Saturday

Breakfast - Biscuits made with healthy heart Bisquick and Lactaid milk, also had gravy on top; bowl of fruit with watermelon, grapes, and mango; water, vitamins


Lunch - 1 whole wheat sub roll, 1 slice of Colby jack cheese, 1 slice of pepper jack cheese, ham and turkey slices, romaine lettuce, little mayo, little mustard, little sprinkle of pepper and salt; 1/2 can of black cherry natural Hanson's soda

While driving to beach and back - munched on wheat Ritz crackers; apple slices.

At grocery store bought and ate a snickers bar. I hadn't had one in years and I was really craving chocolate.

After going to beach and finishing up a quick grocery trip, For the most part, I forgot about the word health -

baked sour cream and cheddar lays, 3 frozen pizza slices, guac and chips

With movie -a few bites of a brownie(didn't eat whole brownie), choc soy milk, 1 skinny cow cone.

Exercise - Deep cleaned house and went to beach and went and swam with Ben in ocean

Friday

Breakfast - total cereal with lactaid milk; vitamins; water

Snack - kashi chewy granola bar

Lunch - Quiznos flat bread honey mustard grilled chicken salad; bag of baked sour cream and cheddar chips; 1/3 of a choc chip cookie

After finishing grocery shopping - Dan and I treated ourselves to a Ice cream cone from McDonalds.

Dinner - spinach dip(recipe on reipe of the month link) and wheat bread bowl bites (appetizer night - Dan and I were full after this, so we didn't even get to the shrimp quesadillas we had planned on. I am proud of us for stopping though.)

No exercise today - unless you count me chasing around 2 toddlers and dog sitting a 100 pound American bull dog!

Thursday

Breakfast - 1/2 C strawberry yogurt with chopped pecans sprinkled in; 1 piece of multi grain toast spread lightly with peanut butter; water, vitamins


Lunch - 1 whole wheat tortilla, no fat refried beans, chopped up onions, chopped up mushrooms, Tapatio hot sauce, sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese.


Snack - kashi chewy granola bar


Dinner - tortilla chips sprinkled with shredded cheese, chopped green onions, jalapenos, no fat refried beans.

Snack - Lemon herbal tea with little bit of honey poured in

Exercise - Walked down to kids playground and played with Ben and Lily. Went down slide with both of them after carrying them up the stairs. Drove them around in a pretend kids car while running behind them pushing them. Walked back up hill to house while carrying Ben and holding lily's hand. - I broke a sweat so I consider it a work out. :)

Wednesday

Food Log -


Breakfast -
1 piece of multi grain bread with a light spread if Skippy natural peanut butter; 1 C strawberry yogurt with a sprinkle of chopped pecans; 3 orange slices; water; vitamins


Lunch - 1 grilled pork chop(pre-made last night by chef Dan) seasoned with lemon pepper; 1 no fat/no cholesterol/whole grain flour tortilla sprinkled with shredded cheese, little bit of butter, and cholula hot sauce; water

Snack -
Kashi chewy granola bar, protein shake with Lactaid milk

Dinner - whole wheat organic pasta noodles, marinara sauce, 2 chx tenders, mozzarella cheese; cold spinach leaves as a salad spritzed with Italian dressing spritzer

Snack - 1 sugar free chocolate pudding with 1 spoonful of chocolate cool whip

Exercise - Put Ben into the jogging stroller and walked down to our track on base. Sprinted/fast pace walk 2 laps, ran around middle of track grass playing with Ben and Dan.

This is what it all comes down to

So today I made an audition cd at a real recording studio!!!! The radio payed for it...how cool are they!?!? I have now turned that cd in, and I am anxiously waiting by the phone for an answer...will I or won't I be singing in the Colgate Country competition??????? Wish me luck....

Update!!!!

Today is Tuesday the 26th of June. I first started this blog on June 4th. I first measured my waist and hips on June 11th. And I weighed myself on the 4th of June. Since then I have lost 1 inch off of my hips! And I have lost 1/2 inch off of my waist! I am now down 4 pounds also. So Yeah!

I have not been as strict as I had hoped for. But that's okay. I am so happy that I have stuck with it, even when I over ate and didn't exercise on certain days. So thank you everyone who comments and helps me along. You are really helping me doing this.

Along the right side of the site, I have each week of my changes. It might be hard for you to see. But, I am really noticing a difference in myself. The biggest difference would be the way I feel about myself. Just look at week 4's picture. I look so happy with Dan on our date night. I wasn't even embarrassed to take that picture! What an inside change from week 1!

Tuesday

Food log -

Breakfast - blackberries mixed in to 1 packet of cinnamon weight control oatmeal with 3/4 C plain soy milk; water; banana; vitamins; 1 mug of lemon zinger herbal tea. (Trying to drink lots of herbal tea recently, to help my singing voice.)

Snack - Kashi granola bar, some baby carrots

Lunch - Oh yah, forgot that...too nervous and busy making my audition CD!!!!!

Make up meal - tuna, mayo, lemon pepper mixed together and put in half a pita pocket; 1/2 C strawberry yogurt

Dinner - 2 grilled pork chops sprinkled with lemon pepper, half a bag of Asian mix salad.

Snack - 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 spoonful of creamy smart balance peanut butter, 8 oz plain silk soy milk

Exercise: Today was lower body, abs, and cardio day
ABS workout
5 minute fitness test on bike
20 minutes on treadmill (just stayed at 3.5 - so not in to working out today)
* Left gym after doing abs and cardio. Then went home and ate dinner. I then did the following right before getting my stinky self in to the shower.
3 sets of 10 squats
Every leg lift you can possibly imagine
a few more minutes of doing ABS

Monday

Breakfast - half a banana - I know, not anywhere near enough food. I thought it was better than nothing. I just had zero time.
Lunch - 1 burrito supreme, 1/2 chx and cheese quesadilla, 1/2 extreme quesadilla, little bit of DP - I felt straight out crappy after eating this meal. Such an unwise choice. I seriously regretted eating that meal......my tummy no like Taco smell
Snack - some baby carrots
Dinner - 2 C steamed spinach with sprinkled salt and tiny bit of butter, 3 chicken tenders grilled on George foreman with lemon pepper and tomato basil spice, carrots, edamames, steamed carrots, broccoli, 1/2 C whole wheat organic linguine noodles
Snack - 1 C frozen yogurt caramel praline flavor
EDIT: I also had 1 cup of lemon zinger herbal tea, and 1 small bag of smart pop popcorn

Exercise!
Warmed up with 10 min on bike
38 min on elliptical machine
30 min of upper body/ab strength training with Dan my personal trainer helping out and spotting
YAH! Thanks to my I-POD music the time on the elliptical went fairly quick. Once again the bottom of my feet felt tingly/pain. Heidi - have you heard anything yet if this is normal? I know Dan and our upstairs neighbor have the same feeling when on the elliptical.

Small changes.....

