tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22946062639607846352024-02-20T11:04:32.240-05:00My Weight Loss JourneyFollow me on my journey to a healthier, skinnier self!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-37634675507382641992016-07-13T07:27:00.001-04:002016-07-13T07:27:04.613-04:00Too Busy for HealthI haven't walked since the 9th - I hate being so busy!!! And I'm so tired!<br />
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I still have made up my steps running around the courthouse and being in court, so I'm getting "walking" in - just not the concentrated walking for a straight 35-40 minutes. Maybe it's enough. Court again today and tomorrow, and then on the road on Friday for 9 hours ... then moving my daughter all weekend - I guess that will be a LOT of walking and exercise. Does it count??<br />
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I dropped 5 lbs immediately after coming back from the 4th of July - all water weight, I guess. Now it seems to have stopped dropping.<br />
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Still waiting on that thyroid medication to kick in. I'd be happy if I just didn't feel so darn tired. I used to be able to spring out of bed in the morning. I'm a definite morning person, but now I'm so tired, it's hard to drag myself out of bed.<br />
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And I don't have time to even think about what to change. Right now I'm not even dressed and I have to be out the door in 30 minutes to get to court. I guess I need to go dry my hair! I even got up early so I could deal with business taxes and such that are due because I know I'll be in court all day and will be brain dead by the time I get home tonight.<br />
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Well, one day at a time, I guess. I'll have 9 hours in the car to look over low fat menus (don't know if I said the doctor wants me on a low fat diet). Maybe I can brainstorm then on things to do to help me out.<br />
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I know the summer has been extra crazy, so maybe once all of these events pass, I'll be able to get back into a nice routine again.<br />
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For now, I just need to make it through the day!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-54926953890419958302016-07-09T10:20:00.000-04:002016-07-09T10:29:08.163-04:00Mall WalkingI just couldn't bring myself to get up at 5:30 this morning and go walk in the thick, wet air. It's so humid and already warm at 6 am which is when I would get to the park.<br />
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So, I decided to try mall walking! I had heard about the Mall of Georgia allowing walkers in early to walk before the stores open, and I thought that would be a good way to beat the humidity and still get in my exercise!<br />
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And, you know what? It was wonderful!! According to information I have found, each level of the Mall of Georgia is one mile. It's not clear whether this means walking into each nook or not, so I did. I must say, it was very pleasant! I walked around twice - which should have been 2 miles, though my fitbit disagrees. Then again, it disagrees daily on the track when I walk the same distance, so I'm not really sure what to think. It took me 35 minutes to walk around twice.<br />
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And it's inspiring as well! Looking at all the clothes that are so cute - not to mention Victoria Secret! That's definitely motivating!<br />
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The only problem is that it takes longer to get to the mall than it does to get to the park and every minute of my day is counted so it's not a great choice. Still - if it gets me walking vs. not walking - it's worth it!<br />
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Downside? No sunrise picture today. <br />
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The hours are 8 a.m. on Monday - Saturday and 10 am on Sunday. During the weekdays, I bet traffic is worse at 8 a.m. - I would be fighting rush hour traffic. It was an very quick and easy drive today, though (Saturday).<br />
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I may try and go again tomorrow, though 10 a.m. is kind of late to get going with my exercise. I like to do it first thing, but I guess it's more important just to get it in, whenever I can.<br />
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I also went and looked at weights yesterday for my new weight bench. I really need to get some! My fitbit is also falling apart (it's the HR Charge which has that issue with its band) and I guess I need to get a new one. Getting healthy sure is expensive!!<br />
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At least walking is free!<br />
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I gained a ton of weight over the 4th of July holiday at my parents' house. Good food, though! <br />
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I'm not feeling any changes with my thyroid medicine. I'm up to the 2 pills per day the doctor wanted me on. I've heard it takes 2 weeks to feel a difference, so hopefully by next Thursday, I'll notice something. Maybe I won't be so tired - wouldn't that be a great benefit??<br />
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Well, I'm burning minutes here, so I'll sign off for now. I will keep you posted!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-75357702130128855742016-06-30T07:38:00.001-04:002016-06-30T07:38:30.916-04:00Thyroid IssuesWell. I just got the results back from my blood work and apparently I have an underactive thyroid. Which could be why I'm having issues trying to lose weight.<br />
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The doctor called me in some medicine, which I took for the first time this morning. I guess we'll see what it does. It would make me feel less crazy if it is causing me to have a more difficult time losing weight. Because I sure have been trying and not only am I not losing, but I've been gaining. So we shall see.<br />
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Meanwhile, I walked 7 laps this morning! 1.75 miles! Woohoo! Feels good!<br />
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And here is my morning pic:<br />
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<br />snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-59987847756185583832016-06-29T08:37:00.003-04:002016-06-29T08:37:39.676-04:00Fitbit Issues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I really count on my Fitbit to help me. It tracks my heart rate, my calories, my steps - all things that help inspire me to do more, move more and be better today than I was yesterday.<br />
