No Loss, No Gain

So, I've been staying pretty much steady minus a pound up or down. It could just be water weight changing that. Anyway, I did pretty good yesterday. I got stressed (stress eater here) from my 4 year old at the store who would not listen to a thing I asked her to do. She was quite energetic. So, I told her to pick a candy out and we spilt it. That I figured was better than just eating it all by myself.

I have a step counter that I've tried to use most days. One day I walked 7000+ steps. Not bad in my opinion. When the crazy weather makes up it's mind that it's Spring, I will be going on walks much more often.

I'm staying steady. I'm really hoping that this coming month is the month that I finally get up strength and willpower to do what I should be doing and NOT do what I shouldn't be doing.

My husband thought about making rice crispy's the other day and I said "Nope. You want rice crispy treats, buy a box and leave it in your car." If I can't have complete power over my cravings and snacking, I don't want it in the house.

Which reminds me, I bought some Doritos and Wheat Thins for myself. Just myself. I hid them in my craft stuff. I have done really well at just eating a few for a snack. I realized that sometimes when they are where everyone eats them, I tend to eat them like crazy. I know they will be gone soon, and I NEED to eat some if I want some. So hiding my own snacks, I take it easy, because I KNOW they will still be there if I only eat a few crackers or a small handful of chips. Crazy how our minds think sometimes.

Okay, this post is all over the place. But that's my update. Hopefully the next update I give I can be jumping for joy for losing a pound or two.

Wow!

I actually didn't eat as much today as I have been eating before. I have consumed more fruits and veggies. These are very small things, but baby steps are better than sitting on the couch doing nothing.

"One day at a time...One day at a time...One day at a time" {BTW, this is me talking to myself and I thought you would enjoy listening in.;) }

Psoas I was Saying ...

I posted the other day about the injuries I sustained in a car accident. I'm very happy to report that everything is on the mend and Candace and I are both becoming more functional every day. Functioning is good. I like to function.

The residual pain I do have is found here, in the Psoas muscle (pronounced "so as," hence the silly pun in the title of this blog):

It attaches to the spine in the back, and then loops around and attaches to the leg in the front. It's the muscle that stabilizes your trunk when you sit, and it's also the muscle that raises and lowers your leg when you walk.

Because of the way I was sitting in the car, angled slightly to the left, that muscle took the impact and kept me from flying into the door. I'm grateful for that - believe me. Whacking into the door would have been the last thing I needed. What this means, though, is that walking isn't good for me. I went to the grocery store the other day and was dragging my little leg behind me half the time, not unlike Little Bo Peep's sheep, who dragged their tails behind them. I also can't do sit-ups, and sitting in a chair hurts after a while, because of the way the trunk needs to be stabilized.

So, there's the update on me. I'm pretty much stuck as far as exercise goes. I'm contemplating getting back on the diet train even though the exercise train isn't leaving the station for a while ... I'll have to let you know how that goes.

Tell the Wagon to Come Back and Get me!

Yes, I keep falling off of the wagon and I don't like it. I am chalking much of my problem (this time) on the intense stress I have felt the past two months. I have been wondering if I would have a teaching job next year. This is my 2nd year teaching in the Jordan School District. As most of you know, 1st and 2nd year teachers in my district, were basically told we may not have a job next year. We all found out last week that we will have jobs next year thanks to the work of some awesome legislators.

This leaves me still...well...still fat. I cringe as I type those words, but the mirror and camera do not lie. More importantly I ache and I know that none of this is helping my high blood pressure or cholesterol levels. So, I decided that the HCG thing had not worked for me because of how restrictive it is. I tried it and it did not work for me. I know that this program can work, just look at how terrific Melissa C. looks!! I have thought out what has worked for me in the past. It came down to:

#1 Exercising every day for 30-40 minutes.

#2 Eating a well balanced diet with all food groups, huge emphasis on fruits and veggies.

#3 Cutting down my portion size on all foods.

#4 Following, my own way, Weight Watchers points, where I don't attend meetings.


When I chose to follow these 4 things I lost 45 pounds. I kept it off for almost two years until all of the messy things started happening in my life and I found myself a full-time, single working Mom.

I do have one obstacle that has been plaguing me. My right knee has been hurting so much as I do "normal" things such as walking up and down stairs or after sitting too long. Yes, I feel very old. I have been trying to decide how to exercise without injuring my knee any further. I am going into the Dr. next week to have it looked at. I hope that surgery is not going to be the answer to get rid of my knee pain. I am hoping that this will not stop me as I set out, once again, to start taking this weight off. I know I can do it, as I have done it before. This time the wagon is not leaving without me.

The Best Laid Plans ...

I just have to laugh at life sometimes.

