me at last week. I hate it because I was up about 1-1.5lbs this morning compared to yesterday - which is very common for me since I fluctuate A LOT. I knew better than to have that Diet Pepsi last night, they always make me hold water & being TOM I guess it was that much worse. I'm not worrying about it though - I maxed out my points for the team & ultimately the weigh-in is not critical until the end. I know I'm losing fat, because I'm starting to see things fit a little different - not a lot yet, but any difference is good. I know it has to be working; I'm eating cleaner & taking hour long classes 5 days per week. I still could use some help on my nutrition. Maybe I'll see my doctor & ask for a plan or check to see if we have any options for a PT that could help on several levels including nutrition. Oh well, I'm working hard & that's all that matters. Gotta run, Alyssa has dance this afternoon & then we have to go to the funeral home for my SIL's dad. Have a wonderful rest of the day!!!

Clumsy!

So I tried the kick butt teacher's Monday morning class today. Today was a cardio step class. Sounds easy enough right? I felt like the uncoordinated 7th grader trying out for cheerleading who IS NOT going to make the squad. Of course, it's the first time I've gone & I don't know the steps & I was OFF the entire hour-long class. I must have looked just pitiful because at one point the teacher swapped with the person beside me to try to help me get the steps. I've never felt so stupid. I used to be coordinated, but apparently - get fat, sit on your butt too much & you lose that ability. Oh well, I tried & next week, it should be easier for me to figure out the steps. To the girl who was behind me at an angle - THANK YOU for being encouraging even though I'm sure you had to think wow, this girl doesn't get it. Well, I'm outta here.

Trying to Get Up & Going

Well, it's a chilly morning & the bed felt soooo good, but I'm getting up & trying to get me & the girls ready in time to get to the 8am class at the rec. It's the kick butt teacher again, but I figure if I can just stick with her I'll eventually not struggle so much. I'll go to Marcrom's for their official weigh-in tomorrow. My official weigh-in was today & I'm down 3lbs from last Monday. I'll report how I did on the challege on this blog, but because scales are different & my weight is different according to what time of the day it is - I'll be sticking with my official weight loss with my Monday morning weigh-ins at home (since that's what I started the blog with). Well, I better run if I'm going to make the class. Have a great day!!

Saturday Morning Zumba

I got up & went to Zumba again this morning - they only have it 2 Saturdays per week. My friend, Mae, joined us this morning. It was a good workout. I also took that kick butt teacher yesterday. This week I've gotten in 5 hours of aerobic classes - woo hoo!! I'm eating better & feeling better. Staying sore, but I should be able to work that out some in the next few weeks. Well, I don't have much more to talk about today, but I'll keep you posted. Have a great weekend!!

Still Going

I made it to Zumba again today. The instructors are different on Tuesdays & Thursdays. The Tuesday class was a good workout, but a little more fun. Today's workout seemed more difficult. I know I was sore, but I think she's a little harder instructor - my SIL mentioned that she thought today's was a harder workout too. I am very sore, but just trying to push through it right now. I haven't decided if I'm going to try the class tomorrow - it's listed as Interval Explosion & is that kick butt teacher I had yesterday - or if I'm going to walk the track/use the eliptical. I'm not sure, but I'll do something. On the challenge, you get 5 points for every minute of exercise - so that's 300 points for every 60 minute class, you can't beat that. It's a great way to build up points for my team. My goal is to hit the max points every week. Max points for weeks without health sessions are 3000 & 3500 if we had a session. We get 500 for going to sessions & getting weighed, 100 points for each day that we journal our food, & 50 points for each challenge goal (like drink 8 glasses of water daily, etc). Well I'm off to shower & let the hot water ease my achy muscles - I know they are under there somewhere (lol). Have a great day!!

Working Hard

Well, I went to the meeting last night & met my team. My friend Mae is on my team (YAY!!) and the rest are all people I didn't know. We are an all female 6 person team, the make up is quite varied, but we're up for the challenge. I'm excited about the challenge. Last night was the nutritional meeting & they taught us about how to calculate your body's calorie needs, etc. They also introduced us to some products that we may/may not have heard of.

Today I got up & went to an 8am aerobic class. It was called Wacky Wednesday on the schedule, but it absolutely kicked my butt. It was what I would term as a cardio sculpting class. It used free hand weights, a medicine ball, & a step. I hope it doesn't leave me too sore for the Zumba class tomorrow. I think maybe until I get a little more used to working out that I should stick to Zumba & using the machines/track. Well, I've got kiddos to tend to. Have a great day!

I'm Soaring!

