Day 77:197.5

Yesterday was an emotional day for me. It was my Daddy's birthday and for some reason it is the hardest day of the year for me. Although I miss him all year round, his birthday was his day...and I guess that is why I miss him even more on that day. It was also a little sad for me because it didn't snow. For the past 6 years it has snowed on his birthday...which always made the day a little bit better. Confused? Ok, let me explain. My Daddy HATED snow. The day he died there was a huge snow storm and we all laughed because we knew dad had picked that day to die so that he wouldn't have to see the snow. I always figured Daddy sent down snow on his birthday as a way of laughing at us... I know it is silly, but, well, when it happens for 6 years straight you cant help but start to believe it!! This year we got rain. Of course, we're in a drought, so maybe this year instead of laughing at us, he was just trying to help us! Either way, its another year gone.

Ok... so on to today. Today is the end of November. The last day of another month. It means that today is measuring day....So here you go:

October= 40.5/ 37/ 42
November=39.75/ 36.5/ 42 = -1.25 inches

Total miles wogged in November = 43.5 miles

I ran 2 miles this morning and cut my MPM (minutes per mile) by a whole minute!! That's right.. I went from 17:09 a mile to 16:00 flat!!! IT was amazing. I felt great... I feel great.

Sparkpeople is really helping me with the calorie counting. I went WAY over yesterday..but cookies will do that to ya. hmph. Today I am going to eat lots of oranges... I have a ton of them in the refrigerator that need to be eaten soon.. so if I'm hungry that is what I will eat.

I need to clean the entire house today.. so that should help with the munching too.

Have a wonderful Friday... We'll see you on Monday for weigh-in! Waddle on!!(I love that!!)

In Loving Memory of My Daddy



Born November 29, 1936
Died December 5, 2001

Day 76:198

Ok.. so I think this is a good sign. Usually my weight will go up in the middle of the week by 2 or 3 pounds because of all the running and weight lifting. This week I seem to be holding steady at one weight.. maybe it means there will be a great loss on Monday. Whatever the reason.. I dont mind it.

I joined Sparkpeople yesterday and am keeping track of my calories that way. I HATE doing it, but I think it is a necessity. So far I am liking the site.. we'll see how I like it after logging all my food today! :)

So, I DID read some of my healthy living books yesterday but nothing really popped out at me. Kinda sad, really. So I flipped over to my RUNNER'S magazine and came across this gem:

"No Need For Speed"

I AM A RUNNER because my runs have names. I do tempo runs and threshold runs and fartlek runs. I do long, slow runs and track workouts. My runs are defined, even if my abs are not.

I AM A RUNNER because my shoes are training equipment, not a fashion statement. The best shoe for me it the one that makes me a better runner. I choose the shoe that goes with my running mechanics, not my running outfit.

I AM A RUNNER because I don't have running outfits. I have technical shirts and shorts and socks. I have apparel that enhances the experience of running by allowing me to run comfortably. I can say "Coolmax" and "Gore-Tex" in the same sentence and know which does what.

I AM A RUNNER because I know what effort feels like, and I embrace it. I know when I'm pushing the limits of my comfort and why I'm doing it. I know that heavy breathing and an accelerated heart rate -things I once avoided- are necessary if I want to be a better runner

I AM A RUNNER because I value and respect my body. It will whisper to me when I've done too much. And if I choose to listen to that whisper, my body won't have to scream in pain later on.

I AM A RUNNER because I am willing to lay in all on the line. I know that every finish line has the potential to lift my spirits to new highs or devastate me, yet I line up anyway.

I AM A RUNNER because I know that despite my best effort, I will always want more from myself. I will always want to know my limits so that I can exceed them.

I AM A RUNNER because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far.

I AM A RUNNER because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not.

Waddle on friends!

- BY JOHN BINGHAM "I AM NOT A JOGGER: I MAY WADDLE WHEN I RUN, BUT I'M RUNNING ALL THE SAME."

So as Bingham says.... WADDLE ON FRIENDS!!!