About a week and a half ago, Brent posted that he'd lost his oomph and asked for help getting motivated again. I responded to his post with a challenge. He's about twenty pounds heavier than me, and at the rate he's going, he'll be lighter than me in no time at all. I challenged him to work hard to get below my weight, and my counter-challenge to myself is to start losing and to keep Brent from catching up to me. I knew that was a pretty tough challenge (for me) when I issued it - Brent has been 100% more dedicated than I have been, and he's lost a ton of weight to show for it. Me ... not so much. My weight on the sidebar will show how much I've slacked off. I hoped this challenge would be good for both of us.

Well, I got serious. I picked up an MP3 player, told my husband I was going walking every day ... and was in a car accident. That wasn't part of the weight loss plan.

Yep, last Tuesday on the way to the Valor Book Launch Party, Candace and I were in a car accident. It's one of those things where we're so grateful for our blessings - we both have concussions and aches and pains - but it could have been so much worse. Impact one second later would have killed Candace and possibly me as well. I can't complain about hurting (well, I can, but you know what I mean) when I know how blessed we are.

The problem is, though, I can't get in there and really exercise for a while, and my body is such that I can't lose weight unless I'm eating right *and* exercising. One without the other is ineffective.

So, Brent, you're going to pull way ahead of me. I have plans to catch up, but I don't know how long I'll be unable to exercise. But ... as soon as I can ... the game is on!!

Pounds- Revisited

So, here we are. I am so not enjoying the last couple of months. School and work have been busy and stressful, home life? even worse.  And to top it all off, I keep losing and gaining the same 3 pounds.  Over and over and.... you get the idea.

So tired of it.

So trying not to be discouraged about it.

So ready to be done with it.

Good news is, the other day I actually wanted to run on the treadmill instead of wasting time.

That's a start, isn't it?

Weight loss success Story

Saw this news article on KSL.com. Great story about weight loss.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=10071766

Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me!

Another good day. I chose to eat a healthy lunch even though I did not want to and I went for a three mile walk even though I did not feel like it. I guess having mind-over-matter constitutes a good day. It’s funny that two days ago I was calling my “homerun shot” at the weigh-in, and today turned out to be a real struggle. I had an early morning meeting in Orem and an afternoon meeting in Sandy so I’d pretty much figured on skipping my exercise today, but somehow I pulled it off.
Tomorrow night and Saturday is scout camp. I think I’ve got my meals figured out and I should get in a pretty good hike. Remember that I’ll be posting my weight tomorrow directly on my blog an on our Facebook group “A quest for a better, healthier life.” Be sure to check it out. I hope it turns out good but if it’s true what they say, and stress really does make it hard to lose weight, I may be in big trouble! Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me!

As quick as I think that, I get humbled.

I’ve managed to make it through an entire St. Patty’s day without wearing green and without getting pinched. That’s the sign of a man who needs to get out more. I did go for a nice run though. I’m still a little buggered-up from the Tooele 5k but I felt better today than yesterday.
Last night we played volley ball with the scouts. We had a great time and I hardly broke a sweat. It’s nice to feel a little of the old athleticism coming back and it was nice not to need a shower after the slightest physical activity.
Tonight for dinner I’m making a low-cal version of a traditional St. Patty’s Day feast. Anyone up for some corned-beef and cabbage? Just come on over. I’ve made just enough for a small contingency of leprechauns, so there should be plenty.
I wanted to say thanks to all of you who noticed I was struggling these past few days and send me encouraging comments, emails, and even phone calls. Every once in a while I get fooled into thinking that getting healthy is going to be easy for me but as quick as I think that, I get humbled. Thanks for helping me along.

I’m back in the game, baby!!!

It’s soon time to simplify the way I post my blog. Right now, I’m posting the same information to four different places. I’ll continue to post that way until Friday’s weigh-in. At that time, I’ll be posting only on my blog and our Facebook group page. The reason for the change is not only to avoid redundancy, but to also make reporting my progress and receiving your feedback a bit easier. It will also allow me to use my personal Facebook page for posting non-weight-loss related entries.

Okay, if there isn’t any other “ward business” I’ll move on to my regular entry. I was back in the health-game for the second day in the road. A great run, proper eating, and an excited attitude are the fruits of my day’s labor. For lunch I ate one of those new salads from Wendy’s. I’m sure it had too much sodium and who knows what else, but it also had a ton of dark green and purple kinds of shrubbery, which I’m told have more nutrition than plain ol’ iceberg lettuce. There were lots of apple chunks, pecans, and other good stuff to. The dressing was some kind of strange vinaigrette variety but the tangy flavor really grew on me after a few bites.