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But I don't think my step rate is accurate. <br />
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I've been walking the track every day. I am now up to 6 laps (yay me!). But the same 6 laps that I walked on Monday counted 2800 steps while today only counted 2200 steps. I walked the exact same track, in the same spot, for the same amount of laps. How could that be off by 600 steps?? And when I count my steps in my head, it takes over 700 steps per lap - which times 6 laps should be 4200 steps! Clearly something is wrong, and since my data is what keeps me going, I've got to figure out what to do.<br />
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I did just read that you have to adjust your walking stride (duh - I should have realized that, but I thought it was a smart tracker that somehow just "knew" what I was walking). So I will figure out my stride and reset and see if that makes a difference. But that still doesn't explain how I can be off by 600 steps walking the exact same route from one day to the next. It's not like I do astronaut jumps or anything ...<br />
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So, I'm a bit frustrated. I can't decide if I need to go ahead and buy either the surge or the blaze. Both are super ugly, so I don't know. But, the Fitbit community is the best and the data, charts and graphs are super inspiring, so I don't really want to leave Fitbit. Meanwhile the Charge HR (which is what I have now) is falling apart. It's got some kind of defect in the band - this is the second one I've had (they did replace the first one with no hassle, so that was nice), but given the accuracy issues and the band that is falling apart, I don't really want to do the Charge HR again.<br />
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On the bright side of things, I'm still managing to walk and I'm keeping up the increased distance - I almost thought I could make it one more lap today, but didn't want to push it given that my hip joints have been sore. Still, I'm proud of myself.<br />
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I'm also still doing the bowflex for strength training, so I'm also proud of that. I got a new weight bench for Christmas, but have no weights for it yet, and I'm going to start looking at what that will cost (my hubby says it will cost more than the bench did, so I may have to wait for Christmas this year to get the weights). <br />
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All I can do now is wait and see if my work will eventually pay off. And try and pat myself on the back for what I'm doing in the meantime. Oh, and try not to get discouraged when the weight doesn't come off quickly.<br />
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I still have issues with eating - especially now that I'm exercising. I seem to be starving all the time. If I remember from the last time I lost weight, when I upped my protein, that helped, so I'll try and do that. I just love food!! And when I'm starved, it's so hard to choose right. I'll keep trying, though!<br />
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snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-19759961831353093212016-06-27T08:04:00.001-04:002016-06-27T08:04:40.947-04:00Beginning Week 2Week 2 begins!<br />
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Got up early for my walk. I increased my reps around the track so that I managed 6 today! Last week was all 4-5 laps and today I made it 6! My legs do feel like rubber, but I'm pretty happy I made it!<br />
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I walked 5 out of 7 days last week. I couldn't do Friday morning due to a doctor appointment requiring fasting, and I overslept on Saturday, but I made it Sunday.<br />
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Now I just have to modify my eating! I have stopped drinking which is good - no more empty calories! I plan to drink for the 4th of July week in Virginia, but I'm going to try and hold off on the glasses of wine I like to have at night. They are bad for 2 reasons - 1) I lose my self control and tend to eat everything and 2) empty calories.<br />
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At any rate, all I can do at this point is take it one day at a time.<br />
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And enjoy the morning view (today's sunrise):<br />
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<br />snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-81380699859126403062016-06-23T07:39:00.000-04:002016-06-23T07:39:24.801-04:00Perks of an Early Morning WalkSo, I got up even earlier today so that I could be at work earlier.<br />
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As a reward, I got this:<br />
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It's still super warm, even this early, but watching the sun rise is a nice perk to making myself get out there and move!<br />
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This pic was at the end of my walk so I got to watch it rise through the trees on every lap. Very pretty!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-5799370914587238582016-06-22T09:07:00.000-04:002016-06-22T09:07:06.709-04:00Starting Over.<br />
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This year has just been ridiculous. I've had so much to do - one fire to put out after the next. This week is the first week I've had to breathe and I'm latching onto it with all my might.<br />
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I got pretty sick back in April and May - couldn't shake it - and THEN, allergies kicked in.<br />
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But I'm better and things have calmed down for this brief moment. I started walking again on Monday as well as lifting on the bowflex. I have a new weight bench that I got for Christmas but no weights to use on it yet ... one thing at a time, I guess.<br />
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The only thing I have to sacrifice to give myself time is sleep, so I've started trying to get out to the park/track by 6 am. At that time, it's light enough that I'm not afraid of getting attacked and I'm able to get my walking done and get back to my desk for work before 8:00 a.m. Still, I am used to being at my desk and working before 7 a.m. so I still feel like I'm losing time.<br />
