One Wrong + One Right

Another goodie plate floated in tonight & I ate all 6 sugar cookies on it... However, I did then opt to turn off the TV and I did 25 minutes on the eliptical. And I feel like I worked hard. I'm all shaky now & my legs are like jello. I read for part of the time while I was exercising, which isn't easy to do. I read some out of my Dr. Phil book & my Zonya tips. I definitely have some habits that I need to change for good. Off the top of my head, these are a few.

~Eat only in the kitchen & dining areas. No more in any other rooms (in front of the TV or computer).
~Stop eating after 7pm.
~Eat a fruit or veggie with every meal & snack.
~Drink more water.

I know there were probably more, but these are what's coming to mind right now. Really, if I just did those 4 things, I think my weight would drop by leaps and bounds. I know tomorrow probably won't be a great eating day, but at least I'm feeling it!

Visiting Family = Uh, oh!

Since we were with family the past 5 days, my eating has been horrible. I have a hard enough time as it is, but giving me even less control over what I eat is so difficult. My in-laws always have an abundant supply of treats (all set out all over the counters & everything), and this time of year is worse than any. I pretty much didn't deny myself of anything. I've got to hit the eliptical this week. I think I should be able to do better on eating because we only got one goodie plate while we were gone--the rest are non-edible or healthy. Hooray! Having eaten horribly actually makes me want all of the good stuff! How are all of you faring with the holidays?

I just thought I was done talking.

Okay, I thought of a few more things to share. As I was discussing my body shape & size with my sister-in-law, I realized that I've always thought of myself as a small-built person. Yes, I'm short, but thinking about my body, I'm a really curvy girl, even when I'm thin. I don't think I could ever physically fit into a size 5 jeans. Even with no fat, I don't think my hips would allow it. With that being said, I have made the scary jump to adjusting my goal weight. I could probably get to 115 if I really tried, but you know what, I know that 120 is attainable & that I would be happy at that weight. And for a medium-boned girl, 120 is a perfectly acceptable weight for a 5' 2 1/2" lady.

I also am giving myself 14 weeks from January 1st to get to my goal weight. Oh, how I know it won't be easy. I've done it before, but I honestly don't know how I did it. So, I have 27 pounds to lose. If I average 2 pounds a week, I can do it. And the few weeks I have before January 1st are a bonus. (By the way, I picked the 1st because it's on a day of the week when I know I don't have to rush in the morning and will have time to weigh and measure...not because of the new year.) I plan to weigh and measure every Thursday & report back. Okay, I'm really done now. I need to hit the sack.

Long, overdue update

Okay, girls, I haven't completely abandoned you. Okay, so Amanda's ready to get going again, Vanessa's ready to throw in the blogging-about-her-weight towel. And me? I'm needing/wanting to get back on track.

I thought my gym membership expired in September, but it turns out that it expires in a few days. Having known that might have made a difference the past few months, but oh, well. Because of my lack of a gym membership & the snow on the ground, this weekend, Tiffany brought me her huge, heavy eliptical so I can have a way to exercise. (I have the scraped up walls to prove it, too! It's not easy getting it up stairs that turn midway up.) So far, Randy has used it more than me, but I have used it. Will life ever slow down? Nearly all of my projects are done & my house is actually the cleanest it's been in a while...if only I could get my bathrooms clean. Anyway, I'm seeing an end to my self-inflicted craziness. Next week.

Tiffany and I challenged each other to see who could lose 10 pounds first. I have more to lose than her, that's for sure. The sad truth is that I've gained about 20 pounds in a year. Bad eating habits, anyone? No time is easy to give up the sweets & such, but the holidays are making it especially difficult. In all honesty, I'm guessing that Tiffany will beat me, but I'm not going to give up. Anyway, yesterday I weighed in at 147. That my heaviest non-pregnant weight ever. In fact, it's only about 5 lbs. shy of where I was 9 months pregnant with Sydney. So sad.

Anyway, I'm really hoping that I can get myself back on track--eating, sleeping & exercising. I can't stay up until 12 or 1am and expect to have tons of energy. Doesn't really work. I'm hoping that Randy will be headed back to work by the first of the year & he won't stay up as late, which should help me not stay up so late, too. Although he has been in bed for an hour now...

Okay, now that I've blogged your ears off (or should it be eyes out?)... I'm ready to get back on the wagon. Vanessa, if you need to take a break, do it. You're only about 2 lbs. heavier than where you want to be, right? That's not so bad, is it? I'm here for you girls and I need your support, too!

Weekly Weigh & Measure

1 Jan 2009: 150.5
8 Jan 2009: 148.0
15 Jan 2009: didn't weigh
22 Jan 2009: 149.0
29 Jan 2009: 149.5
5 Feb 2009: didn't weigh
12 Feb 2009: didn't weigh (out of town)
19 Feb 2009: 150.0
26 Feb 2009: 147.0
5 Mar 2009: 144.5
12 Mar 2009: 145.0
19 Mar 2009: 143.5
26 Mar 2009: 143.0
4 Apr 2009: 143.0

9 Apr 2009: 143.0

16 Apr 2009: 143.0

23 Apr 2009: 145.0

7 May 2009: 142.5

8 Jun 2009: 142.0

15 Jun 2009: 140.0

22 Jun 2009: 139.5

To the park and back

I walked with a whole slew of moms, strollers, bikes & kids to the park yesterday. We met even more friends there. It was a lot of fun. And I got in some exercise. I'm guessing it was somewhere around 2 (or a little more) miles. It was such a beautiful day to be out, too.

Walking

I've done a bit of walking today. First, I walked Sydney to preschool, maybe 1/4 of a mile away. On my way home, I passed some friends who were headed off for a walk & they invited me to come along. We walked to the park. I was home from that for only 5 minutes before it was time to walk back and get Sydney. All in all, I would guess that I walked about 3 miles total today.

Oh, and my weight was back down in the 130's today. I know it's not much...and it just might be because I fasted yesterday. I'll take it any way it comes, though! I still haven't measured myself. I need to, but I'm afraid it won't be good news. Why is this all so hard?

Activity

3.25 miles hiking at Stewart Falls. I loved it.

Same ol', same ol'

Nothing new to report here. I've taken a few walks off and on lately, but nothing huge. I want to get out and walk at least 30 minutes every day, but I haven't actually done it. My weight is still lingering in the same spot, too. I think I might have some hormone issues going on. I've been so tired this past week and have felt very hormonal. Hopefully everything will even out.

Little by little

I'm making small improvements. My neck is feeling much better. It's still tight, but I do stretches every night that are helping. Over the past few days, I've been seeking to increase my daily activity. Saturday night, I walked a mile with my girls. This morning, I walked 1 to 1.5 miles with Jenna. I'm also trying to be more active in my house & outside with my girls. (Although I still spend a lot of time on the computer doing family history...)

I'm doing a little better with my eating now that Randy's back. He had been in Canada for 7 days, and I only made a real dinner one night. The rest of the nights were frozen pizza, IHOP, and such. I feel like my appetite is under better control now that he's home, too.

Last night I dreamt that I was pregnant & could feel the baby moving. In my dream, I was so glad to know that I had gained so little weight. Too bad I've gained weight & I'm not pregnant. Or maybe I should be glad that I'm not... I'm feeling much better this week, so we'll see how it goes.

Neck problems

I'm starting to see a pattern. Whenever I go for a long walk or take a short jog, I experience great neck pain & horrible headaches later in the day. Yesterday, I jogged up a short hill when I went on my walk. Mind you, I wasn't dressed for running; I was just in my normal clothes, ie no sports bra. I'm beginning to think that my chest is really giving my neck some problems, especially when I run/jog/walk quickly. Last night, I was in horrible pain. My head hurt so back I wanted to barf. I literally was tossing and turning for 3 1/2 hours in my bed before taking another dose of Tylenol & finally falling asleep. So, I've got a chiropractic appointment this afternoon. I'm guessing my neck is out. I really, really, really hope I get a good neck massage because my muscles are so tense. About running: I know I should make sure I wear multiple sports bras when I go (which I haven't been doing), but really, what should I do??? I'm thinking breast reduction surgery might be in my future...

Unfortunate update

Just thought I'd give an update. As far as my weight goes, I haven't made any progress...I think. I haven't weighed myself in a week or two, but I am afraid it would be higher than it was last time. My biggest struggle this week is eating when I'm not hungry. The past two days, I've found myself eating when I wasn't hungry at all. I've been using food to relax, which just isn't right. Now that I'm acutely aware of it, I'm going to work on it and do better.

I haven't been exercising much, either. This morning I did take a walk, though. I dropped Sydney off at our preschool co-op, and continued along the trail with Jenna. I ended up walking for an hour & probably did about 2.5 miles. Next time: put on some real shoes to go walking & not flip-flops! I feel good and sweaty after my walk today. It's a start...again.

Less 2

I had a really good day of eating yesterday--perfect if I can say that. All of my meals and snacks were healthy, and I even had dessert! I made Zonya's "Blueberry Buckle", a dessert she says is healthy enough to eat for breakfast. It felt really good to do so well. This morning, I was down 2 of the 4.5 lbs I was up, so that's a good start.

Monday

My weekly weigh-ins are planned for Mondays. Since going out of town this weekend, I didn't eat as healthy as I should have. I ate out a few times and ate more treats than usual. And the day or two before going out of town weren't great eating ones for me, either. I stepped on the scale clothed this morning & I was at 142.5. Yikes! I haven't seen those kind of numbers since being pregnant! Yesterday I felt like I was retaining water, which is rare for me. I'm going to re-weigh myself tomorrow in hopes that it will be a more accurate measure of this past week. I know I'll probably still be up.

But you know, I'm trying. I had a super healthy & delicious breakfast this morning. (scrambled egg w/ yellow squash & potatoes & a blueberry smoothie with all sorts of nutritous ingredients...yum!) I also flipped to FitTV and did 10 minutes of a workout before getting breakfast. I think I'll check that channel out more often, even if I only get a few minutes in at a time. That's better than nothing & quite doable. So, that's my story this Monday morning. Now I'd better go get some meat marinading for dinner & go bathe the girls...Jenna's got blueberry smoothie all over herself.

Try, try again...

It's been a while since I've posted anything here. I've decided I'm going to give another honest shot at getting my weight down. It's so easy to not try & just eat whatever I want. I've developed some not-great habits lately: staying up too late, sleeping in, eating breakfast late, etc., all of which can and will affect weight. My breakfast and dinner meals are typically quite healthy. Eating corn dogs for lunch isn't, however, so I'm going to focus on making my lunches more healthy. I'm also going to plan on making desserts--healthy ones that I won't have to feel guilty about. I still need to figure out what I want to do with exercise--when, what, where, etc.

So...this morning, I remeasured myself. I did my BMI. I'm only going to measure myself every other week & I'll weigh weekly. I'll evaluate my BMI monthly. My goal is to have my weight down to where I'm happy with it by my birthday. What a great gift! I honestly don't know if I have to get my weight down to 112-114 to be happy. Anything under 120 would be great! So, here goes again.

Overcast & cool(er)

I took the girls to the park yesterday. Sydney rode her bike & I pushed Jenna in the stroller. All told, I think we did 2.5 to 3 miles. We are blessed to have a wonderful trail here along the river that takes us to the park. I love to do it when we get the chance!

