The View From Here

Great Expectations!!!

2011-07-03T13:46:00.002-06:00

Husband and I are eagerly awaiting our new grandsons. Oliver (left) and Dexter (right).

Won't be too much longer, now!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Creep

2011-06-19T12:44:00.000-06:00

Today was weigh-in day and I managed to get back from vacation without suffering too much on the scale. I am up from last week, but feel confident that we I will continue getting back in the groove that will allow me to get down to and maintain a weight that looks better and feels better on me.
I've done a bit of thinking about how the weight has been creeping up slowly but surely. I've been pondering how I let this happen and have determined that it's 'creep'.
I am not immune to 'creep' it seems. I've been noticing 'creep' on the scales, in the good habits I've developed that I've let myself slip by on, or the not so good habits or snacks I've allowed myself. Little by little the 'creep' starts to build and gain momentum.
'Creep' is sneaky because you don't realize how far you have let it in to your house and then one day you are agasp to find him camped out in the spare room, some of its dirty laundry laying around the house and then it occurs to you... you let him in. You asked him to spend the night... and nights turned into weeks, and into months... How the hell does this happen?
Well it may or may not matter how it happened... but I don't really care to spend my time trying to figure that out. The next step is to take control. We could throw 'Creep' out into the street along with all his laundry and be done with it... but I suspect that he'd be back before the week was out. Instead, I think I'll use some of his own sneakiness against him.
Seems that making small changes and building on them really paid off in the past, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to sneak a little exercise in when I can and maybe even cut back on portion sizes and cut out second helpings. I'm going to let planning creep it's way back into the picture doing the best I can when I can.
I'm not throwing the Creep out, I'm gonna use him for my own personal gain, er, I mean for my own personal loss.

'

Christy Got Her Groove Back

2011-05-15T13:24:00.002-06:00

Ah yeah! I am spending Sunday doing food prep (rather than painting my interior doors) and am beginning to feel some peace settle in as I work away. I had been feeling a bit panicky about not having any control, which, I know is an absolute cop-out and so not the truth. I can do this, but it is going to take a bit more doing than I've done.
I am bagging frozen blueberries in 1 cup (70 calorie) portions and sticking them back in the freezer.
I have been struggling to get a plan around some protein in my diet. After all of the chicken breasts, I guess I'm just not ready to go there yet and I haven't ever been real big on meat anyway. After much thought about what sounds good and preps easily, I have settled on egg whites. So I am hard-boiling eggs for the week. I plan to bring three a day and I'll just toss the yolks when I eat them, Unless of coarse I'm starving and then I'll eat one. 3 egg whites (51 calories) 10.8 grams of protein! If I went for 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg I'd be getting 54 more calories and 2.6 more grams of protein. Either way, fairly good way to get in my protein. Husband is watching his sodium and egg whites are kinda high for a food. He'll get 165mg from just the egg whites. In the big scheme of things it isn't much, but I think it's interesting to see how much there is in food naturally, before the salt shaker.
Husband told me to MARK THE EGGS, because of the one time he broke open a raw egg out of the wrong container from the fridge and REALLY, I haven't heard the end of it, lol. We were home at the time so I really don't see the big deal... it cleaned up quick. ;) So I got them all marked...

I think it's the appropriate amount of time away from Easter, just close enough that the memory is still there, but far enough away that they actually might be Easter eggs. Should anyone see them, he's gonna have to explain his wife's quirky sense of humor. Who knows, next time he may even have a color request. :) I think the teal is pretty.
Well, I've got lots to do today, so I'm off to clean up the kitchen, cook up some veggies, finish the laundry... Does anyone want to come paint my doors?
Oh, I updated my weight along the side... check it out! Down this week. Last week I was paying for a bad food choices including two good sized Root Beer Freezes (that I somehow felt I deserved). I expect next week to be better now that my big toe is feeling better and I've got an action plan with action.

Sleep-Over

2011-05-01T16:14:00.002-06:00

Saturday, Dennis and I picked up two of our G-babies from their Mom and Dad's house. Tukker and Maveryk were both happy to go, but once Maveryk figured out that his mom wasn't coming along he wasn't too sure. He cried for a little bit, and then pulled his Bronco's hat down over his eyes and he wouldn't talk to us. We decided to see if we couldn't catch the last bit of the Baby Animal Birthday Party at Thanksgiving Point. When we got out of the car he wouldn't come to me and would only let Papa D carry him.
By the time we finished, both Tukker and Maveryk seemed to be genuinely happy to be spending time with Papa D and Grandmamom.

We had wrapped them up in some extra jackets we had in the car, because it was a little cool and we didn't realize they both had sweatshirts tucked in their overnight bags. Aren't they just adorable?
They were very good for us and made the whole visit "easy peazy" by going to bed easily, sleeping through the night and not getting up super early. No tantrums or arguments... it was almost strange.
Tukker told me she has a lot of Grandmas... "Grandma Bea, Grandma Trish and she pause a long while "...Grandmamom, and Grandma Thomas and Jaxon." Jaxon, by the way is way too young to be a grandma; he is her uncle and not much older than Tukker. I decided to let it go, he does live with one of her grandmas.
Dennis made them both a happy face pancake this morning for breakfast while we all sat and watched, hungry and happy.
This was one sweet weekend.

I would blog, but...

2011-04-25T21:51:00.002-06:00

Gosh, I've been so busy connecting and focusing and sparkling...
and I would love to just tell you all about it. HOWEVER... the computer I am currently using is too slow and is unfit for this purpose; the mini computer is just too small and I get a bit frustrated. I miss the family laptop.
So just a quick note to say that I'm still here working at all the same stuff. Not being too successful on the weight portion, but overall keeping a good healthy balance and fitting a little exercise in. Feeling like I'm making actual progress on most fronts.
TTFN (Ta-Ta For Now)

Nothing Beats a Clean House!!

2011-01-30T14:07:00.003-07:00

Friday morning we left the house and it was not clean, but it was straightened.
Most of the dishes were done.
I had only one load of laundry left to do and a few towels to fold.
I had just weeded out a bunch of unnecessary items from the master bathroom.
So don't get me wrong... it wasn't chaos, it wasn't "Hoarders" worthy or anything, but we just haven't kept up on the housekeeping that wasn't essential.

When we came home the housekeepers my reluctant husband and I hired for the Deep Clean were done and let me just say, words do not describe how much better I feel! I knew I'd feel better, but I didn't KNOW how much better I'd feel.
They scrubbed the oven, they scrubbed the stove-top (and got all the stuff off that I couldn't) and my bathrooms were so clean and the walls were clean. The blinds were cleaned. The floors were clean. The furniture vacuumed. They even folded the two loads of towels on the folding table.
As a result, my house and I both had "sparkle". This weekend has been fabulous! I was able to "focus", I was able to "connect" with my center.
I can't think of one thing I needed right now more than I needed this.

January Update

2011-01-23T18:05:00.003-07:00

Bountiful Baskets... Dennis and I were headed out of town to see Kaylee on the 15th and when the truck was 3 hours late, I ended up just forfeiting my basket. Dennis and I had a great time in Cedar with Kaylee just hanging out and we went to an art exhibit themed around Alice in Wonderland. It was cool. I did make it the following week to volunteer and pick up my basket.

Get Under 150 Pounds... Fast …lol or not so fast. The weigh-ins on the last two weeks have me up not down. We ate out in Cedar and I tried to make good choices, but I still ate too much. I haven't been feeling that good this last week, but apparently it hasn't affected my appetite. We had Pho Noodles yesterday, so I'm hoping that the sodium in that stuff can account for two pounds... but we shall see. I'm hopeful, but dissapointed I'm not in the pink yet.

Maintain a Calorie Deficit I haven't used much energy this last week. I was sick a lot and slept even more. I still ate... Dennis made a yummy vegetarian sweet potato hash that was SUPER yum.

Log Food*... I made my 7 consecutive days logged, actually getting like 9 days! I got an asterisk! We’ll see how many of these “*” I can collect. Currently I'm at 0.

Exercise I did some exercise at the hotel with Kaylee. I got on the elliptical while she ran on the treadmill. We did great! I got sick on Tuesday and stayed that way through Friday night. Saturday I felt better though. Today I'm recovering from a very hard unproductive week. Inertia... got to love it.

January Focus on Fitness

2011-01-14T23:09:00.002-07:00

Bountiful Baskets... Having a big supply of fruits and veggies on hand makes finding something to eat so easy. I used to plan the meal around the meat. Now I look at the veggies I have and go from there. I Love BB! Also, volunteering once a month will help me connect with others in my community and help make sure the Co-Op can stay in our area. Also it provides some exercise and my BodyBugg just loves it when I get a higher calorie burn! Tomorrow is my first BB of the year. I'll be getting up early and dressing WARM to volunteer.

Get Under 150 Pounds... Fast … And then work back towards my Goal Weight of 140-144 lbs. I am hoping to be “in the pink” meaning under 150 for my birthday weigh-in on the 16^th. I’m really close (150.6 this morning) ...if not, I should be seeing that lilac-pink color soon thereafter!

Just a note:

I posted my for 2010 Weigh-Ins off to the side of the blog.

Then I color coded the weights so I could quickly see how I did for the year.

There was more Red in 2010 than any other color :(

I want to get “out of the red” (150 or higher)

For Good

steadily “move through the pink” (144.5-149.9)

to my Goal Weight (140-144).

I want lots of Teal in 2011!!!

To do that... I gotta

Maintain a Calorie Deficit This means that I used more energy than I ate... Must happen if I’m going to get back to goal! If I connect my actions to my goal in this area, my weigh-in on Sunday will be less than the weigh-in the week before… (unless I’ve got a little temporary water weight)

Log Food...

The act of logging my calories makes me feel as if I’m paying attention and I ALWAYS get better results when I’m focused. The big thing for me is to log everything I put in my mouth. Not just the good days / meals. This is how I'm gonna Connect the action (what I eat) with the consequence (what I weigh). Log it! I track Carbs, (Fiber/Sugar), Protein, Fat and Sodium.

I’m working towards 7 consecutive days logged, I’ll get a star an asterisk every time I do this. I’ll just add it right after Log Food**, like that. Today is DAY 5 … We’ll see how many of these “*” I can collect.

Exercise

Speaking of activity… This is REALLY where I struggled last year to “connect” my actions with my intentions. This will remain a “focus” in 2011.

I want to set myself up to succeed in this area. I want to get past the attempt to get fit, and actually act to get fit consistently, and get results. I’m still pondering. For now, I have the following intention:

In an easy and relaxed manner

In a healthy and positive way

I enjoy an attractive, healthy, strong, tone, flexible body with plenty of endurance.

I’ll probably start with something small to shake off the inertia and see where that leads me.
However this happens for me, I promise, I’m going to “sparkle”.

The Wider Our View

2011-01-10T21:42:00.008-07:00

"The wider our view, the less isolated we are. The more connected we stay to everything larger than us, the less turbulent our time on Earth." ~Mark Nepo

My sister Jamie informed me Friday that she had our next project. She was right!
When I saw her Saturday she showed me her copy of The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present in the Life You Have.
There is a short chapter for every day of the year followed up by a simple meditative-type exercise. I purchased the e-book version today and so far I really like it!
The book fits nicely with my Word of The Year ~*Connect*~
This will be great as a guide to ~connect~ with my center and inner knowing.
I had initially thought that my word "Focus" from 2010 would have led me to something like this book, but I think that it even more fitting to have it make it's way to me this year.
The timing couldn't be better.

~Connect~

2011-01-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

Happy 2011!!

So this year I didn't have to search for my Word of the Year. It came to me. Truly there is a need for me to "Connect" in the upcoming year.

Connect with my center, my values, my inner knowing...

Of course the obvious aspect of the word points to making actual connections with family. Not just seeing them but get some good time in learning about what's going on and what's important and exciting in their lives.

I want to "connect" my actions to my goals. Acting in ways that bring me closer to them. When there is a disconnect between actions and the goal... you don't end up getting there. You could end up somewhere VERY different. Don't want that, now do we? Not this girl.

I maintained a focus on my goals this past year... but keeping your eye on the prize is only part of the equation, right? I have to make the connection that what I do (my actions) has to line up and connect with the ultimate goal. When I connect the actions to the goals... I get closer to them. HUGE impact on where I will be tomorrow, next week, or next year.

December 2010 Focus on Fitness (updated 12/12/10)

2010-12-03T15:30:00.011-07:00

The following is my list of December Goals... one last fitness push for the year... Yay!!

Bountiful Baskets... Volunteering once a month... enjoy eating fresh produce, organic every other week.
http://www1.bountifulbaskets.org/
Body Bugg Goals:

Maintain a Calorie Deficit of 500-750... This means that I used more calories than I ate... this is the most important goal for weight loss. If I ate a little more than I should have, did I get enough movement in to counteract that? THIS NUMBER TAKES INTO ACCCOUNT HOW ACTIVE I AM AND HOW MUCH I EAT. If I meet my target for 6 days I have saved up 3000-4500 calories , if I am good on the 7th day I should lose a pound or just over. If I decide to "reward" myself… it all comes out of that account and I need 3500 to lose a pound. If I underestimated how many calories I ate all week or if I spend everything I earned… I just maintain. Which is fine AFTER I reach goal. Knowing that many restaurant meals will eat up 2000 calories easily or 4 days worth of meeting a 500 calorie deficit goal, it makes it easy to see that these "rewards" should be VERY infrequent and even more infrequently would I eat the whole portion they serve up. These meals simply are not in the weekly budget if I'm going to meet my goals. So aligning my actions… (rarely eating out and picking good options when I do) (sticking to logging food intake EVEN WHEN I’M NOT doing what I'm supposed to) and getting 30 minutes of exercise daily are going to go a long way.

Shooting for 500- 750. How am I doing?

As of December 12: The body bugg shows that I have gained 1.3 pounds a week over the last 30 days on average. Definitely NOT the direction I want to be moving. I have some very good days in there,… but I also have some not so great meals /days in there and they really are adding up.

Average 8000 Steps a day... Pretty self explanatory, I have averaged 5,846 steps... so this is a STRETCH goal. I really have to give this constant attention because during a week day I can easily get under 3000 a day.

I have learned that steps alone do not help with the overall calorie burn quite like a dedicated exercise session where I get my heart rate up and can feel my muscles warming up. It's good for me though; it helps me get some activity in and would help to probably keeps my body's metabolism from shifting down into sleeper mode, lol. This is more of an indicator of where I fit in on an activity level scale. I think getting up to 8000 would shift me out of sedentary into lightly active. I'm keeping it around as a goal that just encourages me to move more in my daily living routines.

In December I'm hoping to hit this 10 Days. How am I doing?

No Change.

Log Food Intake...Doing great here! I like using the Tap n Track application on my iTouch helps a lot. Faster than logging on a website, just because internet connections are slow and tedious fro this task. An offline tracker really saves time. My favorite app by far.

The goal would be 7 consecutive days logged each week: working towards 28 Consecutive Days Logged. Check?

