Get up and MOVE!

Yesterday, I pulled out the trusty iPod. I haven't used it in a while but decided my 4/1 routine was the perfect time to plug in. However, I was disappointed to find everything was erased - "Pinkie" was blank.
So, I got up this morning and decided to find some new tunes for the Pod! Here are two great ones! If these songs don't motivate you or at least get your toes tappin - nothing will!

If you haven't seen Princess and the Frog - go see it. Its just too cute and has a great soundtrack. Its definitely a favorite of Monkey and I. This one, Dig a Little Deeper and Almost There are guaranteed to get us up and dance.



This next one is the most motivational song to me. This song is the official song for the Susan G Komen 3 Day Walk for a Cure. Its a 3 Day and 60 mile event to end breast cancer. Each walker must commit to raising at least $2,300 for the cause. My walk will be in Dallas the first weekend of November. More information can be found here. Feel free to go to the website, read my story and if you can - DONATE. Also, the adds in my side bar are there for a reason. If you click on the adds - I make money. The money goes to my Pink Warrior fund. So, click click click CLICK.
This walk was the start of my healthy journey. If I would not have committed myself to the walk - I would not have gotten on the treadmill that first time. I would not have started eating healthier and I would not be 23 pounds lighter. Obviously, it is very meaningful to me. Because of that, I will be posting TONS more about this walk after we get back from our vacation.



I believe in pink.
I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner.
I believe in kissing, kissing alot.
I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.
I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.
I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.
Audrey Hepburn

Help!!

I have an insane craving right now for ice cream!! I don't ever eat ice cream. What is my problem?? Ahhhhhhh!!!!

Small NSV!

But a NSV non the less!

Last week, Buddie Pal asked if I wanted to go see Shutter Island this weekend, kid free. Who can resist that? ** The kid free part - duh!**
Here's the problem with that. I have a ritual at a movie theater. Soda - a big one just because its cheaper. Popcorn - a big one just because its cheaper. Candy - because you just cant have the popcorn without a sweet to counter balance the salt. Of course the popcorn has to have extra extra butter on it.

Do you know that a medium size popcorn can have as many as 1160 calories and 60 grams of fat?? Eating a medium size popcorn and soda can give you the same nutritional value as THREE quarter pounders with cheese AND 12 pats of butter. Holey canoli! ***Mmmmm canoli....****

I was really nervous about going. I didn't want to sit at the movie with nothing. But I was not going to pay $7000 to eat those calories and fat. Movies are so expensive these days. So, I made a plan. I ate dinner right before we left to go - later than normal - but I didnt want to be hungry while I was there. I popped a bag of microwave, non butter popcorn and stuffed it into my bag. Its against the rules, yes. But I don't really care.
When we got there - she asked if I was going to get something from the snack bar. Yup, I said. I walked to the counter, cut around some people that were waiting for popcorn and grabbed the biggest water I could get. I then went straight to the check out. I looked at the wall the entire time and never once looked at all the other yummies they had to offer. Yay!!

The movie was just ok. I wouldn't go see it again - and would only maybe rent it, so Mistee can watch it.

On another note -- I've done my 4/1 routine every day! Yay! Today, it was rough. I had a hard time getting through it. But, I went to bed late last night (that movie is long!), and didn't eat breakfast this morning. ** I know. I know. But YOU just posted a whole report on breakfast! Yes, I did. However, Mistee's parents were here. I didn't want to eat in front of them - but was starving!**
I found out too, that I was tracking it wrong on sparkpeople. So, my little 30 minute adventure is actually worth 317 calories. Not too shabby.

I woke this morning to a one pound loss. We'll see what numbers tomorrow brings. Its crazy cause I totally see a pattern on my spread sheet now. Its almost guaranteed that I have four days of dropping numbers on the scale, followed by four days of a stall, then another four days of dropping. Kinda strange huh? But, what ever pattern my body likes the weight to drop - is good by me!!

Have a great weekend everyone! I dont know about everywhere - but its pretty outside here. Go outside and get some fresh air!

Let's Talk Turkey.... Bacon, that is!

So, we all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But do you know WHY?

Normally, when I find something worth sharing - I will post a link. However, in this case I think this is important enough to post the actual article. The link to the website is here.

Don’t Skip Breakfast to Cut Calories

When you’re trying to lose weight, cutting out breakfast may be tempting. You figure you’re saving yourself some calories and you get a couple extra minutes to snooze. But research has consistently shown that the people who successfully lose weight are the ones that wake up and eat! Furthermore, people who eat breakfast regularly have better vitamin and mineral status and eat fewer calories from fat. So it seems that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

Eat Early, Weigh Less Later

Why does eating breakfast help people lose weight? It defies common sense that eating all those calories in the morning instead of simply skipping them would help.

Many studies, in both adults and children, have shown that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.

Why? One theory suggests that eating a healthy breakfast can reduce hunger throughout the day and help people make better food choices at other meals. While it might seem as though you could save calories by skipping breakfast, this is not an effective strategy. Typically, hunger gets the best of people who skip breakfast, and they eat more at lunch and throughout the day.

Another theory behind the breakfast–weight control link implies that eating breakfast is part of a healthy lifestyle that includes making wise food choices and balancing calories with exercise. For example, consider the successful weight losers followed by the National Weight Control Registry, all of whom have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least one year. Some 80% of the people in the Registry regularly eat breakfast (and also follow a calorie-controlled, low-fat diet).

It’s worth noting that most studies linking breakfast to weight control looked at a healthy breakfast containing protein and/or whole grains—not meals loaded with fat and calories.

Eating breakfast also gives you energy to do more physical activity and be more productive in everything you do, which is also vital to weight control. So make the effort to get up in the morning and fix yourself a healthy meal.

Maintaining Your Diet

Before you get too excited and go out for a Denny’s™ Grand Slam Breakfast, keep in mind that your breakfast should consist of healthy items that are in line with your current dietary weight-loss goals. Members of the National Weight Control Registry report eating cereal and fruit for breakfast. While these are certainly healthy options, eggs have also been shown to offer several benefits.

Eggs have a greater satiety value than cereal and white bread. This means that they are more satisfying in giving you that feeling of fullness, while you may actually be eating less. One of the reasons for this is that eggs are high in protein, which is known to increase satiety. Proteins also have a higher thermic effect, meaning that it takes more calories to digest them. Studies have compared an egg breakfast to a bagel breakfast of the same caloric value and weight. Researchers at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center discovered that people who ate the eggs for breakfast ate less at lunch and less throughout the rest of the day compared to people who ate the bagels, even though they had the same amount of calories for breakfast.

In the past, eggs have had a bad rap because of their high cholesterol content. However, eggs today have lower cholesterol counts than in the past due to the healthier feeds given to chickens. Additionally, research has shown that moderate egg consumption of about 1 per day does not increase the risk of coronary heart disease in healthy individuals. If the cholesterol count is a concern, then egg whites, which are free of cholesterol yet rich in protein, are a good alternative. Eggs are also a good source of essential nutrients riboflavin, vitamin B12, phosphorus, selenium and protein.

If you aren’t too keen on eggs, try low-fat or non-fat dairy products like yogurt, which are also high in protein. High-fiber complex carbohydrates like whole-grain breads and cereals will keep you satisfied. Fiber also increases that sensation of fullness. Overall, whether you choose eggs, cereal or fruit, your breakfast should fall in line with your dietary weight-loss goals. Choose foods that fit your lifestyle and that you will enjoy.

*****

Here's the deal - the bottom line is its all about blood sugar. Our blood sugar levels are incredibly important when it comes to our energy levels and helping to support our active lifestyles, workouts and overall metabolism.

Think about it - My last meal of the day is at 7:30 pm. I get up at 8am, rush out the front door to work and don't eat again until noon - that's a SIXTEEN hour fast! By that point, my body is running on fumes and am famished. I have no energy because my body wants to conserve all of the energy (or FAT people!) it has. So, by the time I eat - I eat anything and everything in sight - ANOTHER blood sugar problem. All of the sugars and refined carbs in my lunch causes my system to go on overload - trying to figure out what to do with all of the crap I just gave it (cause you know, being so flipping hungry, I'm not going to run for the most healthy option). My blood sugar goes nuts. But then plummets a few hours later - because I didn't eat healthy options ie whole grains and complex carbs. Then by the time I get home, I'm famished again - and pig out on crap for dinner. I then go to bed and start the cycle over again the next day.

Or let's look at this scenario instead. My last meal of the day is at 7:30. I get up the next morning at 6:30, eat a breakfast, drink some water, work out, shower, dress and then leave for work. I then eat a snack, ie fruit, granola bar etc at 10 ish - then go for lunch at noon. Even at this point you can see a total difference. My body is going to see fuel first thing in the day. I'll be adding wood to the fire of my metabolism first thing - and will continue to add logs through out the day. Another snack at 3 then home and dinner at 7:30. My body and metabolism are fueled through out the day - all starting with breakfast. My blood sugar stays consistent and my body is not confused and therefore can use the energy it was given to burn this big ol arse of mine - or FAT.

