Actual Size

Smaller Pants

2012-01-31T12:15:00.001-08:00

I haven't lost any measurable weight in the last month. The last date I measured weight loss was New Years Day. I did, however, lose a pant size. Back on April 1st 2010, I was a size sixteen. Today, I am in a size ten. My goal size is an eight. Pretty happy about this.

To jump start a little more weight loss, I made cabbage soup today.

2 cups shredded cabbage
1 celery stalk
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Chicken
3 cups water
Olive oil
Cider vinegar
Hot sauce (think Tabasco) but mine is homemade
Sesame seed oil
Olive oil
Saute the vegetables in olive oil until soft. Add the Better than Bouillon and water. The other ingredients are to taste so have at it.

Mine is so good it is making my nose run

Pep Talk

2012-01-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

It has been three weeks since I've lost any weight. I am trying very hard not to get discouraged. This is not the first time this has happened during my weight loss journey over the last nine months. I need to be gentle with myself. I need to remember that nine month ago a six 16 was tight. Today a size 12 is loose. I need to remember that 9 months ago, my blood pressure was high. Today, my blood pressure is normal. I need to remember that I used to sit and mindlessly eat. Today I pay attention to everything I put in my mouth. I eat mindfully. I need to remember that nine months ago, I needed to lose 55 pounds. Today, I only need to lose 21 pounds to reach my goal.

Soup Two Ways

2012-01-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

Weight has stabilized since my last pound lost. Apparently, I should not eat movie theater pickles. Ate one Tuesday night and woke up to find myself swollen and five pounds heavier than the day before . It went away in 24 hours, but I'm not going to do that again.

I made chicken soup again with noodles for Manly and Asian greens for myself. That leads me to another point - How to feed myself and my family when we have different dietary needs. For me, I've just been taking the carbs out of my portion of the recipe. This means that I cannot cook the noodles in the soup, but have to cook them separately and add them after I take my portion out. I can do that with any recipe that includes rice, potatoes, or wheat products. In my portions of meals that usually include pasta, I exchange squash for the pasta. Zucchini and spaghetti squash make excellent pasta substitutes.

I don't have to watch the fat in my diet. However, I don't like to load up on it because it makes me feel yucky. Manly was just told that he needs to watch his cholesterol so we are exploring the best options for his diet. This is why he got the noodles and I got the greens.

Bad Advice

2012-01-04T07:40:00.000-08:00

I know I should be more patient. I know I should be less judgemental. I know people and companies mean well, but COME ON. I think 500 calorie diets are retarded. I KNOW we all have health issues that cause us to tend to gain or not lose weight easily. Losing 10 pounds in a week is dangerous. Stimulant medications OTC or not are bad for me. Expecting to lose weight fast and consistently is just not reasonable for ME. Want to mess up you metabolism? Starve yourself, that'll do it.

When someone asks me how I've lost this weight, I tell them with a warning that this is not for everybody. I have a specific health need. I need to keep my blood sugar under control. Another person might need to control their blood pressure or cholesterol. Someone else might need to control their weight for joint health. It might just be vanity weight loss. Maybe we want to lose weight for all of the above reasons. Whatever. Stop giving me crap advice. I've lost 34 pounds, I think I've got it covered.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning and discovered I have lost another pound. This puts me at -34. I officially have 24 pounds left on this weight loss journey. My goal is to weigh in at 133. That said, I will allow myself to lose weight into the 120's. When that happens I will most likely be forced to take some kind of medication for my diabetes. I can't eat to keep my blood sugar down and not lose weight. My beautiful sister tried it unsuccessfully. When I reach that point, I will allow myself to return to eating normal portions of healthy carbohydrates meaning whole grains.

There is a part of this story that is very very important. I no longer like refined wheat products. The just have no flavor or texture to me anymore. The same thing happened with sugar. During my pregnancies, I was misdiagnosed with gestational diabetes. I actually have MODY2, but the course of action was the same, This diet or something very similar to it. Over the three pregnancies, two of them back to back, I had to cut out all soft drinks, among other things. During that time, I completely lost my love of sweets. Cokes are absolutely too sweet for me. I can't stand them. Now that the same thing has happened with highly processed wheat, I feel like a permanent change has come over my life and I will be able to maintain a healthy weight once I achieve it. Remember, I've been at this 9 months. I've been very gentle with myself. I gave myself plenty of ways to cheat without really cheating in the beginning.

More to come on the ways to cheat without cheating tomorrow.