December 12, 2010: I really only struggle with this when I eat things that I don't want to log. When I am eating "off plan" it is really hard to own it. So that's where I'm working to improve on this. The idea being that I don’t go into denial when I'm off plan. I know what I'm about to eat or what I just ate and I can adjust accordingly. If I just pretend that it didn't happen and hope that I don't get a notice in the mail that my account is overdrawn / scale goes up or I'm out of funds / scale doesn't go down… I can still eat a treat and actually move down on the scale. I think that the fact that it's hard to get data sometimes is an excuse not to log and a way of not "owning " my actions. Connect the action with the consequence. Log it!

The goal here is to log everything I put in my mouth. Not just the good days / meals.

Exercise / Fitness Goals:

Wii Fit Plus Minutes... other than just weighing in of course, .. and it's fun, too. I should do this more.

10 Days of 15 Minutes. Check?
December 12, 2010: I have one day, need to try harder.

Elliptical Minutes... this makes for a great 10 minute warm-up or a full workout.

10 Days of 15 Minutes. Check?
No Change.

Videos... Jackie Warner 15 minute total body workout, or a Yoga video, I have lots to choose from. Yay, this will be fun!! 10 Days of 15 Minutes. Check?
No Change.

November ...Focus on WORK ...and food and fitness

2010-12-03T14:20:00.003-07:00

I can honestly say that the focus has been on work and getting through a couple of audits for the two production facilities. This is where my focus was needed and I'm happy that it all paid off. Yay us!!

I did not have it in me to contemplate 'camp' or fitness at all. I traveled a lot and wasn't home to do the work required to stick to 'eating clean' and low calorie. Husband and I have had a goal to not eat out for the last 80 days of the year and I did great for about a month and then fell from that wagon pretty hard. I did try to keep my food choices healthy... oatmeal for breakfasts and lots of salads without cheese and just a touch of dressing for dinners. It's weird, I didn't feel spoiled that I could eat out... I felt like I was settling for less; less healthy amd less yummy. (Which is cool, right?)

Nonetheless, I did do pretty good. I kept my weigh under 150 except for 2-5 days (AWESOME ACCOMPLISHMENT) and of those 5 three of them were the last 3 days of the month.

In some ways, it was the best month yet!

Using the Tools:
I did not track my food. When I prepare my food I know the calorie content and how the nutrition breaks down, but when I eat out, I have to guess calories too much, I try for awhile, but then start thinking how off I am and just give up. I am really trying to let go of the need for perfection in tracking and try and at least do it so I am not letting myself eat without accounting for it. It's so easy to "forget" about all the BLT's (bites, licks, tastes) and even a snack if I'm not careful. I would have felt better about imperfect tracking that kept me mindful of EVERYTHING I ate, then not doing it at all.

I didn't exercise more than two or three times this month. My walking partner at work does not travel to Fruitland with me and she's been pretty uncomfortable in her pregnant body this last month on those days that I was in Salt Lake. Still, I have not come up with a Plan B that fits into my work day, so a time must be found in the morning (aaak!) or evenings. Now to make the matter of making it a priority over other things like crashing on the couch. I will feel better and not feel like I need to crash once I get going most days.

I'm excited to be done with the Audits and now I can pick up my healthy habits where I left off and see if I can't make some improvements on moving more.

Breakfast!
Pumpkin Pancakes with Cranberries were delicious this morning! I used a whole wheat buttermilk pancake mix from Lehi Roller Mills and added just as much pumpkin puree as I could and still be able to have the mixture act as a pancake batter should. I added a little water to thin it and put some Craisins in the mix. It was delicious!

Note: I'm almost done with the huge bag of Craisins I've had for months and months. Next time I purchase these, I will purchase a non-sweetened variety of dried cranberries. I've been making "clean eating" changes like this over the past year and have discovered that I love having a say over when I add sugar, salt, or glucaphonameg hexamonobisphenome. (I made that last one up.) I have a lot of fun shopping for health at the grocery store.

Healthy Foods I Actually Eat A Lot Of...

brown rice

steel cut oats

lowfat greek plain or vanilla yogurt

almond butter

slivered almonds

chia seeds
fruits, lately: cranberries, raisins, apples, persimmons, pomegranate seeds

raw veggies, usually: cauliflower, red peppers, spinach, basil

cooked veggies, usually: zucchinni, egg plant, yellow squash, sweet potatoes
sweeteners: raw agave nectar, maple syrup (the real stuff), and occasionally raw sugar
black beans, kidney beans, cannelini beans

Week Two Focus on Fitness

2010-11-02T14:42:00.004-06:00

On my mark, ...Ready..... Set....

Ok.... this hasn't been quite what I imagined, the Fitness Camp meets Real Life has had a lot more REAL LIFE thrown in and not as much fitness as I'd hoped. So this "camp" has not been all that well,... campy. Therefore, I can't with clear conscious call it camp... lol. That's ok, though, I'll just report on what I have managed to do in the previous week.

October 24-October 30
USING THE TOOLS
Log Food Intake...Doing great here! Tap n Track on my iTouch helps a lot. Faster than logging on a website. Check.

Bountiful Baskets... Volunteering once a month... eating fresh produce,... organic every other week. Check.

Wii Fit Plus Minutes... other than just weighing in of course, 0 Minutes... and it's fun, too. I should do this more.

Elliptical Minutes... this makes for a great 10 minute warm-up or a full workout, nada zero minutes.

Videos... Jackie Warner 15 minute total body workout, Yoga, etc..I did JW twice and yoga once. Yay!!

Body Bugg Goals:
Calorie Deficit Met... This means that I used more calories than I ate... this is the most important goal for weight loss. If I ate a little more than I should have, did I get enough movement in to counteract that? I got 450 ... was shooting for 750. Not too bad. I'm happy with that... for now.

8000 Steps... Pretty self explanatory, Nope, I averaged 5,846 steps... I hit it one day, a Monday!, I got over 11,000 steps that day! That gives me hope for the week days.

This week has gotten off to a slow slow start, since I am sick with a head and chest cold and it's taking all of my energy... but we'll not call it a week off.... more of a light week instead.

Week One ...almost

2010-10-24T21:06:00.001-06:00

I traveled this week for work and so was on the road... away from my scale.
I was not however away from a way to work out. There was a treadmill at the hotel, that normally I'm very good about getting on, but I spent all my time in my room just playing on the computer. Not a lot of steps or calories burned in that activity.
All is not lost, though. This is an interesting week from the perspective of seeing how the BodyBugg works.
Since I maintained, my weight this week am said to have a Calorie Balance of Zero. I burned the same amount of calories that I ate. I didn't log calories last week... (and I normally do that too.) But the BodyBugg knows what I burned and so can tell me how many calories I ate.
I don't know that this week is going to count as one of the weeks at camp... not exactly what I had in mind... This is a very low activity week. I did no exercise but I ate right... and didn't gain. WooHoo!

Week ZERO

2010-10-24T20:55:00.000-06:00

It took me a little longer to get this up, than I wanted, but here it is. Week Zero.(The week before I decided to get my 8 week camp in before the end of the year.)
This week shows some low impact exercise... walking a 5K on 10/9 gave me lots of steps, but didn't really burn tons of calories... (at least I'm always surprised that I didn't burn more) but we literally must work for every calorie burned. This drills home to me that 80% of how much you weigh / or how much you lose depends on what you put in your mouth. Based on the weight loss from this week Body Bugg shows me that my calorie intake was 1,320 calories a day as an average for the week.

Focus on Fitness

2010-10-15T22:47:00.007-06:00

My past FOCUS posts have been long trying to cover ALL the areas that I was focusing on and to be honest... reading through them makes me feel SCATTERED.

With less than three months left in the year, and PLENTY of progress yet to be made on reaching the goals, I've decided on a new approach. This post is just about my Focus on Fitness.

Early in the year, my sister Jamie told me in about a Biggest Loser Ranch somewhere by St. George, Utah where anyone can pay for an experience similar to the contestants of the Biggest Loser. I looked into it and saw that it had a gigantic price tag for an 8 week stay and decided that for much less money and no vacation time required I could create a Real World meets Biggest Loser and conduct an Biggest Loser inspired boot camp of my own.

So I came up with a few ideas and a list of supplies needed, and recently came to the realization that if I wanted to make this happen in 2010 I better get busy!

Let me just explain that I have never watched an entire episode of The Biggest Loser, so if when you read this, all you can think is “This is nothing like The Biggest Loser, nothing at all.” Just forgive my ignorance and call it Christy’s Focus on Fitness Plan.

One of the tools I decided I would need early on is my BodyBugg, The little armband I’ve been wearing for the last 36 weeks that monitors the number of steps I take in a day and the number of calories I burn. I have been using this faithfully using it to set measurable goals and I just love the "reality check" it provides.

You burn calories all the time… just to stay alive. You can lay bed all day, never roll over and you’re probably burning over 1000 calories. This is your Basal Metabolic Rate. What I liked about the Body Bugg was that it gave me a more useful number… The number of calories I burn if I go to work, sit at my desk, come home after stopping at the grocery store and make a dinner and then veg out on the couch for the rest of the night.

I got lots and lots of data that showed that my normal weekday burn was around 2050-2150 calories and the number of steps it took to do that was anywhere from 3500 to 5000.

I've had a couple of really good months where I've burned 2300 calories a day on average. Most of the time I'm somewhere between 2050 and 2150 as an average burn in a 30 day period. I got 3800 steps a day on average in March, (SO LOW!!) I’ve managed to get my average number of steps during the workweek up to 5400 steps by adding in a 20 minute walk. Now, I can easily get 5700 steps as an average in a month… My best months have been 7500 steps as a daily average.

Right now I have a walking partner I can count on and good weather. Things look to be changing soon, she has only 7 weeks left to her due date and then she’ll be off on maternity leave to tend to her brand new baby girl. It’s been really nice having company during the walk. When I have to do it by myself, I feel pretty vulnerable all by myself in an industrial area… just doesn’t feel “safe”. Also, very soon I’ll have Ice and Slush to contend with, so I best be pulling together a "Plan B".

Historically, I’ve never been much for exercise. Walking has been my only formal exercise that I have occasionally taken part in. This year has been different. I’ve tried my wings on a few different ventures.

The Whittle My Middle Challenge which came to an abrubt end… and I would have finished (probably) except… ... I have a confession to make. Sometimes, I'm not nice. Sometimes, I just react without thinking.

See... this challenge required that I do balancing moves and record the amount of time I was able to do it. It was hard to time myself and Dennis had been happily helping me. All was going well until, ( I’m sure it must have been a sensitive time of the month or someone had been mean to me at the grocery store or something), for some reason I lashed out for him not doing it exactly the way I thought he should. I got mad, raised my voice, and I blamed him for "messing me up"…. He dropped the timer to the floor, understandably offended by my attack, and said he was done.

After that I have felt too embarrassed to even ask him to time me again. I don't want to remind him of my little "spell". :P So there you have it. My middle is not whittled because I was mean.

The Couch to 5K venture started out after I ran 1.5 miles as fast as I could and scored POOR on one of the Fitness Tests I took along with Kaylee. I have resolved immediately that I would improve to at least BELOW AVERAGE which still meant I would be below my overall goal of FIT. It wasn’t long after and Amy talked me in to training for a 5K and we found the Couch to 5K training plan that gradually progresses you with intervals of walking and running until you can run a 5K. I’ve downloaded audio mp3 that play music and give you cues when your walking warm up is over and your are supposed to start running and then go back to walking, and then back to running… . I got derailed because my core muscles are really weak and had to put the training on hold. I'm coming back to this… but it's going to have to wait until next year.

In mid July, I got the Wii Fit and began working out really consistently with that. I weigh in every morning on it and I love that it keeps a history of my weigh-ins. It asks me questions like “Did you have a good night’s rest?” and “What is the reason for your weight gain?” :P ...Actually, that last question is not one of my favorite questions. It’s not rhetorical like the first one… I have to fess up to eating too much, snacking on treats, late night eating, etc.

I was getting in at least two days a week very consistently for about 12 weeks. Recently though, I took a couple of trips for work and I let the Wii workouts go by the wayside, only doing them a couple of times since then. Not really sure why? Just interrupted my routine, I guess, and then never got back to it.

I’ve also given some thought to taking some Boot Camp classes offered locally, or joining Curves or Anytime Fitness, but for now… I think I’m better off getting myself in better shape within the confines of the money already spent. Can't feel too sorry for myself considering I have a whole lot of really cool fitness stuff, nothing left to buy or get… it's time to "Just Do It".

So I leave you with the focus for the remainder of the year. The Biggest Loser meets My Real Life looks like this: Consistently making it a priority to USE THE TOOLS!!!
My short term goals to get me through the end of the year: 8000 step average and 2300 average calorie burns. Neither of these goals are easy… I'm going to take it one week at a time, and hope to hit goal at least 6 of the weeks prior to the end of the year. I'll report whatever I got for the past week in the morning. It's not great, but it will serve as a good point of comparison.

Here's a screen from my Body Bugg program. It shows my current Calorie Burn Goal as 2050 and says I can eat 1550 calories and still lose a pound a week. Ideal world... I'll be at 140 by the end of the year. We shall see.

Just Thought I'd Share a Link

2010-10-08T19:58:00.000-06:00

I just read a couple of blogs, which I haven't taken the time to do in many moons, because I'm just swamped with real life. (not complaining at all) I feel like I'm having a good time with it all.

Anywho... I read one of those "letters to self" blogs that I could relate to in a few different areas and thought I would share. Check it out here.

I'm posting this on the cluttered vision board... after reevaluating some of the stuff that is up there.

Acoustic Night... with the Girls

2010-10-03T22:24:00.004-06:00

This was back in July... all the other pics are gone from that night. Which is fine. This was the best one, anyway.

He's BACK!!!!

2010-07-11T13:57:00.000-06:00

Wow! The garage is clean and the Pantry Project is rolling again. Here he is sanding the alder boards that he glued together a long long time ago... They will become drawer fronts. Basically the pantry still looked the way it did when last I posted about it.... almost 2 years ago. (more on that soon.)

It's great to have him being able to help with all the man-chores we've gotten behind on around here.

We even went on a two mile walk yesterday. I never thought we'd go for a walk just to walk, let alone be able to go 2 miles. I feel very fortunate that we've still got our Dennis and Dennis still has his health. I love him so much!!

WoooHOOO!!! He's Back!!!!

That's Pushin' It!

2010-06-25T21:56:00.000-06:00

Okay I have used up all my excuses.
So what has happen?? The scale is creeping up into the territory that I never, ever wanted to see again. So what do I do?? Do I continue to allow that to happen?? HELL NO!!!!
It's not all bad, my activity level is the best it's been this last month... consistently too. I'm meeting my calorie burn goal more days than not and the quality of the foods I'm choosing have never been better my whole life.
The problem is I'm eating too much and I'm not telling myself no as much as I used to.
The Madeleine cookies, invented by someone who sold their soul to the devil, has probably had a little something to do with it as well. I've been pretty consistent about those too. ;)

I've adjusted my goal weight... Raised it four pounds. My body didn't want to hang out at 140 with my activity level.. so goal is now 144. I've gained enough that I've got 10-12 pounds depending on the day to lose to get there... but I'll do it.
I tried running again a bit and I've had sore muscles next to my shin bones for the last three days, after only 2 small outings. My side is fine.
One of my friends keeps saying that running isn't for everyone, and I agree... but I'm just not ready to walk away from the idea yet. I'm a bit stubborn I guess, or slightly masochistic, one is definitely true, and the other appears to be true on occasion, but I do have a low threshold for pain, so I'm not going to get too worried about that one.
I've been working on getting rid excuses. I've noticed I've accepted far too many from myself and though I don't feel I need to raise the bar on what I expect... I just need to hold myself accountable. Overall, my areas of focus (other than my weight) have been moving in the right direction. Just need to stay the course and turn up the determination! All is never lost, as long as you stay in the fight! Right?