Day 75:198

I may be up again, but that is ok. I ate a little cruddy yesterday...so its expected. I did however find a motivation for eating better. For some reason it just kinda clicked last night.. I have been eating WAY too many processed foods. No wonder I am stuck on a plateau right now. I usually eat very fresh. Lots of clean veggies..steak and chicken baked or broiled. But for some reason, whether I have just become too lazy to cook or just wanting a change, I have loaded my kitchen with processed foods. Easy boxes of flavorful rice. Frozen meals in a bag ready to cook in 10 minutes. Scalloped potatoes (just add water)... ugh.. its making me sick just thinking about all the crap in the kitchen right now. I totally slipped in that area. I cant just go and throw it all out...At least not until Sunday when I have money to go buy real food. But at least I know what I need to improve on right now.

I wogged 3 miles this morning! YAY!! I didn't beat my time.. but came in around the same. Today is a rest day for the weight lifting.. so will try to get a Forza workout in this afternoon.

I have a bag of cookie dough in the refrigerator. NO, I DID NOT BUY IT!! My husband is Mormon, and in their endless quest in making me Mormon his church sends over 'home teachers' once a month. The couple is very nice, and as of last August we are now related to them....her sister married my husbands brother... Anyway, they come over once a month just to check up on us. Every time they do they bring food. I would usually just hand the food to hubby and the kids and it would be devoured in minutes. Last night only the man came to the house. He had appearently just got off work and did not have time to cook the cookies before coming over.. so he handed me a bag of cold cookie dough. I really had to keep from laughing.. I am debating making the cookies for the girls today... or just throwing it away. Will my girls eat all of them? No. Will there be cookies sitting on the counter? Yes. Will I sneak a cookie when no one is watching? Yep... ok, so they are getting thrown out!

I did not have time to read any of my motivational books yesterday...so have nothing to share today. I promise tomorrow I will be a blog full of motivation! :)

Day 74:197.5

HA!! The first loss I've seen in two weeks. Feels pretty good. Yesterday was a hard day....in order to keep myself from snacking all day I had to keep myself busy, and what's better then cleaning and rearranging your kids' room? I spent 6 hours in that room.. cleaning out toys, moving furniture, cleaning carpet. It looks great, and the girls slept all night in their beds...probably because they could finally find them! LOL Anyway, by the time hubby got home, dinner was made, the girls were bathed and in PJ's.. I was exhausted. I had planned on walking last night.. but barely managed to make it to the bed before falling asleep!

Woke up this morning with a new mindset. I wogged 2 miles (I will probably try to do 3 again tomorrow) and worked my back and triceps. This time with a little more *umph*.

I have a million 'healthy living' books written by everyone from LL Cool J to Dr. Phil. I think I will take them out today and go over them. It will give me some fresh ideas and keep me motivated! I'll share what I find tomorrow!

Today the girls have a play date... and I have the rest of the house to clean~

Day 73:198
Miles wogged last week: 7

I am somewhere between feeling sad that I did not lose any weight this week, and thanking God for the miracle that I did not gain 10 lbs with all the crap I ate. I didn't do too bad.. my portions were small, but what I did eat was hardly healthy. I guess it evened out in the end and left me at 198 for another week. I didn't do a whole lot of exorcising either. In fact I am 3 miles short of my usual 10 mile/week. Weight lifting was weak and I had no enthusiasm. For a little while yesterday I was starting to feel like I wanted to quit...and that somehow I could just stay at 198 for the rest of my life and be happy. Sure I feel good right now, I look better then I did 17 lbs ago.. but come on! I am not going to be happy at this weight if I am still here in a month... so lets get moving.

Today I beat my own record.. I finally ran a 5K!! It was on my treadmill, but still! I have never broken the 3 mile marker before... I did it in 51:28..so it comes out to 17:09 a mile. A snails pace compared to some of you out there.. but at least I did it!! Finally a time I can try to beat!!

My upper body weight lifting this morning was still lacking *umph*... but it felt good and I am glad I did it.

This Friday is the last day in the month of November..(I know, yikes!!) Which means it is the day for my once a month measurements... This week needs to be flawless if I want to see a difference from last month. So, here is to having a perfect week...one day at a time!!

(If your wandering how my Thanksgiving went at MIL's...well, I would like to follow my mother's advice and say nothing at all, since I can't say anything nice!)