Soup

2011-12-28T13:12:00.000-08:00

During the winter, I love to make soup. I like to use the vegetables I grow in my tiny garden. Today I made soup out of some sort of Asian green that comes up every year when the weather cools off. The soup was made with chicken broth, the greens and a little lemon juice. Very yummy and low calorie.

Hopefully, I can jump start my weight loss again by eating more vegetable soup. Still pleased as punch with my progress even though it has been so slow.

Love This Because it is True

2011-12-28T10:46:00.005-08:00

Stole This From Facebook.

2011-12-27T18:56:00.000-08:00

The Day After Christmas

2011-12-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

Made it through both Thanksgiving and Christmas without gaining weight. In fact, right after Thanksgiving , I managed to lose two pounds. Now that the holiday stress and FOOD are gone, I can continue onward and downward.

Today was a decompression day. Slept late. The only work I did was making Middle Monkey a pinapple upside down cake for his birthday. No I did not eat any cake. Didn't even think about it.

In eight days I will turn 48. So glad I got control of my weight and health before it became even harder as I age. This will be the first new year that I can actually say I accomplished something huge the previous year. My weight loss was not a new years resolution, it was actually a April Fool's Day resolution. Maybe I should make all my resolutions April Fool's Day resolutions. Worked this year. Maybe next year I will learn Spanish and become a yoga instructor.

Brief Update

2011-12-21T12:40:00.001-08:00

Still holding the weight steady. Went to yoga last night. It felt great to stretch and balance. Working on my upper body strength. It is slowly but surely getting better. Who knew you can have weak fingers. Maybe by the time Sharon gets done with me, I'll be able to open all my own jars.

- 33 pounds

2011-12-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I failed to document -32 and -33 pounds. - 33 happened a couple of weeks ago and I am holding steady again. I did fall off the training wagon for a couple of weeks because of kids stuff and work stuff and well, just life in general. That is okay though. I returned to yoga last night no worse for the break. I will return to the couch to 5k most likely tomorrow as I have yoga again tonight and doing them both on the same day proved to be more than my middle aged body could reasonably handle.

This has been and will continue to be a gentle journey.. I intend to be much kinder to myself as I grow older. That doesn't mean easy on myself, however. It just means I will care for my body and spirit in diet, exercise, work and other meaningful activities.

25 pounds to go and I will be at the top level of my "healthy" weight. Already my blood pressure has normalized and I feel soooo much better. Need to leave myself a note to come here and document my activities, foods and progress more often so I will have the story complete to tell when all the extra weight is gone.

-31 pounds

2011-12-07T05:47:00.000-08:00

Got on the scale this morning and I am now down 31 pounds. I love this because I am eating better than ever. Last night I had something we will call Shrimp Larry. Shrimp, onion, mushrooms, celery diced tomato and a lot of spice. It was soooo good.

Now it sit here on this cold December morning all folded up in my office chair. Did I mention I can now comfortably cross my legs? I know that shouldn't be a big deal, but it is a BIG deal. I love getting smaller.

Back in the Garden.

2011-12-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

Last night I started week 5 of the couch to 5k. I did my wog (walk/jog) at the track. Because I realized how far I was going, I pushed myself harder. I am supposed to be doing three miles in 30 minutes in the next 3 weeks. I managed 2 miles walking and jogging. I started to make myself do week 5 day 2 this morning, but I was sore and tired. Instead I spent 30 minutes in my garden and I am going to stretch out really good here in a few minutes. I have to work until 9 tonight. Hopefully, I will have enough energy to go do the wog tonight when I get home. Otherwise, it will have to wait until tomorrow. If I had more time, I would go ahead and do it now. The light exercise of working in the garden really made me feel better. Maybe gardening should be my warmup.

Couch to 5K

2011-11-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

In a few minutes, when my phone is fully charged, I will get out of this house and walk/jog for 30 minutes. The program I am following is Couch to 5k, by Cool Running. I am on week four day 3. This means I am halfway to being in good enough shape to, theoretically, very very slowly jog a 5k. I do have to say that I actually want to get out and do my wog (walk/jog) today. This is a good thing as it is becoming a habit.

Support has been very very important during this process. My family and friends have been great, but the internet has been amazing. Family and friends shouldn't have the job of constantly praising someone. It is just too much work and we really don't pay that much attention to the everyday actions of one and other. On Facebook, I post weight loss pound by pound and get 15 to 30 other facebook folk praising my efforts. It is very very motivating. Following the Couch to 5k program was encouraged by Maggie Martin of Casa Martin. She started a group called Inspiration and Friendship in Health. We are four members strong and post our daily activity and food choices. Not everyone posts every day and there is no schedule or rules. This little support group has a nice warm fuzzy feeling . We really want each other to be happy and healthy.