Morning Walk

Karen and I walked 3.1 miles this morning. Along the way, we met up with Tammy. It was such an enjoyable early morning walk. Beautiful morning, wonderful conversation...and exercise!

Wahoo!!

Mark, Brandon, Chad

Me, Merri, Tammy

I did it! I had planned to run the 5k Run Through the Lavender weeks ago, but when my training stopped 5 weeks ago, I let that plan slip way. Thank goodness for good neighbors, because they invited and encouraged me to run it, so I did. I had no idea how well I'd do, only that I knew I could at least finish it by walking. So, I paced myself well (albeit very slowly) and ran all but about 2 minutes (4 small spurts of walking). Everyone said this was a tougher 5k than normal, too, so that makes me feel even better. I finished with a time of 35 minutes. I felt & feel great. I'm going to be sure to ice my shins after each run & hopefully that will help my shin splints not be so bad. Anyway, thanks everyone for your support & encouragement. I definitely felt a glimpse of a runner's high today. And congrats to Merri & Tammy for medaling!!

2.75 to 3 Miler

Today I walked to our church to print out a few things in the clerk's office. Sydney rode her new bike the whole way while I pushed Jenna in the stroller. I was amazed at how well Sydney did! And I got a bit of exercise in, too. Yea!

A little here & there

I have gotten a tiny bit of exercise lately, I just haven't thought to put it down. I've taken the girls on some leisurely walks several times. On Saturday, we all went to the park so Randy & I could play tennis. I'm really not good, but it reminds me of when we were first married and played, so I love it. I'm so glad Randy's patient with me and that he tries to teach me how to not be so horrible at playing. :)

Oh, the feeling!!

After a 3-week break, I'm back in my running (or rather, jogging & walking) shoes!! Can I just tell you how good it feels to be up early and then be home, showered, and have 3 loads of laundry folded before my girls wake up? Oh, it feels SO good!

I guess running today has made me a part of the running club. Luckily for me (but definitely not for Tammy!), her knee was killing her, so I had some company as I went much, much slower than Merri and Larry. In all, I did about 2.5 miles, with a little over 1 mile of running. I thought I was going to pass out after the running, so I took it nice and slow walking after that. Hey, it's been 3 weeks! I have another friend who will be doing speed walking with me and I'm going to work on getting my shins completely better. Oh, what a glorious morning!

In a rut

After being sick for a week, then on vacation for another week, I thought I would be able to bounce right back into my exercise routine. Not so. I can't get myself out of bed in the mornings. Help!

Breaking it to you...

So I've had a rough couple of days or weeks or months or years.... I've thought and thought about what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I was emailed some great advice by a friend of mine who reads this blog & I've decided to take a break (not sure yet if I'll stop permanently) from posting my daily food journal. I just feel like I've come to a self-destructive point & don't think I can and should continue right now.

I still want to post my exercise because I feel like that's definitely something to be proud of. However, I do have some pretty rotten shin splints. I hate to do it, but I think I need to take a rest from running. I know I can still do some (less enjoyable) exercising and I plan to do that, but I'm honestly thinking I'll take a break from the gym this week and next. I just feel like I've come to a breaking point (with this and various other aspects of my life) and this needs to give. So, that's that. I'll still be here on this blog from time to time & I'll still be checking others'. I'm not abandoning you completely!

By the way, girls, I planned to be at the gym this morning, but I was unable to fall asleep until after midnight--and 5 1/2 hours of sleep just isn't enough for me. Sorry!

Some good advice

I love what my friend, Sarah, had to say. Thanks, Sarah!

Day 35

Brunch: breakfast burrito, yummy strawberries
Snack: small bowl of marshmallow matey's w/ milk
Dinner: 2 bowls of split pea soup & 2 ww rolls
Dessert: scoop of vanilla ice cream, more super rich & fattening brownies than I wish to admit

Exercise: day of rest

I'm seriously at a loss of what to do with myself. Sure, I'm exercising, but I feel like I'm gorging more than ever. Really....I don't know what to do....go on Survivor so I don't have access to any crap?... (Just finished watching the season finale--I'm sorry that Amanda didn't win.)

Day 34

Breakfast: breakfast burrito
Snack: ww crackers, pepperjack cheese, sliced turkey
Lunch: 1 salmon cake, spicy mac & cheese
Dinner: Crispy Chicken Dijon, sweet potato, carrots & peas
Snack: no-bakes

Exercise: worked in my yard for several hours

Day 33

Breakfast: 2 1/2 breakfast cookies, milk
Lunch: grilled chicken, spicy mac & cheese
Snack: banana, graham cracker
Dinner: Chimichanga (chicken w/ refried beans, Mexican rice, sour cream & guacamole, etc.)--Bajio's
Snack: root beer float, pretzels

Exercise: 2.3 miles in 27:39 (I ran 1.75 in 17:39)

About the exercise...I think I've got some nice shin splints. I need to do some more research, but according to Randy, that's what I've got. I need to do something about them, though.

Overall, I'm just really discouraged with myself in my life. I'm having such a hard time getting my eating habits to be good and I feel like I'm packing on the pounds. And cleaning? I don't think I've done one bit of cleaning beyond sweeping, trash, picking up & doing the dishes this week. Disgusting...

Day 32

Breakfast: breakfast burrito (Unfortunately, I only had white flour tortillas, but it was so good. Egg, leftover oven potatoes w/ red & yellow peppers, pepper jack cheese, ff sour cream, salsa...YUM), 1/2 banana
Snack: probably a dozen choc. & pb chip cookies
Lunch: salmon cakes w/ cool lime sauce, spicy mac & cheese
Dinner: 2 bowls of Marshmallow Matey's w/ milk
Dessert: no-bakes

Exercise: 10.8 miles on the stationary bike in 30 minutes, 15 minutes on the rowing machine, stretching, ab exercise

Okay, my day started out productive, but quickly fizzled...and so did my eating. I had a horribly lazy day and my eating was horrible. I don't know what to do with myself. I feel like my stomach is SO fat, but I'm having such a hard time doing what I know I should do. I know if I just read Dr. Phil's book (I never make it very far) and DO as he instructs and incorporate certain habits into my lifestyle, it will improve. But motivating myself to read it is a struggle. UGH!!!

Day 31

Breakfast: 2 bowls of Marshmallow Matey's w/ milk...sad, I know, but doesn't it feel good to eat them sometimes?!
Lunch: spicy mac & cheese, grilled chicken
Dinner: Salmon Cakes with Cool Lime Sauce (new recipe and YUM!), my oven potatoes (don't know what else to call them), and salad
Dessert: 11 chocolate & pb chip cookies

Exercise: 2.05 miles in 27 minutes (1.5 miles in 17), legs & abs, stretching--no workout buddies today... I also worked in my yard for 1 1/2 hours.

My salmon cakes recipe is from Pampered Chef's It's Good for You recipe book. I was a bit skeptical, but it was really so good. And the sauce was perfect. And I can't wait to eat it for lunch again tomorrow.

Day 30

Breakfast: 2 slices turkey bacon, ww English muffin w/ apple butter, cottage cheese, peaches
Lunch: broccoli salad, apple cashew salad, no-bakes, milk
Dinner: marinated grilled chicken, salad, Spicy Mac & Cheese (The mac & cheese was really good, but spicy. I changed the recipe up a bit, too, using ff half-and-half instead of heavy cream, only 1 T. butter, but then added in more cheese than she did.) Yummy dinner!
Dessert: sugar-free banana cream pudding, 6 Nilla wafers, dallop of frozen whipped topping, 1/3 of a banana

Exercise: None, but I think I might go to the gym in a minute for a light workout. UPDATE: I realized I needed to go to bed about an hour after posting this, so instead I pushed Sydney in the stroller and did a 20 minute mile.

I feel like I'm slowly making some better food choices. At least I'm getting more fruits & veggies in the past few days. Yummy salads on hand sure make it easier!

Day 29

Breakfast: egg, fruit & yogurt smoothie
Lunch: pork rib (not much meat), 2 servings of broccoli salad, 2 servings of apple cashew salad
Snack: 7 Oreos
Dinner: pork taco, 7-Layer dip w/ chips, brownie, small glass of punch (there wasn't any water)

Exercise: 30:15 on the treadmill (ran 1.75 miles in 20:15), stretching, 10 minutes of arm weights. I also worked in my yard for at least an hour.

At the gym, I felt like puking the whole time I was on the treadmill. All the junk I ate this weekend was just right there, ready to come up--and I kinda wish it would have. (Am I too gross? I would've never guessed!) I feel like I did good eating today. We went to a birthday party tonight, so I limited my carbs earlier since I didn't know exactly what I would be eating later. I almost made it without the Oreos, but at 4:30pm, I was needing something to tide me over until 6pm dinner.

Day 28

Breakfast & Lunch: nothing
Dinner: hot dog on wheat bun, broccoli salad, apple cashew salad
Snacks: Mint Oreos, cake, rootbeer float

Exercise: day of rest

I had thought about taking a walk with Sydney today, but we had people at our house & friends for Sydney to play with, so that didn't happen. Today is the first day since Wednesday that I can go up and down my stairs without hurting. Finally!

Day 27

Breakfast: 1 1/2 waffles w/ butter & sf syrup
Lunch: 2 small pieces of chicken (KFC), 2 Mint Oreos, 1/2 of a can of root beer
Dinner: grilled elk steak, Apple Cashew Salad (2 servings), Broccoli Salad, Teri's chicken pasta salad (2 servings), tortilla chips, 7 layer bean dip, 3 pieces of chocolate cake

Exercise: none. I was supposed to walk for 30-60 minutes, but my legs were still really sore & I felt like it would be best if I let them rest.

I really over did it on my eating today. I did make the apple cashew salad & the broccoli salad, so I know at least they were lowfat/fat free!

Day 26

Breakfast: 3 breakfast cookies, glass of milk
Snack: 1/2 banana
Lunch: white beans & penne pasta, Mint Oreos--they're gone now...except Randy just went and bought some more :(
Snack: pretzels
Dinner: some sort of KFC wrap, 1 drumstick
Snack: 1/2 mandarin orange, strawberry milk

Exercise: 2.15 miles total on the treadmill (I ran 1.5 miles in 17:20.), and stretching. My legs are still really, really sore, but not as bad as yesterday.

Seems I'm on a cooking strike... I'm starving for wholesome food--I just don't want to cook it...

Day 25

Breakfast: ww English muffin w/ apple butter, banana, 2 slices turkey bacon
Lunch: White Beans & Penne Pasta, chocolate chip & pb cookies
Dinner: 5 slices pepperoni pizza--Little Caesar's
Snack: 1/2 c. homemade strawberry banana ice cream, strawberry wafer cookie

Exercise: a much needed day off...I'm dying of soreness in my legs today!!!

I did not get the fruits and veggies I need today. I ate a lot for dinner, but was really hungry and the pizza unexpectedly hit the spot. A little salad wouldn't hurt a girl, though,would it?

Day 24

Breakfast: 1/2 banana, All-Bran w/ milk, egg
Lunch: fajita w/ everything but tortilla and cheese, 6? Mint Oreos
Dinner: White Beans & Penne Pasta, salad
Dessert: 10? chocolate & pb chip cookies

Exercise: 1 hour long Pump class, plus 1.8 miles on the treadmill in 21:30 (ran 1.5 miles in 16:30 for my 5k training). I only did about half of the lunges in the pump class because I had worked my legs pretty good on the weights yesterday. Afterward, my legs were like jello, so I had to run just to keep from collapsing!

