Holiday Pounds, Banished and Vanished!

Don't dwell on your indiscretion if you ate and drank too much over the holidays. With a few simple changes, you can lose those holiday pounds in no time.

Feeling blue about overeating on a few occasions the past few weeks? It's time to jump back on the horse and gallop toward a new you! Here are some great ideas that will help you get back on track with your weight-loss plan.

Shovel, rake, or mow your way to a slimmer you. No matter what season it is, there's always some yard work to be done. Take advantage of a snowfall and tackle your driveway or sidewalk several times that day. In the spring and summer, grab a manual lawn mower and trim your lawn. In autumn, rake the leaves in your front yard. Remember to use your arms and legs as much as possible and not your lower back so you don't injure yourself.

Get rid of the holiday goodies. We all stock up on extra sweets and goodies over the holidays for guests. But get rid of them as soon as the holidays are over so they don't tempt you! If you don't want to throw them out, drop them off at your local food bank, or take them to work to share them around. How about a nice new year gift basket of sweets for your children's teachers or caretakers? (Obviously, only untouched, unopened packages apply.)

Map out your meals. Spend a few minutes each morning planning out your meals and snacks for the day. The key is to prepare for when hunger strikes. This way, you won't default for the chips, but will grab the crudités instead.

Turn the music up. When you're ready to clean up the holiday mess, turn on music and move your body! Add a few dance steps to your kitchen sweep or while vacuuming the carpets. When cleaning the bathroom, alternate among the bath/shower, sink and toilet, to make it more interesting and to keep yourself moving. Add some toning to your dance routine with lunges and squats.

Finish with fresh fruit. Instead of the sweetness of chocolate, or a heavy, high-calorie dessert, finish off your meal with fresh fruit. It's just as sweet, and guaranteed to satisfy.

Play outdoors as much as possible. Any time of year lends itself to outdoor activity, and not just the ordinary kind. Grab your kids and go inline skating. Take advantage of a snowfall and go sledding on the biggest hill in town. Or pick up a softball bat and some mits and start a game. Soon enough you'll be running around like a kid, having a great time while burning calories.

Skip the wine when you dine. Instead of having a glass of wine with dinner, opt instead for mineral water with a splash of cranberry juice or grape juice for some sweetness. If you really enjoy a glass of wine in the evening, trying having one every other night, or treating yourself once or twice a week.

Work your water intake. Encourage yourself to drink your 6 to 8 glasses of water a day by buying yourself a refillable water bottle and keep it filled while at work or on the go. In no time, this will become second nature, and you'll feel fuller more often.

Fill up on fiber. Try adding more fiber-rich foods to your diet, like whole grains and leafy vegetables. Foods full of fiber tend to have fewer calories and keep you fuller longer. This is another easy way to get your recommended 4 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. You'll probably even discover some fiber-rich foods you love!

Join the gym sensation. Throughout the year, gyms everywhere are offering promotions for memberships. Take a walk-through of your local gym and see if what they have interests you. You may like the classes they are offering, or you may feel inspired by all those working out around you. Remember, if you decide to join a gym, you can start off slowly and work your way up!

Day 1

Today ... well so far ... the food has gone very well. Breakfast was different then what I'm used to but it was good. I would usually just grab a bowl of cereal hot or cold & make it last until lunch. I was starved by lunch time but it's my own fault. I saved the yogurt from breakfast for later in the morning but later in the morning I was shopping for fresh veggies. By the time I got home it was time for lunch. We didn't have any hunnus made so I wait for hubby to make some ... boy was it ever worth the wait. It was even better then I remembered ... maybe I was just that darned hungry. I still have to convince him to make some guacamole dip so I will have it for my snack later today.

I worked out today which makes 2 days in a row. I'm very proud of myself. I did 32 minutes of cardio then 12 min of yoga. All on the Wii Fit! WOW ... I was really pouring with sweat. I'm really into the boxing & stepping. Maybe cause it's my favorites to do when I break out my workout videos. Who knows. All I know is right now I'm having fun working out again ... when I stopped working out before it was because it felt like a chore.

Need to work on my water. I've only had one glass & it's a little after 3. NOT GOOD!

Well, that's all for me today. Have an appointment with Brinks. We've had a few burglaries in the area so we're gonna break down & have a system put in.

Weight Watchers or BUST

Thanks Dutch for reminding me about Weight Watchers. I was with them at the beginning of last year & did end up losing a little weight but I hit a plateau and gave up. After checking the mail & seeing a WW flier I realized someone was trying to tell me something. First Dutch ... then the flier ... on top of this was me wanting something, some way to lose weight but do it healthfully. I'm just to old to try another fad diet that sheds the pounds quickly but packs it on even quicker. I want life time results & I know weight watchers won't let me down as long as I don't give up on the plan.

Food choices today were just crap but I'll end the night with renewed commitment to get healthy. I'll also end my night with a little time on the Wii Fit. Hey ... a girls gotta get in her activity so I'm gonna make it a fun one. My weigh in's are set up for every Friday morning so I'll have to come back & let ya'll know how well I did. I get 26 points a day plus 35 flex points a week. I'm gonna do my best not to use the flex points or activity points that often. Take out will be for special occasions only ... I could stand to save a little money anyway. Not only that, I'll be helping my sons waist line as well. Now if that isn't added motivation to prepare meals at home then I don't know what is. =)

Monday morning Blues

I was thinking I would jump back on the ban wagon this morning but now that it's here the thought of monitoring everything that goes into my mouth seems like a major chore. One that I'm not sure I want to under take yet again. I haven't had breakfast yet so I haven't started the day off poorly ... I can still get my head into the game, right?

Why does saying your on a diet make you feel so crappy? Maybe I just won't use that word this time. I'm not on a diet ... I'm on a journey to be a healthier me. I'm not going to say I won't eat cake & ice cream cause I'm only human ... I love sweets! I can say I will eat them in moderation ... and refuse to over indulge in all the diet no-no foods. I can fill up on delicious fruits & veggies and save the deserts for special occasions. Sounds like a plan huh?!

I didn't weigh in this morning ... I just didn't think I could handle the number that the scale might show me. I know that I was 204 about a week ago ... that's what the Wii Fit told me anyway. I'd call it a damn liar but then I'd just have that thumb pointing back at me saying I was the only liar in the room.

I think what I'm gonna do is really watch my portions this week & then next week I'm gonna go a little further with it. I'm gonna break out my fat loss code book. It seemed to really help me with my food choices last time. I don't know why I didn't just stick with it. All of the family was feeling better. The foods are amazing ... the portions are plentiful ... my skin was looking radiant. Now if that's not enough to make me get back on track then I don't know what is.

Hope you have a great week ... I know I'm gonna be putting my best foot forward as of now. I may not reach my goal before the new year gets here but I sure can have a great start to the end of the year goals that I want for 2009.

MIA

WOW ... it's been a few days since I have made a post. It's not because I have fallen off the ban wagon and into a big home made apple pie. Lots of things have been going on around here. With the hussel & bussel of Christmas came a couple of family deaths. My granny has been sick for a little over a month so when my dad got the call last week to come say his final goodbyes we all knew it wouldn't be much longer ... Christmas Eve she passed away. Well, while family was saying their good-bys my granny's sister let everyone know that he son took his own life on Monday night. No one knows why ... I don't know if I ever knew him.

