Macular Degeneration Risk is Reduced in Adults With High Intakes of Luetin and Zeaxanthin

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a degenerative eye disease that causes damage to the macula (central retina) of the eye, impairing central vision. In a recent large study, participants with the highest intakes of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin had significantly lower risk of AMD compared to those with low intakes.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of vision loss in developed countries. This degenerative eye disease causes damage to the macula (central retina) of the eye, impairing central vision. People affected by Age-Related Macular Degeneration have difficulty reading, driving and performing activities that require clear central vision.

A report published in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology adds more evidence to support previous research showing that the carotenoids zeaxanthin and lutein are protective against AMD. Dark green leafy vegetables are the primary dietary sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, but they are also found in some other colorful fruits and vegetables. Average dietary intake in the U.S. is only 2 mg/day, far below the 6 mg/day level most studies indicate as a minimum needed to reduce the risk of AMD.

In the current report, members of the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) Research Group evaluated the diets of 4,519 AREDS participants aged 60 to 80 years. Retinal photographs were used to divide the subjects into five categories of macular disease severity, from individuals with little or no evidence of macular degeneration (the control group) to severe, neovascular disease. Dietary questionnaires were analyzed for lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene, lycopene, and other nutrient levels.

Participants whose intake of lutein and zeaxanthin were greatest had a significantly lower risk of AMD than those whose intake was least, and were less likely to have large or extensive intermediate drusen, the deposits on the retina or optic nerve that characterize the disease. No risk reductions were associated with the other nutrients examined in this study.

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Day 25 Weight Loss- January 30, 2010

Day 25

Weight- 223.2 lb.

Food Consumed-  ? Calories
 x2 foot long chicken breast sub from Subway (no sauces), water, yogurt, and milk to go with my protein shake

Workout-
Did some core exercises on my exercise ball.

Supplements taken-
Took some multivitamins in the afternoon.

Overall thoughts-
Wow, I am sore all over. I kinda took a break today, and just did a bit of core exercises on my exercise ball.  Mostly a boring day due to this, nothing really special to note.

[Via http://donmichaels.wordpress.com]

A Morning Followed

I don’t know why I’m avoiding this today.  Maybe because yesterday was such a big cathartic post after a weird evening and a seemingly big fuck-up, today seems a lot less worthy of 500 words.  Scale says I lost weight.  Tomorrow’s when it counts so it doesn’t exactly matter yet. I know sometimes these situations happen where you think you screwed the pooch and your body was just waiting for a little release of pressure and some extra calories to raise the metabolism enough to knock off a pound.  It’s happened oodles of times.  So I’m trying to keep my brain from equating now, vodka and cranberry + giant killer burrito equals magical weight loss.  It doesn’t work that way, darling, else we have a lot more happy, skinny drunks careening through the world, urinary tract infection free.  That’d be a diet I can get behind.

But it doesn’t work that way.   I ate and took a walk and played a game and after I finish this lovely bit of reporting, I’m going to take a hot bath with a book.  It’s the weekend and now that I’ve cooled my jets on this whole WILL I EVER FIND LOVE?! (or just rough sex with Michael Douglas? – a reference it hurts me to write) gordian knot of ridiculi that I bind myself up with whenever anything remotely social happens to me, I’m kind of ready to just be in process for a while.  I’m ready just to watch paint dry, grass grow, eggs cook for a few days and do my exercise and basically chill about eeee eeee I’ll lose this weight and presto-change-o, life will really start for me.  Last night totally made me come to grips with that.  Just because your body isn’t immediately worth of ridicule, doesn’t immediately teach you how to handle what responses you do get.

My mother, whom I love more than there are stars in the sky times grains of sand on the shore, but whom I naturally complain about because familial love always comes with a fetid stripe of over-familiarity was hugging me and commenting on how she could tell a difference.  11 pounds and suddenly, she’s squeezing me and I pull away, shrieking and weirded-out by the attention.

Now mind you, I have been prancing around in front of the mirror trying to note every infinitesimal tightening and shrinkage and development in how my clothes fit since I started this.  The day of.  For someone that has serious trouble looking at her own face after washing her hands, actively avoids doing so, this is almost becoming too much.  But I know how much there is left to go.   We aren’t over some big peak and it’s all downhill from here.  She starts telling me that she knows that when I get close to my goal, I go back the other way.  That she’s noticed this.  I overdramatically inform her that I am aware of  this.  She says she just wants me to keep going.  I feel strange that I agree and I don’t feel like it’s worthwhile to once again pretend that I don’t.

All of this is to say, she said “You’ve got to stop acting like being touched hurts you.”  Or something.  I’m paraphrasing.  But I got the general gist. And it’s true.  I am so physically withdrawn that fingers on my flesh, as much as I crave that feeling, it also leaves me very nervous.  I don’t know why.  I know tears welled up when she said it.   It feels like everything’s gotta happen at once for anything to get fixed.  If you don’t want to be touched because you don’t like your body, if as you’re kind of liking yourself more and more or at least disliking yourself less and less, how do you teach yourself to respond the way you want to respond?

This has ended up in a weird area with a rhetorical question I’m not all that interested in having random (but lovely, good-intentioned) people on the internet answer.

[Via http://lustrata.wordpress.com]

Defying Logic

This morning was my weekly weigh-in, and I was a little hesitant to jump on the scales.  This week kept me busy at work (and this week unfortunately includes this weekend as I’m still working on a project at home today with a Monday deadline), and my schedule was thrown off for a few days.  Instead of brown-baggin’ it like I usually do, I ended up having lunch in the little cafe, and I use that term loosely, in my building.  The pre-packaged sandwiches there are somewhat akin to gas station fare or the ones you find in those little carousel automat machines in hospital corridors and basements of college libraries, but they got me through the day.  And then I got home too late and exhausted to jump on the treadmill on one of the days I was scheduled for it this week.  Finally, to top off a week that felt totally out of balance for me, I had dinner with a friend at a wine bar last night and had a glass of red wine called Layer Cake Primitivo.  Get out.  When the server brought us a splash of this featured wine and told us it was called layer cake, I couldn’t resist – it subbed for my dessert and made me feel like I was cheating.

Which brings me back to the scales this morning…  I was not looking forward to it.  But lo and behold, I got on, fully prepared to to begin my old ritual of nose-blowing and hanging off toes to shave off a half pound.  And then I looked down – 4.5 pounds lost this week!  Say what?  I rubbed my eyes, convinced that glass of Layer Cake was more potent than I though, but there it was – 4.5 pounds down, for a total of 37.5 pounds lost now.  I stepped off and on the scale three more times just to verify, and there it was, in all its digitally displayed beauty – a great loss for the week.  I looked back over my food records, and I hadn’t done as badly as I thought.  Handling a busy week at work and still losing weight defies logic in my old fat guy mind – more evidence that I really am reconstructing thirty.

[Via http://reconstructingthirty.wordpress.com]

Double Frustration

Oh my god, people! Fuck this shit! I am still weighing in at 176.0. Not a fraction more or less. I’m starting to wonder if my scale is broken or in need of batteries, because it seems almost impossible that I could stay EXACTLY the same weight for over a week with zero fluctuations. For the record I do weigh myself first thing in the morning, naked, so there is no room for error there.

I’m at the point of wondering if I should tweak my program, but I’m hesistant to make this more confusing. I could bring my calories down (right now I aim for 1800/day) but with the amount of activity I am doing right now (an hour of dog walking, then 5+ hours of incredibly physical home renos EVERYDAY) I think that would just lead to binging after a week or so because I am so exhausted and depleted. I know from past experiences that I can maintain very low calorie diets… until I can’t and it yo-yos way too far in the other direction.

With my health problems I cannot bring my level of activity up much, either. I am already too sore to bend over to blow dry my hair in the morning.  Yesterday, I went to flip my hair forward and my legs almost collapsed. My doctor keeps telling me “moderate exercise… build up slowly” but these renos need to be done, like, yesterday and my partner works far too much to do them in my stead.

So… back on the horse! Better luck tomorrow, I guess. On the upside I am going food shopping today, which I haven’t had the time or energy to do for awhile, so there will be more protein-y options that don’t involve eating frozen salmon every. damn. day.

[Via http://11less.wordpress.com]

"You Don't *Look* Like You Weigh That Much"

Ever heard this line before?

I used to hear it all the time when I was heavy; it always made me feel better about myself … like “yea, I’m heavy, but I can carry my weight well.”

Or maybe, thanks to my mom’s guidance during my teenage years, I just knew how to dress to accentuate the “positives” of my heavier, hour-glass frame (a small waist, relatively flat tummy) and dampen the “negative” (broad hips and thick thighs).

When I lost weight, my figure changed pretty dramatically.

Yes, I was still curvy, but there wasn’t nearly as big a difference between my hips and waist like there used to be  — and now, since gaining a little weight over the past few years, this lack of difference has made me feel particularly “thick.”

Once again, I feel self-conscious about my weight. Though I was always a former daily weigher, I just ignored the scale during the holidays this year, and knew I had to have gained. I’ve been trying to focus on just living … and didn’t want to get tied to a machine.

So naturally, I was DREADING having to get on the scale today (at my husband’s company’s annual wellness assessment) for the first time since late November.

I weighed in at home in the morning to prepare myself mentally, and yes, there was a small, manageable gain — likely a combination of my monthly guest arriving in the next few days, coupled with a week of travel and more food/wine than I needed … but the important thing to note is that I wasn’t too concerned. Which is, in and of itself, progress.

But I digress.

Anyway, it’s been a long time since I’ve made any public comments about my weight. But after the nurse pricked my finger to do the bloodwork, it was time to step on the scale, and I was blabbering and anxious.

Truth be told, I was hoping not to have to get weighed there (in clothes and all) and told her that I’d just weighed in that morning for Weight Watchers.  So she asked what the number had been. I told her, and also noted how I was pretty bummed to have let myself gain back some of the weight I’d initially lost in 2004.