Did I mention I've lost 30 pounds? Did I mention I can now jog for five minutes straight without falling over.

Happy healthy everyone. .

I'm back

2011-11-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping a weight loss/ healthy living journal in my laptop. It is really hard for me to write on the laptop because the keyboard is small and I can't keep a flow going while typing on the thing. Anyway,. I am in my seventh month of a complete diet change and have lost 30 pounds. I have hit another plateau and have not lost any weight in a couple of weeks. This is okay and will pass. One time I didn't lose any weight for more like a month. Anyhow, I am returning to the blog format to write down what is going on during this journey. At some point I may try to compile the whole thing into a book.

Yesterday I lost it and ate stuffing and broccoli cheese casserole (rice). It's going to be okay though, I won't do it again or not again anytime soon. The trigger was, as always, emotional over eating. The boys really sent me over the edge Thanksgiving morning. Full on fight on the front porch. Nice, we are the crazy family that ruins holidays. :( see that. Pulled me right under emotionally. Two days later I am finally able to somewhat pull myself together and get back on track. Going to see how many ways I can eat cabbage over the next couple of days. May also indulge in some asparagus and cucumber.

2009-11-23T04:56:00.001-08:00

167
112/82

Feeling Better

2009-11-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

Got sick I mean seriously sick for two weeks. Better now, but have a lingering cough. Back to working out.

Weight 168
BP 110/80

2009-11-03T07:43:00.001-08:00

Still sick but going to work out today anyway.

Weight 168

Sick

2009-10-30T16:32:00.001-07:00

Lost 2 lbs because of this awful cold.

New Low

2009-10-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

Got down to 168.8. Finally feel like I am getting somewhere.

Weight 168.8
BP 118/82
Exercise 45 minutes elliptical machine.

Sunday

2009-10-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

Weight 169.2
Exercise
BP

Finally Friday

2009-10-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

Finally, a number under 170. Let me see if I can keep this going. As soon as the boys get off to school, I am going to work out.

Weight 169.4 Thank you
BP 103/81
Exercise 45 minutes elliptical machine

2009-10-22T05:08:00.001-07:00

I'm about ready to give the eff up. This is ridiculous.

Weight 172 WTF
Exercise 45 minutes elliptical machine
BP 102/79 (new personal best)

Still Good

2009-10-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

My weight is down 4 pounds just like it is supposed to be. I just wish it wasn't such a wild ride. I am very hungry. Probably from the exercise and being more aware of how I feel all the time.

Weight 170
Exercise 30 minutes elliptical machine.

Better

2009-10-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

I guess my weight is still going to be bouncing around. Went under 170 today. Should be happier, but I don't trust it.

Weight 169.8
BP 108/84

Frustration and Tears

2009-10-19T05:37:00.001-07:00

As I sign on here this morning I am in tears. I am really trying and not getting anywhere. My weight this morning was back up to 173. I am spiralling into the give up phase because of absolutely no results. This is killing me. I am keeping track of my calories with a calorie counting gadget from igoogle. I am tracking my effing weight. I am exercising hard every day and nothing. I am beginning to hate this body I am supposed to be taking care of. I don't know what else to do. Why work this hard if it isn't going to give me anything but frustration.

Weight 173
BP 121/87 while crying over my freaking weight.
Exercise. 45 minutes elliptical machine upper body resistance.

2009-10-18T03:29:00.000-07:00

Up at 4:00 for some reason. Went to bed at 10:30. Maybe my body clock is resetting and turning me into a morning person which would be great.

weight 172
BP 108/79 (best yet)
Exercise 39 minutes elliptical machine.

2009-10-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

Began using the igoogle calorie counter tool. Helps me keep track of my calories without keeping and carrying around a list. I also added a weight tracker gadget. It is giving me trouble. I acccidentally typed in 17 lbs instead of 170 and it won't let me change it. We will see what happens when I put in the correct weight tomorrow. Been eating vegetable soup or vegetable soup with just a tiny bit of meat in it. Filling and low calorie. I get to eat without breaking the calorie bank. Yeah.

Todays soup was chicken & roasted pepper. (mostly peppers, onion and celery with a little bit of shredded chicken thrown in) The base was better than bouillion

Yesterdays was vegetable Can of mixed vegetable with vegetable juice. Couldn't be easier.

