Losing...Living...Loving

MS Bike - City to Shore - I DID IT!!!

2010-09-27T19:45:00.006-04:00

Howdy Blog World. Yes...it's been way too long. I have lacked motivation and discipline lately. That has to change. However, I didn't come here to whine and moan about weight loss...or lack of. I came to tell you about a huge goal I accomplished this weekend....

I rode in the MS Bike City to Shore Ride. It started in Cherry Hill, NJ and finished in Ocean City, NJ. I rode 78.6 miles! It was the hardest thing I have ever done and one of the most incredible experiences! I set out to do the ride for 2 reasons...I wanted to raise money for a great cause and I wanted to challenge myself. I did both!

The ride was tough. I was scared.

The day started at 4am. I picked up my incredible biking buddy, Heather. We arrived at the start about 6am. The energy of the crowd was amazing. There were over 7000 people riding. We took off about 6:45 am.

The first 20 miles to the first stop were no problem. We kept a pace of about 12 miles per hour. Not fast, but one I felt I could keep up with. Heather could have easily blown me away, but was my rock and encouragement for the day. She never left my side. Pretty much the entire time we heard "On your left" by riders blowing past us on their road bikes. We ride hybrids.

Second rest stop was at 30 miles. Again, no biggie, but quickly approaching my longest ride to day (35 miles).

The third rest stop at about 43 miles was the lunch stop. We enjoyed peanut butter and banana sandwiches and took a nice little break. Every stop was stocked with snacks, drinks, port-a-potties and amazing support. The event was incredibly run!

At mile 50 I hit a WALL. A big wall of mental and physical exhaustion. I felt like I needed to puke. My body was overheating, my face was going numb. I felt like I had botox. At this point my left hand was already numb but I was dealing with it. The rest was awful. I pushed through to the 4th rest stop at 53 miles. We quickly got some hydration and found a shady spot. We stopped at the medical tent for a couple cold packs. It was a long rest, but I needed it. When we pulled into this stop I had tears in my eyes and just wanted to stop. The break and the ice packs worked wonders! I felt (and looked, according to Heather) like a new person.

Next stop was about 64 miles. Almost there. The route was about 77 miles. I knew we had 2 bridges ahead of us so we took a little extra time here again and got another ice pack.

Time for the homestretch into Ocean City. We were so close. I wanted this! Around 70 miles I started to fade again. We took an unofficial rest stop in someone's driveway with a little shade. Soon the bridges came into sight. Up until now the route had been fairly flat with just a few small hills. The only think that stood between us and the finish line was these two, big, scary looking bridges. Never in my life had I been so scared of a bridge! I used every ounce of energy I could muster to get up the first one. The ride down it was awesome. Then came the second bridge...a little steeper and scarier. All I could see in front of me was people walking, riding, dragging their bikes up it. I didn't want to get off. I made it a little way up and had to surrender. We walked to the top and then marveled at the beauty of the day. Then down we went towards the shore...

Here we took a slight detour that added a little bit to the ride...we met some teammates at a shore house. They were going to wait for us and cross the finish line, but Heather's phone died earlier and we didn't get the message that they'd already done it. So we hopped back on the route to the finish....

As we approached there were people on the street cheering and clapping. I started to get emotional as the finish line came into sight. There was such excitement in the air. As I crossed that line I bawled like a baby. I couldn't believe I did it. I DID IT!! I DID IT!!!

We finished the day at 78.6 miles!!! We got our medals, certificates, shirts and some food for our hungry and tired bodies.

Then it was back to the house for the best shower I have ever taken and lots of ice cold water! Thankfully a friend met us there and drove us back so we didn't have to wait for a bus. I pulled into my driveway about 8:30pm. Long and incredible day.

When I woke up Sunday morning I was scared to move. I wasn't sure my body would cooperate. Surprisingly I wasn't nearly as sore as anticipated. Just worn out. I spent the day on the couch in my pajamas watching movies with the kids. Later in the day I enjoyed a wonderful 90 minutes massage.

The only issue I'm still having is 2 fingers on my left hand are still numb. From everything I've read it sounds like I pinched a nerve and it could take days or weeks for the feeling to completely return.

Yesterday I swore I would never do the ride again. Today I'm thinking what I need to do to train harder and prepare for next year. We shall see.

In the meantime, here are a few pics from the day..

6am...pre-ride jitters...still dark out....

The top of the 2nd bridge. You can see the first in the background...

My amazing riding partner, Heather. I wouldn't have made it through the day without her...

Done...Bike resting....Barb resting....

A Good Day!

2010-07-06T23:07:00.002-04:00

Boy, it feels good to say I had a good, healthy day! I logged my calories, went to step class, made healthy choices! I haven't feel this good about a food day in a long time! I just have to turn 1 into 2 into 3 and so on and so on.....

I nearly had a run in with some Cheez-its this afternoon. My kids love them so I gave into their requests to have some....I have learned the past week or so that it's one of the "no-no" foods around my house! The kids can have them now and then as special treats when we are out somewhere, but a box of them will not be allowed in the house!!

For dinner tonight I experimented with Shirataki noodles and was pleasantly surprised with a cheesy pasta dish with some peas and bacon for around 300 calories. It was very good!

Tomorrow I'm going to try out crock pot pulled pork! I'm hungry thinking about it!

Time for some beauty sleep....

July? Seriously?

2010-07-05T21:47:00.002-04:00

How in the world have I not written since May 23?!?!? Not sure where the past couple months have gone.

On June 10th I turned 40! When I started this journey in August of 2008 I wanted to be at goal weight by my 40th. I didn't make it. That's ok....I am sure proud of what I have accomplished in the past 2 years. We went on a cruise with 17 family and friends to celebrate. We had a fun filled 7 days in the Caribbean that included some great excursions like Zip Lining and Cave Tubing...things I never would have done at my starting weight....and things I was elated to do now!

Hubby and I joined the Y not too long ago so we could start using the babysitting and take some classes. We take step class together 2-3 days a week. It's awesome to do together! We also have the kids in swim classes. The schedule is hectic, but it's so nice to have an active and hectic schedule instead of the old lazy one!

Yesterday I went on my longest bike ride to date. It was an annual event in DE. I rode with a buddy and we planned on doing the extended metric century....which was 65 miles! I wanted it so bad....unfortunately my hip had other plans for me...around mile 29 I was hurting. I pushed through the first loop of the ride which was 33 miles! I was thrilled to have done 33 and frustrated I couldn't do the second loop. I didn't want to get out there and have to call for help. My buddy decided to push through solo and did it! I was so proud of him! The second half was very hilly and it was probably a good thing I didn't do it! The goal is still to do the MS ride in Sept, which is 75 miles! I will do it!!

Oh....other big news is that my hubby bought a bike! We have only had a chance to go on one family ride, but it was great. I towed the kids and he tested out the new wheels. Yay for family fun!!!

I won't lie....I've been struggling BIG TIME with the old emotional food demons lately! I am up a bit...and scared to get on the scale. Tomorrow is a fresh start for me. Wearing the Body Bugg, counting calories, keeping up my exercise....which has still been good. It's all about the food and the darn mental game! I've had the "click" before...It's coming back!!!

That's it for now.....must write more often.

Till next time....

Weekend Recap...

2010-05-23T21:55:00.002-04:00

By 9pm tonight all my boys were asleep in bed and that meant quiet time for me! It also meant me finishing off the Cheetos in the pantry (supposed to be a treat for the kids - I know...they don't need them either). Damn it! Why!?!?! Why does food call my name and when did I lose my ability to say NO! It was NOT a good food weekend. As we were eating at The Cheesecake Factory (!!!!!!) today the Hubs and I made a pact to eat perfectly clean the next 5 days. We will check in with each other and hold each other accountable! I'm so happy to have him doing this with me!

On the healthier side of things....we joined the local Y this weekend! We had a babysitter on Thursday night and our previous plans fell through so date night consisted of meeting at the gym for a workout, going to the Y to register the family and then going to a reasonably healthy dinner. Date nights sure have changed around our house. We will still keep our membership at our regular gym, Anytime Fitness...open 24 hours and 2 miles from our doorstep, however we are adding in the Y so we have more options with classes, babysitting and the pools! The Y is about 15 minutes from the house, but their outdoor pool is less than a mile from us so that will be great for the summer. Now we could just find more time in the day! We also like the cardio equipment at the Y much better. They have loads of different machines and a lot more of them.

This was a busy weekend....Friday night was a minor league baseball game with fireworks. The kids did fairly well...it's going to be so much fun to go to events like this when they are just a tad bit older and able to understand it all a little more. Saturday morning Hubby was up early and at the gym, then he took our oldest (4) to tee-ball practice and to a movie. I took the "baby" (3) to run some errands and then dropped him at the Y babysitting for an hour while I did cardio. After that he and I played in the pool for a while. Jeff and Carlton met us there....Carlton wanted nothing to do with the pool so they played outside. Then it was out to dinner (550 cal meals at Applebees). Today we left the house about 10am with the intention of going to breakfast. That led to a bunch of errands...haircut for the little guy, new shoes for the kids, craft store, mall, dinner....not home until 6pm. Wasn't the day I had planned, however we got a lot done. Everyone is worn out and I'm enjoying the quiet house for a few minutes before I go pass out.

I took a biking break this weekend because we were busy and I haven't felt 100% the past few days. I hope to get back on the bike this week.

I'm looking forward to a great (and healthy) week....I hope you all have one as well!