As I was talking, she looked at me, eyed me up and down, and said, “Wow, you don’t look like you weigh that much. I would have guessed a lot less.”

Once again, there was that line. This time it didn’t bother me so much, but it still always makes me question myself, wondering.

She suggested I step on their scale and, with their standard 3-lb deduction for clothes, it was actually a smidge less than what my home scale said.

But what stuck with me (besides my cholesterol being so good ) was “you don’t look like you weigh that much.” I know I’m more than a number and all that, but seeing it spelled out that way — I know I have work to do. And I feel calm about it, serene even. I know what to do, and I just need to do it.

There’s no time like the present.

How about you? Has anyone ever said something similar to you? Did you take it as a compliment or an insult?

[Via http://talesofadisorderedeater.org]

Meet the manager before joining the club

It may be true that a highly motivated person can work out well even at a club managed by his or her worst enemy. But most of us are not like that. We all know that our dues are in part paying for his or her salary.

Liking a club owner or manager may sound trivial to the dedicated athlete. He or she will say that at best these folks pay the club’s bills in a timely fashion, thereby insuring that doors will stay open. Beyond that they are little relevance.

If we were all as single-minded as an Olympic champion, this might very well be all that we would need to care about. But few of us are  at that point. Consequently, the feelings we have toward the club’s decision-maker is of utmost importance.

Liking this individual can be crucial. By liking, it assumed that there is a general respect for his or her attitudes and inclinations toward the both the members and staff. These become evidenced in his or her daily actions when at the club and also in the staff when they are not present.

Disliking what club owners or managers are all about creates an unhealthy set of feelings. Few of us thrive on such antipathy. Those of us who do are most often eventually cut off from further relating even to members like ourselves. That can cause one to lose interest in the daily attendance which is needed for workout success.

Perhaps the single most important question to ask about this person is over whether they care about the club members actually improving at their fitness routines. That is far different than only caring about the number of advance paid memberships.

We all go through up and downs when maintaining a regular fitness lifestyle. As a result we need all of the help we can get to stay on course. A large part of that comes from having a good feeling toward person who pays the club’s bills.

Perhaps the best way to say it is that we are all better off around others who rely on us more for our improvements than for our monthly dues payment. Knowing that others care about our success makes it far easier to make to the club that day when it seems just to hard or do that one more repetition or to even make it there in the first place.

[Via http://4everfitness.wordpress.com]

Day 22 Weight Loss- January 27, 2010

Day 22

Weight- 223.3 lb.

Food Consumed-  ? Calories
 x2 foot long chicken breast sub from Subway (no sauces), water, yogurt, and milk to go with my protein shake

Workout-
Did some core exercises on my exercise ball. Did an hour of cardio on a “gazelle”. Today was biceps and legs at the gym.

Supplements taken-
Took some multivitamins in the afternoon. Had a protein shake.

Overall thoughts-
Fun times at the gym. I started off doing dumbell curls for biceps. I got to my last set, in a semi-amusing sequence that was as follows:
12 Reps of 20 lbs.
10 Reps of 25 lbs.
…4 Reps of 30 lbs….on my right arm…ZERO on my left…gave up and tried to do 25..couldn’t… went back to the start
12 Reps of 20 lbs.

At this point I was a little confused. I was literally unable to get that weight up using my left arm at all, no matter how hard I tried. The only thing I can think that would have made my arm so tired was the relatively short breaks between my sets (I have tried to speed things up based on everyone’s feedback). I was surprised, because it was the first workout of the day, and my 3rd set…and I was unable to get that weight up (last week with longer sets, I think I was able to do 2 reps on my left arm). I figured my right arm would be stronger since it is my dominant one, but I didn’t think it would be that dramatically different. I hope I don’t end up with a beast right arm, and a small left one lol. Fortunately I finished out the day after that relatively a bit higher then normal in terms of repetitions (which means I may have to increase weight soon!). My buddy is insisting we go to the gym again tomorrow, and work on a single muscle…don’t know if that is a good idea…it would be pretty brutal without off-muscle exercises in between my workouts.

[Via http://donmichaels.wordpress.com]

A return to greatness! (part II)

Let me be clear, I am not completely anti-Obama, nor was I completely pro-Bush. I support some things that Obama has promised and I will be happily impressed if he follows through. I also was very deeply disappointed with much of what Bush did with his time in office. I am a registered independent, though I do tend to lean to the conservative side more often than I do the liberal/progressive side. I do definitely have some very “liberal” views, I mean hell, I work at a titty bar, that’s not exactly in line with the religious right!

I have to say, as I remarked on my Facebook wall, I could not help but to be greatly distracted from Obama’s State of The Union address by Nancy Pelosi’s various facial contortions during the entirety of his speech! I know it should not cause such a passionate outrage, but it does. Someone should seriously rethink the camera angle at the White House. Over an hour, and yes I am still listening to the S.O.T.U. address, I just hope that some, and I mean some, of what he is saying is actually done. I wonder how many understand that many of his promises are promising a “change” to socialism?

Okay, now it is finally over…

I am going to start the rest of this off by saying, I, by no means, feel that I have any of or all the answers. I know what I think we should do, but, I am not sure exactly how to go about putting into action these ideas, nor do I even know if it is even possible when it comes to some of my ideas. I do believe, however, that we have the ability to turn all of this around. I mean, really, people have the ability to do wondrous things when they really try! We, as the consumers we are, should buy only American made (made in America) products and services whenever possible. We need to try to get the factories to be opened in America instead of farming all production and services out to other countries. I would love to call a tech support or customer service line and know that I will be speaking to someone who has English as their native language and that they are in a call center or home somewhere in the United States!

Government needs to give tax incentives for businesses to stay here and to move here. We need to support local industry. We need to have towns that live off of any number of mills and factories as in years past. I am from a small New Hampshire town that was really centered around a textile mill that made sail material amongst its chief products. There are similar towns all over America, I know we’ve all heard the stories and seen the movies and t.v. shows. Some small town falls to poverty and despair when the local factory lets everyone go and closes down due to “big business” killing them by undercutting etc… It is true and very sad that we have let this happen. Small mom and pop shops continue to close due to the price slashing of larger corporations such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot etc… Small town America has all but died and it is small town America that is what we need so bad, both financially and emotionally. Along with the closure of the small businesses came the loss of hopes, dreams, and aspirations of generations that will not continue with their family’s businesses.

I don’t know how much longer we can remain divided over everything and just end up treading water and really never getting anywhere. We need to remember the sense of unity we had in the face of the horror of 9/11. I remember, even in the darkest hour that I have ever known in my life, I had a welling of great hope and optimism within me that maybe the unity would join us for the long-haul and we could really progress as a nation, as a people. But, soon, the pain began to dull and the unity began to wane, and we started falling back into old habits and obsessions. We need to realize that united we stand… yeah, I know it’s cliché, but, it’s so true. Our collective spirit and overall good nature can really make a difference if we let it. We need to come together and make our world a better place, but, we need to start at home. We cannot continue our actions that have put us in such a compromising position. PERIOD! We cannot be allowed to fall any further than we have!

I am quite tired and need to get to bed… I hope you are all well and I hope to get some feedback on the last couple post, just as anything I write, I am totally open to your opinion.

Thanks to all of you for your continued love and support.
As always, take care and remember…

Every day is a chance to turn it all around!

- Kenny

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Basics on Calories

Balancing the calories you use through physical activity with the calories you eat will help you achieve your desired weight

a) When you eat more calories than you need to perform your day’s activities, your body stores the extra calories and you gain weight

b) When you eat fewer calories than you use, your body uses the stored calories and you lose weight.

c) When you eat the same amount of calories as your body uses, your weight stays the same.

[Via http://shareitfitness.wordpress.com]

Fitness After P90X - Days 22-28

Day 22 (Monday)….completed a 50-minute circuit (3 times through) with our Personal Trainer, upper body and core.  In the zone 96% of the time, 146 average heart rate and burned 681 calories.

Day 23 (Tuesday)….sorry kids, I was sick today, but I’ll make up for it tomorrow.

Day 24 (Wednesday)….as promised, I crushed it today.  We completed a 65-minute cardio. circuit (10 times through) with our Personal Trainer.  In the zone 98.7%, 151 average heart rate and burned 939 calories.  I also completed a 20-minute upper body weight lifting circuit (3 times through).  In the zone 96.4% of the time, 133 average heart rate and burned 231 calories.

Day 25 (Thursday)….completed 45 minutes on the treadmill with Lana.  3.4 MPH at a 12.0% incline, 2.41 miles.  In the zone 98.8%, 146 average heart rate and burned 556 calories.

Day 26 (Friday)….It was a busy morning at the gym today.  We’re traveling to my daughter’s cheer competition tomorrow (in Phoenix), so we had to load-up on the workouts today.    We completed a 53-minute circuit (3 times through) with our Personal Trainer, entire body workout.  In the zone 92.7% of the time, 145 average heart rate and burned 698 calories.  I also completed a 16-minute upper body weight lifting circuit (3 times through).  In the zone 87.6%, 129 average heart rate and burned 165 calories.  ALSO completed 43 minutes on the treadmill with Lana.  3.4 MPH at a 10.75% (average) incline, 2.39 miles. In the zone 99.8% of the time, 155 average heart rate and burned 608 calories.

Day 27 (Saturday)…..nothing today, traveling to (and from) Phoenix for my daughter’s cheer competion.

Day 28 (Sunday)…..again, nothing today, football Baby!

[Via http://tscfitness.com]

Glad it's only January

I’m glad that we’re still in January, because so far this year hasn’t been that great.  At least there’s still more than 11 months to go.

Last week, I had a weight gain for the week.  It was the first time I’ve had a gain for the week in over two months.  I don’t know yet what this week’s weigh-in will hold, but right now, I don’t really care, because I caught a cold over the weekend.  It’s always something.