Saturday afternoon 6-23-07 picture taken -
No make up, about to go to beach, and not feeling completely gross in a bathing suit is a great feeling. My face is slowly slimming down. I no longer see a double chin from a frontal view. I can take one picture and like it without having to take multiple pictures. I also notice that I look a little younger. Eating healthy and staying active is the best thing since sliced whole wheat bread......

Sunday

Breakfast - 2 multi grain slices of bread, skippy natural peanut butter, 1 sliced up banana; water; vitamins.



Lunch - bean tostada with no fat refried beans, no fat/no lard/no cholesterol tortillas, shredded colby cheese, cholula hot sauce; water


Snack - 1 mint flavored skinny cow ice cream sandwich; handful of tortilla chips

Dinner - appetizers at grad party - cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, crab/artichoke tiny wraps, turkey and cheese mini wraps, 1/2 Dijon mustard with 1 slice of pastrami on a roll, 3 pieces of shrimp with cocktail dipping sauce, 1 glass of lemonade, water. (I am proud of myself - I skipped the fried wings)

Dessert - 2 brownies, popcorn, licorice, soy milk, a few tortilla chips with gross guac(too much vinegar)

S-a-t-u-r-d-a-y

I have the Bay city rollers song in my head. I just downloaded onto my I-TUNES. I love that song..... S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y

Food log -

Breakfast - Breakfast burritos - thank you women's health recipe, water, and vitamins
Snack - some grapes and a few cheerios
Lunch - whey protein, frozen strawberries, light soy milk -all blended up to a smoothie; topped with a spoonful of chocolate cool whip (only 2 g of sugar, and a few calories)
Snack - maui onion chips (driving to beach)
Dinner - 1 bean burrito with sour cream from taco smell (healthiest choice for a meal), a little bit of Dr Pepper
Snack - 4 white mac nut cookies (why does it feel so good to be so bad??) with a glass of plain soy milk

I LOVE this link!

I have discovered the greatest thing invented! It's the recipe link on the Women's Health magazine website. Need an idea for a meal? Want to plan meals ahead of time??? Just go to this link and you have all these foods at your disposal. They are quick and easy. They are healthy! And they taste delicious!

Just now I planned today's meals out!
Breakfast - Breakfast burritos
Lunch - Asian Noodle Salad
Dinner - BBQ chicken salad

I LOVE this recipe link!!

One of the great things about this link is that you are able to switch the serving size. Preparing a meal for 2 or 20, it doesn't matter. You are able to change the serving size and it calculates for you the difference in portions! Can it get more simple to eat healthy? I think not!

Friday!!!

So I am very happy to say that I stopped eating 2 hours before I went to bed last night! Yah for me! Dan and I also worked out yesterday at his work gym before heading to date night. And at the movie, I resisted getting nachos and chocolate! I chose the healthiest options there. Diet coke, hot dog, and popcorn. And we brought hot tamales and licorice that I had been saving for movie night! I usually would get down on myself about the soda and hot dog for dinner, but I was actually happy. I could of skipped the gym, so I had time to make dinner before date night. But I really felt that working out was needed for me. So YAH for me!

So here is today's food log -

Breakfast - Cinn weight control oatmeal, fresh cut up strawberries, sprinkled cinnamon, raisins; water; vitamins. Side note - I would not suggest mixing the strawberries into that mix. It tasted weird.

Snack - Kashi chewy granola bar

Lunch - 3 multi grain WASA crackers with light laughing cow cheese spread, tomato slice, and turkey breast slice; 2 whole wheat tortillas sprinkled with cheese

Snack - Protein shake with 8 oz light plain soy milk

Dinner - whole wheat organic linguine noodles with citrus shrimp, I sprinkled the pasta and shrimp with a tiny handful of shredded mozzarella cheese, also had edamames before and with dinner, and of course.....WATER!!!

Snack - munched on some edamame's and crystal light tangerine/strawberry flavor

Snack - Creamy chocolate banana ice treat!!! Taste delicious!

** Exercise and feelin good**

Dan left tonight to help out some people from our church. I found myself alone with Ben and just wanting to order pizza and watch a movie with Ben. But, I did not to do that. Oh no, I got my tushy in gear. What is my main motivator at the moment? *July 20th and singing in the Colgate country showdown. I've gotta feel confident not only in my singing but in my jeans. ;) wink wink Seriously though....I am proud of myself. I clicked on the link to the right of my page that says 10 ingredients and 40 recipes. I had went grocery shopping with that list last week. I am just now getting around to cooking a meal from it. I found a citrus shrimp recipe that sounded delicious. So while the shrimp was marinating, I grabbed Ben and the jogging stroller and off we went. We live on a steep hill. It is my main reason for not getting out more. But this time I did it! And I came home sweating like a pig(it felt great), made some yummy wholesome dinner food while listening to my I-pod in the I-home set to my "relax and unwind" play list(aka: Norah Jones, Andre Bocelli, John Mayer), ate a nice quiet meal with Ben, put Ben to bed, cleaned up the house, jumped in the shower, and still had energy to greet Dan with a smile. :) Yah for me! It's a good day today!

Honest thoughts

Why is night time such a hard time for me??? The days that I do not work out I definitely notice a difference in my will power to resist late snacking and other splurges. Last night was one of those nights.

I am going to write this down because I am not perfect, and I know others are reading this that can relate. And it helps to know that we all crumble once in a while. And like many know that is okay. Just get right back up. Well that's what I did. I am back up now. But last night was a different story.

For the third night in row, Dan had a softball game. Last night was his last softball game of the season and the team would have had to forfeit if Dan didn't play. He helped clean the house earlier, and even made dinner. (He is so helpful softball game night) He even let me take a 3 hr nap when he got home from work, while he watched Ben and Lily(little girl I baby sit). So after he also helped put Ben down to sleep, I figured the least I could give him was a guys softball game night. Ben and I stayed home because we had kept Ben up the last 2 nights for late games, and figured he was worn out by then. So Ben went to sleep. I stayed home and popped in a chick flick and grabbed some crystal light pink lemonade and baked lays and relaxed. I went and got some licorice half way through the movie since I was munchy. And also had another mint flavored skinny cow ice cream treat. Then Dan got home and he decided he was hungry. I said I was too. And we made grilled cheese sandwiches on multi grain bread. I added tomato's and white onions to mine since that is what I was craving. But man that sandwich didn't satisfy me. Yes, I was stuffed by that point. But I was still munchy. I stopped though. I talked to Dan for awhile then passed out asleep.

I just don't know what is going on though with my energy. I was dead exhausted yesterday. I can never nap in the afternoon. But I did just that yesterday afternoon for 3 hours people!!! And when I woke up it was dinner time and Dan said I just looked like I wasn't feeling good. But after I ate dinner I got most of my energy back. But then my energy was drained again. So I ate some chips and lemonade, energy back. This continued and every time I ate, I would get my energy back. Hmmmm....