My exercise this morning killed me! I am so sore! I did think it was quite fitting that I saw an Oreo truck drive by as I headed from the pump class to the treadmill... I didn't get much sleep last night, so I ended up sleeping for several hours on the couch while Sydney watched TV. Randy didn't like the dinner I made, so I had to make up for it with cookies. Why do I rely on food to be such a good reward or gift? Either way, I knew he was hungry and I felt bad--sorta.

Day 23

I guess I'd better post something today...

Breakfast: yogurt w/ granola, 1 1/2 slices turkey bacon
Lunch: 1/2 banana, fajita, way too many Mint Oreos--I hate when I buy stupid stuff like that at the store!
Dinner: Arroz con Pollo
Dessert: Reese PB Cup Shake from Arctic Circle (I thought of you, Amber!)...I've definitely trained Sydney poorly. She was begging all night to go get ice cream at Arctic Circle.

Exercise: 1.25 miles in 20:30 on the treadmill, 30 minutes of leg weights & abs (a good workout), and 10 minutes of stretching

I feel so yucky after the cookies and ice cream today. I really wish I hadn't eaten them. If I keep this up, maybe I'll learn to not really like them like I've done with doughnuts. That would be nice...

Day 22

Breakfast: ww English muffin w/ apple butter, 2 slices turkey bacon, yogurt
Snack: grapes
Lunch: fajita (same as yesterday's dinner)
Snack: no-bakes, 2 almonds
Dinner: scrambled egg w/ green chile, potatoes o'brien w/ ketchup, fruit & yogurt smoothie

Exercise: 3.58 miles in 45 minutes. I timed my 5k today, and I did it in 37 minutes. I also did 5 minutes on the StairMaster while waiting for a treadmill--and I about killed myself!

Today hasn't been so bad eating wise, and a nap sure did me good.

Day 21

Breakfast: yogurt, Succotash Omelet
Snack: peach cobbler w/ whipped topping
Lunch: homemade tomato soup w/ ww crackers
Dinner: 1 Crock-Pot Fajita on ww tortilla w/ reduced fat cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole & ff sour cream
Snacks: more cobbler (at several different times), fajita filling w/ guacamole & ff sour cream...I just couldn't stop eating!

Exercise: I took Sydney on a 1+ mile walk because the weather was so gorgeous. Later, we all walked a few errands around the neighborhood. I'm guessing my day was a total of 1.5 miles of leisurely walking. Hooray for beautiful (windless) weather!

Day 20

Breakfast: slice of ww French toast w/ butter & sf syrup, milk, egg, 2/3 of a banana
Lunch: homemade tomato soup (w/ tofu for protein), 4 ww crackers, no-bakes
Dinner: turkey hot dog on wheat (not whole grain, though) bun
Snack: pretzels & 4 bites of a Hershey's Chocolate Bunny--I think I had between 100-150 calories in all.

Exercise: none--Again, I stayed up too late last night. Ugh!!

Has anyone ever found whole-wheat hot dog buns? I have never been able to find them...

Day 19

Breakfast: egg, fresh strawberries & banana slices, malt-o-meal w/ 1/2 t. sugar & milk
Lunch: hamburger minus buns (I wrapped it in a big lettuce leaf, and it was great!), salad, 1/2 serving of Chocolate Bunny Grahams
Snack: cheese stick, mandarin orange
Dinner: Blackened Chicken Alfredo, 2 pieces of garlic toast, 3/4 of a slice of Asphalt Pie--Wingers

Exercise: 45 minutes or so of Pilates.--I did a 15 minute workout, then another one that shows you how to do certain things correctly. It's about 40 or 45 minutes long, but Sydney was demanding help & attention, so I had to cut it short.

For breakfast, I tried to eat slower. I started to feel full, so I didn't eat the last little bit of my malt-o-meal. I still need to eat much slower, but this was a start. I normally finish up every little bit of food I have. I also didn't drink any water...I've been told that liquids stretch out your stomach & make you eat more. I'm a bit of a skeptic on that, but I'm going to try it out. At least I felt full after my yummy breakfast. (Hooray for great tasting strawberries!) We had an adults only Brothers & Sisters dinner at Wingers tonight. It was so nice to converse, laugh, and enjoy everyone's company without worrying about kids!

Day 18

Breakfast: 2 slices turkey bacon, ww English muffin w/ apple butter
Snack: banana, yogurt, no-bakes
Lunch: 3 ww crackers w/ LaZonya sauce on them
Dinner: Creamy Tomato Soup, salad, grilled cheese on ww sandwich
Snack: Chocolate Bunny Grahams--probably 2 servings worth

Exercise: none. I told Randy he could go play soccer on Thursday mornings. Unfortunately for both of us, it was raining when he woke up, so he didn't go and it was too late for me to make it to the gym. I did work up a sweat cleaning all 3 of my bathrooms today, though!

Day 17

Breakfast: ww English muffin w/ applebutter, 2 slices turkey bacon, fruit & yogurt smoothie
Lunch: Buffalo Chicken Sub, fries w/ ketchup, sip of Sydney's fruit punch from Charley's Hot Subs--definitely a yucky lunch. My sub was so spicy that it was horrible. And the fruit punch, blech!! I so wish I had chosen somewhere else to eat!
Snack: 1 orange truffle, 1 lemon truffle, fresh from See's Candies--I never really cared for these until I was pregnant with Sydney. Now fruit truffles are what I prefer. They are so much better than caramels that I used to love!
Dinner: spaghetti, salad, strawberries--SO good and it hit the spot! The strawberries were amazing, the salad was great, and the spaghetti was incredible. It was so easy to prepare because I had some noodles already cooked and frozen from a previous meal, and the sauce was extra from the LaZonya I make--which is SO good. It was packed full of veggies and was a refreshing treat from the nasty lunch I had.
Snack: 7 pretzel sticks, glass of strawberry milk

Exercise: 1.5 miles in 25 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the rowing machine, and 10? minutes of abs & arms

I'm all commented out from saying so much about my food today!

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've posted the recipe for one of my greatest downfalls on Recipe Swap. This one's for you, Janae!

Healthy Hamburger

As I ate my healthy hamburger tonight, I thought about what a difference the small choices can make. Here's my guide to getting the most nutrition out of your burger.

Beef: Choose the leanest meat you can. I bought beef that is 96% fat-free, which is the best there was. It's more pricey, but worth it. And the burger won't shrink as much, either, without all that extra fat. The best way to cook it is to grill or broil it. Pan cooking keeps more of the fat on your patty.
Buns: Whole wheat! I know they can be hard to find, but why, oh why, do people eat white bread?? Choose buns that aren't oversized, either, since this will add extra calories that are so easy to avoid.
Cheese: If you must have it (and I must), buy fat-free.
Bacon: Again, if you must, go with turkey bacon or, better yet, skip it!
Mayo or Miracle Whip: Lowfat (good), fat-free (better), or skip it (best).
Ketchup & Mustard: They don't add enough of anything to need to avoid them, thank goodness!
Pickles: Unless you're watching your sodium intake, there's no problem with them.
Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, & Green Chile (if you're New Mexican!): The more the better! Again, why would anyone eat a burger without any veggies?

And if you're at a barbecue or hosting one, here are some other tips:
Hot dogs: No one would argue that these aren't very nutritious. If you must, choose a turkey hotdog or one that is lowfat. Neither taste bad.
Chips: Unless they are baked, skip them.
I would recommend filling up on healthy items, such as fruits & salads. Of course, you can always save room for a little dessert. If you follow these tips, eating dessert should not be a problem. Happy grilling!

Day 16

Breakfast: 2 Breakfast Cookies, glass of milk
Lunch: banana, no-bakes
Dinner: hamburger on ww w/ veggies

Exercise: 2.5 miles in 35 minutes, lots of stretching (my leg is slowly getting it's ligaments or whatever back into place from my splits incident), 10 minutes of leg weights

Day 15

Breakfast: egg, 1/2 grapefruit, ff yogurt w/ granola
Lunch: pb & honey on ww, V8, apple
Snack: less than a serving of Teddy Grahams, handful of almonds
Dinner: 7-Layer Burrito, Nachos Bell Grande--Taco Bell

Exercise: none

I feel like I need to justify myself a little bit. I had been staying up late last week while Randy was gone (since I didn't have to wake up early to hit the gym) and my sleep pattern has left me very tired. In addition to getting to bed late and not being able to fall asleep, my girls also had me up multiple times last night. I was up at 5:30am with Sydney, but I opted to sleep some more.

Dinner...We had planned to bbq, but we had our downstairs carpets cleaned today. (Talk about a long, boring day being banished upstairs! We even packed our lunch to eat upstairs.) All of our furniture from our front room and living room was in our kitchen, so it was quite the turn-off on wanting to do anything in the kitchen for both Randy and I. I overate big time, and now I feel sick. At least I won't be having no-bakes today & I got 2 fruits in!

Reducing & Eliminating Sweets

Lately, as I make healthy choices, I've thought about sharing them. My daily food diary doesn't necessarily show some of the smaller choices I make. I will try to post some little tips from time to time. If you've got a question, ask me & I'll try to share with you...just know that I am neither an expert, nor am I perfect--obviously!

So Radene, this one is for you.--My tip for sweets? GET THEM OUT OF YOUR HOUSE! It's so hard, but the one time I was successful at losing weight a few years ago, I did exactly that. I went through my cupboards and got rid of anything that I shouldn't be eating. Zonya recommends replacing your refined sugar sweet tooth with a sweet tooth for fruit. How wonderful would that be?

While I'm on it, I want to quickly address artificial sweeteners. I get most of my information from Dr. Phil and Zonya. Dr. Phil is all for artificial sweeteners, while Zonya shies away from them. Going artificial does reduce calories, but it won't eliminate your sweet tooth. In fact, I find yogurt with artificial sweeteners to be too sweet. So on this one, I don't have a definitive answer for myself. This one's up to you. Do what you feel is right and what you feel comfortable with. If you're curious, I do have a nearly empty bag of Splenda in my pantry. I bought it 3 years ago. The only thing (that I can think of) that I purposely buy sugar-free is my maple syrup. I guess I just can't get over the difference in the calories.

Okay, I think I'm going to have fun with these tips. As I type I can think of so many little tidbits I can share. Let me know if you enjoy them. I also welcome your thoughts, insight, and opinions!

Day 14

Breakfast: 1 wheat & honey pancake w/ butter & sugar-free syrup, 1 homemade turkey sausage patty
Lunch: pb & honey on ww bread, ff yogurt, handful of Teddy Grahams
Dinner: Vegetable & Noodle Soup (thanks, Progresso!), ww crackers...I was still so hungry after eating this
Snack: no-bakes, milk

Exercise: day of rest

Time for me to plan a new menu & go grocery shopping this week. Once again, I've got high hopes. Today has been a strange eating day. I was so tired that I was in a fog all day long. I got a good nap, but now my glasses are lost (guessing my 1-year old got ahold of them), so I've been doing everything blindly the last hour and a half. Oh, I pray that I find them soon and they're not broken! Off to bed now so I can get back to the gym this week--which I really do enjoy doing!