Now those of you that work outside of the home, are not morning people or just don't think you have the time to eat breakfast.

Here's the deal - MAKE TIME. Period. If you want to be healthy and or loose weight - you will do what needs to be done. Do you want to or don't you? Something simple as breakfast can make or break your entire day. Thirty minutes less sleep wont kill you.

Need something quick to throw together? Here's what I eat almost everyday for breakfast - yogurt, granola and fruit.

Its full of protein, complex carbs, antioxidants, tastes good and is just plain pretty to look at. This bowl was 405 calories, 54 carbs, 16 grams of fat and 10 grams of protein. This actually was a little high for me on the calorie end but I was trying a new yogurt. I didn't really care for it and will take my Greek Gods Honey Greek Yogurt, thanks - its lower in calories, higher protein and tastes better. I also LOVE Bear Naturals granola. Yummy goodness.

Something else to think of --- make breakfast ahead of time. Here's a breakfast bake I made for dinner last week:

I took a bag of thawed frozen hash browns and dumped them into a 9 by 11 glass baking dish. In a bowl, I scrambled 8 eggs with a cup of milk then poured the mix over the hash browns. Sixteen pieces of cooked, crumbled turkey bacon were layered over the top. Then I spread an entire bag of low fat cheddar cheese on the top. I threw it in the oven for 30 minutes, then cut it into eight servings. Each serving is 335 calories, 19 carbs, 31 grams of fat and 23 grams of protein. You make this, cut it into servings and put each serving in a ziplock - all you have to do is pull out a bag, throw it in the microwave for a minute or two, then eat it in the car on the way to work. Good to go!!

You've been told why breakfast is good and you've been given not one but two great ideas. So, now you don't have any more excuses - eat your breakfast!!

The Tittie-Do!

Yesterday was pretty ok.

I got up off of my rump and did some serious working out. Yup, I did my 4/1 routine on the treadmill.

Time to run x 1 - "Here we go!" I thought to myself as I ran my big arse off................

Ok yea - you know what the rest of the story is. It was not pretty. But I did it. And I do think it was better than the day before. I knew what to expect and was mentally prepared for it.

I did make one realization while on the treadmill....

My "tittie-do" is gone. I know your thinking - Uh Linds, what exactly is a "tittie-do"? Lemme explain - See, when Monkey was a baby he was a chunky little man. Mistee made the joke one day that his belly stuck out further than his "weenie-do". So, I kind of adapted the name for my own belly, or "tittie-do" - for, well, obvious reasons. ** Hey, if Keelie can use "butt in the front" I can use "tittie-do", right?**

Anyway, so I look down while I'm walking - and what do I see? Boobs, then my feet. Ive always been able to see my feet but I always saw belly in between boobs and feet. So, somethings working here. The scale hasn't moved this week, which is a bummer but I'm trying to see the overall picture.

After finishing the 4/1 - and after catching my breath - I went right into letting Jillian whoop on my big arse for a while. **I figure while I'm down, I might as well get kicked! ** I gave myself a little bit of a break, about 20 minutes. Then did day 1 of the 30 day weight loss routine on Exercise Tv. That was long!

Jen over at Prior Fat Girl has a new thing with sweat pictures - or "sweaty splendor" as she calls it. I call it "I need a shower" Here's the pic I sent her for her collection:


Why is it that pictures can be worth a thousand words but never really tell the whole story? My skin and hair (what you can see of it) look nice and dry in this picture. When in actuality, my hair and face were dripping and my shirt could have been wrung out - it was so wet. Yuk.

But, I did my workout and felt accomplished for it. I put the workout info into Sparkpeople.com - it gave me the number of 994 calories burned! Holey guacamole! **Mmmm, guacamoooolllleee.....**

Today I'm sore but need to get off of my bootay and get the job done. **What Id really like to do is sit and veg on the couch all day.** Im thinking today of trying a FitLab routine. Kellie at Journey to a New Me discovered this and it seems pretty kinda cool!

Anyway, thats about all for now. 13 days, 23 hours, 55 minutes and 10- no, 7- no, 5 seconds left till vacation!

...Vacation...

***This post is long. Really long. The beginning is more of a journal entry and has nothing to do with physical health or weight loss. However, closer to the end it does get into health issues. Fell free to skip to the end. :) ***


I've mentioned several times the vacation were getting ready go on. But lemme give y'all some of the details and talk about some of my worries and dilemmas.

The vacation -- Mickey Mouse - whooo hewww!!

I guess I should start with who all is going and why were going. Mistee, Monkey, Bubba and I, along with the boys' God mother, Duppy are the ones going on the trip.

This past year has been very rough on our family to say the least. Last year February, our little Doodle moved in with us. Doodle is our G-baby from Mistee's oldest son. **I'm 32 and refuse to use the word-grandmother.** We welcomed him with open arms and he's been a blessing to have. He's not an easy baby, but a blessing none the less. To add to our little family of five, because of some CPS issues - our niece , nephew and their younger sister, moved in as well. At that point, we had five kids aged 9, 9, 7, 3, 2 and 1. So, to help out the house and to work towards getting custody of his kiddos, Mistee's brother moved in - relocating from out of state. Our three bedroom house that used to home a family of four - in less than a years time, was housing a family of nine.

Diddy and Angel(our niece and nephew)came with nothing. Absolutely nothing. Because of that, and other factors, Monkey and Bubba's way of life was completely transformed. They were unfortunately, put into a position of having to not only share their possessions, but their parents, outings, holidays and personal space as well. This was very hard on them, to say the least.

Mistee's brother was not able to financially help us and his ex (the kids' mother) chose not to help us. Because of that - financially, it was a very rough time.

We felt we owed it to our boys to do something for them. Something where we could celebrate the core of our family. It needed to be about us for us. And it needed to be big.

That's where Mickey Mouse came into the picture. We've taken several long weekend trips out of town over the years, but have never taken a true family vacation.

Disney packages are very easy to book and are surprisingly not as costly as you'd think. I booked our trip this past July and have been able to pay on it, little by little, as time went on.

We're leaving noonish on the 12th of March and will return home on the 21st. Part of the adventure for us is that were driving - yes, driving - the 21 hours from here to Orlando. All of the adults love road trips and it was cheaper for the five of us to drive verses fly.

Mistee and I have both been to DW several times in our younger days but never together. This will be the first time for both of the boys. Their ages are perfect at almost 10 and almost 4 (both of their birthdays are in April). I know the fun that's waiting for them. I am unbelievably tickled with excitement for them because I know it will be the trip of a lifetime. There's nothing like your first experience with Mickey Mouse. Ive actually been caught crying a few times over the months because of excitement on watching their experience. ** Yes, Im one of THOSE moms**

Back in August, Monkey and I made a paper chain to count down the days we had left to go on the trip. There were 192 links on the chain-one for every day until our trip. Every night, before bed, he would cut a link of the chain off. This was the chain right after we hung it:


This is the chain today!



***
"So, what are your worries and dilemmas?" your probably asking.

If you've never been there - you have NO idea of the food available. Anything and everything your heart could ever imagine! Seriously, its insane. There are even message boards dedicated to the food at DW. Disboards has a thread dedicated to "food porn" - pictures of food taken there. Don't believe me? Look!

I researched almost all of the restaurants and booked our meal reservations months ago. Our meals are included in our trip package so I wanted to make sure we were getting our moneys worth. However, I booked all of our reservations based on yummyness of the food - not on my healthy mission. I actually booked everything before beginning my healthy mission.

On the subject of exercise - I found out that a person can walk on average of 10 to 14 miles a day there. That's a total of 80 miles, for our trip, figuring on the low end. If a person walks 10 miles a day at 30 minutes a mile - which is a very casual pace-- that's 1379 calories burned (per sparkpeople). That makes 11,032 calories burned for our 8 day trip. Holey cow! That's alot of burned calories. That would be a little over 3 pounds burned just by having a party with Mickey Mouse!

Knowing all of that still doesn't put my mind at ease. I am terrified of wasting all of my time busting my hump for these months, just to gain all of my 22 pound (so far) weight loss back on a 10 day trip.

How on earth am I going to be able to resist not snacking and eating all day? How am I going to be able to NOT eat everything that's served? What about my 4/1 walk mission I'm on? I wont have a treadmill. What about my water?

So far - I have a few plans. I'm just going to have to take a break from my 4/1 - but I figure with as much walking as were doing, it'll be ok. I'm not packing my Wii but I am taking my laptop. So - I can take Jillian with me for some 30 Day Shred. Also, on Exercise tv's website I found a great 30 day plan. Each day has a different work out, which is great now because I wont get bored. But since its online - I can do these while on the trip too. Yay! Now, I'm not saying I plan on walking 10 miles a day, doing 30 Day Shred AND the exercise tv 30 day plan. I just want to have options. I would LOVE to come home and say I did either Jillian or Etv everyday. So the fitness part doesn't seem to be my issue.