Now that I’m back on track, I’m feeling a bit cocky. Not since Babe Ruth in the 1935 World Series has an athlete called his homerun shot but I am calling mine. This Friday’s weigh-in is going “over the fence!” I’m back in the game, baby!!!

We Got a Blog Award!

Natasha and Lee over at This 'N That just gave us this award for being honest bloggers and wearing our hearts on our sleeves:
That's pretty cool, eh?

We're supposed to pass it along to a few other bloggers we feel are also very forthright. Suggestions? You guys pick 'em.

A Quick Explanation

Hi guys,

I've gone ahead and enabled comment moderation - it's taking too long to hunt down all the stray spambots and delete them. I'm online all day and it shouldn't take me too long to get everything moderated.

Thanks!

Its time I got rejuvenated but how do I do it?

It’s hard to understand what’s gotten into me these days, blog-wise. I’m not sure if my haphazard hiatus is due to the blog possibly losing its magic or if I am getting the feeling you all are board with my plight…so why write or if I’m just a natural-born slacker and have been casually blowing off something very important and inspirational for no good reason at all. As far as you all being board, why wouldn’t you be? Here I am supposed to be this great weight-loss champion and I’ve managed to lose only a pound or two over the last three or four weeks. Heck, if I were you, I’d be board out of my gourd over this thing. It needs a shot in the arm! I need a shot in the arm!
I did run today. That was good. I ate properly as well. Maybe I’m on my way again, maybe you’re still with me??? It seems my time and efforts these days are spread awfully thin between too many great projects. Perhaps I’ve got too many irons in the fire and in an effort to keep all of them glowing to a useful red-hot; I’m inadvertently rotating some of them into cooler places amongst the coals. The truth is, everything I am working on is important, but my quest for a better, healthier life needs to be among my first priorities. Without my health, I won’t be doing any of my other projects much good at all now would I?
How about those of you in the weight-loss trenches with me? Are you still on board? Have you too hit a plateau? Can we work together and motivate each other again like we did when the blog was new? Its time I got rejuvenated but how do I do it? Any advice?

Before and After

by Rebecca Talley

I've been a bit MIA lately. I've been working really hard on my manuscript, trying to keep up with other writing projects, prepare for the Storymaker conference, and take care of my family and house. Anyway, we took the family to CA for vacation last week and I thought I'd post before and after pics from the beach. The first photo is from the last time we went to the beach in August 2008. The next one is from last week. I'm still trying to lose that last 10 lbs and going on vacation doesn't help. But, I'm happy that I've kept off the 25+ pounds. I'm not sure I'll ever get the last 10 off . . . .

Weight Loss? What's That?

Okay so here I am checking in. Not much to tell you because first off I haven't done very much. I've been kicking along this past week being good sometimes, being a little bad sometimes, and my weight hasn't changed at all. I think that 176 was a fluke because the day before and the day after I was 178 and have not changed. The one good thing I have to report is I am now on day 15 of my push up challenge. My arms are starting to feel it. I keep getting worried that I will have to split my push ups in half, because each day I feel like the last one for that day is going to kill me, but then the next day comes and I am able to do just one more. Unfortunately that is the only exercise I have been regular at. I still do squats while brushing teeth and doing the dishes, and leg lifts while I am doing homework, but no cardio. I need to get started on that so I can be in good enough shape for when I go to Germany. I don't want to be hiking and huffing and puffing at the same time. 57 days to go, guess I better get started! So here is to another week. I have a New Moon Party to go to on Saturday so that will be my treat night. I think it is easier if I know which night I am going to want to cheat so that I can be especially good the rest of the nights in the week.

Gearing Up ...

My in-laws sent me a gift certificate for my birthday,and I decided to use it for an MP3 player. I picked it up the other night and I really like it, although it did take me a little while to figure out how to turn it off. :) I'm going to be using it while I walk on the track. Now the trick is, finding time to go walk on the track.

I wish it was safer for women to just go walking whenever and wherever they wanted. My husband goes jogging pretty much any time of the day or night, but a woman has to be more careful. I think it would make exercise a lot easier if safety/muggers/big scary dogs weren't an issue.

What a race! So there I was, milling around with the other runners at the starting line and I soon got the feeling that everyone was talking in low v

What a race! So there I was, milling around with the other runners at the starting line and I soon got the feeling that everyone was talking in low voices about little ol’ me. It turns out that in every race there is a “man-to-beat.” It also turns out that at this particular race, I, yours truly, was that man…but not for the usual reasons. In most cases, the man-to-beat is the fastest and most well-trained athlete at the event, and beating him/her would mean you were pretty hot stuff yourself. But in my case, the man-to-beat meant no one wanted to lose to “that 300 pound guy”…which like alluded too, puts a huge bulls-eye on my back.