I'm not sad that my granny is gone ... I wasn't very close to her but I am sad for my dad and brother who were very close to her. I called them everyday this week to check in on them. My brother took it much harder then I expected & my dad took it far better then I thought. Both are doing well now ...

I've got a bug or something ... I just don't feel like eating much of anything, when I do eat I just wish I could throw it back up. Of course I don't cause my body is a funny thing ... it would rather burp & fart it out then puke it out. I can only remember one time that I have ever thrown up ... I wasn't even drunk. =}

Anyway ... Christmas morning went very well. I got new PSP software ... I'm still trying to figure it out but so far I think I like it better ... I also got a new digital zoom camera. I sooo needed a new camera. My old one just doesn't take nice photos. I have long since missed my zoom camera that got broke while hubby was in Egypt. Oh, I also got loads of make-up ... hubby did good. The kids seemed to get everything important to them & hubby as well. He got all of his gifts early cause he's a very ompatient man. he he he I got him 2 hand guns & a shotgun. He's into guns ... what can I say.

I talked to my mom ... she called me. Anyway, as always I just felt depressed/annoyed with the way the conversation went. She was going on and on and on about all the things she bought f or my neice (the neice that she stole from my brother). I'm sitting there thinking what 10 year old child needs a 42 inch plasma tv? Heck I don't even have a plasma tv, their too expensive. I don't think it's really the fact of what my neice got for Christmas but the fact that she didn't get my kids ... her grandkids a single thing ... not even a card or letter to let them know she was thinking about them. Shoot ... she didn't even ask to talk with them, I had to ask her if she wanted to say hello. She did of course but I was just so annoyed at all the things she does for her "(grand) daughter" but how my children are disreguarded. Oh well ... I don't expect anything less out of the woman.

So, my nerves have been shot but I'm still alive & kicking. I haven't been on the Wii Fit but I will be going back to it. Someone asked if it was hard ... it's not hard at all. Everything start with a short amount of time ... the skiing is only a minute long as well as hula hoop, and soccer ... I think the first jogging & step is only a minute or two. As you get stronger you have the option to go longer. The longest thing I found was the advanced step at 10 minutes. It's really boring but I have a plan for next time ... play my own music instead of keeping step to a voice that says 1-2-3-4 ... can you say boring?

So I'm off for the night ... didn't realize it was after 9pm. I'm pooped out. Have a great weekend.

Like a hair in a biscuit

I'm still hanging in there ...

I bought hubby a Wii Fit for his birthdat on the 16th. He has been complaining of gaining weight & wanting to take it off but knowing he can't be all hooah because he's just to darned old for all that hard core stuff. Anyway, I have been trying to get him to do yoga with me but he's only interested in it if I will agree to do it in the buff. HELLO ... fat chick here ... he's lucky i9f he sees me in the buff when I step out of the shower. =P

So anyway ... he hasn't really gotten on the Wii ... but I sure have. I love the thing! I did 30 minutes of step & I'm telling ya I thought it was only about 10 minutes worth. Of course I was sweating like a PIG but it was so much fun. I did a little yoga, a little strength training and a little bit of balance stuff too ... this little machine is worth every penny. Hey ... even the kids are fitting over who's gonna go exercise now. What could be better then that?

So, with this new little machine comes a new attitude & desire to get this weight off. Now I have no illusions of reaching my end of the year goal weight but I'm determined to at least make it to 199 ... as of this morning I was 204. I can lose 2.5 pounds a week. The most important thing is I'm back to getting some formal type of cardio in. My nightly walks have fallen to the way side now that hubby is working the 3rd shift. It's his last night though ... Monday he starts his new job. I'm thinking the hours are 7-3 or 8-4. He won't find out until he shows up Monday. Since it's his first day & it's Christmas exodus around here we may not know what his regular schedule will look like unitl the new year.

Ok, so enough of my babbling ... I've made up a list (with the help of www.sparkpeople.com) of motivators ...


My Major Motivation Points below.

Personal Appearance: I want to:

•Look younger
•Wear a swim suit on the beach
•Stop avoiding mirrors
•Keep my thighs from rubbing
•Look better naked!
•Have my clothes fit better
Health & Fitness: I want to:
•Live longer
•Have more energy
•Climb stairs without being winded
•Feel and be stronger
•Bring down my cholesterol
Friends, Family and Social Life: I want to:
•Play and be active with my kids
•Do more active things with my spouse/siginicant other
•Knock ‘em dead at my reunion!
Everyday Signs and Situations: I want to:
•Be more confident in myself, with better self esteem
•Overcome shyness
•Fly, ride a roller coaster or go to a movie without feeling squashed or using a seatbelt extender
•Walk into a room without feeling like people are staring
•Relax around other people and be myself
•Have people ask if I have lost weight
•Prove to myself that I can do it.

Merry Christmas from Me!!!

http://www.dancingsantacard.com/?santa=61759

That's my Story

We all get heavier as we get older because there's a lot more information in our heads. So I'm not fat, I'm just really intelligent and my head couldn't hold any more so it started filling up the rest of me!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it !!!! Hope you are sticking to yours!

Where's the brownies?

The kids are making brownies for their home economics project today. Darned things smell so darned good that I already know I won't be able to resists the things. Their chocolate chip something ... all I know is it's tons of chocolate & right now I have chocolate ont he brain.

Last night I ended up going for a neighborhood walk with daughter & hubby. It was really cold so hubby said we could turn around & go back home ... I said nope ... we're already out here so lets make the most of it. So we finished the big circle & we all felt better to get in our exercise.

Today ... I haven't eaten much of anything. A bowl of corn flakes for breakfast ... no lunch yet, although I am getting ready to have a late one. Maybe that will help with not eating much of the chocolate ... dinner, well I'm thinking it will be something quick & easy ... eggs, bacon, cheese on toast. It was hubby's idea so I can't take credit for it. He's working a double so he will just want something quick then he'll be out for the night.

As for exercise ... I'm planning on doing a walk video ... something from exercise on demand. I hope there are some good things to choose from today. I'm tired of all my videos & need something fun to keep my mind occupied. If I start thinking it's a workout ... I may just stop but if it's fun I know I'll finish it.

That's all for me. Hope everyone is staying on plan ... or at least doing their best.

Fluckin DIE - t Already!

Are you hear expecting to see how the diet is going? he he he That's a funny one cause I have been all jacked up since Thanksgiving morning. I just don't know what to do with myself. It's like all my will power is gone ... actually I think I ate my will power over the weekend. I've even slacked off on my exercise again too ... I don't know what's up with that. I was starting to get back into the swing of things right before Thanksgiving but with hubby home everything went hay wire. He made a wonderful Thanksgiving breakfast ... then lunch ... then dinner. Friday we were out the door by 4 but not before we grabbed a couple of donuts. We stopped for breakfast ... made it home for lunch. Just left overs so not horrible. We were to tired to make dinner so we stopped in at Sonic while we were out shopping for bedroom furniture for son. We found a great buy! Anyway Saturday we went out to eat for lunch & dinner ... we were out shopping ... Sunday was a good start with a healthy breakfast but when we dropped off the kids at Sunday school we went for a coffee ... I didn't want the house special so I had a hot chocolate. They didn't have the fat free milk so it was either full fat or nothing at all. We went out for lunch & dinner again. My gosh ... we were in take out hell. We could have saved a bundle if we would have just stayed at home.