All I know is I am not eating healthy at night. And I have not been stopping my eating 2 hours before bedtime. So those are the two things I am going to work on this week. Healthier snacking and stopping eating 2 hours before bedtime. Oh yah - and getting to bed earlier!

Thursday

Food Log -


Breakfast - cinn weight control oatmeal with some fresh blueberries mixed in; water; vitamins
Lunch - Crispy(used canola oil in skillet) whole wheat tortilla with low fat refried beans, sprinkle of cheese, tomato's. onions. and a tiny bit of non fat sour cream
Snack - protein shake
Dinner -Movie date night - hot dog with ketchup and mustard, diet coke, popcorn, hot tamales, licorice(I resisted the nachos and chocolate candy products!!)

Exercise -
5 minutes on bike to warm up
7 minutes of stretching
30 minutes on treadmill - did (2) 1 minute intervals on 5.0 speed jogging, rest was walking at 3.5 speed some times with incline between 2.0 and 3.0
Weight machine for back/arms - 2 sets of 12 - this is the wonderful new exercise that I have discovered. It helps get rid of my "hump" by my neck. It formed when my front area got HUGE during the pregnancy. Also from poor posture. I thought I would never get rid of it. God bless this weight set!

Wednesday

Food log -

Breakfast - 1 piece of mulit grain toast with smart balance creamy peanut butter; few bites of a banana, water

Snack - wheat grass shot with a slice of an orange from jamba juice

Lunch - 3 pieces of salmon with rice, California rolls Maki, and only 1 tiny slice of Dan's Taco smell quesadilla. (Dan said he was proud of me for not eating taco Bell and for making healthier choices!!!!)

Snack - baby carrots

*Dan watched the kids while I took a 3 hr nap. I feel like someone took a suction cup and sucked all the energy out of my body. What is going on? The only thing I can think of is that I am not eating enough? Anyone have any other thoughts???? Anyone anyone???Buller....anyone?

Dinner - (My wonderful husband made) Tofu stir fry with brown rice. This meal is courtesy of week 1 - day 7 - dinner meal - off of week 1 booty boot camp. (Substituted low sodium soy
sauce for terriaki sauce that we didn't have. )

Snacks - Licorice, couple handfuls of baked lays chips, crystal light pink lemonade, 2 skinny cow mint flavored sandwiches.

I was almost too embarrassed to add this. But this site is about healthy. And being honest is the first step for me to become healthier.

EDIT ADD ON - 2 slices of multi grain bread, 2 slices of deli Colby jack cheese, light butter, 1 Roma tomato sliced up, 1 big slice of a white onion.

Oprah

So I was flipping channels during my "me" time one day.

"Me" time is 1 hour a day that Dan allows me to make sure I am completely focused off of children and housework! It's great! I usually use this time to catch up with homework, blogging, gym, or like today, just put my feet up and think about NOTHING!

So I stopped the flipping of channels and there was Oprah. If by some miracle I have a chance during the day to watch Oprah, I try and seize the moment to watch it. Lately I have found her show very informative and educational. And I love that I am actually learning something while watching the TV. In the past few months, I have especially loved watching The Debt Diet series and Dr OZ. And a few days ago Bob Greene was on the show. I only caught the last few minutes. But that short time of watching had a huge affect on me. He was talking about his Best Life Diet and some recipes that go with it.

I realized that many of the recipes he was talking about, were many that I already made or had known about. He went down a list of food that were really healthy to eat. He mentioned soy milk, Wasa crackers, light yoplait yogurt, Barilla whole wheat Pastas, and so on....and I thought to myself..check check check....... So after realizing that I have mostly all of the foods on this "best life diet" I might as well read more about it and maybe try a few ideas off of his list. What the hay maybe I'll even check out his book from the library. And I really do hate the word diet. But this is not that. It is healthy living. And it slowly helps you become a healthier eater and a more active person. And don't we all need that? :) So read along with me if you'd like. I'm going to be inserting links to the right from Bob Greene. I like his attitude.

PS When I become a famous country singer, I am going to hire Dr Oz and Bob Greene.

Tuesday's meals and feelings (because for me the two go hand in hand)

After having a splurge all weekend I have decided that meal planning is a NECESSITY! At least for right now. The weekend is the time for me to go off the meal plan and try and choose healthy options. But the weekend rolled into Monday and I am really down on myself. I ate so much garbage these past few days. Only 1 way to pick myself up. KEEP GOING! This is really hard for me. Because I am doing it the "healthy" way, it is a slow process. And even though my arms were feeling toner, face felt thinner, and my derriere' felt higher....I feel like all my progress went out the door with the bad food choices and not exercising. But instead of staying in that frame of mind, I am going to switch gears.


Look at the positive and what works for me -

* Eating healthy breakfast, vitamins, and water right after I wake up. This helps me not skip meals which leads to overeating and choosing garbage.

* Getting on computer less for pleasure(aka:People.com) and more for journal feelings and track eating.

* Following meal plan or healthy meal ideas from Women's Health

* When at grocery store, stick to list and healthy options. Stop buying Chips(even though they are baked lays and multi grain tortilla chips)

* Pat yourself on the back for only having soda two times in 5 days. Pat yourself on back for choosing Icee and popcorn instead of nachos and chocolate candy on Friday night.

* Get off your tush and get active!


Food Log for Tuesday -Following (for the most part)week 1 booty camp day 1 meals

*Breakfast - Cinn weight control instant oatmeal, 1 cup of mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, boysenberries), handful of chopped pecans, 1/4 cup of light soy milk. Water and vitamins.


*Snack and Lunch together - 1/2 cup of cottage cheese sprinkled cinnamon; 4 C mixed salad greens, 4 oz chx from can, 1/2 sliced up avocado; 1 TSP lemon juice and 2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil mixed together to make salad dressing; 1 orange sliced up


Snack - 1 scoop of protein powder, 8 oz light plain soy milk

Snack - multi grain tortilla chips and homemade guacamole with Roma tomatoes and white onions in it.

Munchies - skinny cow caramel cone

After these snacks, I went and did an intense cardio workout with hills. Then off to Dan's softball game. When we finally got home it was 9:30pm and I just wasn't hungry. I really haven't had an appetite lately. Hmmmm......

EDIT: Had a handful of baby carrots, 3 wasa crackers spread with light cream cheese and raisins, 5 pieces of fat free licorice.

Back after a short hiatus

After a short"hiatus" I am back! Here is a brief run down of how the past 5 days have gone.


*Friday - Breakfast - healthy, 2:30pm - Quizno's salads as a family on the way to the game. Then Dan and I had a date night and saw Fantastic 4 #2!!! My dinner for the night was a strawberry Iceeee and popcorn. I know...so healthy right?