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My muscles are all sore in that good way that tells me I'm doing something. Hopefully I can keep this up. Nothing looms for the next few weeks to stop me, so cross your fingers.<br />
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I'm well over 200 lbs again. I am going to try and take measurements today and break out all my tools to keep myself on track. I've got to put myself a little higher on my priority list or I'm going to keel over. I do have blood work to be done on Friday, which will tell me about sugar levels, B-12 levels, cholesterol levels, etc. Not really looking forward to those results.<br />
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Writing here helps keep me on track, so I'm going to make an effort to report in my progress. <br />
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<br />snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-23800075824224753632016-01-26T07:32:00.000-05:002016-01-26T07:32:08.439-05:00Feel Good Today.I've increased my time on the bike, which feels wonderful! I rode for over 40 minutes today and then did some calisthenics (crunches, leg lifts and then squats on the Total Gym) for 10 minutes after that. It feels amazing to MOVE again.<br />
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Does not cancel out the candy bar I ate last night, however. I did well with dinner - one helping, but then something snapped and I ate a candy bar. Oh, and popcorn. Not doing enough art, I guess. I'll just keep working on it. If I can increase my exercise, at least I'm moving in the right direction.<br />
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I didn't sleep well last night - sore throat to the point that it woke me up. And then I have lovely gobs of snot going down the back of my throat (TMI?) so I kept getting up and drinking water to try and ease the pain in my throat and wash down the snot. Got up 5 times last night. I'm sure that probably messed up my Hubby's attempt at sleep. I won't know how he feels until after he's had his coffee - lol.<br />
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Have a kid home sick as well. She's lost her voice and has that nasty chest-cough. Two of her siblings have had it as well. Nasty bug.<br />
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Seems like there is always something and it's so easy to blame those "somethings" on why we overeat, or use them as an excuse. I'm working on overcoming that. Knowing I do it is half the battle, though it doesn't stop me from using things as excuses. I'm just aware when I'm doing it. <br />
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One step. At a time.snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-64618296560813507172016-01-14T07:37:00.000-05:002016-01-14T07:37:06.364-05:00Losing Already!It's amazing how fast the weight drops when you first start simply because you cut out obvious things. I'm down to 206.8 today which is already 3.6 lbs. The only different things I've done is cut out my wine (boo!) and stopped snacking after dinner. Oh, and increased my water drinking.<br />
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I imagine I'll lose some weight pretty fast just from that but I know I will hit a point and stop and then have to work for it again. Not that going without wine isn't work!<br />
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Once the house is fixed and I can have my weight lifting things back up, I will add in that. I'm excited about doing that. <br />
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I actually did some yoga stretches this morning and it felt simply amazing! I'm glad to be moving again!<br />
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I will keep you posted!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-68441216738883424772016-01-11T16:18:00.001-05:002016-01-11T16:18:58.963-05:00Hello, January.It's time to get this show back on the road! I've been doing okay - just not eating a bunch of goop every day is helping, I'm sure! Too much goop in the house for the holidays!<br />
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I got lots of fun low calorie and other weight loss oriented cookbooks! I've been using my actifry as well - modifying regular recipes to use in it and have had a lot of success! Decedent food that is actually good for us!<br />
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Unfortunately, I have topped back out at 210 again. After losing all the way down to 190. What a shame. The good news is that I've done it before so I know I can do it again. I'm back on the stationary bike in the mornings again. Our basement had a sewage issue, so I can't lift weights right now, but as soon as the downstairs is back in order, I'll be adding that back to my routine. Bowflex as well as free weights. I really like the feel of free weights but I can't go up too much since I don't have a spotter, but I feel like I get a better work out with free weights.<br />
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The treadmill will also be set back up again and I plan on using that. I have my fitbit all ready to monitor my steps. Well, the band is falling apart, so I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to have it, but I'll have some kind of step and heart rate tracker once the fitbit finally dies. I'm hoping they have fixed the band issue. I really like the fitbit. I've been using it for years and it's fun to have other people on it too, so I can "compete" for motivation. We'll see. They might replace this one, but if the new one falls apart, then I'm going to definitely have to change to something else.<br />
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I'll try and post recipes, but I never measure anything, so it may be hard to do that. I'm going to try since I really need to measure in order to count the calories in a dish.<br />
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I've really noticed that my back hurts more when I'm heavier and I really do feel so much more tired. I don't understand why it's so hard to behave myself at night. It's like I'm a split personality. I have some plans to take care of that: the doodling at night, drinking ice water at night and having ready, planned snacks for each night. We'll see. My weakness is strong enough to kick my butt, so we'll be a work in progress.<br />
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Glad to be back on track, though. I feel better already.snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-68447363830008457802015-12-07T08:55:00.000-05:002015-12-07T08:55:26.590-05:00How Can a Weakness Be So Strong??I admit it. My weakness is food. It's a comfort thing, a joyful thing, a celebratory thing. <br />