Sharing Pictures

2010-05-30T15:43:00.001-06:00

Sandie Kittie loves this rose. She's knocked it over four times since Kaylee got it from Dennis as a graduation present. I sent Kaylee and Dennis this picture so they could see how nice the rose opened up. Sandie Kittie graciously posed, cuz she misses them, too.
Kaylee's off vacationing with her Colorado family. Kaylee sent me a picture of the Pacific.

Look at the beautiful pacific :) ~Kaylee

Dennis left to go visit his Dad and Pam and help them out with ceiling/roof trouble. He sent me a pic of his prop plane just after getting on, This is the view out his window.

Thai Tea and Lunch

2010-05-19T19:42:00.001-06:00

I'm having lunch at The Green Papaya. This Thai Tea is SO good!!
I was in the mood for Pho today. I ordered the Pho with tofu and veggies. Can't wait! I'll update later on what I thought of their Pho. The restaurant itself is clean and relaxed. The decor is nice and the seating is comfortable. Prices are decent too.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Not amazing... Not my favorite pho house. No complaints, it just didn't stand out.

My C25K Break

2010-05-09T21:16:00.000-06:00

I am SO MISSING taking time out in the day to train and the feeling of accomplishment that goes along with it.
I have had MUCH success with visiting the physical therapist to work on my core muscles... but I can't go on indefinitely using the PT Therapy as a substitute for a personal trainer... I guess. Darn it!!
I suppose now it's time to take some initiative to continue my core work on my own. I have my Home program of exercises and I've done pretty good get in a workout twice a week. (Though less this last week.)
This is not where I'd like to be with workouts; I'd like to rack up at least 5 sessions a week, but I guess I've been practicing at getting started. Sometimes you practice at quitting a habit, and sometimes you practice at starting a habit. It'll take, maybe this time, maybe next time, but until it does you get to hear about the latest attempt.
The point is I've been trying... and all of it is moving me in the right direction, but I am ready to quit trying and just be, "be" the fit active health nut I've been working at becoming.
Baby Steps!

Couch to 5k Update

2010-04-07T07:01:00.005-06:00

Week 1 Round 2

As I said before this was a repeat week, since I struggled a bit with getting through the complete workout... until W1D3. (That day was awesome!)
This week's workout consists of 5 minute warm-up of brisk walking followed by 8 intervals of running 60 seconds then walking 90 seconds and another 5 minutes cool-down by brisk walking,
3 times a week.

W1D4: Tuesday 3/23/10

I went to the Legacy Center with Kaylee. She had a weightlifting assignment to get out of the way, so I helped her with that and then left to start my C25K workout, while she did some calculations. I warmed up for 5 minutes with some brisk walking. I was finished with my first 3 running intervals when Kaylee came and pushed me harder on the running rounds. By the 7th and 8th round I thought I would drop from exhaustion but I made it! So glad/proud to be done!

Wednesday 3/24/10

The pain that started on W1D1, and has had me limping around on my rest days... was getting increasingly more important. I put a couple of feelers out on some running message boards and decided to see a doctor, just to make sure that I was doing the right thing to just "work through" the aches and pains of my new endeavor.

I hadn't mentioned the pain, because I was staying positive and choosing not to focus on the little aches and pains. But since it was getting worse and I couldn't walk well at all... I figured it deserved some looking into.
Since then... The doc ruled out kidney stones, a urinary tract infection, and said that his best guess was that my deep core muscles are very weak and resulted in me pulling/ straining / spraining something. So the latest is... I'm working with the physical therapist to heal and then strengthen my core muscles enough to start the program again without that stupid pain in my side... A little detour, a slight shift of focus and probably I'll be back to this before you know it!

Couch to 5k

2010-03-20T16:39:00.071-06:00

The Couch to 5k program requires 3 workouts a week for 9 weeks. The program get's increasingly difficult as you move through it. They do not recommend moving on to the next week's workouts until you feel comfortable with the current week.

Week 1

This week's workout consists of 5 minute warm-up of brisk walking followed by 8 intervals of running 60 seconds then walking 90 seconds and another 5 minutes cool-down by brisk walking.
By the way, there are t-shirts available with the logo in the picture here. How cool would it be to have one of these?? WAY cool!
I had originally planned on doing this Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. After technical difficulties on Sunday, I finally got the i-pod synced and ready to go for a Monday run. (or so I thought.) So Week 1 (W1) began on Monday (D1) now the schedule is Mon Wed Fri, which should work out just fine. If I end up repeating a week, I'll indicate this by using Day 4, Day 5 and Day 6 or D4, D5, and D6... etc... I can already tell halfway through the week that Week 1 is a definite repeat week. Which is fine. No sense in pressing forward if my body isn't ready!

W1D1: Monday 3/15/10

I went to the Legacy Center to use their track. It's 1/6 of a mile in length and is pretty nice, plus it's out of the weather and air pollution. When I tried to start the W1 podcast, I discovered that for some reason, I only had Week 5 downloaded! I was super bummed and considered just starting on Tuesday, but I decided that I "sort of" knew what to do and just went for it.
I warmed up for 5 minutes with some brisk walking. This is the way every C25K workout begins and ends.
Then I ran for awhile... then I walked for awhile, then I ran for a while... walked, ran, and then my runs got really short and I walked more toward the end. SO TIRED!! I was so happy when I got to the 5 minute cool-down.

W1D2: Wednesday 3/17/10

Back to the Legacy Center, wearing a green t-shirt for the holiday and carrying a bottle of water, I was pleasantly surprised that the techno music used in the podcast was decent and actually pretty motivating. In the beginning my pace was just under 1/6 of a mile for both the running (60 second) and walking (90 second) interval. I tried to keep that pace, but started losing ground by the 6th interval set. I am excited I have an easy way to gauge my pace. (This means I'll be able to see that I'm improving with time.) I wasn't able to run during the eighth interval, the seventh was a killer and I didn't have the energy for even "1 more minute" of running. Still, I'll count this as a success. I completed the whole workout and I'm still alive to tell about it. This is a definite challenge, but I'm up for it!
Thursday: Went shopping for some running shoes. They'll be $100. Maybe as a reward for completing week 5...? I'll get some sooner if needed, but I think I can wait to make sure I hang in there for a few weeks, first.

W1D3: Friday 3/19/10

...Such a busy day and everyone needing my time...didn't happen.

W1D3: Saturday

Dennis said I could get the running shoes NOW!!! He's very proud of me and keeps saying encouraging sweet things. I was stoked about getting shoes and wasted no time. I picked up the pair of Nike's from Fleet's Feet in American Fork and headed over to the Legacy Center. They really support me better and they feel very stable... I tend to roll into the center and these shoes help keep me where I'm supposed to be. It's nice to have shoes meant for the job. It's better for my body too.
I made it over to the Legacy Center about 4 pm, put on my running shoes, selected the Week 1 program and Guess What?!? I ran all the running intervals!!! It was the easiest workout so far... still hard, but easier!! So now I move on to Week 1 Day 4, which is another way of saying I'm repeating Week 1. My body's not quite ready for the next level, but days 4, 5, and 6 look like I'm going to be training at the right level to take on Week 2 once they're done.

What a trip! Me running???? Yeah, baby, YEAH!!!

Focus Update

2010-03-18T20:30:00.001-06:00

FOCUS has been kicking my butt, quite honestly.
I've been feeling pretty scattered... (my last post being a prime example). But let's face it, things are in transition and I'm incorporating new things and trying out ideas and activities and until I get some time and experience with these things, it's going to feel like I'm scattered, because I am. Not to mention that things are not quite normal round these parts, I am trying to jam workouts into my very full life that is a bit more hectic because Dennis just had major surgery, Kaylee has been swamped with homework and if it weren't for Mom Bea helping Dennis out during the day... my ability to get the necessary things done wouldn't have been possible. Thanks Mom Bea!
Considering though, it's all going pretty well, even if it feels like I'm not "in the groove", so to speak. There are plenty of people balancing much more than I am right now, so I know it's "do-able". It's just going to take me some time before I feel like I'm good at it.

I think getting a little more clear on happenings in the areas of focus and what I've got going will help me going forward. This is where things currently stand and reflect what I currently want to work on, I can take stuff off, add, but I think keeping it organized somewhere will help as well.

FOOD: Change Your Mind, Change Your Body (an audiobook); Meal Planning with Bountiful Basket bootie; Logging Food eaten; Maintain right calories in to maintain weight.

FITNESS: I have a schedule! (scheduled days not scheduled times, times are flexible) MWF - Couch to 5k, and TTh - Yoga / Stretching. Walking at lunch 3x a week, minimum. 7500 steps / day. And eventually, back to the Whittle My Middle challenge. Get a new Bod Pod (%Body Fat / Lean Mass composition) measurement shortly.

FINANCE: We have a "Budget on Paper!" Now to make sure we're following it and get it tweaked. Get back to cash! Prioritize wish list.

ORGANIZATION/ ORDER: BigOven (meal planning, recipe software) 2: De-Clutter and Simplify!! I've been picking an area or room and working on it with real attention to de-clutter and organize the space, meanwhile building a pile of things to Garage Sale. 3: Organize Now! A week-by-week guide to simplify your space and your life... (a book)

There! I feel better already!

Focus

2010-03-16T06:30:00.034-06:00

FOCUS: Organization /Meal Planning / Grocery Budget / ... oh and Decent Dinners!

BIG PROBLEM: We've been having a decent dinner only 1 or 2 nights a week. The rest of the week we are ala carte. The kitchen is a wreck and I have no room to work..

BIG PROBLEM: I'm grocery shopping 3-5 nights a week.

BIG PROBLEM: I don't have a grocery budget currently, but if I did... It wouldn't be nearly as big as the spending has been over the last 3 months. This needs to be halved... minimally and immediately.

As part of "FOCUS" more organization is needed in my life. This organization should carry over to helping out with Finances...
FOCUS ON HOME ORGANIZATION
I've started organizing the house. I have a pile of stuff to garage sale and I've been going through a drawer, a shelf, a cupboard over the last couple of weeks and the stuff is looking better in areas. This is ongoing and I'm making continuous progress... and the best news? Lately, you can tell, that this has been happening. There is a difference, small right now, but a noticeable difference. The kitchen is looking better, too.

FOCUS ON FINANCES
Good News!!! We HAVE a budget again. I think I'm beginning to crawl out of my pit of denial.
I think Bountiful Baskets is going to help me out on a couple of levels. Less trips to the grocery store trying to stay stocked up on good clean healthy eats which means less opportunities to throw a little something extra into the cart. which means SAVINGS at the grocery store in addition to the SAVINGS I get just buying my produce from the CoOp.
FOCUS ON PLANNING

Something I've decided to give a try is BIG OVEN. This program organizes recipes, (you can even import a recipe from a website), let's you set up meal plans with those recipes, and generates shopping lists based on your meal plan and what you say you have on hand when you are creating your shopping list. It also helps you organize your nutrition information for the recipe... a very very nice and necessary feature. Set-up of this is going to be pretty labor intensive to get the recipes I want organized into the program, but there's a lot of stuff already there, so I can use some of their recipes. Click here for a review ABC did of the program.
After using it for a few days I've ran into another BIG PROBLEM: BigOven does not do the dishes or clean the kitchen, so I have had to pull away from learning / customizing the program to take care of these chores. I'm still dealing with a learning curve, so BigOven is not a "tool" at this point... more of a "project" (like I needed another one of those. ;)

How It's Worked So Far:
I've done two shopping lists from it, or the equivalent 6 recipes... put together a couple of loose meal plans for and generated a shopping list... and took it to the store. While there I saw some "other items" that would be good to make something with, and put it in my cart. Then I took it OUT of my cart saying that once I got it on a "meal plan", I would come back and purchase it later. I had items needed to cook actual meals, I got to cook actual meals and I've had fun doing it. The planning time really pays off. When I make sure to find planning time. I'm still learning, so I'm a bit slow... but this all takes time and if I had more of that... I'd be screaming on this already. So I expect to see real benefits after I've had it awhile.

Weekly Weigh-In (#57) GOAL!!!!

2010-03-14T10:26:00.000-06:00

*****GOAL!!!!******
Today I weighed in at 140.0! On the money! How weird is that?
I just couldn't be happier!!!! WOOHOOOO!!!!

Good Habits:
Chewed sugarfree-gum for my sweet tooth.
Drank a half liter of water on the way to work and a 20 oz on the way home, every day.
Drank 2-3 20oz bottles of Dasani while at work. (Dasani is a nice healthy job perk.)
I went for three walks this week at lunchtime. It was a little cold, but MUCH more tolerable than doing it in the heat of summer.
I packed my lunch every day. This has become easy peasy... I've become very good at planning and prepping so throwing it all in a bag in the morning, is like grabbing my purse before I walk out the door.

Still Needs Improvement -
I managed to stretch one night for about a half hour and the short brisk walks at lunchtime, but I really want to be fit. I want to be toned. I want to feel strong. I want to be flexible. I want to have good endurance. I want this when I'm 60. I want an active enjoyable retirement, one where I can put in a garden, go on a hiking trip in Peru, take a yoga class, explore Italy...

... A New Endeavor
My sister Amy thinks we should run a 5K. ... and I didn't say no. (I didn't run either.) We're thinking very seriously about doing the Couch to 5K program. By the way, I get points for even considering doing this; Running is NOT my thing, you understand. However, truth be told Amy does all kinds of things that I want to do, so I really should reciprocate. So this weekend I have put in some serious planning and figured out how to get training for a 5K, (did I just say that?) into my schedule. My C25K training starts today.... wish me luck!

Now to Get On With My Healthy Fit Life!!

My First Bountiful Basket

2010-03-13T15:15:00.003-07:00

Isn't it beautiful? This is the contents of my organic Bountiful Basket!!!! I picked it up in Springville this morning. I got there early, and was glad I did. There were TONS of people there, and it's no wonder! What a great deal! I got some Romaine Lettuce, Kabocha Squash, Pineapple, Cameo Apples(7), Oranges(6), Mangoes(4), Kiwi(6), Fresh Dill, Potatoes(8), Asparagus, Eggplant, and Leeks.

I was like third in line, so I got to see the whole set up before people had really picked there stuff up. This picture was taken with my camera phone, but it's clear enough to give you a good idea of how amazing the whole thing is, remembering this whole thing is volunteer operated! They were super organized.

If you add in the produce I paid a little extra for... it looks like this!

This added avocados, green onions, cilantro, mexican limes(7) (same as key limes?), Jalapenos(4), Chipotle Peppers (smoky flavor)(4), Red Anaheim Chili Peppers (mild flavor), (10), an onion, garlic, and grey squash (a lot like zuchinni).