I'm not really worried about my water while we're there. I have always chosen water over other drinks offered and know with the amount of walking were doing, I'll drink gallons. But on the road trip, I don't want to have to stop and pee every hour, so I guess I wont be able to drink much - which means I'll feel like doo doo. I can start to feel dehydrated after just a couple of hours of no drinking

But the food - oh the food! How do I do it guys? How do I resist? I want to be able to have fun on the trip and not feel consumed by what I'm putting in my face but I want to stay on track too. I plan on taking a notebook with me everywhere, so I can write down all I'm eating. But actually tracking the calories consumed will be hard if there are no nutrition menus or websites with the information available.

So, if any of you have any advise or ideas that worked for you - or ones that didn't work for you, cause they may still work for me - please let me know!

If I break even, Ill be happy. But, I do NOT want to come back with a gain. I will be devastated.


**Mistee's brother has since been given full custody of his kiddos. He got his own place and they moved out three weeks ago. Their little sister went back to their mother. We still have Doodle.**

Today, I RAN!

Do you guys remember this post, the one where I was so excited I ran 2 miles with the Wii?

Well, I hate to bust anyone's bubbles but lemme tell you what, girlfriends **only because I don't have any male followers yet! Come on guys, where you at?** it's NOT the same as really running! You guys that already knew that and are laughing - shuuush! :)


Let me paint the picture for you. I get lunch made and get the kids all fixed up at the table. While their eating, my plan was to hop on the treadmill. My treadmill used to be in my master bath but you know the saying, "Out of sight-out of mind". In the first year I owned it - I was on it twice. Because I wanted to use it more, I moved it into the living room. The living room works good for it because during nap time or lunch, I can keep an eye on my kiddos and go for a walk at the same time.

I open the window next to where the treadmill sits and hop on. After a couple of minutes I think "Maybe I should run some" and devise a plan. I wanted to be on the machine 30 minutes - any more than that, my kiddos would be done eating and restless. But any less than that, I wont feel like Ive really accomplished anything. I know! For every four minutes I walk, I'll run one minute. Great idea, I thought. Ill get five full minutes of running and 25 of a brisk walk. But I wont kill myself from running more than I can at one time. Even one minute is pushing it for me. Now I can walk for hours - but as soon as you step it up a notch to a light jog - I beg for death.

The first four minutes walking - I'm great. I'm getting myself pumped up for the first one minute run and am excited about my new adventure for the day!

Time to run! "Oh, I got this!" I'm thinking as I'm running my big arse off. "OK, this is hurting a little now." I look down at my watch - 30 seconds. "WTH?! BS! I can run for one damn minute!" I stare at one spot on a brick on the fire place and push through till the minute is up.

Second four minutes walking - It takes a minute to catch my breath but overall I recover fairly quickly. I'm excited and proud of myself for today's adventure! I feel like I'm ready to run before the four minutes is up but don't because I want to stay on the routine I set for today.

Time to run X 2! "Ok, I got this, I think!" Im thinking as I'm running my big arse off. "Ok, this is sucking - wait a minute, get yourself together!" I lengthen my stride and stop freaking out. Look down at my watch - 35 seconds. "Oh dear gawd!" I close my eyes and grit my teeth to finish the minute.

Third four minutes walking - It takes a couple minutes this time to catch my breath. I'm still proud of myself for today's adventure but feel like I might have bit more off than I can chew. "Oh, the blog readers are gonna LOVE this one!"

Time to run X 3! "Um, I think I can get this." I'm thinking as I'm running my big arse off. "Breathe, Breathe, Breathe" I think I'm going to puke. Look down at my watch - 37 seconds! "What the hell is wrong with this flipping watch? I KNOW I've been running more than that!" Again, I close my eyes and grit my teeth to finish the minute.

Fourth four minutes walking - Three minutes into the walk and I'm still trying to catch my breath. I'm glad I did half of what I said to do but I'm spent. I put my hand on the button to turn off the machine. "No. Absolutely not. What will the blog readers say?" I move my hand and keep walking.

Time to run X 4! "I don't want to!" I cry out loud as I'm running my big arse off. By this point - the kiddos are no longer eating. Everyone of them are watching me - three are laughing and the Monkey truly looks scared. "Mommy, are you OK?" He looks like he's going to cry. "Yes...honey....I'm....OK" I look down at my watch 42 seconds. "I swear, Ive got the slowest watch on the planet".

Fifth four minutes walking - At this point, I go into all out labor mode. Those of you that have given birth know the routine - and the sound. There's a deep down from the pit of your soul groan/grunt associated with every breath. The man that lives across the street went out to his front yard to see where the birthing cow sound was coming from.

Time to run X 5! "Oh dear God in Heaven - NO!" I cry out loud as I'm running my big arse off. I grab the arms of the treadmill and make "the face." Its the face we've all seen on the Biggest Loser when the contestant is running on the treadmill - about to quit. My teeth are about to break they're grit so tight. I put my hand on the stop button again. "Don't you dare...." I hear from inside my head. The voice was not my own. Jillian, is that you? **Oh great, now I'm hearing voices! See, exercise is EVIL!** But somehow I knew that if I quit, she would only make it worse for me. **I'm afraid of her, and Ive never met her.** I move my hands and look at my watch - 45 seconds! "Die watch, die!"

Sixth four minutes walking - After a minute of huffing and puffing - it occurs to me. I'm almost done. I'm doing this. I've only got one run left. There's no way in H.E. double hockey sticks I'm gonna quit now. "OK clock - speed up so I can get this over with."

Time to run X 6! "I GOT THIS!" I say out loud as I'm running my big arse off. I found my focal point on the fireplace bricks again and I RAN. I look down at my watch - 1 minute, 10 seconds. I went over time!

I walked for a couple of minutes to cool down so my heart didn't explode. "I did it. I did it." I kept thinking to myself.

As I was drinking my water, about three minutes later - I broke out in a nasty cold sweat and got a case of the Gotta Go, Gotta Go, Gotta Go, right NOWs! I know that walking and running are supposed to aid in moving the bowls - but that's crazy! I tried to think of what I could have eaten but can't put my finger on anything. And I feel fine now.

I just really truly think I'm allergic to running. Honestly, that has to be it - right?

No really. I know better. And even if the running is the reason for the, umm - "issues" I'm still going to do it. I've decided I will do this routine every day. Every day. I'm going to post a list in the side bar for everyone to see. And I know that it will get easier. **God, please let it get easier!**

I put my walking and running time into the sparkpeople tracker and it gave me a total of 223 calories burned. That seems really low to me. I don't have a heart rate monitor and the gauges on the treadmill don't work **hey, I bought the thing used for $50 -what are ya gonna expect?** I bought what I thought was a heart rate watch - but its not. It tracks calories burned based on info put in - but I can do that anywhere. It doesn't track heart rate at all. I'd like a real live heart rate monitor to see where my numbers are.

So, if any of you have a used one you'd like to donate to the cause - I'd love to take it off of your hands, give it a home and put it to good use!


Oh, on a side note. A word of advise. Always, Always - wear two items when you run. A bra and shoes. The rest are optional. Don't ask how I know this. Just trust me.....


Today, I RAN!

Exercise TV

Remember earlier when I told you I was bored with my workouts?

Well, check this out!

Have any of you heard of Exercise Tv?

Jen, at Prior Fat Girl, one of my favorite blogs, has posted about it in the past. But tonight, I finally sat down and looked at it. Wow!

Lemme tell ya guys - this is a website that's cram packed with FULL LENGTH videos. There's workouts in beginner, intermediate and advanced categories. You can work out to any theme your little heart desires. Themes like Rock hard total body, Squat to Look Hot and the all famous - Bootilicious Buns.

With all of these options, I'll never be bored again!

So, check it out!

My give a damn is back!

The last few days have sucked. Plain and simple. Suckage - and I have no idea why.

For the most part, Ive been on track food wise. I've stayed within my calorie ranges and have logged everything. However, on the workout end - its been horrible. I just have not had the oomph to get up and do it. The last time I worked out was Sunday **and that was just a quick walk to DG, less than a mile there and back** before that was Thursday, before THAT was the Sunday before. And our bottled water is out. The tap water tastes like caca, so I haven't been drinking much water either. I still haven't had any soda or tea - just nothing.
Ive been completely in a fog, exhausted and in a seriously sh*tty mood. For days. Several days.

Inside, I was telling myself to get up and do it - "You're sucking! Get your lazy ass off of the couch and get on that treadmill or turn on that Wii, you know you'll feel better if you do." But, I just couldn't. I was exhausted. I wasn't working out, blogging, doing house work - or even trying to do any of it.

I thought I would write a post on it - My Give a Damn is Busted, I would call it. I was pooped and just felt like crap. I really thought it was all pointless. All the work and sacrifice to feel like doo doo on a stick? That seems real fair, now doesn't it?