Day 68:198

So I am holding at 198... at least I'm not still gaining! I think I have screwed up my eating habits and now I don't know if I am eating too much or not enough? I am hitting my 1500 calorie max every day... but there is a difference between eating 1500 worth of bread and crap... and 1500 worth of veggies, fruit..etc. I think I need to really look at what I am eating.. hopefully that will fix my 'plateau' (ooooh what an ugly word).

Ok, so the majority of the vote yesterday was to take something healthy that I can enjoy. So for the veggie I am making Fatinah's recipe for brussel sprouts. I LOVE brussel sprouts.. but not many other people do, so I may have the whole dish to myself!! For the dessert.. I am still considering, but I am leaning towards a fruit parfait sort of thing... I'm thinking of getting frozen and fresh fruit, filling the bottom of a bowl, then getting some fat free pudding on top and then some granola and blueberries on top of that! What do you think? Better then pumpkin pie, I think!! (Although I was VERY fond of Christine's idea of making a 'sweet ass' dessert and slipping a laxative in it... but knowing me, I would end up eating some anyway!! LOL) I got some great recipes..(Laura, I will use those recipes for Christmas dinner instead!! Thank you!)

I'll have to go to the store and make it all tonight, we are leaving early in the morning.. and I am not a morning cook!! LOL..

Hubby has decided that it is time to get rid of my car and get me a REAL truck. LOL. So on Saturday we are heading into town to look at all the Thanksgiving specials on Trucks. I am really excited!! Hopefully it will be a big enough truck that we can all 5 fit comfortably in it for the trip to Vegas in 2 weeks!!

Yesterday was a complete rest day. I took the kids to the park and let them play with their friends for 2 hours.. then came home and cleaned. My legs are feeling much better, although the inner thigh muscle is still pretty tender... but I hopped on Tready and did my 2 miles.. then did an upper body weight regimen. Today was the last day until next Monday for weights. For the rest of the week I will just be focusing on my wogging and maybe a Forza workout here and there.

See you all on Monday for Weigh In... have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Day 67

No weight today.. simply because I am too sore to even step up on the scale. Wogging is out, at least for this morning, but if my legs feel better tonight then I will hop on for a mile or two. Yesterdays weight lifting really did a number on my legs.. I knew I was going to be sore this morning so I hopped on the tready last night and did a casual 2 mile walk just to get my blood circulating in my muscles.. I woke up this morning and could barely walk to the bathroom. Hubby says that it is a good sign that I am that sore today.. it means I am doing the workout right.. good grief!

On another note.. Crappity Crappola.. The wicked witch of the, I mean the mother in law called hubby (not me, because she hates me) to tell him that I needed to bring a dessert and a vegetable to Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. **hmph** I love to cook, but not for that woman's benefit. So I am at a loss.. do I go to the local grocery store and buy a generic pumpkin pie or do I bake a low fat version of one? Do I really want to go to the trouble of cooking?? Eh, not really... especially since the last time I took dessert she didn't even bother putting it out on the table.. and it was a delicious homemade apple pie. Her excuse was that there was no room on the table.. I should have grabbed it and taken it home with us but I forgot. On the other hand.. I could make a low fat dessert and a delicious veggie that I could enjoy with out feeling calorie guilt. I have until tomorrow to decide.. right now I am still annoyed that I'm even having to go. Just in case I do decide to do the cooking, does anyone have a favorite veggie dish that is low fat/ low calorie and is different?? No green bean casseroles please! :)

Today will be a day at the park.. literally. I am taking the girls to the park to get all their energy out.. then hopefully they will take a long nap this afternoon while I clean out their room and get rid of all their old toys. With Christmas coming ( I know they are getting a TON of toys) I need to make room for the new ones. It is hard for me to get rid of their toys... they all have such fun memories.. so I give them to my mom to put in her play room for when they go visit! I'm pathetic.

Yesterday food was ok.. yes, just ok. My downfall? The leftover Ice Cream from the birthday party. The good news is that it is all gone.. so no temptations today. My food plan for the day?