I'm trying to think through shelf-lives and come up with and prioritize recipes. I've already got a couple of ideas for the Kabocha, there's a Coconut Butternut Squash Stew that I think the Kabocha Squash would go nicely in. Then, since it's a Japanese squash, I though that a traditional recipe, Simmered Kabocha, would be good. But the squash will keep, and the leeks won't. The one I found, involves Sake (rice wine) and Dashi (fish broth). I'm game to try it. (I plan to sample the simmering sauce before I put the squash in it).

So anyways, I have to give this some thought, or I'll be throwing a bunch of stuff out, and that would be a REAL shame! I'm excited!! How fun!!!

Weekly Weigh-In #56

2010-03-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

Down 0.8 this week! 144.1.
This could have been better, but a had a night where I ate too much. Still haven't recovered fully from it. But everything is going the right direction.
I did some measurements and inches are down from 5 weeks ago, significantly.
I'll be back to fill you in!

Weekly Weigh-In #55 and Month in Review

2010-02-28T12:58:00.005-07:00

This was a good week for weight loss. Of course I was sick in bed for a couple of days, and usually that works in your favor when your hoping to drop some poundage. I'm down 4.4 pounds! Now at 144.9 from 149.3. I pounds! I'll take it! I drank lots of water the last 2 days so I'm not dehydrated for this week's weigh-in. I didn't want next week's weigh-in to be up just because my body had re-hydrated, and then end up feeling like I did something wrong. Hopefully I got enough water. I took a Flintstone vitamin yesterday afternoon, which made hydration somewhat difficult to gauge last night. I'm hoping I was all hydrated.

I packed my lunches again for the three days I did go to work and my night time eating was right on track.Usually being home with all the food, I don't do quite as well as when I have the structure of only having the proper portions of healthy foods I brought with me.

I said last week that I needed to be more aware of what I was putting into my mouth. This week I didn't taste what I cooked for others, unless I put it into a small dish first. This meant I did it a lot less, (twice) and I did it very conciously. I chewed gum while I was cooking, which meant I had to take my gum out to eat, and was surprised, how I caught myself this morning holding my gum about to taste the oatmeal that was left in the pan after serving, all on "auto-pilot"! Crazy. I didn't stand up to eat my dinner while working in the kitchen, as I have a habit of doing. I actually put everything I was going to eat on the plate and sat down and ate it. I feel like I don't have time to do this most nights, but in reality I do and I think it helps me to mentally feel like I've had a meal.

I went to Olive Garden for a business lunch on Monday and planned exactly what I was having, based off of my experience a few weeks ago when I went to lunch with my friend. Take a look at what I had earlier this month versus what I had on Monday.

Menu Item (2/5/2010)	Servings	Calories	Fat
Garden Fresh Salad	1	350	26!!!!!
Zuppe Toscana	2	340	8
Breadstick	2.5	375	5
TOTAL		1065	39

Versus

Menu Item (2/22/2010)	Servings	Calories	Fat
Garden Fresh Salad (no dressing)	2.75	32	0
Parmesan Cheese hard	.25 oz	28	2
Zuppe Toscana	1	170	4
Breadstick	0
TOTAL		385	8

I've kept plenty of fruits and vegetables around and the cupboards don't have much in them that really tempts me.

I made a spinach and parmesan quinoa dish that was really good. Kaylee liked it too, but asked for more Parmesan. Dennis said it was OK. This was a recipe I got from BigOven.

I am really trying to get out of saying it wrong, It's "keen'-wah" not "qui-no'-uh".

The leftover quinoa softened up quite a bit overnight. Surprised me a little. I thought it would keep it's crunch... guess not.
Overall I'm down 8.0 pounds this month. (Started counting when I did my BodPod measurement.)

Here I am in the BodPod trying very hard to breathe normally and not move. Just reminds me of Mork and Mindy... " Nanoo, Nanoo!! from Planet Ork!" I think the egg shaped space ship and the swim cap make me look very Orkan.
My BodyBugg Data Report for the month:

My target for Calories Burned is very doable, but high enough I have to do some exercise or I won't hit it. Kaylee probably helped me out a little bit on this, I think she was wearing it the day that I showed the highest activity.

March is going to be fabulous. I'm going to focus on logging my food and moving more. TOM is always a difficult week as far as munching so I am going to need to put together some strategies that reduce stress and keep me out of the front of the open refrigerator. ...maybe some activity that burns calories!

Confidence level heading into March on a scale of 1 to 10?
10, Baby, 10!!!

Weekly Weigh-In #54

2010-02-21T14:59:00.001-07:00

Today I weighed in at 149.3, down 1.7 from last week.
What went well this last week? I made some healthy banana almond snack bread that was very filling and yummy. I planned and shopped for and made 3 meals. I've prepped my chicken for the coming week. It's cooked, frozen, and ready to take for lunches (it's usually thawed perfectly by lunchtime). I've portioned Frozen Blueberries out and those are ready. I've been very consistent about packing my lunches. We ate out at Buca de Beppos and I ate some of everything, and I must have done well enough the rest of the week that I still lost. SCORE!! Also, I've just felt more centered overall.

What could have gone better? Just staying aware of what I'm putting into my mouth, the bites, licks and tastes when I cook, I think I quit paying attention to those and they are adding up. Gotta stay away from adding the Coffee-Mate to my coffee. I think I did this 3 or 4 times. I could have preplanned a few food choices for our night out, maybe drank a big thing of water on the way to the restaurant.

General stuff:
I have had my BodyBugg for about 3 weeks now and it's really helped me to see what's been going on with the "Maintenance" stage I've been in. I can see from tracking (and we all know you don't NEED a BodyBugg to track) that although I feel like I"m doing good MOST of the time, I've established a pretty predictable pattern.
I eat according to plan, creating a "Calorie Deficit" (burning more calories than I consume), which is exactly what I need to do to drop some poundage.
Then I eat more calories than I should, which cancels out the "Calorie Deficit" goal I worked to get, and then I eat the amount of calories needed to maintain. All of this happens every week. There's various "reasons" behind it, and it doesn't always happen in that order, but the calories tell the same story. Very interesting... and useful information! I really am getting the results for what I put into this. I love the accountability. I like feeling accountable for choices, as opposed to the frustration that comes with not realizing what's going wrong.
Using the BodyBugg, I can see why Tosca Reno says the "beautiful body formula" is 80% Nutrition, 10% Training and 10% genetics. I believed it, but when I saw my workout calorie impact versus the "what I put in my mouth" calorie impact... it all makes total sense.

Well, because it's hard to do... Weekly Weigh-In #53

2010-02-20T13:25:00.001-07:00

Last Week's Weigh-In?
No, I didn't forget, I just hate posting that it's not better, or in this case not as good as the previous week. (I was up 2 pounds.)

So back to why I thought blogging weekly weigh-ins was a good idea...

It's a way to hold myself accountable.
It's a way to celebrate when I was successful as well as "fess up" if I wasn't trying hard enough.
It's a way to support others and be supported in this endeavor.
It's a time to review the past week and see what went well and what didn't. Using that information, I would be able to better "FOCUS" on what was needed for the upcoming week and stay successful, a motivational tool for me.
Honestly though, I'm having a tough time seeing it as a motivational tool for me when I don't show a loss on the scale. But, if I just stop blogging, when I' still have road to travel, what else would I be giving up? Would I lose another pound? Maybe, maybe not. But at least part of me thinks if I stop posting weekly-weigh-ins that it would be the first step to giving up. I don't want to go there. So I'll continue on... and I will make real progress again, ... cuz I'll make sure. See ya tomorrow, rain or shine!

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

2010-02-13T10:54:00.005-07:00

This recipe is one I modified from my Eat Clean Cookbook by Tosca Reno.

Lettuce Wraps
2 tbsp / 30 mL best-quality extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds Jenny-O Ground Turkey (I used 1 pkg ground turkey breast, 1 pkg 93/7 ground turkey)
1/2 red onion, chopped, finely chopped
2 green onion (bulbs only), chopped,
2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
Handful of baby carrots or 1 good sized carrot, peeled and grated (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1 roma tomato, peeled and chopped fine
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and deveined, finely chopped
Handful fresh basil, chopped
Green Onions (green part) sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp Plum (Hoisin) Sauce
2 Tsp Curry (this provided a mild spiciness)
Iceberg Lettuce Leaves (rinse well) (Core the head of lettuce first)

Pour olive oil into wok and heat over medium high heat. Add ground turkey, red onion and green onion bulbs and celery and cook until meat is no longer pink.

Add carrot, tomato, pepper and basil and salt and cook until carrots and peppers have softened (about 6 minutes).

Mix sesame oil, plum sauce and curry together in one side of wok, then stir / toss to coat the turkey and vegetable mixture.

Tosca used the same amount of vegetables and 1/2 the turkey that I did. I liked the way mine turned out and there is more for later. We ended up serving our lettuce wraps as a salad, because our head of lettuce did not produce nice flat leaves, but we put a half cup over a big bowl of lettuce pieces and it was MARVELOUS.

Oh Yeah! The sauce.

I used stuff we had on hand....

about a 1/4 cup soy sauce
Publish Post
1/2 tsp of horseradish (no hot mustard)
1 tsp of rooster (Siracha Chili Sauce)
1/8 cup rice vinegar... (malt vinegar worked fine.)

We used less than a tsp over our 1/2 cup serving and it seemed just right.

These are my new favorite lettuce wraps... and they are pretty good for me too!

Weekly Weigh-In (#52)

2010-02-07T23:36:00.002-07:00

52 Weeks... One year of Weigh-Ins!!! I have learned so so much!!! ... about nutrition information, about calories and macro-nutrients, and food choices and myself...
I'm still here and I'm still doing this. GO ME!!!! WooHoooo!!!

I weighed in at 149.0 today, so I guess the punishment from frequenting the dessert bar wasn't as bad as it looked... I am so glad!!! Still, not a lesson that I'll soon be forgetting... SCARY!!!! But enough of that!

The Bod Pod measurement was cool. I am 27% fat... This puts me in a "Moderate" category which is one of the two healthiest categories. It also reaffirms to me that my goal weight of 140 is right on the mark. That will put me well into the "Lean" category...(which is the other healthiest category)

At 140 it looks like my % Body Fat will be right around 21%. I plan to get another measurement once I've been at goal for a few weeks. Just to see where I'm at. I think 18 - 22% sounds like a very happy % Fat Number.

But as for this week... 149 sounds beautiful... (sigh of relief)

Weekly Weigh-In #51

2010-01-31T11:51:00.001-07:00

Derailled!!!

I'm up 9 1/2 ~~CAKES~~ pounds. Insanity entered my life last week in the form of a well stocked dessert bar. For the first two days I was there. I just thought about it...(constantly) and then I let myself have some and I ate way too much. And if it had stopped there I would have been OK. But, then I did it again and again at nearly every meal. Something just flipped and I really didn't, couldn't get the control back...

Maybe I was too stressed, maybe I was too restrictive for too long, maybe I was tired of being hungry, maybe I was self sabotaging for some deep purpose... I really don't know. I do know that it felt heavenly and then it felt crazy and stupid. It doesn't really matter why it happened. I don't think it's really worth exploring beyond what I've done right here. I'm really more about moving forward, I do know that what I need now is to cut myself some slack, accept that it happened, love me anyway and just start working toward goal... without a deadline. I need to be really really nice to me, because I'm feeling really wounded right now and just stay the course. I can do this... it's just time to wipe the creme-filling off my face, tie my cute shorter hair back into a kinda ponytail and get back to order and exercise and reasonable eating that will get me to my goal.

I looked the beginnings of an eating disorder square in the face this last week. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't me. I mourned the fact that I have officially missed my 140 pounds by Valentine's. It's not going to happen. It sucks, but we all have consequences... I can take mine like a big girl. ...well now that I've had a good cry about it, I can take it like a big girl.

140 will happen and it will happen as soon as I am ready. Back to basics... back to reason... back to not feeling like all the desserts will drop off the face of the planet any second... and I do NOT need to eat like I am going into hybernation for the winter.

The truth is... I love the food I've been eating. I love the lack of super sweetened desserts and and how I feel. I'm enjoying finding the next healthy food and how I best like it prepared. I love feeling energetic and thin enough to get around easily. I'm not leaving anything behind... I'm just moving on to something better.

A Date!!!

2010-01-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

It's been over a year since we went on a planned dress-up date. We do stuff quite often but it's nice to do something planned that you can anticipate.

It was a very nice evening. We went to a dinner party with the plant management team at Dennis' work. Our good friends Roger and Trish were there and since I used to work there too, so it was nice to see so many people that I knew and had worked with. I also got to meet most everyone's spouse and that was nice. It made it a very comfortable social gathering and I was able to meet the new plant manager and finally put a face with the name.
The food was so good! It was at Christopher's, an upscale Steak and Seafood restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City. We socialized and ate in a private low lit dining room. I dare say everyone enjoyed themselves, and I don't think that's always the case at work related functions. I enjoyed a piece of moist cheesecake that was better than most cheesecake you get, with a little bit of coffee after dinner.
It was a fun night out with my handsome hubby and good friends... couldn't be better than that!

Testing, testing.... is this thing on??

2010-01-23T00:30:00.004-07:00

I mentioned that Kaylee is taking a Fitness for Life class online and that I was playing along...

Well, the first few assignments are tests of your fitness and cardiovascular health.
You do things like Calculate your BMI which tells you whether you are normal, underweight, overweight or obese. A year ago my BMI was 31.2, and I was considered overweight. Supposedly the health effects are essentially the same, wherever you fit into the category, high end or low end, statistically it doesn't matter. You'll be just as healthy or unhealthy as someone at the other side of the category.   I really like the category breakdown that Dr. Halls put together for BMI. This is a pretty good site for calculating your BMI and figuring out what you want to set as your realistic "ideal weight" Funny, he suggested a higher ideal weight for me if I told him I was 193 pounds than when I told him I was 146... by about 19 pounds! A year ago my ideal weight was 153 now it's 134! (Perhaps he's breaking the goal into smaller pieces, so I don't get overwhelmed?) I'm sticking with 140 for now, till I know how that feels. I'm not going to redecide on a number when I haven't seen it/ felt it in over a decade... or is it two? Plus I believe your body has "happy number"s that it likes to hang out at. One of mine is 153, maybe another is 140, or 134...
You also take blood pressure, resting heart rate, exercising and waist ratio measurements. -- All good here.
Last year my resting heart rate measured before I even sat up in bed was 90 beats per minute. Now I can be walking around walmart and my heart rate is 80. That's awesome improvment that makes me pretty happy!   My resting heart rate first thing in the morning is now 70 bpm!. It's not the best fitness test, just an indicator.   Recovery heart rate is more important; how long does it take your heart to slow down to normal after exercise? We're not measuring it quite like that in "Fitness for Life"(recovery heart rate 3minutes after you stop)... why not? I wonder if it's in the book...

The class also has us measure our body fat composition. These measurements are a bit harder to get... My latest in September put me in the Healthy Range (18-30% for woment) at 29%. I don't know what it was at it's highest but I do know that at 170 pounds it measured 32% back in 2006. FFL class tells you that you need to get a measurment, and as a result I found out that we have access to a fancy machine for doing this up at the U of U and it is much more accurate than those home fat scales and the hand-held models you see see at home or the doctor's office. Costs $25 and YES, we're that curious. Plus it just seems so cool!!