For me personally, I just set a goal to beat all of the runners who showed up in Levis. There were around ten and I lumbered past eight of them by the time the finish line was behind me.

All in all, the race was awesome. Of course the race promoters lied about the whole thing being downhill…I should have known. Most of the upward sloops I handled okay, but the last one, a real steep sucker by any 300 pounder’s standards, was a real bear, and if my favorite sister-in-law would not have been there pushing me on, I’m not sure if I’d of made it up without walking. I mean, I’d like to think I’d of motored on up, but I really can’t say. I was closer to sheer exhaustion on that hill than I’ve been in years and years. Thanks, Sue, for keeping me vertical in those final moments! Oh, and I’m sad that your waiting to motivate your less-speedy bro-in-law will mean your name and finish-time will be posted in the Tooele Transcript Bulletin with less than the illustrious time that you truly deserve. Sorry Sis…but thanks again. You’re the best!

Some good, some bad

Yesterday was an awful day. I didn't do well with my eating. I felt ornery half the day and just didn't care.

But today, I felt good. I choose to eat better and even went on a walk.

It's amazing how the right amount of sleep can make you feel so much better. That and when your kids are helpful and get along.

My secrets

Get this. I started adding a couple teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to my crystal light every morning. They say it's a healthy addition to your diet. Like grapefruit, apc burns fat.

Well, I finished the hcg diet three weeks ago as you know, and you're not supposed to let yourself get above 2 pounds of your final weight on shot day. Well, I was there, almost above, so I decided to cut out all starch and sugar and keep taking my acv and see what happened and mind you, I'm still eating a TON!

The first day, I lost a pound and a half. This morning when I weighed myself, I'd lost another pound. I'm back to 145 exactly this morning. Cool, eh? I'm tempted to keep going, and see what happens. hee hee (just to see, you know?)

Also, I have a terrible sweet tooth, so I bought some sugar free chocolates from the store to curb that craving. They taste great and really hit the spot, but you need to be careful, because they are sweetened with sugar alcohol instead of regular sugar and if you eat too many, they'll give you diarrhea! But at least your body doesn't digest it like regular sugar.

I also keep track of every thing I eat at fitday. Check it out. It surprised me how much I was REALLY eating! Anyway, these are my secrets and I'm working out almost every day. I feel so good. Now, if only my damn hormones would join the show.

Resist! Resist!

By Christine

Yesterday I was great except for 3 homemade cookies. But TODAY I'm doing great. Perfect through lunch. Cross fingers.

Checkin' in

It has been a while since I've stopped in, so I wanted to let you all know how I'm doing. I'm doing great! Well, that's it then. See you!

Ha ha ha. Just kidding.

I am doing well, though. I'm maintaining at 146 and I feel so good. I've started running again and that feels good too. For a long time I wasn't been able to run because of my foot. I seem to have found the right insole and now I have no pain. That's a first...in five years! I also have a weight-set in my family room so I run on the treadmill while it's cold out and then do weights. After that, I do yoga to stretch out. Every day is better and better and I feel stronger and stronger.

I'm still watching how I eat which is much better since finishing the hcg diet. I've really learned how to eat and cook food in a healthy way. That is not to say I don't fudge once in a while. I still love baked food, fatty food and movie popcorn, but I eat that stuff less and less often. hee hee.

Anyway, that's it in a nut shell. Just plugging away, excited to see you all at the conference in April.

One Perfect Day

By Christine

I did it. For the first day in FOREVER I had a perfect day when it came to eating. I'm doing protein shakes, fresh veggies and an apple and soup. It was great. I feel great and I'm going for it tomorrow.

Actually the day wasn't perfect because I'm going to bed at almost midnight... but it was pretty close. Yeah.

Today Show Segment

I was watching the Today Show this morning and saw a segment about S.O.S dieting dilemmas. I thought I'd share the video for everyone. The part that I listened the best to was at about 1:40. It was a question about "how to not feel hungry right after I've finished eating?"

I like how they explained to seperate yourself from the meal and get yourself involved in something else. It's one of those things that is simple and make sense, but it takes awhile to really understand.

Anyway, here is the link if you are wanting to see it.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/35777923#35777923 .

As for me, I think I've lost a pound. Hard to tell with water weight. But earlier last week the scale was around 197-198. Yesterday it was 195. Now I just need to keep it up. That's the hard part.

UPDATE: I just danced around for 20 mins. Yay! That counts as exercise. And the last 10 mins I had to dance with the 20 pound baby or she could have a fit on the floor. So hopefully that made it even more beneficial.

Put on happy upbeat music and dance. Whatever makes works.