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Yet, I feel like I'm a strong person. I am a planner and have been called "anal" more times than I could count (if I only had a dollar ...). So how come this weakness is so freaking strong???<br />
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I'm great for most of the day. I'm a morning person so there is no issue in the morning to get my vitamins down, eat right, drink water, exercise. All that's easy in the morning. I'm even great through lunch and afternoon snack time. It's all planned out.<br />
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But when I get to dinner, I can't control myself. I can't eat something different than the rest of the family - I've tried that. So then I tried making healthy meals. Okay, that's a great idea unless you can't stop with the helpings or keep the portions under control.<br />
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"It's healthy - I can eat more of it!" Right? Wrong.<br />
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This holiday season doesn't help. It starts in September with football. I make football food every Saturday. Then, Halloween comes with its candy and treats. Then came our yearly family BBQ, then Thanksgiving, and now it's the Christmas season with all the cookies, treats and sweets. I expected to gain some, but I thought I could control it to some degree. But no. <br />
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I don't see how a strong person can have such a weakness. And I don't see how a weakness can kick my butt and leave me drooling on the floor. It's supposed to be weak! <br />
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I'm already resigned to the rest of this year being a total loss. Well, gain. <br />
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I'm already planning January and my exercise schedule. <br />
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It's very frustrating! I guess I'll see you all in January!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-69832126721684272532015-06-19T09:12:00.001-04:002015-06-19T09:16:58.322-04:00It's all about ControlThis plan where I cook everything for all 3 meals seems to be working. It was hard this morning since I have court today, but I got up early to plan around it.<br />
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The planning is important and somehow I have to be able to keep that up. And I have to find meals that the family likes, including my 9 year old, so that's a bit challenging. I think I'll spend some time this weekend hitting my Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet cookbooks as well as my Hungry Girl cookbooks. I didn't buy enough food to last for 5 people, so I need to do better on that.<br />
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Here is breakfast - a form of huevos rancheros. Tasty and healthy! (I posted the recipe on my recipe page).</div>
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Hubby is already losing weight, so that's good. I'm holding steady, so we'll see.</div>
<br />snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-66988613445663038932015-06-16T11:21:00.001-04:002015-06-16T11:21:24.763-04:00This Might Work!So I've got the menu posted where everyone can see it so they know what is planned for the day and what the acceptable snacks are.<br />
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For breakfast I made mini egg muffing/omelets (I put some turkey, spinach and cheese in a muffin pan and then added a scrambled egg in and then baked for about 20-30 minutes. Very tasty and only about 120 calories - not that I'm counting them, but it's pretty low for a protein packed breakfast!<br />
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Lunch will be sandwiches in low calorie/100% whole wheat pita bread with grapes as the fruit. I will make little apple slices topped with nut butter and raisins for snacks. Dinner is a whole chicken with lima beans and turnips and probably left over garden squash. Maybe grits, depending on how hungry I am, lol.<br />
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I'll put away a bunch of the chicken before we start eating because I need the rest of it for a 2nd meal later this week.<br />
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What I'm worried about is keeping this up. This week has nothing major going on so I'm able to do it, but what about when I am swamped and things are super busy? How am I going to manage this then? I guess I can have it all planned and let daughter number 3 cook it all - she's great at that kind of thing and loves it, so that might work ...<br />
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I'm down a pound this morning, but I'm sure that's just water weight from the weekend we had (we went to D.C. and ate crabs and lots of rich food and drink).<br />
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I guess we'll see how it goes. I did get the bike ride in this morning and will start up the bowflex again. I want to have the muscle underneath so when the fat goes down, I've got the muscle tone under it that will look pretty good, I hope!<br />
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I will keep you posted!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-42320344678431370232015-06-15T12:13:00.000-04:002015-06-15T12:13:10.378-04:00New Game PlanI have been just struggling terribly trying to do what I did 2 years ago that worked so well. Clearly it's just not working this time, so it's time for a new game plan.<br />
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I'm putting the whole family on the healthy track. My 9 year old has just been really eating some bad choices and my two older girls are ready for a change as well, and hubby is always willing to try something that might work, so we are all in (to the dismay of the 9 year old).<br />
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One of my nieces is doing the Paleo thing, and while I get some of the idea, I'm not sold on it. However, I do like the concept of lower carbohydrates which will then require our bodies to burn fat rather than just skim the carbs off the food and not do anything else. I also like the idea of eating less processed foods, as I think that's one of the reasons we don't feel "well" some days.<br />
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With all of us being home for the summer, it has kind of been a free-for-all regarding food. All kinds of junk in the house "just in case" someone wants it.<br />