Well the competition officially started yesterday with our kick off meeting tonight. I've been logging all my food & getting the 8 minimum glasses of water daily (which is a BIG change for me). I'm pretty proud of myself so far - I've been eating pretty clean. Our playdate ended up lasting till about 6pm, so I didn't end up getting a workout in yesterday, but I did make it to the 9am Zumba class at the recreation center. It was a great workout. Yes, I looked like a fool. Yes, I was the biggest girl in the class. Yes, I stumbled around trying to figure out how to do the steps correctly some of the time. BUT - I COMPLETED A ONE HOUR WORKOUT. I feel GREAT!! I'm already sore, but so proud of myself. I didn't worry about all the normal things I worry about. I'm taking this bull by the horns & facing this challenge head on. Everyone in the class seemed really nice & I especially appreciated one lady who took the time just before class to tell me, don't worry - we all feel kinda stupid doing the moves. It made it so much easier for me. Instead of stressing about how dumb I probably looked doing, I just made the most of it & sweated my butt off (or at least I hope I did). Well, I got a few things to do before I pick up Alyssa from school - so I'm off. Have a fantastic day!!!

Hooray!!

I was so worried that I wouldn't see the scale move this week since I got so little exercise during the week last week, but I guess all that walking on Saturday helped to make up some ground. I'm down 3lbs this morning - granted that really only 2.5 since I gained .5lb last week, but I don't care. I'm stoking the coals this week with the start of the competition - I'm SO EXCITED!! I'm heading out this morning to get all signed up at the Rec Ctr. I probably won't work out this morning since we have a playdate this afternoon & I some things that have to be done around the house before they come, but Brock said he should get home in time for me to get something in tonight. Well, I've got a busy day so I better get going. Hope everyone has a great day!!

WOO HOO

Well, I don't know how well I've done on the weight thing this week & I won't bother checking until Monday since I fluctuate so easily, however, I made up for all the lack of exercise in one day! I was at Bell Buckle for 7 hours & literally moved the entire time. I don't think we rested but for maybe 2 - so that's 5 hours of exercise today!! Maybe not the most intense exercise, but it definitely counts - my legs & feet are totally aching tonight. I'm getting pretty excited about the challenge too! I start logging all my food on Monday & the kick off meeting is Tuesday. I'm going to be working hard to earn as many points for my team as I can. I'll keep everyone posted!! I'm heading off to spend a little time with the hubby while the kids are at my mom's. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!

Turning Up The Heat

Ok, my local challenge officially starts Monday. I've got to turn up the heat & really get moving & being more careful about what I'm eating. I'm not planning on doing any strict big change in diet, but just trying to be more careful & focus on eating healthy, natural foods over the processed, sweet & fatty foods. The exercise is where I really plan on trying to make a big difference - I called our rec center today & found out that it would only be $8 more a month to go from my husband's individual membership to a family version. We get a considerable discount since he teaches in the county school system. I'm really kinda excited because it looks like they offer several options in aerobic & yoga classes, they have spinning classes, a weight room, indoor pool (which it will be a while before I'm comfortable getting in a bathing suit around non-family members), an indoor track (which will be good because I'm having a hard time getting my usual walk in right now - it's still dark early in the morning & it's starting to get dark pretty early in the evening), & I know they have treadmills, ellipticals & the such. There could be more, but honestly I haven't checked it out yet. The best part . . . . . . . . . they have child care. I can actually go during the day with my kiddos & get in a good workout while they have supervised play. I don't have to wait till someone comes home, or get up at the "crack" of dawn to get exercise. I think it will be just what I need. I've hardly done anything this week. Tomorrow I'm heading out early to a large craft show - so I should get a LOT of walking in there. Tuesday night is the kick-off for the challenge - I'm really excited! I just hope I get on a friendly team that I'm not the 6th member & the other 5 all already know each other & planned on doing this together & I'm the big dork without anyone already. Good thoughts.

I'm Shrinking.

I'm shrinking & not in a good way. I went & finished up the paperwork for the competition this afternoon complete with weigh-in, measurements, blood pressure, & measuring my height. I haven't been measured for height since sophomore year in high school (so we're talking about 17 years) & back then they told me I was 5'2", but I always thought it was a little off & I've always called myself 5'1" Well today they told me I was only 5' - are you kidding me?? I know short is short, but 5' is crazy. Then they pulled out the good ol' weight chart, the lady actually said in a shocked voice - it has you around 100lbs (97-128). I told her I realized that those charts are pretty low numbers & I was not going to flip out about it. I guess my BMI just went up again - crap.