Yesterday we didn't go anywhere ... hubby had to work a double shift. I started my morning with a bowl of cereal ... then lunch was left over pizza ... dinner another bowl of cereal. I guess I wanted cereal! Nothing bad! My mouth hurt to bad ... I had to see the dentist around lunch time. I did manage to squeeze in a 1 mile walk video.

Today ... I had an egg cheese sandwich ... home made, nothing frozen. Lunch was 2 cereal bars, snack was a cereal bar & for dinner I'm making a chicken dish. I'm hoping to muster up the energy to get in a little workout. All I have been doing today is making tags ... that doesn't do anything but increase the size of my back end. I swear right now I don't want to back up cause I fear I'll hear ... beep ... beep ... beep. The scale? Ha ... I haven't shown my face since last Monday ... don't know if I will show my face again until the new year.

Thanksgiving Memories

Checkin' In!

I don't know why I can't seem to remember to do my check in's. Maybe it's because I've gotten so used to staying away from the scale. As crazy as it may sound ... staying away has been a HUGE save to my sanity. I'm so much happier not that I don't do daily weigh in's. Well, with the Christmas challenge ThinChicks is having I know I need to weigh in at least once a week so here it goes ...



last week 201.6 ... this week 200.8! Almost 1 pound ... I'm happy with this loss. I upped my cardio a couple times a week & still ate about the same. This week however I'm on slim fast. I'm not crazy about drinking shakes all day long but I figure with Thursday being Thanksgiving ... I need all the help I can get. =D

So ... I did a 25 minute walk this morning with honey ... probably do it again tonight when he gets home.

B= slim fast shake, banana, 4 cups coffee

L= slim fast shake, banana

S= 2 cereal bars (100 cal. a piece)

D= 1 cup dirty rice w/hamburger

Christmas Card Exchange

Every year I do a Christmas Card Exchange with all my online friends & I didn't want to stop the tradition just because AOL journals went under. A few of you have already sent me your e-mail but just in case the first entry was over looked I wanted to do a new entry on it.

The Christmas Card Exchange is really easy & a lot of fun. You e-mail me privately with your home mailing address ... I send you mine in return & we exchange Christmas cards this year.

I DO NOT share your addresses with anyone else and as soon as I use them I shred the list.

PLEASE ... do not leave your address in the comments section cause that's just to dangerous. If your interested in exchanging cards please send me an e-mail with your addy.

E-mail me!

Prayers Needed

My grand mother has Cancer in her Neck, Breast, Hip Bones, Adrenal Glands, Spline & on her Lung.

(10-Tumors)

She just took her first Radiation treatment yesterday, which made her very sick. Dr. told us that without Kemo & Radiation she would have 3- months to live. With Kemo & Radiation she has 6-Months to a Year, God makes miracles, myself and the family are looking for one.

Keep her in you're prayers. Her name is Pauline.

Stay Hydrated When Exercising

Welcome to Sweating 101.

Question #1: During one hour of vigorous exercise, how much does the average person sweat?

Answer: One quart! As you can see, exercise saps a lot of water from our bodies. Start paying attention to your fluid intake 2-3 hours before you are going to exercise. Drink 2-3 cups of water during that time, and then drink another cup immediately before you start exercising. Without this extra water, your muscles will become dehydrated. Muscle movement depends on how hydrated you are, so if they are dry, they will not work as well. As a result, your workout will not be as productive as you would like. Once you start exercising, keep drinking water frequently. A good rule of thumb is to drink one cup every 15-20 minutes. Keep a water bottle with you. Take breaks to head to the water cooler. Do what it takes you keep yourself hydrated. Even when you are done exercising, you need to keep replenishing your fluid levels. It's recommended you drink another 2-3 cups within two hours after you have finished. Then drink water regularly afterwards. Do your body a favor and replenish that quart of fluids your body is losing while you work out. Your muscles will thank you later.

Exercise Extra: Staying properly hydrated helps make your workouts more productive.

Mini Pumpkin Bites

Ingredients

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup fat free whipped dessert
2 servings fat free vanilla pudding
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Dash ground cloves
Dash ground ginger
65 reduced fat vanilla wafers
Confectioners sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Directions

Mix pudding, pumpkin and spices. Fold in whipped topping. Put mixture in a sandwich bag, and clip the corner. Put cookies on a cookie tray, and squeeze pumpkin mix onto them. Chill in refrigerator.Sprinkle with confectioners sugar before serving if so desired.

Enjoy!

Number of Servings: 65

Fun Family Fitness Tip

Have you thought about how great it would be to include your family in your pursuit to exercise more regularly? Family exercise will improve the health of your loved ones, make exercise more fun, and at the same time develop stronger connections between all of you. With a little creativity, you can find a way to make it work for everyone.

FITNESS TIP

You may simply focus on educating each family member about the benefits of exercise--in a smart way. Bombarding everyone with statistics about heart disease, obesity, and blood pressure each morning as they come down to breakfast might not be the best option. Instead, hang up a "healthy living bulletin board" in your kitchen (or on the fridge door). Use it to post articles and other resources that will help get your point across without having to say much of anything. For example, if one child is an athlete, an article about a successful athlete who commits to exercise and good nutrition could go a long way. Or, post a story about a young person who had trouble focusing at school but started exercising and saw an amazing difference in their grades and ability to achieve goals. Most of all--make it fun for everyone! In the process, you'll teach your children about discipline, goal setting, and the importance of not only health, but also family connection.

My family used to always go on walks together but when I got out of the habit of taking a daily walk ... so did they. Last week my daughter & I started going again & then yesterday my son said if he could ride his bike he would like to go ... so we all went together just like old times. It was a great way to be together & all get healthy too.

Healthy Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Original Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1/4 cup Ocean Spray Craisins Original Sweetened Dried Cranberries (or regular raisins), chopped
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine both types of flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and pumpkin pie spice (in other words, all dry ingredients except for the Craisins or raisins). In a medium bowl, mix together pumpkin, egg substitute, and vanilla extract (all the wet ingredients). Add this mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until just blended. Slowly sprinkle chopped Craisins or raisins into the batter, making sure they don't all stick together, and mix to distribute them. Spoon batter into a large loaf pan (about 9" X 5") sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the top of the loaf is firm to the touch. (Bread may be moist inside. This doesn't mean it's undercooked.) Allow to cool, and then cut into 8 slices.

Enjoy! MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 (thick!) slice
Calories: 143
Fat: 0.5g
Sodium: 281mg
Carbs: 31g
Fiber: 4.5g
Sugars: 9g
Protein: 5g
POINTS® value 2*

Hungry Girl Alternative! To make this bread into muffins, evenly distribute the batter among 8 cups of a muffin pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Cook for 35 minutes at 350 degrees, let cool, and enjoy!

Slim Down Fast Food

We all know fast food isn't good for us, but sometimes it seems like there's no other option. Follow these rules, and you can drive through with a clear conscience!

11 Ways to Beef Up (the Nutrition in) Your Fast Food Meal

Look up nutrition info online before you go so you can plan your meal.
Say no to combo meals, even if you'll save a bit of money. They're inevitably larger and full of empty calories.

Say no when asked "Do you want fries with that?"

Get a baked potato, a fruit cup or some vegetables instead (check the kids menu). If you can't resist, get a small order and split them with a friend. Eat them one at a time to savor them.

Eat side dishes, like chili, soup, or baked potatoes, as a main course, or split appetizers among several people.