Day 13

Breakfast: 2 breakfast cookies, glass of milk
Lunch: quesadilla (from the Weight Watcher's menu), a dozen or so fries, a few bites of chicken fingers, shared a Triple Chocolate Meltdown w/ ice cream with Sydney--Applebee's
Dinner: a few bites of stir-fry, handful of baked tortilla chips, a lot of chocolate & pb chips

Exercise: none

I've managed motherhood okay for the last 4 days, but I'm sure ready for Randy to be home! This has not been a good eating week for me. Once again, I feel like I need to take a step back and re-evaluate what I'm doing and why.

Day 12

Breakfast: 2 slices turkey bacon, 1/2 ww English muffin w/ applebutter, fruit & yogurt smoothie
Lunch: stir-fry w/ brown rice
Snack: LOTS of mini 3-Muskateers Mint, lowfat cheese stick
Dinner: baked beans, tomato, baked tortilla chips w/ lowfat cheese
Dessert: no-bakes, milk

Exercise: none

Having Randy gone is starting to wear on me. I need an escape!!!...and my girls are even being good!

Day 11

Breakfast: homemade bran muffin, egg, strawberries
Lunch: 2 slices pizza, raw veggies w/ dip
Snack: cookies
Dinner: The Easiest Stir-Fry Ever, brown rice
Snack: baked tortilla chips w/ a little green chile dip, 4 3-Muskateers Mint mini's (7 is a serving)

Exercise: nada

Today didn't end up being completely horrible. I could have done better if the pizza and cookies were gone...and now there are!

Day 10

Breakfast (part of it at 7:30, part of it at 9:45): yogurt w/ granola, apple w/ pb, 2 egg whites
Lunch: 3 slices pepperoni pizza, 1 breadstick--Little Caesar's
Snack: chocolate chip & pb cookies
Dinner: raw veggies w/ dip, 2 slices pizza, 1 breadstick, more cookies

Exercise: 1.8 miles in 25 minutes, 25 minutes? of leg weights & arm weights.

My leg is starting to feel better today. I felt something pop as I stretched out this morning, so hopefully things are working back into place. Still a little sore, though. Eating was horrible.

Day 9

Breakfast: 2 slices turkey bacon, fruit & yogurt smoothie (first time in a long time that I actually got to eat a full serving...I normally give Sydney about half of it), 1/2 ww English muffin w/ applebutter
Lunch: Baked Lays potato chips, green chile dip, 9 3-Muskateers Mint (7 is a serving)
Dinner: oven baked lentils & rice, raw veggies w/ ff dip, fresh pineapple
Snack: more chips & dip, no-bakes

Exercise: 2 miles in 31 minutes, running for 5 of those, 20 or so minutes of abs, but I was so tired that I was just laying there part of the time. I also was showing Merri and Tammy that I used to be able to do the splits. I went down further than I anticipated, and heard & felt a yucky popping noise. My hip has hurt throughout the day, and I feel like I pulled muscles in my leg. So much for being flexible! I hope it starts to feel better soon.

We got home at 10:30 last night from the game. I got to bed at 11, but couldn't fall asleep until at least 11:30pm because my legs were hurting from walking so fast back to the car. I was awakened 2 times in the night--once by Jenna, and once by the wind blowing our blinds & me needing to close windows. I was awake at 5:30am, but sure struggled to get myself up to go to the gym. I was so tired all day. Lunch was a result of being just plain tired and hungry, and that's what there was right there to eat before I went to take a nap. At least I had a healthy dinner!...although I disappointed myself with my evening snacking. Will I ever be able to do it? I feel so weak...

Day 8

Breakfast: grapefruit, egg, yogurt
Lunch: pepperjack cheese on ww crackers, sloppy joe meat on ww crackers
Snack: fresh pineapple
Dinner: chicken fajita, salad w/ ranch dressing
Dessert: chocolate ice cream w/ fudge, caramel & nuts

Exercise: 2 miles in 31 minutes on the treadmill, running for 5 of those minutes, 25 minutes of leg weights AND 1.5 miles walking to and from the car to Energy Solutions Arena. I was with 3 guys, so the walk was quite brisk for me. I even had a side ache by the time we got back to the car, and I never get side aches!

It was a busy day. Randy & I ended up going to the Jazz game, so we had dinner & dessert there.

Day 7

Breakfast: oatmeal w/ spoonful of sugar, milk, egg, 1/2 of a strawberry
Snack: none
Lunch: yogurt, handful of almonds, a few Teddy Grahams
Snack: none
Dinner: grilled elk steak (so tender & yummy!), mashed potatoes, green beans
Snack: no-bakes

Exercise: day of rest

I've had an incredibly rough weekend emotionally, and the cookies are proof. I'll get back on track tomorrow. Whew, what a day it has been!

Day 6

Breakfast: 2 breakfast cookies, glass of milk
Snack: none
Lunch: mandarin orange, ww crackers w/ pepperjack cheese, salad w/ dressing & toppings
Snack: none
Dinner: sloppy joe on 1 ww bun
Snacks: ff frozen yogurt w/ homemade chocolate sauce, no-bakes, popcorn dipped in chocolate sauce

Exercise: 2.86? miles in 27 minutes and 15 minutes of intense arms. I walked on an incline of 3.5 and 4 for 17 minutes, then decided to test myself. I ran at 6.0 for 1 minute, then increased it .5 at a time for 1 minute each. I ended my last minute running 8.0, which I don't think I've ever done. Running at 6.0 actually felt really good & easy.

I felt great until evening. I got to sleep in until 7:30am & I wasn't woken up at all last night by my girls, which is unusual as of late. Going to the gym was the cherry on top of that. We were out and about most of the day. Tonight, I am extremely tired and I also have issues that I'm unhappy about. I took it out by eating junk all night. If only all of my problems would just go away... Too bad life isn't like that, though. Being tired and emotional are definitely my top reasons for eating the wrong foods. Need to work on it. Hopefully I didn't screw up all the good work I had done this week. Check out my stats. :)

Day 5

Breakfast: homemade bran muffin, 2 slices turkey bacon, milk, banana
Snack: cheese stick
Lunch: turkey loaf (really enjoyable & good!), salad w/ dressing & salad topper
Snack: 4 or 5 oz. of yogurt--what Sydney didn't eat
Dinner: 1/3 (or so) of a serving of Chicken Veggie Soup--my family got heaping bowls of it (not my doing), and left me with pretty much nothing to eat., 2 chocolate & pb chip cookies
Snack: tortilla chips, not sure how many. My stomach was in knots because I was so hungry.

Exercise: 2.75 miles in 45 minutes (walking) & 5 minutes of the Stairmaster. I forgot to say that all this week I have been walking on an incline, just to do a little more as I walk along on the treadmill. I also fell asleep after my alarm went off at 5:30am (I thought I would just say my prayers while still in bed...that lasted all of about 20 seconds!). I woke up 20 minutes later. Although I was really tired & had missed my ride, I got up and made it to the gym.

Another decent day. I wish it had ended differently, but overall it was good.

Day 4

Breakfast: Mushroom Tomato Fritatta, strawberries, milk
Snack: banana
Lunch: turkey loaf, 1/2 tomato
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: Chicken Veggie Soup
Dessert: a dozen chocolate & pb chip cookies

Exercise: 1.5 miles in 26 minutes, stretching, 25 minutes of abs

My day went well. I ended up working on a client's accounting & taxes for about 4 1/2 hours this afternoon. By the time I was done, it was 5:30pm and I hadn't even started dinner. I got the soup going & then made cookies. I had only planned on having 1 or 2, but you know how I am with my cookies. And I was starving from not having dinner done at the normal time. I hadn't had any other bread-type carbs today, so having 1 cookie would have been okay. I went overboard, but all is not lost. According to Zonya, it is good to have a day where it doesn't matter. So today was that day for me. Back on the train tomorrow.

Day 3

Breakfast: 1 c. ff yogurt, 1/2 c. homemade granola, 1 homemade turkey sausage patty, banana
Snack: apple w/ 1 T. pb
Lunch: salad, leftover roasted chicken, V8
Snack: carrots w/ dip
Dinner: Tantalizing Turkey loaf, peas

Exercise: 1.77 miles on the treadmill in 31 minutes, 25 minutes of leg & arm weights. My sister, Tiffany, has passed along some great advice given to her by her trainer. I'm going to try to do more weights & build more muscle so that it will in turn burn more fat.

My breakfast this morning stuffed me. I should stop eating before I'm full, but at this point, I know I'm not getting very many calories each day, anyway, so I don't want to give any up. It's a double edged sword. I loved the turkey sausage, though.

Day 2

Breakfast: Tex-Mex Scramble, 1/2 grapefruit, bran muffin
Snack: fruit & yogurt smoothie
Lunch: Gpysy Stew, salad w/ toppings & 1 T. fat-free ranch dressing
Snack: shot of Xango, yogurt
Dinner: Herb Roasted Chicken, asparagus, yellow squash

Exercise: none aside from cleaning my house...my girls had me up 3 times last night. Add that to getting to bed late, and I figured it would be best for all involved if I got some sleep. I'm sure my girls appreciate it.

Today has been much easier than yesterday. I still feel really peckish tonight, but I'll survive. It's nice knowing that I'm eating nothing but good, healthy food. No junk at all for 2 days. Thats an accomplishment for me!

Day 1: Food, anyone?

Breakfast: 1/2 ww English muffin w/ 1/2 t. or less of apple butter, fruit & yogurt smoothie, egg
Snack: lowfat string cheese
Lunch: salad (romaine lettuce, tomatoes, 1/2 a cucumber, 2 slices crumbled turkey bacon, salad topping--1 T., Greek w/ Feta dressing--hardly any, it wasn't enough), 1/2 mandarin orange
Snack: several handfuls of carrots w/ fat-free ranch dip, banana
Dinner: Dijon-Roasted Salmon (1 1/2 servings), steamed broccoli & califlower

Exercise: 2.45 miles in 40 minutes on the treadmill (walking only), 10 minutes of arms

I'm so excited for today! I'm SO looking forward to seeing results!! However, I feel like I'm starving. Part of it's mental, part of it's real...I think. I've made it through one day. I tell myself that the pounds are melting away. Now it's off to bed so I can get up early again tomorrow.

Fresh Start

After 3 months of being wishy-washy, I'm starting over...or rather, buckling down. I've made a full-days menu for the next 2 weeks, including snacks. My calories will be cut down to between 950 and 1300 or so calories a day for 14 days. I'm dreading it, but also really excited. I've let myself go with eating the past few days & know I can make better choices. Really, would I ever want to eat another Six Dollar Burger from Carl's Jr? It was so much food, I doubt it.

So, I will begin my day numbers anew & will also post weight & measurements. I will take my initial weight & measurements tonight. I will normally take them first thing in the morning, but I really don't want to have to get up even earlier tomorrow to do it before I head to the gym. ...Okay, I could keep talking, but Jenna's needing to be fed. Give me a nice wahoo for tomorrow!

Really embarassing!

I've been doing this blog for 3 months now. It had been about a month since I looked at Google Analytics, so I had forgotten that people other than my faithful commenters check my blog. I'm really horrified that there are all of you out there who check my "weight loss" blog that I don't even know & some that I do know. And you're all watching me make a fool of myself!!