Oh well, I couldn't sleep last night & got up in the middle of the night & was watching tv to try to lull back off & caught the Secret Lives of Women - Extreme Weight Loss. I was actually glad to be up at 3am to catch it. There was a girl named Jen that was only 5' that weighed 300lbs & after 2.5 years of diet & exercise now weighs 120lbs & wears a size 4. I read her bio & she said that #1 you have to be mentally committed. I think I'm half way there. I figure if she can do it, so can I & I don't have quite that much to lose. Oh yeah, she's now a PT at Gold's Gym. How inspiring - even if it was 3am - lol.

Movement - Finally.

Yay -I finally moved. The family (hubby & kids) went for a family walk last night. We all walked my usually tromp, but we did it together (with the kids in their wagon). We even stopped for a minute to feed the horses up the road some hay. I felt a lot better to move around a bit. Hopefully, I will be able to do it again today.

On another note, I've decided to join a competition here locally called Lose To Win. It is put on by a local pharmacy here & is an 8 week challenge with teams, bi-weekly meetings, a nutrition class, and PRIZES. I tend to try a little harder when there's competition involved, especially if I have a team to help support. I'm going back this afternoon to talk with the woman in charge - I turned in the paperwork today. Today is the deadline to sign-up, so wish me luck!!

Lazy Girl.

Wow - I don't know what is wrong with me, I've been so lazy. I just want to lay around & rest. I totally didn't get a walk in yesterday, much less get an hour in on the Fit. I barely got any housework done without breaking a sweat & being worn out. Maybe I'm coming down with something. TOM should be here anytime, it's a little late now, but that's not that unusual for me, I went 8 weeks between cycles in the spring. Now before you guys all start asking, I took a pg test just to be sure & it was negative, so I'm sure my clock is just out of whack again. Unfortunately, it is like PMS 24/7 around here. Someone shove me out the door this evening & MAKE me walk. I plan to try to get off my butt tonight, but no promises - lol. On a diet note, I've eaten ok for the last couple of days. I tend to get on weird food kicks periodically - wanting to eat the same thing for several days. Lately, it's been baked sweet potatoes, which is strange because until just recently I wouldn't touch any style sweet potatoes with a ten foot pole. I had one Friday night, Sunday night & again last night & bought 3 more at the store today - I must have some deficiency for something that's in them. Oh well, better get to doing something, anything, that requires movement.

Breast Cancer Awareness!

Since this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month - I thought I would jump on board & get a new pink background for the occasion. I have two aunts that fought breast cancer - one is a survivor, the other we lost last year, so this is a cause that is somewhat close to my heart. Maybe next year, after getting in better shape, I can be prepared enough to participate in the Breast Cancer Walk. Mark it down - that is one of the few long term goals I am willing to make. Be sure to "feel your boobies" monthly & be aware of any changes that you might should visit your doctor about - early detection makes a world of difference!

Refocus & Try, Try Again.

Well, I guess I earned this so I have to admit it - I gained .5 lb from last week. I knew this would happen because I gave myself a free for all on junk Friday/Saturday for our Family Fun/Birthday celebrations. These things happen & I can accept that I made bad choices & this is what happens when you make bad choices. On a good note, because I was exercising (for the most part) last week - it's only .5 lb. I know that if I refocus & "start over" that I can drop that plus more this week. I guess these are one of the days that I'm looking for support from all of you because this certainly won't make me inspire anyone - lol. Here's to a new day! My plans for today: try to use the Wii Fit for an hour today while the kids are playing/napping & get the walk in this evening when Brock gets home from school (yipee, football season is over for middle school, which means he comes home at a decent time). Hope everyone has a good day!!

News

So I decided that I am probably boring those of you who come here to know that they aren't alone in weight loss struggles when I continually post about the normal day to day ramblings of my life, therefore, I decided that I would create a separate blog dedicated to the day to day happening in my life as a SAHM.

This blog will remain what it was created to be - a weight loss blog. One that gives me accountability with others, serves as inspiration to others on my good days, & serves as support for me on my bad.

My new blog for the day to day stuff is Winging It. BTW, I've adjusted my Blog List to move all blogs I follow that aren't geared towards weight loss or exercise to the new blog.

On the exercise front today, I started the walk & got about 1/2 way done & thought I was going to pee all over myself. I don't understand it - I went right before I walked out the door. My left wrist & elbow felt tight (like not good blood flow), I was sweating profusely & I felt overall weird. I cut it short & came home to use the restroom & rest. I guess all the crap I've consumed in the last couple of days is catching up to me. My plan is to try the walk again in the morning & see what happens. I haven't officially weighed yet, but out of curiosity after the "episode" I jumped on & was up 2.5 lbs (yikes) - I usually weigh in the mornings so I'm hoping some of that is water weight from the day, but I have a feeling the numbers aren't looking good for tomorrow's weigh in. Have a great evening!!