MS Ride, Training & Date Nite

2010-05-19T21:07:00.004-04:00

Today I registered for the MS City to Shore 75 mile bike ride!!! On Sept 25 I'll be riding from somewhere in NJ to Ocean City! I'm terrified and excited! To date my longest bike ride is 25 miles. I need to put in a lot of miles over the next several months.

I had a great training session today. I've been working out with a personal training company since I started this journey. I used to work out with a trainer 3x per week. Now I go there once a week. The personal training gym is separate from my regular gym. I've become very close with the owners over the past couple years. They have recently decided to close the gym. I'm so sad for them. They poured their heart and soul into the business and they are some of the greatest people I've ever met. Unfortunatly times are tough and business is not what it needs to be.

Once I use up my last couple sessions there I will go it on my own for a while and see how things go. There are a few trainers at my regular gym that I might test out. They definitely have very different training styles than I am used to. We are also going to join the local YMCA. We'll keep our regular gym because it is so close to home and open 24 hours. We'll use the Y for the pool, some classes and the occassions where we need babysitting to get in a workout.

Tomorrow night is date night! We had our sitter booked and our original plans fell through so we've decided to spend date night at the gym working out together (which we rarely get a chance to do) and then going to the Y to get registered. We'll have dinner out....somewhere very casual and healthy. Boy, date nights have certainly changed over the past year!

I'm off to read a bit. I used to be an avid reader. Since the kiddos came along I rarely take the time to read. However, a friend of mine got me hooked on a witch/vampirish series (not something I ever expected to enjoy) and I've been making more time to read...just less to watch TV and Blog.

G'Nite!

Yup...Still here!

2010-05-18T22:35:00.003-04:00

Hi Friends! Yup...I'm still around! Life continues to be a little crazy and wonderful!

Workouts have been good. I've started taking a cardio-kick boxing class on Mondays at work. It's a great workout. My 4 year old started tee-ball on Monday nights so I lost my gym time. I've been biking a couple days a week and hitting the gym on the other days. Still getting 6-7 days a week of exercise. We've also beefed up some home equipment. In addition to all this we are going to join the Y this week so we can start taking advantage of the pool and some more classes. There won't be a shortage of active options.

Food continues to be a challenge. I have no freakin' idea why! It seems to have some control over me after all this time. Why does it comfort me? Drives me crazy!!!!!

Injuries are causing me a few little issues....the hip is a little aggravating after the darn car incident. Then I developed plantar factitious after a 5 mile charity walk. I'm pushing through it and doing the best I can.

Hubby is a rockstar! He's down about 40 pounds and looking and feeling GREAT! I'm so proud of him!!!

When I started this jouney on Aug 1, 2008 I wanted to be at my goal weight by June 10, 2010...my 40th Birthday! Well....I'm not going to be at my goal weight, however I am still thrilled with where I will be compared to how I celebrated my 38th Birthday!!!

We will be going on a cruise with 17 family and friends to celebrate! I can't wait. I'm really buckling down for the next 3 weeks so that I go into vacation feeling good and strong! My plan is to make as many healthy choices as possible on vacation while enjoying myself.

I think that's about it for now. Hello to anyone out there who's still checking in. I miss my blog friends and will continue to do my best to make some time for bloggin'.

Till next time...

Checking In.

2010-04-07T12:00:00.003-04:00

Howdy Blog World!

Just a quick check in. I'm happy to report that things are going well. My injuries from the car incident have greatly subsided and I feel pretty much back to normal. The vertigo is no longer and issue! YAY! And, I'm not quite as frustrated these days. The scale is still not moving and I'm still struggling with food, however I continue to push through. Exercise has been kick ass. I did a 16 mile bike ride last weekend, did cardio kick boxing on Monday, I'm in the gym daily sweating it up. I have to break through this tough patch one of these days! Right?!?!?

Tomorrow I'm headed out to Minneapolis for a few days. Thurs and Friday are for work and then I'll stay through Sunday afternoon for play! I'm fortunate that my work and my best friend happen to be in the same area so I'll get to hang out with him and meet the new girlfriend this weekend. I'm looking forward to it. I'm lucky to also love my job and the people I work with so it's all good!

The hubby continues to be very committed to his lifestyle change! I'm so proud of him! Last weekend we took the boys to the park for a picnic and playtime. It was wonderful to watch him run around with the kids and we all jogged together on a kid's fitness trail at the park. It's going to be an awesome summer!!!

For now I must return to work. So much to do before leaving in the morning!

Be Happy & Healthy!!!

Sore, Dizzy and Frustrated

2010-03-26T09:46:00.002-04:00

I know, I know...I promised to be a better blogger. Clearly I'm struggling with that goal.

The last time I posted I was heading off on the cruise. It was a fabulous, relaxing 6 days at sea. I did a lot of reading, napping, too much eating, and stayed fairly active. We had a wonderful time in the ports. Our excursion in Key West was rained out so we bar hopped and hung out with some people we met on the ship. The highlight in Grand Cayman was swimming with the stingray! In Jamaica we climbed Dunn's River Falls. That was a challenging adventure, but thankfully I was strong enough...thanks to the gym!

Here I am in rainy Key West in front of our home for the week.

No big surprise that I put on some cruise pounds. I'm still fighting them off.

Normally when I come home from a cruise I still feel like I'm on the ship for a couple days. Still have sea legs. Unfortunately this time the sea legs didn't go away. For the past month I've been dealing with Vertigo. I'm dizzy, lightheaded, lose my balance easily, etc. I'm taking some meds hoping it goes away. If I'm no better in a week my doc wants me seeing a specialist. My chiropractor is also trying to help me with it.

That brings me to the reason I'm seeing a chiropractor.....last week we took the boys to ChuckECheese...it was a big reward for my oldest son staying in his bed all week. We were walking through the parking lot, I had my 3yo on my hip and some woman wasn't paying attention and backed her car INTO ME! I was stunned. It didn't knock me over but it was enough to really jolt my hip and I've been in some pain since then. It's muscle damage...nothing out of place. Just needs some time to heal. Of course I wish it hadn't happened, however it did and I amd just thankful it was me and not one of my boys!!!

This weekend was supposed to kick off my bike season. My riding partner and I are signing up for 5-6 rides this summer working our way up to the MS 75 mile ride in Sept! I'll talk more about biking one of these days. This weekend's ride was supposed to be a 22 mile, moderately hilly ride in DE. Right not sitting is the most painful thing for the hip so sitting on a bike for a couple hours is really not a good idea. I'm bummed...but there are more rides!!

I'm frustrated with myself and the scale right now. I'm still not back to my 100% clean eating, but I'm getting much closer. I'm constantly fighting urges not to eat junk. I've been craving sweets badly. I'm not happy with the number on the scale. My 40th Bday is just over 2 months away. I wanted to be at goal by then. Now I just want to be less than I am now!

I've also been reading a lot more in my spare time. A friend of mine turned me onto a series of Kim Harrison books. Nothing I would have ever picked out on my own...stuff about vampires and witches.... I have to admit...I'm loving them!!! Have to go pick up the 3rd one today.

Time for me to get back to work for now. I hope you are all doing well!

Have a happy and healthy day!!!

Bon Voyage

2010-02-20T18:02:00.002-05:00

Hello World...lousy blogger here popping in for a quick hello...and goodbye. The past couple weeks have continued to be insanely busy. Last weekend we had a house full of friends staying with us, this week was my youngest son's 3rd birthday. I've been hitting the gym about 6 days a week and working hard. Food is still not stellar so the scale is staying the same.

Tomorrow morning bright and early I'm leaving for vacation. I'm flying to FL and leaving on a 6 day cruise with a good friend. The husband is staying home with the boys and I'm getting the ultimate mommy break! My husband is the best! He is great about understanding I need a break. Of course I'm more than willing to give him one as well. It works out for us. This summer is a big family cruise. For now I'm just focused on the relaxation I have ahead of me this week.

We have some great excursions planned and I'm looking forward to so much of the trip, however I'm really excited about the thought of just lounging in a chair and reading a book. It's a rare moment around here when I can read more than a page or two at a time.

I know I will be eating and drinking more than I should. I also plan to be very active, without being obsessive. I will enjoy myself and get right back on track when I return.

Until then...be happy and healthy! Catch you later!

Yikes!

2010-02-07T22:46:00.001-05:00

Lousy blogger here...make a short appearance. I am finding it hard to believe how quickly the days are flying by.

In a nutshell....

Working out hard.

Food is great.

Scale barely budging.

Will NOT give up. Ever!

LOTS of snow yesterday!

Friends in town this week Thurs-Mon.

Attempting to clean and organize the house.

CRUISE 2 weeks from today!!!

Hoping everyone is happy and healthy!

Busy and Bunco

2010-01-22T23:01:00.002-05:00

Another week has passed....seriously. Where do the hours in the day go? It was yet another busy one around here. I guess I'll be saying that for the next 15 or so years...until the kids are adults. ;) I had a good food week, a good exercise week...and the result was a 1.2 pound gain for my Friday weigh in. Sigh. Nothing to do but keep moving forward. I'll admit today was not the best food day. Ok..it was pretty bad.

I just returned home from my first ever Bunco game. It was a blast. 12 women hanging out, chatting, eating, drinking and rolling dice. Good time! It was hosted by one of my gym buddies. I knew 2 other people going into the night and came out knowing a bunch more. We plan on doing it once a month.

My biggest news this week is that I've booked a vacation for next month. This is a "ME" vacation. Hubby and kids are staying home and I'm getting a mommy break. One month from today I'll be somewhere in the Caribbean on a cruise ship with a good friend for 7 days/6 nights of heavenly relaxation. I plan on working out hard during the days, staying active and having a great (and controlled) time!!!