Tomorrow broccoli I will make a thin white sauce with skim milk and add onion & broccoli. Maybe an itty bitty bit of cheese sprinkled on top.

weight 170.8
BP 102/87
exercise 30 minutes elliptical machine & upper body resistance

2009-10-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

weight 171.2
exercise 36 minutes elliptical

Finally

2009-10-14T09:31:00.001-07:00

Weight 172.2 this morning. I thought I was going to cry with relief.

Just to clear it up. I did exercise for 30 minutes on the elliptical machine on Sunday.

Weight 172.2
BP 114/95
Exercise 35 minutes elliptical machine.

2009-10-13T07:58:00.003-07:00

This lack of weight loss is really pissing me off.

Weight 174
BP 106/84
Exercise 30 minutes elliptical machine

Monday Monday

2009-10-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

my weight is still bouncing all over the place. Yesterday 170 today 174. I'm not going to worry about it as long as it keeps bouncing lower. Remember it did this before and was from 174 to 178 or something so at least this bounce is lower than the last one. Anyway. Working out and eating right. Wine has been put away for special occasions. Larry is on board.

Worked out with mom yesterday 24 minutes on the treadmill. 8 minutes on the elliptical machine.

I added a daily calorie counter and a weight log (which has and average thank you very much) to my igoogle page. I don't see this blog frequently throughout the day, but I use my igoogle page while I am on the internet to get to facebook, twitter and my blogs. It makes sense to have those numbers right in front of my face every day.

Weight 174.
BP 110/90
Exercise 30 minutes elliptical machine upper body weights

2009-10-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

weight 172

Had an epiphany today. Reading an article about Maurice Sendak author and illustrator of the book "Where the Wild Things Are." He talked about the American romanticism of childhood. That is when it struck me. I was told, childhood should be idyllic. When I had to look at my real my really real childhood, and it wasn't perfect. Understand, my parents did not tell me my childhood was perfect. They were real people dealing with real issues. It is the culture. The culture says that childhood should be blissful. If this is true, then my young life must have been messed up, right? Not so, it is just life. Children, just like grownups, have real lives not all happy happy joy joy, but the real deal ups downs and sideways.

Somehow I feel much much better. Now, I've got to be more real with my boys.

2009-10-09T08:16:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I joined a gym. Today I used it for the first time. 30 minutes on the elliptical machine was really hard, but I did it. Next week I will add in weights. Finally lost a little weight that looks real and not just fluctuations.

weight 170.8
bp 101/85
exercise 30 minutes elliptical machine.

2009-10-07T07:58:00.001-07:00

weight 171.2
BP 106/80

2009-10-06T07:03:00.001-07:00

Weight 171.8
BP 107/84
Exercise 30 minutes walking in the rain.

2009-10-05T20:39:00.001-07:00

Weight 173 still.

D Day

2009-10-04T15:34:00.001-07:00

Today is D Day. No more messing around.

weight 173.

Check up

2009-10-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

Dr. lectured me royally today about the bad labs and my not very well controlled blood pressure. It really is much worse in the doctors office. Got the 1200 calorie diet and six day a week workout advice. Doing exactly what it is we all should do, but that most of us don't. After about a two minute walk, I jogged the remainder of fifty minutes. It was hard and I wanted to quit.

Just ate a giant plate of grilled veggies with a tiny bit of olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar and just a little bit of grated cheese melted on top.

I was going to the post office and decided to take a detour and see how far I have been walk/jogging. This is so sad, I have been spending 45 minutes walking/jogging 2.2 miles. Turtles could lap me.

Weight 173
BP 140/111 at Drs office freaking out
Jog 50 minutes

2009-10-01T05:41:00.001-07:00

weight 172.6
bp 113/89

Come On

2009-09-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday 172 today 173. I am eating perfectly. WTF.

BP 111/90

jog/walked for 45 minutes. More jogging than walking finally.

Getting Rid of Some of the Salt

2009-09-28T04:25:00.000-07:00

Well that was some kind of ride. Swelled up to 177 then back down to 170.6 in two days. Salt and my period are apparently bad bedfellows. Anyway, I reached the goal of a little more than three pounds and have learned a lesson about table salt. Today begins another week to try to lose another 3 pounds. Wish me luck and self control.

Working on jogging a little more each time I walk/jog.

Weight 170.6
Exercise 45 minutes walk/jog

2009-09-27T05:47:00.001-07:00

weight 175
BP 113/86 Thank you Lord.
Exercise - Intermittent gardening.

Stupid Hormones

2009-09-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

Either the scale is crazy or my body has lost it's mind. Scale said 177 this morning. I ate perfectly yesterday and exercised. FML.

A few hours later and it is 176. Guess what? I started. That probably explains a lot. Stupid hormones.

