Monday, December 27, 2010

New Year New You Challenge

Thought I'd toss a challenge out there to you along with a prize, yep, I said a prize!

It's about to be a new year.  Your goal is a new you.

Here's my challenge. First: No Resolutions.  You set yourself up to fail when you make a resolution so I don't make any.

1) Make a blog.  Blogspot offers a free blog as do several other sites like WordPress.  I like Blogger so that's what I use.
2) Tell me your blog's name and web address so I can link to you thereby follow you =)
3) Place a current picture of yourself on your blog along with you current age, weight, height, and waist measurements.
4) Tell us what you're doing (exercise wise) to lose weight on your blog and update us at least weekly on  how things are going.
5) Tell us what you're eating and if you're supplementing  to lose weight.
6) What is your 'and then what' goal for after you lose your weight

The two rules I will enforce: No slimfast/shake/liquid diets and no diet pills.  This must be an exercise and healthy change in diet weight loss program or you're going to set yourself up to fail.

On June 30, the person who has recorded the most weight lost while also keeping your blog up to date, will receive a $30 gift certificate to  Hollywood Body Spa and Laser

This spa has locations in Athens TN and Cleveland TN, If you are out of town or in another state, then I'll find a comparable salon and spa to award your gift certificate from.  I would also like your permission to feature your before and afters in my future book, and not just the person who wins, but ALL of your stories!

I'm going to compete along with the rest of you, but I'm not allowed to win because I'm the sponsor.  I'm your coach and competition!

Get your WEIGHT LOSS GAME ON!  Who wants to win????

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Where the heck have I been?

I've been working my backside off, and stress eating...ham...chocolate...and BREAD. Today, however, I took one look at a biscuit and thought *yuck*, so my 'that's bad for you' groove is getting back into the swing of things.  I only gained 2 pounds so they will easily be lost by Jan 1, unfortunately that throws off my goal of losing 3 pounds to go under 200 pounds.  No biggy, I'll have lost it in another week because I'm going to start running again.  Cardio exercise removes that god awful gut hanging around my middle so I can show off my abs that are so nicely toned that you can feel them under the fat, but doggone it I want to SHOW them off not just ask you to take my word for it.

My poor stability ball fell victim to a naughty kitty cat who thought it looked like an excellent scratching post =(.  I had hoped to get a new one, a pilates mat, and a kettle bell, they look so very inviting (aka challenging!) but I'll have to take care of that another time when I have money again.
My weight loss story is going to be profiled on AOL's That's Fit sometime in the coming year.   The talks are already in the works.

I am so pumped over it!  I needed the motivation, now I have it!  And I want that bikini ready body NOW!

That pleasant little surprise fit so perfectly into my plan to write a book.  Teeny tiny baby steps.  I even have a semi-thought out outline for the book.  You've seen it on here before, but I'm going to list it again.

Chapter 1  What's your motivation
Chapter 2  Plan your plan
Chapter 3 Move it! Tone It!
Chapter 4 Why you need a playlist
Chapter 5 Shopping Lists  and What not to eat/eating out
Chapter 6 Menus and Recipes
Chapter 7 Supplements and why you need them
Chapter 8 What not to wear when your FAT clothes are too big
Chapter 9 Savvy simple beauty tricks
Chapter 10 How to deal with naysayers, wet blankets, sticks in the mud, and party poopers
Chapter 11 Journaling/blogging your way thin
Chapter 12 Why pre planned, cookie cutter diets never work
Chapter 13 How to make a diet 'your way' work for you
Chapter 14  It's a lifestyle change!
Chapter 15 Tell me again, what's your motivation? 
Chapter 16 When your significant other isn't supportive
Chapter 17 You're there, what's your 'and then what?' plan?

Chapter 18 Before and Afters....Their Way (me and my friends who've done successful weight loss our way)

I'm sure I'll add to and subtract from those chapters, but it's a working outline nonetheless.

Hope everyone is safe and snuggled up  and warm here in the north/south east.  We have about 6 inches of snow, the perfect excuse to drink hot chocolate and eat a lot of buttery popcorn.  I'll probably  indulge in a little of both. 