I am going to redeem myself, though. Monday will be a whole new start for me. I've been working on my menu for the next 2 weeks & will go grocery shopping on Monday. I'm excited and scared at the same time. Doing Dr. Phil's 14-Day Rapid Start Plan is not easy. However, I know it yields results. I'm praying that's what I need to jump start my progress and get me on the path to permanently making good food choices.

And continue reading. I plan to do a giveaway sometime in the next month or so. It just might be something you will want. :) Now off to watch General Conference...I'm a few minutes late!

Day 88

Breakfast: Xango, 1/2 ww English muffin w/ apple butter, 2 slices turkey bacon
Snack: Grasshoppers & Fudge Stripped cookies--LOTS
Lunch: Spanish Red Beans & Rice
Snack: a few more bites of Spanish Red Beans & Rice
Dinner: Sticky Finger Rice Bowl--Wingers
Dessert: no-bakes w/ milk

Exercise: 2 1/2 + hours working in my yard

My eating was horrible today. In my mind, I allowed myself to do so, though. I think having Randy home now will help me do better. At least I'll be able to get to the gym next week! (By the way, I think Randy was really impressed with all I got done in the yard. I was still out working when he got home from his latest trip to Canada.)

Day 87

Breakfast: All-Bran w/ milk, 2 slices turkey bacon
Snack: 1/2 grapefuit
Lunch: Gypsy Stew, ww crackers w/ cheese ball
Snack: LOTS of Grasshopper cookies
Dinner: Broiled Orange Roughy, steamed broccoli, cauliflower & carrots, and a baked sweet potato--shared w/ Sydney, so I didn't quite get a full serving of everything...but at least she's getting healthy food!
Dessert: no-bakes w/ a glass of milk

Exercise: I spent hours outside today working in my yard.

I feel like I'm on a ride that's out of control. I seriously feel like I'm an addict when it comes to eating junk. My meals are healthy, but when I eat sugar, I feel like I can't stop myself. I'm weaning Jenna now (tonight was my first night to not nurse her) & I'll be starting Dr. Phil's 14-day Rapid Start on Monday. My calories will be cut, but it will jump start weight loss & won't allow for splurging. It'll be tough, but it'll be good. I need to do it.

Day 86

Breakfast: yogurt w/ granola, hard-boiled egg, Xango juice--and this stuffed me. I should have only eaten half of my yogurt & granola.
Lunch: salad w/ dressing, whole-wheat crackers w/ cheese ball--not sure how many I ate, more than 1 serving, but I definitely didn't over do it like yesterday & I quit when I was satisfied.
Snack: 2 grasshopper cookies
Dinner: Skillet Chicken w/ Veggies, sweet potato, 2 fudgestriped cookies
Dessert: bowl of no-bake cookies w/ milk, LOTS of grasshopper cookies

Exercise: none

I had done so well with my eating earlier today. My girls have both been especially cranky today & I'm tired. I let my emotions get the best of me tonight and I ate badly. Life is definitely not easy, and I need to figure out a way to deal with my emotions without eating. I'm still working on reading Dr. Phil's book and am both anxious and hesitant to go full force with it. I don't know why I hesitate. I lost 20 lbs before eating right and following his guidance. For some reason it just seems so difficult to do again. But I know I can do it.

Day 85

Breakfast: 2 waffles w/ butter & sugar-free syrup, 2 slices turkey bacon, 1 oz of Xango, glass of milk
Lunch: 1/3 to 1/2 of a serving of Spanish Red Beans & Rice, salad w/ dressing, and then....LOTS of Grasshopper cookies & LOTS of a cheese ball on whole-wheat crackers
Dinner: fruit & yogurt smoothie

Exercise: 2.8 miles on the treadmill in 45 minutes & 5-10 minutes of abs. I walked the entire time on the treadmill today. I was aiming to keep my heart rate in a certain zone. It was SO hard to not run, but I think I have a tendency to over do it. Besides, it seems like running makes it go faster, for some reason. I need some additional education on the heart rate zones & why they are important. Anyone?

I also worked up a sweat in my garden this evening for about 30 minutes digging out more grass where the sod cutter couldn't get it. Now, if we can just get some good weather, I can finish up with my garden prep. I'm hoping to get lots more done in my yard later this week.

I went to the store just before lunch (it was when I was out and about), and fell prey to their marketing. I bought cookies that were on sale & also a cheese ball because it sounded good...I even sought the cheese ball out. And after my initial lunch, which was very healthy, I binged. I just ate and ate and ate. There's something to be said about eating in front of the TV. I doubt I would have binged if I had been sitting at the kitchen table. Afterward, I felt sick knowing all the calories I had just eaten. Hours later, I still felt gross & full. I went light on my dinner, since I wasn't very hungry. I knew I just needed something little. I just hope it minimized the damage...

Day 84

Breakfast: milk, 1 slice of turkey bacon, 1/2 grapefruit, 1 waffle (I made it w/ part whole-wheat flour) w/ butter & sugar-free syrup
Lunch: Gypsy Stew, 3 1/2 squares of pumpkin dessert
Dinner: Spanish Beans & Rice (super easy & yummy), salad w/ dressing, pears
Dessert: 1 more square of pumpkin dessert

Exercise: 3.7 miles on the treadmill in 45 minutes (1 of walking, 2.7 of running), 10 minutes of arm weights

It felt so good to be on the treadmill today. I couldn't believe how great I felt. Getting some good rest this weekend made a huge difference!

Attention

Tiff, Vanessa & Dixie:

I've found a race that looks good to me. It's the Save-a-Sister Run For Breast Cancer (10k, 5k & 1 mile walk) on Saturday, Oct. 25th at 9am in St. George. How does this date look for each of you?

Day 83

Breakfast: Here's what my wonderful husband made me. :) scrambled eggs w/ green chile & cheese, Xango juice, whole wheat toast w/ butter
Lunch: graham cracker, 10 almonds
Dinner: Gypsy Stew, whole wheat roll (I made the stew w/o any meat because it could be made w/o it, and my crockpot wasn't big enough. With meat, a serving is 260 calories, so I'm guessing it was closer to the 200 mark the way I made it.)
Dessert: Pumpkin dessert w/ whipped cream (2 servings...1 too many)

Exercise: day off

I don't think today has been a super high calorie day. Glad to have one of these days on occasion. I need to make it happen more often--only with more fruits & veggies.

Day 82

Breakfast: oatmeal w/ sugar & milk, 2 slices turkey bacon
Snack: I licked the bowl & spoon from homemade chocolate frosting
Lunch: unfried rice
Snack/Dinner: ham, funeral potatoes, 2 rolls, fruit/jello salad, pumpkin dessert w/ whipped topping, Marinated Sesame Chicken
Snack: no-bakes, glass of milk

Exercise: blessed day off!!

It's been a strange day for me. I spent 4 hours serving a meal at a funeral. I had gotten there at 1:30, but we didn't feed everyone until around 3:30 or 4, which is an unusual time for a meal. The dinner stretched on and on. Just being around the yummy smelling food made me hungry. We were invited to eat, but by the time we did, all of the salad was gone. I could go for a seriously good salad right about now!!

Day 81

Breakfast: (10 am) hard-boiled egg, 2 small slices of pepperoni pizza, 1 small breadstick w/ marinara sauce
Lunch: 2 slices homemade bread w/ butter, lowfat cheese stick, mandarin orange
Dinner: Unfried Rice--yummy
Dessert: bowl of no-bake cookies, glass of milk

Exercise: 2.85 miles in 45 minutes on the treadmill, ab exercises for 15 minutes. I ended up mostly walking today. My heart rate just wasn't having it and I didn't want to kill myself. I feel like such a loser having to walk, even though I know I shouldn't.

It's been a rough food week for me. I'm not sure what my deal is, but tonight I'm thinking that my struggles this week with both food and life have been stemming from lack of sleep. As hard as I try, I just can't seem to get to bed early enough to wake up at 5:30am, but wake up I do. I'm hoping to get more sleep this weekend & will try to do better next week. Wish me well.

Day 80

Breakfast: bran muffin, 2 slices turkey bacon, fruit & yogurt smoothie
Snack: lowfat string cheese
Lunch: pb & honey on whole-wheat, tortilla chips
Snack: V8, chocolate bunny, 11 almonds
Dinner: 3 slices of pepperoni pizza--Little Caesar's

Exercise: 2.3 miles in 36 minutes on the eliptical, 1 rep of arm weights, 3 reps of 4 different leg weights & 1 rep of leg/butt weights

I didn't get all of my food written down yesterday, but I felt like I was eating junk. My water wasn't good, either.

Day 79: I've gotta kick this sugar habit!

Breakfast: yogurt w/ granola, banana, hard-boiled egg
Snack: 6 almonds
Lunch: M&Ms (finished them off), 2 mini Reese's pb cups, Hershey's chocolate bunny, plate full of tortilla chips w/ melted cheese
Snack: mandarin orange
Dinner: tortilla chips, Unstuffed Peppers
Snack: Hershey's chocolate bunny

Exercise: I went with a lower intensity today and did 12.75? miles on the bike in 35 minutes. The resistance was really low so that my heart rate was in the "fat burning" zone. The bike's computer system kinda annoys me because it didn't seem as responsive as it should have been to my heart rate. I then did 10 minutes on the rowing machine & a few other floor exercises and stretches. I also tried jumping rope, but my bladder wasn't having it. Looks like I should wear some depends when I want to jump rope. I got to wear new workout clothes today, so it was fun.

My eating has been really crappy today. Not much else to be said. I'm in a cooking rut, too. I've yet to make dinner this week. Thank goodness I have a few freezer meals left & have been able to use them. Blah!

Day 78

Breakfast: hard-boiled egg, slice of homemade bread w/ butter, yogurt, banana
Snack: 5 cookies
Lunch: orange chicken & fried rice--Panda Express
Snack: 4 squares of carrot cake, 7 almonds
Dinner: turkey veggie stew, whole-wheat roll
Snack: shot of Xango

Exercise: 2.8 miles in 36 minutes on the treadmill, then arm weights & abs. I need to do something lower impact tomorrow. My legs & hips have been aching all day.

I felt like my day was decent, until I looked at my snacks. Geez! Both the cookies and carrot cake are gone now, thank goodness! I actually ate the cookies because I was still so hungry after breakfast. Not a wise choice, I know.

Day 77

Breakfast: slice of homemade bread w/ butter, hard-boiled egg, banana
Lunch: LaZonya, 3 pieces of carrot cake, glass of milk
Snack: small handful of M&M's, mandarin orange
Dinner: turkey veggie stew, whole-wheat roll, piece of carrot cake

Exercise: 4.4 miles in 56 minutes on the treadmill. I've NEVER run that far! I really pushed myself today. I have to thank Tammy, though, because I would increase my treadmill as she did, even though she was running much faster. Of course, Merri was on the other side of her increasing her treadmill & running crazy fast. I really had a battle inside of myself thinking I couldn't keep running, but I'm so glad I did. Thanks for the advice and encouragement, girls. I can do anything!

Great day minus the carrot cake. It's almost gone, though. And the Easter candy isn't tempting me so much. I'm feeling improvement.

Anti-Diet

Last night, my brother-in-law teasingly asked if the dessert I made had any real sugar in it. (I actually don't think I've ever made anything with Splenda in it that he's eaten & I rarely use Splenda, anyway.) After I assured him that it had lots of sugar in it, he said, "Well, aren't you on a diet?" Ummm....NO!!!!