Date Night Was a Bust

So date night didn't work out as planned. We dropped the kids off & headed to Murfreesboro to catch the movie. I really wanted to see Fireproof. When we got there & went to get the tickets, we found out that they were sold out - BOO. Being that we RARELY go to the movies & there was nothing else playing that I wanted to see, we came home. I just won't justify spending that much money to watch a movie that I don't really care about. So we drove back home, ordered wings from Freddie's (bad I know, but oh so good) & picked up the kids on the way back. Brock said that we'd try to catch the movie again later - maybe a matinee wouldn't be sold out, besides I just assume go during the day because I'm not much of a night owl.

I didn't do the usual walk yesterday since my niece was arriving early & we had plans to go to my Mom's picnic right after she left, however, I did an ok amount of walking at the picnic while pulling the two munchkins in their little red wagon. Between the junk we've eaten in the last couple of days of fun & the lack of real walks - I'm sure the weigh-in won't be great, but the key here is to climb back on that horse & ride again.

My Mom & Dad did get me a Wii Fit for my birthday, so that should help me to incorporate some extra activity during the day while I'm home with the kids. The hula hoop game is a hoot - but it gets me sweating pretty good when I do it over & over. I really like the step game too (they are both under the aerobic portion of the game). My plans to get back on track today include getting my walk in this evening & eating foods that are not so unnatural. I have a hard time getting a walk in on Sunday mornings because of all the hussle to get the kiddos ready for church. I know you all are probably thinking - hmm it's 5:30ish, she could go now, but I'll be honest, I'm a little scared of the dark. I have no problem, most of the time, getting up early, but I'm too chicken to go out there this early. I'm actually looking forward to the time change this fall (for the first time ever) because that means that although it will get dark earlier - it will get light earlier too & that will make getting my walk in before Brock goes to work, much easier. Well, guess it's time to do something productive - have a great day!!!

Good Day So Far!!

So, here's the pic of the hay scene that we set up at the end of the driveway. I absolutely LOVE the fall.

And then, there's Alyssa mixing up a cake for my birthday, with Daddy's help of course. It was the cutest thing. I had to get everything out for them because he had no idea where I kept anything.
Of course, Liza couldn't be left out & she got in on the decorating action.

Finally, here's the final product.

What an awesome day! And just think, I still get a date night with my husband - what more could a girl ask for.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Well, today is my birthday & I'm up crazy early. I kinda enjoy when this happens though - the house is quiet & I get to be by myself for a little while. That's one of the reasons I enjoy my walks so much. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE my children, but it's nice to have a little time alone with your own thoughts instead of constantly worrying about everyone else's needs.

Today should be kinda busy. We're watching my niece for a few hours this morning while my SIL runs in a 1/2 marathon (who know, by this time next year - maybe I'll be running with her). After that, my Mom's work is having their family day & she's invited us to go with her. It's usually pretty fun for the kids, they usually have games, blow-up stuff, & a little mini train for the kids. Brock & Alyssa have plans to bake me a birthday cake this morning, so after the family day, my parents will probably come over for some cake (they live next door - which is GREAT).

This evening my SIL is watching the girls so that Brock & I can go out for my birthday. I think we'll probably catch a movie & get some dinner. We had a blast at the pumpkin patch yesterday, except I got stung by a yellow jacket. They had a lot of neat stuff. We couldn't convince Alyssa to go through the straw crawl though - she's a bit of a scardy cat. The girls really enjoyed the petting zoo, I think their favorite was the Shetland (sp?) Pony. The pics I put up are the girls picking their pumpkins from the field that the hayride took us to. This was the last thing we did buying mums & heading home. We did get up our little scarecrow display, but I haven't taken pics yet - I'll post them later. I'm sure this weekend won't be great for my weigh-in on Monday, but it's only your birthday once per year - right.

Fun Day!

So I won't be getting my usual walk in this morning, but I will be doing a lot of walking today. As our last hooray for Fall Break, we're taking the girls to a Pumpkin Patch in Warren County. They're supposed to have hayrides, a petting zoo, corn maze, straw crawl & hay play. Plus you can either buy food there or pack a sack lunch & "picnic by the pond in pumpkin country." I'm really looking forward to this - I think it might turn out to be a really fun tradition for our family. The girls are really excited too. After the patch, I hope to get a fall scene done outside with hay bales, pumpkins, mums, & a scarecrow - my kids love decorating for the holidays (I do too!). Yesterday afternoon, we went out & made a ring of ghosts around a tree in the front yard. This is the view from our front porch. We also have a little area on the front porch with some light up pumpkins & a scarecrow. We have the matching girl scarecrow to go with our hay bale set-up. We were going to make our own scarecrow, but we didn't already have the stuff to make one & even shopping Goodwill for the clothes - it would be cheaper just to buy a ready made one at Walmart, so that's what we ended up doing. No one really uses our front door (most come in off the carport - but we have a couple of decorations there too), but you can see it as you drive down the road.