Order from the kids menu. The portions are smaller and there are usually healthy side dishes (fruit cups and carrot sticks) and drinks (milk or real fruit juice).

Drink water. Regular sodas can have as many as 400 calories!

Ask to order sauce on the side and nix the cheese. (It's just processed American cheese anyway, so you're not missing much in terms of flavor.)

Choose ketchup, mustard and salsa over mayo or creamy dressings.
Take off the top slice of bread or bun to save calories (at least 75)!

Nix anything "crispy," breaded or fried. Opt for grilled or roasted meats instead.
Avoid trendy or specialty menu items. They're likely to have high-calorie extras like bacon, cheese or creamy sauces. Stick to original or traditional hamburgers and other sandwiches.

1st Day of Change

201.6

I figured I would be back in the 200's and I have no one to blame but myself for slacking off but I do have the power to change that number & that's exactly what I'm going to be doing starting this morning.

My goal for this week is to pick healthier choices ... lots more veggies, drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, continue to walk with hubby through the neighborhood but also do my own workout that last 30+ minutes. My hope is come Friday morning I will be 200 or less.

Today's Food Plan:

Breakfast

1/4 c egg beaters

1 oz cheese

3 c coffee

1 english muffin

2.5 cups of water

Lunch

morning star burger

1 hamburger bun

no condiments!

2.5 cups of water

Dinner

chicken alfredo

2.5 cups water

Snack

Protein Shake

WTH Happened?

Ok ... so I'm not a beached whale (yet) but wow have I put on the fat somewhere. I'll weigh in first thing tomorrow morning so I know exactly where I'm at but I'm sure I will be looking at the 200's ... AGAIN!!!!

I'm going to be posting what I eat and the activity I get in ... I have to keep myself accountable & unless I'm posting here it seems that I just go on about my merry way not concerning myself with my weight. I tell myself that as long as I can still fit in my clothes then I must be at least maintaining. Then again, I don't want to maintain this weight ... I want to be at my goal weight. Somehow around August I just took the I don't give a crap attitude. I was sick to death of watching every bite & step day in & day out. I tend to obsess over such things. It's not good ... but then again maybe keeping a closer eye on my progress would have kept me from looking the way I do today.

So ... per Rena's suggestion of wearing an outfit that we love now & then taking a pic when we lose 5-10 pounds here is mine. The suit fit me great, but the under shirt was a little snug. I didn't take the jacket off all morning for fear I would pop a button or that I would look down & see those undesirable gaps.

Currently I'm wearing a size 16 jean, XL shirts, 38DD bra (really too snug). I'm only walking about 1.5 miles a day 4-5 times a week and I'm not watching what I eat at all.

Food today: HUGE home made biscuit, with chicken gravy, tall glass of milk, & 4 cups of coffee for breakfast. Lunch ... we went to Chinese after church. I had lo mien noodles, sweet & sour chicken with the sauce, sugar biscuit, 2 glasses of tea. Snack was peanut brittle with a glass of milk. Dinner ... 2 burritos ... the frozen kind ... very unhealthy with a dollop of fat free sour cream. You'll notice no water. I haven't had more then 4 glasses a day in months. What's wrong with me?

Goal ... I want to be 2-5 pounds lighter by Thanksgiving. I want to be 10-15 pounds lighter by Christmas morning ... 15 pounds lighter by New Years day.

The Miracle of Toilet Paper

Fresh from my shower, I stand in front of the mirror complaining to myhusband that my breasts are too small.

Instead of characteristically telling me it's not so, he uncharacteristically comes up with a suggestion. 'If you want your breasts to grow, then every day take a piece of toilet paper and rub it between themfor a few seconds.

'Willing to try anything, I fetch a piece of toilet paper and stand in front of the mirror, rubbing it between my breasts. 'How long will this take?' I asked. 'They will grow larger over a period of years,' my husband replies. I stopped.

'Do you really think rubbing a piece of toilet paper between my breasts every day will make my breasts larger over the years?

'Without missing a beat he says, 'Worked for your butt, didn't it?

'He's still alive, and with a great deal of therapy, he may even walk again although he will probably continue to take his meals through a straw.

Stupid, stupid man.

I'm like Doris Day!

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Doris!

You are a Doris -- "I must help others."

Dorises are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.


• * Share fun times with me.


• * Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.


• * Let me know that I am important and special to you.


• * Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.

In Intimate Relationships

• * Reassure me that I am interesting to you.


• * Reassure me often that you love me.


• * Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me.

What I Like About Being a Doris

• * being able to relate easily to people and to make friends


• * knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better


• * being generous, caring, and warm


• * being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings


• * being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor

What's Hard About Being a Doris

• * not being able to say no


• * having low self-esteem


• * feeling drained from overdoing for others


• * not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish


• * criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should


• * being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them


• * working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings

Dorises as Children Often

• * are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism


• * try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding


• * are outwardly compliant


• * are popular or try to be popular with other children


• * act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention


• * are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Dorises), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Dorises)

Dorises as Parents

• * are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)


• * are often playful with their children


• * wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?"


• * can become fiercely protective

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Peanut Festival

Keep the Weight Off with Daily Weigh-Ins

Sometimes the hardest part of weight loss is keeping it off. It can be daunting to know that within two years, most dieters regain two-thirds of what they lost! But researchers studied 291 people (mostly women) who had lost at least 10% of their body weight (an average of 44 pounds) in the previous two years.

Participants were given scales (and encouraged to use them daily), as well as different levels of support (either a monthly email, an internet chat group, or face-to-face meetings). At the onset of the study, 40% of the dieters were weighing themselves daily. After 18 months, 65% of those who chatted online and 72% of those who received face-to-face support weighed themselves daily, while those without support weighed themselves less. On top of that, 68% of dieters who did NOT weight-in daily gained five pounds or more over the course of the 18-month study.

Action Sparked: This study shows the importance both social support (either online or in person), and keeping track of your progress--even after you have already met your goal. You can get (and give!) plenty of support from your exercise buddies, trainer, family, and friends too. When you weigh yourself regularly, you're more likely to catch weight gain early on--and do something about it.

Give yourself about a 5-pound range to stay within, and continue to watch your calories and get plenty of exercise after you meet your goal. While daily weigh-ins might not be necessarily for everyone, you can still keep yourself in check with consistent, weekly weigh-ins, body fat tests, or other measurements (such as waist, hips, etc.).

Exercise Extra: Muscle weights more than fat, but takes up less space. So don't be surprised if you end up gaining some weight as a result of exercising.

I got a new puppy!!!!

This is my new puppy Zeus with Harley. Harley doesn't know what to think of Zeus yet.

Isn't he so cute?

Ok so the story goes like this ... hubby said no more dogs ... I mean we do have 2 chihuahua's, a chiweenie, a pom, and a mix ... we don't need anymore. So I was shocked when hubby says I want this dog ... he's all mine. As many times as he has told me yes I could have a puppy, I couldn't turn him down. Now we have 3 chihuahua's ... Zeus is a mini like my other two.

Happy Halloween

Hope you all have a very safe Halloween. Trying to stay out of the candy dish, think I'll be just fine.

What Your Love of Peanut Butter Cups Says About You

You are hedonistic... sometimes to the point of being greedy. You love to eat, and there's no chance you're sharing your candy! While you may be greedy, it's with good reason. You have great taste. The things you love are worth loving, and it's no wonder you crave them.