Push Ups Again

So I failed horribly at my February Push Up Challenge. I think I did two days. I was so embarrassed that I didn't ask anyone else if they did it. Did you? Good for you. As for me. I took March to restart and so I am up to 8 push ups as of yesterday. My arms are starting to feel it. So I hope to continue. Oh and I lost another pound so I am at 176! So In addition to water this week I am pushing it up, at least just a little. Hopefully those flabby arms will be waving Goodbye sooner than later!

Tristi's Check-In

Today is my birthday. Yep, I'm now a rip-roarin' 34. It's always weird to assign a number to myself - I've never felt my age, and there's no reason to start now, right?

Birthdays are times of fun and celebration, but I always really struggle emotionally on my birthdays. I always feel like something should have happened that didn't. I also spend time analyzing my life, whether I really want to or not - it just sort of happens.

Yeah, I'm going to get all introspective again - sorry about that.

All the areas in my life bring me a combination of joy and stress. I love my life - I really do. I'm so in love with my family, and my writing career is going well and promises to do a little better in future, and I love my job. Really, I'm so blessed in so many ways. But each of those blessings comes along with a certain amount of stress, and I realized something interesting today.

My dad dealt with his stress by locking himself away, either physically or emotionally. He read, or did crossword puzzles, or anything else he could to pull himself out of reality.

My mom dealt with her stress by ranting and raving.

These are the two examples I had growing up. Both my parents have come a long way since then (not in time to save their marriage, which ended when I was 13) but growing up, I never saw positive examples of how to deal with stress. So what do I do? I rant and rave, and then I withdraw from the world.

I was thinking about that tonight. Why don't I deal with my stress more positively? And it occurred to me - I honestly don't have any idea how. I mean, I know all the positive attitude mantras and I know that we're supposed to keep an eternal perspective, etc, but that's mental knowledge, not the deep, spiritual knowledge you need to have in order to do something. And so I run around like a rat in my little maze, trying to cope with the stress but not really getting how to. And that will be my goal for the next year of my life - learning how to really let go of the stress and to only take upon myself the worries that I can do something about, and rather than thinking of them as worries, thinking of them as challenges.

So, on to my report.

I have not exercised in a couple of weeks.

I have not eaten properly in a couple of weeks.

I have not weighed myself in a couple of weeks.

In addition to not knowing how to control my stress, I'm really struggling with controlling my schedule. I'm on the run all day long, and I can't seem to get a handle on everything to the point to where I can say, "I shall now exercise," and make it come to pass. And I know this isn't an excuse, but rather as a funny - my Wii isn't working, my VCR broke (no Richard Simmons) and I took my kids to walk on the track and it started to snow. Outdoor track, see. The cosmos is against me!! :)

I don't really have a point for this post except to let you all know that I'm still alive, and to tell you all how proud I am of you. I'm thinking things through and trying to come to some conclusions about my life and why I am the way I am. Most importantly, I'm trying to think of ways to become the person I want to be. I know it can only happen through faith and determination, and I have plenty of both, but I need to focus it on me, and that has always been a problem for me.

So. That was kind of depressing, for a birthday blog. Sorry about that. But tomorrow will be a better day - I'm going to see to it.

I was at the end of a very long and pitiful rope...

Long day. Out of gas. Did a short jog, a light supper, and am looking forward to an early bedtime. Bought some light-weight running shoes on my way home from SLC today…but I have a feeling they won’t handle the load so I am going to take them back tomorrow and snag a sturdier pair. I’m excited about the big race in Tooele. I’m pretty sure this won’t be the most popular race in the world, but for the few of you who have signed on, I promise that we’ll make it a good one.

For those of you who are new, I’m going to do a repost of my first blog entry tomorrow morning. Let me just say that making that first post was a significant event for me. I was at the end of a very long and pitiful rope and the idea of starting a weight-loss blog just sort of leaped out at me as I was praying for a way to retake control of my health. Now, looking back, posting was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done, but at the time, I was scared to death about what you all would think of me…a grown man going online, flaunting his weaknesses to the world. You can imagine my elation when the flow of support, well wishes, and eventually, comrades-in-arms all came forth in wonderful ways that I could never have expected. Thanks again for tuning in. Thanks for adding to my motivation and thanks to all of those who have joined alongside me in a quest for a better, healthier life.

What have I got myself into??

So, I hired a personal trainer last week. I'm only meeting with her twice a month because it's pretty expensive. But she'll be outlining a program for me to follow the rest of the time with specific workouts and stuff. The other thing about this deal is that she'll have access to check everything I'm eating every day. *Gulp* - It's really kept me on track this week and I've already lost 5 pounds!