The BIG test was the 1.5 Mile Run for the best time you can get. Kaylee and I checked out the track at the Legacy Center in Lehi (Cost $0.50) to run on a warm dry track. (Money well spent.)

The time for woment 35-50 years old that is considered "good" is 13.5 minutes. Over 18.5 minutes is bad and you need extra work on your cardiovascular fitness.   I landed in this "Low Fitness" with a time of 18.75 minutes, Kinda cool, in a way: 15 seconds and I move up to a "Marginal Fitness" level. Sounds like a good short term goal to me... I want to be at the "Good Fitness"level, or at least feel like I am. I'm not really interested in looking for more than that...   and this is only one test. I'd be tickled pink with measurable progress.

Oh, and I am currently capable of 1 pushup in 30 seconds... and ummmm I don't really care. I hate push-ups, lol. So, I'll strengthen my arms, but I don't see pushups being part of the routine. Nope!!!

I am healthy, maybe not as fit as I need to be, but HEALTH is so huge!! And it makes getting to FIT so much easier!!

FOCUS

2010-01-21T21:44:00.009-07:00

I realized today that I haven't done an update blog on my goals or life in general in a while, so here it is for your viewing pleasure!

But FIRST!!!
I got a really great present that I wanted to share... related to my word of the year.
I am just so excited! Trish made this gem for me. See how pretty?

This came in a frame as part of a gift basket full of goodies like scented oil and diffuser reeds, scented lotion, candles placed on a plate with some zen looking rocks... Everything followed the theme, it was so cool! I know, I know... a picture says a thousand words...

The card explains that brown is the color for concentration and study and that the scents and colors of jasmine, amber and eucalyptus are believed to promote "FOCUS". Everything is centered around the theme of Focus. This is just too cool and very personal! I've got all kinds of meditative, visual and sensual aids to help me on my quest to achieve greater 'Focus' this year. Thanks for the Very Perfect gift from Trish and Family. Wow!! I am humbled. They love me so much!

- Focus on Weight Loss I've been working on the major goal to Lose 53 pounds by Valentines Day of this year to reach goal of 140. I started the year out at 152.3 (Week 47) and am down 4.8 pounds so far this year. I have 7.5 pounds to go to reach goal and have 4 more weekly weigh-ins to go.
** I'm on track. This is still very acheivable!!!

I'm counting this as a HUGE ACHEIVEMENT and a SUCCESS whether I hit the date or not though. I am so ready to be there, to just be able to check it off the list so to speak. One more sprint and then I can work on maintenance and break out with some fun healthy recipes and some cool active hobbies, no doubt. So I'm looking forward to the slight shift in focus, accomplishing maintaining my new healthy weight. I maintained around 150 pretty good for a good long time recently, (even though that wasn't really what I was going for...) so I feel good about what I need to do. Happy to be down, and happier still in another 7.5 pounds.

- Focus on Fitness Workout those CORE Muscles: I am on hold for the Whittle My Middle Challenge. I can't be doing too much in the way of strength training just yet. Probably a week or two after I hit my target weight, I'll work on this. Right now the focus is on Cardio health and overall strength training. Healthy FIT body here I come.
How am I doing? Well these are the CDC's recommendations for
Adults (aged 18–64)

Adults should do 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, or 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. Aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes, preferably spread throughout the week.
Additional health benefits are provided by increasing to 5 hours (300 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.
Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities that involve all major muscle groups performed on 2 or more days per week.

One thing that has changed for me is that I actually WANT to exercise these days. This is a major shift in attitude for me.

I have been doing "ok" with my Cardio (60 minutes a week, roughly) and haven't been getting to strength training at all. So far this week I have 45 minutes total between the two days I've exercised. Kaylee is taking a Fitness for Life class online and I'm playing along. So far, so good.

Looking forward my immediate Focus is to see an improvement from the 2-3 cardio days and 0 strength days that I'm doing now. Any improvement here will be SO COOL!! Eventual goal would be to have the minimum exercises in on a consistent basis week to week.

- Focus on Healthy Eating... I'm loving my new books by Tosca Reno. I find it all very inspiring and I love the focus on REAL food. If you prepare your meals rather then picking them up at a restaurant or heating them up from frozen, then you're most of the way there. I'm looking forward to getting my 6 meals a day on MAINTENANCE and trying TONS of new recipes.
So these are what I have so far... I've read the main book (the first one here) three times already.

This one's more of a journal, or log for eating... with tips.

I have only browsed through this... It's on my "to do" list.

I just got her new cookbook for my birthday and I've nearly read it front to back... LOVE LOVE LOVE my Birthday Present! Thanks to Kaylee, Kenzie and Dennis for paying attention to what I might like. Good gifting!!

Having all of these books do not indicate an obsession by the way, it's called FOCUS! and I'm allowed. :)

Focus on Finances: Ummm.... I still WANT to be debt free, but I've made plenty of decisions last year that really demonstrate a lack of focus on the goal. I'm afraid to run the numbers, frankly. However, 2010's word is going to remind me to stay on track and give this the attention and make debt reduction the "central point as of attraction, attention and activity". DAMN CHEEEEETAHHHHHH!!!!

I'm really enjoying iced tea in my new Iced Tea Maker with the "fancy teas" I picked up from Spoons & Spice with my Birthday money from Bea. I got a roobios (red) chai tea and a white green tea mix....

So far I have only tried the Rooibos Tea. I've sweetened Three quarts of Tea with three packets of Stevia and also had it unsweetened. Both ways are amazing. I had to learn to wrap my loose tea leaves in filters. It doesn't quite work the same as coffee grounds in a coffee filter... clogged up my machine pretty good with the second batch. :P

Also I'm trying to get ready for yet another week out of town... Atlanta, Here I come!!! If anyone can find a legitimate way to expense a 90 minute massage for $190 let me know. I would love to run the details past my boss who knows that I deserve the massage and would never begrudge spending company money on such an important necessity. ;)

Well that's it.... Is it bad that I talked about so many different things? Not really a focused post... but it feels good to get everything "blogged" so to speak. Thanks for reading!!

How I spent my Birthday...

2010-01-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

There was EXTREME FOCUS on getting Kaylee's new room put together. In the morning we had carpet installed.
The afternoon was spent purchasing doors and a couple of closet organizers.

Organization to the n'th Degree

Closet organizers for two bedroom closets. Assembly required...

One for Kaylee and one for Kenzie. Well, maybe Kenzie didn't really need the closet organizer, she doesn't have much stuff here at her second home, but her room needed it. It will be good to be able to store the extra sheets for her "new-to-her" smaller bed. I think she's pretty happy to have a Bedroom rather than a BEDroom. The other bed took up most of the room. Much better now. (pic here later)
We got both Kaylee and Kenzie's room to a liveable and cute condition this weekend. I'll have to post pics later. There's actually still work to do in both rooms.

Weekly Weigh-In #49

2010-01-21T07:41:00.001-07:00

I thought I better do something to get my Weekly Weigh-Ins up to date.
I was down for the second week in a row. Yay!!! I've had to really be strict with my diet to get the scale to respond. I've "focus"ed my food list, eating small quantities of specific foods often. It seems to be working, so we'll just keep on keepin' on. I was hoping to stay away from having it so structured but if structure is what I need to get to goal, so be it.
To make sure I stay true to myself, I got up and got on the elliptical a few times this week. Sitting on my butt wishing and hoping I don't gain is not enough, I have to put ACTION to those hopes and wishes. We all have to decided what is important to us, how badly we want something, and how much effort we are going to put into achieving what we are after. If I FOCUS and make the time... this is doable. I am not 100% but I'm doing SO MUCH MORE than I have in the past. Some days I hate it, honestly, but most days I don't. I never ever wake up and wistfully tell myself, "If only I were still nearly 200 pounds...", ...not one day.

This is worth fighting through the downer days... It's worth walking past the donuts, not having torte for my birthday, and worth making myself MOVE.
I want this. I deserve to reach and maintain my goal. I want it BAD!!!!

What color are you?

2010-01-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

What my color says about me... Take the quiz yourself!
Fitness Color: Saffron

Motivation, Approach, Focus

Saffrons prefer an easy-going and casual lifestyle and are attracted to easy access to exercise that requires minimal process or advance planning. Keeping plans to a minimum provides more opportunities to enjoy the kick they get when life hands them the unexpected. For them, serendipity provides an extra measure of enjoyment and fun. Though Saffrons appreciate being physically active, imposed routines and schedules that limit their flexibility to engage on their own terms soon become burdens that inhibit rather than encourage physical activity.

Although their outward demeanor is relaxed, inwardly Saffrons can be intense. With a challenge in front of them, they apply themselves to the task with quiet commitment. Competitive—with themselves more than others—Saffrons are engaged in setting difficult and often physically demanding goals. Physical pursuits are in fact a great balance to their intensity, providing a cleansing relief from constant inner analysis, debate, and searching.

Independent, and often perfectionists, Saffrons are drawn to activities that require a high level of performance. Boredom can be a concern for Saffrons, and they find satisfaction in physical pursuits that push them to higher fitness levels.

Saffrons maintain physical activity by finding elements of challenge, fun, freedom, and flow. They love creating a rhythm and keeping it going. Convenience is an important consideration—many Saffrons say it’s essential for making physical activity appealing. Every step they must take on the way to exercising is another opportunity to get off-track, so the fewer decision points between the idea and its execution, the better. With their intuitive natures, Saffrons can easily make the mind/body/soul connection and might be attracted to exercise with that as a component.

Environment and Interpersonal Connections

Saffrons lean toward outdoor settings for most of their cardio activities, enjoying the freedom and flexibility the outdoors provides. Although they might go to the gym for some of their cardio, many report their gym visits have a particular purpose, like lifting weights, for example. With their attraction to movement and flow, many Saffrons enjoy group fitness classes, if the music is to their liking and it’s fun!

Saffrons enjoy exercising alone—and with others, as long as the interaction is not demanding or confining. For instance, they might enjoy light banter with a running partner. It’s not unusual for Saffrons to train for a marathon with a family member or friend, but it won’t happen if there’s much to-do about dates and schedules ahead of time. Arrangements must be convenient and relaxed. Because Saffrons rarely consider themselves as part of a group, they deal better with a few like-minded people, rather than an organized gathering. For the same reason, Saffrons often choose unusual sports or activities, e.g. Ultimate Frisbee, Taiko drumming, or bouldering.

Saffron Efficients (INTP)

Saffron Efficients will seek trainers primarily when they want to learn specific skills or improve their performance in a particular area.

Saffron Harmonies (INFP)

Saffron Harmonies seek to partner with trainers. It is important that the trainer understands and is aligned with their values.

Here we are!!! 2010!!!

2010-01-06T20:20:00.002-07:00

I am excited for the new year that we are in and seriously excited to be working on my new Word of the Year
FOCUS...
I know that time is short with the daughters that are are still at home and I really want to keep some FOCUS in that area. Those girls are so precious and are really really close to moving to that next stage in life that when they ask for your advice,... they are just being nice. I can't believe how fast the time is going.

I insisted on some family pics and I just love this collage! Am I not SO SO Lucky? What a great family? (and this isn't all of them).
Since I started using my word last month I've learned that I am not done with SPARKLE... there's still something there for me, so I will keep it around until I feel that it's really done with me. It makes me happy that it's not going away.
FOCUS is SO needed. I am a die-hard multi-tasker, often to my detriment. When I give something my full attention ... watch out.... when I spatter my energy in a million different directions... then the results are usually acceptable, but not spectacular. Less multi-tasking.... More order and organization....
I used Christine Kane's exercise for Discovering your Word of the Year (check it out) and promised myself to get it all out there and not to worry about it being perfect... The exercise itself helped, but the real epiphany came AFTER I did the exercise.

The exercise asked about "triggers" that make you run away or act completely opposite from your word of the year... I have to say that my biggest trigger is things not being clean and orderly and organized. It is so hard to focus when your house is pulling at you to clean this, organize this, etc... The HOUSE has got to get some real attention if I am truly able to find FOCUS this year. In fact, some sparkle around my house is definitely called for. I think the only area of my house that found sparkle was the kitchen sink.... not to undervalue this accomplishment at all!!! This has been really nice and for any of you out there that "FLY" with Fly Lady, this is the only part of her program that I have been able to implement so far. Thank you, Fly Lady for my shiny sink! It is progress.

I have a good feeling about the upcoming year and what my words will bring me... Sparkle and Focus!!! I just can't wait!!! The new year holds so much potential... I just love the energy it brings! Much love to all of you and the best of luck on your new year. May it bring you all that you wish.

2009-12-25T10:27:00.001-07:00

The Whittle My Middle Challenge was put on hold because I decided to use the excuse of the beginnings of an ingrown toenail that was really getting in the way of doing my planks. I made it through about 7 actual days of exercise, but there's been such a break I think I lose out on some of the additive effects of daily exercise. So the modified plan is no follow up pictures, since inconsistent exercise does not a sculpted body make. :D I will finish up on the 2nd. Dennis operated on my toe, and it wasn't that bad so I'll probably get through this just fine.

December 25

Plank: 53 seconds
Side plank (supported): Right Side: 25 seconds, 36 seconds Left Side: 32 seconds, 34 seconds
Plank with elbows on stability ball 45 seconds
Stability Ball Jackknifes 38 seconds, 15reps
Stability ball roll out 10 reps
Plank Rotations 12 seconds, 3reps
TOTAL TIME: 5 minutes.

Merry Christmas... I'm off for more celebrating!

Iceskating!!

2009-12-20T12:16:00.001-07:00

A bunch of the family went Ice Skating before the big Prime Rib Christmas Dinner today. It was SO much fun and it got nice and quiet up at Mom and Dad's house while we were gone.
Such a very nice day.
Weigh-In is postponed due to being out of town on weigh-in day.
Word of the year???
FOCUS
More on that later.

Weekly Weigh-In (#44)

2009-12-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

Yay!!! My weight is down 1.9 pounds! I haven't seen a loss like that in awhile.

I finished days 4 and 5 of my 30 day Whittle my Middle challenge on the 8th of December and took a break, during which time the only exercise I have been getting is shoveling and blowing snow out of the (huge) driveway, and there's more to do today. I am back to my challenge today, though. I just won't finish until next month now. I'm glad I lost this week. I needed that boost!

My 2010 word of the year?... I'll tell you later.

There's No Such Thing As Girls Like That

2009-12-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

Just had to share this... (more Christine Kane)

How cool is she?

2009-12-12T15:36:00.003-07:00

Christine Kane is a musician / creative life coach with a blog and I just discovered her today. Seems she's been doing a word of the year for awhile now, which is how I found her website. Helpful stuff. I've settled on my word for 2010. It's the right word for me. I know this because I'm not going to wait until January 1st to start using it. When your word finds you... you have to start using it right away. You NEED your word in your life. If you have NO idea what all this "word" talk is read this. Christine Kane really explains the idea well.
She's great. Even has some songs on iTunes. She's a very positive woman and it looks like she's got some interesting things to say both on her blog and in her music. Should you have some time you should give it a look, her blog that is. Here's a sample of her humor and music all at the same time.