That leads to my newest dilemma....shopping! I have NO summer clothes. I can get by in the evenings with capris and tops, however I have no shorts and stores don't really have any in yet. I'm also stuck in between plus and regular size clothes right now. I think I'm going to internet order from places with really easy return policies and just see what happens.

I'm going to crawl in bed. Tomorrow morning...ZUMBA!

Saturday Again?

2010-01-16T13:02:00.002-05:00

Saturday Again? Really? Where does the time go? I'm doing my best to make more time to blog and keep up with my blog friends. Some days just zoom by in the blink of an eye. The kids are occupied with lunch and Elmo so I'm squeezing in a little blog time.

It was another successful week in the world of weight loss. I had one day of about 400 extra, mindless calories and one day of exercise rest. When it came time for my Friday morning weigh in the scale was DOWN another 3.4 pounds. The holiday weight is not yet all gone, but I'm closing in on it!

My husband has thrown himself 100% into the weight loss journey and I couldn't be prouder of him! He's been to the gym every day (sometimes a scheduling nightmare for us) and is counting his calories. He's lost 10 pounds in just under 2 weeks! 7 the first week and 3 the second. I know he was hoping for more since he changed his lifestyle so dramatically, but I'm doing my best to help him understand this is a journey and he's not on a game show. I think he's also eating too few calories. His trainer and I have both attempted to explain this to him. He'll figure it out in time. I'm just continuing to be positive and encouraging.

Today I took my first Zumba class. Oh my. I sweated. laughed and had a blast. However I felt like a major klutz! It's going to take some practice! The gym is trying to get it off the ground as a Saturday group class...I hope it's successful because I want to do more!

For dinner tonight we are going to Applebee's to try out their under 550 calorie menu. We are celebrating Carlton's Family Day! Four years ago today we were in Guatemala city and our lives were completely changed when our son was placed in our arms. He was 6 months old at the time.

Well, kids are done and hubby is home so my little bit of blog time is coming to an end.

I have a massage scheduled this afternoon...ahhhhhh....

Today's Comments

2010-01-11T22:49:00.003-05:00

Not sure if it was my clothes, my smile, my attitude....but it was a darn good day. It's late and I'm going to snuggle with my boys (the hubby and the 4yo refusing to sleep in his bed) so I'm just going to share some of the comments I received out of the blue that made it a wonderful day....

"You look wonderful." (friend at work)

"You are a big loser." (gym buddy I hadn't seen in a while)

"Are you the trainer?" (Me? A trainer?? A new guy at the gym looking for the female trainer)

"Look at you. Amazing." (my husband's trainer who has seen me shed 100+ pounds)

Yep. It was a good day!

More Waffle Fun

2010-01-10T20:42:00.005-05:00

I started out this morning with more waffle making. First was a batch for the boys. I did a traditional waffle recipe using whole wheat flour. On weekday mornings the boys usually have a waffle on the drive to school. Now they can have mom's homemade ones instead of the boxed stuff. I froze the batch of waffles so each morning we can just pop them in toaster.

Here's their stack...

After that it was time to test out the Protein Pancake recipe on the waffle iron. This was actually the 2nd batch. I found out the hard way that putting the full batch on the iron is too much. It all squished out and made a big mess. So...I cleaned up, started over and made 2 waffles instead of 1. Here it is hot off the press....

....and the finished product, topped with some blueberries and accompanied by some turkey sausage. DELICIOUS! I'm hooked. My favorite pancakes are now my favorite waffles!! I couldn't believe the recipe made 2 huge waffles. It's a healthy and super filling breakfast!

The majority of the day was spent taking down the outside Christmas decorations and attempting to organize them in the garage. I didn't have time to finish so the hubster is parking outside for a couple days.

Speaking of the hubs....day FIVE at the gym. I'm soooooooo proud of him. He's got the workout high right now! He's really thinking about food and calories. No mention of eating out!! The only issue is that he's really not eating enough and won't listen to me about it. I figure his trainer will straighten him out.

When he was back home it was my little bit of "me" time for the day. I dragged myself to the gym....I wanted to workout, but my body didn't really want to. I put myself on the treadmill and started going. After 20 minutes I was ready to give up. Then I found a tv show I was enjoying and next thing I knew it was 30 minutes. Then I figured I'd go for the goal of 45 since I'd already gone that far. Next thing I know I completed 47 minutes on the treadmill. Not to my full potential on speed and incline, however I didn't give in!!!

Then the nicest part of the day....I went to Panera and enjoyed a quiet, peaceful dinner all by myself. I had their BBQ chicken salad minus the tortilla strips. My new favorite salad! I read "Self" magazine and had a wonderful time. Jeff cooked a shrimp dinner for himself and the boys.

The rest of the evening, in a nutshell, has been.....kids, play, cuddle, bath, NCIS (we are watching season 2), blogging, facebooking....bed soon.

Good day!

Waffles, Workouts and Groceries

2010-01-09T21:00:00.006-05:00

I'm not really sure where today went. It was a fast and good day.

We started out the morning with homemade whole-grain waffles. I found the recipe on All-recipes. They had all kinds of good stuff in them. The entire family enjoyed them. Next time I'll see how they are if I eliminate the oil and use more applesauce. I didn't get any pics of them, however, here is my oldest son enjoying his. He asked for some chocolate chips in his waffle.

Tomorrow I'm making waffles with the protein pancake recipe. Can't wait.

After breakfast I hit the gym for some cardio. Another 20 min on the step machine. I love the feeling I get when I accomplish that! I did another 30 min on the treadmill. It was a good cardio session.

Then it was time for Jeff and I to trade places. I came home to hang with the kids and he went to the gym! That's 4 days in a row! I'm so proud of him. He came home totally pumped up and on an adrenaline high!

My lunch was a homemade 99% lean turkey burger with some corn & black bean salsa I mixed up. Topped with 2T of cheese on a bed of romaine. It was delish.

Normally I do the grocery shopping by myself. Today we decided to make it a family affair. We went to a local produce place and stocked up. Tomorrow we'll be testing out a pummelo for the first time. Ever heard of it? After that we hit the grocery store together. The kids are TOUGH to shop with, but we all survived. It was a great experience talking about and shopping for healthy stuff with my hubby!!

Dinner was Tilapia with stir-fry veggies. I do not eat seafood. I do not like seafood...of ANY kind! I agreed to give it my best shot tonight and see if I could eat a piece. It wasn't horrible...wasn't great, I managed 3-4 little bites. I still don't like any seafood! Give me chicken!!!

Now we are snuggled up watching football. The Eagles are scaring us! C'mon Birds!!

Go check out Tricia's blog for a cool giveaway. Go! Now!

Week in Review

2010-01-08T22:18:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday Folks. How was your week? Mine was pretty darn good. This was the first week in over a month that I was fully focused on my healthy goals. I logged my calories, did my exercise, blogged, journaled, it was a good week. For my efforts the scale rewarded me with a 3.8 pound loss for the week!

I had a great workout with my super-duper trainer, Frank. I just love my sessions with him. I work hard, always learn something, we chat a bit and I always feel pumped up and positive when I walk out of the gym. I also did a little cardio at home...played the Biggest Loser game on the Wii. You can definitely get the heart pumping with that one.

I'm thrilled to report that my hubby completed day 3 at the gym! He didn't meet his trainer tonight so he went in and did a little cardio. I am so stinkin' proud of him!! He asked me to show him how to log all his food the The Daily Plate. He's asking lots of question about nutrition. I love it!!! So many of my challenges over the past year or so has been due to him bringing home pizzas and other junk .That won't happen now. The pantry and fridge will contain clean food. This will be great for both of us!!

This weekend is going to be pretty low key. Tomorrow morning I'm going to the gym for cardio, then when I get home Jeff will go. We have to take turns since we have two little ones at home. Then I'm hoping we get some shelves up in the garage so we can put all the Christmas decorations somewhere.

I'm looking forward to a healthy and somewhat relaxing weekend. What are you looking forward to this weekend?

A close call & my hubby

2010-01-06T20:30:00.003-05:00

Here I am, approaching the end of another day. I'm happy to report that it was another good day. I ate w/in my calories, had a great workout with my trainer and did some extra cardio. It was a close call with food today and I did eat a few wasted calories, but I still managed to stay within my range. I started the day taking both the boys to the doctor for flu shots. That was not a good time. Lots of screaming, tears, 3 nurses helping to give my 4yo a shot. I had a few treats in the car to reward the kids. After I dropped them at school there was a little bag of M&Ms still there. Yep...I dug in. This afternoon there were the 2 chocolate squares that jumped into my had. Argh. I started to get that feeling that I needed to eat and eat. I know it was all emotional. Thankfully I stayed strong didn't start binging. I'm also happy to see the scale creeping back down each day!

Big news around my house today! My husband went to the gym!! This is a huge deal! He's resisted a healthy lifestyle for a long time. I think something has finally clicked and he's ready. He had his first training session tonight and came home so pumped up! The prospect of us doing this together makes me so happy!

Great Day & Crowded Gym

2010-01-04T22:29:00.002-05:00

Whew...Finally....a day where I felt in control of my choices all day long! I'm about to go to bed feeling proud and victorious! I need to remember this feeling so I can do it once again day after day after day. I went to work with my lunch bag full of healthy food and pre-planned my day. I was a little bummed I didn't get to meet with my favorite trainer after work, but I got over it and went straight to the gym and kicked my own butt for about 90 minutes!