So Much Better!

I feel so much better today! I got up & got the walk in. I think starting next week I'm going to need to up the intensity a little - my body is probably getting a little too used to the same old stuff. I guess it's probably a little obvious that I have pretty dramatic mood swings on a regular basis, but I'm finding that when I get the walk in they back down a lot. Yesterday was a really bad day for them - but I didn't get any exercise. Hmm guess I should recognize the connection & let that serve as additional motivation. Lana - thanks for your comments, they mean a lot to me. You are quite an inspiration in the "get up off your butt & do something" category! Those of you who haven't checked out my favorite blog links - be sure to read Lana's blog "The Fire Inside" she is currently traning for the IronMan Triathlon in Florida & believe it or not it all started 5 years ago with walking!! She's from my town (we actually went to school together) & she's kinda well known around town for being such an athlete - she's competed in lots of runs, triathlons, & bike races. Just goes to show that when you are motivated you can do anything!! Hope everyone has a great day!!

Feeling Crappy!

Ok, so as I mentioned earlier, it was raining here for a good portion of the day & I chose not to get my walk in due to the rain. I guess I should've found something else physical to do because now I'm sitting here feeling so crappy it's not funny. I'm irritated at everyone & feel so very blah! It's my own fault for not getting up off my butt! I guess my birthday coming up Saturday is not helping anything either - I know 32 is not any milestone, but I'm really starting to feel old. 32 isn't that old & I shouldn't feel that way - but I do. I guess this is just another way all the weight is pulling me down. Now that I'm done with my pity party, I plan to get up early & get that walk in & start feeling better. Hope everyone has a good evening!

Rainy Days & Mondays

As the song says, rainy days & Mondays always get me down. Well not down necessarily, but dulled. Needless to say, I didn't get my walk in this morning - but we did go over & play on the Wii Fit last night. I guess today will be my day of rest, but gotta get back to the grindstone tomorrow. Can't really complain about the rain though - we definitely needed it. Hope everyone is having a great day!

Move It, Move It!

Another good start to the day - got that walk in. I love this time of year - the weather is mild, not too hot, but not too cold; there's usually a gentle breeze; you can totally enjoy being outside & take in your surroundings. My goal today is to get some additional movement going on, whether it be a second walk, or dancing around with the girls, or hopping over to Mom's to use her Wii Fit. I challenge you to Move It, Move It today too! Have a great day!

Renee's Shout Out!

Happy Blogversary Renee!! For those of you who haven't checked out my fave blog list in the right hand column - you need to at least check out my friend Renee' at Life With My Special K's. Renee' is an amazing woman! She is a Christian, an Army wife, a mother of four gorgeous children, an advocate for Down's Syndrome & Childhood Cancer & so much more. Please take the time to check out her blog - I promise you won't be disappointed! BTW, she's also having a great give-away for her blogversary, so go check her out, leave a comment & be entered into the drawing.

Back on Track!

I feel so much better this morning. It is a remarkable difference for me when I start off with a walk, rather than wait till the afternoon. It makes may whole day feel different. When I start with a walk I come back in feeling good about myself, feeling more energized, craving water & not wanting to eat junk. When I wait, I'm sluggish, sit around watching tv a lot longer instead of getting my stuff done, I eat crap all day & then wonder why I feel so bad. When it makes that big of a difference it's hard to believe I ever don't get out there - why do we sometimes make choices that us feel worse? I've maintained on the weight loss this week - no loss, no gain. I'm content with that since I knew that a chunk of the 8lbs last week was water weight from the virus. Well, I've got lots of little jobs to get done. I better get started defunking the house - AGAIN. I sure hope this bug is gone - I'm running out of Lysol (lol). Hope everyone has a good day!!

Wii Fit

Has anyone else tried the Wii Fit? My mom got one & to log in some excercise time - I went over there & tried it out. It was fun! There is a lot of balancing activities - which I assume helps to strengthen core muscles & the aerobic activities are pretty fun. I really liked the hula hoop & step activities. I liked it so much that my Mom is getting me the Fit for my birthday (which is Saturday, by the way). I don't plan to eliminate my walks for the Wii, but I would like to use it as an additional way to get exercise & strengthen my core & help my posture. Still a slug on the walk, but it does appear that our household is rid of the stomach bug - AGAIN. Hope everyone had a great day!!