Remember, you can have what you want, just in moderation.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Observations and progress report

My butt no longer hangs over the edge of my seat.  If I have a muffin top at all, it's barely noticeable.  I pulled my size 15 pants off without unbuttoning or unzipping them.  Size XL is entirely too big, Lg is almost too big too.  We won't even talk about  those 2x shirts that look like omar the tent maker gone amuck in my closet....My wedding band is getting too big for my finger.  My shoes are getting too big for me, now, if only my belly would go away too...

I had the most amazing workout ever 2 days ago.  I actually did (don't laugh, I bet some of you can't do it!) 5, yes, 5 shaky, real pushups  considering I haven't been able to do a real push up because my gut and boobs were in the way I'd say that's progress! 25 roll ups while holding my stability ball over my head! 4-15 second planks, 1 Just 1 Side plank,YAYAY  I did it lol!  try it and let's talk about difficulty sister!  10 bridges plus 10 more with leg lifts. 6-10 second basic swan plus 10 more with leg lifts. 4 up/down dogs(tried something new, oh man love the burny stretchy feeling). My abs and obliques are still so very sore it's hard to move but what a wonderfully delicious kind of sore it is!

Followed with a nice long hot bath and a slathering of creamy vaseline lotion and I'm soft, smooth, and relaxed even if sore.

What did you do today?

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

New Pics

Starting Weight June 2009  269 lbs
Current Weight  December 2010  201.9 lbs


Since I seem to have lost my measuring tape again, I'll just post pics instead so you can be the judge.
My son Caleb and I have been playing with my new camerea.  Haven't quite figured out he setting so hang with us while we play.  sorry guys, no indecent pics to follow =)



This pic just went all kinds of wrong.





If we just had the settings down


Hubby liked this pic best




Starting to curve in the correct direction FINALLY!



Monday, December 13, 2010

New Product Review

WOW! Tastes Just Like Peanut Butter.  That's the name of the product.  It's made from organic toasted soy beans and touted as a Peanut Butter replacement.  My husband doesn't like it, but he'll eat it.  Caleb says it's too sweet.  Grant doesnt' care.  If it's food, he'll eat it, though he did say "Yay! mom bought real Peanut butter today!"  because I did buy real Peanut butter today.  I think the product is okay.  It has a different texture and slightly different taste.  No long lasting after taste like 'real' peanut butter. 

It has the same calories, but has more health benefits for you like 1200mg per serving of Omega 3.  Less sodium.  More iron.  Other than that, pnut butter and soy butter are pretty much even on nutrition.  Except you can take the soy butter to school with you.

I'm on the fence on this one.  The texture and taste are a bit off putting, but once you've had a couple of bites you no longer notice them and if you're allergic but would dearly love to sink your teeth into something as close to pnut butter as possible without having a reaction then this is your best bet.  I'll use it for cookies and other recipes that call for pnut butter.  Hmm, wonder if you can make pnut butter fudge with it? 

How to make Holiday baked goodies better for you.

Instead of oil use unsweetened applesauce.  For example:  if the recipe calls for 1/2 oil use 1 cup of applesauce.
Use cinnamon it's good for your blood pressure, it smells and tastes good in almost all baked goods.
If you mustmustmust use oil sub cooking oil with GrapeOla (grapeseed oil)
Add 1 tbsp ground flax seed
Add 1 tbsp wheat germ
Add 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (not the quick cook kind they turn icky in recipes)
Use 1 tsp high lignan flaxseed oil
Dark/Intense unsweetened chocolate chunks in place of chocolate chips.
I'm a fan of organic, unrefined sugar in place of regular table sugar.
Unsalted raw nuts in place of regular nuts.
Unsulfured dried fruits
Organic, free range, no chemicals used eggs

There are so many healthier options out there and some of them your friends and family will never ever notice if you add or replace with in recipes.  I have brownies in the oven right now that have GrapeOla, ground flaxseed, wheat germ,  old fashioned oats, and organic eggs in them as well as chunks of unswettened intense dark chocolate.  My kids were licking the bowl.  They have no clue I 'healthified them!"

Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Trouble With Couponing

httpI like to save money as much as the next person.  My friend Leann used to say I pinch pennies so hard that ol' abe cries and begs for mercy. I like using coupons for things I need around the house, namely paper goods, shampoo, toothpaste, female supplies, and cereals.  I use store cards, and until recently, I purchased off brands.  I don't do off brands anymore because they cost as much, sometimes even more, than the name brand.