Then last night, while reading Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Micheal's - an Aha! moment. Because I wasn't working out, I didn't have the endorphins to keep me on the energy "high" we all love. And because I eat such a low amount of calories a day (roughly 1350) my metabolism has hit the deck!
It also doesn't help that the weather here has been so wishy washy. I love spring. I love to be able to open the windows, turn the music up and dance my way to a clean house. I had two days of that - now my back yard is covered in snow. Don't get me wrong, I love snow. But goodness gracious, Mother Nature, this is not Anchorage. I'm sure my mom would appreciate all this - but not me. Next Christmas would be great, thanks.
To make matters worse, we have exactly 16 days 22 hours and 35 minutes, until we leave for our vacation. It's close enough to start getting excited but not close enough to really start packing. We're in a "Count down till Mickey Mouse" rut.

When I got up this morning and started checking blogs, I found this- Down But Not Out. Keelie hit the nail on the head with this post. I too have read several bloggers writing that they were in a "funk". Or as Keelie says, "I am starting to lose the fire I began with."
For me, its not that the workouts are harder - I'm getting bored. I have a treadmill and a Wii. The games I have are great but its the same thing day after day. Unfortunately, I just can not afford a gym membership right now.
I know the pounds are coming off, but no one notices. No one, not one person has said anything to make me think they notice. The only time someone has talked about my weight loss, is if I bring it up. I've even purposely worn clothes, like shorts and a tank top ** remember, its SNOWING?** around people I haven't seen in a while, hoping they would say something positive so I could get the little confidence boost I need. Nope. Nada. Nuttin honey.

BUT - like Keelie said, "This is the crossroads we all come to and we have to make a choice. This time I say we make a different choice. We have to." I totally couldn't agree more. I know I've lost the weight. I know my clothes fit better. I know I have more energy now than I used to, to play with my kids. I know I'm doing this for me.

So, if you don't mind, I have a treadmill to get on and goals to reach......

Duck, Duck... MOOSE!!

This weekend was pretty ok. I was nervous about getting on the scale for the "official" Sunday weigh in considering how last week went. However, it was pretty good. I was at 238.6, which was exactly the same as Saturday. So, all in all I had a 3.8 pound loss for the week. Yay! It was strange how it came off, but it came off none the less. Good thing! I've only got 3 more pounds to make it to my quarter way mark and 8 more pounds to make it to my vacation goal. I got this!

My mom, who lives in Anchorage, sent us a package a couple of weeks ago - a pound and a half of ground moose meat and about a two pounds of ground caribou. This weekend we decided to get adventurous and cook us some Moose!
I wanted to try a recipe that would give us an opportunity to really taste the flavor of the meat. I didn't want something where other ingredients would cover up or mask the flavor or texture. After chit chatting with my mom about it and looking around online for a bit, we decided on burgers.

I made the burger patties the same way I do with ground beef or turkey. Here's the recipe I use:

1 envelope Lipton French Onion soup mix
1 large egg
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 lb ground meat

Easy peasy! After I mixed up the meat and formed the patties, Mistee threw them on the grill. They worked really well on the grill. However, moose is very very lean. Because of that, she had an issue getting a good sear on the patties. While she worked on the grill - I threw together some baked zucchini fries. If you've never tried them, they're fantastic! Here's the recipe:

Zucchini Fries

2 medium zucchini, cut into 3 inch "sticks"
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Preheat oven to 450 and spray non stick spray on a medium sized cookie sheet. Mix milk and egg white and whisk. In separate bowl, mix together bread crumbs, cheese and seasonings with a fork. Dip zucchini sticks into egg mixture then coat in bread crumb mix. Place coated zucchini sticks in a single layer on to cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes. Yum!


I fixed my burger on a whole wheat sandwich round, with spinach, sprouts, provolone cheese and olive oil mayo. They turned out beautiful! Take a look!



This plate was a total of 425 calories, 38 carbs, 13 grams of fat and 44 grams of protein. How awesome is that for a burger and fries?? The burger itself was so big, I could only eat half.

Sunday, I tried to come up with another great moosey idea where I could use the left over burgers without having burgers. Spaghetti!

Awesome! I crumbled up the leftover patties from the night before and added mushrooms, fresh spinach and my favorite Full Circle organic pasta sauce. Here's a pic of the pot:


We ate this yummy concoction with whole wheat pasta ** I actually didn't have spaghetti, so this should just be called Moosey Pasta, huh?** topped with parmasean cheese and served it with asparagus. If you haven't figured out by now, we LOVE asparagus. I buy about eight pounds at a time, which lasts us a little over a week. Here's my plate of Moosey Pasta:


This plate was 346 calories, 62 carbs, 7 grams of fat and 22 grams of protein. Again, you totally can't beat that with a stick! And this time, I ate my entire plate and darn near licked it clean.


Moose - it does a body good!!

Spinning rings, droopy drawers and a pork loin in the oven!

I'm not sure why my weight loss is happening the way it is. After spending eleven days at 242 (with some variance between .8 and .2) I am now at 238.0. Ive lost 4.4 pounds since Tuesday. While I don't know why its working that way - I'LL TAKE IT!

I'm really noticing a difference in the way my clothes feel. While working out on Thursday, I had a difficult time with my shorts - they kept falling down! Whoot!! Also, my rings that were once really tight on my sausage fingers, are now spinning! Double Whoot!!

That night, Thursday I cooked a fantabulous pork loin for dinner. I love to cook and am always trying new things so when I found this great recipe on a favorite blog, Our Best Bites, I knew it would be a hit!

Garlic Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

1 large or 2 medium or small pork tenderloins
2 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp. chopped rosemary leaves (strip them from the woody stem first)
2 1/2 Tbsp. coarse mustard
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
A few turns of freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Rinse pork tenderloin in cool water and trim any excess fat or the silvery membrane on the meat. Pat dry and place on the prepared baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, rosemary leaves, mustard, garlic, Kosher salt, and black pepper. Carefully rub all over pork roast, particularly on top. Place in heated oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer reaches 160 degrees. When the meat is done, remove from oven and allow to stand 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Now, I gotta tell you, when you put this in the oven - be prepared. The smells that come from your kitchen will cause your face to drool and your stomach to growl!
Here's what it looked like when I pulled it from the oven:


I served it with herb roasted baby red potatoes topped with low fat Italian cheese blend and asparagus. I needed to make up a few calories and carbs for the day, so I also had a piece of whole wheat bread with ICBINB spray. Here's my plate:


One serving (4 ounces) of pork tenderloin is 120 calories, 1 carb, 3 grams of fat and 23 grams of protein. *Please remember that brands and packaging can vary in nutritional levels and counts do not include spices, seasonings or other flavor enhancers.*
The plate as pictured (6 ounces of meat) had the following breakdown: 572 calories, 77 carbs, 10 grams of fat and 50 grams of protein.

Total yummy goodness! The meat was moist and tender. Even my non meat eating Monkey ate all of his dinner.

Inspiration....

The word "inspiration" was brought to my attention yesterday. Actually, it was "inspiring" but whats the difference, really?

While discussing this word with a friend of mine, she asked "Well, what do you want your blog to be?" That's really a good question. One I haven't thought of.

Here's the deal. I love to write and I've been told several times through out the years that I'm good at it. Why I haven't started this before I really don't know but I'm doing it now and that's what matters.
I never thought about the type of blog I wanted or what the content of the posts would be. My posts consist of whats going on in my life at the time. I sit down, open my laptop, write and hit publish. I don't think much of what I'll write before hand and I do very little, if any, editing after.

I honestly don't write my posts with the intention of being inspiring to others. I have spent most of my adult life putting myself on the back burner. I have made the commitment to myself to allow ME to be important again. Therefore, I write because its good for me and my journey. However, if people are guided by what works for me in my weight loss journey and are able to achieve a goal for themselves - bonus!

In starting this blog I have been exposed to tons of other blogs out there - specifically geared towards weight loss and learning to live a healthy lifestyle. There are so many different blog styles and writing styles. Some are very analytical and scientific on their presentation of information, with very little personal experiences or point of view. Others are nothing more than an online journal of someones personal life, including experiences and view points on family, relationships, their career, etc.

What makes one blog style or one blog specifically, more inspiring than another?

To me, inspiration is in the eye of the beholder. Where some may enjoy and look for the straight forward information on calorie counts, work out routines and why their body weighs more at different times of the day - others enjoy personal stories. I get bored reading blogs that don't use personal pronouns. I want to know what techniques the writer uses to count their calories, what work out routines have shown them results and maybe read a funny story on how they figured out, through personal experience, that our bodies weigh more at different times of the day. More importantly, I want to read how they set a goal for themselves, made that goal and how it makes them feel.

I hope that my blog posts are a combination of both, personal experiences and educational information. Its what I enjoy reading and therefore will be what I present to my readers, be it one post a week or three posts a day.