Speaking of the gym...man, it was packed! I'm sure a lot of you are seeing this at your gym as well. I walked in temporarily forgetting it the New Year. I expected to see all the regulars and instead I was faced with loads of strangers. The normally easy to get to cardio equipment was packed. I had to climb over guys and dumbells to get to the weight rack. Thankfully I've been picking up lots of alternative exercises lately and was able to get through the workout without much inconvenience when the weights or machines I wanted were taken. I had mixed emotions with the crowd. Part of me just wanted my usual, partially empty gym back. The other part of me wanted to root everyone on and encourage them to keep it up. Realistically I know that by March I won't see most of those people again.

Well, I could do without the little teeny-boppers who were hanging around the ab machine with their shirts hiked up, over-tanned abs showing along with the sexy little hip tattoos, flirting away with a couple of the young muscle-heads. Oh well. Something tells me I won't be seeing them for long.

Until next time....goodnight blog world! I hope you are all going to bed proud of yourselves!

Steppin' & Sweatin'

2010-01-03T20:20:00.003-05:00

Today was a lovely Sunday. I started out the morning hanging with my little boys and gave DH a little time to sleep in and run some errands. Then I got "me" time. I had a nice, quiet lunch at Panera and then saw "It's Complicated". Loved it! Great, laugh out loud movie! After that it was time for cardio....I did 20 min on the treadmill and then planned on the elliptical. Instead I eyed the stair climbing machine that I've been intimidated by for the past 18 months. I attempted it one time about 6 months ago and survived about 2 minute, tops. So today I decided I would get on it and do 5 minutes. After 5 I decided on 10...then 15.....I managed 20 minutes, level 5 on this machine that previously scared the wits out of me. I was tough, sweat dripping down my back and forehead, heart rate stayed elevated. Felt awesome!! I finished off with 10 min on the elliptical for a solid 50 min cardio session. The stair machine is now going to become my cardio friend!

Food was ok today. not great. Improving. Back to work tomorrow. Back to a normal routine. I have my food prepped for the day. Lots of veggies and healthy choices. I'm going to make it a great day!

2010

2010-01-01T19:20:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year Blog Friends! I hope that everyone had a happy, healthy and fun holiday season!

There is no good excuse for me not posting for the past month. The holidays were crazy, hectic, fun, wonderful and full of too many calories! The good news is that I kept up with my workout schedule. The bad news is that my sweet tooth took control of my brain and I ate more than I burned. Leaving me with a bit of a gain over the holiday.

Confession time. I'm sitting at a 102 pound loss right now. So....that's about a 12 pound gain! I'm disappointed in myself. However, there is no crying over eaten calories. It's time to pick myself up, dust myself off and make smart, healthy choices every day!

In 2008 I lost 80 pounds.

In 2009 I lost 22 pounds. Yes. I'm disappointed with that number considering what I'd hoped for. However, I can't complain over 102 pounds off this bod.

In 2010 my goal is to lose 48 pounds! I know I can do it. I worked hard, but not to my full potential this past 6 months. My body has had time to adjust to the fast loss last year. Now it's time to shed the rest of this.

Resolutions are not my thing. I am going to resolve to live every day to its fullest and enjoy my life.

I do have goals for the year. Yes, maybe that's the same to many of you. However I'm just going to list out things I want to accomplish. This is fairly random and off the top of my head. I may edit as needed, however this way I'll have something to look at when I need a reminder of my goals....

In 2010 I will.....

~ Lose 48 pounds.
~ Continue to weight train 3x per week.
~ Cardio 6-7 days per week.
~ Have a blast on my 40th Bday cruise vacation in June!
~ Get my kids outside for more active play.
~ Log my calories! I know I have better results when I do this.
~ Write daily thoughts in my spiffy new journal I bought. There is something about actually using a pen to write.
~ Write in the boys' journals at least once a week.
~ Ride/Finish the MS City to Shore 75 mile bike ride next October.
~ Complete at least one 5k.
~ Keep my kitchen free of clutter.
~ Go through all the closets in the house and de-clutter things.
~ Be more patient with my husband and children.
~ Organize my digital photos.

I'm sure there are other things that I will think of. When I do I plan to add them to the list as a reminder of my goals.

I'll leave you with the family picture we used on our Christmas cards this year....

Emotional & Physical Baggage

2009-11-29T21:22:00.002-05:00

I'm an emotional person. That will come as no surprise to those of you that have known me for any period of time. I wear my heart on my sleeve, I care about others, I have a hard time forgetting about things that have happened in the past, I cry very easily, I love deeply, it is who I am....Emotional. It will also come as no surprise that I am an emotional eater. I look to food for comfort. I eat when I'm happy, sad, lonely, bored, celebrating, etc. I thought I'd learned something in the past year about making conscious decisions regarding eating. I thought I was learning to cope with the emotions of eating. I was mistaken. I've realized over the past week how my emotions are making food decisions for me. At least I am aware of it and have the ability to stop it. For the past week I haven't logged my calories and that's when things start to go haywire for me. For some crazy reason if I don't write it down it's like it didn't happen. Huh? Tell that to my hips. I was aware over the past week of poor choices, however it just hit me pretty hard when I realized I ate 2 bowls of Captain Crunch for absolutely NO reason! Well, there is surely an underlying reason...however there is NO GOOD reason! So, I'm writing about it, confessing my cereal sins and moving on.

This morning something happened to make me really see my physical baggage and literally what I have lost! A good friend of our stayed with us the past week and was flying home today. He drove down with friends so had no concerns about the weight of his luggage. However, today he had to think about it. So, he was trying to weigh it on the bathroom scale and it wouldn't register. So, I hopped on the scale without the suitcase, then hopped back on holding the suitcase....all 47 pounds of it. He was fine to fly with it. I was left with the thought of the baggage I have shed. That 47 pound suitcase was heavy and awkward and I couldn't imagine walking around with it. Let's do the math. I've lost about 115 pounds....that's nearly 2.5 of my friend's suitcase that I used to walk around with on my body. It seems nearly impossible to think of carrying around that much baggage, but I did!

The image of holding onto that physical baggage has got to keep me focused to handle my emotional baggage!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T17:23:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Blog friends! It's been a whirlwind of a week and I haven't made the time to blog. We've had friends visiting since last Friday. We are enjoying a quiet Thanksgiving at home. I spent a part of the morning at the gym (go me!) and have been cooking and hanging with the family this afternoon.

I won't lie....food has not been good this week. I have made some not-so-good choices. I have kept up fairly well with my exercise routine. I'm going to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner (including some wine) and do my best not to get carried away.

Tomorrow....back on track!!

Anyone doing any crazy Black Friday shopping? Not me. I'll be at home with the kids and a friend. The hubby is stuck working.

I hope you are all having a wonderful and blessed holiday! More soon...

25 Miles and Cheesecake!

2009-11-15T19:25:00.003-05:00

Today was beautiful and my knee felt good. I met up with a friend and we did a 25 mile ride! Woohoo! You may recall that last weekend's ride of 21 was my personal best. Felt great to trump that today. We rode a different path and this one was mostly flat which meant a lot more consistent pedaling. The last couple miles my quads really started to burn, not to mention the sore tushy. My legs were on fire for a bit afterwards and I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow, however it was and awesome ride and I have been pumped all day!!

After that I met up with a group of women that I only get to see a couple times a year at best. It's an amazing little group...we all met many, many years ago through an infertility support message board. We all live locally and at the time we were all struggling to start our families. Here we are many years later, everyone one of us has at least one child and several have two! We got together at The Cheesecake Factory. I do love me some cheesecake!!! We split an appetizer of all kinds of yummy goodies, for my meal I ordered off the "snacks & small plates" menu and got an beet, goat cheese and arugula salad. It was small, light and yummy! Then there was dessert....oh my cheesecake goodness!!!!!!!!! You will be proud to know that I did NOT order a slice of ooey-gooey goodness. Instead I had a sampling from my friends' slices. Sure, I could have eaten more, I could have gotten the red velvet cheesecake that was quietly calling my name, but I did not. I had a few bites, enjoyed it and moved on. Yay for a little control.

I ended my day out with a little bit of shopping. Pleasantly surprised that I bought a couple sweaters in a size with only one X. I'm still stuck in limbo land between "womans" sizes and "normal" sizes. Soon I hope to never step foot into plus sized land ever again!

Time to love on my boys and put them to bed. I hope you all had a happy and healthy weekend!

A blur of a week...

2009-11-13T23:16:00.002-05:00

Where in the world did this week go? It's all a blur in my mind.

Unfortunately I didn't spend much time in the gym this week. I took a boot camp class on Monday night....first time. It was a good workout and I enjoyed it to an extent, however I apparently pushed myself too hard doing things I probably should not have been doing (burpees, jumping jacks, lunges, to name a few) I did something to my knee. Ouch! I have a history of knee issues from my teen years on the softball field. This is the first time in my year+ of working out pretty darn hard that I had any issues with them so it doesn't take a genius to see that I overdid it. I actually took 3 days off from exercise. A first for me! I was successful at keeping my calories in check and my Friday weigh-in showed me 2.4 pounds LESS than last Friday! Today I did an upper body workout with my trainer and tomorrow I plan on getting in a lil cardio. My focus this week has been getting my knee ready for biking on Sunday. It's supposed to be the first beautiful day all week and I have a bike date to ride the trail that goes through the Valley Forge area. We are hoping for 20+ miles!

I constantly tell myself I want to start blogging regularly, however life is just a little too chaotic, so I'll do my best. I really love connecting with the blog world and hope to connect with more people that have similar healthy lifestyle goals.