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New plan: I'm going to make the same thing for everyone for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That way we can limit the extras that seem to be floating around. Plus I can monitor my 9 year old's intake (she ate oreos for lunch one day, I have learned - that is not going to happen again).<br />
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So I've done a menu for the week and a grocery list (why is it so darn EXPENSIVE to eat healthy??) and am going to try and tackle this thing. <br />
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It is going to have some challenges. I work from home and some days I get caught up in work and don't realize it's 1:30 and I haven't eaten lunch. I can't make my kids wait like that so I'm going to have to actually schedule meal time.<br />
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I'm also going to cook less food. There will be less of a problem with portion control if I cook just enough for us to eat well. AND on the days when I need extras for another meal on another day, I will have to put that food away immediately or else we will eat it.<br />
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I'm going to try lean meats, fresh veggies from the garden, and try to use less of the processed "stuff" in cooking. Going more towards whole grains, etc. I'm going to mix this in with watching calories, but not being restrictive, because 1) my 9 year old doesn't need restrictive; she's still growing by leaps and bounds and needs good quality food, and 2) if you restrict, you want to cheat and it's never a long term thing.<br />
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Of course I'm going to step up my exercise. One of my nieces has a fitbit like I do, so I'm going to see if we can link as "friends" to help support each other. I'm thinking of upgrading to a fitbit charge HR (that's what she has; right now I have the fitbit one), and my 3rd daughter wants one as well, so that would probably be helpful to have more supporters.<br />
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I feel good because I have a plan. It's worth a shot.<br />
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Really, good health is all about habits, and I just need to try and stick to something long enough for it to become a habit.<br />
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It's hard to do with summer vacations, but I can make better choices while on vacation AND I can ensure everyone eats well in between.<br />
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It's kind of about control, and, everyone will tell you: I'm a control freak.<br />
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We'll see how it goes!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-7372291589745160002015-06-04T17:39:00.003-04:002015-06-04T17:39:50.181-04:00Tired, but LosingDay 5 of the 7 day diet - down 5 lbs. Not sure if it's worth it. I feel so drained and tired! I mean, it's great to have the kick start, but man! TIRED!<br />
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Hubby is down about 5 lbs as well. Daughter number 2 is only down a few pounds - very odd. She is also very tired.<br />
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We are all also cranky, so I'm not sure it's a good idea for all 3 of us to be doing this at once!<br />
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Tomorrow I'm ending it early - it's date night so I'll eat on the diet all the way until we go out to dinner - then it's OFF!<br />
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Will keep you posted!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-9903002343671154942015-06-03T06:31:00.003-04:002015-06-03T06:32:10.978-04:00Starting Day 4 of the 7 Day DietWow. This time this diet is kicking my butt. I remember being starving on day 1 and hating day 4, but I don't remember feeling so tired.<br />
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I've only lost 3.3 lbs this time. I feel like last time I lost a bunch up front and then slowed down as we add back in the protein, but ended up losing 8-9 lbs total. I'm not sure that's going to happen this time.<br />
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I feel pretty bad. I made sure to do this on a week when I don't have court so that I wouldn't be over-exerting, but boy, this is rough. <br />
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Today is the banana and milk day. This is actually the first time I'm eating bananas since the last time I did this diet - that's how bad today is. Not looking forward to it.<br />
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Daughter number 3 already lost the weight she needed, so she bailed on the diet yesterday. Hubby, Daughter number 2 and I are still hanging in there. Hubby is losing the most weight (which he says makes him feel fat because "everyone knows it's the fattest person who loses the most" lol). I've learned that men just seem to lose faster than women regardless. <br />
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Hopefully I'll feel better today with the calories I'll be eating. <br />
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If you can't find the diet I posted last time, here it is:<br />
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<img src="http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcjc2mpWyH1rju8rao1_500.png" />snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-17579622630935046322015-06-01T08:07:00.000-04:002015-06-01T08:07:20.561-04:00The 7 Day Diet ... Again!My hubby, two older girls and I are all doing the 7 day diet this week. It worked well last time I tried it and I did lose almost the 10 lbs claimed. It was a great way to get re-invested in myself and kick off my motivation again. So, since I've fallen sadly short on those fronts these past months, I decided to give it a go again.<br />
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I lost 1.8 lbs last night so I'm now the lowest I've been in weeks. It actually wasn't as bad this time as it was last time. Day 1 is all fruit, and last time I was STARVING. This time, we had a really sweet cantaloupe and it was just juicy and wonderful so I didn't feel hungry. I ate: 1 apple, 1 handful of grapes, 3/4 of the cantaloupe over the course of the day and didn't really feel deprived.<br />
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Today is vegetable day. I have green beans going upstairs and we bought asparagus, portabello mushroom caps, and we get to eat a baked potato today! I'm actually not all that hungry yet. I did a crock pot of lima beans over night since I knew everyone would be hungry first thing (although limas aren't the best choice since they are starchy). I'm going to do broccoli in the oven with chili powder and garlic powder - they are an addicting snack.<br />