What inspires me?
I have four things that inspire me to be healthy. One is nine and at school in the fourth grade. Another is 3 and snuggling with me on the couch as I write this. The third is 17 months old and napping. The fourth isn't conceived yet but is already named and has a place in my heart and a waiting place in my arms. My kids inspire me to be the best mom ever. They inspire me to get off the couch and play outside with them. They inspire me to become healthy so I can watch them grow for many many years to come. While I'm not perfect, I try my hardest. That's all I ask of them in their adventures and I choose to lead by example. They deserve nothing less.




What inspires you?

My name is Lindsey and I'm a.......

blogaholic! Everyone chime in together "Hiiii Lindsey!"

I've never done this before. I have no idea if there's any kind of blogging rules or etiquette. So, if its against some kind of code or commandment to post more than once a day - please let me know.

Yesterday, I was pissy. Yup. Sure was. I ate well and tracked everything but did not work out. That makes three days in a row of not working out. I wanted to. I had every intention of it. Just didn't get it done. I was so aggravated about this stall out issue that I spent most of my time (aside from time I spend with my kiddos) educating myself on weight loss plateaus and stall outs. What did I learn? Not much.
There really isn't any type of scientific evidence to show what really causes them. Well, crap. I could have been working out, folding clothes or plucking my eyebrows. But instead I was learning that there really isn't anything to learn.

Monday night, I made the meal from hell. I emailed Mistee earlier in the day and asked her what she wanted for dinner. "Don't think of my nutrition crusade, just pick anything you want for dinner." Mistake, Lindsey. Big mistake.
What she asked for is the favorite of everyone in this house and darn near all of our close friends. Chicken, broccoli, cheese and rice casserole. Its heaven on a plate with its ooie, gooie, cheesie goodness. No big deal. I got this. Ill just make a healthy alternative for me.

I tried. Oh, how I tried.

The original recipe calls for three, yes three, bags of shredded cheddar cheese, baked chicken, cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup, along with rice and broccoli. So, instead of the Uncle Ben's broccoli rice au gratin (which is so good) that goes into the mix, I got vegetable medley rice for myself. Into that I mixed in baked chicken, broccoli and fat free shredded cheddar. "See, just like the real thing" I thought to myself as I took the first bite. "Just who the hell are you trying to fool here?" I actually said out loud after I took the first bite.

I took the first bite while in the kitchen cooking for everyone else. I like to snack when I cook. So it works for me to make my dinner plate first so I have something to pick on while I'm cooking for everyone else. I then can finish my meal with everyone else but have not had extra bites or calories than what I planned for.

So, upon taking the first bite and realizing not only did my plate suck in comparison to what they were going to eat but I still needed to finish their meal and would have to stare at it and smell it until it was out of the house. Another problem. I'm so used to making this meal to feed tons of people, I knew there would be POUNDS of it left over.

I started to cry.

No one saw me crying and I wouldn't admit it if you offered me a million bucks. Wait, didn't I just admit it, three lines above? Move on people! Nothing to see here!

So, I made Mistee promise to take ALL of the leftovers to work with her. "But thats enough to feed an army!" "Yup, and youre gonna either take it and feed that army you work with or Peaches(our basset hound) is gonna have a great breakfast!" Some how, I'm guessing by the look on my face, she knew I wasn't kidding. "Ok, Ill take it." Good. Whew, I dont have to deal with that tomorrow.

She forgot.

Remember yesterday's post? The one where I was complaining about not losing weight and was bummed, heartbroken, confused and down right mad? Oh, yea. That one.

Yesterday was NOT a good day to have that in my fridge. I knew I was going to eat it. There was no denying it or trying to hide it. It was destiny. The casserole and I were meant to be one. As I pulled it out of the fridge, along with a plate and a spoon - I stopped. I then went to my handy dandy lil laptop and typed in recipes.sparkpeople.com. This is an off site of sparkpeople, hence the name connection. There's great recipes on its own but there's a fantastic feature where you can put in your own recipe and it'll give you the nutrition breakdown of the meal per serving.
By gosh, if I was going to eat the heaven on a plate - I was going to know exactly what I was getting into first. **If only Adam and Eve would have had the luxury of the internet. Maybe they would have made healthier snacking choices. Not saying apples aren't healthy - I'm just saying. Oh, never mind.**

I approximated there to be 12 servings in the dish based on how many it fed the night before and how much was left. 430 calories per servings. Holey cow.
Did I eat it? Oh, you bet my cholesterol laden heart, I did. I savored every bite and almost licked the plate clean. But, at least I did it educated. I knew the numbers and what I had to work with for the rest of the day.

Last night, we had a left over night. Or "fend for yourself" night. Those are the nights where Mommy doesn't feel like cooking. If you wanna eat - go get it yourself. I planned that for a reason - to get that devil food out of my fridge. And it worked. Its all gone!

Moral of the story? I will not cook devil food when I'm in an emotional or mental slump. It puts me in too hard of a position. One I'm not comfortable dealing with.


This morning, I woke up in a great mood. I went to the bathroom, like I did three times in the middle of the night - a GALLON of water a day, remember? There it sat, staring at me. "The thing" I really just did not want to get on it. I just didn't. I'm so sick of putting in the hard work and getting 242 back. "You're in a great mood", I told myself. "Regardless of what it says we are not going to have another day like yesterday."

240.6

What! I get off and get back on. 240.6 No way! Off and back on, and stand in a different position. 240.8 "Ha! That's better - I TOLD you, stupid scale! Now let's just do this - give me the 242 I'm expecting already!" Off, move the scale and STOMP back on....

240.6

OK, at this point I cant help but to laugh hysterically. Not like a "holey cow, that's funny" kind of laugh but more like a "crazy lady that sits out side of Wal-mart that rocks and laughs to herself while petting her stuffed animal monkey" kind of laugh. **Wow, where did I get that from? I don't know.**

So, let me make sure I understand this completely -- If I INCREASE my calorie intake, DON'T work out, drink LESS water, DO eat the devil food heaven on a plate and complain my brains out on my blog - I'll loose the weight?? **Insert crazy mad lady laugh here.**

Bad wine saves calories.....

Yesterday's post was nothing more than my rant at the results of "the thing". I never really updated on the last few days. So, I'm gonna get that taken care of now. Does anyone care? Yea, didn't think so.

Saturday, Mistee packed the boys up and went running around with Buddy Pal. It was super nice for me - dead quiet in the house. Only me and my Wii. I had a great work out and was just ready to shower when she got back home, two boys short. Bubba and Monkey stayed with Buddy Pal to play with her kiddo. We decided to do some running around and go on a wheatgrass hunt. Before showering is when I had my encounter with "the thing". Don't remember? See "Blue toenails and lopsided love handles."

My wheatgrass hunt didn't result in exactly what I wanted but I'm still happy with it.

We had a nice time running around, really just doing nothing, with Doodle Bug(our 17 month old grand baby). He really is a fun little guy.

Later that evening we, along with Buddy Pal decided to go get something to eat. Boy, were we stupid. Saturday night is normally not easy to get a seat with out waiting. But add the fact that its February 13th and your doomed to wait. We had four kids, people. Waiting was not an option. We ended up at Famous Dave's and only waited about 10 minutes.
I was really proud of myself at the restaurant. When the waitress came out to take our drink order - I asked for a nutritional count menu. I had never had the cahonies to do this before as I always felt strange. I didn't want to direct any more attention to myself - the fat lady at the table trying to be healthy. But I did it. Only to be told a few minutes later - they don't have one. "But, I'm sure you can get on your phone and look it up" the waitress says. First of all, not everyone has an internet capable phone. *No, not everyone owns an iPhone.* Second, my phone was at home. Luckily, Buddy Pal had her phone so I looked up what my better options were. I chose catfish, mashed potatoes and coleslaw. I'm not sure why I ordered the catfish - I don't like it. Not just theirs. I don't like catfish. So I traded Mistee for her chopped pork sandwich and ate half. That, on top of the sides, salad and four large glasses of water and I was stuffed. All for right around 650 calories. Good day.

Sunday - Happy Valentine's Day! Because were saving for our vacation **Mickey Mouse, here we come!** we've been taking all holidays easy financially. Mistee made me a great dinner of crab legs, lobster and asparagus. For dessert, she made a great yogurt parfait with Greek yogurt, strawberries and granola. **That's actually what Ive had for breakfast every day since then.**


I was totally impressed with what she did for the meal. She was so very considerate of my healthy eating plan. I'm loved and I appreciate her for that. We ate picnic style on the living room floor in front of the fire. No tv. No kids. Did you hear that? Yea, I said no kids. Mistee's brother and Buddy Pal kept the boys for a couple of hours for us. Thanks so much!!

You can see in the picture, I was also served a glass of wine. I love wine and would rather drink it than any other alcoholic beverage. I usually choose a red - Lambrusco being my favorite. However, Mistee said she was told this was a great choice with seafood - so lets try it. Gack! No thanks! She was very apologetic about the yuk wine. Hey, harm no foul! Bad wine saves calories! We didn't eat the lobster either. It must have been over cooked - she had it steamed in the store - because it was tough and rubbery. Funny thing is Im not a big lobster fan anyway but I can eat my weight in crab legs. That's a hella lot of crab legs!