Tonight was a fun and special night. We had a night out with my 4 year old son. The 2 yo stayed home with the sitter. We went to dinner at a quaint little Italian place in Wilmington and then took him to see Stomp! He did pretty darn good for a little guy. It was a good time.

I'm beat...tomorrow is another busy one....the entire weekend is packed. The next couple week are going to be challenging for a healthly lifestyle. I am mentally preparing myself...I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, here are a couple good things to click on....

Do you love popcorn? Megan is having a delicious giveaway..go check her out HERE!

Are bodybuilding supplements your thing? Check out my trainer's blog HERE for a big recall that Bodybuilding.com is conducting.

Personal Best!

2009-11-08T20:53:00.002-05:00

Today was an absolutely beautiful day here in the PA/DE area. I met up with my biking partner about 9am and we set out on a fabulous ride. I'm happy to report my new personal best ride of nearly 21 miles!!! Yay Me!

After that we spent nearly 4 hours at the zoo, so I am beat.

I just had to share my news before going to curl up in bed.

Shake, Shake, Shake!

2009-11-04T22:02:00.002-05:00

Another good day! Yay me! I'm in the groove once again and I've also got my shake back. I have fruit smoothies several days a week for breakfast, yet have not had what I'd deem a "milkshake" in forever. Thanks to HungryGirl my shake has returned.

Calories have been great today and I had plenty for an evening snack. I waited until I got the kids to bed and then contemplated what to make. I was craving the pumpkin cake with cider glaze. That was not a reasonable option. I remembered I had some canned pumpkin in the fridge that needed to be used and I had all the ingredients for the HG pumpkin shake.

I'm sipping on it now and loving it. Also loving the nutritional info. For some reason it never dawned on me I could make such a yummy dessert for so few calories. That is a 16 oz cup. So it made a good sized treat too.

Mine consisted of:
1/3 c. Light Vanilla Soy Milk
1/3 c. Unsweetened Almond Breeze
1/4 c. Breyer's Natural Vanilla Ice Cream
3 T of canned pure pumpkin
2 packets of Splenda
Splash of Vanilla
Dash of Cinnamon
Crushed Ice

Blended it up in the Magic Bullet, topped it with some Cool Whip....and just like that....delicious dessert!!!

Check out the stats....
140 Calories
7 g Fat
15 g Carbs
3 g Fiber
4 g Protein

I'll definately do this again.

Good Day!

2009-11-02T22:22:00.002-05:00

My food challenges continued yesterday. I made pumpkin cookies (by request) for the day care teachers and I may have eaten a few too many. Those combined with some silly trips to the Halloween candy stash made for a bad, bad food day. My body repaid me last night with a very upset tummy. Enough is enough...that is behind me, moving on.

Today was great...mentally and physically!

Breakfast....egg white omelet with spinach, onion & feta along with 2 slices of light, wheat toast.

Skipped the am snack because I knew I was going out for lunch.

Lunch....cup of tortilla soup, grilled chicken breast, lots of broccoli. I asked for no rice and double veggies. They brought me the rice by mistake and then brought out more veggies. I didn't touch the rice!

Snack....broccoli slaw, special K bar.

Pre-workout snack....banana, 100 cal pack of cocoa almonds (yum!)

Dinner....big, yummy salad with romaine, ham, craisins, feta, corn, TJ's champagne dressing. Basically I tossed in a bunch of leftovers in the fridge. Worked out to about a 300 calorie dinner.

I did have a handful of goldfish and a mini twix (the rough part of the day that I wish hadn't happened).

Finished off with a sliced apple and cup of herbal tea!

No food pics, however I might start doing more of that. I think it helps me to really see and review what I'm eating, along with my logging.

I hit the gym tonight for an hour of weight lifting and about 30 min of cardio. I actually had another member stop and ask me about my split squats and said she liked how I was doing them. It was strange to have someone else notice what I'm doing.

Anyway...this was a rambling post to say that I've had a good day!

I feel mentally better about things. I'm recommiting to my journey and my goals. We have a tough time of year ahead of us for food junkies. Last year I lost weight during all the major holidays. I'd like to keep that tradition alive this year.

Back to the Phillies....

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T20:11:00.003-04:00

Last year I believe I had 1 mini-candy bar. This year I have not fared so well. I am still struggling a little (some days a lot) with food. I've got to make the commitment...rediscover my determination and get my mojo back!! Tonight we took the boys Trick or Treating. My best Treat was one of the neighbors I haven't seen in a while telling me how good I looked!

I'm hoping the rain breaks and plan on spending the rest of the night watching the Phillies.

Tomorrow morning I have a bike date and hope for some dry weather so we can get out there!

For now I'll leave you with a lil Halloween cuteness...

My 4yo checking out his loot...the loot I will not touch again tonight!

My 2yo sporting his way too small costume. He picked out Elmo and then refused to wear it so we pulled this out of the closet. He did put on an Elmo hat.

Attempting to get a pic of them both before Trick or Treating...

Our Phillies pumpkin!

Peace & Quiet

2009-10-27T20:20:00.000-04:00

I must be dreaming....both the kids were settled in their beds before 8:00 tonight. They must have played hard at daycare. I should blog, however I'm opting to have a cup of tea in front of the fire and watch some tv....

Have a happy & healthy night! :)

Pumpkin Yummy!

2009-10-24T14:37:00.005-04:00

I love watching recipes go around blog world and change to each person's liking. I first found this recipe on Lori's blog, then followed it to Megan's to find that she had adapted it from FitSugar. These days I get most of my cooking idea from blog friends. It's great!

My version was altered slightly to remove some of the calories. When I calculated Megan's version it was just under 200 calories, which isn't bad for a yummy treat. With my modifications a serving comes out to 139 calories. I substituted Splenda for 1/2 the sugar and reduced the amount of chocolate chips.

Here's my version...

Ingredients
1/3 c. Sugar
1/3 c. Splenda
1/2 c. No Sugar Added Applesauce
1 Egg
1 Can Pure Pumpkin
1 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. Rolled Oats
2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Baking Soda
1 1/2 t. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 c. Mini Chocolate Chips
1/4 c. Coconut (I only spread it on 1/2 the pan since I want to share with my friend Sue and she doesn't like coconut) :)

Directions
1. Mix sugar, applesauce, egg, and pumpkin until well blended.
2. Stir in flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and chocolate chips.
3. Pour into a prepared 13 x 9 inch pan. Spread it out evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle on the coconut.
4. Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan completely before cutting into bars. Enjoy! I didn't wait for it to cool. I cut one serving and enjoyed it warm!

Nutrition 411 - Per Serving/12 servings per recipe
139 Calories
4g Fat
35g Carb
3g Fiber
5g Protein

The verdict? I would absolutely make this again!

I am looking forward to an occasion to make THIS yummy looking treat in the near future!

Sprouts!

2009-10-19T21:28:00.005-04:00

It took me 39 years, but I think I finally like brussel sprouts! My mom would be so proud! I was about to roast them in the oven and then decided I wanted something faster so I cut them up, gave them a mist of olive oil, added some garlic, onion, balsamic vinegar and kosher salt, and sauteed them on the stove. Along with them I had a chicken breast with jerk seasoning and some leftover sweet potatoes from dinner out on Saturday. Delicious dinner!

Now I'm enjoying a cup of diet hot cocoa and watching baseball....Go Phillies!

Time

2009-10-17T00:37:00.001-04:00

I need a few more hours in the day so I can find the time to blog.

All is well here.

I'm still struggling a bit with the mental food game.

Exercise is good.

Scale is stuck.

I'll be back soon.

Stay Happy & Healthy!

Why?

2009-10-09T16:33:00.002-04:00

After losing 113 pounds (as of today, I am up 5 from my lowest weight) why am I struggling so much with food? I have not deprived myself over the past year. I've enjoyed indulgences in moderation. I don't starve myself. I eat sensibly and healthy. I don't know what's happened to me the past month. It seemed to start with our family vacation. I found myself overdoing it on food. Mostly in the evenings when everyone was in bed and I was bored. Then when Jon was in town I overdid it out of fun and celebration. What the hell happened to my ability to moderate and be sensible? Now that I'm getting back into my usual routine the old emotional eating habits are creeping up on me. You know....the difficulty determining the difference between hunger and boredom? Lonely or hungry? Happy or Hungry......the list goes on for me. Why does food seem so important to me? Why does it seem to comfort me? It comforted me to well over 300 pounds in the past. Why now? Why is it taking a hold of me again? I want to get this last 40 or so pounds off and be a healthy, happy weight for the first time in my life. I want that more than I want the Lucky Charms, the pizza, the chocolate, etc. Then why do I seem to be a zombie with my hand in the kid's cereal?

I don't expect anyone to be able to answer these "Why?" for me, however I'd love to hear you experiences and struggles with the emotional attachment to food.

Good Times!

2009-09-28T19:55:00.003-04:00

I have been much calmer (and busy) this past week since my freak out over vacation weight and choices. I will also confess that my choices this past week were not stellar. My best buddy, Jon, came to town for 5 days! We have been friends for over 20 years, talk daily and see each other usually once per year.

In a nutshell, our time together was awesome. We biked, we ate, we drank, we biked more, visited DC, hung with his family, drank too much, ate too much, went to the gym, watched him compete in a Taekwondo tournament, spent time with kids and hubby, ate more, relaxed, laughed, laughed and laughed. It was wonderful.

Tonight I am going to plant my hiney on the couch and watch some TV. I'll leave you with some pics....