What Does Your Favorite Candy Say About You?

Not bad overall

Yesterday wasn't such a bad day for me. I started out being woken out of a great sleep by the neighbor dogs. Their really getting on my nerves as of late. The owners just don't want to do anything about them.

Anyway, breakfast was a bowl of corn flakes, lunch was a homemade enchillada, had a snickers & diet pepsi for a snack & then dinner was a new recipe that I tried ... white chicken chili. It tasted more like a thick soup but it was very good.

I made it in the crock pot so it sat all day long ... a pound of chicken, 1 bag of frozen northern beans, 2 cans of chicken broth, half an onion, tablespoon of fresh garlic, then add salt, white peper, oregano, and curry to taste.

Hubby & I went on 2 neighborhood walks ... it was good. Last night was a little on the cool side, but it was nice to get out in the fresh air. Today I might have to do my own little workout cause he has a doctors appointment. His back has been giving him a lot of problems lately. They'll probably bend him all over the place ... like that will make him feel any better.

Anyway, I'm out for the day. Gotta get school started, bug man will be here any minute & I need to straighten up the house a bit. It's starting to get a lived in look. =) Have a great day!

Morning Funny

A young guy from Newfoundland moves to Vancouver and goes to a big 'everything under one roof' department store looking for a job.


The Manager says, 'Do you have any sales experience?'

The kid says 'Yeah. I was a salesman back in Little Hearts Ease.'

Well, the boss liked the kid and gave him the job. 'You start tomorrow. I'll come down after we close and see how you did.'

His first day on the job was rough, but he got through it. After the store was locked up, the boss came down.

How many customers bought something from you today?

The kid says 'one'.

The boss says 'Just one? Our salespeople average 20 to 30 customers a day. How much was the sale for?'

The kid says $101,237.65'.

The boss says '$101,237.65? What the heck did you sell?'

The kid says, 'First, I sold him a small fish hook. Then I sold him a medium fish hook. Then I sold him a larger fish hook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod. Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast, so I told him he was
going to need a boat, so we went down to the boat department and I sold him a twin engine Chris Craft. Then he said he didn't think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4x4 Expedition.'

The boss said 'A guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a BOAT and a TRUCK?'

The kid said 'No, the guy came in here to buy Tampons for his wife', and I said, 'Dude, your weekend's shot. You should go fishing.'

Visiting the Twins =D

Rainy days and .... Fridays

Today has been just a horrible dreary looking day. The rain has fallen most of the day. The rain doesn't bother me so much but the kids bother me too much when it's raining. They can't go outside to play with their friends so they don't have anything to do. Their bored so they want me to drive them somewhere ... anywhere. I don't drive in the rain. I have this fear of driving in the rain. Ya see when I was little I was in a car accident and it was a stormy night. Since this time I just have this major fear that I will have a wreck. I will get in the car with someone else driving but I'm still scared!

Anyway, it's raining off and on so I knew this would mean hubby & I probably wouldn't go for our afternoon walk. Part of it is because he's working 4 hours overtime but mostly because of the weather so I decided to turn on exercise on demand & do a workout. I put on a 3 mile (40 min) walk ... OMG, that sucker was fast. Within 5 minutes I was already feeling the sweat working it's way to the surface. Within 10 minutes it was running all in my eyes. Did I mention that sucker was fast? WOW!!! Thankfully when the second mile came around at minute 13 I was pretty darned thankful. I wasn't sure I would make another mile at that speed. It totally sucks cause at the beginning of the year I would have flown right through it & if time permitted would've gone for another mile or two. Just goes to show you (and me) that just because we are maintaining our weight doesn't mean that we're retaining our health. So I did finish mile 2 at minute 25 ... braved through another 6 minutes and said that's it ... I'm done ... I'm pooped. Tomorrow I'll turn it back on & give it another go. On a positive note ... I did get a workout in & it was a good one.

Meal wise ... ummm, not perfect but I can live with my choices. Breakfast was a bowl of corn flakes, lunch was a ham/cheese sandwich with a hand full of chips, snack was a brownie (kids made it as a home economics project) with a tall glass of milk, & dinner is chicken/rice stir fry. So like I said, not horrible.

On a friendly note ... I heard from our dear friend Christina aka EVIL this afternoon. She is keeping herself busy at work (5am-5pm) then of course to the trainer a couple days a week. Her trainer expired this week so she wasn't thrilled about that. She thought she had another week to go. She sounds so happy with her new boyfriend E but disheartened by family & friends who think she's making the wrong move ... in their oppinion, she hasn't grieved long enough. pfff, what do they know? So, keep our dear Christina in your prayers ... hopefully her family will come to see just how happy E makes her.

Well, that's all for me. I'm gonna finish cooking dinner, relax in front of the boob tube with hubby then make a day of it tomorrow. We're planning on visiting with the twins, going to the local crafts fair, and then later in the night to the local haunted house. I think it's gonna be a blast. Hoping I will get lots of pics taken so I can share them.

Have a great weekend.

Made it to the Farm

Enough is Enough

Ok, without any doubts at all I know that I can't keep going the way that I am right now. I can't say I'm gonna do portion control cause it's now become painfully obvious that I am no longer sticking to portion control. I think something malfunctioned in my brain when I saw the scale say I had only gained 1.2 pounds in 9 weeks cause since that time it's like my brain thinks I can eat whatever and there won't be any consequences for eating crap and lots of it.


Yesterday I was under control ... or so I thought. I had a bowl of corn flakes for breakfast & then for lunch. Dinner wasn't horrible ... we had hoaggies and a hand full of chips. DH (darling husband) and I went for our second neighborhood walk of the day and I was feeling great. Then we heard it ... the ice cream truck. Why on earth they are going around at this time of the year I haven't the foggiest but when I heard the music I was almost in a trance trying to track the thing down. Then ... there is was ... I could see it & began to walk faster & faster. I noticed DH wasn't right by my side like he previously was. I stopped as he put his hands on his hips & said my old body won't carry me that fast today. I tried slowing down but I couldn't get the music out of my head. I said ya wanna catch the ice cream man so we can give the kids a treat? He said yeah. We decided to cut through some yards so we would be back on our street and have time to walk home & get the money. To my horror ... the ice cream lady was already passing our house & coming toward us. I quickly told hubby to stop her when she came by him and let her know that if she turned around we would buy some ice cream. He said ok ... why don't you? I said cause I'm gonna run home & get the money ready! I took off ... chiweenie in tow ... headed for the house, money, & kids.


I emerged out of the house right as the ice cream truck is pulling up front ... let the kids make their order ... then I made mine. Double chocolate mud cake ice cream sandwich. At the time I didn't notice the price but I ended up paying $2 for that sucker & it was gone inside of 5 minutes. What a waste!


Ok, so thus far I still didn't do what I would call a horrible night. That ice cream probably totaled 2 or 3 small snacks for the day. DD (darling daughter) came in & asked if she could put the icing on the brownies she made earlier. Damn ... I had forgotten all about her brownies when I ordered ice cream. I told her she could. She asked if she could have a piece ... I said she could ... then son had a piece ... hubby had a piece ... all the smell was overload for my system so I had a piece as well, with a tall glass of milk. That 8x8 pan this morning is sitting on the counter ... empty! We are becoming a fat ars family. Enough is enough!