Not As Planned

Well, today didn't go as planned. Remember the stomach bug that raised it's ugly head last week? Well, it's baaaaack. Brock ended up sick this morning. So no usual walk, but me & a friend went to the Autumn Street Fair in the next town with all our kiddos - so I got a fair amount of walking in & had some fun anyway. Maybe the pumpkin patch will work out next week.

Plus Size

So I've been thinking - it sucks to be in plus size clothing. First of all, very seldom can you find cute, current styles in plus sizes, unless you go somewhere like Lane Bryant (which is quite expensive). The other thing that I notice a lot of the time is that everything seems to be some neon color or big geometric print that says, "Hey, I'm over here - look at me!" As if my size alone wasn't enough to get your attention, do I really want a flashing neon size saying, hey, big girl coming. So what's next, a beeper to warn others when we back up. Well anyway, this is just one of many reasons that it's so important to me to lose the weight. It has been so long since I was able to shop in just a regular department in any store - I can't wait to get to do that again.

On the exercise front yesterday, I got my walk in after Brock came home. I didn't eat as well all day, but as I mentioned before - I am not following any plan. I find that if I get my walk in early I naturally eat better all day & feel better all day. Guess I'll have to start getting my butt out of bed & buy a sweatshirt to address the cold weather. Well, if all goes as planned I'm going to get a walk in this morning & hopefully we're all going to head to a pumpkin patch for some family fun. Have a great day!!

Shopping With a Toddler

Since today was Thursday & Alyssa had school, I decided to go over to Murfreesboro to get some blinds at Lowes & pick up some essentials at Sam's. We are finally getting blinds to put up in the sunroom & since 7 of the windows that I needed blinds for had to be custom cut, the Lowes associate told me it would take about 35 minutes. I told her that was fine, I'd run next door to Target to pick up a few things (for those of you who aren't familiar with Manchester - if you can't get it at WalMart, you probably can't get it in Manchester). Anyway, everything was going fine - I had even changed Liza's diaper upon entering the store since I figured she'd pee out if I didn't. I ran into a friend from church & was chatting a bit when Liza got really whiny - I figured she was just tired of sitting still, so I picked her up out of the cart only to find that she had just had an explosive poop diaper - it was coming out down her leg. Keep in mind she is wearing a denim overall jumper dress with a onesie on underneath & cowboy boots. I look down & some had gotten on me too when I picked her up - so my friend tries to help me out with some wipes & I take off to the bathroom to try & clean us up. It was everywhere. It had come up the back & down the leg, her onesie was covered - I just threw it away. I used every wipe in my travel pack & there was still poop. Since Target only has air dryers there were no papertowels, so here I am with a 1 yr old stripped down to nothing but her boots carrying her into a stall to get toilet paper to finish cleaning her up. I was able to put the jumper back on long enough to go back into the store & get a new dress, a box of wipes, antibacterial wipes & febreeze (as I figured that although I got it off my shirt, the odor might very well linger). Of course, we looked like a couple of rednecks since I had her in the overall dress with nothing under & some cowboy boots - it was only about 71 outside, so I'm sure I appeared to be a terrific mother. I got back out to the van & got her cleaned up better & the new dress on & called my MIL to pick up Alyssa since we were now running so late. Funny thing - the girl in Lowes noticed I changed Liza's clothes - lol. Now, for those of you without children - look what you have to look forward to.

On the excercise front, I was a slug today - didn't get up & Brock didn't get home from football in time for me to get outside before dark tonight. But as always, tomorrow is another day & another opportunity. Next week is Brock's last game, so having time to get it in will get a little better then & I won't have to get up at the butt crack of dawn in the freezing cold to get in my walk. Hope you all had a good day!!

Lazy Day

Well, I have to admit that I was fairly lazy today. I hit snooze one too many times this morning & did not get my walk in before Brock had to go. I just spent the day hanging out with my girls, snuggling, reading, & just enjoying being able to go with the flow. I did get on the road this evening when Brock came home & got my 2.5 miles logged for the day - so I'm starting October off right anyway. Well, Aliza is crying in my ear because she wants held rather than having me type - so I'm out. Have a good evening!

Up & Running.

. . . or walking I should say. Got up & hit the road again early this morning. Came in & ate a bowl of oatmeal with the girls while, hopefully, my metabolism is revved up. Goal for today - met. Maybe I can get in something extra this afternoon. We've got a busy day today - Alyssa has preschool today, me & Liza need to make a Walmart run, & I've got to get back & ready in time for the funeral. Tonight is Brock's last home game & it's homecoming, so we will probably try to go. I really hope they can pull out a win. Well, gotta get the girls dressed & get started - have a wonderful day!!

Almost Back on Track!