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I dread the banana day. That's day 4 ...<br />
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I will keep you posted!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-55251210257150660622015-05-19T07:26:00.001-04:002015-05-19T07:26:44.279-04:00Need My Motivation BackEverything is kind of "meh" right now. Even my thoughts on the weight loss journey. I think my brain has just finally overloaded.<br />
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May is always rough. End of school activities, college graduation, year-end party ... oh, yeah and work, too ... it's just so much. Too much sometimes. It also leads to really bad choices in the food department. When I'm tired and we have a concert to go watch, it's easier to just grab fast-food. Not smarter, just easier.<br />
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I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on myself. I actually did plan around some of the activities - I had a crock pot meal planned on the day of our youngest's concert. If only I had been able to manage that on all the days we were running around like idiots ...<br />
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School ends on Thursday so that will help. I can refocus the time I'm usually dealing with school issues and hopefully use it constructively. Like going to the track to walk rather than going to the bus stop. Might work ...<br />
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I have also decided to focus on the short term. I know you aren't supposed to lose weight for any short term goal since this is supposed to be a life style change, but I need something to get me motivated. So, I'm going to concentrate on our 30th wedding anniversary coming up this September. We are talking about maybe doing a beach somewhere so if that isn't incentive, I don't know what is. <br />
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Plus, even if we are working towards an end-game, the process might well become a habit and habits are what help keep us on track. <br />
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So, that's what I'm going to do. I want to really lose some weight by our anniversary trip. It gives me something to focus on and work for while my mind has been trying to grasp at my "I am doing this to be healthy" motivation. Which hasn't been working lately. It's a worthy goal, but too ethereal at the moment. So I'm going for something more concrete.<br />
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Maybe it will work! We shall see!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-22526551512082799222015-04-21T07:03:00.000-04:002015-04-21T07:03:16.324-04:00FoodI've been working hard on trying to eat healthy food and to come up with healthy food that's so yummy I don't feel deprived.<br />
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So, yesterday, I made something for lunch that was just out of this world. I took a large portobello mushroom cap and baked an egg in it - it was fantastic! I forgot to take a picture of it, but I can show you the empty plate:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7a6QagunVetrqow2kkPaWyrzFU2xjaFJ-SrX1HowK_64pDorUC3u3J5I29ImujcQGzSnqnL0f_VZdOAC4X1gXXOtPjnbFV8TxvyXeYtFY3Yx6LYee0PjDqbJo-3aV3euicEcNG7iV7k/s1600/IMG_1636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7a6QagunVetrqow2kkPaWyrzFU2xjaFJ-SrX1HowK_64pDorUC3u3J5I29ImujcQGzSnqnL0f_VZdOAC4X1gXXOtPjnbFV8TxvyXeYtFY3Yx6LYee0PjDqbJo-3aV3euicEcNG7iV7k/s1600/IMG_1636.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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What I did was put the mushroom cap in the microwave with saran wrap on it for about 2 minutes. Then I put the oven on 350 degrees, cracked an egg into the cap, salted and peppered it and then baked it. It took about 20 minutes to bake (I like the yolk runny), but you'll have to watch it - most recipes say it only takes 10 minutes to get a runny baked egg, but my oven took 20.<br />
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It was so rich and decadent - and only 111 calories!<br />
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Next time I'll try to hold off on my excitement and get a picture BEFORE I eat it!<br />
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For dinner, I used the actifry again - I cut skinless chicken breast into bite-sized pieces and threw them into the actifry with garlic powder, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and texas pete hot sauce. Tasted wonderful - I think next time I'll add in some chili powder for a little more kick. With the chicken I had cabbage (which I cooked in water in a frying pan with salt and pepper), lima beans and some Caesar salad. Pretty tasty and I managed to control my portions - the only think I went back for seconds on was the cabbage.<br />
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I've also discovered the little salad kits that I like to eat for lunches. They are about 240 calories and are all pre-portioned so all you have to do is mix it together and eat it. <br />
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I went up 10 lbs yesterday on the bowflex ... not sore today, which is weird. Maybe I needed to go up a bit more? Either that, or I may feel the pain by this afternoon.<br />
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At any rate, I'm plugging along like a good little trooper. Hopefully I can keep it up!<br />
<br />snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-78134957274719490572015-04-17T07:23:00.001-04:002015-04-17T07:23:25.645-04:00Good WeekIt was a good week, this week. I did my exercises and ate fairly well. The portion thing is still very tricky for me, but I made sure to not go back for seconds, and I've lost a few pounds this week. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96X2J9DdcwfecP_fYDGzu1gz6TBSPrMRSjfVaFhOXEfvThcXvjDZMsUugUjOieFOIs60gBwBIzuVTKZJu_uW3uVMlld5JVe-tVQoVZsyb_9TDeYFaP79-MKCYRLVxU-X4mpQqy39LYDQ/s1600/IMG_1623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96X2J9DdcwfecP_fYDGzu1gz6TBSPrMRSjfVaFhOXEfvThcXvjDZMsUugUjOieFOIs60gBwBIzuVTKZJu_uW3uVMlld5JVe-tVQoVZsyb_9TDeYFaP79-MKCYRLVxU-X4mpQqy39LYDQ/s1600/IMG_1623.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I had pork, which I cut into pieces and cooked in my actifry - no oils, just spices - and it was really, really good. Then salad and lima beans. Huge portion of lima beans, but I figured better to overdo on the veggies than on the meat. It was satisfying, and I lost some weight, so that's a good thing. I'm telling you, the actifry is a huge diet tool. Any time you can make fantastic foods without having to add oils to cook them in is wonderful. I make "fried" rice in it, beef tips, chicken and now pork. I've also done frozen french fries - just dump them in, add the spices and cook it up - no oils needed to get that "fried" crisp. <br />