Weekly Weigh-In (#43)

2009-12-07T09:10:00.002-07:00

I am EXACTLY the weight I was last week this time....
No change. Well lots of changes, ...that didn't change my weight. Maybe next week I'll have better success.
The last 12 weeks...

Nutrition???

2009-12-04T10:13:00.008-07:00

It occurred to me this week that I might want to see how I'm doing on my nutrition intake over a week's time. I've done pretty good tracking once a week lately, and I think it has helped me to fine tune my eating. However, according to Tosca Reno, who wrote the Eat Clean Diet book that I'm re-reading, your weight is 80% what you eat, 10% exercise and 10% genetics. I must be missing something in the what I'm eating category because, I've been stuck... and the other areas had not taken a turn for the worse.

I've been giving my little plateau quite a bit of thought and nothing stood out as the cause of the stalemate. So I'm going over this with a fine tooth comb.

I've decided how many calories I want to eat in a day and then multiply that by 7 to give me calories in a week. I've looked at how many grams of carbs, protein and fat I should be eating in a day to give me that number of calories. (Lots of math, and it made my brain hurt a little, but I got through it. )

So I decided to target between 1000 to 1400 calories a day and put together a chart to show me where I should be at the end of seven days. It's pretty interesting to me the way it's all playing out this week.
Here is where I am after breakfast today...
December 1st: I was surprised that the day had me calorie heavy... such healthy food and yet... I needed to make some adjustments.
December 2nd: I didn't catch until today I tracked myself as eating a whole avocado rather than an 1/8th of a cup. Big difference on the fat intake. I've fixed that now.
December 3rd: Yesterday I had fried eggs, toast and hash browns for breakfast because I left the house without breakfast, which I never do anymore. By the time I made it halfway to work I was HUNGRY and used up half my calories for the day... but I stayed full all day long at work. Unusual. I usually get hungry every three and a half hours. I may have had lunch anyway, had I not known how much of my allowance used up. That would have made for a day of too much of everything!
So far this week this is how my eating breaks down.

Looks like I'm running high on carbs, which means I can't have cereal in the morning and at night too often. :( I might get away with it one day a week. I have been really enjoying the Grape Nuts and Oatmeal this week.

Despite being weighted more on carbs than I wanted, the scale has been creeping down... but I didn't weigh in this morning. I just hate being in suspense... I'll have to check tomorrow for the surprise now. I hope it's a good one.

Whittle My Middle (Day 2 & 3)

2009-12-03T21:28:00.002-07:00

Today my stomach did not feel sore. I've improved over yesterday already. Shoes are important to do some of these exercises I've decided. Also it helped to be more familiar with what I was doing.
Since the improvement isn't based on strength, at this point, I'm going to call this my baseline... it will be interesting how I can improve over the next 28 days.

Day 2 (Dec 2):

Plank: 48 seconds
Side plank: Right Side: 36 seconds, 46 seconds Left Side: 32 seconds, 42 seconds
Plank with elbows on stability ball 41 seconds!!!
Stability Ball Jackknifes 38 seconds, 15reps
Stability ball roll out
Plank Rotations 15 seconds, 3reps
TOTAL TIME: 5 minutes.

Day 3 (Dec 3):

Plank: 61 seconds, 15 seconds
Side plank: Right Side: 57 seconds, Left Side: 48 seconds
Plank with elbows on stability ball 42 seconds!!!
Stability Ball Jackknifes 35 seconds, 14reps
Stability ball roll out 75 seconds, 15reps
Plank Rotations 15 seconds, 2.5reps
TOTAL TIME: 5 minutes.

I'm getting better. I should tell you that my side planks are modified. (my arm is not straight at my side, rather I use it to help support me.) All other modifications are unintentional. lol.

Whittle my Middle 30 Day Challenge

2009-12-01T15:52:00.013-07:00

I visited a new website today and was inspired by the " Whittle My Middle 30-Day Challenge! " on Angela's website Oh She Glows. After doing my first day's exercise I just have to say that it's going to be TOUGH!! It will be a good challenge for me, PLENTY of opportunity for improvement. She's halfway through her challenge... but I'm going to go ahead and start now, I'm just here for the fitness...

And I'm really want to tackle that mid section of mine... Since I've made it my mission to do my exercise, I thought that a good strong CORE would really help me towards becoming more fit.

Here is what I will be doing:
1) PICTURES: Before, half way, and after pictures on Dec 1st, Dec 15th, and Dec. 30th, respectively.
2) MEASUREMENTS: Before, half way, and after measurements of my ‘smallest’ waist (above belly button for me), at the belly buttun, widest waist (2″-3″ lower approx, the pouch area. I call it the Jelly Belly.), and hips (over fullest part of butt)- same dates as above.

3) CORE WORK: 5-10 minute core workout, 5 days a week, doing the following exercises:

Plank
Side plank
Stability Ball Jackknifes
Stability ball roll out
Plank Rotations

All of the core exercises that I will be doing are found in this video by Turbulance Training:

I will be doing all of the exercises featured in the video. (no matter that some I will only do for a few short seconds...)
5-10 minutes a day total, 5 days a week for 1 month. Challenge ends December 30th. Because I will likely find these exercises quite challenging at first, I will probably start off with 5 minutes for the first week or two and work my way up to 10 minutes. No problem -- (I can break it up, right?)