Well, I failed to get up for the walk this morning, but if I can manage to squeeze in some extra time later this week - it will be ok. I can't walk tonight because we have to go to the funeral home for my great uncle. I'm so gonna miss him - he was always so good to me & my girls (did I mention that he lived up the street, so we saw him semi-regular).

Oh well, tomorrow should get everything basically back to normal. Liza hasn't thrown up anymore - still having gross diapers, but that's to be expected since she really didn't start eating anything solid till last night. Did you know that grape gatorade makes for neon green diapers? I think her skin might actually be stained - lol. Sorry - TMI! I'm back on the task of defunking the house today, so maybe I'll actually get to keep it that way this time.

Thanks Mae for all your support - I appreciate your advertisment on your blog! Good to hear from both Tricia & Lorrie - you guys are also welcome to contact me anytime via email (freeze0872@yahoo.com). Lorrie, if you ever want to get together for a walk, talk or whatever, shoot me an email & I'll give you my number (we got rid of our land line - so we're no longer listed) - as I get older, I realize how much I miss seeing the folks I went to school with & being too ashamed to see them because of my weight. I hope to change the part that is afraid of seeing people - I really want to go to my 15 year reunion next year; I've missed all the others because I was too ashamed to go, but not next year if I can help it! Well, the girls are napping so this is prime mopping time - sad isn't it (lol). Hope everyone has a great rest of the day!!

Start of a New Week

Well, it was a rough night again last night - Aliza ended up throwing up 3 more times. I sure hope she is done now, it makes for very long unrestful nights.

I'm not going to go into details, but I heard some things I wasn't supposed to today & they really hurt me. When it was realized that I heard them, it was explained that they shouldn't have been said & the person didn't mean them - they were just mad. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people who take things like that lightly. You see, I believe that the thoughts that we have, whether rational or not, have some truth to them. I guess part of the reason I was so hurt is because they hit me with my own thoughts about myself. I'm trying to quit replaying them in my head, but in some ways I'm finding motivation in them. I don't want to be the person described by the ugly words that I heard & maybe I haven't been doing such a great job not being that kind of person. I guess as bad as it all was, it could turn out to be a good thing because it will serve as motivation for me not to be that person & improve in several aspects of my life.

I got my butt back out there today & logged my 2.5 miles again Weigh-in today & I'm down 8lbs. Don't get me wrong, I know that a lot of that is water weight from being sick, but a loss is a loss & I'm happy about it. Hope everyone has a great day!!

Trying Day

So today I've been still pretty weak from the whole illness, which I did believe was food poisoning, but now am wondering if it was a stomach virus. Didn't get my walk in today either, but tomorrow is a new day with a new goal. Overall today has been rather sucky. I spent the early part of the day trying to defunk the house from all the sickness, but didn't quite get done. We had to go to my husband's cousin's wedding at 4pm, so I quit working on the house & got the girls & myself ready to go. We were running late, but got there in time - only to wait nearly an hour on the minister to arrive - apparently there was an unexpected funeral he had to preach & was late returning from it. We managed to keep the girls quiet & behaved during the wait, which I thought was pretty good considering it was an outdoor wedding & I'm sure the girls were wanting to run around. The music began & the wedding party began to come down the aisle & then BOOM - or should I say BLAH - Aliza threw up all over me & the ground around us. I just had to get up & walk off. Brock put wipes down over the puke that hit the ground to try to keep the smell down for the other guests (as if that worked) & we headed to the van with our tails between our legs. I looked back as we stripped her down before loading her in the carseat & saw a few people looking back at us. HOW EMBARASSING!! Once we got home, I gave her bath & got myself all cleaned up & she's acted just fine. I have no idea what that was all about. I'm sure the bride & groom were beginning to wonder about their luck after the minister is an hour late & a kid pukes everywhere all before the bride walks down the aisle - lol. The worst part was Alyssa crying all the way home because she wanted to see the wedding & have cake. I told her I would go buy her a piece of cake later from Captain D's (it's the only place I could think of that had cake) - lucky for me she didn't eat her dinner so I said, no cake. Now as if all of that wasn't enough fun for one day, I got home & checked my voice mail to find out that my sick great uncle, who is very much like a grandpa to me, passed away. I knew it was coming, but it never makes it any easier. Well, I guess this is enough whining for one day - tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities. Maybe tomorrow we won't ruin anyone's big day.

SO VERY SICK!

I think I got food poisoning last night About 6 I got so sick I stayed sick all night - my youngest was also sick, but she had eaten off my plate at lunch. I haven't been so sick in a very long time. I've continued to be sick most of today also, but am finally starting to feel back to normal Didn't get my walk in this morning, hopefully I will tomorrow. Hope everyone else is having a good day.