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Tonight may be date night - we haven't decided yet. I'm really tired this week, so I'm trying to decided if I'd rather spend a night at home snuggling in front of the TV rather than going out and eating really high-calorie food. <br />
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Hubby and I even tried yoga this week! It wasn't really the best video, so we'll keep looking, but it was fun and very supportive of him to be willing to try it with me! <br />
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I like this partner thing. It's helpful, although I'm very jealous of his determination. His workouts are intense and I'm not that able yet. He actually works out every day and has a whole plan for working different muscle sets on different days, etc. <br />
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I just ride my bike every other morning, do calisthenics every other morning, bowflex for strength training every other day and now am trying to fit in yoga. I just don't think doing it every day would be good for me yet. I tend to over do it so this Mon, Wed, Fri thing is working out well. A good solid day of rest in between.<br />
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At any rate, I'm doing something so I'm happy about that. Oh! You know that feeling where your stomach feels tighter and smaller? I've hit that point! I was walking into the living room and my stomach just felt ... tighter. It's a good feeling.<br />
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As usual, I'll keep you all posted!<br />
<br />snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-39472264338041491092015-04-14T07:14:00.001-04:002015-04-14T07:14:50.236-04:00The Good SoreI'm back into the whole exercise routine, finally. And I'm sore! I went up 10 lbs on the bowflex yesterday and I'm feeling it! Which is good, because I had gotten used to the last weight and I'm not sure it's doing anything.<br />
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I'm craving protein - I ate an entire steak last night (had planned to eat 1/2 of it) and a bit of salad. The only thing that saved me is that we ate early and I didn't snack afterwards - the art at night is helping with that - doodles keep me from snacking!<br />
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Here is what I drew last night while watching TV:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCIfPlqcJ_RoW1cYoysiJ2XdKanK9Qa3wxwvNZ_mUm9XHrF0LkjqHc1uoTaQkVSRdO_seo0nLtEHf1FNhQOJk7tepUTilT8PdX0qc_S8aomMKi88CV28f5HHzAZrKjx8JB1JDAsU11Wc/s1600/IMG_1615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCIfPlqcJ_RoW1cYoysiJ2XdKanK9Qa3wxwvNZ_mUm9XHrF0LkjqHc1uoTaQkVSRdO_seo0nLtEHf1FNhQOJk7tepUTilT8PdX0qc_S8aomMKi88CV28f5HHzAZrKjx8JB1JDAsU11Wc/s1600/IMG_1615.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I am still riding the bike and still not trying to overdo it for my old self. I'm feeling pretty good, actually. Just tired, but I didn't sleep well last night - too much to do and I'm stressing over it. I should get a lot done today, so hopefully I will sleep well tonight.<br />
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In the spirit of mini goals, I'm working on my stomach. It's my least favorite part of my body right now, so I'm doing lots of crunches and whatnot. I know the fat is hiding the muscles, but as I lose the weight, the muscles will be there. My jeans already feel looser and I've not been doing this for too long, so that's motivational.<br />
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Hubby is also doing well. His workouts are getting more intense so his body is also craving the protein. I've made some chicken for him to snack on throughout the day to try and give his body the protein and also keep him from overeating or choosing the wrong things. It's nice to have someone to work with. We have yet to start the yoga part of our exercise - maybe this week!<br />
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I'm very glad that salad season is here! Satisfying crunch and being able to eat a LOT of it really makes food less of a focus since I'm full.<br />
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We've got lettuce coming in the garden and our broccoli is starting to form heads. Very exciting! Summer is always easier to make proper food choices with all the lush garden produce coming in!<br />
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I will keep you posted!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-80185821360487765452015-03-26T08:26:00.000-04:002015-03-26T08:26:03.306-04:00Spring!This was my view from the bus stop this morning:<br />
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If that doesn't make your day, I don't know what will!<br />
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I'm doing and feeling much better. I've been consistent on exercise and eating this week! I"m down several pounds, so that makes me happy!<br />
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I also ordered some new Advocare things to try, so we'll see how that goes. I don't swallow pills very well so it takes me forever to take them all! Still, if they work, it will be worth it!<br />
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I'm trying not to overdo the exercise like I did last time. I'm pacing myself - every other day. My body is sore, so that means something is working and it's not too little. And I'm not so sore that it's too much.<br />
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I'm tracking everything and keeping notes of what it is I'm wanting to change and what I can do instantly, short term and long term. That works better for me than just thinking long term which is so very far away!<br />
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So, happy Spring! I'll keep you posted!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-36744389073510491902015-03-20T07:15:00.000-04:002015-03-20T07:15:00.996-04:00Getting Old SucksI don't like getting old. I know a bunch of my issues come from being overweight and if I can just lose some of it, I'll likely feel better ... and younger.<br />