Weight 176 ?????
Exercise - rest

weight roler coster

2009-09-25T04:21:00.000-07:00

Weighed 173 this morning WTF. My weight is bouncing all over the place. I have been feeling really awful all day. I don't know if my body is mad at me for taking care of it or what. It can just get over it because I am not stopping.

Weight 173
BP 124/94
Exercise 2 hours hoeing at the farm.

Opps.

2009-09-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

I weighed 169.8 this morning. That, my friends, is too fast. I know I was throwing ketones yesterday because I had that wonky taste in my mouth. Going to have to add on a few carbs. I really didn't feel good either. Kind of blurry headed. I ended up in bed before 10:00 pm. I'm a night person so this is not normal. If I remember correctly, it took me about three or four weeks to get the diabetic diet down right when I was pregnant with Logan. I know I am ahead of the curve this time, but I am still going to have to do some adjusting. Apples and peanut butter will probably fix this right up. I won't turn that weight loss down, but that is not how I intend to do this. The goal is three pounds a week, not a pound a day.

Weight 169.8
BP 114/94
Exercise 30 minutes in the garden
1 hour walk/jog

2009-09-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

Weight 172.4
BP 118/90
Exercise 27 minutes WII

And The Tree Pose is Kicking My Butt

2009-09-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

You know what I hate? I hate it when I share a goal with someone and they immediately shoot it down. I have been researching this weight loss thing. Much of what I have read says that 1 to 3 pounds a week of weight loss is okay. I am a results oriented person. I want to get things done. I lose interest and/or get discouraged if I don't lose faster than that. Knowing this about myself, I feel like setting a higher goal is better for me.

I shared my goal with my mom and sister over lunch today. They both immediately shot me down saying things like that is too fast and, this one I love "You won't keep it off." Yet another piece of useless crap to get stuck in my damned head. Did I mention they are both really thin. Thin people should automatically be supportive. Sometimes it feels like people want a fat girl around to make themselves feel better, although they probably don't even realize it themselves.

And the tree pose is kicking my butt

Crap That Got Stuck in My Head

2009-09-22T05:12:00.000-07:00

I have alot of anger about my weight and the way people have treated me in the past. I think now is a perfect time to let the universe know what assholes have been hanging around in my past pissing me off. I'm very grateful they are gone and I'm in a better place now. Still jackasses sometimes leave ghost voices that say things to me like "you've got a lot of FP=fat potential" Thank you idiot ex-boyfriend from college. That bullshit has stayed with me for 22 years. I hope all of your hair fell out.

Weight 173.6 lbs
BP 126/98
Work Out 47 minutes WII = 27 minutes aerobics 20 minutes balance and yoga
Walk/jog 30 minutes total 1 hour 17 minutes.

This Time I Really Mean It.

2009-09-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, my blood pressure went back up to 143/103. My blood sugar average acourding to the a1c is 150, which is not okay with me. I gained the stupid five pounds back. This needs to change and change now. Started a low carb diet last week, no weight change yet. Began walking but not consistently, will use the WII when it is too hot or there are too many mosquitoes. Maybe two a day workout are in order, WII before work walk/jog after.

Weight 174.3
BP 143/103
Work Out 45 minutes WII Fit 26 min aerobics 19 min balance and yoga
30 minute walk/jog w/Logan 1 plank

Health update

2009-07-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

I had my blood work done yesterday. My triglycerides and LDL are slightly elevated. I do not have diabetes. My white blood cell count was high, but I don't feel sick. I am just grateful that I don't have diabetes and glad I got a good warning regarding my eating habits. I have lost 5.5 lbs this week. This is a good and encouraging start.

weight 169.8.

Recipe
Brown chopped up vegetable including but not limited to squash, onions, celery, carrots and tomatoes in a little olive oil. When the veggies are done, remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle a little shredded cheese on top and cover until the cheese is melted. Very yummy.

starting over once again.

2009-07-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

Starting over again. Using books on tape to entertain myself while I work. Back to veggie, fruit, and protein. Plan to do lab work this Friday. Treating it like a test I have to pass.

Bought
cabbage
grapefruit
carrots
cantelope
zucchini
cucumbers
apples
skim milk

Now I just have to put them in my body.

Self talk "I am giving myself a gift" Instead of "I am not...."

weight 175

Lovin the Results.

2009-05-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Weighed 170 this morning. Down 8 lbs. BP low enough that I stopped one medication. Monitoring my numbers twice a day to make sure I don't need the second drug. Looks like I can lose about 3 lbs a week on this plan. Very nice.