** Funny story real quick, when I was preggo with Monkey, I craved crab legs constantly. One night, Mistee surprised me by bringing some home for just me. There I sat, big as a whale, on the living room floor with two mixing bowls in front of me. One for legs, the other for shells. While I was in my own little crabby bliss - Bubba, who was five at the time, comes up and goes for a crab leg. He's a big fan too. Could out crack anyone at four years old. Without even looking at him - I stabbed him with my fork! Yea, STABBED him. He starts crying, so I start crying - full on hormonal mess and just cant believe I STABBED my own child over a crab leg! He didn't bleed but his hand was red with little fork tooth marks for the next couple of hours. He's still nervous to eat legs around me and that was four years ago. **

So, Valentine's day was great fun. We talked, ate, and I got a massage. It was a nice few hours to ourselves. The world goes by real fast, people. In my house, believe me, I know this. Take time to remember who you love, Valentine's Day or not. Take the time to reconnect even if just for a couple of hours. It balances you and makes you remember what the hard work is for.

Wheatgrass -drink, drink, pass.....

Last week, a virtual friend of mine **I say virtual because I've never actually met her in person. We met on a web board, gosh years ago. She's a great person, full of support and encouragement. Shout out to Patty and the LGs! :)** posted that she had taken a shot of wheat grass juice at her local smoothie bar. I've read about wheat grass before but not extensively. Because of her face book post I decided to do some more research on it.

Here's just a smidgen of what Ive found:

1.Wheatgrass lowers blood pressure
2.Wheatgrass helps the digestive system by flushing toxins from the system
3.Wheatgrass slows the graying of hair and removes dandruff
4.Wheatgrass suppresses appetite, curves cravings, and stimulates metabolism and circulation
5.Wheatgrass protects the body from outside pollutants by building up the white blood cells
6.Wheatgrass has anti-inflammatory effects on arthritis, ulcers and insect bites
7.Wheatgrass builds blood by building red blood cells quickly
8.Wheatgrass energizes and reduces fatigue
9.Wheatgrass promotes regularity and helps fight constipation
10.Wheatgrass reduces or eliminates offensive body and breath odors
11.Wheatgrass' antibacterial properties reduce symptoms of a sore throat when used to gargle
12.Wheatgrass topical antibacterial use for skin wounds (burns and sunburns)
13.Wheatgrass aids in stopping tooth decay
14.Chewing of wheatgrass may banish sleepiness and bring a new alertness
15.Wheatgrass juice helps cleanse the liver
16.Wheatgrass calms the nervous system
17.Presence of chlorophyll in wheatgrass stabilizes blood sugar levels
18.Wheatgrass reduces fever & irritability in children
19.Wheatgrass applied regularly onto the skin will eventually fade blemishes and sunspots by stimulating the growth of healthy new skin and “tightening” older skin
20.When inhaled through the nose, wheatgrass is effective in clearing sinus congestion.

Seems pretty amazing right? Now of course, there are also tons of websites out there that say its all bunk. Here's my thinking - its GRASS - a plant, that is ground and squeezed. You drink the juice or heck, some people just chew on the plant itself and spit out the pulp. This is not a man made chemical. Now, just because it is a plant does not make it good for you. Some plants are poisonous and will kill you if juiced of chewed on. However, I have found very little negative side effects of wheat grass. The main one being a detox effect, which includes "purging" or throwing up and diarrhea. Supposedly, this is only an issue in the beginning while toxins are being flushed from your system. A little puke and poop never hurt anyone. So, I decided to give it a shot - pun actually intended.

Problem. There are no and I repeat NO smoothie bars in this town that carry the stuff - fresh that is. There are no health food stores that carry it fresh or frozen, or even in pill form. My only option is powder. Not quite what I was looking for but what the heck?

I was eager to try it out the first day but I gotta tell ya, it was really hard to get it down. I actually didn't get it down on the first try. The instructions say to mix two teaspoons with 8 ounces of water. Imagine putting frozen spinach in a blender and then mixing it into 8 ounces of water. Not a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine? **Back on track Lindsey**
After a little tweaking, Ive figured out that two teaspoons in about 4 ounces of V8 works good. It ends up as two big shots or three comfortable drinks. Chased by a big swig of water and Im good to go. The texture is thick but V8 is to begin with and it does smell. Not like fresh cut grass like some say - but probably because what I'm drinking is not fresh cut.

Lemme tell ya - I don't know if there's a connection or if its totally a coincidence but about 20 minutes after taking the stuff I feel different. Awake and refreshed are two words to describe the feeling. You know those days when you wake up and the weather is great, you feel great, you can concentrate and don't feel in a fog? The days you feel light on your feet and just wanna roll down the windows in the car and turn up the music and dance? That's really how it feels. At least for me.

Like I said I don't know if its truly because of just the wheat grass, a combination of the wheat grass, weight loss, exercise and increased water or just totally a coincidence. BUT I had the weight loss, exercise and increased water and did not feel like that before. Is it a little difficult to get down in powder form? Yes. But am I going to stop taking it - not on your life!

On that note - I say, It's 4:20 somewhere - go drink some grass!



** This post is edited to say - I'm not a pot smoker. Sure, Ive "tried" it in the past - OK, Ive smoked maybe three times in my life. But I'm not encouraging anyone to partake in the activity. I was just making some "grass" inspired jokes - Gah!**

Blue toenails and lopsided lovehandles.....

Ok people, here's the deal. Saturday I got up, got to moving around and got on the scale. Here's what it read:

Yes, my toenails are blue, white and silver. It's left over from the Super Bowl. I'm sure you can figure out by now, with the blue and white painted faces on Super Bowl Sunday, my blue and white toes and a puppy named Peyton Manning - were huge Colts fans. Go Blue!
*Anyway*

"HONEEYYY!!" I screamed across the house. I hear her slam her coffee cup down on the table and start running towards the bathroom, where I'm at.Here's how the conversation went when she got in there: "What's wrong?!" "Nothing, look!" "Holey, sh*it! Is that for real?" "Yup, Ive gotten on and off the scale like five times." *High fives and happy dance*

Problem. The next morning - which is actually my weigh in day, Sunday. I get on the scale. I'm expecting right around the same number, give or take a pound or so. Nope. Back up to 242. So, Ive been 242 for TEN days now - with the exception of Saturday. I'm really feeling my scale was confused on the date. "The thing" (which it will now be known as) really must have felt Saturday was April 1st and not February 13th. I could actually hear it laughing at me while it screamed "April fools!!!" Yea, not funny.

So, I'm sitting here, mad. Nope, I'm not just discouraged. I'm pissed.
I'm not in agonizing pain here. I'm not hungry and overall don't feel deprived (with the exception of last night - more on that later). The workouts are fun and I'm really enjoying how I can do more now than when I first started. BUT - all of this is heard work. There's a lot involved in thinking of healthy meals, measuring portion sizes, logging calories eaten, working out, logging calories burned and making sure to drink all the water I need. All of that PLUS caring for my family. I feel like I should have more to show for the work I'm putting in. Plus, I just don't get it. I don't understand what my body is doing. I fully expected at some point, my body would get to the point where it would find a homeostasis with the number of calories coming in and going out. A point where everything would just balance out and I would be at a maintenance level. I fully expected at that point I would need to change things up a bit - to continue my journey to my overall goal. HOWEVER, that point should not be NOW. There is no way my body can be telling me that its at a happy balance of between 1200-1300 calories in and roughly 500 calories burned a day - at 242 pounds! No way. No flippin way. Not with only a 1200 calorie input a day.

No, I'm not giving up. I'm not quitting. I didn't eat a box of Twinkies or even so much as a candy bar - Bubba is selling candy bars for a school fundraiser. Were down to two boxes left - out of ten. There were 400 candy bars in this house, people! Ive only eaten one - and took a full week to eat the whole thing. *Back on track, Lindsey*
However, I need to figure out what the problem is.

I've been reading the last two days - anything and everything I can find. According to Sparkpeople, I'm not bringing in enough calories. But according to Jillianmichaels' website I'm eating right where I should be. Iv'e read that maybe I need to increase my water (I drink right around 96 ounces a day) but gosh, if I do that - I'll float away. I really haven't gotten much help from my two days of reading. I've studied my BMR chart and have asked on message boards.

According to sparkpeople and a couple of other things I've read, a person's metabolism is like a campfire. If you leave the same two pieces of wood on the fire it will burn and eventually burn itself out. If you replace a piece of wood one at a time as the fire gets low - it will continue to burn but not at a large rate. However, if you add several pieces of wood and stir it up a bit, soon you'll get a raging inferno! The theory is that if your "mixing up" the fire by working out and exercising, you must add more calories (or wood) in order to get the raging inferno of a metabolism. By working out and not adding extra calories to maintain the calories burned - the fire will burn out. Or a person's metabolism will come to a stand still. Make sense??