I just want to make it very clear that my attempt to lose weight is not a diet. I am not temporarily changing anything to lose weight. I completely understand that losing weight & maintaining weight loss come from a lifestyle of eating healthy & exercising. I am trying to eat less sugar, but that's not a temporary thing. I want my desire for sugar to decrease permanently! So for any of you out there who were wondering (or not), I've never been on a diet & I'm not on one now. Or as, my friend, Tammy, said, "Everyone's on a diet. A diet is how you eat." In that case, I guess I am. And so are you.

Day 76: Happy Easter!

Breakfast: hard-boiled egg, slice of homemade bread w/ butter, mandarin orange
Snack: 6 almonds, Xango juice, square of carrot cake
Lunch: Sticky Finger Rice Bowl (what I didn't eat last night)
Snack: 2 cookies, Reese's pb cups, sliver of carrot cake
Dinner: slice of ham, 1 1/2 servings funeral potatoes, green bean casserole, salad w/ ranch dressing, roll (part wheat?) w/ butter, pasta/fruit/chicken salad
Dessert: 2 squares of Sigrid's Carrot Cake (I used applesauce instead of the oil & fat-free cream cheese for the frosting. It still had lots of fat w/ the eggs & butter, though. At least what I made was an improvement.)
Snack: tons of Reese's pb cups, M&M's & a whole-wheat roll

Exercise: day of rest

I ate so much today. It's likely that I've even forgotten some. I've definitely noticed that I'm retaining water over the past few days because of how I've eaten. So much sugar...blech!

Day 75

Breakfast: oatmeal w/ milk & sugar, 2 slices turkey bacon, mandarin orange
Lunch: 2 turkey hotdogs on white buns, Salsa Verde Doritos, salad w/ lowfat rasperry vinagrette dressing
Snack: 3 choc & pb chip cookies, small handful of almonds
Dinner: Sticky Finger Rice Bowl (2/3 of it), some fries w/ ketchup--Wingers
Snack: carrot, banana, 1 cookie, 6 almonds

Exercise: short walk around the block w/ Jenna. I had good intentions today. My late-evening baking has gotten in my way this weekend. Last night it was cookies for Alan & I ended up staying up too late to get to the gym early this morning. Tonight, I was baking dessert for tomorrow's Easter dinner & couldn't get to the gym like I had planned. I can't feel too bad, though...Hitting the gym 4 times in a week is still good.

My appetite for sugar today was much lower today. I still had a few things, but I was around SO much more that I didn't even desire to eat (cupcakes, more Easter candy, etc.). It felt really good. In fact, I opted for the banana tonight instead of the Reese's pb cups on the counter--and I actually wanted the banana!

I did have a higher fat day than normal. I get acid reflux when I have too much fat, and I've had a bit tonight. Annoying as it is, it's nice to know that my body doesn't really like it & isn't used to it. That's a good thing.

Day 74: A different story

Breakfast: vanilla yogurt w/ granola (I didn't realize that's all I ate until I just put it down. I was too busy trying to clean up and get my girls fed. Plus, it filled me up.)
Snack: homemade applesauce
Lunch: more applesauce (had to finish what I had dished up), Parmesan Turkey Cutlets Over Angel Hair
Snack: 4 or 5 slices of homemade bread w/ butter, 1 Hershey's kiss, 1 M&M
Dinner: carrots, LaZonya (2 servings worth?)--I was still hungry & finished up my girls' food.
Snack: 2 cookies worth of cookie dough & 3 chocolate chip & pb chip cookies

Exercise: 2 miles in 31 minutes of cross-training on the eliptical, 13 minutes of rowing (if you've never tried this, I think it's really difficult & a great workout), stretching, calf exercises (just a few), arm weights

Today has felt so much better with my eating. I haven't craved the sweets. I still ate plenty, but really don't feel like I went overboard. I made a special effort to eat both the applesauce and the carrots. That's an effort I should be in the habit of doing every day.

So, my brother and his wife came to stay at our house overnight. Alan's birthday is on Monday, so I decided to surprise him with the cookies that he really likes. And therefore, I ate a few.

Day 73

Breakfast: whole-wheat English muffin w/ applebutter, egg, peaches, cottage cheese
Lunch: Parmesean Turkey Cutlet Over Angel Hair
Snack: 3 Hershey's chocolate eggs, 2 handfuls of tortilla chips
Dinner: Delicate Baked Fish, Oven Fries, California veggies, 2 slices of homemade bread (1/2 white, 1/2 wheat) w/ butter
Snack: 3 slices bread w/ butter, 4 Hershey's chocolate eggs

Exercise: 3.3 miles on 45 minutes on the treadmill, stretching & leg exercises

Another day where I feel starved. I'm not getting enough fruits, though.

Day 72

Breakfast: 2 slices turkey bacon, 1/2 grapefruit, bran muffin
Lunch: Mexican Black Beans
Snack: 6? pb cookies w/ glass of milk, not sure if I ate something else...
Dinner: Parmesan Turkey Cutlets Over Angel Hair, green beans
Snack: 5 Hershey's chocolate eggs, 1/2 c. sugar-free & fat-free butterscotch pudding w/ whipped cream, handful of tortilla chips, plateful of tortilla chips w/ melted cheese

Exercise: day off at the gym. I took my girls on a leisurely 1 mile walk.

I didn't feel like I could stop snacking today. I just wanted to eat and eat and eat.

Day 71

Breakfast: egg, white grape juice, malt-o-meal w/ spoonful of sugar & milk
Snack: 3 Reese's pb cup minis (7 is a serving)
Lunch: Mexican Black Beans
Snack: 8? pb cookies
Dinner: country fried steak, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies (don't think they had any butter on them), one fry--Denny's in downtown SLC at 8:30pm after the Jazz autograph session

Exercise: 25 minutes on the ArcTrainer, 7 minutes on the StairMaster

It's been a long day. Not the greatest of eating days. I definitely think being tired is one of the factors in my poor eating lately. I won't be going to the gym in the morning tomorrow because we got home pretty late. The weather should be nice, so I'll have to take the girls on a walk & hit the gym on Thursday.

Day 70: Peckish Evening

Breakfast: fruit & yogurt smoothie, 2 slice turkey bacon
Snack: whole-wheat English muffin w/ apple butter
Lunch: Mexican Black Beans, corn muffin
Snack: broccoli & cauliflower w/ fat-free dip, 5 graham crackers w/ strawberry frosting
Dinner: Grilled Teriyaki Elk w/ brown rice, broccoli & carrots, bite of corn--I probably ate more than a serving of dinner. The elk was SOOOOO good. I'll try to post the recipe soon.
Snack: serving and a half of Reese's peanut butter cup mini's, 2 crackers w/ pepperjack cheese

Exercise: 3.6 miles on the treadmill in 50 minutes & stretching. For those who knew me in high school, would you have ever thought I would be able to run like this? I know I'm not fast, but I can do the distance. I had a terrible time getting out of bed this morning, but my run felt great.

I've had an emotionally rough couple of days, which I think I've handled pretty well food-wise...until tonight. I'm extremely tired, and the rest of my family was so peckish that I joined in. (Peckish is Australian slang for having the muchies or wanting to snack...thanks to Randy & his mission, peckish has become a common word in our house.) I over did my food today. There's always tomorrow. Here's to a good night of sleep!

Day 69

Breakfast: 2 cinnamon buns, glass of milk
Lunch: pb & honey on wheat
Snack: Reese's pb cup egg, a few bunny grahams
Dinner: Mexican Black Beans (Yum), corn muffin, broccoli & cauliflower w/ dip
Snack: a few tortilla chips, no-bake cookies, glass of milk

Exercise: day off

Day 68

Breakfast: 1 1/2 scrambled eggs, 2 Glazed Cinnamon Nut Buns, shot of Xango
Snack: banana
Lunch: Garden Veggie Pizza, tortilla chips w/ salsa con queso
Snack: lots of Reese's pieces eggs, serving of Snickers minis
Dinner: Sloppy Joe on whole-wheat buns

Exercise: much needed day off

Day 67: Sweet Satisfaction

Breakfast: 2/3 of a banana, 1 c. vanilla yogurt w/ 1/2 c. granola, 2 slices turkey bacon
Lunch: Mexican LaZonya, peaches, 1/2 c. cottage cheese, 4 Reese's pieces eggs, 1 Hershey's Creamy Egg (if you're not familiar, both the Reese's & Hershey's are small little candies...neither of what I ate are a full serving size)
Snack: small V8
Dinner: Garden Veggie Pizza (1 serving), 6 Reese's pieces eggs

Exercise: 3.25 miles in about 55 minutes. I only walked today, but made sure I got my heartrate into a "fat-burning" zone. My legs are still really sore from yesterday, but I think today was just what I needed without overdoing it. Thanks, Karen, for getting to the gym with me!

I haven't talked about my weight much lately. Even with going to the gym, my weight has been going up. The past few days, it had gone up a pound each day! Today it stayed the same as yesterday, which was nice. Others are telling me, and I'm telling myself, that I'm gaining muscle and the weight-loss is coming. I sure hope so! I know that exercising is great for me, and I enjoy doing it, but it's hard to stay really positive about it when I'm not seeing immediate results. I'm hoping that I'll break through this in the next week or two. I'm satisfied with my day.

Day 66: Ups & Downs

Breakfast: egg, 1/2 grapefruit, All-Bran w/ milk
Snack: banana
Lunch: 1 1/2 chicken & bean enchiladas, green beans, 3 Reese's pieces eggs
Snack: tons of Snickers minis--what am I doing to myself? Can't wait until Easter is over to be rid of all candy!
Dinner: 2 slices turkey, 1/2 slice mozzarella cheese on a roll (part wheat?), small serving pasta salad, raw veggies w/ dip, fruit & cookie (not sure, really) salad--RS birthday dinner. The good news is, I was easily able to not eat any of the many cakes there.

Exercise: 2.7 miles on the treadmill in 35 minutes. I did 2.5 miles in 31 minutes. Then we did some leg & ab exercises. My legs are completely beat today. I'm exhausted!

Today has been tough just because I've been so tired. Tomorrow will have to be an easy day at the gym for me & I'll take Saturday off. If I hadn't sat at the computer with the bag of Snickers, I would have had a great day. I'll pick myself back up and try again tomorrow. All I can do is my best.

Day 65: Improved

Breakfast: 2 slices turkey bacon, bran muffin, fruit & yogurt smoothie
Snack: shot of Xango, banana
Lunch: 2 fajitas
Snack: 8 Snickers minis (2 servings worth)
Dinner: 1 1/2 Chicken & Bean Enchiladas, green beans
Snack: 8 more Snickers minis, 4 Reese's Pieces Eggs

Exercise: 2.75 miles on the treadmill in 35 minutes, then ab & arm exercises. I shaved 3 minutes off 2.5 miles compared to my time yesterday! I'm feeling good as I run and am able to increase my speed a little more each day. I'm slightly sore all over, but it's a good feeling. Today, I'm especially loving that I was up so early & was able to get so much done.

My afternoon snack was one of necessity. I had been gone all afternoon & came home with a horrid headache. I took some Tylenol & tried to close my eyes for a few minutes, but after a while I felt nauseous. I think my blood sugar was low, so I decided I ought to have some candy. My after dinner snack was not necessary. My day wasn't perfect, but it was an improvement from yesterday.