2009-05-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

My blood pressure dropped to 98/74 this morning. Tomorrow, I am going to try to remove one of the medications and see if I stay in the normal range. So glad I gave this diet a chance again. The note book is keeping me on track.

GOOD NUMBERS

2009-05-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

I put myself back on the dash diet. I bought a notebook and everything. This morning my weight was down to 172.6 and my blood pressure was 110/78. That is the best reading I have had in four years. I may be on my way to getting off of the medicine, finally.

I think almost anything can be turned into a salad.

2009-04-26T11:47:00.001-07:00

I am going to try an experiment with salads. I made fajita salads from the left overs of last weeks and this weeks dinner. Low carb, high protein, lots of veggies. Perfect meal. No I just need to try to make salads out of all the other stuff Larry makes. Get rid of the starch add the veggies.

2009-04-21T11:42:00.001-07:00

This week I am adding ten minutes per day on the wii fit to my house cleaning 10 minute schedule. If I miss a day, no problem, just pick it up the next day. There is no making up for missed work outs or house cleaning. I am not punishing myself anymore. Today I set out to do ten minutes and ended up doing twenty. That does not mean I have to do twenty tomorrow. Tomorrows goal is also 10 minutes. Everydays goal from here on out is ten minutes. If I do more great. If I miss a day no problem.

2009-04-21T03:24:00.000-07:00

Dropped down to 170 but cannot remember my pin for the ticker. Durn. Now trying to remember what I ate yesterday. fajita salad; chicken, peppers, onion, cheese, and sour cream, pork rinds and salsa, then chicken soup homemade with lots of celery and cilantro.

2009-04-17T02:04:00.000-07:00

A it turns out eating better is easier than working out. In the past three weeks I have made on permanent change. I clean house most days for twenty to thrity minutes. Seems small, but for me it is huge. I set the timer and work on laundry for 10 minutes and reset it and work in the kitchen for 10 minutes and then reset it and work someplace else in the house for 10. The place looks pretty good and I think I have set a habit pattern. One week ago I went back on diabetic diet. My weight hac fluctuated as high as 177. It is back down to 172.6 this morning. Bec has the diagnosis, so I better make the life change now or lose a toe. Hopefully in 3 weeks new eating behavior will be a habit as well.

2009-04-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

2009-04-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

Picture Food Diary.

2009-03-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

Reading articles on weight loss. Added green tea, acai, and flaxseed oil. Now I am going to start keeping a photo diary of what I eat. This should keep me honest.

easier goal

2009-03-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

typically, I try to do too many things at a time and fail. I am inspired by my coworker who has recently quit smoking. She did not say I will quit smoking, work out, and go on a diet. She said I will quit smoking. So I will not say I will work out, go on an diet, and completely redo my house. I will say I will work out every day. That is my goal until it is a habit, then, maybe, I will do something else. If I can just work out every day for the rest of my life, that is something isn't it. I will also not say that I will work out 30 minutes every day. If it is five minutes so be it.

going down again.

2009-03-09T08:28:00.001-07:00

After hovering around 175 for a few weeks, I finally dropped a few pounds. Yeah. Now I need to remember what I ate. There was not bread. There was cheese and tomato soup and a naked hamburger. So maybe that is my diet, cheese, milk, veggies, and a single serving of meat a day. I will stick with it today and see what happens. pass word is on the wall.

i am back

2009-03-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Hi I am back.I was doing my tack's lest tusday and i think i past the tack.

work out

2009-02-24T18:33:00.000-08:00

I worked out on the wii fit for 75 minutes today. I need to figure out what my goal minutes by 3/30. Doing longer work outs will give me a little wiggle room later if I have to miss a day or something.

Short Term Goal #1

2009-02-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

When I think of how far I have to go, it is overwhelming. Instead I am going to set shorter termed goals. I have been on my part-time vegetarian diet since Sunday. I took an apple and some string cheese to work with me yesterday and that worked perfectly. Today I ate frittata and an avocado for breakfast. I was not hungry for the rest of the day. Wow. Tonight I am having salmon, carrots and zucchini stir fried, and a salad. If I get hungry later on tonight, I will finish the little bit of zucchini lasagna.

Anyway, the goal. To eat on my part-time vegetarian diet and work out on the Wii Fit everyday humanly possible from now until March 30. The reason I picked March 30 is because I hope to be meeting some other north Texas garden bloggers in Edom at the North Texas Garden Bloggers Hoe Down, which was my suggestion. Anyway, I would like to lose 2 pounds or a little more a week. If I can lose one pound every three days that would be 12 pounds by 3/30 bringing me down to 162. The goal really is the diet and exercise. The weight is just a wish.