Here's the game plan - I'm going to continue working out, because I like it not because I'm seeing great results from it. I'm going to continue eating healthy. However, I am going to increase my overall calorie intake by a couple of hundred calories. My plan is right around 1400 calories. Its not a lot, but may be what my body needs to be happy with burning this fat. I'm also going to increase my water intake to 128 ounces. For you non math happy people, that's a gallon a day. Its only 34 ounces more than Ive been drinking or basically one more cup **I drink my water out of a BIG cup** so its not that much more really.

I'm also going to invest in a 45 cent **Hey, has anyone else noticed there's not a "cent" sign on a keyboard? You know, a C with a line through it? Am I stupid, that I never knew that?** tape measure. In this journey, I have not taken my measurements. While talking to Mistee today about my "issues", she made a good point. I can't see the overall me like everyone else can. She can see that my body is changing. My core is getting flatter and my waist is slimming down - at least the left side is. **Why on earth does my body feel its necessary to loose one love handle at a time? The left side is almost non existent but the right side still hangs on. Seriously, not cool.** My cloths are fitting looser and I'm wearing some clothes I haven't worn in months. I actually have a couple of bras I wear now that Ive never been able to wear. She feels like I'm setting myself up for disappointment by not looking at the overall picture. Makes sense. Hopefully, by tracking inches lost as well as looking at the way my clothes fit and the scale, Ill be able to see more of the positive results I'm looking for.

Overall, I feel better now. I really am doing a good thing here. Even if "the thing" thinks its funny to tease me.

But, right now I have to pee **remember, the whole drink a GALLON of water thing?**.....

Sore

Before I get today's post started - I'd like to take a minute to say - I have my first follower!! Yay!! Ok, so who cares if he's one of my bestest friends. He's still following me! Thanks Gav! :)

You may now continue on to today's post..... :p


OMG!! I woke up this morning so unbelievably sore. When I sat down to pee, my quads were on fire. "Good workout" I thought to myself. Then I tried to get up. If you've never experienced the sensation of feeling trapped on your own toilet - its totally not a pretty picture. I have a good size master bathroom and the toilet sits on its own. There's nothing that could be used for leverage with in arms length. I had nothing to help heave me off of my toilet death trap. So,after a few minutes of grunting and groaning (and internally crying) I was able to get myself up. Whew, that was close. I thought I was a gonner there for a minute!

I was up late last night making the Valentine's Day fortune cookies for Bubba's class. They turned out pretty cute, I think!



We packed them up in these cute little boxes I found.

On top of being up late last night, I got up early to make Bubba's teachers pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Then to make matters worse, I didn't sleep well last night. My legs were very restless - probably from fatigue. So, needless to say, I'm sore, tired and not in the best of moods. Normally I would have already worked out by now but haven't yet. Even though I'm sore, I need to do something. I'll probably find an upper body work out since my issues are mainly in my legs today.

Oh - I got on the scale this morning - after prying myself off of the toilet and after moving around for a little bit. I've figured out that for me the best time to get on the scale is not right after I wake up. I usually wait until I've been up an hour or two. For what ever reason, when I first get up I feel bloated and heavy. But once I move around for a bit, I feel better and the scale shows better numbers(sometimes up to two pounds!). Because of this, I consistently weigh in at about 9 am.

Anyway, this morning showed 242.4!! Yay! Back to where I was before my alter ego, "The Slacker" came to town. I'm still two pounds from where I wanted to be this week but who knows, the week isn't over yet. My official weigh in day is Sunday. Speaking of weigh in, look at this cute little ditty I found -

The Weigh In Process

1. Strip naked and get into the shower.
2. Exfoliate every inch of your body.
3. Shave whatever can be shaved.
4. Exfoliate again.
5. Get out of shower and completely dry off. Make sure to absorb every drop of water on your body.
6. Pee.
7. Cut your toe and fingernails and be sure to remove any nail polish.
8. Tweeze eyebrows and any other tweezable facial hair.
9. Brush and floss your teeth. Rinse WELL. Do not leave any paste on your teeth or mouth.
10. Pee.
11. Blow your nose.
12. Clean your ears with a q-tip.
13. Rub your belly in circular motions, firmly.
14. Pee.
15. Place the scale EXACTLY where you had it last week.
16. Eye it carefully. Sternly. Pleadingly. All in one look. Takes practice, but can be done.
17. Pee.
18. Take a deeeeeep breath for a count of 4 and release for a count of 4.
19. Repeat.
20. Pee.
21. Slowly, carefully, step on to the scale as you exhale, letting all your muscles hang loose.
22. Assume "the position" - you know the one, where you hang your heals off of the back of the scale, bend your knees and hold your hands on your stomach.
23. Stare straight ahead for digital scales, for analog..i dunno. Get a new scale.
24. When it beeps to tell you its Final Judgment, look down with one eye open.
25. Inhale, before you pass out.
26. Step off and repeat several times until you get the desired result - or at least the best one the scale is willing to give.
27. Go on with your day as though nothing had happened. Remember, its a tin box and only reflects ONE of the many aspects of the healthy lifestyle you are now giving yourself:)


Did I miss anything?

....Comparison....

I did a little experiment last night. I normally do not make myself separate meals - different from what the family is eating. It makes for double cook time in the kitchen and can leave me feeling deprived when faced with what everyone else is eating. However, I will make variations to my meal to make it more Linds friendly.

On the menu last night was spaghetti. The kids love it and its easy. But with ground beef and pasta - I could be headed for the danger zone. So, I did a little comparison. Exactly what difference does it make to switch some ingredients around? Will I feel satisfied with my plate over theirs or will I feel left out?

Here's option A:

These are the ingredients of option A plate-
1 cup white spaghetti pasta
4 ounces ground beef
1/2 cup Traditional Ragu sauce
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
2 slices white bread (only one is pictured)
1 Tbs Country Crock Plus Calcium

Plate A contains the following:
Calories: 914
Carbs: 77
Fat: 48
Protein: 40

Here's option B:

These are the ingredients of the option B plate:
1 cup spaghetti squash
4 ounces ground turkey
1/2 cup Full Circle Organic Pasta Sauce
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
1 stick mozzarella string cheese
8 medium spears of Asparagus
1 Oroweat English Muffin
10 sprays I Cant Believe Its Not Butter Buttery Spray

Plate B contains the following:
Calories: 509
Carbs: 53
Fat: 13
Protein:41


Holey canoli!! Look at the differences in plates! On plate option B, there were 405 less calories, 24 less carbs, 35 less grams of fat and 1 more gram of protein - all on a plate that was overflowing with food, to say the least! I was completely stuffed when I was done. I actually had a hard time finishing it.

I was very skeptical on using the spaghetti squash in place of the pasta. Wev'e all seen where nutritionists and weight loss idols have said to do it. Seriously, it was good. The texture was a little different, more crunchy. But I bet this could be solved by simply steaming the squash longer.

Overall, this experiment proved that by making wiser choices, we can be more satisfied and have better results on the scale. Who can go wrong with that??

Bits and Pieces

Monday night Mistee came home with probably THE cutest thing on the planet!

One of the guys she works with had puppies (well, HE didn't have puppies, but you get the idea. Every one of the puppies died except for this little guy. Mistee's friend knew she was a fan of dachshunds so he saved him for her. His name is Peyton Manning. I just wonder if the human Peyton Manning was as stinkin cute as this when he was little.


This morning, I woke up to this!!




How awesome is that to wake up to? Its still going strong and those pics were taken about 5 hours ago.

So, yesterday ended up pretty good. I had a calorie consumption of just under 1300 and a burn of 572. All figures accounted for, I had an overall deficit of 1583. I know! I know! You guys that have read into forming a calorie deficit are screaming "that's too high!" But here's the deal: 1.I have more body fat to lose than the "average person" 2.I'm staying well within a healthy calorie range for input - thus preventing my body from stalling out, hitting a plateau or going into "starvation mode" 3. I vary my calories in, calories out, and overall deficit every day to confuse my metabolism to again help prevent a stall out.
So, I was happy with yesterday - now Ive just gotta wait to see the numbers on the scale. Hopefully in the next day or two Ill see some good droppage in numbers.

Bubba (our nine year old) has a Valentine's Day party tomorrow at school. I found a cute little treat recipe on a favorite blog, Our Best Bites, last night and thought it would be perfect for his class!

I only hope ours turn out as cute as these!!

OH! I almost forgot! While working out today I ran 2 miles! Granted I was running in place with the Wii - but it was still 2 miles! When I started this adventure I couldn't run (in place) a quarter of the way around the track on Wii Active. Today, I ran 2.5 laps - twice plus a short run that was only 1.5 laps. I then went on to do the medium run on Wii Fit twice, which unlocked the Island Lap. So, I did that one twice too!! The Island Lap took about 12 minutes each and from what Ive found online, is approximately .9 miles. All in all - I ran over 2 miles. But all of it was start/stop except for the Island Laps. Yay! Go me!
Here's a pic of Monkey in his work out attire:

This is actually the resistance band that comes with the Wii Active. Its kind of flimsy, so I let him use it during workouts when he plays along. Today he thought the best place for it was on his head, kung foo style! :)

Last thing for today -- A friend of mine linked this on her Face book page - Warrior Dash. I am SOO doing it! I've already talked to a couple of friends who said they wanna go too. How much fun does this look like?? Maybe back in the day I would have said anyone was pure D crazay to even think of doing this. But, I totally wanna do it. I don't have a desire to win a prize. I just want to say I completed it - and get a t shirt and viking helmet! Bonus!!