Jon and I toured DC on our bikes. It was both our first times there. We hit the highlights and it was a perfect way to get around to the sites...

Me in front of the Capitol Building...

My youngest son showing Jon how to sword fight...or something like that. :) (These pics are out of order because Blogger is being stubborn about moving them around)

The boys helping me with pushups.

Seems fairly obvious....
Off to the couch.

Freak Out

2009-09-21T21:28:00.003-04:00

I just finished reading DietGirl's book. Loved it! It rang true for me in so many ways. I found myself lauging, crying and thinking. I've recently stumbled upon her blog through MizFit's blog. The two are teaming up to do a podcast and I am so looking forward to it. Both these women are amazing.

In DietGirl's (Shauna's) book she refers to fat girl freak outs. When you are morbidly obese (I hate typing that, but it's true) you are fearful of so many things....fitting into airplane seats, chairs breaking, climbing stairs, etc. You get the idea. There are also the emotional freak outs...can I do this, will I keep the weight off, will the cupcake cause me to gain back 100 pounds, etc.

Today was a bit of a freak out day for me. It started this morning by avoiding one of my morning rituals....stepping on the scale. I couldn't do it. Vacation was fun and active, but also included more food than it should have. I did some sort of exercise each day, I made some healthy choices, and some not healthy choices. Somehow the fat girl in me had the crazy notion that the week of being a little off plan would cause me to gain all the weight back. I know...it's not realistic, but that's what part of my brain seemed to think. So, after I avoided the scale it was time to get dressed for work. I was petrified to put on my favorite pair of black work pants. I figured they would no longer fit. Of course they fit perfectly fine. I ate smart all day, work was good, then I hit the OHF gym for a session with Frank. This is where things really went down hill....my body didn't seem to want to work. My balance was off, the weights seemed heavier, I was just not with it. This was frustrating. I love my training sessions, I love giving it my all, this was a challenge tonight. Frank decided to cut it a little short and give my body a little break. We sat down and talked. I attempted to explain my somewhat irrational thoughts.

My weight loss has been such an emotional journey. It's been much more difficult to handle the mental aspects of it than the physical ones on most days. One day I am incredibly proud of my accomplishments and feel good in my skin. Other days I feel like a miserable fat girl. I scared to death of going back where I was. I am going to battle many of these fears and emotions for the rest of my life. I have to find a way to make peace with my body and my mind. I will. I will meet my goals. I will suceed. I will continue to change my body and my life! I will, I will, I will!!!!

I am focused on getting the rest of the weight off (another 40ish pounds....we'll see when I get there). It will take a lot of mental and physical effort to get there. Then it will take just as much to stay there. I'm prepared to do all of it. I will be a success story. I will NOT be in the 95% of people that research shows will give up and regain weight!

After my little freak out with Frank I did some cardio, which felt great, and then ran some errands. I ran into a gym buddy who said, "Wow! You are looking great!" She will never know how much that helped me to hear tonight!!! I needed it.

After that I had a healthy dinner and spent time with my amazing kiddos. I feel better now and look forward to what tomorrow brings....My best friend of over 20 years is arriving tomorrow for nearly a week. I am so excited to see him. We have several days of biking, hitting the gym, siteseeing, etc. planned. It's going to be a blast. He is one of my greatest supporters and inspirations. We've decided that on Friday morning we'll break out the scale and face whatever it says.

Till next time...be happy and healthy!

Vacation ups and downs....

2009-09-17T22:03:00.002-04:00

We've been in Williamsburg on vacation since last Saturday. We've had a pretty great time with the kids enjoying Busch Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, Norfolk, etc. I've managed to squeeze in some kind of exercise everyday...either walking outside, treadmill, pilates class and swimming. However, food has not been good. I told myself I would stay on plan and make healthy decisions. I didn't want to gain any weight this week away. I was closing in on 120 pounds lost when we left....

I'm here to confess my food sins. I have no idea what happened to me this week. I am not proud of my food choices. I've eaten several breakfasts in the condo - I brought protein pancake batter with me. The first couple days I made smart choices...even found some steamed veggies at Busch Gardens. However, the past few days have been horrible. Somehow my mouth seems to have taken over my body and I've eaten more stupid stuff than I have in a long, long time. I am petrified to step on the scale when I return. I'm honestly looking forward to being home, planning out my food and getting back to my own gym.

Ok. I came clean. Done. Now to get my head back on straight!!!

Mom's Ring

2009-09-11T23:20:00.002-04:00

Very cool, emotional, sappy thing today... You know that my mom passed away suddenly about 4.5 years ago. Or, if you didn't know, you do now. Mom and I were very, very close and I miss her every single day. Mom and Dad were married for 42 years (I think, too tired to do the math). All those years mom wore a simple gold wedding band. I've had it in my jewelry box since she died. I occasionally take it out, look at it and think about her. I've always attempted to slip it on my finger but it never fit. I don't actually recall a time that I was ever able to get it on. Well....today I wore mom's wedding band all day! It fits perfectly! I know my mom is an angel watching over me and I know how incredibly proud she would be of me. I just wish she was here to experience it with me.

15 Miles!

2009-09-07T13:37:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I went on a 15 mile bike ride! That's my longest ride yet. Saturday was 12.5 miles. It was an awesome biking weekend. My tushy is a little sore today...today is weight lifting day so I'll give it a rest. I've been exploring the Northern DE Greenway bike trail on my rides lately. It's a gorgeous ride. I'm still figuring out the path...it's all paved and much of it is through the woods of local state parks. Here are some pics from yesterday's ride.

Friday Randomness

2009-09-04T15:02:00.004-04:00

Happy Friday Friends! I hope you've all had a fabulous week and are ready for a happy and healthy long weekend!

Several random things to cover today...

How about starting with the scale? You know that I've been somewhat frustrated lately and I talked about kicking it in to high gear. Well...seems to have worked. I consider Friday's to be my "official" weigh in day. Today I was DOWN 3.4 pounds from last week. That brings my weight loss total to 117.4 pounds! That's a person! Wow!

Remember a couple weeks ago I shared that I managed to run 5 minutes on the treadmill? That was huge for me. I've been slowly working on it at each cardio session. Last night I hit the treadmill hard. First I walked 20 minutes at a decent incline and speed. Then I kicked in the jog...wanted 6 minutes...then wanted more. I jogged/ran for TEN MINUTES! I was hot, sweaty, my heart was pounding....and it felt awesome! The first thing I did was send my trainer a text message. He understands, probably more than anyone, how damn hard I've worked for those 10 minutes!

Food has been fun this week. I enjoyed the lasagna leftovers for several days. I'm loving my protein pancakes several times a week. This morning I threw in a few blueberries and then topped them with 1/2 a mashed banana with sugar-free syrup....

Last night I grabbed a Jenni-o Turkey burger out of the freezer. There must be different ones because these were not the same I've bought previously. They were really thin and packaged in 2. I grilled it up and then made a patty melt out of it with a lil cheese and light wheat bread. It was yummy...but I was not happy with the 9g of fat per burger. Today for lunch I decided to make my own turkey burger from 99% fat free ground turkey. I just added a lil bit of egg white and tossed in spices. Added a lil shredded WW cheese and grilled the bread. It was DELICIOUS! I enjoyed steamed veggies, pickles and a lil sandwich spread with mustard.

No idea why the pic is sideways. It looks fine until I load it to Blogger.

Not sure yet what dinner will be....

I spent most of the week on the injured reserve list. Last week I started having major pain in my right wrist. This has happened periodically over the past year, but not this bad. Enough that I stopped doing any exercises that involved my hand and made an appt with an orthopaedic surgeon. I saw him yesterday and it appears I may have tendonitis in 2 of the tendons that run down the side of my hand with the thumb. I have a nice little brace to wear when it acts up and I'm getting an MRI on it next week. I'm happy to report that it no longer hurts (much) and I actually did some light weights on it today with no problem!

Tomorrow morning I have a bike ride planned with a friend. It's supposed to be a beautiful day and I know we'll have fun. Not sure what the weekend has in store for me after than. I need to get organized for vacation (a week from Sat), of course I'll exercise and likely run around like crazy with 2 wonderfully high-spirited kids.

That's enough randomness for now.

Till next time...be happy and healthy!

Zucchini-Spinach Lasagna

2009-08-31T21:11:00.002-04:00

I have another new, favorite recipe....

Zucchini-Spinach Lasagna, Minus the Pasta
Four servings
4 zucchini or summer squash, washed
oil spray

tomato sauce--a good bottled one, or homemade (I used about 1.5 c of bottled pasta sauce)
1 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup skim or lowfat ricotta
1/2 frozen package chopped spinach--defrosted, and all the water squeezed out (or enough fresh spinach wilted, get about 1/2 cup)
salt and pepper
Parmesean--1/4 cup freshly grated
1/4 cup shredded mozzerella

Spray a nonstick baking sheet with oil. Carefully slice the zucchini the long way, so you get long, thin strips.(I used a mandolin and sliced thin circles.) Lay them on the sheet, and spray with more oil. Salt and pepper, and place in a 350 oven for 15 minutes, until soft. Don't let them burn.

Meanwhile, saute the onion in a teaspoon of oil until soft. Add the garlic, and saute for another minute. Cool off a bit, then mix in the drained spinach (it's important to get the spinach as dry as possible or everything will get soggy). Mix the spinach mixture into the ricotta, add the Parmesan and mozzarella, and add a good amount of salt and pepper to taste.