So, staying positive continues to be my biggest challenge.  I have gone to the fitness center several times.  All I’m doing right now is walking on the treadmill, but, I have been able to increase my speed and my time by a little bit since I started.  I’m going to continue to walk this week unless this cold gets really bad.  Hopefully, that won’t happen.

Other than that, I guess I’ll find out on Wednesday whether or not I’m going to have a weight gain two weeks in a row.  I hope not, but I know I’ve gone over my points allotment for the week.  I’ll just have to wait and see.

[Via http://pstarr999.wordpress.com]

Banana Cream Pie Guilt

Steph said I could have a slice of cream pie tonight. And I had ordered baked stuffed shells from Nick and Joe’s for dinner. Obviously the shells are barely admissable on our diet and the banana cream pie was a clear indulgence.

But I felt guilty afterwards. And still do.

I am finding some really interesting feelings and attachments to food surfacing as I walk down this road of weight loss. Why should I feel guilty for eating something even if it is “bad for me?” Now that is not to say that I am going to go back to how I was eating before. But there is definitely something wrong when someone feels guilty over food.

I do not at this time know why I feel this way. Maybe it stems from childhood. Having been denied food I wanted at times and overindulged at others, it was a confusing time for me. My mother liked to control me  and I think this was one of her ways of doing it. I had to ask permission to eat some things. And it was on her whim whether or not I could at that time. I would go to my friend’s houses and they could eat whatever they wanted whenever they wanted to. They didn’t need permission. I found this to be very frustrating and the seeds of my rebellion were planted. Not to say I blame my mother for my present condition and situation. But her need to control me with food certainly contributed. 

Im still not completely clear on this. Hopefully with time it will make more sense to me.

[Via http://habluztel.wordpress.com]

How To Reduce Belly Fat? 3 Top Tips For This Year

Most of us can agree that in order to reach the effect of finally getting a flat stomach, it is absolutely necessary for us to start training and stop watching television. Although we know that diet plays a significant part in cutting down the fats in our body, it will be the training sessions that is going to train our stomach to be flat and fit.

However, most do not know how to go about doing it. Most wasted quite a few months or even years doing that, without even getting rid of any weight. Without knowing the proper methods of getting rid of stomach fat, we could be going in circles and eventually get disheartened in our failed attempts to get a firm abdomen. I know how it feels when the outcome you desire has yet to be achieved.

I have been there and I will be able to teach you what you can do to achieve your goals. Now that you know there are certain stomach training exercises that you should be focusing on, these exercises will be determining what makes the major difference in exactly how lean you look.

Before we discuss about the work outs you will need to do, did you know that quite a number of people in this day and age have excess abdominal fat? If you agree, we should start doing something about it. Like I have said, I have walk the walk and I am aware that the change is feasible because I have achieved it. The upmost issue that most people come to mind is that their fatty tummy is simply unattractive, and they will have a tendency to cover up their tummy from being obvious, and it makes them shy about their body.

And another thing you should know is that junk food alone is not the only main cause of causing belly fats. There are many factors that contribute as well. There are no helpful ways to help you in cutting down stomach fat and getting 6 pack abs on the spot. But here are some ways that may support you to attain a gorgeous, well-toned and trimmed abdomen.

Try out these 3 basic techniques which is easy to follow.

1. The 1st thing you will need to start doing now is to curb your carbohydrate intake. You need to have a healthy and easy diet plan to follow. You should consult a nutritionist about what type of diet to follow to help you make sure that your body will still get the mandatory nutrients.

2. Exercise, exercise and exercise. To keep fit, you should know what are the right exercises for the midsection of your body. A good form of exercise to getting a toned stomach is the curl-ups. For starters, you should do ten curl-ups every morning before breakfast to lose belly fat quickly. Other forms of exercises are also beneficial for the body; you should also consider trying out other exercises as well.

3. You should take note that not all people have the same physique. The methods in reducing tummy fat and getting six pack abs may be different for different folks. So be patient and try to stick to your routine.

To find out more on getting a tone stomach, click on how to reduce belly fat.

[Via http://lotsofarticles.wordpress.com]

Facing Down Addictions, However Sweet

Potentially as addictive as what it resembles here

The good news is that I blogged my way through that longing for ice cream in my last post.

I really didn’t know how that would end. I’d created this blog to create the sort of accountability that joining an Overeaters Anonymous or Weight Watchers group might offer.

I literally wrote my way through it.

The move worked, and I seem to be on the other side of sugar-longing. That’s a good thing, because I’m going to a party this evening, and its hostess makes killer desserts. It’s good to get some distance from sugar.

My closest friend has given up sugar entirely. She’s found that this change has lifted her spirits, reduced her weight by 40 pounds, and aided her in making better nutritional decisions. She’s a year into her move, and it’s really worked for her.

To Jorge Cruise, author of the Belly Fat Cure, excessive sugar and belly fat are inextricably intertwined. When we eat excessive sugars (and Americans, on the average, consume more than 47 teaspoons of sugar each day, both in actual sweets and in processed foods dosed with sugar as flavor enhancers and preservatives), we produce excessive insulin to cope with the additional intake. Increased insulin production, as the primary regulator of fat tissue, will result in  belly fat.  Molecular biologists  who’ve conducted studies cite insulin’s high-profile role in the creation of fat.

Once the fat in our blood becomes locked in our fat cells, they need to be broken down before they can become usable energy. Strangely, insulin fights this breakdown. Both sugars and processed carbs cause a significant increase in insulin levels, leading to fat storage that resists release. Neither fats nor proteins create this sort of impact on insulin levels.

Resisting that ice cream urge the other day helped me to get off the merry-go-round. Whew. I do find that my longings have decreased significantly.

One of the features of Jorge’s book is a big table in the back listing both carb and sugar levels in a variety of foods. I’ve been using the information to strategize my eating all week.  Most importantly, I’m not sitting here with sugar-junkie thoughts, wondering whether or not I can resist the urge to bury my face in a bowl of Edy’s Slow Churned.

It’s a good feeling, this new sense of balance. And I’m four pounds down.

[Via http://lulumaude.wordpress.com]

Notice 10 Top Diet Facts

In modern life of yoga and self-help gurus, “mantra” has become a common phrase. In other words it is a phrase designed to cause a needed action when repeated. So, why can’t dieters use mantras to provoke willpower and concentrate on their diets?

The following list of 10 top diet mantras is not based on the science of sound vibrations, or any mystical, far-eastern philosophy, but instead is a piece of phrases that may be used to not forget and reinforce the causes for dieting in the first place. Even though there is no science or mysticism to the formula of phrases, they might just assist with that ever vital willpower when it’s needed most.

Mantra #1- Fat is not Funny. When you search for that extra piece of bread or “just two” cookies, awake in your mind that you get no humor in being overweight.

Mantra #2- Food is my Friend, Fat is Not. Like any friend, food can wear out its welcome. In measured quantities it is good, but overdo it and it grows annoying.

Mantra #3- If it is Sweet, It is Sugar. You shouldn’t read labels to figure out the sugar in a lot of snacks. Remind yourself that if the reason you like it is because it is sweet there is perhaps sugar in it somewhere.

Mantra #4- My Family, My Friends, My Food. This is to remind you that food should not be used as a comfort. Family and friends must always come first and food is just a necessary distraction.

Mantra #5- Live, Love, Burn Fat. Just like #4, this one is a reminder. While burning the fat is important, don’t forget to live life and spend time with those you love.

Mantra #6- I am a loser. Turn a negative into a positive with this one. In most cases being called a loser is bad, but when dieting we all desire to be losers.

Mantra #7- I guess I can, I think I can… It worked for the Little Engine and it will operate for you. Only remind yourself that it can be done and keep chugging along.

Mantra #8- One pound at a time. The great pyramids were built one block at a time, a long trip is accomplished one step at a time, and your weight loss will occur one pound at a time. Total success will be measured at the end.

Mantra #9- Food does not control me. When those cravings strike remind yourself that food is an inanimate object that does not control you. You control when and how you intake food into your body.

Mantra #10- I can do this! Deep down you learn that you can. It is important to fight the urges to give up or slip from the path. When that urge creeps into your mind, just take it out with a hearty “I can do this!”

Get to know more interesting things about other diets, like 1200 calories diet by clicking here.

[Via http://lotsofarticles.wordpress.com]

Day 17 Weight Loss- January 22, 2010

Day 17

Weight- 224 lb.

Food Consumed-  ? Calories
 x2 foot long chicken breast sub from Subway (no sauces), water, yogurt, some walnuts, and milk to go with my protein shake

Workout-
Did some core exercises on my exercise ball. Did an hour of cardio on a “gazelle”.

Supplements taken-
Took some multivitamins in the morning. Had a protein shake.

Overall thoughts-
Unfortunately missed the gym today, we decided not to go because my workout buddy was only going to be there for like 30 minutes. Our average workout sessions go for about 2 hours, so that would be a fraction of the normal things we do, so we figured it would be more appropriate to just workout Tuesday of next week instead. The gazelle seems to be getting easier, and I don’t think I am getting the greatest cardio workout in the world on it. Still looking for appropriate indoors equipment to make it a lot more convenient. Once I get SOMETHING, I can go with my originally scheduled HIIT days on Tuesdays and Thursdays….fortunately it is getting much warmer outside and I can probably just use the treadmill we have outdoors on those days. I keep running into awful work days where I will be at a customer for like 3-5 hours at a time…I definitely need to invest in a portable food source to bring around with me….today I didn’t have lunch till about 6:00 P.M. (which meant I hadn’t eaten since 9 in the morning) .

[Via http://donmichaels.wordpress.com]

Happy Happy Me!

I met all but one of my goals yesterday! The only one I didn’t accomplish was doing my nails. For exercise I did the Wii – My Fitness Coach. I did 30 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of core training! It kicked my butt!!!! But I LOVED IT!!!!!!