Breakfast: Protein shake with strawberries and blue berries
Lunch: grilled chicken and salad
snack: one cup of cereal
dinner: Pot Roast (in the crockpot)

Day 66:198
Miles wogged last week: 10.3

For the first time in months I am showing a gain on Weigh In Day. It was harder then I thought to tell you. I thought of lying and saying that I was holding even... but what good would that do? So I gained? I am back on track all ready and should be seeing a loss in a couple of days.. AND I am doing my weight lifting again and I always see a gain the day after weight lifting. This week was terrible and in a way I deserve a gain. For 3 days straight I payed no attention to what I was putting in my mouth. I ate cake and ice cream at my daughters birthday.... I ate more then salad and turkey last night (even sneaking a slice of pumpkin pie). So I am done with this splurge.. it is back on track for me!

This morning I wogged 2 miles (I even jogged a full lap just because) then continued my weight lifting, doing my lower body. The schedule I am on for lifting is getting to be really hard. This week is the 'building' part.. which means heavier weights, more reps... and muscle failure... but in 5 weeks I am supposed to see HUGE results!

Yesterday we spent the day at FIL's. It was fun, but we spent most of the time outside. Some pictures:




For the rest of the week I need to focus on my food. Obviously I have my workouts under control... its the food part I need to whip into shape~

Day 65:196.5

Just a quick note to say... I ate cake. **bleh** Actually it was really yummy.. but to make up for it I wogged 2.57 miles this morning and started me upper body weight regimen. Hopefully this will keep me from having a gain tomorrow.. but we'll see. Today is Thanksgiving dinner at FIL's... I am sticking to Turkey and salad..period!

See you tomorrow!

Day 64:???


Happy Birthday To My Little Angel!

Day 63:197

Last night was fun. We left the kids with Granny and went out into the rain! Yes..RAIN!! The first glimpse of moisture we have seen in 6 months. Anyway, Hubby and I went to a dinner theatre where we saw Night Watch. A great show with a twist at the end! We got home about 9pm to relieve Granny... and then we all went to bed. I woke up this morning with a terrible headache...no, not from alcohol... I think I am a little dehydrated.

I wogged 1.5 miles this morning... did my 60/60 and Tae Bo Abs. Tonight is Forza.

Tomorrow is my daughters birthday party... Sunday is Thanksgiving at my Father-in-laws....I hope I can stay strong!

Inspiration today:

Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor - Alexis Carrel

Day 62:195

I was droopy all day yesterday. Although I didn't eat a lot, I ate terrible. Including two pieces of pizza for dinner. I did keep my water up to par.. but felt so sick by 7:30 that I just went to bed. I woke up this morning feeling much better, but had that old familiar voice in my head saying "you don't need to work out today. Take another day off" .... I laid in bed for half an hour. My girls crawled into bed and turned the channel to their favorite cartoon... and a tiny voice deep, deep, deep inside said "now would be a good time to hop on the treadmill". I slowly got dressed and pulled on my shoes. I approached the treadmill with a sense of dread. Oh, how easy it would be to give it all up right now. I mean, I'm sure you can lose weight by just watching what your eating and NOT exorcising. There are pills I can take, and I could quit eating bread.

Don't worry.. I turned on the treadmill and wogged my 2.5 miles.. yes, half a mile more then what I had planned to do. Not because I felt guilty for thinking of not working out, but because it felt good. I just didn't want to stop yet. I got off and did my 60 push-ups and 60 sit-ups... and I started to do my Tae Bo Abs.. but only made it 5 minutes before I felt a little sick.. so I will wait until this afternoon to do those. Tonight is my Forza...

To say the least, my energy is back.

It is a feeling we are all very familiar with.. the 'I want to give up' voice that lingers in our head. Why cant I just eat chocolate cake all day and still lose weight? Well, I hate to say it.. but I tried that diet, and it doesnt work.

I know we all have had days that I had yesterday and this morning... and these are the days when we are truly tested. Are we going to give it all up for the freedom to eat what we want?(and we have that freedom now, we just have to do it the right way) Are we going to be happy with the 'fat pants' that are too tight? Are we going to be ok with giving up on ourselves... again?

I hope these days are few and far between.. but I know that one will cross my path again. I just pray that I am better prepared for the next one!