I have a goal of getting ready for bed at 9pm now so I can get to bed earlier. I need to get 8 hours of sleep. Last night on Biggest Loser, one of the trainers talked about the importance of getting enough sleep while trying to lose weight to keep hormones and your metabolism in balance. Heck, I love sleep (& need it), so I'll try that!

New Recipes

I've posted some new recipes at Recipe Swap. Fajitas, bean dip & such. They're super yummy...go check them out!

Day 64

Breakfast: hard-boiled egg, Xango juice, bran muffin, cheese stick
Snack: cupcake
Lunch: 3 slices pizza, 2 cupcakes--Oh, so nutritious, I KNOW!
Snack: 2 cupcakes
Dinner: fajita, thick slice of pineapple, more cupcakes--so many I lost count

Exercise: 2.5 miles on the treadmill in 35 minutes. I'm increasingly getting faster and faster. And sweating more and more. We also did arm weights & such for about 30 minutes. I even benched 45 pounds (the bar w/o weights), which is quite the accomplishment for me. I haven't done that since PE my freshman year of high school--12 years ago!

I've had a lot of crappy cupcakes today. I'm seriously too tired tonight to even want to think about it, though. I'm feeling a lot of disappointment in myself tonight. I need to take to heart Dr. Phil's (and Ollie's) advice to get the junk out of my house. I did it 2 years ago and I didn't die, and I need to do it again.

Can I rant for just a second? Good. I'm just so tired of not doing well with my eating and with my dirty house. I feel like I can never tackle it all and I'm buried under a pile of burdens from that right now. Oh, I can't wait until I get out of this funk & can do better. I'm seriously thinking that I'm experiencing PMS the past few months, because these feelings come in almost monthly waves. I haven't felt like I've had PMS-type stuff in years, so I'm not enjoying the hormones at all! Okay, done now. I'm so tired & need to get to bed. Tomorrow can be better.

Day 63: Blur

Breakfast 1: hard-boiled egg
Breakfast 2: 2 or 3 breakfast cookies...I was seriously so tired I don't know...
Lunch: 1 fajita, 2 Snickers minis
Snack: a few Cheddar Bunnies*, 1/2 of a banana
Dinner: 4 slices of pepperoni pizza, 2 breadsticks--Little Caesar's
Dessert: 2 cupcakes--no, make that 4 cupcakes

Exercise: 2.3 miles in 33 or 34 minutes, then ab exercises & leg weights

I think this is an accurate accounting of my day. Sydney woke up at 4am and got in our bed. I didn't sleep well at all the rest of the night. When I got up at 5:30am to go to the gym, Sydney was awake as ever. I'm not sure what her deal was. As an answer to prayer, she fell asleep on our way home from grocery shopping so I could get a nap. So, my day has been a bit of a blur.

*I've become increasing concerned about the snacks I give to my girls. I think Sydney has a cavity, which makes me want to really limit her sugar. I found the Annie's brand of snacks at the store today. They are made with whole-grain & are mostly organic. I really like the thought of giving my girls whole-grain snacks. It was a happy, feel good find for me.

Day 62: Noticeable

Breakfast: honey-nut cheerios w/ milk, 2 slices turkey bacon, banana
Lunch: apple
Dinner: Crock-Pot Fajitas (yum!)
Snack: more Snickers minis
Snack: (This was actually a strange craving...) hard-boiled egg

Exercise: day of rest...but then again, I did take Sydney on a 30-minute walk around the neighborhood

I put on a button up shirt today, expecting to wear an undershirt and not be able to button it up past my bust--as it has been since I had Jenna. However, today it fit!! My chest hasn't changed sizes really, so it must be a little bit of that on top of my back fat that's decreasing. I'm really happy that I can notice a difference!

I did good except for the Snickers. I'll have to share the Crock-Pot Fajita recipe, too. Stay tuned--someday I'll get myself to post some of the more recent recipes I've used.

Day 61: The last day

Breakfast: 2 breakfast cookies, glass of milk
Snack: 2 Reese's peanut butter cups
Lunch: part serving of 7 Layer Bean dip, bean mixture (basically homemade refried beans...I promise to share both recipes soon), chips
Snack: several handfuls of Snickers minis. Yes, I broke into the Easter candy.
Dinner: Glazed Salmon, rice, steamed broccoli & carrots--Wingers
Snack: fresh pineapple

Exercise: none

Randy's finally on his way home tonight after spending 5 long days in Canada. I'm so glad. I've eaten out more than usual this week, and I think it has just been an excuse to escape the monotony here at home. I did good eating out tonight because I normally get the Sticky Finger Rice Bowl, which is a little less healthy (but oh, so yummy!). Good thing I love salmon! I look forward to getting a good start next week to both my eating & my exercising. Hey, I already have ingredients set out for tomorrow night's crock-pot dinner!

Day 60: Back on Track

Breakfast: 1/4 c. homemade applesauce (Jenna ate the rest of what I had for myself...I tell you, she's an EATER!), egg, whole-wheat English muffin w/ applebutter
Lunch: Mexican LaZonya
Snack: banana, fresh pineapple
Dinner: 7-Layer bean dip w/ tortilla chips (2 servings). Yes, this IS a Zonya recipe! I also had probably 1 1/2 servings of Teddy Grahams, and a few more chips w/ salsa con queso.

Exercise: 30-minute walk around the neighborhood w/ my girls

To start off on a bit of a tangent, I love that I have homemade stuff that I can pull out of my pantry to eat. It's so much more rewarding eating applesauce or applebutter, or whatever, that I made and not from a jar I bought. I can't wait to put away more this coming fall. I can't wait for my garden, too! Really, I can hardly contain my excitement!

Today was a day to do what I need to do. I've slacked off horribly. My scale played at naughty trick on me this, morning, too. I first stepped on it and it was below 130. I stepped on it again, same thing. I thought, surely this isn't right!? A few minutes later I came back and it was up 7 pounds from my first little weigh-in. What? Now, I'm not concerned that the second reading was wrong, because it's probably right. But why did my scale change so drastically? Little scale, please don't play tricks on me or decide to give faulty readings!

I feel good about today. I did eat a bit too much at dinner time, but it was better than it's been. I still don't feel like I've got great focus, but I can only take it a day at a time. (And who has time while single parenting?? Sooo glad Randy will be back fairly soon!) Thanks, Tiff, for telling me that I've got to stop eating cookies. And thanks for your advice, too, Janae. I'm going to make it a goal to not eat treats alone anymore. I think that will help with my portion control.

Day 59: Survival Mode

Breakfast: whole-wheat English muffin w/ applebutter, 2 slices turkey bacon, 1/2 c. cottage cheese, peaches
Lunch: 6 cake cookies, Mexican 5-Bean Soup
Dinner: quarter pounder w/ cheese, fries--Wendy's
Dessert: 1/2 c. fat-free frozen yogurt w/ caramel & chocolate topping

Exercise: none...only because I can't leave my girls home alone while I go to the gym...(It happens when I have a traveling husband)...of course, I COULD do some other form...

Another not so great day. I actually lucky my girls and I are still alive. (Sydney's screaming and such are driving me nuts!!!) It's difficult for me to continue eating right when I don't make meals because Randy's gone. I have freezer meals that I've stored, but I eat those for lunch, too, so it gets old. I know I should do better, but at this point, I'm just hoping to survive the week. Just so you know, I'm not resigning...I just need to refocus & reread some of my great motivational/instructional books. Next on my list: Dr's Phil's Ultimate Weight Solution.

Day 58: I need to take a step back.

Breakfast: whole-wheat English muffin w/ apple butter, 2 slices turkey bacon, fruit & yogurt smoothie
Snack: banana
Lunch: stir-fry w/ brown rice (2 servings worth)
Snack: 9 cake cookies
Dinner: multigrain tortilla chips w/ cheese dip, more cookies (6?)

Exercise: If cleaning my tub counts, then I exercised. (Hey, anything that requires you to climb into it with a grout brush to scrape away all the soap scum & hard water deposits should be counted as exercise!)

I'm done eating for the night. My teeth are brushed and I'm really done. I did well earlier, but got out of control again. I fear I've created a cookie monster. Sydney will beg me for cookies and her request today was cake cookies. That's no excuse for me to make them or eat them.

I've lost focus. I'm not doing what it takes to reach my goals in a timly manner. It's time for me to reevaluate where I'm going and what I want and how I need to get there. Does anyone have some extra time, energy, and focus they want to lend me??

Day 57: Pig out

Pre: a few ounces of white grape juice (Not sure if you know why I do this, but it's so I have a little something in my system before working out.)
Breakfast: 1 1/2 servings of old fashioned oatmeal w/ milk + a spoonful of sugar, 2 eggs
Lunch: lg popcorn chicken (shared w/ my girls), mashed potatoes & gravy--from KFC (I normally don't like KFC, but I saw their commerical as I ate my breakfast and decided I wanted some of it today.), Tostitos Multigrain tortilla chips (several servings worth), cheese & salsa dip (several servings worth, probably), cinnamon roll (courtesy of Steffani, my new VT...YUM!)
Dinner: big salad, split pea soup, 3 whole-wheat crackers
Snack: fudgesicle

Exercise: 2.2 miles on the treadmill in 34 minutes, various ab workouts for about 20 or so minutes--It was a crackup with Merri & Tammy. I had fun girls!

There's trouble with my eating. 2 things: lack of fruits & veggies and eating LOTS. I'm finding that I'm starving at breakfast and lunch, so I'm eating whatever is easiest to get my hands on. Not so good. Although I like my routine of at least getting showered before I head downstairs after the gym, I'm thinking I need to change it up and EAT first thing when I get home to get my appetite under control. I tried to do much better at dinner time tonight.

Day 56: Yummy Stir-Fry!

Pre: a few ounces of white grape juice
Breakfast: fruit & yogurt smoothie, turkey bacon, the rest of the pb cookies--the result of going back to bed after working out & then not eating until 9:45am...
Lunch: Split pea soup, 3 whole-wheat crackers (1 serving)
Snack: V8
Dinner: Saucy Almond Chicken Stir-Fry w/ brown rice
Snack: no-bakes, small glass of milk

Exercise: 10 minutes on the Arc Trainer, on which I did 1/2 a mile. (This actually is the most similar to cross-country skiing with the muscles it works. I have some sore inner thigh muscles from the little bit I did!), 2.7 miles on the treadmill walking & jogging for 42 minutes, and 5 minutes of arm weights

Randy decided I could have a treat tonight and got out enough cocoa for me to make no-bakes. How sweet. It's nice to enjoy it once in a while & not feel guilty.

Day 55: Glad this day is over

Breakfast: 2 breakfast cookies, glass of milk
Lunch: pb & honey sandwich on whole-wheat bread, hot dog w/ ketchup, mustard & relish on whole-wheat bread, handful of Teddy Grahams
Dinner: Split Pea Soup, whole-wheat roll
Dessert: a dozen peanut butter cookies. (I should not have given in to Randy & Sydney begging me to make something. Randy was even ready to pull out the cocoa, I think.)

Exercise: day off

I've struggled with getting my fruits & veggies in the past few days. I'm also not sure why I just can't get portion control down when it comes to desserts. We had a very busy day, and I was starving at lunch, so I was seriously searcing for something to eat & that's when I found hot dogs in the freezer. It's been another not-so-great eating day.