*Saturday - Skipped breakfast. Evening - Went to military theatre and attempted to watch Spiderman 3 with Ben. We left early, but we still ate the un-healthy food. Had dinner at theatre. There were no healthy options. I had a hot dog, diet coke, some popcorn, few tiny butter finger bites, a few nachos. Definitely not my finest moment in healthy eating. This tiny military theatre didn't even have Iceee's. But everything was super cheap. Tickets for example were only $3.50! And Ben of course was free.

*Sunday - Happy Fathers day! Made a mostly healthy brunch. I made french toast kabobs. I also made smoothies out of frozen fruit, plain fat free yogurt, and a tiny bit of apple juice. Also on the table was strawberry/tangerine Crystal Light.

Then we came home from church. Dan and Ben grilled us up some steak!! Yummy!

We rarely eat red meat. It was pretty darn tasty though with the grilled Cajun rub Dan had put on it! Besides steak, I had half a baked sweet potato, 1 piece of corn on the cob, and a piece of french bread. ~Oh yah I almost forgot! We invited our upstairs neighbor Kevin and his little girl(whom I baby sit) over for dinner while Connie(the Mom) is gone to Army training. Kevin brought over the best guacamole I have EVER tasted! It went so fast we didn't even get pictures. But guess what??? I got the secret recipe!!! That was one yummy appetizer!

*Monday( not my healthiest) - Flew by - breakfast - healthy total cereal with blueberries and skim milk. Lunch -while running errands - bean burrito with sour cream and diet coke from Taco Smell. Dinner - while at Dan's softball game - one slice of cheese pizza, watermelon, water. Then after the game Dan wanted a taco. I ordered a nacho just out of habit. I over ate. I regreted it big time. I was not even hungry!

* Tuesday - Doing great! Will post separately for today's healthy meals.

Enough to get to the gym

I am watching the weight come off...that in itself is enough to get my tush to the gym! Well the scale and mirror don't lie! I feel like I am shrinking...like literally getting shorter....

So Dan, Ben, and I headed over to Dan's work gym again. It's so great because no one is ever there. And as old as the equipment is......it's still free and at our disposal any time! So today I hopped on the bike for a 5 minute warm up. A nice stretch was done and my calves and hamstrings said THANK YOU!

Then jumped over to the treadmill (really was not feeling that happy to be working out right then) and did 17 minutes on that. At that time Ben started to get REALLY fussy. So Dan and I decided that since I was walking on the treadmill, I might as well be pushing Benji outside for some fresh air! And Dan had just finished listing his arm weights. The fresh air was nice for myself also.

So off we went to head outside. Down the road from the gym and military base is a track and field. So we walked(didn't drive) over there. When I got over there, Dan and Ben went ahead of me and I decided to walk/jog. My chest started to hurt. So after half a mile we walked back over to the parking lot where the car was parked. Total time walking outside - 6:05 - 6:25

I think I'll do some abs tonight. Wish me luck!

Wednesday's breezy work out

So today's work out was a piece of cake. But it sure didn't start out that way! I arrived to the gym only to realize that my IPOD would not turn on. The battery was dead. So this in itself was almost enough to have me turn around and walk out of the gym and head right back home. But I am a changed woman! I decided to stay and work out anyways. And my body loved every minute of it. ( This is one of the reasons I can't wait to get back to Utah where my Golds Gym membership(paid for but on hold) is anxiously waiting for me! For now I will be totally fine using our free military gym. )

Another obstacle was that every treadmill and elliptical machine was being used. I then decided to grab the step aerobics class that was about to start. But every step was being used! I did not give up though!!! I thought maybe I would ride the bike for a warm up, stretch, then see if someone got off the elliptical. And they did! And this is how it went.........

I started off with riding the bike through a 5 minute fitness test. Remember I took that a few days ago? Well, I have improved. I went from a score of Poor to Below Normal...so okay I guess? I still don't know how that bike gages fitness? I then stretched for 10 minutes, while watching the elliptical like a hawk. Then when someone started to look at it....I hopped on! ;)

So then I did the elliptical machine. I set it for 30 minutes and decided I would try my best to stay on the entire time. And guess what? I did it! My feet at one time did start to get tingly and fall asleep. I think that's just part of working out on the elliptical? But, besides that I had such a great work out! And I would have went for 30 more minutes had I not had Dan's work dinner to get to. My lungs did not burn one time. (I really focused on my breathing.) My legs did not die. By golly I think I am actually getting into shape.......

Thursday meals

Breakfast - Total cereal with skim milk; 1 orange sliced up; vitamins; water

Snack - baby carrots

Lunch - (yet again resisted Dan eating that evil leftover pizza) 1 whole wheat tortilla, roasted red pepper hummus, turkey breast slices (heated up in microwave for 15 seconds); baby carrots dipped in roasted red pepper hummus

Snack - Protein Shake

Snack - 1 bag of 100 calorie toasted wheat thin crisps

Snack - edamame's sprinkled with tiny bit of salt, 4 WASA crackers topped with light cream cheese and raisins.

Dinner - 1 whole wheat tortilla and inside was hard boiled eggs mashed up pinch of mayo and mustard, dollop of light sour cream, and cholula hot sauce.

Leah's ways to stay motivated 101

Once in a while go shopping for yourself. It's always great to track your weight loss progress by how well your clothes fit. And it doesn't hurt if the shirt you buy is totally flattering to your skin complexion and fits just right!!!! ( wink wink ;) wink)
Don't starve yourself!!!! Eating Healthy does not have to taste gross! Dan made this delicious dinner the other night. Shrimp Kabobs with veggies sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning, and watermelon!!!!

Once in a while give your muscles a rest! I decided that watching Shrek with Ben was the right thing to do at that moment. My muscles were DYING from Saturday's work out. And even though clean laundry was screaming my name to be put away and the bed wasn't even made, I ignored it for that afternoon. Dan caught us and took this picture.....

Set short term goals for yourself. My personal short term goal is to get my tush(literally) in gear and accomplish a dream/goal I have had all my life. So July 27th and 28th I will be singing and competing in the Colgate Country Showdown!!!

Finding that balance......

Feeding starving child post workout.

Ben is so hungry he is not even looking up for the picture. My domestic skills have taken the back burner. Hence the reason why mostly every picture I take,has messy house behind me. That's okay though. That's what life is all about right? Finding that balance somewhere in between.....

Dan took this picture last Saturday. I have to say I am already noticing a difference in my bod. The way I feel about myself has drastically changed also. YAH for healthy living! Oh yah and I know you're digging my "straight off the clearance rack" work out clothes!!! And I just noticed I have a very nice farmers tan going on also.....so GLAMOROUS! ;)

Wednesday meals

Breakfast - Cinnamon weight control oatmeal (today I mixed in 3/4 cup of skim milk instead of water as suggested by WH to stay full longer), with raisins and cinnamon; water, vitamins, antibiotics. * Check out the new link I put up to the right. It's titled "Hungry Like a Wolf", and it has great ideas for healthy foods that keep you full longer.