My goals for today are:

1. Exercise for 15 minutes strength training and 30 minutes cardio and Physical Therapy exercises for my knees
2. Eat 3 healthy meals and 3 healthy snacks
3. Do my nails
4. Pick up mid-week groceries at the store
5. Balance Budget
6. Keep up with my daily chores:

• Make bed
• Keep Kitchen Clean
• Quick room pickup’s

I am so proud of myself! I wanted fast food last night but we ate the beef stew I made and it tasted so good and felt so good when I passed up the craving!

I will post the beef stew recipe I made last night later today or tomorrow. Right now I must get ready to go workout!

Have a great day!

Tcee

[Via http://myjourneytoonederland.wordpress.com]

Day 19 - I Knew I Wasn't Crazy...

Holy crap… I’m sick. I woke up this morning feeling like I had inhaled a pound of dust overnight. I had that dry, wheezing hack which makes every cough feel like you are about to rip your throat open. It wasn’t pretty. I went to the walk-in clinic finally after my colleagues at work kicked me out and after a quick check-up, I was told that I have a viral infection which is why I’ve been feeling so crappy the past two weeks and the doc said I also have “early” bronchitis. He wrote me a prescription for a z-pack (is that how it’s written?) and he sent me on my way.

I worked for a few more hours, picked up my prescription and have been on the couch ever since… oh about 4pm. I had a light dinner so I could take my antibiotics and have been suffering with a pounding headache on and off throughout the afternoon. I am hoping to stretch out on the couch, put in a boring DVD and pass out, sleeping throughout the night… fat chance, but we will see.

I called CJ and asked if working out tonight would be such a bad idea and he said even though I feel energetic, the stress of the workout could slow down the respiratory healing and make it worst so he recommended I cool it, which sucks because I’ve been cooling it for so long now. At least I know now that the crappy way I have felt physically over the last 2 weeks wasn’t just mental… I’ve been fighting something in my body and I should have taken care of it sooner. If I feel better by FRI, my plan is to see CJ in the early AM because the thought of not seeing him another week pains me at this point If I still feel like crap, then I will have to wait until next WED to see my buddy again.

At least if I don’t see him for another week, it gives me a second chance to hit that 220lb mark which I was supposed to hit tonight. I woke up at 223lbs still… at least I haven’t gained by not going to the gym. I have been mindful enough to watch my caloric intake throughout all of this. Hoping the antibiotics kick in soon and I am OK. Good thing is… getting treated now should guarantee me being at 100% for next WED so CJ can go back to kicking my ass and getting me back into the routine we have worked so hard to get into… a routine I am sorely missing right now. I feel like I’ve been disappointing not only myself but CJ and everyone else invested in this. CJ has a family and it’s because of me that he doesn’t get home until 9pm every WED night… He’s investing a lot to help me and I don’t want to let him down… as I wipe snot off of my upper lip

I am dizzy… and my head is pounding… so I am going to go pray for a good night’s sleep and see what happens in the AM.

Until next time folks…

[Via http://riguy1980.wordpress.com]

a small setback :(

On January 6th, I was able to bench 85lbs….tonight, I had to dial it back to 80lbs.  On the 6th, I even did 2 reps at 90lbs….I’m wondering why the setback? Is it because I did L&F last night, and coming back after Christmas I was more rested?  I’m wondering if I should be eating more to replenish?  Not sure.  I will try bench again in a few weeks and see where I’m at.

I didn’t get to pushups tonight, so I will be getting to them later.  Do them on my own.

On to Friday!

[Via http://60poundsandcounting.wordpress.com]

This is me.

Hello. My name is Brittany. I am 5′7″ and 230 lbs. Give or take. I haven’t weighed myself in a while because the sadness that overwhelms me when I step on that scale is unreal.

And I’m tired of it.

So, this is me, and this is my spot to start a journey to lose weight. My long term goal is 75 pounds. My short term goal is 30 pounds by mid-April. My first mini-goal? Ten pounds.

I used to be in excellent shape. I was never rail-thin — that has never been my body style. But I was a hard-core soccer player in High School and College, and even though I was sometimes playing six days a week, one one or more teams, I was healthiest around 155. Looking back, I realize how much work it took for me to be there. But, I was happy about how I looked and how I felt. So, my goal is to get back to that weight, or close to it.

At the very least, to a point where I am happier with myself, and my self-esteem isn’t so sucky!

I’m hoping to post regularly on here, as I am hoping to be working out on a regular basis. I have an excellent support group that I am working out with, but talking about it and writing it out always seems to be a good release for me as well. So, expect frequent updates, pictures, goals met and milestones made!

So … here we go!

[Via http://fabulousorbust.wordpress.com]

The Second Time Around And Hopefully Getting It Correct This Time!

When I put up the last post on getting it right, I had no clue how wrong I was.  Wow, all those miscounted carbs and sugars that I could have eaten. Does that mean that box of Krispie Kreme’s (okay, two boxes) in December really didn’t count after all? Not really, they were still a huge overload of sugar. I decided this would be the perfect time to look up those SC numbers I have so avoided (see below).  Wow!!!!

What did I do wrong?

• Overlooking that anything with a carb count of five (5) and under does not count and anything with a sugar gram count of .5 and under does not count.
• Truthfully, I am not going to change the way I count my numbers, simply because I know me too well and the way I do it now creates a cushion for some of those not-exactly moments.
• However, since I am a voice of this program, I need to set the record straight and own up to my mistake. That is the only way I can guide you toward and long the path of healthy eating and living.

See what happens when you share your life with others?

• You actually find out a lot of things about yourself, some good and some not-so-good.
• This past weekend I learned a lot, starting with the fact that I do not make a good patient, especially when it comes to taking me away from my computer.
• I do not sit and do nothing well, in fact it drives me stark raving mad.
• Sitting and watching TV we won’t even go into because most of you reading this must feel the same way since you on are online and not on-TV.
• I do love using a fountain pen and writing by hand, so that is how I filled most of the weekend. I did a lot of editing on the eBook I am working on, only to realized just how close the deadline is.
• That realization sent me into a panic, which means I tensed up again and that good ole’ pinched nerve started screaming, “Yeah, I’m good for another week or so”. I now visualize this nerve guy as looking like one of the Mucinex® critters that has moved in to stay.
• So, to prevent his whole family moving in I am going to make some changes — for now anyway.

This blog is going to become weekly, instead of daily. It will post every Sunday evening by 10 PM.

• Of course, if I come across something during the week that I can’t wait to share, I will post it.
• So if you have not subscribed to receive email notices of new posts, be sure to do so.
• I have also decided to do shorter blogs with links to more information that will be available my web site.
• I want to get a full and informative Blog Roll going, so if there are any blogs you are following that you think our readers may like to view,  please let me know so I can add their link. I found several on the BFC Member site tonight, so tomorrow I will be sending out link request and will get them posted soon as the authorizations come in.
• There are still several of the Costco 100 group as well as the Jorge Cruise Private Coaching group that have put up blogs that I have not located. If you have a blog or know of someone who does, please send me the links.

Last week I had a couple of emails and a comment about the S/C counts on a couple of the posts.

• Wouldn’t you know…I totally forgot about the 5 carb and/or .5 sugar and under rules of the program. Yes, there it is, plain as day on the first line under the second question on the January 12 blog entry.
• I have made the corrections in red for you.
• Thank you aibartlebaugh for commenting on the mistake. As you can see, I recalculated the salad again, but still came up with a different number than you. I used CalorieKing for the amounts. Please know I am not saying this is the only and totally correct answer to this salad.  I would be interested in your number information if you would like to share it. The bottom line is, we all want the lowest numbers possible, so please share with us.
• Thank you Fran for asking about tracking sugar. When I answered you, I forgot to tell you  that anything under .5 grams is not counted.

For our last BFC Coaching Class tonight Jorge had some new information to share. Soon as I get authorization to post it I will, so come back soon – it will be worth it.

And just a couple of fun personal BFC shout outs…

• Marylynn…put that piece of pineapple down, now! I know you are basking the  Hawaiian sun for the next two weeks (FYI-it’s in the 20’s here) and there is pineapple everywhere, but think about this; One 16 oz. pineapple has 89 grams sugar and  119 carbs.  One slice has 16 grams of sugar and 22 carbs. One cup of chunks has 16 grams of sugar and 22 grams of carbs. Have a great time!
• Leslie S...those Krispie Kreme’s you helped me with had 15 grams of sugar and 25 carbs for four (4) pieces.  Wonder how many pieces were in that small box?

I’m glad to be back and I will hopefully see you again soon.

Holly

[Via http://hollyoyler.wordpress.com]

The Diet Plan

When I tried the meal replacement product and their range of supplements, I had no intention of joining in the business plan whatsoever. It was purely for myself.

Even recently, when results are a little obvious, and people starts to enquire and asking me to order for them, I am still doing it just to share a little bit of benefits with people around me. Ordering is too easy anyway – online, and it will be delivered right on your doorstep.

I started off with Usana Nutrimeal and Fibergy to replace my breakfast and lunch every day. For dinner, I take anything I feel like eating, but I cut down tremendously on rice and white bread. Even until now, I take a little bit of rice only when I attend weddings, or when Mr. Hubs crave for beriyani or what-not. I am lucky when at home, he prefers to eat other than rice too, so it’s much easier for me to avoid eating.

Water is important too of course – I consume at least 3 litres of water every day.

A little while after I started on the Nutrimeal and Fibergy, I decided to give their supplements a go. Essentials (AO Pro & Chelated Mineral), Proflavanol, Visionex and Procosa II. I made Mr. Hubs take them too, and now he swears by them. Essentials and Proflavanol is said to help people with PCOS, and it is sort of proven when after about 3 months of taking them, my sister and I got pregnant – with God’s willing too, of course.