When I woke up & saw that empty pan that had 12 servings in it last night & 0 this morning I knew that we as a family are not living healthy anymore. What was a thinking? From 5-8pm we had chips, ice cream, and brownies. We weren't hungry ... we were just eating for the sake of eating.

Today, like it or not we are going back to a healthy way of eating cause we're all getting chunky monkey butts, bellies ... everything. Well of course not DD who is still thin as a rail but if she doesn't get on a better track she will be on the same path as the rest of us. Now I know in the past I have said I envied hubby cause he could eat anything & not gain an ounce. HA ... that was before retirement. The other morning we were taking a shower together & that's when I noticed his gut. Although it's tighter than mine (I'm blaming the c-section for the lose skin), he's got a lot of belly protruding. He said something to me & without thinking I said well if your not careful your gonna be a fatty just like me. As soon as I said it I saw it in his eyes ... he saw what I saw. His fear is being fat like most of his family. He said that's it ... we're all gonna do something about it. I have noticed him slacking off on some of the food, but now, I'm gonna be right there helping him, the kids, and not less important ... ME!

Whatever is planned is eaten ... no veering away from it unless it's being replace with something equally as healthy. I'm flippin sick of being fat ... my belly is now pooching out when I sit here at the desk ... it's disgusting. I just bought new jeans last weekend & this week their snug. I didn't buy them for nothing! So please join me in taking off the weight before Christmas gets here. We'll be some sexy babes in 2 months time. =D

Breakfast: 2 egg whites, 1 oz. cheddar cheese on toasted english muffin, 2 cups of coffee. (240 calories)

Lunch: Half a hoaggie, loaded with lettuce, cheese, ham/turkey, light mayo, 1 cup pear halves (300 calories)

Dinner: crazy-good turkey taco meatloaf (from hungry girl, page 132 if you have the book). See recipe below! 3 WW points

Snack: string cheese, grape juice (125 calories)



Daily Caloric total= about 920 calories. I know on the low side but this is for today only. I need to shock my system. If I get hungry I'll drink water or warm herbal tea.

127 calories, 1g fat, 688mg sodium, 7g carbs, .5g fiber, 2g sugar, 22g protein.

Makes 6 servings!

Ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey, 2 slices fat free cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup canned sweet corn kernels, 1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup salsa, and 1/2 pack of taco seasoning mix, dry.

Directions: preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook peppers & onions for 3 minutes over medium heat in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine onions & peppers with turkey, corn, and seasoning mix. Spread half of the mixture into the bottom of the loaf pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Layer the two slices of fat free cheese on top of the mixture, slices away from the pan's edges. Evenly top with the remaining meat mixture. Pour salsa over the top of the loaf. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Top loaf with the shredded cheese. Return loaf to the oven & cook for another 15 minutes.

If you make this, let me know how you like it!

As for cardio ... I WILL do a walk video here at the house & then do a neighborhood walk with hubby. This weight is coming off even if it doesn't know it yet.

UPDATE: I ended up doing a 1 mile walk/jog. WOW ... I'm so out of shape. I used to be able to jog the whole thing. No problem though ... I know where I need to get back to. Oh, about 8 last night we decided there wasn't anything good on TV so we went for a neighborhood walk. Just the two of us. It was nice ... the air was a bit cool ... it was perfect.

Ickie sickies

DS is sick again. I don't know what's going on with him. I know he doesn't want to be sick cause we had plans to go to the pumpkin farm later today & I know he was really looking forward to it. He's been sleeping all day long & his fever is steadily at 102. I hate when my kids are sick ... it's like I don't know what to do for them. I hate to be hovered over but then some people just want people around them all the time, ya know?

Oh, I did get my walk in yesterday but just once. DH was tired from work and we also wanted to catch up on shows. Of course he fell asleep but that didn't stop me from watching my shows. I watched The Starter Wife. Does anyone else watch that show? I don't know why, but I really like it. Maybe it's the character Molly (Debra Messing), I like most everything she does.

That's all for now .. hopefully we'll make it to the pumpkin patch tomorrow. I'll post pics if we do make it. I'm off to do my neighborhood walk with the honey. I haven't really eaten much of anything ... just 2 bowls of corn flakes. I don't know why but some days it's the only thing that sounds or taste good ... guess this is one of those days. Thankfully their low in calories and almost fat free. Can't go wrong with that can ya.

Have a great afternoon.

Update on my Day

Food today has been pretty wise. For breakfast I had oatmeal with a half scoop of protein powder, 2 slices of raisen bread, glass of milk and a cup of coffee. Lunch was a BLT ... yummy. Been awhile since I had one of those. Dinner is home made chicken noodle soup. I've been cooking it since this morning and it's smelling delicious right about now.

Went for my daily neighborhood walk with the DH ... both of the kids wanted to join us & then with them came 2 of the 5 dogs. I swear when I get older people are going to call me the crazy dog lady. Oh well ... I love poochies ... the smaller the better. OMG, yesterday DH took me to the pet store, I was so tempted to get another chihuahua. I didn't but she was so adorable. Marked down from $999 to $200. That's cheaper then what I paid for my other babies. The thought of training another puppy though ... I just couldn't do it. Not to mention ... I do have 5 poochies that are always in need of love.

I'm thinking after dinner DH & I will go for another walk. This will bring my total to 3 miles for the day. Not bad but I need to get back into more activity. If for no other reason than I feel better about myself when I'm very active.

Hungry girl

Hungry Girl ... I bought the cook book yesterday & I'm looking forward to eating a bunch of new healthy foods.

For breakfast I'm making oatmeal. It's loaded with fiber, low in calories & very low in fat. Who could ask for anything more? You can find recipes & stuff from hungry girl at www.hungry-girl.com I swear, if you've never seen this web site you will love it. The book is just as amazing.

What Damned Diet?

I'm tired of coming here saying it's a do-over. My do-over has officially died. I ate all my damned will power up. The thought of even uttering the dreaded "D" word is making me go crazy. I'm in one of those nightmares where your fat ... naked ... and everyone is looking & laughing. I'm in the mind set of why do I even care if I lose weight? I know my DH loves me no matter my size. I've been higher & he loved me just the same. I keep asking myself why am I fighting what I obviously can't control? Who knows!

Today is just another day. DS had a sleep over last night ... I guess I should call it a sleep out. They did end up coming in around 3am because it just got to cold for them. Son his saying his sick this morning. Don't know if it's because he gorged on food all night long, stayed up to late or just wanted to be a lazy kid with no chores today. I guess we shall see how quick he feels better when I head out the door for some shopping. I bet the little booger will be all better in the blink of an eye.

So, today's agenda is to give a one fingered salute to my diet. I think in the last 9 weeks I have learned if I don't call my food plan a diet I do much better. This past week I've said I'm getting back on the diet banwagon & well ... I've just fallen flat on my big round belly. Exercise ... I'm keeping up with the walking just because I like the time that I share with DH talking about a lot of nothing. Not to mention the fresh air is good for me.

I seem to coup myself up in the house for days at a time. I've always been like this, I don't know why. Maybe it's the way I grew up. When mom & dad were still married we didn't really ever go anywhere. We stayed at home & enjoyed life as a family. When the divorced mom never wanted to stay at home so it was always go-go-go ... how long can we stay gone? Even if I didn't feel like going anywhere, I still had to go. It sucked!