But.  I have a problem with couponing in general. Where are the coupons for actual healthy items?  Sure some of the juice coupons are for things that might be good for you as long as you purchase the 'natural' or low sugar versions. Given the number of obese people around, I very seriously doubt they're even looking at sugar and salt content.  Sometimes you might stumble across a frozen veggie coupon or a canned veggie or fruit. 

I have found coupons for eggs attached to products that you had to buy three of in order to get the free eggs.  Do I really need three boxes of  ready to serve bacon to get the free eggs?  Or the 4 boxes of cereal to get a free gallon of store brand milk?  Better yet, do I need to buy 6 boxes of pastries to get a free pound of bananas? Really?  Are you bargain shopping or on a secret mission to kill yourself and your family with all those cans of biscuits, cinnamon rolls, and crescent rolls?

More than half the coupons I've looked at and or considered have been for heavily processed foods.  Processed means most of the nutrients have been removed and tons of preservatives added. Bacon, egg nog, macaroni and cheese, potato chips, biscuits, rolls, cookies.  I read an entry tonight on one of th couponing blogs I follow where a man purchased $400 worth of groceries and only paid $180.  The drawback, 14 boxes of cereal, 18 boxes of various and sundried potatoes, pizzas, cokes, cookies, 1 turkey, 2 chickens, pasta and pasta sauce, canned veggies (canned isn't the best for you but better than no veggies) and the list went on.  I sat there thinking wow, that's a pretty good haul while at the same time thinking ughh, where are the good things to eat?  Does that make me snobby?

Sure, I indulge in the risky business of purchasing the mentioned items in an effort to make my family happy when it comes to dinner and school or weekend lunches.  Even they will tell you such purchases are few and far between.

I've decided, just tonight, that I'm going to go in search of healthier food choices coupons then list the sites, maybe even links to the coupons themselves for you, my readers, because I want you to have other choices and eat helathier while saving your hard earned money.  It's only fair.

First up is:  Driscoll's Berries  Driscoll Berries to be exact.  Subscribe to their newsletters and get a .50 cent coupon just for signing up to receive their emails.

Horizon Dairy   Organic Milk   Click the coupons icon.

Udi's Gluten Free Bread   Wonderful bread and baked goods.  $1 coupon.

I'll post more as I find them.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Three Pounds and 10 Truffles

I gingerly stepped on the scales this morning fully expecting to have gained weight since I ate as much of Grant's edible Science project as he did.  For such a skinny thing he sure can EAT! Shock and amazement and no error reading 201.8!  I broke the 204 strangle hold by cheating my ass off three days ago!

So I was a good girl all day today.  I only drank water.  I had mandarin oranges and yogurt for breakfast.  I had tuna and California Avocado for lunch. I took all of my supplements.   But my husband walked in with a box that said from (insert friend's name here) which meant I had won her weekly drawing for free candy.  OMG!  Handmade hand dipped TRUFFLES!  BIG truffles.  Delicious truffles.  Plus some chocolate caramel pecan.  I ate 2 truffles and two of the pecan things....sigh.  I feel sick.  Not because I ate them, but because I'm thinking I may have sabotaged myself.

I've worked too long and too hard to get where I am now.  I want to weigh less than 200 pounds on New Year's Day.  I don't know why New Year's day, maybe it's because everyone makes New Year's resolutions for that day and I want to be able to say I already met my goal for the year 364 days early?
I want to and WILL weigh 140 pounds by August (to look like I belong in the bikini).  That means I have to be more careful about everything from eating to exercise to sunbathing to taking the correct supplements.  And God those truffles are calling my name!  10 Truffles.  Just 10, well 5 now, I ate 2 Keith ate 2 and the dog managed to steal one!.  the boys each ate some of the pecan yummies so they're all gone..
 
I want to  and WILL rock a bikini body by August. It'll have to be a bit on the modest side, but hey, I'll be 42 and have stretch marks so gotta cover some things that just can't be fixed without expensive surgery I can't afford.
 