I still take Nutrimeal for breakfast and lunch now. Much easier than hunting for healthy food at the office food court! But of course, I take it easy this time. As for the supplements, I’ve substituted Proflavanol, Visionex and Procosa to Biomega and Calcium. Until now, am feeling quite good (except for the fatigue that kicks in late evening) but the sickness is still at bay, and I do hope it will stay this way until the 40th week. Ouh, Mr. Hubs is the one getting sick once in a while actually!

My biggest hope – is not to gain too much this time! Vain, I know!

 

 

p.s. For more info, you can checkout http://www.usana.com.

[Via http://noordinarymomster.wordpress.com]

Getting ready to get this going

If I’m going to make this work, it’s going to be honesty all the way. Including my starting weight. As of Friday, my weight was 230lbs. I’m huge! So, my goal weight is going to be 180. I’ll set a new goal once I reach that point. I bought the wii fit this morning and plan on doing that 5 days per week and the gym 3-4 days per week for at least one hour, preferably 90 minutes. I am going to day to get a measuring tape so I can keep track of my measurements and how many inches I have lost. I will report pounds lost and inches lost each Sunday. Check back for more details and wish me luck.

[Via http://drakeweightlossdiary.wordpress.com]

A secret to long life - for women

We all want to live long, fulfilled lives. Yet most of us, through our daily actions, put unnecessary pressure on our bodies and limit the lifespan we might originally have expected. In this post I will comment on a key factor that might help women to live longer.

The key factor for women! Maintain a healthy weight.

The more weight women gain from the age of 18 until middle age, the less likely they are to enjoy a long and healthy life. This is according to new research published in the British Medical Journal.

Compared with lean women, the results show that being obese in middle age reduces the survival odds by 79%, underscoring the importance of maintaining a healthy weight from early childhood. The study, after adjusting for several factors, found that increased Body Mass Index (BMI) – see my earlier post- at the start of the study was significantly associated with reduced odds of healthy survival. Every one unit  increase of body mass was associated with a 12% REDUCTION in the odds of healthy survival.

Similarly, in comparison with women of stable weight, weight gain since the age of 18 was significantly associated with reduced odds of healthy survival. For every one kilogram increase in weight singe age 18 years, the odds of healthy survival decreased by 5%. This is a staggering finding – an increase in weight for women of 10kgs, after the age of 18, will reduce the odds of healthy survival by a massive 50%.

So come on girls, if you want to live a long and healthy life, get your weight down and regularly measure your BMI and work to get it down below 25. More on this tomorrow.

[Via http://stufish7.wordpress.com]

Liberation Wellness in the Press!

To eat well, eat close to the earth By: KATE FRATTI Bucks County Courier Times

There’s nothing like a little awareness to gum up the works. It’s especially true for me now that I’m revamping my diet.

This week, I made the mistake over breakfast of reading the nutrition panel on a loaf of low-carb whole wheat bread. I did this because it tasted like old straw. I fully expected it would, since everyone knows low-carb is good for us. Still, I was curious about what exactly was making it taste so nasty.

The label indicated that, in addition to delivering no pleasure, the bread also doesn’t deliver much else. No vitamin A, no C, no riboflavin, and just the tiniest, insignificant amounts of thiamin, niacin, iron or folate, whatever that is. So, this particular slice of whole wheat was good for getting a bit of runny poached egg to my face, but I could have done the same with a cardboard box top. The cardboard couldn’t have tasted any worse than the bread, and probably contained more fiber.

Ever since I confessed my diet woes, I’ve been getting e-mails and phone calls not just from fellow dieters – the good dieters and the very bad – but also from fitness experts who want to school me.

The experts’ message? Food is fuel. You can use it for entertainment, for comfort, for nurturing loved ones, but in the end, if that food is not delivering nutrition, you’re not nurturing anyone.

I hate that message, but now I am aware of it.

I’m also aware that some of you are wondering why, with all the important things going on in the world, I’m milking the diet topic.

How could I help milking it this week, once I got word a Newtown Township dairy farm is trying to educate Bucks Countians about nutrition. (Get it? Milk? Dairy? Too cheesy? Forgive me. I’m weak for lack of fatty, salty calories.)

Birchwood Farms will sponsor an event at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the New Life Christian Church in Newtown. It’ll feature New Jersey author and fitness expert Kevin Brown, who, with nutritionist Annette Presley, has penned “The Liberation Diet.”

Promotion for the book claims it “shatters myths to bring a commonsense approach to eating and living.” In addition, the book includes discussions on food additives, fats, carbohydrates, calories, water and salt. The idea is to get readers to “look at how they eat, why they eat and what they eat in a whole new way.”

There’s that pesky awareness theme again.

Brown argues that much of what we’ve been taught about nutrition is a bald-faced lie perpetrated by the prepared food industry. Our focus should be on “real” food. To eat well means to eat close to the Earth, and that doesn’t mean sprawled on a picnic blanket in the grass with a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken and potato salad. Although it’d be a lot cooler if it did.

The answer to America’s weight problem? Locally grown fruits, vegetables, whole grains, raw dairy, wild-caught fish and organically fed cows, chickens and pigs.

What’s Birchwood’s interest in Brown’s approach? The farm has been a raw organic creamery since October 1943, when it was founded by Howard Tierney, who came to Bucks from Connecticut. It’s run today by his grandson, Michael Tierney Jr., who’s still using his grandfather’s recipes.

A lot of the farm’s Web site (www.birchwoodfarmdairy.com) is dedicated to nutrition education. Mike describes the family’s mission this way: “To use our God-given blessings of family, of military service, of compassion and wisdom to continue to help the less fortunate, to promote the dairy industry in a practical and unique fashion, to improve the dairy cow, to research practical unknowns, to educate the public, to lead by example while earning a living.”

At the New Life Christian event, you can sample Birchwood raw milk and dairy and meat products. The certified organic raw products are made from the farm’s own 100-percent grass-fed Jersey cow milk. The organic grass-fed-only Angus beef, pork and veal are “the most nutrient-dense available,” according to Mike.

Cheese samples? Did I hear cheese?

New Life Christian Church is at 4 Freedom Drive. Birchwood Farms is at 428 Brownsburg Road. For more information, call 215-598-8633.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/577/2010/january/15/to-eat-well-eat-close-to-the-earth.html

[Via http://liberationwellnessblog.com]

Hotly Contested Ground

Some of you may remember a brief mention of a man named Phil in a post from last spring when ABS and I did our Leap of Faith.  Phil is this guy who is a friend and mentor to the likes of ABS, Coach and Aaron, which translates to me as…a man whom I can trust.

Last spring when we did the Leap, Phil asked me to email him in 6 months to let him know where I was at.  I did that in the last couple of weeks. Sadly, my email to him was one of frustration and discouragement as I described the last 6 or 7 months of struggle to lose the weight and to move beyond that ever elusive 65 lb mark and on my way to further freedom.   This among other things was discouraging to write about as I had anticipated 6 months ago being able to write that I was so far beyond where I was last spring.  I had anticipated and perhaps naïvely hoped that the Leap of Faith/Trust would have been a cure-all for some things and that things would get easier from that point on.

Not so much the reality here folks.  Phil, whom from here on out I will call Solomon when I refer to him, was kind and gentle and oh so wise in his response to my frustrations.

First, Yes, I am a Christian.  I hope that you all would have picked up on that by now.  I also hope that you will have picked up on that while my faith in Jesus is very important to me, I am not a ‘religious’ person.  Being a Christian, I am aware that there is a spiritual battle that is being played out on earth AND I know who wins in the end.  For that reason, I don’t often acknowledge the evil one’s presence/doings.  I guess I figure that he can mess around all he wants, he is still gonna lose in the end.  I am coming to recognize, that while the outcome of the war is clear, there are many battles along the way that can be lost, but don’t need to be if only I would acknowledge my adversary and fight him head on.  I wonder, how many battles I have lost because I have not acknowledged who I am fighting and fought him with the weapons designed to defeat him.

With that said, it is time to kick some devil butt!  Solomon, ever so kindly reminded me that my battle with my weight is not merely physical, it is spiritual too.  The devil has ‘had’ me for so long in a holding pattern that I began to breakout of in the Fall of 2008 when I started Retelling and all that.  However, the Leap was a huge bit of battle ground.  In essence, I was drawing a line in the sand and taking a stand for Whom I would believe and trust.  I was shaking free of that hold he had on me in a real and tangible way.  It now makes sense that my gain/lose pattern began right around the same time as the leap.  As Solomon said to me in an email, this is “hotly contested ground”.

It makes sense also in the last week as I have come up with my plan for 2010 and the Perfect 10 has come out as well, that suddenly I have the first cold I have had in a year!  A year of not being sick at all and suddenly, Bam!  Of course I would get sick the minute I recognize what is going on and take a very clear stand against it. Trickery!

My gain/loss pattern is no longer discouraging people.  It is flat-out annoying.  Like a fly that buzzes around your ears in the summer time or the swarm of gnats I run through.  Annoying.  Ineffective.  Useless.

This hotly contested ground is MINE.  I am drawing a line in the sand, again, and I am choosing my weapons of warfare carefully.  This is not a physical battle that will be won with diligent use of diet and exercise alone.  This is a spiritual battle and for that I need spiritual weapons.  Weapons of mass destruction Therefore, I choose Trust.  I choose Discipline.  I choose Faith.  I choose Hope. I choose Truth.  For my final weapon of choice, the one that trumps all, I choose The Spirit.

My line is clear. My weapons are ready.  So, bring it on Devil!  You can’t stop me!  You can only hope to contain me!  You can’t defeat me, I have got your worst nightmare on my side. You can only hope to wound me, but for that I have the Great Physician on call to heal me.  So bring it on, I am fired up and ready to fight!  You had me when I wasn’t willing to acknowledge you, but now your day has come, your secret is out.  Bring it on…let’s get this over with.  I am ready to move on to something new…

[Via http://road2beautiful.wordpress.com]

Fatty, Fat, Fat-Fat!