....Slacker....

I dont know exactly when it started or how for that matter. Maybe Sunday's Super Bowl get together got it started. Maybe because I'm at the couple of days in my cycle where I normally eat everything that's not nailed down. Maybe cause Ive been sick, stressed etc. It really doesn't matter how or why or even when the bottom line is that Ive been slacking.

Saturday I woke up, did some running around with a friend to get ready for Sundays party. By the time we realized it, it was late and we were getting phone calls that the natives were restless and hungry. What to do and where to go? We had six kids and three adults to feed, so it needed to be cheap. Off to Cici's we went. I had eaten very little that day (mistake, big mistake) and was starving. Because of the amount of working out Ive been doing and the type of food Ive been eating - I have to eat every three or four hours. If not I get shaky and just feel overall lousy. Anyway, we go to Cici's and ate. For the first time, I did not check nutritional counts online before going (another big mistake). I used my best judgment -really? who am I kidding here. No I didnt. I did eat a salad first and was light on the dressing. But, I chose what I ate based on flavor and just because I flat out wanted it. Yes, I could have done better - but could have done much worse.
When I got home and tracked the results on sparkpeople I was supprised. Not too bad. Then it was time to work out. Working out in the evening is not good for me. By then Im tired and just dont feel like it. But I did it and was glad.

So, when Super Bowl Sunday came around - I was excited about my choices and was happy with how I ate. However, I didnt work out. No biggie. One day off a week is not a bad thing. If anything, for recovery, youre supposed to take two days off right?

I guess because of HOW I ate (as apposed to WHAT I ate) Sunday is what got me on my downward spiral. Instead of sitting down for meals, I snacked here and there. As a result, Monday - all day Monday, I ate. And I ate. And I ate some more. Not huge portions of food at a time but little bites of this and little bites of that. Just like I had done on Sunday. Those little bites here and there really add up. Oh, and I did not work out. What was I thinking?? Oh, I wasnt.

Yesterday I woke up horribly sick. Stomach cramps to no end and hours (Im not kidding) in the bathroom. The only thing I have to use as a reason, was how I had eaten the day before. Soda, chips, sweets, white bread, butter - all stuff I had not eaten at all or much of in over a month. My entire day was spent on the couch or in the bathroom in intense pain. However, at about 3:30 I started to feel better. So, at that point it started again. See, once again I hadnt eaten all day and was starving. Before I knew it I found myself in the kitchen with a glass of Strawberry Fanta and my hand in a bag of powdered donuts. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? I was screaming internally to myself. At one point - out loud - I replied with "Eating a powdered donut is what Im doing, duh." "No, Lindsey - get rid of them, before you eat all of them. And you know you will." So, I did. I dumped the rest of the bag down the garbage disposal and threw the one I was eating down too - for good measure. After my binge, I again, felt like doo doo on a stick as my mom used to say. So again, I did not work out.

This morning I woke up with a vengeance. I took the appetite suppressant pill Ive been prescribed and got dressed. I dont take the pill everyday but if I know its going to be a difficult day I will. I have no shame in saying sometimes I need help. I poured the rest of the Fanta down the drain and the Dr Pepper too. Then, I got on the scale. 243. Overall not bad considering. Its less than a pound gain. But I'm really disappointed. I wanted to hit my 20 pound lost mark today. I blew it.

Normally, this would cause someone - OK me - to say screw it. Its not gonna work. And go eat. Nope. Not this time. I got dressed, made a jug of water for the day, hooked up the Wii and worked out. I burned 572 calories in 46 minutes.

Can I just say that I totally thought I was gonna die while working out. I cant believe that going three days with out working out will get me out of whack that bad. I'm thinking it was due to dehydration. In my slacking I had four days of drinking hardly any water plus losing a lot yesterday in my illness. That has to be the reason my workout was so difficult today. Maybe Ill research it and see if I can find more specific reasons.

For breakfast today a Fiber One 90 calorie bar - yum. Lunch was a half of spaghetti squash with butter and sugar. Again, yum. Not sure what will come about for dinner yet but Ive come to the understanding that Im back.

Im back. I can not let a few days get me down. I cant let a half of a pound gain get in the way of my goal. Like one of my favorite sayings goes - Time to put my big girl panties on and deal with it. This is going to be a long journey for me to get where I need to be. I will have hills to climb and bumps in the road. This was my first hill. I could have done better but I could have done much worse.

Weight

I wanted to touch on a big topic in my life right now - my weight. Ive been a big girl for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is my mom holding me while at the grocery store. I remember the clerk saying how cute and chunky I was. She made a point to comment on my hands. I didn't have knuckles - I had dimples where the knuckles should be. I, over the years, have thought of this memory and always looked at my hands as a reminder of my weight. To this day, Ive never had knuckles.

When Mistee and I met, in 1999, I was 185 pounds and a size 12 - 10 if I held my breath. Of my teenage or early adult years that was the period of time I felt the most healthy, physically speaking. I had just moved to Texas from Florida, was exercising daily and aware of what I put in my mouth.

Over the years- kids, family, stresses, and struggles caused me to put myself on the back burner and caused the pounds to slowly but surly creep back on.

I did not make a New Year's resolution this year. My weight loss journey has nothing to do with that. I just woke up one day and said to myself "Im done. No more." That day was Sunday January 3rd. Nothing really happened. No defining "Aha!" moment. I just realized I'm not a good example for my kids. I want to be able to get up off of the couch and play with them with out gasping for breath. I want them to know I will be there for them for a long time. I want them to learn positive healthy habits from me and continue on to teach their kids how to live a healthy lifestyle. I'm not looking to be in a triathlon - though I will be walking 60 miles in this years Susan G Komen Three Day for the Cure - but more on that later. I'm not looking for washboard abs or to dead lift 100 pounds. I just wanna be the best mom I can be for as long as I can be. I don't think that's too much to ask of myself. I don't think my kids deserve any less from me.

In the last 5 weeks, Ive lost 18 pounds - Going from 260 on the dot to 242.

I track all of my food eaten and exercise completed in sparkpeople.com. I absolutely LOVE this website. There's tons of nutrition and fitness information as well as teams you can join. In the teams you meet other people and share stories on your goals and struggles with each other. The best part - its totally free! You can't even beat that with a stick!

Most of my workout sessions are by using the Wii. I really have a good time with the new EA Sports Active games. There are two games - Active and Active More Workouts. Right now, my favorite is More Workouts. I like how it is interactive - if you don't do the moves correctly or stay in correct position - the game stops until you catch up or correct yourself. There's cardio and weight training (through resistance bands) together so it makes for a great circuit training session. There's not a dvd on the planet that does that.

I also have a treadmill that I get on occasionally but to be honest, I get bored. Plus, I get a higher caloric burn with the Wii.

I own one workout dvd. Yup, just one. Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I totally love this workout. It is an ass kicker to say the least. In 20 minutes, she'll either have you crying, puking or ready to slap your mama! But, I promise - if you stick with it, you will see a difference. Sure, in the beginning you may not be able to do the whole thing but after a week, you'll see how you can do more and more. Sometimes, on a day I'm feeling extra bold - Ill do the Wii Active More Workouts AND the 30 Day Shred.

Another thing Ive been looking into is the theory of staying in a calorie deficit. The overall concept is simple math. Calories in < Calories burned = overall weight loss. You first find your BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) by either figuring the equation yourself or finding a calculator to do it for you - Ill take the calculator please! The numbers are based on your age, weight, sex and basic daily activity level not including workout sessions. Your BMR is the amount of calories your body uses to complete a day of basic, everyday functions. With this number, you can develop a deficit either by consuming less calories than your BMR, by burning more calories a day or by a combination of both. By creating a deficit, your body is then forced to "feed off of the land" or burn body fat to make up the difference of the deficit. Hopefully, I havent made this all sound more confusing than it actually is! More info can be found here and here.
Overall, this concept makes perfect sense to me. I was given a spreadsheet by a fellow sparker that calculates daily calorie deficit level. I have been able to see the weight loss before the scale shows it. For me the numbers have been almost dead on. Remember, a pound equals 3500 calories. If I have a calorie deficit of 1000 calories a day - in a week, I can see a two pound weight loss on the scale. For me, the spreadsheet is a great tool to see the numbers and track my progress. If your'e interested in the spreadsheet, just let me know!

Please, please - if you have any input on the methods I'm using to become more healthy or suggestions - share!!