Snack - baby carrots

Lunch - Big hooray for me - I resisted leftover pizza!!! As Dan came home for his lunch break, he pulled "it" out of the fridge. I called him a Meany for tempting me, and decided I didn't want to work out any more than I had to......"my plan is working".....insert Dr Evil laugh here. I ended up having leftover's from lunch yesterday. The only difference is that I added cooked baby peas and some baby carrots to the mix. I am still getting used to the taste of tuna without mayo and whole wheat pasta. Other than that though it was great. Main Point is - I felt good after eating it. And last night after eating pizza I felt bloated, lethargic, UN-motivated, reflex, and other not so pleasant experiences. So I think (like soda) I have finally learned my lesson. Eat foods that have no negative side effects on my body!

Snack -baby carrots

Dinner - Serves me right gloating all about how I "resisted" the temptous pizza leftovers. I ate Taco bell. It couldn't really be helped. I went to the gym as soon as Dan got home, then jumped in COLD shower(yes Megan I agree that is one of the best things in life), then jetted off to a work dinner for Dan's unit(didn't eat anything, just a schmooze the boss type of deal), then straight off to Dan's softball game. So finally when his game was done we grabbed taco smell. So add 1 extra workout to the list of my busy life. Oh yeah, did I mention after eating dinner way too late at night, I had to jump on the computer and do some homework for my criminal justice summer school class?( In my best Simon Cowell impersonation - WOO PEE) I guess I will sleep/rest when I'm dead....... ;)

Snack - mug of sugar free hot cocoa (yummmm)

Rested on Tuesday from exercise

Yesterday, I rested and did not do any exercise. I was at the Dr with Ben for most of the afternoon. I was feeling like garbage myself. I had sweated most of the day anyways from the HOT weather just doing errands. So, I decided to not over do it or push it. Dan and I both (after getting dressed and in route to gym) decided it was too late to work out(Ben didn't feel good and was getting CRANKY) and we should just take a rest today. I am proud of us for listening to our bodies.

Tuesday meals

breakfast - 1 slice of multi grain toast with natural peanut butter, water, vitamins, antibiotic

Snack - skipped

Lunch - whole wheat pasta, canned tuna, olive oil, grated cheddar and mozzarella cheese

Snack - protein shake

Snack - Sugar free banana pudding mix with graham cracker crust on the bottom

Snack - few bites of pasta from lunch(waiting for pizza to be delivered) waited too long to order and eat dinner. I was STARVING!!!

Dinner - Today we chose to make our 1 eat out day a week - Pizza - anything past this will
require an extra work out. No soda, instead drank crystal light!!!! (tangerine/strawberry flavored)

Monday work out

I just got back from the gym. I am still a little sore from Saturday's work out. I took it easy at the gym today. And, I listened to my body and did not jog. I am sticking with fast paced walking right now. The jogging is too hard on my shins and knees right now. Plus most of my work out songs on my IPOD are better suited for quick walking and biking. So the following is what I did do at the gym today:

10 warm up of walking on treadmill

10 minute stretch (felt REALLY good)

20 min on treadmill at about 3.5 speed setting, sometimes I had it at a 1.5 incline to stretch out my calves a little more

7 min on the bike (5 min of that was a fitness test) I scored a poor rating - BOO!

~ After I did Saturday's work out, I didn't really feel like I worked my stomach muscles well enough. And my stomach is my main focus area to drop inches in. I have a great belly dancing video that works the stomach area REALLY well. So I am going to do that later on. Till next time!

Weigh in day

So I have decided that weighing myself every day is not healthy. So last Monday when I started this whole shin dig, I weighed myself and started a Word document (because I am obsessed with lists and word documents)weight chart. It is titled, "Ideal Weight". What I am going to do is weigh myself only ONCE a week. And the rest of the week the scale will be in the cabinet. :) This is something I have really struggled with in the past. I have the tendency to obsess over my weight. So this will help me to stay on track, but at the same time not worry or obsess over it! It's just a number right?????

*****SUPER GREAT NEWS IS THAT......... As of last Friday I am down ONE WHOLE CLOTHING SIZE!!!!!! Dan and I went to Old Navy to check out there clearance on work out clothes. And Dan is down TWO clothing sizes, and I am down ONE!!!!! YAHHHHHH!!!!

* Below is a cut and copied chart of what the Ideal Weight chart looks like:

********************************************************************************
My ideal weight for my body frame at 5’8” is between 146 and 167. I am currently *** as of June 5th, 2007. That means I have between *** and ** pounds to drop. I can only do this one day at a time and one meal at a time!

I am currently eating healthy and exercising. I am following an already made meal plan provided by Women’s Health magazine. This is something that I feel like I can really stick to! Dan and I are both doing a change of life work out and eating, so I think this will work the best for us! Yeah for team support and team work!

My goal weight is still *** pounds. I want to be at this weight because then I will have a healthy BMI. But, my main goal is to be healthier. I currently have asthma, possible blood clot, bad knees, mood swings, bad circulation, and low energy. I want to change all of this AND be an example of health to Benjamin. And be the best wife I can be to my loving, wonderful husband. And I don’t want to miss out on life just because of my weight or size. I want to do this for me this time and do it for the right reasons!!!

Black color means I just started out.
Green means in that week I lost weight!
Red means that I gained weight.

1st week - 6/4/07 – weight is *** pounds (weighed on home scale stark at night)
2nd week – 6/11/07 – weight is (have yet to be weighed at this moment)
3rd week – 6/18/07 – weight is
4th week – 6/25/07 – weight is
5th week – 7/2/07 – weight is
6th week – 7/9/07 – weight is
7th week – 7/16/07 – weight is
8th week – 7/23/07 – weight is
9th week – 7/30/07 – weight is
10th week - 8/6/07 – weight is
11th week -8/13/07 – weight is

********************************************************************************

I have put stars next to the place that would show my weight. I am still not quite ready to put my weight up on the net. But you get the idea of what I am doing in case anyone would like to follow in my footsteps........

Just another manic Monday of meals

Today Dan has the day off because of King Kamehaha day(it's a Hawaiian thing). So, I am not following the Women's Health plan. Like Saturday and Sunday, I am trying my best to choose healthy options. So far so good......


Breakfast - Cinnamon flavored Weight Control oatmeal sprinkled with a handful of raisins and a dash of cinnamon. I also cut up an apple. I ended up dipping the apple slices into the oatmeal.

Snack - 8 oz of skim milk with 1 scoop of EAS whey protein to make a shake

Lunch - 2 whole wheat pita pockets - each one had a tuna mix(light mayo and lemon pepper), romaine lettuce, and pocket had a tiny bit of black olive hummus; 20 baby carrots on the side.

Snack - 5 pieces of cooked shrimp with old bay seasoning sprinkled on them

Dinner - 2 shrimp cabob skewers with red bell peppers, red onion, and zucchini; all sprinkled with old baby seasoning; and watermelon

Snack - sugar free banana pudding with the crust of graham crackers(Thank you Dan!!)