The more I type the less yummy the yummy truffles become.  I'm reminding myself of my goals, here in the Christmas season.  See!  You can lose weight during the holidays!





Tuesday, December 7, 2010

My Friends Inspire me

In talking with one of my friends tonight about her 'yucky tummy' I became a bit inspired. 

We often become 'yucky tummified' when we eat things we shouldn't, we all know that. 
1) Taking too large a bite.  The faster you eat, the more air you swallow.  The bigger the bite, the less room in your mouth the less you chew.  You want to chew one two three four and swallow.  Your stomach needs more than huge chunks of food in it. It needs the saliva produced in your mouth to help react with the acids in your stomach to help break down your food.  What happens is your stomach can't properly utilize/process your food.  It travels along to your colon where you become gassy and 'stopped up.'  Gassy makes you feel yucky.  'Stoped up' makes you feel yucky.  Lack of proper nutrition, even if you are eating right, makes  you feel yucky.

Chew your food slowly.  Remember that old addage about 20 chews per bite?  There's a bit of truth to it.  We tend to ignore it in favor of getting over with dinner and back to whatever it was we were doing.  Slow down.

2) Drinking too much with our food is just as bad as taking too big a bite and not chewing properly.  The liquid makes our food swell.  It doesn't have the same chemical reaction with our stomach acid to break down the food and we get the same yucky tummy problem as mentioned in problem number 1. 

Just take sips of water with your food to 'wet your whistle'.  I know as we get older the tendency is to drink more with our food because we don't produce as much saliva as we used to, so add a little balsamic vinegar to your plate or a bit of lemon to help get the old salivary glands going.  There can be too much of a good thing when it comes to water.

3) Salt, oils, strong vinaigrettes, sauces(especially hot sauces, chili sauces, salad dressings) can do a heavy number on  your stomach.  Just as oil and water don't mix neither do oils and stomach acid.  Vinaigrettes will hae a negative effect on stomach acid, actually all of the above will.  They're best avoided.

Salt?  Why salt?  If your food is salty you tend to drink more water so look back at number 1 and 2 for the reason salt is listed here.

4) Yeasty foods.  Number one culprit in bloat.  Add yeast to acid and what do you get?  The way your stomach feels makes the hindenberg explosion look like a sparkler on the 4th of July!  Overly processed, white breads are bad news for digestion.  if you must must must have bread, aim for whole grains, not whole wheat,. While better for you than white bread,  whole whest is still too processed for  most people to digest.

So what to eat?

Whole grains like brown rice, long grain wild rice (not that prepackaged overly processed full of sodium stuff either)  Add your own flavorings.  Experiment.  Branch out a little.  Adventures with food can be fun!

Raw or lightly steamed veggies (can be fresh or fresh frozen).  Use Mrs Dash or just a little parsely and garlic on them if you need flavor.  Cruciferous veggies, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, are hard on the stomach but necessary ruffage and nutrients are in them so enjoy them once or twice a week.

Proteins like eggs, beans, and hard cheeses, but not the strongly flavored/sharp cheeses. 

Tofu is bland by itself, but added to mild soups or mixed into breads, cakes, and puddings will supply a major walloping of protein that easily and quickly digested by the stoamch.

Low sodium broth based soups. the heavier, creamier the soup the worse it is for you. the harder it is for your stomach to digest.

Fresh or fresh frozen fruits.  I dont' particularly care for frozen fruit as it tends to be soggy once defrosted, though this time of year I don't have a lot of choice. Fresh frozen is cheaper than out of season and tremendously expensive fresh fruits from Mexico.

Lean cuts of meat and fish. 

Eggs, even the yolk.

Simple proteins are easily digested.  Don't make things hard on yourself.  Eating isn't rocket science 101.  You have the knowledge tucked away in your brain.  Look for it.  Even in the Bible, people knew what to eat.  What do you see in there?  Olives, figs, meats, bread (There was a simple recipe and I'll tell you now, there are no hydrogenized oils, gluten free, high fructose corn syrup in that bread!  it's whole grain baby!) Simple oils, likely from flaxseed and olives, corn, fish, poultry, milk, honey, dates, wine...simple to grow, easy to maintain and harvest and store.  Nothing was wasted.  Nothing was overly processed and those people were healthy aside from famine, wars, and the occasional pestilence and or disease. (you know what I mean lol, they lived a long long time!)