DH is a homebody like me for the most part but as he says ... I get out for work, you never even go outside. Besides our walks ... he's got a point. I don't think it's that I'm lazy or anything like that ... I just think I stress about the what if's way to much. What if one of my old workout buddies/students see me? I've gained so much weight. What if we're in a car wreck? Who'll take care of the kids? Just stupid stuff.

Oh well, I don't know where this entry is heading so I'll just stop it here. Have a good weekend.

Die with a T = DIET

OMG ... DH came home with a gift for me. Look --->

All I could do was laugh. He was like "what, you don't like it?" I drink coffee allt he time but on top of that is this great saying! Thanks hubby ... I may complain about you but your still the best!

I ended my night on a high note ... no M&M's!!! =D DH
made us grilled steak, mashed taters and green beans. Wen ended up going on 2 walks after he got off of work. One was a 1.5 mile while the other one was about 3/4 mile. It was nice to just get out & walk. It was slower then I would have liked but some activity is better than none at all.

While on our walk I made mention of his mood. He immediatly told me he thought about it all day long & promised he wouldn't do it again. He did play his game for a little while but thankfully not 4 hours straight! This morning he wasn't loud either. I slept through everything. The only thing I remember was him saying he loved me as he kissed my forhead good bye & then I remember him saying there will be coffee waiting on you when you wake up.

I did a bad thing for breakfast. I waited to long before eating & ended up grabbing ... poptarts. WTH is wrong with me? Guess I'll have to make up for it with my next 2 meals. I'm having a large chef salad for lunch and then dinner I don't know yet ... maybe left overs cause we have a ton. I'm thinking steak, couscous and peas. Yum Yum!

Cardio for the day will be a trail walk. I need to change things up. Maybe get back into my yoga booty ballet. I was really seeing the inches melt off of me even if the scale wasn't moving.

Do Over Over

Good gravy ... how many darned do-over's am I gonna need? I didn't do horrible all day long. I have cereal, coffee, hummus on pita ... no snacks up until this point. Dinner was supposed to be something healthy ... steak, corn, potatoes. Well, DH, DD, & I went on our 2 mile walk at the track ... had a blast talking & cutting up. When we got home we just weren't in the mood to grill steak but not only were we not in the mood to grill we noticed the meat wasn't completely thawed out. Darn it ... it's all my fault. I didn't lay it out early enough so that's what we'll have for dinner tonight. Anyway, DH had a taste for bacon, eggs, and pancakes. He got his wish for everything but the pancakes. We were almost out of pancake mix. Thank God! He settled for toast & my waist line was happy too.

Doesn't sound like I did bad at all right? I didn't ... until DH pissed me off & I ended up grabbing a bowl of peanut butter M&M's. Ya see, the whole time he was on 3rd shift he said how much he hated not being able to relax & watch TV with me at night so that's what he was gonna love about 1st shift. That didn't really happen. We got back from out walk around 4 or so ... he sat down to play his video game on xbox ... about 4:30 he said he would make dinner ... we ate about 5. The man played his game & ate at the same time. I was disgusted cause usually we watch out TV shows together ... but not this time. When I finished I didn't make a big deal of it, I just got up & created some art for the PSP group. About 15 minutes before 7 he's still playing the game ... I'm a little annoyed at this point but I keep my cool. I tell him our show is coming on in 15 minutes & I'd like to watch it. He puts his game on pause ... hits the record button of=n the DVR and says you won't miss it if my game runs over. What an ass!!!

5 minutes til 7 I tell him I know you have recorded the show but wasn't the whole thing about sitting here together watching it. He seemed annoyed ... annoyed that I wanted to sit & watch TV with him. I said whatever. He said don't worry, this is the end of this battle so it ill be off in a couple of minutes. So I go get in my jammies and get ready to watch the show with him. As I walk by to get my bottle of water I hear another battle going on. I inquired about it & he said oh I guess it wasn't the end. I retrieved my stuff & headed to the bedroom to watch my show. I came back out real quick to tell them it was time to shower ... I guess he read my face & said I'm turning it off ... I said don't bother, you can watched the taped show but I'm watching it now. He actually got pissed at me and said that's not fair ... I'm shutting it down already.

Never mind that he's been playing the damn thing since around 4 and it's not 7 ... never mind that I didn't ask him to stop playing during dinner ... as I'm walking back to the bedroom, I half expected him to actually be turning that damn game off ... NOPE, he went back to a fight scene. I was so mad that I grabbed a bowl of M&M's and went to town on them. I didn't eat the whole bowl ... but I did some damage.

He came to bed an hour later swearing he would watch the next show with me ... he fell asleep within 20 minutes. Uggg, I don't know why I let him get to me but I did. I'll have to do much better today!

Don't know what's on the menu for the day. I'm thinking cereal for breakfast, pita & hummus for lunch, steak & taters for dinner ... maybe have a side salad with it for some roughage. Hopefully no snacks.

Do Over

Ok, yesterday turned out to be a flop in the food department but I did do my 1.5 mile walk twice. I ended up snacking on peanut butter M&M's instead of having my cheese wrapped in roast beef & for dinner I thought we had fish but I guess I thought wrong. We ended up making hot dogs ... I had two. The good news is, I didn't eat chips with it like everyone one else in the house. I probably would have been fine with one dog so I will keep that in mind the next time we have that.

Diet Plan: once again, try to stick to the Crack the fat-loss Code book.

Exercise Plan: do my neighborhood walk with DH when he gets home this afternoon. I may do a walk video before he gets home cause with his shift change from 3rd to 1st ... he might be really tired. Poor guy tried to go to sleep at 8 last night & I was in a picking mood. I doubt he got any real sleep until about 10. I'm so mean! I've just gotten used to him coming in at 2 in the morning & waking me up to talk or whatever else ;D!

Update: I had a bowl of cereal (corn flakes) for breakfast, 1 wheat pita with home made hummus for lunch, dinner is a grilled steak, corn on the cob and a 1/2 cup of mashed taters. I haven't been very hungry today so I doubt I will feel like a snack ... if I do I'll be going for a sting cheese with sliced ham wrapped around it. For my cardio ... DH & I decided to go to the local nature trail and hike up the hills. It's a little over 2 miles long and what a workout it is for the legs.

Back in the Saddle ...

Today I am back to the diet grind stone ... well I guess you can call it that. I'm back to using my Crack the fat-loss Code book. It seemed to work the last time I was on it as I went from 211 down to 198 in about a months time. Since this time ... 9 weeks to be exact I have only gained 1.2 pounds. This is an amazing accomplishment for anyone ... but it's a great feat for me since I've been known to lose 5 pounds in 2 pounds on a diet but gain 15 in a week if I went off the plan.

Exercise: 1.5 mile neighborhood walk, probably another walk later this afternoon.

I think I'm gonna stick to my daily neighborhood walks cause it seems to be working better than killing myself daily with workout videos. I'm not sore on a daily basis ... I'm not cranky ... I'm not a lot of things that I was when I was working out like a mad woman.

Water: so far nothing but I have been averaging 6-8 cups of water a day

Food Plan: eat when I'm hungry, stop when I feel a small desire that I will be satisfied in a few more bites.

breakfast = 1 egg white, 1 whole egg, slice of cheese on top, 4 cups of coffee (wishing it were dunkin donuts).

snack = none ... wasn't hungry

Lunch = 4 cup salad greens with left over chicken on top. I'm using the 2 calorie a spray dressing.

snack = boiled egg

Dinner = cucumber salad, steamed veggies, grilled fish

snack = string cheese wrapped in roast beef (deli slice)

AOL Journals going Bye-Bye

So by now we all know that AOL is going bye-bye for the journal community ... that's why we're all migrating here to blogger. Hope Blogger doesn't abandon us 5 years from now when they start believing they don't have enough people blogging.