Okay, yes, I’m going to talk about my weight.  No, I’m not actually fat.  But I have gained a pretty pound as of late.  Sorry to be writing about my weight at this time of year.  I know everyone and their dog with a blog is writing about their New Year’s resolution to lose weight and it might start becoming boring and repetitive.  Well, here’s hoping it’s not boring and repetitive yet!

First, you have to understand something about me.  Excessive weight gain is a relatively new phenomenon for me.  I’ve always been naturally lean.  I would say, that for someone my height, I’ve usually been about 10-15 lbs below the average healthy weight mark.  And in high school I was quite visibly skinny.  I tried out for JV basketball in 10th grade and in the middle of a shirts/skins scrimmage (I was a skin) one of my classmates pointed at my chest and exclaimed, “Peter, you can see your heart beating through your chest!”  Sure enough, there it was.

So, by the end of high school and before my mission I had leveled off at about 180 lbs.  In the MTC, I gained 20 lbs.  Over the course of my mission, I gained another 10 lbs, putting me at 210 lbs when I finished.  After my mission I quickly lost 20 lbs and maintained my 190 lb weight for most of college.  There were some moments when I was working out a lot and eating well and I made it up to 200 lbs.  But I could never maintain the weight.  Meanwhile, I could eat pretty much anything I wanted, whenever I wanted and my body maintained a nice equilibrium of about 190-195 lbs.  I thought I had it made.

Then I moved to San Diego.  I don’t know if it was the warm climate, if I was getting less exercise, if I was getting more muscular, or if I was eating a lot worse but by the time I ran my marathon last summer I was pushing 210 lbs.  Not so bad.  Then after my marathon, I developed a temporary distaste for running and exercise in general and that, combined with the onset of the holiday season pushed me to a new high of 231 lbs.  When I weighed myself and saw that number on the scale, part of me died inside (I just wish that part of me had weighed a lot).  And now I, just like so many other people at this time of year, am resolving to lose some weight.  My goal weight is 205-210 lbs.

They say it helps to share your goals with others.  So here it is.  Wish me luck!

[Via http://notquiteamerican.wordpress.com]

Catching up today and tomorrow night...

Well… today was really just a catch up day for all the things I have not gotten to since I started working again. I, as I write this, am really tired and have to get up and work tomorrow. I am not complaining at all… but, being that I didn’t go to the gym as planned today, I am going to get up early and go. Not to mention, I also have a little bit of a get together tomorrow night right after I get off work. I am meeting up with a bunch of friends from high school. You know, all the people I would have liked to see at our class reunion, without the ones I wouldn’t have liked to see.

I am glad to report that the insurance company has decided to remove the additional premium from my policy and continue to cover me based on my “unemployed” status and saying that I don’t use my van to transport equipment for work. Now, as soon as I can save a bit of money, I am going to find another company, preferably a cheaper one, and tell this company to shove it up their ass! I just don’t like the way that they handled the whole situation and I don’t want to give them any more money than I need to!

I did, at last, post another video today, although I did not add it to my video page on my site. I need to get the formatting correct and re-design the page itself. You can view all of my videos at my YouTube channel. I have been seriously considering sitting down to begin writing a book possibly. I have really enjoyed writing these blogs and have been told repeatedly that I should pursue something in this arena. I have always loved writing, so, maybe it’s a new creative outlet for me that I could do something with.

It is with that thought that I leave you. Please let me know if there is any subject, aside from my progress in weight loss, that you would be interested in me discussing.

Thanks to all of you for your continued love and support.
As always, take care and remember…

Every day is a chance to turn it all around!

- Kenny

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The more complex the diet, the more likely you'll quit it

The old adage “Where there’s a will there’s a way,” doesn’t quite apply to diets. Research conducted by cognitive scientists at Indiana University and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development has revealed that the more complicate dieters think their weight-loss plan is, the sooner they are likely to drop the diet (and, as a result, not the pounds). So it’s not only about willpower when it comes to sticking to your diet.

Which doesn’t bode well for my bestie who’s counting out olives and almonds and green veggies for every single snack and meal. (Don’t get me wrong, I’m still rooting for her!)

[Via http://healthandswellness.com]

Lobsterman's Wife

This is building a habit.  I do not particularly feel much up to this blogging business today.  Work was not good.  When I say not good, I don’t mean I got in trouble or yelled at or I screwed something up.  I mean that I revealed yet another layer on this ever-growing onion of I am way in over my head and maybe have been since I got the job four years ago.  And maybe it’s bigger than I know how to deal with.

I would really like to curl up in bed.  I’ve been wanting that since 5:00pm, but this is building a habit and so I ate okay food and did my exercise albeit with a little bit of a grrr on my face and bathtime and here I am to give you my five hundred words.  The question of whether they’re worthy words or interesting words or even strung together in a coherent fashion type of words is fairly out of my hands.

Let’s go somewhere else then, if the here and now is unpalatable (and filled with the sense of woe that can cross oceans and reach land-locked hearts and rock them), let’s go somewhere illusory and soft.  A place where there isn’t any trouble.  Let’s go to this fantasy of  reaching this goal.  In my arms, even now, there’s a feeling of strength that is strange to me.  I wonder what it will be like to know my arms as strong, to see that as a quality for all my limbs and heart and soul as well.  Strong having been through the galvanizing process of making health a habit.  Of strengthening and welding them and folding the magic of change into them.

I wonder about not being surprised in the mirror, about the confidence losing this weight will bring.  I know I have to do the same as I have done with my arms, building them, exercising them, challenging them.  I have to find a way to make myself stronger in that regard as well.  Because I gained this weight, this armor, this blubbery shield for a reason and the best I can tell, it was to protect this weakness I felt inside.  This inept, unattractive, pre-pubescent mess.  Somehow, I have to forgive myself for seeing myself in that light and start changing the internal dialogue.

In this fantasy I’m sharing with you and maybe it’s a fantasy you have, too, unless you’re one of those terribly lucky people who is living their fantasies, I can ask for what I want.  I can refuse what I don’t want.  I can live without fear that there will be the imposition of requests, of desire, of spinning out of control and ending up in dissolution somewhere in the Black Sea crying into my teacups.

In this fantasy, I’m beautiful and the beauty I see in the world runs through my body, instead of breaking around me.

As a wise songwriter once said:  Take comfort wherever you can.

[Via http://lustrata.wordpress.com]

First day back...

Well, today was my first day back at the club, and I have to say that it went really well. I am tired as hell, and I know that I need to get up in the morning to go to the gym. I ended up staying a little late tonight due to the night DJ running about 45 minutes late! It really annoys me when people cannot make it to work on time… I do… it’s not that hard! He said he had a flat tire on the way in, I will give him the benefit of the doubt, shit does happen…

Anyway, this is going to be a really short one today. I, at the end of the shift, was up to 7 entertainers but unfortunately it was really a late start today with customers. But, it is the middle of January, and this time of year typically is a bit slower due to Christmas “sticker shock”… Bills are coming in and people are realizing that they spent money last month. It’ll start to pick up in a week or so, it usually does.

I will certainly have a lot more to write tomorrow, but, I am simply tired and need to go to bed. I will tell you though, I didn’t really get tempted to smoke again, and today was the first day that I have really been around a lot of cigarette smoke. I did have 2 beers today, but, no liquor. I think that it is best not to allow myself to fall into the same old shit. It’ll be cheaper to not drink there anyway.

Thanks to all of you for your continued love and support.
As always, take care and remember…

Every day is a chance to turn it all around!

- Kenny

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"Oatmeal" and toast.

Well, this breakfast isn’t the sweetest or the most cozy or anything. But it is crazy healthy and really a great source of vitamins, protein and energy.

The “oatmeal” is made from 3/4 cups of rolled oats, 1/4 of roasted buckwheat groats, 1 1/2 tbsp of flaxseeds and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Cook in 1 1/4 cups of water.

Then sprinkle some frozen blueberries and sunflower seeds into the mix. You might want to skip the sunflower seeds as that makes the texture of this meal extra seedy.

I served this with a side of buttered whole wheat toast. Again I used real butter but please, veganize it up with margarine.

This recipe is incredibly beneficial to those wanting to lose weight. It is chock full of slow release energy helping control cravings.

And of course no breakfast would be complete without a smoothie.

I just blended a large banana, six large frozen whole strawberries, a blood orange peeled and about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of unfiltered apple juice.

I also added 1 1/2 tbsp of psyllium fiber. This serves two adults or me and my two little boys.

[Via http://theworldismysoyster.wordpress.com]

Jared, the Subway Guy, on weight gain and marraige

This article is from people.com

He famously lost 245 lbs., and now Jared Fogle – a.k.a. Jared the Subway Guy – is ready to gain a wife.

The sandwich chain spokesperson popped the question to his girlfriend of a year, Katie McLaughlin, a teacher, last November.

“She’s been so wonderful and caring. She’s just been the most supportive woman,” says Fogle, who proposed near the campus of Indiana University, the couple’s alma mater. “I couldn’t ask for more.”

McLaughlin, 30, and Fogle, 32, plan to exchange vows this summer. But not before Fogle gets back into shape after letting himself go and gaining more than 40 lbs. last year.

“I look at it as a little bit of a hiccup,” Fogle says of his recent weight gain, which resulted from “not exercising as much as I should have and not paying attention to what I was eating.”

Now back on track with a more disciplined 2,000-calorie-a-day diet that still includes some of his favorite snacks (“Different flavor pretzels are my big thing”), Fogle is also training for a marathon this fall.

“I’m going to look darn good in those wedding pictures!” he says.

This will be the second marriage for Fogle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So my question is, when he goes back to dieting does he still do the Subway diet?  Would you do the Subway diet? If you HAD to follow one diet, which would you choose??

[Via http://skinnyrunner.com]

New skirt!

I was going to make one gigantic post this evening, but decided it would be better to split it up.  I mentioned last night that I sewed a skirt, and now I want to show it off!