The way I'm tracking my food is with an iPhone app called LiveStrong. You record all your food intake and exercise and it calculates up how many calories you are over or under your budget. I'm not a big believer in the calorie-in / calorie-out mindset - I think there are a lot of other factors that go into it. But regardless, keeping track of it and knowing you're going to have to record everything you eat keeps me eating less, and especially eating less JUNK. So it's still very helpful.

It links up with an online account on The Daily Plate, which you can use separately if you don't have an iPhone, but the phone is what makes it convenient to record every meal. And my trainer has access to my account. It's one thing to record your eating, but it's another thing entirely to record it knowing someone else is going to look you in the eye afterward.

I haven't been doing well on the Leptin diet. I want to give it another go, because I think there might really be something to it. But for now, I'm content with just eating well and exercising. With the trainer to push me and to design my program for me and show me what to do, I'm really confident that I'll see some good results over the next few months as I get ready for my triathlon.

I was an irresponsible dip-smack!

Nothing like good ol’ fast Sunday to help you recover from a belated birthday party at Texas Roadhouse. As a family, we went there last night to celebrate mine and two other birthdays. I was reminiscing as I ordered my meal how the old me once bellied up to the Road House menu and actually ordered and ½ rack appetizer, a full rack of ribs for my meal, and then added yet another ½ rack as a “kicker”. How insane is that? Our server came back from posting my order and informed us that the chef (who was a regional chef, not some local yokel) said I was the first in franchise history to place such an order. At the time, I wore the honor like a badge, but now…wow! I see that I was an irresponsible dip-smack for doing that to myself! Two massive racks of ribs, plus the two side dishes and several rolls...for ONE guy! And I was eating like that most every meal. That, my friends is how a man can blimp up to 371 lbs in a hurry. I was constantly eating like a fat beef being primed for slaughter in a Denver feedlot!

Now, the new me, still likes to celebrate with food once in a while and I certainly did last night, we all did…and it WAS fantastic grub. But can I say that as delicious as it all was, this morning I woke up with a grease-hangover that Hollywood might want to make a movie about. I felt so freaking sluggish after taking all that “garbage” into my body that I wondered why I didn’t exhibit at least some self control. But, in truth, I did exhibit self control when compared to the old me and that in and of itself is cause to celebrate.

Curse You, you sweet little girl scouts! And your cookies too!

Do I really need to say more? I was doing good this week until my husband came home from his business trip with boxes of Thin Mints, Samoans, and Short Breads that he bought form the cute little girl scouts in front of the Walmart he stopped at while n Minnesota. There is something about Thin Mints that is damaging to my taste buds. Once I try one, I just can't seem to stop until they are all gone. So don't go changing my weight yet, because I bet I gained last weeks pound back and some! Oh well, they are gone now. I just hope I don't get any knocks on my door, and can steer clear of stores until the cookie season comes to a close!

Another great race opportunity!

Here is another great race opportunity. This one is a fundraiser for the Tooele Track Team. Registration begins at 7:30 and the race starts at 8:30. The runners will be shuttled from the park up to a local canyon where we will run down. As in...the entire course is down-hill. Sounds like a great opportu...nity for anyone but especially for those of us amateurs. Down-hill will feel pretty great to me. The cost for the race and T-shirt is only $15 and all proceeds go to the Track team.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO COME AND I WILL GET YOU LINNED OUT ON REGISTRATION! SEE YOU THERE! The race is on March 13th.


The cost is only $15 and that includes a T-shirt. All proceeds go to the track team.

I'm Back

By Christine

Within the next six weeks I'm moving, my son is coming home from his mission, I'm giving a major presentation and I'm turning 50. I've totally let all thoughts of my growing midsection fly out the window during this time of unemployment and stress, but now that my hubby is back among the employed, maybe its time for me to try again to pull my act together and really work on this.

I'm going to weigh in on Monday and start my road. I'm sure the last months have added another ten pounds to my figure and its time to work on this. I'm always better with short-term goals.

I'm hoping to work on improved behaviors from now until my birthday on April fifteenth (my birthday.) I'll hone down the details tomorrow but any suggestions would be great.

Weekly Weigh In

How does life get so crazy? I finished my detox last night, if nothing else it sure made me feel better. This morning I weighed in at 177.5 so that is down 11 pounds since New Years. It is hard because on one hand I would love to just lose the weight really quick, but on the other hand, I just want to make this a lifestyle and so I find myself avoiding extreme things that I know I will never be able to stick to. I think the detox was good in helping me realize I don't drink enough water, so this week will be devoted to bringing the amount of water I drink up. Good Luck to everyone on their weight loss.

In case you forgot…its FRIDAY! Time for the weekly weigh-in!