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My back has really been killing me lately. I know it's the extra weight that has appeared around my belly. That's the area of my body that bothers me the most. I always had a tiny waist. Even when my butt and thighs were big, my waist was always small and sleek. Even after pregnancies, it always went back to being small. Then I had a baby at age 40 and it's never been the same. I had actually thought maybe it was a tumor growing or something because it was so odd. But no ... it's just age.<br />
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Sucks.<br />
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I've lost 5 lbs this week. Mostly water weight and just going back to a normal diet after being with my daughter in Indiana for Spring Break (lots of eating decadent food - college kids need awesome food every now and then!). So my body has shed all the water weight I gained from salty foods, so that's good. <br />
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Still, I feel down today. I'm just so tired. All the time. I know, age again.<br />
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It really is amazing how things changed drastically at 40 and again at 50. I just turned 50 and all of a sudden I feel like all the aches and pains have just appeared out of nowhere. I don't like it.<br />
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I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm working on it. I think the strength training will help a lot with that and we just got our replacement bowflex parts, so I'm excited about that.<br />
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I'm just feeling old today. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.<br />
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<img src="http://www.americancrisis.us/images/2013_08_16_074748_4_image008.jpg" />snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-169102235472195382015-03-06T08:29:00.001-05:002015-03-06T08:29:52.330-05:00Feeling Better.So, my husband had a theory as to why I've been feeling so awful the last 2 weeks. He thinks it's because I'm doing too much exercise and not eating enough (not just not enough protein, but not enough period). I told him that was crazy because I'm GAINING weight so clearly I'm eating too many calories.<br />
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Still, I didn't ride the bike at all yesterday and this morning I only rode for 30 minutes. I feel so much better today! I think maybe he was right after all! I did get on that bike and immediately went straight back to my 50+ minutes every day of the work week. At the same time, I cut back on my calories and started eating healthier (but less) AND added in the bowflex. And after just one day of not doing the bike at all and today only doing 30 minutes, plus eating a real dinner last night (I made stuffed pork chops, scalloped potatoes and green bean casserole), I actually lost 2 lbs and feel more alert and happy than I've felt in two weeks!<br />
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I think I jumped in too fast. I tend to do that. I also need to really be better about my salt intake. I have a feeling a lot of the weight gain I've had has been due to the salt content in my food.<br />
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At any rate, I feel alive today. So much better to be in the land of the living! I'm still tired, but I don't feel as exhausted as I've felt the last few weeks.<br />
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Another problem is portion control. I didn't need to eat that entire pork chop last night, but I did. It was stuffed with spinach and shredded, smoked gouda cheese - delicious! But I should have eaten about 1/2 of it (it was a very thick pork chop). I did well with the scalloped potatoes and the green bean casserole - just a daub of each, but enough to get the rich, decadent enjoyment out of it.<br />
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I also slept an hour longer last night. I get about 4 hours of sleep and last night I almost reached 5 hours! <br />
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I have started listening to the subliminal weight loss stuff again at night as I fall asleep. Maybe it really does help you sleep better...I'll keep you posted on that. I'm never really sure about that kind of thing, but I'm willing to give it a shot.<br />
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I will update soon!snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2294606263960784635.post-55300478514524073712015-03-05T09:50:00.002-05:002015-03-05T09:50:33.911-05:00Just So Tired.The bike riding is killing me!<br />
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And my scale is going UP not down! What's up with that!?<br />
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And I'm just sooooo tired - all the time! From the time I wake up to the time I can finally go back to bed again. I'm so tired.<br />
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I vaguely remember having issues before and it turned out to be an increased need for protein because of the weight lifting and bike riding, so I guess I'll try that. I had a small steak last night (and, boy, when you eat the right portions, it just seems so SMALL!) and I actually feel worse this morning. I ended up not riding the bike - my feet and hands felt tingly and swollen.<br />
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I think I just need to persevere. I remember having trouble when I first began this journey and got very frustrated with all the work and pain with absolutely no gain. Then I hit that tipping point and the weight finally just started to come off and I felt great.<br />
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So, I guess I just need to hang in there! <br />
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Other good news is that I finally got finished with a bunch of work stuff that was occupying 100% of my time (even my sleep - nightmares of trying to get it all done), so now I have a free moment to take a breath and take a look at my life. I actually feel a bit shell shocked and have no idea where to begin, but I'll take today and get organized and do things that have needed to be done (like pay bills!) and I think come tomorrow I'll feel better.<br />
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I just hate this feeling so tired all the time. I'll up the protein and see if it helps.<br />
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It's only been a week since I've been seriously paying attention to my food choices and exercise, so I have to just keep going. It's got to get better.<br />
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Right?snow_dragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05994149697756758211noreply@blogger.com0