Use a little common sense.  Think about what you're putting in your mouth. 

A little over a year ago I woke my self snoring and literally suffocating under my own weight when I slept on my back.  Keith had awakened me several times asking if I was okay because he thought I'd stopped breathing.  The fat was packed in so tightly around my internal organs that I was truly drowning myself under all that fat.  It pressed into my stomach forcing the acid in my stomach back into my esophagus reducing the amount of sleep I got each night because I couldn't breathe, stressing me out,  raising my cortisol levels and therefore helping my weight steadily rise.  I was taking prevacid and tipping the the scale  dangerously close to 300 piunds.  I was only 31 pounds under 300.  Only????  Eeesh!

A  little over a year later, I'm still just a hair over 200 pounds, but I'm in much better shape, except from bouts of insomnia from just simply getting older female hormone issues, and tonight, eating far too much sugar when I'm not used to it, while helping Grant with his edible science project. 

My anemia is under control, actually it's almost eradicated.

My period is pretty normal and predictable, not terribly heavy, and lasts less than a week. WOHOOOOO! 

I can now sleep on my back without suffocating.  Hubby still says I snore but I think  he's waking himsellf up with his own snoring.

 Acid reflux?  What acid reflux?

I owe my  thanks to several things. 1)  Age.  I realize I'm not getting any younger and I'm pretty much out of time to take chances with my  health. 2) My former ob/gyn telling me she could find nothing wrong with me so she wanted to do a hysterectomy.  huh?  My uterus is perfectly healthy so you want to remove it?  What kind of sense did that make???  So I dumped her and went to another og/gyn who told me as gently as possible to lose weight that most women who had my problems found that 200 was the magic number in putting their hormones back in their place.  He was right.  Now I just wonder what will happen when I get more toward my goal of 140? 3) My parents both have major health issues due to  their weight and I don't want to go their route. 4) Anne Louise Gittleman for writing Before The Change  5)My stubborn pride in deciding I wasn't going to die a fat woman.   And last but not least, 6) my husband for pissing me off enough to actually lose the weight the doctor suggested.

I might be getting old, but we'll just see who's 3rd rate now.  I love him dearly, but his mouth keeps him in soooo much trouble. 

What are you afraid of?  You dont' have to be third rate on a good day and you certainly don't have to be fat.  Take a slow, leisurely walk with me on the not-so-fat but not-so-thin side for a while.  It's easier than you think.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

New Product Updates

Mostly YUCK!

I've been seeing and reading all about this delicious drink that's all the rage amongst the stars, and from what I've tasted of the 'miracle drink' all I have to say is no wonder they lost weight. What am I talking about, you ask? Cocowater. It has an almost sterile tast to it if you want to call that 'taste'. It's almost vomit inducing it's so very bland.

I even tried the berry juice added flavors...still utterly disgusting. I tried it cold. I tried it warm and it was still ICK!

I used it in place of water or milk in my oatmeal. That, in my opinion, is the best use for the stuff. I can't stomach it any other way.

If you're feeling adventurous and have $2 to waste on it, sure, give it a try. I poured what I hadn't used in oatmeal down the drain.

Ice water with lemon has more personality and is a lot more palatable. You know how I feel about water with lemon, sure, I'll drink it, but it certainly isn't my favorite.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Where does she get all those wonderful toys?!?!?!?!?!

Why AMAZON.COM of course!  Get yours soon for a pre-holiday workout! The first thing you'll notice is that I'm not a name brand/label loyalty person. I use what appeals to me most without much regard to who the manufacturer is.



I like this ball. It's light weight and perfect for beginners. When you become more adept then spend the big buck for a better ball. In the meantime this ball is pretty tough. It holds my big butt just fine!



Pilates mat (which IS different from a yoga mat) This is on my wish list. Anyone wanna buy it for me so I don't go sliding across the floor anymore lol!