I love dogs as much as the next guy—well maybe not as much…or for the same reasons as some Tongans, but I do really really like dogs. Except when I’m out for a leisurely jog about town and some killer k-9 recently off his Prozac charges onto the street in hot pursuit of what his dog-brain interprets as a fleeting felon! I mean, sure an attacking dog always helps you pick up the ol’ pace a little, but that only lasts until the toothy pooch become close enough to get nasty. Then…you have to stop exercising (which is the sucky part!), turn around with your chest puffed out and your shoulders cocked back and try to let the dumb dog know that things are about to get incredibly serious…which by the way, is exactly what you’re afraid will happen! I’m a pretty tough guy, but honestly, who wants to get bit by a dog? All gaping flesh wounds and bloodshed aside, the whole incident would just be an embarrassing fiasco. A fiasco that could simply be avoided if folks would just care enough about their neighbors…and their 4-legged body guards to fence the critters in.
Anyhoo—that’s enough said about inconsiderate, uncaring, selfish, thoughtless, insensitive, and uncharitable neighbors with over-protective, ultra-territorial, disobedient dogs.
In case you forgot…its FRIDAY! Time for the weekly weigh-in!
The good news is, I’m out of the 300’s…again (*sigh*). My current weight is 298.8. That’s still a smidge up from two weeks ago, but it 5 lbs less than last week. Holy freaking hurrah!
I’ve got to tell you guys that I am really getting a positive charge out of this new Facebook group. To add so many new folks to our weight-loss watching ranks is very inspiring. Take today for example. It’s stinking cold out! We’re talkin’ freshly fallen snow, icy pavement, pothole puddles…the whole kit & kaboodle of wintertime obstacles, but still, I went running despite it all because of your being there! Your following my progress makes me motivated.
Now, I know I’ve celebrated being in the 200’s before, and I swore I’d never see the 3’s again, but this time I am so done with the 3’s! No way! Now how am I going back there…as long as I have your support. Let’s be motivated together!

Excited about the next year of my life!

Not to draw any more attention to myself than I usually do…but if you didn’t already know…today is my 39th birthday! And what a terrific birthday it has been. I spent the entire day hanging out at my favorite building in the world. It was a grand opportunity for service, pondering, prayer, and goal setting. I figured if I’m turning 40 next year (gasp!), I’d better get off my can and make some specific goals for myself. I mean, who wants to turn 40 and realized you’re no better off than you were at 39? Not me!

The other very cool development is that I finally figured out how to launch a Facebook group about my quest for a better, healthier life. It has been so killer to see how many of you have already joined. I think it’s like up to 80 members in the first 12 hours. That’s excellent! If you haven’t had a chance, look it up next time you’re kicking around on FB and join…then invite your friends to join. Just do a FB search for “a quest for a better, healthier life,” and you’ll find it. I’ve posted a bunch of pictures from the race and will add some before-and-after pictures soon.

I’m excited about the FB page because it is an easier way to post pictures, web links, recipes, and any other info that might inspire us to get healthier, but I’m even more excited about the next year of my life! How cool will it be to turn 40 and be in better shape than I was at 30 or maybe even 25? Answer: DANG FREAKING COOL!

Thanks again for your endless support and well-wishes, and thanks for joining us on Facebook. See you there soon!

Not quite going.

Well, I haven't actually gotten going on the weight loss yet. My mind is all for it, my body is not. Luckily I have 3 little ones and keep busy just enough to not gain weight. If I just took the extra time to eat a little less and exercise a little more, I know I'd see a change. Easier said than done though.

Still off caffeine - 7 weeks now. (Yay!) Hardly drinking any soda pop. My problem area is snacking in the evening. I think I'm just relieving all my stress and worry from throughout the day. I did ask my husband to nicely remind me that I am trying to lose weight if he sees me snacking too much. He did offer to make me popcorn last night as a snack.

I did put on some Happy Music today and have been dancing around with the kids some. I figure any movement is good movement. I'm really excited about the warmer weather coming. The other day when it was high 40's I took the girls out on a mile walk. It felt good to be outside moving.

Oh, and I decided to do monthly goals. Last two months was get off caffeine and most soda drinks. This month - no deep fried foods. I can pan fry in a little oil, but nothing deep fried. This will limit my fast food eating, which is good. If I really want something fast food, I will have to choose the grilled option. Or have a taco or something.

Okay, so that's my update. No weight loss, but no weight gain.

Please, please, PLEASE do like that lady today!