Tonight is my date night with Hubby... I cant wait. I feel good.. look good.. and am ready to keep going!!

******P.S... I ordered my daughters birthday cake.It is a barbie, and her dress is the cake!! Perfect!!*********

Day 61:197.5

No change.. and I feel kinda crummy today so I am making it an official rest day..not even a short wog today. I am a little annoyed that I am not seeing faster results. I know it will take time.. and I know that I am doing this right.. I just have to get over this slump I'm in today. **hmph**

I tried on the jeans that I want to fit back into for the NFR (National Finals Rodeo for all those not in the rodeo world!) and I have another 4 inches to lose around the waist before they will even think of squeezing together to button. I have 3 weeks to the day to get myself in shape.. think I can do it?

I have to come up with a game plan if I am going to do this in time...

1- food has to be measured out (1c. veggies, 1/2c. starch/carb, 3oz protein) . no snacking in between meals.
2- Wogg for 2 miles (or more) every day but Sunday.
3- 60 push-ups and 60 sit-ups after every wogg.
4- Tae Bo Abs every day but Sunday
5- 100 oz of water everyday.. no less
6- Forza 3 days a week... at least

Its not really a whole lot more then what I am doing now.. accept for the added Tae Bo Abs.. but if I am going to lose weight around my waist then I need to work it a little more. Of course, I will start tomorrow with all the exorcising. I am still giving myself today as a rest day.

Thanksgiving is next week... and we are going to my Mother-In-Laws house(God help us). Funny thing is, I don't really pig out at Thanksgiving.. and I actually see it as an easy holiday to keep to my diet. You always have a healthy protein... veggies (as long as they are not soaking in butter) and a rice or stuffing. Keep your portions small and you actually can walk away with a decent meal. Oh.. and no dessert. Although you can make a pumpkin pie with egg whites and splenda that comes out pretty low in fat and calories. I would just rather stay away from it all together.

Another temptation this week is my daughters 4th birthday on Saturday. I was going to make the cake myself but decided that it would be too tempting to lick the bowls, spoons, pans, floors... so I am going to order the cake, and it will be a small one. In fact, I am thinking of getting the tiny round ones they make for 1st birthdays.. It is the perfect size where everyone will get a sliver of cake and it will be gone! Too cheap?

I am off to enjoy my lazy day... of cleaning house.

Day 60:197.5

I was expecting a gain.. and its not too bad of one. Normal, really.

I wogged 1.5 miles this morning and due to a weird pain in my right shoulder I skipped the Forza.. but did do an ab workout and some push-ups. I am feeling a little bit lost not doing our regular weight lifting stuff. Almost like I'm not getting the same workout I've been doing... but one of the reasons for the 1 week active rest is to let your body heal so that next week we can start again, with a little more *umph*.

The weather turned cold yesterday so we stayed inside all day.. but today looks a little better so I might take the kids to the park to wear them down. Our house is too small for two kids with cabin fever.

I am contemplating trying on the jeans I want to wear at the NFR this year. I know they will probably not fit yet, but I want to have an idea of how hard I need to work the next month to get them on in time.... I'll let you know how it goes.

Day 59:195.5
Miles last week: 10.5

I stepped on the scale 3 times this morning... making sure it wasn't broken.. but its not!! I finally hit 195.. I am half way through the 190's. Oh Yeah.. Uh-HUH... Oh yeah... uh-huh!!

I'm actually in shock because although we had a pretty active weekend, I ate terrible. Let me start at the beginning.

Saturday morning Hubby decided that we needed to get out and enjoy the unusually warm weather we've been having. So we all hopped in the car and drove for an hour before reaching a secluded canyon. The water was running clear... but freezing cold.. so we didn't hop in.. but we definitely enjoyed being outside! I took my camera and was getting into taking pictures... I took this one of a butterfly:

which my youngest daughter chased down until it was too tired to fly and she caught it:

She had a pet butterfly for the rest of the day.. until he finally met the ending all insects meet when caught by a two year old.

Hubby took his fly rod and tried some fishing.. and so did the girls.

We hiked around a little bit and then jumped back in the car. We stopped at a small burger joint I had never been to. I tried to eat healthy but was absolutely starving. So I had a burger... and fries. That night I only had a bowl of cereal though... I had to try and make up for that indulgence.