Soft ball weights. Good for people who have trouble gripping traditional handheld weights. They're squeezable so they make good stress balls too. My kids play with them not even realizing that they're exercising. My husband uses them while riding his recumbant bike. I use them while on the stability ball or add them in while doing Pilates. Think 2 lbs isn't much? Try to work with them for about 10 minutes. tell me what you think then /sly smile/



Resistance Bands. Oversized rubberbands that are fun no matter what exercise you're doing. You don't know you're exercising 'til after the fact. I don't recommend the bands that hook over the door knob or under the door. they have been known to come lose mid exercise and the results have not been pretty...

I'll put up my favoritest (making up words again) video links later so you can have a look at them for yourself. Time to cook supper.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Supplements

 A kid in the candy shop I am today!

My Swanson vitamins arrived.

Calcium carbonate/magnesium oxide/Zinc oxide+D  1000/400/15/400 mg
Vitamin d3 2500 iu
CoQ10 30 mg
Acai Berry Extract 500mg
EPA/DHA  180/120
Evening Primrose Oil  1300mg
Alpha LipoicAcid  50 mg
Melatonin 3mg
Sublingual b12
CocoWater! It's icky if consumed by itself, but I used it to moisten oatmeal, much much better!
CocoWater plus pomengranate and acai berry extract
Feron (to treat my anemia.. ferrous gluconate...an iron supplement that I'm NOT allergic to finally)

Venting some frustration

I need to vent:  I'm not mad at any one person, except me...

If I had known 10 years ago what I know now I would have changed back then. I'd be in a better position in life by now, I think.   But you know what?  I might have totally wasted 10 years, ages 30-40, but I like who I am now.  What I don't like is suddenly feeling like I'm being stuffed back into my insecure teens and 20's.

I like my hair dark, so I put it back dark today.  Phooey on all those highlights or 'chunking' as it's called.  My mom called it 'frost'.  Frost is for old people and I'm not old.  If I do anything to my hair it might be a minimal highlighting but don't hold your breath.

I like to think and speak for myself.  I don't like people putting words in my mouth or making decisions for me.  I let people do that a lot when I was younger.  Let me bobble and fumble around and make some mistakes, how the hell am I supposed to figure me out if you do for me what would be right for you?

I'm doing my 'lifestyle change' my way.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't do fads.  I might experiment with altering a fad to fit the way I want to do things, my perogative.

I've been given plenty of leeway on making things work at work.  I like that.  I like to stand on my own two feet.

I'll tell you what else I don't like.  It's being flat broke.  I hate telling my kids we don't have money to do something or buy something they'd like to do or have. They rarely ask for anything.  Caleb broke my heart a few years ago when he broke his arm. He didn't want to go to the emergency room because he knew we couldn't afford it.  It appalls me to even admit that.  Grant told us last year he couldn't think of anything he wanted for himself for Christmas.  Neither one of them has offered to make a list this year for Christmas.  They've watched us and my parents struggle with challenge after challenge after challenge this year.  We keep thinking, okay, things have got to get better and they only worsen. Where's the bottom of this stupid abyss?  Are we there yet????

We keep doing the same thing over and over and over again expecting a different result...isn't that the very definition of insanity?

It's time to do something different and I have no clue what that would be or where to start if I did. I am my own worst enemy and I am where I am now because of decisions I made, actually I let someone else make them for me up until the last 3 years, I've been gaining /making up ground ever since.  But I'm stuck now.  How the heck do I get unstuck?

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

My Heroine!

Dr. Anne Louise Gittleman.  I love this woman!  She packs a lot of USEFUL  information into  everything she does and it isn't expensive, time consuming, or complicated.  What she offers is common sense backed by a good deal of experience and science.

Top 10 superfoods for women  (A fairly easy list to shop from, chock full of things you may already buy)

Before The Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause  (Life changing for me, follow her plan in this book for 2 weeks, just 2, and see how much better you feel!)

Diet-Detox (On my wish list for sure!)

Fat Flush For Life (Also on my wish list)

When I first opened Before The Change, I was skeptical.  Just another bunch of blahblahblah from some doctor who thinks she knows everything about what I'm going through and wanted to sell some crackpot diet pill that won't do anything promised.  Turns out, she did know, very well. And she wasn't hawking some miracle pill.  She had a very simple plan: a relatively inexpensive list of vitamins, minerals, and supplements and useful advice.. 

Sometimes it's the overlooked, under rated, simple things that work best.