BOOM! The blog strikes again! Today I made a quick trip to the local Nebo Market for some grindage. I had a short list of healthy items in my cart, including a case of navel oranges, a package of all-white buzzard meat, and some whole wheat pasta. While I was trolling the dairy section, looking for cottage cheese, I noticed a woman (who shall remain nameless because I am never sure about mentioning people’s names on the internet) walking towards me. I reached out and snagged the low-fat mini-curd and turned to see that the lady was standing next to me. She said she is following my blog and she was proud of me for making such good food choices. I was so thankful to her for saying something because every time someone does, it makes me tickled-pink for one, and extra motivated for two.
I was thinking the other day about how I almost never by candy these days. And it’s a good thing too, because I never know who’s watching. If I had to guess, I’d say the old me bought some kind of candy at least 20 times per month, and when I say candy, I mean CANDY! Whopping portions! Movie sized candy bars, family packs of mini Snickers! Everything I bought was always in a full week’s supply—a week’s supply that I managed to consume in a few hours. How things have changed, how glad I was that my shopping cart was not loaded with high fructose corn syrup today.
Now, you’ll notice above I said that I “hardly ever” buy candy, but I never say (said) never. As you know, I still have my week moments and planned leaps off the weight-loss wagon, but by in large, I am a very different man these days.
Thanks a gazillion for your help and inspiration and please please PLEASE do like that lady today, and ask me how things are going. It means more to me than you could possibly know.

Then it hit me...

Today I had to lug about 100 lbs of sugar down to the storage room in the basement. The sugar bags were in two plastic tubs weighing about 50 lbs each. It was a pretty hefty load to be packing down that many stairs but the cool thing was…the job was a cinch for me now that I am in better shape. The old me would have paid some kid that was skateboarding down the street to come and do my manual labor, but not the new me. Now I just take life by the horns.
Like I said, the job was easy enough, but I would not want to pack those tubs around all day or anything. Then it hit me! The crazy thing is…those tubes weigh the same amount as all the fat that I’ve lost so far. In reality, I WAS carrying those huge tubes around with me all day. WOW! What an eye-opening experience! How did I even function? How am I functioning now with the 50 or 75 pounds that I have left to lose? It’s crazy how the weight can just slowly stack up on you in a way that you hardly notice.
I had a good run today…and a good nap, and now I feel as if I’m ready for just about any task that comes along…maybe even tonight’s scouting activity!

A Milestone

Way back in September, I blogged about my wedding ring. I haven't been able to wear it for a few years now because it is too tight, so I've been wearing cheap cubic zirconium rings from Walmart. One of my goals was to be able to wear my real ring again. I finally tried it on again yesterday, to see if I was making any progress. It slipped right on. I accomplished one of my milestone goals! I would post a picture, but I have yet to figure out how to get the picture from the digital camera to the computer. I know it involves a cord.

I am so glad I decided to go back to the Weight Watchers points system. It goes a step beyond just recording everything I eat and assigns a value. I have to weigh and measure everything and read labels to check serving size, calories, fat, and fiber. It's almost a game, discovering the combinations that give me the most food for the least amount of points. I have to make conscious food choices, rather than just grab whatever looks good.

I can also splurge if I want to. If I want a chocolate truffle candy bar once in a while, I can have one. But I know that it's going to cost me 8 points. When you have a budget of 22 points a day, you have to decide if that 8 points is worth it. Some days it is, some days it is not.

Just to put those 8 points in perspective, I could have 1 egg (2 pts.) fried with 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil (2 pts.), 1/2 cup oatmeal (1 pt.), 1/2 cup skim milk (1 pt.), and two mandarin oranges (1 point) for breakfast for a total of 7 points. Or I could have 1 oz. string cheese (2 pts.), 7 Triscuit reduced fat crackers (2 pts.), and 1 cup V8 Fusion Light (1 pt.) as a snack for a total of 5 points.

The system takes eating off of automatic pilot and brings it up to a conscious level, which is huge for me. I am learning to make better food choices in the real world.

What a great aunt!

The blog saves the day…again! Today I had a big meeting in Orem with the BSA. By the time it was over, I was pretty near starved right to death, and I figured since I had to go to American Fork anyway, I may as well sample the exotic cuisine of the Far East while I was there. As in The China Town Buffet! DANGER! DANGER! Just about then, my aunt (a blog follower) called and invited me over to their place for lunch. “And don’t worry,” she said. “We’ll have something healthy for you.” Well, that was all I needed to get through a tough temptation. When I got to their house in AF she had a nice plate of raw veggies and some glazed chicken all ready to eat. What a great aunt!

Kick off

I am in a big hurry this morning- work and all that. For some reason the carpool and the boss like me to be on time. Go figure.

But I did want to share this with you. Starting today I am going to be doing a version of this program.

They didn't post this week's menu until late last night and I go to the grocery store on Saturday, so I am having to improvise with what was already planned this week and then I will be a week behind in the kick start. I also am not sure how much of it I can get my kids to eat , but I will be able to incorporate some of it.

A little at a time. Baby steps. What ever, I will be healthier and happier and skinnier!