Sunday we did nothing but lay around and play video games. It was actually a lot of fun. Even the kids got into cheering us on... At the same time I was too lazy to fix healthy meals.. so we heated up some leftover Tamales (wayyyy toooo fattening) for lunch and then grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. YIKES.. Like I said, I am shocked that I actually dropped weight after this weekend.

Well.. whatever the reason.. I am back on track this morning. I wogged (somewhere between walking and jogging) 2.5 miles and did 20 minutes of Forza. This week is my active rest week.. meaning no weight lifting.. but I still have to be actively doing something!

Inspiration this week:
This Thursday night is my date night with Hubby... I want to look good in my Wranglers!!!

Day 57:197

We're off on an adventure... Hubby is taking the kids and I on a hike!! See you on Monday for weigh in!

Day 56:197.5

Do you ever have those moments when you suddenly realize 'Holy Crap, I've lost 18 lbs!' I had that moment this morning. For a second my heart skipped a beat, not in excitement, but in total fear. Can I keep doing this? Will I fail again? What if I succeed? What do I do then?

If you think of it all at once you will go into a panic.. the trick is to take one decision at a time. Notice I didn't say one day at a time. The trick to losing weight is to make every thing you do count. Throughout the day you make hundreds of decisions... what to eat, what to do, what to think, what to say... Be thoughtful of what you are doing. Choose healthy food over junk, choose the park instead of the TV, choose positive thinking over negative thinking, and say " I CAN DO IT TODAY!" over anything else!

Today marks my 2nd month... and I am excited to see what the next 2 months will bring me. (Hopefully into a size 12!)

I want to give everyone a big THANK YOU for being my support, my inspiration and my friends.

Day 55:197.5

Ahhhh.. back down. I am doing great today! It was Blogger who was being a booger and not letting me post this morning. I'm sorry for the delay! Anyway, today was a blast. I walked my 2 miles this morning with upper body weight regimen. In an hour hubby will be home and I will be swinging the sword around again. Food and portions have been doing great..( the reason I think I dropped the weight this week so fast!) I am really hoping to see 195 on the scale by Monday morning... but any loss will be very welcome!

I put on a pair of jeans this morning that I have never worn, even though they have been sitting in my closet for 2 years. I bought them at Wally world on sale for $5. They are a size 15 IN JUNIORS... so needless to say they did not even go over my thighs when I got home. Today I pulled them on and buckled them without a problem!!

Tomorrow is my 2 month mark.. and I have no thoughts of slowing down now~

Day 54:199

This is my 300th post. WOW. I looked back over the past year and it seems like it all happened just yesterday! One thing I did look up was what I weighed last year at the NFR.. 211.. ahhhh, so I am already 14 pounds lighter. But I still have 4 weeks to lose more.. and I will, yes, I will!!

Today is one of my rest days, but I felt a little fidgety this morning so I hopped on the treadmill and walked for 30 minutes. Nothing intense, but enough to break a sweat. I am up 2 pounds, but if you look at weight over the past couple of months you will see that I am always at my heaviest in the middle of the week. I know many of you hate the idea of weighing yourself everyday, but I have to say that I have learned a lot about how my body reacts to certain things. I also have realised that I was getting discouraged before because I would see such drastic gains and losses...(ie: +2 lbs in one day).. I would see that and think I was a failure. Now I know that by Monday I will lose another pound... I know they say that 'Slow and steady wins the race' but good grief, I am not that patient!! But I guess I have to be to do what I'm doing. Here is how I look at it.. even if I only lose 1 lb a week.. I will still be ~23 lbs lighter by my 30th birthday in April.. which would make me 174... that is a heck of a lot better then 215!!!

On a different note.. Cory tagged my with a meme... here you go!!

7 Things About Me

1. I won First and Second place in Nationals for Tae Kwon Do when I was 15. First in forms, Second in sparring. I regret quitting when I was 18.