I used this well-written tutorial, and I had a fun skirt in under two hours!  Now, I know it’s a bit short, and that’s because I had less of this fabric than I realized.  In fact, that strip of lace is only there to cover the fact that I had to join two fabric panels in order to make this work!  I like the feminine touch, though, so it’s okay.  I wanted to make a skirt that was work-appropriate; however, given its length, this skirt will be left for the weekends!  Although my intention was a high-waisted skirt, I think that once I lose more weight, it will sit further down on my body and possibly be the perfect length.  (Oh, and speaking of the weight loss, I am definitely back on track.  Woohoo!)  Here’s what I wore with it, just to try it out around the house:

I love these shoes.  I’ve worn them about .5 times since I bought them, though.  They wouldn’t be comfortable for work, and they’re definitely not comfortable for shopping.  They are the perfect shoes for getting dressed up and going to dinner, or something.  Maybe I’ll be brave and attempt to wear them for more than an hour sometime soon.  I mean, look at them:

Mmm. Delicious.

They definitely deserve more wear.  The fun little bangles and the blingy ring are compliments of my friend Caroline, so I think of her whenever I wear them, and that always makes me happy. Isn’t that ring lovely and Art Deco-y?

As I said, I’ve been crafting quite a bit lately, and just generally decorating our new house.  I focused on the bathroom this weekend.  For a small, old house, I have an awfully large bathroom, and I’m kind of making it my own personal dressing room.  Thankfully, I have a husband who indulges me, haha.  I hope to get more pictures of the fun little touches I’m adding to our space, but for tonight, I wanted to include my scarf display:

Ooh, colors!

Our bathroom has so many towel racks, so I just decided to make the one right next to the dresser a scarf display.  As you can see, I have a lot of scarves, and I think that 90% of them were probably purchased just within the last year.  I started really loving them, and then finding them everywhere for really cheap (like $1-$5), and so my collection just grew.

I’m trying my best to have my accessories (jewelry, headbands, scarves, etc.) displayed in my dressing area, so that I will actually remember to wear them when I’m putting an outfit together.  I’m terrible about relying on the same few accessories over and over again, while leaving some pieces completely untouched.  Plus, I just think all of that stuff looks pretty when it’s on display.

Well, then.  I think that’s just about it for tonight.  Sleep well!

[Via http://everydayluxuries.wordpress.com]

New BMI = 24.43

TWO milestones this morning:

1. I’ve officially lost 180 lbs
2. I’ve lost another 5% net, so when I get home I get to choose another BUFF to add to my collection.  This was the last official 5% net interval left before goal, although realistically I will probably hit another one in the process of undershooting while stabilizing.

Next milestone in 1.6 lbs when my BMI drops below 24.  I’m in the home stretch.  Goal weight is 4.8 lbs away.  Physics Diet says I’m 8.81 lbs away from goal, and I’m going to consider myself truly “at goal” when my AVERAGE weight is 150.  Have I mentioned that I brought my bathroom scale with me in my suitcase to help me stay on track?  It seems to be working!

A couple of my friends have taken to hanging around me at this conference just to watch the reactions of our other mutual friends.

I’ve developed a fun response when colleagues express awe at this. I say, “if you’re impressed with my weight loss, you should take a closer look at my work!” LOL

Unable to exercise Saturday because when I was finally done with everything and in my gear I found out that all the places around closed at 8pm.  GRR.  Had a little meltdown because I REALLY wanted to exercise, and missed the elliptical in my basement, something awful.  (Unfortunately that does not fit in my suitcase. )

So I adjusted my calories some.   I am LOVING having a calorie tracker on my iPod Touch.  Combined with my little pocket scale, I can eat out and STILL stay on track.

I still managed to go to lunch (very accommodating waitress at Gordon Biersch) and have 45 ml of port wine later, and stayed WITHIN MY CALORIES!

Lunch strategy:

Explained to the waitress up front that I have lost 180 lbs and needed help constructing a salad with just tuna and veggies and she ended up bringing shredded carrots, diced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, diced asparagus, baby greens and sliced seared ahi tuna in separate bowls with balsamic vinegar on the side so I could weigh it all and stick it in my tracker. Final damage? 206 calories. And it was AMAZINGLY GOOD, and I was enjoying lunch with my friends.

After dinner party in the room strategy:

I’d budgeted calories for the 45 ml of port wine I brought, measured it, savored it, and for the rest of the night drank the herbal teas I’d brought with me, using the room’s little coffee maker to supply the hot water. I always had a treat to sip in my hand, could indulge in as many as I wanted, and had a great time laughing and sharing stories with my friends.

[Via http://origamifreak.wordpress.com]

Hollywood weight-loss: Carnie Wilson and her new show "Unplugged"

Carnie Wilson has a new TV show airing Thursday. I saw the clip on Inside Edition last night. I just wanted to give her a hug.  She apparently wants to lose the baby weight. She’s also got a bakery she’s trying to open. Ok, so let’s see – having a baby and owning a bakery shoppe when you have issues with food. There are definitely people that do both and are fine. Kudos. But for someone who hasn’t dealt with the emotional issues behind her food, I would say baby and bakery are like toxic explosion!  I mean think about it! Could you have a better excuse to eat emotionally? How many pregnant hormonal emotional eating women do you know that don’t give themselves a license to eat a whole box of donuts if they want it?? And how many emotional eaters do you know who can walk into a bakery (let alone own it), and fill up their emotional tank with sugary goodness?!!????

I mean of course she has gained the weight back! That ain’t her fault!  If Carnie had 1) dealt with her emotional issues before she got the surgery or in conjunction with it, 2) found out she was an addict, she would have probably not been doing this show. Many people who get gastric are addicts. The instances of alcohol abuse and weight-gain are rising. So far I’ve only heard of no sugar or alcohol as part of their new eating plan but that’s like telling someone who is going on a diet they can’t have a drink or chocolate. If they were educated about the link between their potential addiction to sugar/alcohol, there may be less instances of weight-gain and alcoholism in gastric patients. I’ve heard the emotional recovery has gotten more robust, so that may be good but I’m still researching how different places do it.

In case you are wondering, I’m not a researcher, nor have I had gastric. But I have a network of friends who have.  I also have the same mind as someone whose had it and suffers from food addiction because I’m an addict. How do I know it? Because I know I’m powerless over certain foods, and eating behaviors. So here is poor Carnie trying to lose the weight again, without this knowledge. It’s so hard to make peace with food without this knowledge. It’s not alcohol. We need it to function every day. But no one needs to suffer in an abusive relationship with food. You can be powerless over certain foods but you don’t have to give them power.

So, I’m going to watch Carnie’s show. I hope she’s got someone to help her get to the root of her eating issues so she can let them go.

[Via http://reachcorewellness.wordpress.com]

Finding a reason to run

A few weeks from now, I had a grand plan to reveal that I had another reason for giving this goal to get in shape a go. But, life, it seems, didn’t want to play along. In early December, my wife and I were overjoyed to find out that she was pregnant. Just yesterday, we learned that we had lost the baby. 

With the thoughts that someday soon, I would have a child to be responsible for; to be an example for; to mold into an upstanding human being. To get in shape was something I needed to do in order to carry out these tasks. Running would be my way of getting off on the right foot (pun intended).

So while my reasoning had good intentions; I now need to find another reason to run. After our discovery, all I really wanted to do was find comfort in the embrace of my wife, cutting myself off from the outside world, and continuously questioning why something like this happened to us. Yet, as easy as that is in practice, it’s much more important to reach out to those around you for support. And it seems that running, just might be my new support system.

While walking the dog earlier today, I realized that I tend to get a lot of thinking done on these walks and during my runs this past week.  Surprisingly, I’ve also found a great deal of support through this blog, even before our world was turned upside down. Several people have come forward to offer encouraging words for my efforts, and some have gone so far as to offer their time to be a training partner at some point. There has even been discussion to start a running group through the church.  One offer of encouragement and support came from my sister. At first, I was hesitant to consider the offer as I’m only just beginning my re-birth as a runner. But, through some prodding, it sounds like I will be joining my sister and brother-in-law in an attempt to do the Disney half-marathon in 2011. And I’m still hesitant today, as I think about the current weather conditions in Florida (more on that later) and the fact that this year’s run is this weekend. I can only hope that I don’t have to contend with similar weather next year.

For now, the best thing to move forward is to literally put one foot in front of the other towards my goal. Besides, I’m already reaping the benefits of a supportive running community and it’s much cheaper than therapy!

On a much lighter note, I’ve started on a ten-week program, outlined in the New York Road Runners Club book, designed for beginners to do a 5k. And this first week, has been pretty easy.  Just 3 days of alternately jogging/ walking for 100 yards until I’ve completed one mile, with a day of rest in between each run. I still haven’t ventured outside the confines of the apartment complex, so the only difficulty was guess-timating the 100 yard distance. That… and the ridiculously frigid temperatures. I was all gung-ho this week to get started, figuring that these runs seemed easy enough and that I could knock them out in 3 consecutive days and speed up this monotonous process. So on my first day of cooler temperatures, I went out for a run about 3 pm, figuring that the temperature would be a little warmer then. As I started, I anticipated a little burn in the legs, but what I got was a burning sensation in the lungs, as I sucked in the cold air! And it only got colder each day! I’m beginning to think it takes a sadistic mentality to run when the thermometer dips below 50 degrees.

I don’t intend to make this blog a fan site dedicated to the Biggest Loser, but I do have a few thoughts about Tuesday night’s season 9 premiere. This is their largest cast to date. The largest team, the brown team, is twin brothers from the Orlando area. At the weigh-in, both brothers lost 23 lbs. individually. Yet, that wasn’t enough to avoid the dreaded “yellow line”.  In the end, James, the twin who was already suffering from a knee injury he sustained playing high school football, was sent home.  James, who happens to be the same age as me, went home, where over the course of 2 months, he lost an additional 77 lbs., for a total weight loss of 100 lbs. Even more impressive, he has a goal of weighing in at 240 lbs. at the finale. That’s what I weigh now!  And he initially weighed in at over 480 lbs, when he started the show! If that is doable, then certainly a guy like me can make the effort to lace up and go for a run in the hopes of losing some weight. 