Oh have worked out on the wii two days in a row and will do it again after dinner. 40 minutes.

I am Renaming this blog Diary of a Part Time Vegetarian

2009-02-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I started a new plan. I am having horrible gastric problems and I have not been eating right. Part of my problem is that my loving husband likes to feed me. My mistake is feeding myself poorly. Since going back to work I have been eating more fast food and my stress level is up. I weight 174 this morning. So on the days Larry works I am going to eat a modified vegetarian diet. Fresh veggies, fish (not fish sticks), eggs, and low fat and small servings of regular cheese.

Yesterday I had a fresh salad, salmon with chimmicurri sauce, zucchini lasagna.

When Larry is home I will eat the beef, chicken, pork, and pasta he makes. That will self limit my indulgences to three or maybe four meals a week. With each of those meals I will eat a salad. Lets see how this works.

Today I had string cheese, yellow squash with onion, curry, and sharp cheese. Tonight I will have salmon and a salad again.

first five pounds.

2009-01-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

I have lost five pounds since starting over. I have tried to use the wii fit every day. Asthma prevented anything yesterday, but one day means nothing. Anyway, five pounds is something more than just normal weight fluctuation. Feeling pretty good about it.

New Years Resolution

2009-01-02T04:13:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to begin my new year resolution to lose this ugly fat, I bought a digital scale yesterday. So far it is making me crazy. Anyway, I weight 178.8 lbs and need to lose 45.8 lbs. I asked for Wii fit for my birthday and purchased a bunch of good food yesterday. I have given myself a $60 a week on healthy good food and drinks such as herbal tea and real unsweetened cranberry juice. I am going to try to change my diet from an easy quick lousy died to a richer healthier more natural diet. In with the veggies, whole grains, low fat dairy, and out with the wine, beer, and white stuff. I slept very well last night and am looking forward to feeling and looking better.

2008-12-27T10:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas is over. I ate too much and exercised too little. I lost the step meter, but even then I wasn't walking enough. So here we go, start over. I made some vegetable soup last week with lentils an acorn squash very tasty. Today I made vegetable soup out of the following

Cabbage, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, lemon juice, beef broth, and worchestershire sauce.

I am going to start making much smaller batches of my soup. What happens is i make a big pot and then get sick of it, but there is still stuff left and I don't go on to make a different batch of soup. Now, I will use a sauce pan instead of a stock pot. I am asking for a Wii and a Wii fit for my birthday, maybe that will get me off my rump.

Sunday stuff

2008-12-07T22:55:00.001-08:00

six hours of housework and gardening burned 1410 calories. Seems like it should have been a billion. My feet hurt.

2008-12-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

The Nottingham family reunion kind of got me off track. I am back on it today though and ready to get my walk on.

Day 2

2008-12-03T12:41:00.001-08:00

yesterday I clocked 4.10 miles. Not to good, but better than the test day. Today I had lunch with Rhonda. We split a meal. Now I need to go out in the garden or go for a walk or both.

Day 1

2008-12-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm back. Scary pictures made me start walking again. Well I was planning on walking again anyway. I bought a new, nicer pedometer. I did the daily activity test and found out that I don't move very much. I went for a 30 minute walk earlier today and will do it again later this afternoon. Really out of shape. My goal is six miles a day. At this time, I am 37% of the way to that goal. Need to get moving. They say it takes three weeks to develope a new habit. So for the next three weeks the goal is to walk every day. I would also like to do about 50 crunches. This should be doable. I don't want to worry about my diet right now, although during the time I spend walking I cannot help but daydream about bigger and better plans. I need to remember not to overwhelm myself. One thing at a time. This month walk. Next month maybe diet changes or maybe add weights. Anyway, til Christmas, I focus on walking.

I did make a yummy lunch. Shredded cabbage, finely chopped carrot, celery and garlic sauted and then finished with some soy sauce. Tastes just like an eggroll without the deep frying and startch. Yummy

Evil three day diet

2008-08-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

The three day diet didn't work and I think it might have hurt. I feel bad and I have fever blisters. I won't be doing that again.

Some Good Numbers

2008-08-03T09:26:00.001-07:00

A few good things to post about. I have now lost 10 lbs. The ticker shows 27 pounds to go. I take off more than that, but we will stick with that goal for now. Even better, my blood pressure was down in the normal normal range this morning. The wanted me to keep it at 130/90. This morning it was 108/77. Very nice number for me. My heart rate has been running mostly in the 90's to 100's. This morning-77. That is in the normal resting heart rate range. I am showing improvement in my health not just my weight. I think I can bring the numbers down more. I would like my systolic bp to be under 100 and my heart rate to drop into the 60's.