In an 8x8 baking dish, spoon enough sauce to coat the bottom. Place a layer of zucchini on, and spread a thin layer of the ricotta-spinach mixture on top. Don't worry about covering everything perfectly, as the cheese melts it'll spread. (The cheese doesn't really spread, I just plopped spoonfuls of it)

Spoon some sauce on top, then another layer of zucchini, the ricotta-spinach, and then sauce again. (I made two layers, next time I'd make more zucchini for three layers) Sprinkle some Parmesan on top, and bake uncovered in a 350 oven for 1/2 hour. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Approximate Nutrition Info, per serving:
207 calories
13 g fat
14 g carbs
1 g fiber
13 g protein

I served it with a grilled chicken breast for a delicious and healthy dinner!

Enjoy! :)

Back to my Low

2009-08-28T22:58:00.003-04:00

After some challenges with the scale and food I'm finally back to my low weight of 114 pounds gone! Now to move onto new virgin numbers. I haven't been this weight since my teen years. I have no idea what it's like to be this size as an adult. I'm loving it!

Cutting back my calories has gone very well so far. I've gotten back to more planning and really thinking about what is going into my mouth! Tonight we went to a little pizza place for dinner...they were very accommodating with my special request of a grilled chicken breast with a side of wing sauce and blue cheese along with an order of steamed broccoli with no butter. I dipped the chicken into the teeniest bit of sauce and dressing and it was delish. Got my hot wing fix and had a healthy dinner. I will admit to swiping a couple of the kids fries and a bite or two of the hubby's lasagna. I had to compare to my homemade, of course! I was fine on calories today and feel great about my choices.

As they always are, this weekend will be challenging. The weather is going to be lousy. I am going to hit the gym for cardio tomorrow morning and then we are meeting up some friends for bowling. After that I'm stopping by a party for a bit. I will think and make smart choices. I'm not going to let the weekend deter the hard work of the week!

In other news....I was interviewed earlier this week for a local magazine! They are doing an article on the benefits of working with a personal trainer. Photo shoot is on Wed! Oh My! I did get my hair colored/cut today...can't have that gray on display.

Kickin' it into high gear!

2009-08-25T21:54:00.002-04:00

The past 3 months have been rough. My weight has gone down ever so slightly and bounced up and down a bit, basically I've been stuck. Trainer Frank did my body fat measurements yesterday and I'll admit that I was disappointed to discover that I've lost less than 1% BF in 3 months. It's time to mix things up! I'm dropping my calories from 1800 per day to 1600 per day and I'm really evaluating what I am eating with those calories. I must battle the emotional urges to eat...this is the most difficult thing for me...by far! I am kicking up my cardio as much as I can and continuing with my weight training 3x per week.

The past 2 days have been awesome! Calories good...exercise good! Today's cardio was 30 min on the treadmill and 15 on the elliptical. Kept my heart rate up, worked up a good sweat and managed a 6 minute jog...best time yet! Go me.

We are going on a family vacation in less than 3 weeks. I am going to buckle down and bust it between now and then. I would like to see some pounds dropping off again! I will be staying on plan and working hard on vacation...but we all know it's difficult to be perfect when traveling for 8 days and eating on the road.

I'm ready to break through this plateau...and I will!

Have you guys checked out Jen's Blog? She's got a fun giveaway going on...and in general she just ROCKS! Go check her out here.

A little publicity....

2009-08-21T16:07:00.002-04:00

How much do I love my personal trainers!?!?! SO MUCH!!! They are awesome. I've developed a great relationship with my trainer and his wife (also a trainer). Clearly I've had to do the work to get where I am today, but they are a huge part of my journey. Check out what they did...

Stir Fry!

2009-08-18T20:02:00.005-04:00

Since I don't feel like writing about anything serious let's discuss having stir-fry for dinner and how this has become one of my favorite meals! It wasn't too terribly long ago that it would be difficult to find a fresh veggie in my house. Now there are veggies galore around here. We found a new produce market this weekend and stocked up. One of my favorite things to do when I have lots of veggies around is a nice big stir fry. Tonight's rainbow dinner included green, yellow and red peppers, onions, garlic, carrots, broccoli, water chesnuts, chicken and a lil left over steak...that was mostly in hubby's along with mushrooms (that's one thing that won't cross my lips). I steam the veggies in a lil water and then add a mist of olive oil and some Thai sauce. There was one other major thing in the previous statement....Hubby ate a healthy dinner with me!!! Go Hubs! Let's keep it up! Cause I like pics, here you go....

The Hub's dinner....

My dinner...still steaming...

We just sat down to din-din when my dear friend, Dena, called so I chatted with her for a moment while Hubs snapped a pic of me. Don't mind the post- work, post-workout, worn out look...let's focus on the fact that I appear to only have ONE chin!

After....

What's your favorite healthy dinner?

I love exercise!

2009-08-16T22:03:00.003-04:00

Really...I do! That's one of the many things that has really kept me going this year. For me I have to be absolutely perfect with food and exercise if I'm going to lose anything. Lately I've been struggling at being perfect with food....thankfully I've kept up with the exercise. Even though I haven't lost much lately I've managed to maintain and bounce up and down a little bit. That's a whole other story I'm not up for tonight. (Emotional eating to be discussed later).

I wish I had more free time to get in even more fun exercise, but I do the best I can with the time I have. My best exercise happens when I can get a couple hours to myself. Thankfully the Hubs is a trooper about giving me my time and hanging with the boys. Yesterday I hit the gym in the morning for a weight workout. I lifted weights for about an hour and then hit the treadmill for walking/jogging intervals for about 20 minutes. Finished off with some stretching and felt great! Today I decided to hit a local state park for a bike ride. My goal was 10 miles, I ended up doing 7. I would have liked a few more, but I was on trails I've never ridden before and wasn't overly confident venturing too far, not to mention the hills were a great workout. I came home with a souvenir of the ride. At one point I was braking to stop at a map and somehow I started to lose balance and my foot seemed to stick...the pedal caught my shin and cut me pretty good. My son thinks it's super cool that mommy has a big boo-boo.

I was hoping to give kayaking a try this summer, but the summer seems to be flying by and not sure it will happen. I definitely want to hit the bike trails that I was on today more. I think it will be a beautiful fall time ride in a couple months.

When I don't have all the solo time I'd like I do my best to get extra exercise with the kiddos. I have a bike trailer for them and we'll ride around the neighborhood, stopping at the park. Instead of sitting while they play I run around and play with them. Sometimes we walk to the park in the neighborhood. I've even found myself doing exercise when I don't even realize it. Last week we were at the car dealer and I had the boys with me in the "kid zone". Instead of just sitting there with the boys I put Jackson up on my shouders and started doing squats. He thought it was hysterical...I got some extra exercise.

I'm so thankful that I enjoy exercise. I look forward to it, I feel better when I do it, I'm stronger, my body needs it, etc. Please....if I ever start to slack off or get lazy about it....please feel free to give me a little kick in the ass.

Do you like exercising? What are your favorite things to do? Do you have exercise goals set for yourself?

Pizza!

2009-08-08T13:51:00.003-04:00

I love pizza! Always have...always will. However, my pizza of choice has changed dramatically. Just thinking about the pizzas we used to order makes me cringe. There was usually pepperoni, sausage, lot of cheese, maybe a stray veggie. Oh...the calories. Pizza has been tough for me this year because a particular adult that lives in my house (not saying names, but there is only one other adult here) often brings home pizza for himself and the boys. For a long time is was fairly torturous to me. Then I discovered Flatouts and starting making my own pizzas. I actually prefer these to a slice from a pizza place. It's thin, crispy, fresh and healthy. This way I know exactly what I'm eating and there is no grease dripping off it. Today I used pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni, black olives, onions, crushed pineapple and reduced fat mozz cheese. It was delicious for right at 300 calories. You can put anything you want on it. Another favorite of mine is bbq sauce with chicken, onions, pineapple. It's a nice big portion and I feel like I've really had a treat! Today I bought a different kind of flatbread at BJs that may hold promise as a crust too. I'll le you know.

Here's my yummo lunch today....

5 Minutes

2009-08-07T23:56:00.002-04:00

For the past year my cardio workouts have been primarily on the elliptical machine. Crank up my ipod, hit the machine and I'm good for 45 minutes of heart-pounding cardio. In the past couple months I've started mixing cardio up a little to give my body a change. I've started adding in the treadmill. Boring...well, I always thought so. I have a difficult time walking nowhere for 45 minutes. I decided to start doing some walk/jog intervals. In the past 15 years I have not jogged unless I was being chased...and quite honestly I don't remember being chased. One day I got up the courage to crank up the treadmill and see if I could jog. I think I made it 30 seconds. Hey! Better than nothing, right? Then I worked up to a minute...then two....one day I did 3 minutes and thought I might die, but it felt great! Today I put a favorite song on and started jogging...I wanted to make it 3 minutes. I got there and told myself I could do more. So...I jogged for 5 minutes! That's huge for me. I know it may not seem like much to many of you, but don't forget, a year ago I was 100+ pounds heavier and I'm still no skinny mini. But I am getting healthy and active and I JOGGED! One of my goals is to complete a 5k sometime in the next year. I'm not sure when I'll do it....but I WILL DO IT!

Must sleep now. The hubster is stuck working tomorrow so I'll be chasing two wild and crazy toddlers around all day.

Oh Pudge!