I will post updates on my progress as I can, so stay tuned!!!
~~~~~
TODAY I START...

Initial Measuremens:

Sm Waist: 31.5
BB Waist 32.0

JB Waist: 35.75

Hips: 41.125

Day 1 (Dec 1):

Plank: 40 seconds, 30 seconds
Side plank: Right Side: 25 seconds Left Side: 31 seconds
Plank with elbows on stability ball ROFLMAO!!! First Attempt: 4 seconds, Second Attempt: 2 seconds
Stability Ball Jackknifes 57 seconds (didn't count, but will next time)
Stability ball roll out 1 minute 52 seconds (about 25 repetitions)
Plank Rotations 1 and 2/3
TOTAL TIME: 5 minutes.

I'm going to give this challenge my all,
so watch for improvement. I intend to

Christmas Sparkle!!!

2009-11-29T22:03:00.003-07:00

Kaylee, Ben and I spent the evening putting up the tree!

It's nice to have it done already and with so much help we had it up and decorated in just over an hour. Nice!!!

Weekly Weigh-In (#42)

2009-11-29T16:31:00.005-07:00

152.6 Today. So that's good. Down 0.7 from last week.

I gained about a pound less than Dennis so I win the competition between the two of us. Which means I am the winner... no prize since neither of hit the 10 pound loss we were shooting for. However, we made it through Thanksgiving MUCH bettter than we have in years past.

The exercise room that I set up in the Front Room is very functional, looks pretty good and is seeing some use by me. I'm so proud. I've not established an everyday habit yet, but I'm in there three to four times a week for the last two weeks. Yay for me. The exercise room has the Total Gym that we borrowed from my parents, the Elliptical Machine and the Recumbant Bike and the Fitness Balls.

I had put a blanket on the window for a temporary privacy screen... TACKY, I know, but effective on a couple of levels.

Dennis HATES the blanket. After we talked over priorities and money, Dennis contacted a blind company and had them come out and take measurements and I'm getting some Cellular Blinds!!!! Merry Christmas to me!!! They are double celled and will be great for insulating the window during the summer and the winter. They should be here in about 3 weeks. I deferred to Kaylee's choice on color after I chose my top 4 picks. She really does have good taste, and I trust her artistic judgement over mine. Until then, the blanket will stay, because despite my sparkle, I really don't want to exercise for the neighborhood, and I'm feeling really great about the exercise.
Oh... and I'm giving next year's "word of the year" lots of thought. This is an important decision after all and must be carefully thought out. Don't want to be throwing a word out there like ORDER... as Dennis pointed out, I could get confused, and start placing orders off of home shopping network instead of organizing the closet. Thinking thinking thinking...

Weekly Weigh-In (#40 and #41)

2009-11-22T09:57:00.001-07:00

Today I'm down from last week, but up from week 39. 153.3.

Last week was ugly. 156 point something. I just couldn't think of anything nice to say so I took a week off from the blog. I was SO mad. It's a new week, now...

I'm still here. Still working the plan.

I did really well with exercise during my business trip and now that my audit is over I'm excited to pick it up again starting today. It made me really happy to be doing another healthy thing for me, so even though the scale did not reinforce those good feelings, I'm thinking there were too many other variables going on even though I worked hard to stay on plan.

We usually have two Thanksgiving celebrations, and one of these was yesterday. I ate mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy, turkey, sweet potatoes and frog-eye salad. It was all so good!! I enjoyed every bite! I did eat to feeling very full but not uncomfortable.

One more dinner on Thursday... I'm planning on watching portions even better and stopping in time to feel satisfied after eating, but not "very full".

Dennis and I are neck and neck on our competition, lol. He would have had me beat yesterday, but the mashed potatoes set him back a bit. (insert evil laugh here). So next week is the end of the competition to lose 10 pounds. I'll be ecstatic with anything in the 140s. It's been fun weighing in with him. He did a pre-victory dance yesterday to taunt me... I laughed because he was being very funny and congratulated him on his success. It was good to do that little check before the feast and it helped me stay on course.

Lunch... and Dinner. Then... and Now.

2009-11-09T20:29:00.003-07:00

I loved lunch today, but this salad with no dressing was huge and very filling! It had cashews, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, apples and chicken over spinach. It was also Dinner. I ate two apples and 6 oz of some chicken I brought with me for dinner tonight. So far so good!
Oh I found a picture of me in my hotel about a year ago... and decided to take one now for contrast. (I didn't' take pictures of my food a year ago... I hate to think about what that meal looked like.
Then... (not sure what motivated this picture... boredom? self-evaluation?

and now...

I see more SPARKLE!!! Must be those good eats!!

(Pardon the messy hair... I got my hair wet in the hot tub about an hour ago... )

Weber Wants Kaylee!!

2009-11-08T20:57:00.002-07:00

Kaylee got her acceptance letter for Weber in the mail... She also got a High Honor Scholarship for her grades that knocks $2100 off the price for her first year. She's stoked!!! We're stoked!!!! YAY!!!!!!

She's also applying to Southern Utah University and Colorado State University. They also have majors that go along with her being a commercial art director... she's retaking the ACT test next month to try and get a better score. The bigger the score the better the chances for scholarships and the better the scholarships are.

She's working really hard to make sure and keep her grades up this year. She pulled off a 4.0 and is ranked 6th in her class out of 259 students. It's one thing to be one of the top three in a small school like Hoehne, but I think it's helped a bunch to transition to a bigger school and still be doing so well. She really needed this transition. Weber is huge at over 20,000 undergraduate students. When you go from a class of 15 to a class of 259 that is HUGE, but it does something to prepare you for big changes, I would think.

Woooot Kaylee!!! You ROCK!!!!

Weekly Weigh-In (#39)

2009-11-08T11:27:00.003-07:00

I weighed in this morning at 150.1 I'm up 0.3 pounds from last week.

I am going to be traveling to our other manufacturing plant this coming week for work. I started to fall into thinking: "This is going to throw my eating off track.", and then I remembered the trip I took earlier in the year where I planned ahead and packed food, so that I could stay on plan. Surely, if it can be done once it can be done again.

Now, I'm viewing it as an opportunity and actually looking forward to how I can make the most of it.

I'm going to need to make extra sure that I make it so that I don't have to eat out much, if at all. I'll continue taking my lunches, and see if I can get a room with a refrigerator at least so it gives me some flexibility with what I can take.

I'll make it a point to take advantage of the exercise room at the hotel and possibly the swimming pool. Maybe I can use the trip as a chance to get some new habits worked into my schedule. Sometimes the best thing for getting some momentum when trying to make a change for me is to do it when I'm "out of my element" so to speak.

This could work!

Skinny Cows

2009-11-06T21:49:00.011-07:00

I made it to the Farmer's Market at Thanksgiving Point the last day about a month ago and talked to about three ranchers about their beef. One of the ranchers told me they had an italian breed that is very lean compared to traditional beef. I was very interested! (I still have tons of beef in the freezer, so I'm interested, but not really looking to buy just yet.)
I ordered a sampling of the Piedmont Beef this week and tonight we tried the roast. I just cooked it in the pressure cooker until fall apart tender. (an hour and a half from frozen, for a 3 pound roast.). Neither Dennis or I could taste a difference from the roasts we've made in the past. I didn't notice a texture difference either. A tender roast is a tender roast... and you can generally get that with most roasts, if you cook it long enough.

The real test is the steak. I got one t-bone and I will leave it to Dennis to say whether it's more tender than the other stuff. I warned him that they say to cook it on high heat and that it cooks faster than traditional beef... he's definitely the steak expert, it's just a matter of making sure that he consciously thinks about making a comparison. I have learned that if you just wait to see if he notices something different... he seldom does, lol.
Here are the nutritional comparisons, which is why I'm so interested in this stuff.

Nutritional Comparisons:

	Skinny Cow	Traditional Skinless Chicken	Traditional Beef
Fat (g)	2.7	3.08	5
Calories	120	140	291
Protein (g)	22	21	20
Cholesterol (mg)	45	70	74

Piedmont Beef Comparison	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein
Chicken Breast, no skin, 4 ounces	125	1	0	26
Piedmont Beef, 4 oz	120	3	0	22
Roasting Chicken, light meat, 100 grams	153	4	0	27
Chicken Thigh, 100 grams	119	4	0	20

Update 1: Dennis cooked one of the T-Bones tonight and declared it "no better than the T-Bones we've been buying" but no worse either. Considering how much he eats the stuff, I think that going with the Piedmonte would be an easy healthy change to make in our household that would really make a big difference for him... even if it does cost more. Dennis said that it's different without the fat marbled in... and seems unconvinced that it is healthier for him, lol.

Update 2: Dennis cooked up the hamburger tonight. I looked for the fat that dripped down through the grill and ... there isn't really any! There's some juice... but no fat. I think it's awesome and Dennis thinks it tastes weird. The steak more so than the hamburger. Less yummy flavor, too. Poor Dennis, he's just not that happy!
Next time we buy... this is what we are getting. He'll be used to the idea by then, right?

Almond Oatmeal Scones

2009-11-02T20:54:00.003-07:00

I'm thinking I'll try these soon.... sounds yummy... and portable.

Weekly Weigh-In (#38)

2009-11-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

I seem to have figured out maintenance... except that maintenance is not my goal right now.

I'm up .07 this week... I think that the losses will come... just can't give up.

Can't say that I didn't enjoy the Raspberry Almond Torte that Dennis so graciously brought home from his night out at Market Street Grill. It is sweeter and richer than I remembered it being, but I still ate the whole slice. I would have shared it with Kaylee, but she got her own piece from Dennis.

Other than that one indulgence, I've taken control of night and weekend eating and feel happy with the choices I've made all week. Until next week... then. Adieu.

Are You Afraid of Green Monsters??

2009-10-31T18:24:00.002-06:00

I finally broke down and tried one of the Green Monster Smoothies I've heard about. I loved it, loved it, loved it.
I started with a recipe on Jack Sh*t Getting Fit's blog and modified it to fit the ingredients that I had... Check out his recipe and then make it like I did... lol.

Ingredients

2 large handfuls fresh spinach
1 large frozen banana, cut into chunks
1 T almond butter
1 c skim milk
1 T almond extract (this was a bit of an oops, I was going to only put in a teaspoon, but it worked out really well, anyway)
1/2 scoop protein isolate powder (Now Sports Whey Protein Isolate from Shirlynn's)

Directions
Place spinach and milk in blender. Start on low and move up to high. Add banana, almond butter, protein isolate and almond extract and blend on medium, shifting to high when it starts to come together. Add ice cubes and pulse a few times, then blending until thick.

I got all excited and then....

2009-10-31T17:23:00.001-06:00

Salt Lake City
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
7:00 PM
THE KING’S ENGLISH BOOKSHOP
1511 S 1500 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84105

I realized that PW (The Pioneer Woman) doesn't really cook to my lifestyle... things have changed here and
if I ate the way she cooks for all my meals.... I'd still be over 190 pounds (and climbing)!!

However if your metabolism, will-power and /or conscious allows you, you should go see her and get her cookbook. Your taste buds would love you!!

Curried Black and White Beans with Quinoa

2009-10-25T19:17:00.000-06:00

Looks weird, but I'm very happy with this curry dish!

Mmmmm Curry!!!!
I bought some Quinoa awhile back and had bookmarked this recipe at Sparkpeople to try Quinoa for the first time. I'm super happy with this!! I love the texture of the Quinoa and it does go really well with this recipe. I cooked the quinoa in chicken broth according to the package instructions and drained the excess liquid when it was done.
Kaylee said that the quinoa is weird, good but weird, lol. I think it's weird too... yummy though.

I linked to Momritz's recipe in the title, (a bunch of her recipes look good.) but have brought the recipe here for convenience...
Submitted by: MOMRITZ
Really good with quinoa, couscous, or brown rice.
17 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

         Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil1/2 medium onion, diced 2.5 Tbsp curry powder2 cups black beans, cooked/rinsed 1 cup great nothern bean, cooked/rinsed1 cup chicken broth1 15 oz can tomato sauce salt/pepper to taste

Directions

saute' onion in medium pan at medium heat until just soft
add curry and combine for approx 2 minutes
add beans , mix well
add broth and tomato sauce - mix well
raise temp to boil
reduce heat to medium low and cover
cook additional 10 minutes

makes approx 6 - 1 cup servings.

Number of Servings: 6

Nutritional Info (without the Quinoa)

Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 190.3

Total Fat: 5.7 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 595.4 mg
Total Carbs: 28.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 9.3 g
Protein: 9.2 g

Weekly Weigh-In (#37)

2009-10-25T13:57:00.002-06:00

Hello 140's, I've missed you. I am sorry I mistreated you and I will remember that I made a commitment and I will do what it takes so that I never leave you for a bigger number like that again...

Today I'm at 149.1... down 1.2 pounds from last week.
Now I need another week that looks just like this one...

Sweeney Todd Under The Stars

2009-10-25T00:23:00.002-06:00

Here's the famous barber chair in Seville...

Dennis, Kaylee, Kenzie and I went to see Sweeney Todd!!

We were all surprised when we got there that it was outside at a beautiful stone amphitheater... Sweeney Todd in the dark outside... I loved it!! We all loved it. We warmed up during intermission with cider and hot chocolate. So much fun!!!

Sweeney Todd
Actors' Repertory Theatre Ensemble
October 22-October 31, 2009
Join us at the historic Castle Amphitheater
Dress for the weather, bring pillows and blankets for more comfortable seating.
Content may not be appropriate for children under 13
October 29, 30 at 8:00 PM
2 Shows October 31: 8:00 and 11:00 PM
Here's the theatre! Isn't it pretty!!

I would highly recommend this for a date night where you get to keep eachother warm. Bring something to sit on, a warm hat, scarf, and someone to love!!

Weekly Weigh-In (#36)

2009-10-17T23:19:00.009-06:00

It's not my scale, so I'm not going to count the weigh-in here at my sister, Amy's house. I'll weigh in on my scale Monday Morning and post here later.

I think I did good this week,... but there was that day I had a Big Mac (blech).

Lots of GOOD choices this week other than that. My big weakness I've decided is my evenings and weekends.

Amy helped me out with this a lot this weekend. We did really good. Amy and I made a Weight Watcher recipes from the All Time Favorites cookbook together; Lemon Chicken with Artichokes. (pg 102) This dish had a very distinct Greek feel to it. Amy added spinach to this recipe... a very good choice. It was really good and I loved cooking with my sister. I wasn't even sure what Orzo was, but the small rice like pasta fit this dish very well.

We also made a parmesan breadcrumb chicken, Chicken Milenase style from Weight Watcher's 20 Minute cookbook. My friend Trish introduced us to this recipe on her blog awhile back. I'd forgotten how delish it was. We served it with brown butter and asiago over whole wheat angel hair pasta. (Asiago was pretty close tasting to the pricer mizithra cheese we usually use, I was surprised)

I'm getting back into drinking my water too. My good habit of drinking lots of water had dropped off for a bit, so I'm making a point to make sure I'm well hydrated. (That helps with my weight not bouncing all over so much.)

Weigh in Tomorrow... Tomorrow!!!

I'm down .5 this week. That's the right direction!

Just a few suggestions...

2009-10-17T22:23:00.005-06:00

Not mine. "Jack Sh*t Gettin' Fit" has some for you. I loved these. Maybe I'll put them on my fridge.

Check them out here.

While you're over there read his "About Me" section, it's genius!

Weekly Weigh-In (#35)

2009-10-11T09:32:00.001-06:00

I am up .6 this week. I am frustrated a bit, frustrated I have to report an increase... :P

I love you 140's! Come back to me my pretty little weight!!

I've got to cook a bunch of chicken and get ready to have a successful week though. Can't give up... just gotta keep going!!

Where's Little Kaylee??

2009-10-04T18:35:00.001-06:00

My sister Amy and her kids went to the airport a few years ago with me to pick up Kaylee for one of her visits. Sammi was very excited to see Kaylee again, but looked visibly confused when we greeted Kaylee with hugs and smiles.

I'm not sure if she remembered Kaylee from an older picture or what her frame of reference was, but she asked a question that I have been asking ever since...

"Where's little Kaylee?"

It truly doesn't seem all that long ago that my little Kaylee was telling me that her bottom hurt from sitting in her carseat. She gave such a convincing argument that we stuck a bunch of cotton batting under the seat cover of her carseat. She was SO SO happy about it... but it was probably only a couple of days later she started crying about her bottom... it had become a habit... I reminded her about her "new soft cushion" and she smiled. She was busted and she knew it. She was always so smart like that.

I remember her first actual joke. We were in a gas station along I-80 taking a travel break. She and I were trying on sunglasses together and she tried on a small pair of very dark perfectly round wire rimmed glasses. Just the kind of glasses you always see "the three blind mice" wearing in any good illustration.

I was busy checking my shades when I became conscious that she was calling my name over and over... "Mom, Mom, Mom... Mom...Mom..." (not an unusual occurrence, it can be tough to get my attention on a good day, even now.) I finally looked down at the persistent three year old and saw her waving her arms in front of her as any blind mouse might have when trying to get her bearings. It was hilarious. She's been making me smile and laugh for 18 years now.

I can't imagine my life without her.

For Kaylee's birthday, the girls got haircuts, followed by a spa night in the living room.

We made an oatmeal yogurt scrub that smelled just like yogurt parfait.

...even Dennis participated,(minimally). It was a fun night.

Weekly Weigh-In (#34)

2009-10-04T15:52:00.000-06:00

YES!!! I'm down this week. I've released (for good this time), 1.1 pounds of unnecessary weight. It feels very good to be headed i the right direction again.

Dennis wants to compete for the next 10 pounds. We have 50 pounds separating us exactly today. I think the friendly competition provides us both some added focus, so I'm definitely in.

Goal for this little competition is 140.2 This will also put me right where I need to be for maintenance.

Evil Jungle Princess In My Kitchen

2009-10-03T21:43:00.008-06:00

Have you tried the Evil Jungle Princess at Thaifoon?

It's so good!

I have been wanting and planning to make the dish since I first tried it months ago and now, I have!!! I mentioned that I had located a recipe that said it was pretty close at There's a Party in My Mouth and Your Invited,
I'm not sure if Jenni made it up or found it... but I used her recipe as my starting point. I doubled the amount of sauce that sauce and there still wasn't nearly as much sauce as they served at Thaifoon. This recipe will serve ~6. I amped up the flavor to better suit my tastes, and it's still what I would call mild. I substituted "lite coconut milk" and "peanut satay sauce" to help make it more health friendly. Here's how to make it like I did:

You’ll need 3 cups cooked Jasmine Rice, or whatever rice you'd like. I always make extra rice. Leftovers can always be used in another meal. Anyways get that rice cooking, it can take an hour! This counter-top pressure cooker is my new rice cooker. I really really like it! (It's fast and it likes me better than my old rice cooker did.)

I can make the best rice now, perfect, yummy, gorgeous rice. Oh and Coconut Oil is the perfect oil to use when you cook rice. I am a huge fan of coconut in general, I just love the smell, the taste, the texture... mmmmmm co-co-nut. If you use this pricy oil no other time, you got to use it with the rice for your indian and asian dishes, it just adds that yummy coconut aroma.
In a mixing bowl, combine sauce ingredients. (you may want to double the amounts below)

2 Tbsp Red Curry Paste
1-2 Tbsp Curry Powder, Hot
1 Tbsp Lemongrass Paste Fresh or Dried Lemongrass works too
2 Tbsp Cane Sugar (Brown Sugar/Agave Nectar.)
1-2 Tbsp Fish Sauce I used Thai Kitchen brand which was not very pungent and it needed 2 Tbsp.