Snack - whole wheat crackers and light laughing cow cheese spread (I can't get enough of this people!) and 1 handful of smart pop popcorn.

I am really proud of myself

I really feel like I am finally doing it. I am finally choosing to live a healthier lifestyle. Do you know how great that feels? My body is loving it. My husband is loving it. Ben is loving it. And though the house work might be falling behind......I am okay with that. My health needs my attention right now. I will focus on my piles of laundry later......... ;)

I also started back up with writing in my journal here at the house. I feel that emotional health is just if not more important as physical health!

And I have to say it makes the world of difference to know that Heidi has a hard time getting motivated to work out too, and Heather(who is training for a half marathon) splurges once in a while with a symphony chocolate bar, and Elaine tells me Starbucks brownies are okay once in a while. Bottom line - none of us are perfect! We are all trying and that is what matters! Hang in there ladies! And in the mean time - keep it up!!!!!

I will end with Dan's military chant (he would shout this as he ran with his training unit recently)
MOTIVATED MOTIVATED DOWN RIGHT MOTIVATED! HOOOOOO RAW!

My meals on Sunday

Breakfast - whole wheat English muffin with natural peanut butter, slice of watermelon

Snack - steamed spinach with tiny pinch of garlic salt and light butter

Lunch - turkey breast sandwich on multi grain bread with light mayo and mustard and romaine lettuce; watermelon, baby carrots

Snack - 7 vanilla wafers, 1 kashi granola bar(flavor was dark cherry chocolate), munched on watermelon all afternoon

Snack - 100 calorie bag of toasted wheat thins crisps

Dinner - half of a baked sweet potato(split a large one with Dan), sauteed asparagus with garlic and olive oil, steak with Italian seasoning.

Snack - sugar free fudgesicle, whole wheat Ritz crackers with light laughing cow cheese lightly spread on them

Snack - Vanilla frozen yogurt with choc syrup and butterscotch syrup and vanilla wafers

I was really munchy and snacky tonight. I found out the reason today...(men close your ears)Aunt Flo is in town. All in all this weekend's work outs and eating was FABULOUS! Yah for choosing healthy choices!!!

Saturday is a work out and a half day

Just call Saturday the pump me up and work out day! I woke up after sleeping in. (THANK YOU DAN!) I ate my healthy breakfast, drank some water, took my vitamins. Then a little bit later Dan, Ben, and I headed to the gym. (Dan works on a base that has a private gym. No one works out there after work hours. So we are able to bring Ben and still get a great work out together. ) So the following is what my great work out consisted of. This is above and beyond my normal day of working out. But do you remember all that take out we had this week?????? And plus I had only worked out once this week. So I really felt great after doing the following:

* 10 min warm up on stationary bike

* 35 minutes on treadmill - walked most of time at 3.5 setting speed. Also did 1 minute straight intervals of jogging at 5.0 speed setting. First 15 minutes and middle 10 minutes I had the incline set to 2.0 - 3.0 going up hill.

*Women's health lower body workout #1
Love your lower half
Four do-it-at-home moves for a four-star posterior

*Women's health upper body work out #1
The easy toned arms plan (level 1)
Press, pull, and curl your way into a sleeker upper body

So as you can imagine I am WAY sore from that work out!!! Believe it or not, but tonight I am going to try and squeeze in an ab work out. Wish me luck!

_________________________________________________________________
EDIT - I DID IT! I JUST FINISHED ....................
CORE WORKOUT 2 - THE FLAT ABS PLAN (LEVEL 1)A
Now I am going to do a REALLY great stretch. My body is screaming for a good stretch!

Meals for Saturday

These meals are not a plan by Women's health. This weekend I am just trying to eat healthy and I am not following a plan. During the week, I will follow measured out and scheduled meals. The weekend is the time for me to learn to eat healthier on my own. Of course some meals that I eat on the weekend are ideas from Women's Health.

Saturday:

Breakfast - soy milk, total cereal, cut up strawberries, 16 oz of water, pack of GNC multi vitamins women's energy pack

Snack - 3 wasa multi grain crackers spread with roasted red pepper hummus

Snack - 10 baby carrots

Snack - 1 scoop of EAS whey protein mixed with 8 oz of soy milk. Dan suggested drinking this protein shake. It taste just like chocolate milk!!!! It is really great to take after working out. It helps your re-build your muscles quicker. Because, when you work out you naturally tear your muscles. So this was a great little shake! We had a special 1 day pass coupon for Sam's club. We bought a big bag of it for only $20.00.


Dinner - water with cut up lemons, 4 oz grilled salmon marinated in 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp honey; 2 C steamed spinach; 1 small sweet baked potato (I added a TEENY small amount of light butter, light sour cream, chopped up chives, and black pepper.) The salmon had ZERO hint of a fishy taste. YUM! Very filling!

Nightime snack with movie -
Cottage Cheese with cinnamon and raisins. It tasted very similiar to rice pudding! I also had whole wheat ritz crackers with light laughing cow cheese, and a glass of sugar free hot cocoa

Meals of Aloha Friday

Friday -

Breakfast - 1 banana - didn't make time for more than this. But, I at least wanted to makes sure I got this in. In the past my downfall has been totally skipping breakfast and over eating at lunch. So at least I ate the banana.

Snack - nothing

Lunch - 1 slice of leftover pizza - white sauce, spinach, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms on thin crust. I also took my vitamins and 16 oz of water here at lunch, so the combination of vitamins and water filled me up. I also think I have less of an appetite since I am on an antibiotic for a cold I have. Edit: I am writing lunch in green highlight because I could have ate more leftovers of pizza, but I stopped since my stomach felt like I was full.

Snack - 3 wasa multi grain crackers spread with artichoke and garlic hummus

Dinner - 2 bean burritos, 1 extreme quesadilla, and 1 hard taco from taco bell. No soda and no combo.

night time snack - cut up bananas and strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. 1/2 mug of sugar free hot cocoa

Today, I figured that the food choices for dinner were the result of not eating enough earlier in the day. Fast food teaches me so much......

When I eat take out more than once a week.......

Okay, so I have realized that this is my biggest downfall. Eating out and delivery way too much is adding up the fat grams way too fast. And I need to not only think of my heart, but also Dan's heart and Benjamin's over all health.

Ben does not eat the same food as me. That's the kicker. I make sure he eats healthy. But once he goes to bed, Dan and I splurge. We kind of have a party every night he goes to bed. And to celebrate, we use food. This is also a downfall as we are trying to save money and pay off bills. Take out is not only un-healthy but also very expensive when you add it up. This is one reason on January 1, 2007, I made a new years resolution to only eat out once a week. Well, since I can't seem to stop that right away, Dan and I have come up with another solution.

Here it is - When I eat take out more than once a week, then for every additional take out- I have to do an extra work out. So if you are following along.....I have a few workouts to do over the weekend. And I like this idea. I think as I am working out, it will give me time to think about preparing dinners ahead of time in case our life gets extra busy at night. (Like it has been this week!)