2009-08-06T22:41:00.002-04:00

Like many others, I struggle with emotional eating. Socializing = let's eat! Bored....let's eat! Happy....let's eat! Sad....let's eat! You get the idea, and I know many of you have been there. My head and my stomach are always in constant battle over physical and mental hunger. I often have a difficult time distinguishing the two, but I am learning more about my body and its signs to me. If I feel hungry I have to take a moment to think about when I last ate, what I ate, have I not eaten enough, not gotten enough protein, etc. Then I will decide if I need more fuel. I'm doing my best to turn my love of food into a love of the food that my body needs to run efficiently. For the most part I will say I've done pretty darn good over the past year. However, this week I've had a very difficult time with the emotional aspect of eating. Stress is apparently the biggest trigger for me. I've had a challenging couple days and have been a little stressed, sad, angry, etc. In return for those feelings I had to constantly tell myself I didn't need to go diving head first into a big chocolate cake (not a slice, a whole cake!). My head wanted the comfort of the taste and feeling of fullness and pushing the emotions way deep down. I can't do it. I won't do it. I know how I would feel afterwards and it's not a good feeling. .

Yesterday was tough. I managed to hold off the major desire to binge by biking to the gym, lifting weights for an hour and biking home. Last night I treated myself to a Skinny Cow ice cream bar! Major yummy-ness for about 80 calories.

Today the desire was still in full force. I would not, could not let the evil part of my inner self win this battle. I ate smart all day, hit the gym for about an hour. Then after the boys were asleep I decided that I would make a reasonable treat for myself. I tested out the No Pudge Brownies I picked up a couple weeks ago. I especially loved that the box had instructions for single servings. No need to make the entire batch and be tempted by it. Just one single serving of brownie goodness. It's a fat free brownie mix combined with a lil bit of fat free yogurt. Because I had calories to spare today I added 1/2T of Crunchy Peanut Butter. All this in the microwave for a minute and I had a small, reasonable and delicious treat to satisfy my emotional need for a little bit of comfort without doing any damage!!! The treat was right at 200 calories and the only fat (3g) came from the P'nut Butter. I actually came in a little under on my calories today.

The hubby even tasted it (oh...I saved a few calories there) and gave it the stamp of approval. I'll convert that man yet!!!

I feel good, I enjoyed my little treat and now I'm done with it. There is no cake or pan of brownies calling my name. I think this little box of No Pudge will be my emergency friend. You know a girl still needs her chocolate now and then!?!?! Just in moderation!

PLAN!

2009-08-05T21:27:00.003-04:00

I have learned so much over the past year and there are particular things that have been the key to my success thus far. One of the biggest things for me is PLANNING! I work full-time, I have 2 toddlers, a husband, 2 dogs and a crazy life...like many of you. I've learned to plan for success. It's so easy to make unhealthy choices and doesn't take much fore thought to do so, however, it can often be much more difficult to make the healthy decisions. I choose healthy!

My planning usually takes place in the evening. I know what I'm eating the next day, I have everything organized in the fridge, lunch bag ready so that in the morning I can grab and go. I know what I'll have for my meals and my snacks. I plan what time I'm going to the gym. Barring anything crazy - which we know life throws us curveballs - I know what is going to happen the next day, how many calories I'll eat, how much exercise I'll do....I know I'll be successful!

We eat out...A LOT! I've had to learn how to plan for this. I research menus and nutrition facts before stepping foot into a restaurant. I usually know what I'll order before I even open the menu. It's crazy scary when you start learning about the nutritional facts of restaurant food.

One of my pieces of advice to anyone that asks me how to lose weight, get in shape...is to MAKE A PLAN. Oh....and STICK with it! That will be another post about commitment!

Thinking of Jen

2009-08-03T20:04:00.002-04:00

I've been in the blog world for several years and have made many friends in the adoption community. I've just recently started branching out and finding weight-loss bloggers. Not long ago I discovered Jen's Blog. Jen has been very successful with her healthy lifestyle and her blog is so much fun to read. I was so sad to read that her mother was killed a few days ago in a tragic accident. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her. It was obvious from her blog that her mom was a huge part of her life. My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family during this difficult time.

Tonight I read her blog, watched one of the news clips that she linked and cried my eyes out.

Four year ago I lost my mom suddenly and it was the most difficult time of my life. It has gotten a little easier over the years, but not a day goes by that I don't think of her and miss her. When I started my weight loss journey I went through the grieving process once again. I didn't realize over the years how much saddness I pushed deep down with food. When I started taking care of myself all the emotions came flooding back.

This is going to be a very difficult time for Jen, but she is obviously a strong young woman and has a wonderful family and friends around her, including hundreds of blogging friends and she will get through this.

Tonight when I was giving the boys a snack they wanted some cookies left from dinner out one night....Oreos. Jen...I ate an Oreo in honor of you and your mom.

Pancakes!

2009-08-02T09:34:00.003-04:00

As they do most every Sunday morning, the boys requested pancakes for breakfast. How can I refuse such cutie-pies?!!? So I whipped them up a batch of blueberry pancakes using a pre-made mix and fresh blueberries along with a couple slices of bacon. They looked good and I really wanted pancakes today but was not about to indulge in these since I knew calorie count.....with the egg, oil and milk laden batter.

After a quick search on my buddy, the Internet, I found just the pancake for me....

1/3 c. Oatmeal
1/3 c. Cottage Cheese (I used 2%)
2 egg whites
1 packet of Splenda
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of vanilla

Blend it all up (I used a stick blender) and cook like any other pancake. I also added 1/4 c. of fresh blueberries when they were on the skillet.

I completed the meal with a few fresh strawberries and a mug of green tea. OH...and sugar-free syrup.

DELISH!

The nutrition stats for the meal:
263 Calories
4g Fat
39g Carbs
23g Protien

This is a keeper!

One Year...114 Pounds Lost!

2009-07-31T22:23:00.008-04:00

One year ago today I stepped into a new gym on their opening day and vowed I was turning my life and health around. I timidly got on an elliptical machine and managed to do about 10 minutes before I was worn out. I returned everyday adding a few minutes each time. I was going to do this. I was at a very unhealthy and unhappy weight and knew that it was time to change. I had a husband and 2 young boys at home that needed a happy and healthy wife and mom. On that day I dreamed of how I would transform my life and body, but I could not begin to imagine what a difference a year would make.

Over the course of the past year I have wanted to write about my journey and share it with anyone who wants to listen. I have blogged openly about our adoption and parenting journeys here and was comfortable putting myself out there...however the weight loss journey just seemed so much more personal and scary. I couldn't find the words to write about it. Today as I reflected on the past year I realized I was scared to put myself out there because of the fear of failure. I didn't want to share my progress and worry one day I'd have to take it all back. I finally know that I will not fail. Yes...there are and will always be challenges, but I am a success and I will continue to work hard to meet my goals and I want others to join in my journey. I am no longer scared of failure. It's not an option.

There are so many things I want to share and discuss. Let's start with an abbreviated version of my journey.....

A little background:
I've struggled with my weight my entire life. Seriously...every bit of it. I don't recall a moment after the age of 5 that I didn't have a weight issue. I was always active, always involved in sports and always the "big girl". As with so many people, college was rough. My freshman year my mom twisted my arm into a pre-packaged diet plan and I lost about 40 pounds....when I started getting sick just thinking about the food I gave up and over the course of college I managed to gain back the 40 plus another 20. After college I lost about 30 and then I got married. We fell into a lazy lifestyle of too much TV, eating, computers....and I managed to gain 100 pounds in the next 8 years. Yep...you read that right. In 2002 we got serious about wanting children and I knew I had to lose some weight. I dropped about 50 pounds and then we realized weight wasn't the major factor. We had some issues that required fertility treatments. The next 3 years were filled with fertility treatments, high doses of meds and the discovery that we would not be able to have biological children. In the midst of that my mother passed away suddenly, we then adopted our oldest son...life was certainly dealing us some good and bad. We were making the best of it all, but I stopped taking care of myself. As we started to adopt a 2nd child in 2006 my father suddenly passed away. In 2007 I found myself at the highest weight of my life, thrilled to be the mom of 2 amazing children and at the same time absolutely miserable with myself. During the next year I make half-assed attempts to do the right thing. Then in the summer of 2008 something just clicked with me and I knew it was time.

How I started:
One day last July I drove past a shopping center a couple miles from home and noticed a sign for a 24 hour gym opening up. 24 hours? Well, there was certainly no excuse not to get there. I stopped by, met the owners and told them flat out I wanted some help to get myself in shape. I needed support and motivation and someone to keep me accountable. I wanted a personal trainer. Little did I know at the time that not only would I find an amazing personal trainer, but I would also find an incredible friend. The gym contracted out the personal training to OHF and I met Frank....I was scared, nevous, intimidated (you name it), but he made me feel comfortable, gave me the reassurance that he'd be there to help and I somehow knew things were about to turn around. He worked with me on a nutrition plan and a fitness routine. I started counting calories, strength training and doing lots of cardio (I'll talk more in detail about these things later). I didn't let up, I gave it all I had and the scale started moving... It was physically exhausting and mentally exhausting. I completely changed my lifestyle...it was not easy, but the premise was simple. I ate smart, I exercised.

As I'm writing this and attempting to condense and amazing journey into a few paragraphs I'm thinking about so much more to talk about and I look forward to sharing and writing. This year has been full of great experiences, lots of learning, buckets of tears, smiles and victories.

When I started one year ago today I knew I would lose weight....I never dared to dream that I would lose 114 pounds in a year...but I have!!! I'm not at my goal weight yet, but I'm closing in on it and I will get there!

I struggled to come up with a name for this blog that meant something to me. I think these three words sum things up pretty well.

I am LOSING weight....

LIVING life....

and

LOVING it all!!!

Till next time....