1 Tbsp Peanut Satay Sauce (or Peanut Butter)
3 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
2 Cans Light Coconut Milk 13.5 oz I recommend "A Taste of Thai" over "Thai Kitchen" brand, it's looked more creamy.
2-3 Lime Leaves I didn't have these, so I just used more lemongrass and lime juice.

Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the fresh herbs and lime juice.
1/2 cup Thai or regular Basil chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Mint Leaves chopped
2 Tbsp Lime Juice (adjust taste at end)
Next Time: 1 Tsp Crushed Red Peppers (to add some HEAT)
Set aside.

18 oz Chicken Breasts cubed or cut into strips
13 oz Bamboo Shoots, canned drained
1 or 2 Red Bell Pepper cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 cup Asparagus Spears blanched
1 cup Chinese Long Green Beans blanched (I just used really thin green beans)

Start Water Boiling to Blanch Veggies. Cut up chicken. Cook for 5-6 minutes before adding sauce.
Cut red peppers, set aside. Blanch veggies by putting in boiling water for 3 minutes.
Add Red Peppers to chicken curry mixture.
Trim Asparagus to get rid of tough ends. Add Green Beans and Asparagus to chicken curry mixture.
Once mix has simmered through. Add Fresh Herbs and Lime Juice mixture. Cook 1 minute.

(I know, I didn't use my Wok! but I think this pan worked better for this recipe.)
Add more lime juice, and curry (with curry powder) if desired.
Serve over half cup of your yummy Jasmine Rice.

Here's the Nutrition Information for a serving of Evil Jungle Princess as I made it:
1/6 of the sauce, 3oz chicken, and 1/2 cup rice... veggies not included.
I did a little math to see what would happen if I doubled the sauce in the recipe.

Nutrition Information
	everything	just sauce
Calories	316	143
Fat g	11	9
Saturated Fat	7	7
Sodium	814	758
Carbs	26	15
Fiber	0	0
Protein	28	3
WW POINTS	7	4

Takes it from 7 to 11 points. Still not bad!!
(Add 2 grams fiber for serving on brown rice, though it did not help out the points any).

It's been awhile since I've had this in the restraunt, but if memory serves this is P.D. close. The exception being the amount of sauce, which is, admittedly, the best part!

Weekly Weigh-In (#33)

2009-09-27T16:55:00.000-06:00

Hey!
Can I start out on a positive note?
I've been feeling so so much better the last couple of weeks! I have had a couple of very light migraines in the past few days, but even with that I just feel optimistic and happy and healthy and confident. I took a couple of days off last week, one to spend with Kaylee and one to spend with myself. I feel rested... and revived.

The scale this morning shows me up another 1.8 pounds. Hello again 150's... This week I'll give my hormones part of the credit, and my food choices only some of the credit. I guess I better get serious and really consider what's going on here.

I'm going to think on it and I"ll let you know.

Yay Hubby is home! Gonna run!!

It's going to be a better week. Watch and see!

Weekly Weigh-In (#32)

2009-09-20T10:52:00.009-06:00

Up up up... I'm up 2.4 pounds and I earned every bit of it. I ate a bread almost every meal and I wasn't tracking. I'm sure it all added up pretty quickly! Seems I had a ferocious craving for bread and fats this week. BUT, it's behind me now, pun intended. (bad joke, sorry, couldn't help myself)

On to next week... and planning and moderation in all things, lol. I have my chicken breasts all done up for lunches... I have apples and nectarines for my fruit from the Lehi Farmer's Market... I FINALLY found the thing!! I've been "kinda" trying for three weeks to get there.

I just need to get some vegetables going, now. ... I did get a couple of really nice zucchini from my Mom-in-Law's garden...one is already gone, though. I just LOVE Zukes!

Dennis was excited to show me how to cook in the new Wok, so he had me cut up one of the zucchini last night. He's made two meals in it so far... I may not have to do the cooking for awhile! He digs woking, wokking, wok-ing? It was delicious.

I did get a fantabulous deal too. It was a 14" wok with a lid, a rack and a few utensils for $14.98 on clearance at Bed Bath and Beyond. Happy day!!

And the Big News of the the week...

Kaylee and Ben crafted him this STEAK CAKE with "+ 20" for candles... cuz he's not 22.

Caydence, Kayleigh, and Athena gave him a "Berfday" Card with Hershey's Hugs and Kisses and some cute pictrure frames... They took it to him at work since Caydance couldn't contain herself until later. So cute!! Even cuter was hearing her Papa D tell the story. He's really cute when he does his Caydance impression.

Maveryk and Tukker came by for a Pineapple Pancake breakfast on Saturday morning with their Mommy and Aunt Kenzie.

Weekly Weigh-In (Week 31)

2009-09-13T17:42:00.000-06:00

Down .6 pounds this week. (147.1) I'm OK with that, though it's not nearly exciting as more would be... down IS down though.

I went shopping for jeans but got a little frustrated trying to find my style. I did zip up a few size 5's in Kohls, and I also couldn't get size 9's over my thighs in another style... there is a lot of variation from brand to brand, I've found. After the shopping trip, I asked to try on Kaylee's jeans, and decided that I'm taking advantage of the fact that Kaylee's jeans fit me really well, and NOT buying pants, just now. Looks like Size 7 or 9 and even 11 in teen jeans is what I wear right now... and Kaylee really cute jeans, so I'm pretty set for the moment.

Working on the basement today and if I want a shower tonight... I better go help that man of mine.

Homecoming Times Two

2009-09-12T21:37:00.002-06:00

Kaylee is home and it feels so so SO good to this mom.
I feel like there is extra sunshine in my heart, extra bounce in my step, warm and glowy... hard to explain without sounding really corny, but I don't mind corny too much.

Tonight is homecoming! This is the very first dance that I've been able to help Kaylee get ready for... the very first dance that I could be the one taking the picture and seeing how beautiful she looked firsthand.

I got to see photos, sure. But it's just not the same. I often had to wait until the summer to see them. I saw her junior prom pictures on Facebook, but I didn't get to see how excited she was to go or help make decisions about what eyeshadow to use, or tell her gorgeous she looked before she left for the night, or tell her to come straight home afterward and to "be good!!"

Tonight I got to do all that and I can't say how happy I am that she decided to stay here for her Senior year.It's nice to get some time with her before she's ALL grown up!
Well, here's the before the date picture... They make a pretty cute couple, eh?

Hands down this has been THE VERY BEST homecoming ever!!

Introducing....

2009-09-07T19:55:00.003-06:00

Isn't she GREAT!?!?!?!?!

I love her! Thinner and cuter... just how I feel, lol!

Kaylee put her trademark symbol and a copyright on it so no one would do what I did and STEAL her for themselves... dang non-creative people, anyways!

A New Girl

2009-09-06T21:31:00.005-06:00

Cartoon Girl is going away...
I asked Kaylee tonight if she would design a new girl for my blog. This one was ripped from the web cuz I just don't have that kind of creativity. I think she's adorable, but...I would rather have a Daughter Design instead.
It will have more meaning for me and I'll love it even more than this one.
Stay tuned... maybe soon, maybe not... we stay pretty busy here, ya know.

Weekly Weigh-In (Week 30)

2009-09-06T14:02:00.018-06:00

Look! A picture from a year ago... last September.

I would have to say I'm feeling much more sparkle this year.

OH! I'm going to color my hair and then I'll show off my new haircut.

I'm down 2.2 pounds this week! Yay!!

I have caught myself thinking, "I'm almost done!" Sometimes I catch myself and sometimes I don't.

I'm not almost done... I'm almost to goal...almost to maintenance... almost to the point that it's going to take EXTRA from me because I don't get the reward of seeing the number on the scale drop.
I need to get to the point that the same number is a reward. Hmmm.... that'll be a switch.

Talk about big girl panties...

2009-09-05T00:26:00.002-06:00

Check out this article when you have a minute, I just can't help but admire and respect this kind of self-discipline and maturity.

I may not be an old soul, but I enjoy their insights...

Weekly Weigh-In (Week 29)

2009-08-30T09:27:00.002-06:00

Still cruising... I'm down 2.1 pounds this week and am in the upper 140's...

I'm having a harder time getting rid of clothes now. I think that before it was easier because I didn't relate to being size 14 (or 16, or 18) but I remember Size 10 and I had been a size 8 for awhile. This was familiar. I bought 2 pair of work pants this week SIZE SIX... and I don't relate to size 6...

As a matter of fact I almost wonder if we've had some size inflation in the last 10 years... I weighed this before and I was no SIZE 6. But every pair of black pants I tried on in that size fit like a dream... Seriously, like a dream. Is this real???

Hi, I'm Christy and I'm a size 6.... (nope, no lightening bolts).

WOWZA!!!!

Weekly Weigh-In (#28) and Picture Day!!!

2009-08-23T19:50:00.002-06:00

I had a good week and I even had some Nutella on graham crackers. (Mmmm. so good!)
I released 1.9 pounds and am now in my healthy weight range, at night and in the morning. Yay!!!

Beginning
30% of the way
50% of the way
80% of the way

Again!!! Again!!!
Me 30% of the way there

50% of the way to goal.
80% to Goal!!

So, I can see from where the unnecessary weight is going to come from and I'm starting to wrap my head around the exercise thing again. I took a 20 minute brisk walk last week and hope to get a few of these in this week as well.

Weekly Weigh-In (#27)

2009-08-17T08:43:00.001-06:00

I'm down 0.4 lbs this week. I'm happy with that! Progress is progress!!

Weekly Weigh-In (#26)

2009-08-10T07:27:00.000-06:00

I've entered a few of my past weigh-ins on the WW Website, (I have a hard time leaving something incomplete.)
Down 2.1 this week to 154.3! I am 0.5 pounds away from the 40 pound mark, and very comfortable in size 8!!!

Weekly Weigh-In (#25)

2009-08-07T11:54:00.001-06:00

Down 1.8 this week. :)

Weekly Weigh-In (Week 24)

2009-07-27T14:05:00.001-06:00

Down 1.6 this week. :)

Weekly Weigh-In (Week 23)

2009-07-24T09:17:00.001-06:00

I missed weigh in last Sunday for the happiest of reasons, Kaylee's coming to stay with us in Utah for her Senior year. (This week's big gain!)

Monday morning and I finally got a weigh in, but it's taken until today for life to settle down enough to find a moment to post. I'm still trying to wake up but the house is starting to get busy. My nieces, Ariel and Cortney, are visiting this weekend and I'm excited they are here.

I started recording my morning and night weight this week to see if I could predict how the next morning would go. Seems like it's a good indicator for the most part... I don't know that I'm adopting the practice, just curious I guess. Just gotta weigh before dinner.

I was down 2.2 pounds for the week!!

Gone and Done It

2009-07-12T09:31:00.008-06:00

We bought a 10 year old truck yesterday that will replace the 30 year old truck...
If you know that we are on the Dave Ramsey Plan you know we just did a big NO-NO. It would not be bad if we were out of debt already, but we didn't wait for that. It would not be bad if we had saved up the cash to buy it, but we didn't wait for that, either... our inner children won, but at least those kiddies didn't break the bank.

Right now we are $8900 (after fees and licensing) more in debt than we were the day before, but hopefully we can get the other truck sold by fall and cut that down a bit.

It's a Ford Crew Cab, white and in pretty good shape. It's automatic and I don't mind driving it. I didn't like driving the beast as I lovingly refer to the brown truck. I can't wait to take delivery on Monday!

Weekly Weigh-In (Week 22)

2009-07-12T09:07:00.001-06:00

What a crazy volatile month it's been! I finished my biggest loser contest at almost precisely today's weigh-in. After that UP, down, UP and this week DOWN to 162.

I relaxed a bit too much after the contest and then got back on track only to have my hormones throw me for another loop... but that's all behind me now. I lost 3.8 pounds this week, and 2.8 of it was gone by Thursday... (probably just water weight).

I read an article this week about how to tell if the changes you are implementing / making are permanent lifestyle changes are not. It said to give the behavior a little test... ask yourself "could I do this everyday for the rest of my life?"

So I've given that idea a bit of thought. Right now I'm building habits to take me through the rest of my life and the more solid those habits are the better off I'll be once I make it to the maintenance stage. Being ultra strict and then relaxing without tracking and planning didn't work.

Importantly, I could see that it could all happen again. I think I know what the rest of my life is going to look like... but I've still got to plan and do it with intention, because part of me really remembers the other path. The other path is just not as healthy and I don't look as good on it...

To a healthy lifestyle! *tink* (Is it too early for a toast?)

and to a smoother ride ahead for me!

Weekly Weigh-In (Week 21)

2009-07-05T15:19:00.001-06:00

OK, nothing to see here people!! Move along!

Nothing here at all... just boring ol' nothing kinda stuff. Thanks for checking in and all... maybe I'll see you next week? Hope you had a good 4th of July!!! Bye now!

You just don't give up... do you?

Well, alright, if you must know, I'm up 2.8 from last week.
I can blame some of it on hormones, and some of it I'll blame on the junk food fest last night. It'll be ok, probably, I didn't eat too bad this week. Last night, I was BAD, but this week, really not too bad. I'm sure it'll break.

I'm just gonna get right back on and keep going.

Happy Birthday, Athena!!

2009-06-28T11:26:00.015-06:00

Isn't she a dolly-do?!

Momma and Sister helped with the presents...

While the rest of us watched...
Look how happy it makes them to see the birthday girl smile!!
Can you say Pic - TURE? I caught Kaylee saying it...Kaylee took most all these pictures...

Athena seemed to like the Many Kisses Elmo from her Pappa D, GrandmaMom and Kaylee.

Momma Kayleigh made these sun-bathing gummy-bear cupcakes in honor of the pool party theme. See them lying on their towels on the graham cracker beach?
They were yummy!

Athena's birthday party was last night and a lot of fun was had by all!
There was laughing...
and dancing....

The pool sides are soft so it made a nice place to hang out.

I think Jaxon thought about getting in at one time...
but I think those girls are just too wild for him...

It got a little cold toward the end,

but they were all still very happy.

The End

Weekly Weigh-In (#20)

2009-06-28T10:52:00.001-06:00

I have half recovered from last week for the most part. I have lost 1.4 of the 3.5 pound gain so I'm back on track... heading the right direction.

This week: 163.0

I need to lose 2.1 pounds
(Had to fix that, the math wasn't adding up... typo or math error??? I'll never tell.)
to get back to where I was... So another good week and I'll be there.

I cooked up some chicken tenders last night so I have something quick to grab... but they go so fast around here, I only had two left and had to do another batch after everyone had their evening snack.

Today I'm going to hard boil a dozen eggs and that will help out with quick easy breakfasts.

Oh, yesterday I had a yummy smoothie! I have tried not to drink my calories as a matter of practice, but once in awhile it's ok, right?

1/3 cup egg whites (pasteurized)
1 cup Orange Pineapple Banana Juice
1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 cup frozen blueberries

I really liked it!

I'm doing a bit better with those fiber one bars, but they are very addictive... if you haven't tried them, stay far far away! ;)

Weekly Weigh-In (#19)

2009-06-21T10:08:00.001-06:00

This week I am up 3.6 pounds... (to 165.5) which means that awesome weight loss last week didn't happen...

Conclusions:
What happened to my water???
I should not have had that eclair from Schmidts bakery at the bridal shower last night... oh and the coconut macaroon cookie I picked up when I got Heather and David's cake from there on Friday.
Fiber One bars are not FREE, eat all you want food items. All things in moderation.
Lagoon ice cream with bites of brownie and a hamburger and potato salad and baked beans, may all be fine and dandy but I cannot say "It'll be OK" over and over again that many times in a week.
Looking back I felt out of control more than once last week.

Next week:
I'm weighing and tracking and exercising and I'm heading back down. I know what needs to be done, I wasn't doing it consistently, and I just need to do it!

Contest Results:
PYP Name % Lost Exercise Minutes

Princess 17.4% 6296
Mrs B 12.3 % 351
Bragabit 7 % 1245
Agentjj 8 % 2239
SavenSmile 15.9% 830
Ratgirl 11.61% Didn't keep track
Fenchurch42 5% 885
Anayl392 2% 1220
Carrottop 4% 4606
Sandra96 10 % 3505
JeepinMom 7% 375

Big Week for Heather

2009-06-19T11:41:00.003-06:00

Miss Heather is 21. I love her so much and am excited for her and David to be getting married today! They both love each other so much and have had to work very hard to get to this happy point in their lives. I wish them all the happiness and am excited that my G-Babies have a happy family to grow up in!

Waiting on the Biggest Loser

2009-06-15T22:02:00.001-06:00

I was up 2 pounds this morning.

I've lost 24.9 pounds for the contest, it would have been 26.9... if it ended yesterday.

Oh, well, c'est la vie!

13.09% loss is the number that matters though. I'll let you know when I know.

Tonight Kaylee, Kenzie and I went down to the new high school and did a mile walking and a little running around the track. It was nice to workout together... and cheaper than eating out could ever be, lol.

We all grow up...

2009-06-14T21:46:00.005-06:00

Friday night I got to see my cousin Justin. I haven't seen him since we were kids. He has a gorgeous family now. In the pic below is Yadira, or "Yadi", Justin, Aunt Trixie, Naomi and Justin.

It was great seeing him. He seems very happy and grateful for such a wonderful wife and kids. It was so strange seeing him as a man, and really nice to see he's doing so well for himself.

I love my family!

Weekly Weigh-In (#18)

2009-06-14T13:20:00.001-06:00

Today: 161.9
That's down 3.5 pounds from last week! I hope it stays until tomorrow when we report our final weight. This is the last week of the contest and it really is a good thing. So I'm slowing it down a bit after this. I want this weight to STAY off and I can't live without a little more variety...

I almost lost it yesterday...

I wanted chocolate so bad, so I chewed up some of the Symphony chocolate bar that my neighbors gave me for mother's day, and let it melt in my mouth, and didn't swallow... I spit it into the garbage.

Kaylee caught me engaging in this crazy behavior. "What are you doing?!?!"

She's still giving me a hard time about it. I'm a bit embarrassed, but at the same time, it still feels like a bit of a win-win situation. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Had to buy some jeans this week. Guess what??? Size 10!!!!!!!!!! Size 10!!!!!!!! I'm taking myself off of Lane Bryant's texting advertisement mailing list.

A day in the life...

2009-06-09T07:40:00.001-06:00

... by request

For Breakfast
A hard boiled egg and a plum.
Now I'm going to enjoy some Red Lavendar Herbal Tea and some Good Earth "Slimming Tea", 2 teabags, 1 cup.

For Lunch
I have my water, my freshly grown lettuce, a can of tuna fish, baby cucumbers, WASA Light Rye Crackers and a lime to use as salad dressing, and an apple in my lunch bag...

I'll probably have some coffee around 2 pm.

Snack on a veggie... Red Pepper Slices while I make dinner.

I think I'm having an eggplant, sauteed in chicken broth, some baked Mahi Mahi or maybe some shrimp with curry seasoning and some frozen blueberries as dessert tonight.

I'd like to think we'll all go for a walk... but sometimes that happens and sometimes it gets too late or I'm too tired.

This is a pretty typical day, lol.

Well, I gotta get to work... also a very typical element of my day.

Maybe I'll get some pictures in here later...

Weekly Weigh-In (#17)

2009-06-07T12:05:00.002-06:00

Today: 165.4
That's down 3 pounds from last week! Wowza!

I am officially halfway to goal, so it seems like a good time for new pics.

Me now... 50% of the way to goal.
Me 30% of the way there
And me in the beginning...
Now

Then...

and Never Again.
I listened to an audiobook this last week. The End of Overeating, and it's got good information, but I can only recommend about 1/5 of the book. The rest was really dry. Study after study... about why we overeat. Finally after 5 hours of this, he got to the stuff I was interested in... what we can do about it. That part is good. As a summary I'll just say we're all on the right track. No new information, here. It's about choice and how to help condition yourself to make the good ones.

Conquering Addiction......

2009-06-03T21:31:00.000-06:00

I love food. Love love love it. Am I addicted?

I have answered that question with a no and then at other times... yes. I'm still not sure, but I do recognize that exercising control in this area is like quitting smoking in some ways was for me. I also notice that if I let myself get too hungry I act like I may never eat again, lol.

Another blog from a SparkPeople member grabbed my attention today and it happened to be on this subject... I thought I'd share with you.

My Six Steps To Sobriety......

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