Even though I didn’t start this journey out looking for some form of motivation, I think I’ve now got more than a few reasons to run and put a little pep in each step.

[Via http://mattscot.wordpress.com]

Grocery List Week 2

Here is this weeks grocery list.  Much smaller than last weeks, as we only do the BIG shopping trip every 2-3 weeks.  The smaller trips are mainly for things I forgot the previous week, perishables or missing ingredients for the next weeks menu.  Hope these help you get some new ideas!

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend!

Tata for now,

Scale Warfare

[Via http://adauntingtaleofscalewarfare.com]

Put Some FUN in Your Training in 2010!

By Phil Stevens via Staleytraining.com

As the old saying goes; All work and no play makes Phil unhappy, injured, unmotivated and downright discombobulated. Make 2010 the year you make a pact to above all bring fun back into your life, back into your training and nutrition. Fun or more so the lack of effects your life as it pertains to training in more ways then you know.

For start let’s look at simple choices people make on exercising. If you have had the joy to go and see Charles speak at the Your Work Out Sucks seminar, or more recently viewed the videos of one such seminar we hosted on Youtube you’d get this message point blank. One thing I, we, preach is training above All should be enjoyed. You should love it and look forward to it. Athletes view call training practice not the more negative exercise. If what you are doing is not FUN. If you lack motivation, your training doesn’t leave you with a passion and something to strive for change. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

I would urge you first to find an activity or sport your thoroughly enjoy. Something you have a passion for. Then once you have that in turn gear your training to it. If you love Olympic curling great play that its sport it is exercise. So is tennis, ping pong, flag football, hiking rock climbing, and many, many more. Then you can gear your training. Your gym time and the way you eat to become better at what you enjoy.

The gym, training, it should enhance and better your life and sport, not detract from it. Don’t let training be an Achilles heel, find a form and activity you enjoy and make it a pact this year to train for YOU. At what YOU want for the reasons and the physique you want and get joy out of NOT at or toward something others say you should want. If you don’t have or desire to have a six pack, or to be huge and powerful and lift ginormous loads and be a mass of humanity Fine that’s great. ID that. You need to train and live for you. Until you do you aren’t living, you are existing and living for others. Find what you love, have fun at, and enjoy. Aim your training around that. Find others and find a coach open minded enough, and smart enough to help you with YOUR goals for you, not their goals for you. Once you do that you’ll be amazed at how all the other stuff falls into place. This in itself will make training more fun.

Like Dan John so eloquently explains when he speaks of his football players. Some of the hardest and best work they do is when he purposely lets them PLAY. Once a week he will have them break up into teams and they will play a game. Maybe its kick ball, or soccer or ultimate Frisbee. It’s something besides their sport, and is seen by them as play. Once in action thought you see it time and time again the players are going balls out, sprinting faster, running longer and harder then when lined up and forced to in practice, all the while they are laughing. Why because they are having fun. He broke the monotony of their practice that in time can be seen as work up, and added a new element of fun.

Training SHOULD be Fun. You can and should laugh, and have a good time while you are also busting your butt to get the results you want. Its shouldn’t be more stress and discomfort then enjoyment. Go watch some kids run around and play on a play ground. Running like chickens with their heads cut off not a care in the world, going up ladders down stairs over monkey bars up a tree, through a pipe and over a wall. They are in reality, and literally, training their butts off, but they are having fun and don’t view it as exercise. You need to find an activity that’s makes you do the same. If it’s not power lifting fine, that’s normal it’s not for everyone. Find what does and no matter what it is, I assure you some type of resistance training can be used to better it even if it’s one day a week. However, instead of dreading it you’ll enjoy that as it is part of and to better something you love.

Nutrition is the same way. I’ll save a detailed discussion but there are too many diets out there and they ALL work. If you are getting results but hate your diet, find a new one, keep looking until you find one you can live with and enjoy.

So…Want Even MORE Strength, Muscle-Building and Fat Loss Info, Just Like This?

…and get a FREE copy of “The Unnatural Athlete” ($29.95 value!), Charles Staley’s most politically-incorrect views on training, nutrition, fat loss, muscle-building and more!

OK, so your training hard. Your giving it your all and more, Your having FUN and love your training. You never miss a training session, never take a break not even for the holidays you LOVE this so MUCH. Yet your ran down, possibly injured a lot, even if lil nagging injuries is what ails you. Maybe your having too much fun training and not enough FUN in other aspects of your life away from training. Get some other FUN in your life. Whatever fun is for you be it hanging out with friends, going to movies, out for the night, a weekend away with NO organized training, relaxing and reading. Whatever.

FUN away from training can impact your training, nutrition, and physique in an enormous way. More than you think. It can impact recovery, both physical and mental/CNS. Just the act of laughter and joy has a huge effect on the human body and the way the rest of your day, week month goes and how the other systems in your body work. Does your life lack other FUN?? If so you better find some this year. The harder you work, even if its FUN, the harder you need to rest and play.

Now let’s go have some fun in 2010.

Get Strong! Stay Strong!

Chris

[Via http://chriskolba.wordpress.com]

Perfect 10 - Update 1

After one day on this 10 week mini plan, I am learning to embrace failure (again) and to see that it is not going to be perfect (again).

Normally, I will not be posting daily updates,but per the rules of the challenge, this is how this first one will be.

• 1800 calories a day (unless my Dr. changes this for me in February) I am at 1750 for the day
  
• Exercise daily, yes 7 days a week.  2 days can be really light, like an easy walk.  The focus for this next 10 weeks is the half marathon training. None today, had a bunch of errands to do after work and did not get home until almost 9PM
• Burn 600 calories a day from exercise, based on the HRM readouts See above
• Drink 150 oz of water a day-might have to build my bladder back up to this one Holy Pete’s…as of right now I am on about 80 oz and I don’t think my bladder can handle any more!  I am definitely going to have to build up to this one AND figure out what this will look like at work.  Today, I raced off the teller line 3 times with a long line of members glaring at me so I could PEE!
• Acknowledge God and His place in my life in some deliberate fashion daily.  i.e pray, praise, worship, testify! Not a problem!
• Log my calories daily They are logged, on paper and in a nice neat journal!  No sticky notes today!

Hmmm…now for something blogger world most likely wouldn’t already know about me.  When I laugh, like really really laugh hard, I am very silent and I stop breathing and turn dangerous shades of red.  It is true, ask anyone who has seen me laugh really hard.

[Via http://road2beautiful.wordpress.com]

Snow day!

Today we’re going to be gettign 12 inches of snow! Most people from the office are working from home, so I am too!

I ate a great breakfast of 2 eggs, a string cheese, and a small apple. Now I’m going to make a delicious cup of coffee in the Keurig!

Yesterday I tried the Biggest Loser Last Chance workout and it was only semi-painful. The pain was intensified by the fact that I did it right when I got home from work. I still think The Shred and Jillian’s other videos are way harder. Today, I am getting back on the running bandwagon. Going to try one of the last steps of the C25K, because I know I won’t be able to do 30 full minutes or more. Then, next week, I am going to start my 10k, and then mini marathon training!

I am soooooo happy Biggest Loser is back on TV. I still some Jillian motivation in my life! Per usual, the first episode just about made me cry. I freaking love that show!

Anyway, back to working from home and then hitting the gym! Hooray snow!

[Via http://underneathsarah.wordpress.com]

Things We Carry

“Hurry up.” I instructed my three-year-old daughter. “I don’t want to be late”.

I packed the stroller to the breaking point and we trudged through the narrow glass door (barely!), I got my paperwork in order as we inched our way through the line. Finally it was my turn and I rolled the stroller off to the side so my eleven-month-old girl could still see me and asked my elder daughter to stay with her, greeted the kind lady behind the counter whom I handed over my paperwork to as I slipped off my shoes and stepped on the beige square and took a deep breath.

Every Wednesday morning at 8:30am, I pack the three of us up to come to “Weight Watchers. All because much earlier this year I had an epiphany that I was thirty-five and very overweight and that two babies in three years followed by post partum made my pants size the biggest ever. Looking at the calendar, I counted the months until my thirty – sixth birthdays. I had gazed at my miracle baby girls. Thirty- six felt like a death cloud and with it a possible death sentence. Could I challenge my history and change it for the better?

My mom was diagnosed with cancer for the third time when she was thirty-six-years old. It would be the final diagnoses until she died when she was thirty-eight. I was ten and my sister was eight. Although my children are much younger than we were, if I can do something by my own volition to not die young- I will do this sadistic task every early Wednesday morning every week for the rest of my (hopefully long) days. Not being overweight s considered one of the ways to prevent cancer, in particular- breast cancer. Not to just change history baggage by removing preventative pounds but to teach my children healthy eating habits. The seven pants sizes that I have dropped since starting the program has helped my confidence and energy needed to be a mom and be a version of myself that I liked.

I still dread this every Wednesday morning. Why Wednesday you may ask? It just has to be a habit in the balance of pre-school and other scheduling obligations. I dread it and look forward to it every time. Food has always been my drug to soothe or fill a void that I do not know how else to fill. The women know us three well and make it that much a surrogate family. Now if I could just keep my eyes on myself once, awhile, and not are panicked if I lost.

“So…” I asked.

“You did good. Down one point six pounds.” She handed me my papers with a smile.

Thank goodness. That makes it forty-eight pounds removed so far. The euphoric feeling was better than any super-sized meal and a bottle of wine put together. I am close. I still have more to go. In addition, closer to be considered healthy every day in more ways than one.

[Via http://justdworld.wordpress.com]