So cheers to all of us who have moved here ... I hope we can all find as much if not more support that we did with AOL.

Economic Crisis

I have kept politics out of this journal because I know that it's a no-no topic to keep friends ... but in this case I think we all have the right to be informed on what's going on & who has caused what. Ya see, over the weekend I found this YouTube video (not the one above) where someone took more time than I have to do the research on who is truly at fault for our economic crisis that our country is facing. Anyway ... late this afternoon I found an article stating the video was removed by democratic supporters who believe the Obama Truth Squad should come in & sweep "lies" under the rug.  The only problem with the "lies" statement is that all the evidence in the video is backed up by simple google searches. Well, I went back to the article to show my DH what I found, only to find that the article had been modified to say that the video was pulled because the author of the video did not have legal rights to the music. Come on ... how many YouTube videos have you watched? Do you think they are pulling those videos? No ... but they have pulled several ... even one of John McCains that was "lies" was pulled early this morning.

Anyway, the author of the video that was pulled simply re posted his video with slight modifications. His old one reached 1.2 million views in only 4 days (all positive views I must add). How many views will this one reach before it is pulled because of some bogus claim?

How far is this going to go? Don't we as Americans have the right to speak what we wish? Why is the truth so hard to swallow? As I type this ... law enforcement agencies are in MO pulling any & all ads that "LIE" against Obama! What about his own false ads?  The Obama camp is also in Ohio going to homeless shelters & colleges busing anyone they can to register & vote on the spot. As far as I can find ... this is an illegal practice. When you register to vote that information is taken to the county court house and then it is processed to make for sure you are eligible to vote. By eligible I mean you can not be a felon, you can't be registered more than once, you can not be homeless, etc. Once your information is verified you are mailed a voter registration card. You are to take this card with you when you vote. If you are unable to vote on election day due to being overseas (soldiers and such) you can opt for a absentee ballot. Did you know that absentee ballots aren't counted unless the race is very close? That's right! From what I have gathered ... the party who is behind can ask for certain counties to be counted. The reasoning? If they pick the county then they can pick the counties that are heavily voting for that said party. This is what happened in the 2000 election with Bush/Gore.

I'm not telling you who to vote for ... I'm just asking you to be informed! There are a lot of great sources everywhere but the one I have found to be MOST honest on both sides is www.factcheck.org .

Birthday Update

All I wanted was clothes ... I usually hate buying clothes cause I refuse to try them on in the stores and I also hate looking at the size. I'm slowly but surely getting over this hang up ... maybe it's because I don't have many clthes left that I can fit into.

DH baked me a cake ... my candles we're strawberries!

So yesterday started off slow as DH had to work the night before & was exhausted, DD was at riding lessons, and DS was here with me doing his school work. The little booger took every opportunity to get away from school work by showering me with hugs and kisses. I didn't get upset over it though ... sometimes I can't be such a hard ars teacher.

So I picked DD up from riding lessons & she tells me that I had three calls to wish me happy birthday ... one was my mom which was a little bit of a shocker, the next one was my dad and the third one came up private so I'm thinking it might have been Lisa. If it was thank you for calling me Lisa ... sorry I missed your call.

Anyway, called mom back ... she sang happy birthday to me. Started telling me how my niece has been sick this past week. Come to find out she took my 10 yr. old niece in to get the cervical cancer shot. I thought you had to be at least 11 for this shot. Oh well, I voiced my concerns with her & she assured me that my niece would be just fine cause her ex is a nurse & looked into it. My question is ... why does a 10 year old need to have these shots so young ... what's the rush to make her grow up?

Called my dad back ... I think he's about to pick up & move again. He hasn't really flat out said he was but usually when he starts taking a lot of vacation time that's what it means & this is his second vacation in less than 2 months time. Business is slow right now so he said he could use the time off. I know he works hard during the summer months and things always slow down in the winter months but come on ... he hasn't done this since he's been living here but this is what he did when he was considering moving here. Visited us 3 times in 3 months! I'm a little sad by this cause I have loved my dad living so close ... when dad leaves that means my brother will be following him shortly after. =(

Anyway, hung up with dad and my baby brother called to wish me happy birthday. I love that kid. He's not really a kid anymore but he is 9 years younger than me so he's a kid. =) He seems happy that dad is going out of town cause that means he gets to be boss while he's gone. Who doesn't want to be boss for a little while right?!

Anyway, hubby woke up ... came out in his undies singing happy birthday to me ... yes it was funny but after everything I had heard on the phone laughter is just what I needed. He took me out to lunch .. Primos ... I ordered what I thought would be a healthy mean, a sandwich with potato salad. What I got was a fried mess! I couldn't eat it all cause I couldn't really swallow the food. It was called a Monte Cristo ... the board said it was a warm ham & swiss sandwhich ... what it didn't say was that it was deep fried on french toast & sprinkled with powdered sugar & cranberry sauce on the side. Now if I wanted french toast I would have ordered that ... but I didn't. Oh well, it was a new place that we wanted to try out ... one we won't be going back to.

After lunch DH took me shopping ... told me I could buy whatever I wanted. It's not that he didn't know what to get me ... it's the fact that I have been telling him for months not to get me anything at all. I just wanted a nice sit down dinner with him & the kids. I mean it is just another day in my life. I'm not sad by turning another year older ... I don't even hide my age from people. I'm proud to be 36!!! I have never freaked out by my age. Why do some people do that? Age is just a number right? You're only as old as you feel. I feel like I'm in my late 20's so it's all good as far as I'm concerned.

So I bought lots of clothes! =) I love clothes but I'm really picky with what I buy. I went to Victoria's Secret for a new shirt, sweats, and a bra ... I love the color PINK and they had tons of pink in so I had fun. Then I went to Kolhs but didn't find anything that I likes, Ross ... nothing ... was thirsty so we stopped in Target & I found clothes. 2 beautiful shirts & a pair of casual pants. I don't have many of those. Jeans or sweats is my usual attire but every once in a while I look like I'm dressed to impress. Not often, but sometimes. =) Took the kids to the book store ... I was sure there was a book I wanted but honestly as soon as I saw the shelves of books I couldn't remember the name of even one book or author that I wanted. As I was walking out the door I though ooooh Nicholas Sparks ... his newest doesn't come out until Monday & I already have it on pre-order.

I was tired from shopping so we came back to the house. DH started dinner ... home made Chinese sweet & sour chicken with white rice & broccoli. Yummmmmmmy! The for desert he made angel food cake. We were gonna have fresh strawberries on it but it was so good alone that we didn't add a thing to it.

DH had to go into work but that was ok ... CBS had a present for me SURVIVOR!!!!!! =) It's one of my favorite shows. Looks like it could be a good season this year.

So that was my day. Nothing exciting but it was fun.

Oh ... my girlfriend in TN called me. She NEVER calls me unless she has a problem that she needs me to help her work through ... she called me just to wish me a happy birthday. It was so good to hear from her & it be because of me. You just don't know how draining it can be when a friend only calls when they need something & never call to just say HI... how are you doing?