2. My favorite job was working in the operating room and seeing all the different and sometime weird surgeries!

3. I love to wear hats!!

4. I am married to a retired bull rider... and I can barely stay on a horse!!

5. My best friend lives 4 hours away.. I sometimes feel very lonely.

6. I love living in the country.. but miss the busy city sometimes too!

7. This Friday will make 2 months that I have stayed faithful to a healthy lifestyle.. that is a record for me!!

Your It!!


Have a great hump day..

Day 53:198

Not bad of a gain... like I said, I don't think I'll be seeing 200 ever again.. I was short on water yesterday and had kind of a salty dinner.. so I'm not surprised. Today I am sticking to my fruits and veggies, just because I feel like my body needs them.

I am nursing some injuries today.. and will probably be nursing them until I lose another 20 lbs. My knees have always bothered me... but lately, after running, they swell up to the point where I can't bend them. So I have to say no to running for awhile.. but I'm not letting it get me down. This morning I got on the treadmill and speed walked as best I could. I did 2 miles in 36 minutes. Not too bad.. I figure if I cant do the time, I can double the distance! So, the goal for the next 5 weeks is to speed walk 2 miles at least 4 days a week. I look forward to running again once I lose the next 20 lbs though!

I also did my weight lifting segment after my walk. I still need to do my Forza.. but I have to wait until either the girls are sleeping, or hubby comes home to entertain them while I'm throwing this sword around! LOL I'm telling you, this is such an awesome arm workout.

Another day of cleaning is ahead of me.. so I better get busy! See you tomorrow!

***** Out of Curiosity************

While walking I had many moments when I wanted to give up and get off the treadmill. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of me and hubby at the NFR in 5 weeks. Last year I was bulging out of my fat pants... this year I want to fit into my size 12 Rockies and my Western Lace shirt. We will have a babysitter (thanks mom) watching the kids at the hotel.. so hubby and I will be able to have fun.. and I want to look good this time!!

So... what is keeping you going??

Day 52:197
6.8 miles ran this week.

I Lost 1.5 lbs this week! Not as much as I was hoping for.. but definitely better then another 0! So now I think I can say goodbye to the 200's forever! My goal for next weigh in is 195... and I'm going to work my butt off to get there!

Ok.. so the famouse Forza(meaning "Strength" in Italian) workout was done on Friday night. I just couldn't wait until saturday to try it. It is one hour of lifting and swinging this 2.5 lb sword in different directions. Now, I never once started to breathe hard.. but let me tell you, I was DRENCHED in sweat when I was done. I can feel muscles in my arms that were never there...and I cant lift my arms! LOL Putting on a shirt was near impossible this weekend! I think this is a real good workout to get my flabby arms back in shape. In her book it recommends doing the workout everyday for weightloss.. at least 20 mins of it. So after my run and weight lifting I put in 20 min...my arms feel incredible. I dont think I have ever felt this strong before! I really recommend this to anyone looking for a different and fun way to shape up your upper body!!


From the book Forza, The Samurai Sword Workout by Ilaria Montagnani:

The movements you will preactice in a Forza session contain elements of both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. This is a very powerful combination. Aerobic ("with oxygen") exercise such as jogging, swimming or dancing burns calories from fat. However, it only continues to burn calories while you are exercising, and for it to have a continuing fitness effect you must increase either the speed or the duration of the exercise. Anaerobic ("without oxygen") exercise such as weight lifting burns calories mostly from carbohydrates, but as a side effect it increases your metablolic rate so that during periods of rest the fat burning process speeds up.

In Forza, the aerobic elements of the cuts and footwork operate together with the anaerobic elements of lifting and controlling the sword. To put it simply, it not only burns off fat while you are doing it; it also continues to burn fat after you've finished your workout as you go about the rest of your day, making it an extrememly efficient way of shedding unwanted pounds. A one-hour Forza workout will burn 300-500 calories.

On Saturday night I had a once-a-year-date with my mom. No kids, no hubby.. just us moms. We went to a dinner theatre and saw a comedy called Lovers and Executioners. It was wonderful. The dinner was really good too... the best part were the portion sizes. Just enough to enjoy! I bought tickets for a murder mystery play in two weeks.. I am going to drag my hubby to it for our once-a-year-date!!

I hope you are all being strong.. and happy. Have a great Monday and we'll see y'all tomorrow.