Slowly learning

I am slowly learning that I eat bad when I am rushed on the go, at night and the munchies with a movie, or relax and eat attitude sets in. I really love that I am writing down everything I eat. Even though it can be embarrassing to share, it is helping me realize what I need to work on. Maybe by "letting it all hang out" I will help someone else who struggles with food issues. :)

I am highlighting the poor food choices in red. And I am highlighting the good food choices in green. This is just a way for me to scan over the blog, and see how I am improving over time.

Meals day 3 and 4

Wednesday zoomed right past me! Now it's Thursday!

I will update you on my meals from yesterday AND today! (This part is mainly for me to keep a record of what I eat, but also for any of you who are looking for healthy food ideas!)



(Again, I am attempting to follow the meal plan provided by Women's Health magazine......... but I write down EVERYTHING I eat...even if it's not on the meal plan)

Wednesday -

Breakfast - 1 C whole grain cereal ( I had Total) with 1/2 C skim milk(I had original soy milk) and 1/2 C strawberries

Snack - 15 baby carrots with 2 TBSP roasted red pepper hummus(YUM! Gave my usual boring baby carrots a nice change up!)

Lunch - 3 or 4 turkey meatballs(4oz) with 1/2 C marinara sauce and 2 TBSP grated parmesan; 2 C steamed brocoli and carrots(addition to mine were edamames and sugar snap peas that were included in the frozen veggie bag I bought)

Snack - 1 granola bar(I had a Kashi bar)

Dinner - Was suppossed to be: grilled chx with asparagus and brown rice - But, we were out in town again(Dan had a softball game) and ended up grabbing a quick bite. But, instead of grabbing the usal taco bell or hot dog....this time Dan and I both chose the healthier option! YAH for us! I had a chicken, honey mustard flatbread salad from Quiznos. Instead of soda or juice I had a Sobe Lean diet peach herbal tea. And also a tiny bag of baked Lays. So. I was really happy with my choice. I was SO tempted to grab the chicken Cabo club sandwich with guacamole. That used to be one of my biggest pregnancy cravings. But I chose the salad. I also remembered how many calories and fat grams that sandwich had from Weight Watchers. And I was so happy afterwards!!!!

Snack - was suppossed to be 3 C light popcorn - but ended up being - 1 serving of tostitos multi grain tortilla chips with homemade guacamole that had 2 avocados, lime juice, black pepper, and a tiny sprinkle of salt in it. I ate only enough for my chips.

- First, Dan handed me a fresca soda. I have really tried to cut out my soda because it has been upsetting my tummy. But, I figured sure since it was caffeine free and zero sugar, maybe it wouldn't upset my tummy. But, it did...now I am back on my no soda kick. >Then Dan said I really want a quesadilla. I said Oh yum that sounds good but I'm not really hungry. But, I said okay go ahead and make me one. (BAD MOVE LEAH) Even though the tortilla was small and was whole wheat and the cheese was low fat......I ate when I wasn't hungry. That's why I dissapointed myself. But, I have noticed that our snack options are way healthier these days! Baby steps......

Thursday - (For those of you following the Women's health magazine meal plan - I have switched day 4 and 5)

Breakfast - 1 whole grain english muffin(I used Thomas's light) with 1 TBSP natural peanut butter(I used Skippy's natural no stir peanut butter); 1 medium banana.

Snack - 20 grapes

Lunch - (Jack in the box drive thru)1 chicken fajita pita, 1 diet coke, 3 jalapenos poppers, 2 motzerella sticks, 3 french fry's, 1 piece of mini chicken. ( Diet coke upset my tummy-why can't I learn??? Pita sandwich was greasy at bottom. Poppers and cheese sticks did not settle well with me. Lesson learned - never eat jack in the box food when trying to eat healthy unless it's their salad.)

Snack - 1 string cheese, 1 serving (6 slices ) of smoked turkey breast.

Snack -about a handful of blueberries

Dinner - one word - pizza. Chose the healthier option and got a thin crust veggie. But I am still not thrilled with myself about eating "take in" tonight. We just eat out/delivery WAY too much. And that is not good for my heart. Read the next post and I will let you in on something Dan and I will be trying out, every time we eat out more than once a week.

Snack -about a handful of blueberries

Not to toot my own horn......

I am VERY proud to say that last night even though it was late and past my bedtime......I worked out! Dan and I together in our living room, at 10:00 pm......... did a work out from The Biggest Loser work out video. If you have not done it before, just know it works you! I was so proud of myself! And then after doing that I did some ab work outs. Nothing too crazy just enough to get my stomach to feel the burn.

So this morning, I woke up feeling so pumped to really stick with healthy eating. My temptation to eat junk has gone WAY down. Of course I will have my temptation from time to time, but at least I keep going forward. That is the important part for me. To not give up or get discouraged.

And can I say that I am SO very happy to hear that my gal friends are getting motivated by this page?!?! It really helps to know that we are not alone in this battle of our bulge. And I was just thinking last night that I have to work out because my ladies are going to read it. And yes, I am doing this for myself......but knowing you are going to read about my highs and lows of weight loss......well let's just say it gives me more reason to have highs than lows. ;) Like I said in the beginning....this helps keep me accountable. I know that I really need that right now. So MUCHAS GRACIA'S MI AMIGA'S!!!!!

Copied straight from the website

*In case you can't link to the website - I have copied the first week of boot boot camp from the site to my page. ENJOY! PS If you want to know what Core Workout #1 and other highlighted work outs are - click on the actual word, just ask me, or find it on the site!

Only 7 days between now and your high school reunion?
Follow this 1,400-calorie plan and these recommended workouts and you can expect to lose between 2 and 4 pounds, even with an occasional nighttime treat. And if you've got a month or two (or three) before the big day, use this regimen for the first week. The meals and snacks are designed to kick-start your fat-burning engine with the perfect balance of lean protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs.

Gut-Busting Workout:

WEEK 1DAY 1 Cardio & Strength Training: 20 minutes at moderate intensity (60-70% MHR, [To calculate your MHR (maximum heart rate), subtract your age from 220]) Core Workout #1

DAY 2Cardio & Strength Training: 25 minutes at moderate intensityUpper-Body Workout #1

DAY 3Cardio & Strength Training: 30 minutes at moderate intensityLower-Body Workout #1

DAY 4Cardio & Strength Training: 30 minutes at moderate-maximum intensity (70-85%MHR)Core Workout #2

DAY 5Cardio & Strength Training: 35 minutes at moderate-maximum intensityUpper-Body Workout #2

DAY 6Cardio & Strength Training: 40 minutes at moderate-maximum intensity Lower-Body Workout #2

DAY 7Cardio: 30-45 minutes at moderate-maximum intensity, no strength training

Where am I getting this information?????