Pain!

I woke up at 5:15 this morning, not because I set the alarm but because my right knee was hurting so bad. I don't know why I didn't follow my husband's advice & take some ibuprofin before bed, but I didn't. I got up & took the ibuprofin & iced my knee for a while & thought about whether or not I would hit the road this morning or not. At first, I thought I'd wait & walk this evening, but that's really a crap shoot because until the middle school football season is over, I'm never sure when Brock will be home (did I mention he was head coach). So I decided I better suck it up & get out there this morning - so I did it. I had to cut off the last 0.2 mile because I dropped my cell phone & had to back track for it, but I will try to get out there this evening & make that up. I'm really proud of myself for pushing to go on - I'm usually such a quitter when anything gets too tough. I didn't eat as clean today because my MIL, SIL & I went to the next town shopping & we ate lunch at TGI Friday's (my favorite), but I didn't overeat like I normally would, so I would still consider today successful. Like I said before, I'm not following any "diet" because they just don't work for me. I will try to make better choices, but if I really want something, I'm gonna have it. When I deny myself completely it just seems that I obsess until I give in anyway. This way I don't seem to do quite as bad. Hope everyone has a great rest of the day!!

Another Goal Met!

Ok, so last night I went out for a small walk with my mom (she lives next door). We probably walked 1-1.5 miles, I'd have to measure it to know for sure, so I didn't include it in the excercise tracker yet. I have to admit that I'm very very sore & my knees are killing me. I've always had trouble with them, but the amount of weight that I'm carrying is probably making them hurt more. However, as they say, "No Pain, No Gain" so I drug my butt up out of bed again this morning & did my neighborhood walk. My MP3 ran out of juice about 3/4 of a mile in, but I told myself that I still needed to complete the walk - I ALMOST cut it short since my legs were hurting & I had no music, but I told myself I couldn't take steps backwards. I DID IT!! I finished my 2.5 miles in the 50 minutes just like yesterday. I'm so proud of myself, if you know me, I'm full of excuses to not excercise or to eat crazy - but so far, so good. I'm taking it one day at a time. I've eaten pretty clean for the last couple of days too. Well, guess I better get back to my kiddos, looks like we'll need to make a WalMart run in a little bit. Hope everyone is having a great day!!!

Terrific Tuesday!!

Hooray! I did it again - I got up & got my neighborhood walk in before Brock had to leave for work. I'm not trying to follow any specific diet because, let's face it - diets do not work for me. I am writing everything I consume down in an attempt to be more conscience of what I am putting into my mouth, but anything goes - I'm not going to say that I can never have "fill in the blank" again. I guess I'm finally learning what does & doesn't work for me. Today, I've ate relatively clean, which is what I was hoping I would naturally start doing. Last night I even ran 8-10 sets of sprints for the width of our fence in back - I need to measure it so I know how many yards that is. I know it's not a lot, but it kicked my butt. On a really really good note, I measured the area I've been walking in my neighborhood in my van & I'm walking 2.5 miles. That means I've already logged 7.5 miles this week, hopefully I'll be able to keep it up. Maybe I'll get some energy to do a few more sprints this afternoon. Hope everyone else has had a great day!!!

Day One (Technically Day Two)

Well I'm starting this journey one day at a time. I began by walking my neighborhood once last evening & again this morning. I think it's probably about a two mile walk, but I'll have to clock it in the van later to make sure. It took me just under an hour both days - yes, I know I'm very out of shape, but that's not the important part, the fact that I'm finally getting up & doing something is. I guess I can thank Mae Ann (Hadlee & Jack's Momma Blog) for serving as my encouragement. I always had excuses, but now that I'm seeing what you are doing with your kids the same ages as mine - there is no reason I can't jump on the bandwagon. Of course, I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to the 1/2 marathon, but we'll see where I am closer to time. Right now, I'm setting my goals one day at a time - I've learned the hard way that I have a hard time sticking to long-term goals & then they become VERY LONG-term goals (it took me 13 years of on again, off again, but I did finally finish my degree). So today my goal was to get up & do my walk before Brock had to leave for work - YIPPEE goal one met. My new goal, it to get up & do it again tomorrow, anything else I do is just extra. Can you tell that I'm the type of person who needs to feel like I've accomplished something, no matter how small? Well I guess this is enough time on the computer. I need to get my little girl napping while my big girl is still out so I can get the wood floors mopped today. Mae Ann: THANK YOU for the inspiration to get up off my butt!!

Hello!

Hi & Welcome to my newly created blogsite. I'm here to track my journey of trying to get healthy & teach my girls MUCH better habits than I've always had. Come join me & let's encourage each other to meet our goals - one at a time.