All or Nothing?

"...It's never an all or nothing situation. You use what you need of the habits--a bit of this one, a bit of that--depending on the circumstances at hand...Always remember, you're not attempting something, so you can't fail at it. You're doing it! You're taking a step, then another, and another, toward better health. And each of those steps is a success in itself!"

Day 54: All Teddy Grahamed Out!

Pre: a few ounces of white grape juice
Breakfast: honey-nut cheerios w/ milk, banana, 1 slice turkey bacon
Lunch: Kickin' Chicken w/ fries, green beans, 19 chocolate chip Teddy Grahams (24 is a serving)
Snack: baby carrots w/ ranch dressing, Teddy Grahams (not sure how many)
Dinner: (at Randy's sister's house) salad w/ ranch dressing, green beans (I think they were buttered. Why do people do that??), lasagna, garlic bread
Dessert: chocolate cupcake, 1/2 c. or less of strawberry ice cream
Snack: more Teddy Grahams

Exercise: 3 miles on the treadmill in 45 minutes. I went to the gym by myself today, and I was so bored after 20 minutes that I just had to do it to make it go quicker...JOG, that is! I did it for a few minutes, then slowed to a walk for a few minutes (my heart needed it!), then jogged again. It felt so good the second time!

I was so hungry today. I couldn't get enough to eat tonight. I'm still hungry & could eat--anything but more Teddy Grahams, that is! Oh, and I didn't weigh and measure myself today. I was definitely up after dinner last night, so I'll give myself a few days to get back on track. I was also in a super big hurry between working out and getting to my gardening class, so I didn't have time to do it even if I had wanted to.

Day 53: Where are the veggies?

Pre: a few ounces of oj
Breakfast: egg, whole-wheat English muffin w/ applebutter, fruit (strawberries, blueberries & blackberries) & vanilla yogurt...and I'm still hungry!
Snack: Breakfast cookie
Lunch: pb & honey sandwich on whole-wheat bread
Snack: small V8, graham cracker
Dinner: Lasagna Rollatini w/ Chicken, salad, 3 breadsticks w/ alfredo sauce, 2 Andes mints

Exercise: 3 miles on the eliptical in 49 minutes. The gym was crazy busy today. The treadmills kept getting snatched up & there wasn't one for me to use until I'd been on the eliptical for 20 minutes, so I decided to just keep on going. I also did a few minutes of ab exercises.

My lunch definitely wasn't well rounded. I really enjoyed my dinner, but I fear the calories weren't worth it. (My date with Randy was worth it, though!) I'm so thristy after all of that & can't wait to be in the gym tomorrow morning. Too bad tommorow's my weigh & measure day...

Day 52: Oh, the soreness!!

Breakfast: 2 Breakfast Cookies, glass of milk
Lunch: the last of the Unstuffed Peppers & Lentils and Rice, 6 pb cookies
Dinner: Mexican LaZonya
Snack: apple w/ pb, 2 chocolate graham crackers

Exercise: It's my day off!

I am so incredibly sore today. I'm pretty sure it's from the rowing machine. Oh, I hurt! I also failed to mention my toe yesterday. I had toenails that needed to be trimmed, but decided not to do it at 5:30am when I thought of it. So, I went to the gym & all was well. When I got home and took off my shoe, the toe-end of my sock was drenched in blood! It turns out that one of my toe nails rubbed a blister on the toe next to it. It then proceeded to cut the blister & the skin beneath it, resulting in an insane amount of blood. It has hurt slightly today, but not too bad. I'm hoping it will feel okay tomorrow when I head back to the gym, though.

Day 51: Feeling it

Pre: a few ounces of oj
Breakfast: cheerios w/ milk, banana, 2 slices turkey bacon. (I don't normally eat much cold cereal, but I've been so starved after working out that it's the quickest thing that sounds good.)
Lunch: Lentils & Rice, raw broccoli & cauliflower in dip
Snack: Peanut butter cookies, a lot
Dinner: Mexican LaZonya
Snack: more cookies. I'm all cookied out tonight after eating more than a dozen today. Yuck!

Exercise: 2.35 miles in 38 minutes on the treadmill, 5 minutes on the rowing machine (highest resistance), 5 minutes of free weights (5 lbs) with arms & some leg stuff AND another walk w/ my girls (20 minutes this time)

I forgot to say this yesterday, but I definitely noticed a difference with how my pants felt. They seemed so baggy. I'm defninitely feeling good about where I'm at with my food choices & getting my exercise in. Yes, I'm definitely tired from waking up at 5:30am (and I've required some naps), but it feels so good. I'm so grateful to have friends to go to the gym with!

I made the cookies today because I felt hungry. I should have just eaten an apple. I ended up eating so many again. Now that it's the end of the day, I'm wondering if I was eating to supress some unpleasant feelings...

Oven-Baked Lentils & Rice

I posted the recipe for the lentils and rice at Recipe Swap. Enjoy!

Day 50

Pre: a few ounces of oj
Breakfast: egg, cheerios w/ milk, banana
Lunch: Unstuffed Peppers, apple crisp
Snack: graham cracker, a sip or two of a fruit smoothie at my neighbors--Jenna hogged the rest!
Dinner: Oven-Baked Lentils & Rice, steamed veggies, salad
Snack (I was so hungry!): pudding w/ whipped cream, chips (several handfuls) I know what I ate wasn't the greatest, but again, I'm not going to feel badly about eating when I was hungry. I'll work on making better choices, though.

Exercise: walked 2.6 miles in 42 minutes on the treadmill, then did weights for my arms for about 10 minutes. I also did the rowing machine for 2 minutes before I got on the treadmill, so my legs felt like noodles when I started walking. AND I took my girls on a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. It was so sunny & beautiful! (By the way, I noticed my crocuses are starting to pop out of the ground...the first sign that spring is on it's way!)

Day 49: Another good one

Pre: diluted oj
Breakfast: honey-nut cheerios w/ milk, 2 slices turkey bacon
Lunch: Skillet mixed veggies w/ cheese, banana
Snack: small V8, graham cracker
Dinner: Unstuffed Peppers
Dessert: Fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt, low-fat apple crisp (using my homemade apple pie filling & I cut the butter out of the topping & used my homemade applesauce instead. It's definitely better with butter, but I might try using apple juice instead next time just to see how it turns out. Hey, I'm getting creative!)

Exercise: walked 2.6 miles in 45 minutes on the treadmill

I had another good day. Absolutely no guilt about today--the way it should be!

Day 48: My mini-triffle glasses are so cute!

Breakfast: English muffin w/ apple butter, egg, fruit & yogurt parfait (in my adorable new mini-triffle glasses)
Lunch: Veggie skillet stuff from last night
Dinner: Mexican 5-Bean Soup (except I halved it & only used 3 types of beans), crackers
Dessert: 1 1/2 servings worth of chocolate pudding & cool whip on top (again, in my new mini-triffle glasses....yes, I like them!)

Exercise: none

Had another good day today. The scale was very good to me this morning. I'm holding off posting what I was, but let's just say that I met my goal that I set last Monday or Tuesday. And I'm hoping to be out of the 130's by the time I post my weight again next Saturday. What a feeling that will be!

Day 47: Woo Hoo!!

Breakfast: 2 waffles, oj
Lunch: chili pasta stuff
Dinner: Skillet Mixed Veggies w/ Cheese, cottage cheese, peaches
Dessert: fudgesicle + 2 graham crackers...I was starving!

Exercise: Aside from taking a walk around the block, I WENT TO THE GYM!!! I hadn't been in over a year and a half! Not wanting to over do it and give myself a heart attack, I walked 2.6 miles on the treadmill in 50 minutes. Don't laugh.... I was able to keep my heart rate in a good range. I have a tendency to want to just run when I'm on the treadmill (as slow as I may be with my short legs), but I'm going to try to just build myself up to it. I don't want to kill myself by overdoing it.

It has turned out to be another great day. I can only take each day one at a time, so I'm proud of what I've accomplished today. My weight was down 1/2 a lb. It had been down a full pound earlier this week, but I had a rough day between then and now. My measurements went down, though. I'm losing, and that's what I'm seeking. Hooray for a good day!

Day 46: Up Day

Breakfast: 2 waffles (made w/ 1/2 wheat flour), oj
Lunch: southwest chili over pasta (or something like that), 2 graham crackers
Snack: apple
Dinner: 1 1/2 servings of Hot & Spicy Pizza with Sausage. It was really simple & good! I'll definitely be making it again.

Exercise: none

Last night I thought a lot about what I've been doing. There is so much good and true information out there. I believe I have the correct information to eat right and become more healthy. I've decided that another book or another program isn't what I need at this point. I just need to buckle down and do it. (Of course, will power won't always win, so I plan to re-read my Dr. Phil book, which will help with some of the other issues that drive my eating.) I will succeed!

I had a much better day today. I just got back from taking Sydney to get a free ice cream cone at Arctic Circle. Randy was surprised when I came home without anything for myself. Believe me, it was an internal battle--but I saved myself both calories and money! I've also made a decision about exercising. My neighbors, Merri and Tammy, go to the gym each morning. I've hesitated going because they go during the time Jenna wakes up to nurse in the morning. That being said, I took the plunge today and gave Jenna her first sippy cup with milk. She had absolutely no problem with liking it. So, this coming week, I'll be up early going to the gym. I wish Randy the best with waking up to give Jenna milk. Tammy & Merri, don't leave without me!

Day 45: Hesitation to post...

Breakfast: malt-o-meal w/ milk, egg
Lunch: LaZonya
Snack: LOTS of cake cookies
Dinner: veggies w/ dip
Dessert: MORE cake cookies
Snack: Randy's leftover Panda Express

Exercise: a few minutes of jump roping...Not enough to even claim, though.

My eating has been outrageous today. This is getting ridiculous! I went light on my dinner knowing that I had eaten so many cookies--and knowing I would eat the rest. It's truly embarrasing to even write this down. I have gotten lots of great advice, but I need to put it to work and change. It seems like I'm on a roller coaster...I just don't know how to get off. You think I might take some of your advice seriously??

Day 45: Boredom

Breakfast: turkey bacon, 1/2 of a grapefruit, English muffin w/ apple butter
Lunch: White beans with stuff, cornbread
Snack: 1 serving of chocolate graham crackers (2 full crackers)
Dinner: 3 mozzarella sticks w/ maranara sauce, Oriental Chicken Salad & Chocolate Mousse something or other in a glass
Snack: small V8

Exercise: I did some leg exercises lifting my girls on the floor.

I just had to get out and about this afternoon. After some shopping and a tax errand, I took the girls to Applebees. It was nice get out. My food choices were only so-so. Although I ate most of the huge salad, my portions weren't bad. The desert was actually pretty small, and I shared it with both girls. It was rich & sweet and definitely satisfied my sweet tooth.

Amy told me I should write my feelings when I'm wanting to eat, so here they are. Tonight, I have felt like I need a break. If I had cookie ingredients, they would be made. My girls are in bed, but not sleeping, and it's been a cause of stress. I'm not sure what all my emotions are, but I'll try to list them: bored, lonely, stressed & tired (not really an emotion, but hey, it causes me to be grouchy). I just have no desire to do any additional exercising today.