*********CANDY UP-DATE*************

Its in the trash. Thats right, I threw it all away. I told my girls to pick 3 candies that they wanted and then I threw the rest away. They were a little shocked.. but happy they had 3 candies!! LOL So, no more temptation in this house. I may have to get used to saying no.. but in my own house? I will live healthy, my husband will live healthy and my girls will live healthy!!

Day 50:199

Weekend We-View

Reynold Handi-Vac:


Since I have been eating better.. and much smaller portions.. I am finding out that I cook a lot of food! I could probably feed a family of 8 instead of the sweet family of 4 that we are. What do I do with all that food? Well, if I'm not trying to get hubby to eat a second helping, I am putting it in a bowl and letting it sit in the refrigerator, where it does not always get eaten the next day... but, instead, sits for days until I see it again and throw it away. What a waist! So this week I was given the chance to try out this little vacuum sealer. For under $10 you get the vacuum and 3 sealing bags. I have used this three time this week..(that reminds me I need to buy more bags)... and I now have a little stash of leftovers in the freezer. I don't know if this will help me remember to eat leftovers for lunch.. but at least they will give me more then a couple of days to eat them!! In some cases, like steak and roasts, they will last up to a year in these vacuum bags! This is a fantastic addition to my kitchen... and a great way to keep eating small portions without feeling guilty about the leftovers!!

Check out their website for some great ideas like this:

Portion Control

Bake or grill extra chicken breast halves to freeze for portion controlled meals. Simply place one chicken breast half and one cup vegetables in a Reynolds® Handi-Vac™ Vacuum Freezer Bag. Seal bag and remove air with the vacuum sealer. Defrost and reheat for a delicious single-serve meal.

This scores a -10 lbs on my scale!! Awesome

Day 49:199(yahoo...7 weeks!)

Sometimes I wish my hubby wasn't so smart.... and sometimes I wish he wouldn't sit and watch the same TV shows I am watching. Why? Last night when hubby got home I told him to go put the Halloween candy in his truck before he forgot again. He said no. NO??? What do you mean no???.... "Think of it as your temptation. You need to build discipline... like they do it on that Big Loser show you watch"

*Hmph*

So now I am living with a bag of chocolate bars, lollipops and nerds..(haha,get it? nerds) Hubby is getting the cold shoulder.. and I am hating the Biggest Loser right now. I know he is right. I need to learn how to live with temptation.. and not give into it. I did really well yesterday.. and only ate one Jolly Rancher. Amazingly I didn't inhale all the Hershey bars that were in there. So I guess that is a good start.

I ran 1 mile this morning. I was hoping to do 2 miles, but just could not get my energy up this morning. When the 1 mile marker lit up on my tready, I slammed my fist down on the stop button... not even a cool down walk. I did my lower body weight lifting... and then melted into my chair.

Today I will be anxiously waiting for my training swords (they are wood, so no sharp edges!) Tomorrow morning hubby and I plan on getting up...(I will do my run).. and doing the Samurai workout together. I will let you know on Monday how it went!

Day 48:198.5

Halloween was fun... and short. I guess that is the plus side of having toddlers. We went out at 6pm and we were back home by 7pm watching the Ultimate Fighter while the kids (and myself) munched on candy. Yes, I indulged.. but not too badly. I had a bag of chocolate covered raisins and a lollipop. Just those two things made me sick for the rest of the night. Ick.





I had a great idea of putting the candy in Hubbys truck so that it wasn't in the house all day.. but the kids could still have a treat at night when daddy got home... BUT... hubby forgot the bag, so now it is jammed in the farthest corner of the top of the refrigerator.. out of site out of mind, right?

I ran 2 miles this morning... mostly out of guilt for last night. I did my upper body weight training... and a small ab workout. I feel good about it all... but am so tired today. Oh!! My Forza dvd arrived yesterday.. the swords are coming UPS tomorrow.. so Saturday will be our first day of Samurai Sword training!! I am super excited.

OH!! and another thing... October is over, which means it was time to take my measurements again.. the results:

Sept: 41 / 38.5 / 43
Oct: 40.5 / 37 / 42 = for a total of 3 inches lost in October!