Women's Health magazine May 2007 issue and Women's Health on-line, have helped me to plan out my current week of eating and exercising.

This link will lead you to Women's Health magazine on-line. Through this you can get tips on health and nutrition. You can also sign up yourself to receive FREE on-line newsletters with everyday "women" tips. :) Enjoy!

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/?cm_mmc=Newsletter-_-2007_Jun_04-_-Logo-_-Homepage

From this link you can click on the top link titled "weight loss". Then a page will come up with weight loss information. The featured cover is called "deadline diet". This is where I found my current food plan and exercise routine. I am not using it as a deadline diet. I am using it as a meal planner that is kick starting my metabolism. This is suggested by the magazine.

My suggestion is just to play around on this website. It is filled with great information regarding anything and everything related to health and nutrition! I just recently found a discussion board going on about healthy choices of sushi!

Meals day 2

I am really proud of myself...for the most part.....

Breakfast: Smoothie: 3/4 C plain fat free yogurt, 1/2 C frozen mixed berries, 1/2 medium banana, and 2 TBSP ground flax seed. I followed this all except the flax seed. (Can not find it on the island.)

Snack: 10 raw almonds (Had these prepared in glass jar in kitchen so I could just reach for them quickly)

Lunch: 1 and 1/2 C low sodium minestrone soup (I used Bear Creek); 1 oz mozzarella with tomato (I used sliced baby cherry tomato's) and basil on 1/2 whole grain roll. (I used a slice of 100% whole wheat bread instead of a roll) *Picture below - YUMMY!

Snack: 1 medium apple and 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter. ( I used Skippy's (new) natural no stir peanut butter)

*Quick stop next to Sushi place is Jamba Juice. I got a quick shot of wheat grass with a slice of an orange. I really love getting this on days that I skip my vitamins. It has a lot of healthy nutrients AND is a protector against skin cancer!

Also, I had a Starbucks hot cocoa and a brownie while waiting for sushi.

Dinner: 1 C miso soup, 1 tuna avocado roll; 1 C mixed greens with 2 TBSP low fat ginger dressing (I didn't have the salad), 3 or 4 pieces of salmon sashimi, all with low sodium soy sauce. (As for the salmon pieces, I had 3 pieces of salmon with rice not straight sashimi.) I also added wasabi to my low sodium soy sauce. I love spicy foods!

Snack: 6 oz fat free Greek yogurt with 1 tsp honey and 1 tbsp raisins. *Skipped because I was too full from dinner and splurges.

*Bottom line - I waited too long to eat dinner. So while waiting for sushi (it took EXTRA long tonight) I walked over to Starbucks next door and got the dessert and hot cocoa. And I didn't drink enough water or take my vitamins today. Living and learning......I'm not perfect and I am not getting down on myself. I am just learning what I need to work on and maybe I'll do a few extra crunches tonight!

Exercising and H2O tip

So I didn't get in my exercise time yesterday as planned. I was out running errands late into the evening. This also contributed to me eating out last night. But now I know I just have to plan better. And I just have to squeeze in exercise some time. Tonight before I go to bed I am determined to get in my exercise time for the day....after the sushi settles in my tummy!

H2O tip: For every pound you lose you need to drink 16 oz more of water that day. This fact brought to you by Dan's magazine - Men's health.

Meals of 6-4-07

Breakfast: 1/2 C steel cut oatmeal(I used packet of weight control oatmeal) with 1/4 C skim milk, 1 C mixed berries(I used chopped up strawberries with grapes), and 1 TBSP chopped pecans(I already had chopped pecans in a glass jar in the kitchen for easy access.)

Snack: 1/2 cup of cottage cheese sprinkled with cinnamon. Looks gross but it taste great!



Lunch: 4 oz grilled chx, 3 C of mixed greens, 1/4 C sliced avocado, 1/2 C sliced orange with 2 tsp olive oil and 1 TBSP lemon juice. (EDIT: I bought a rotisserie chicken and picked chicken off of it. Also to save time just use canned chx. I will probably do that next time. Mixed greens is bag of baby romaine salad.)

Snack: 3/4 C edamame (in shells)(These can be found at Sams Club in the frozen section. They are just soy beans. And I did not eat the outside shells.......yuck!

Dinner: 4 oz grilled salmon marinated in in 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar and 1 TSp honey: 2 C steamed spinach; 1 small baked sweet potato. EDIT: This was my planned dinner meal. But, I goofed and had unhealthy take out. That's okay though....one day at a time...or for me...one meal at a time.

Snack: 1 C low-sugar hot cocoa (like swiss miss) EDIT: I was going to skip this since I ate take out so late. So I did skip it, but ended up having Frozen yogurt instead. Dan offered it to me. It didn't even taste good. I was way full but had this idea in my head, well since I ate take out.....I have got to lose that way of thinking! Live and learn!

A healthier outlook on life

For YEARS I have tried to be at a healthy weight. I did Atkins and lost 35 pounds. Included in that diet, I added a lot of physical exercise in to my life. But the problem with Atkins is it was not a way of life for me. I gained back all the weight I had lost and then some. Then I got pregnant and now struggle to even get back to pre-pregnancy weight. I then decided to do Weight Watchers. I found myself still trying to rely on someone else to make the decision for me to be healthy. I ended up feeling like I was paying $10 a week to get weighed by a stranger and sit in a meeting and hear things that I already knew, but was not doing. I always had the attitude of all or nothing. All into it and counted calories, or nothing and ate everything I wanted.

So a few weeks ago Dan and I were discussing our weight and health. I even mentioned the fact that I was considering gastric bypass surgery. It is free for me since I am an active duty spouse. I don't want to do anything drastic like this though until I have tried EVERYTHING! ANd I am far from trying everything. But the fact is that most of my current health issues are caused by my weight. And that is not okay with me.

So, I have decided to try another route. Keeping myself accountable for what I eat and when I exercise. This website will include my meals and work outs. And I am doing it with the help of Women's Health magazine. Today I begin Booty Boot camp. It's a fun name for exercising and eating healthy that comes from Women's Health magazine. I receive it on-line and once in a while buy the magazine off the rack at a grocery store. Dan bought me this particular one a few weeks ago.



This magazine right here has given me a new inspiration to be healthy. That is my goal...to be healthy! Also the current issue of PEOPLE magazine also inspired me. There were 5 different women who have each lost 100 pounds each with zero surgeries. Just plain old fashioned self control and determination! And that is what I am going to do. Starting today people! A few days ago, I grocery shopped and prepared for this. It begins now!


My proud moment of the day is when Dan decided to grab a quick lunch through Taco Bell drive through. I did not order one single thing!!!!!! I am so PROUD of myself!!! I am choosing to be healthier. And it is going to take one single day at a time!

So this page will also include healthy recipes. And I hope that all my friends who are also trying to lose weight will be motivated by this page. Let's work together and become healthy! PLEASE post comments of motivation and inspiration!!! I really need it!