I did two works outs yesterday. My regular aerobics class and a 1 hour walk in the evening. I was hoping to walk this morning, but when I woke it was too hot. We will go to the track again tonight.

Today is the last day of the three day diet. Thank goodness, I don't like it, but I needed a jumpstart.

Saturday August 2

2008-08-02T06:16:00.000-07:00

Started one of those three day diets. I just need something to kick start this thing. Just a tool not a lifestyle. Walked for an hour last night. Missed Thursdays aerobics class to go to a play. The walk sort of made up for it. Better than nothing. Lost another pound. Aerobics this morning. Maybe this will get more interesting soon.

July 30, 2008

2008-07-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

Don't get to this blog enough. The other is taking up all my free time. Have not missed a day of aerobics since starting. I am going to a play tomorrow night and will have to miss it then. Feeling a little stronger. Weight is holding steady.

2008-07-23T03:35:00.000-07:00

Something is still messing with my appitite. I just wish I could tell what it is. There are several half eaten bowls of good for me stuff in the fridge. I just could not finish them. Lost one more pound. Aerobics did not kill me but it felt awful. Didn't have the after workout feel goods. I probably spent too much time in the sun yesterday.

Resolve

2008-07-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

My work out partner missed the class saturday and is not going tonight either. I could use this as an excuse to stay home, but I am not. I am going and I will feel better.

2008-07-20T05:13:00.001-07:00

one more pound. Aerobics appears to be messing with my appitite.

Rought week but still lost weight

2008-07-19T06:49:00.001-07:00

Okay, I have lost four pounds. I don't know how because my schedule was crazy and I did not eat right all the time. I don't care I will take it and take care of it now. The RWH specialist class is over, so life should return to my version of normal. As soon as #1 sil gets here we are going to aerobics. I vow to only put good for me things in my mouth today.

aerobics

2008-07-16T07:08:00.001-07:00

My neighbor/aerobics teacher did not kill me. More later.

Tuesday morning.

2008-07-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

Scale showed one pound down this morning. The goal is two a week for the next nine weeks. I start aerobics tonight. The instructor is my next door neighbor. I hope she doesn't kill me.

Nine Weeks

2008-07-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am setting another goal. It is nine weeks until my nieces wedding. I would like to lose 2 pounds a week for a total of 18 lbs. That should put me in a size 12. I am starting aerobics tomorrow night and started following the DASH diet again today. Here I go again. I will try to post everyday I am home for the next nine weeks.

DASH Diet
8 servings fruits and veggies per day
6 servings whole grain per day
3 servings nonfat dairy per day
1 serving lean protein per day
3 servings seeds per week
1 serving or less of white stuff per day (sugar/white flour/etc)

Got my weight loss ticker working again. Love the flutterby

Monday

2008-06-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

I am going to have to get more creative with these blog titles. But it was just Monday. Ate right swam for thirty minutes and walked two miles. BP still not perfect. Started a food diary. Might as well since I am having to keep a bp log. Be back tomorrow.

Start Day

2008-06-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

Went back to the Dr. BP still up. Started meds. Used today as my start day for trying to get this situation under conrtol. Ate reasonably. Walked two miles this evening. Hopefully, this will be the real start and not just another false start. I did buy a BP monitor and I am checking my BP twice a day. That is a pretty strong reminder of what I need to do to take care of myself.

Lost the pin to the weight loss ticker, so I have to start over. Not really a problem as I have really not lost any weight.

Exercise

2008-06-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

I started doing water exercise today. I made our mom do it with me. She likes to quit and wants to know when the music is going to end. Still, she was a good sport and we had a good time. Two of the boys were in the pool with us and it worked out okay.

I did have one of those "I am the child and she is the mother moments" We were kicking around the pool in circles and she was gaining on me. She got that look, the look she used to get when I was four and she was really going to pull me under or over or just be the boss. Guess what, she is still the boss and I bet she dunks me the next time we "exercise." I deserve it.

A Little More

2008-05-29T08:02:00.001-07:00

Woke up this morning feeling light. Weighed and had lost 3 lbs. This is after working for a week on managing stress.

Something That is Working

2008-05-13T10:07:00.001-07:00

Seeing my butt on TV got me motivated. A few days ago, I started a new eating strategy. I know I will never be able to follow a very restrictive diet. I just don't have the will power. Instead I am eating what I normally eat, say a turkey sandwich. The next time I eat it has to be a very large serving of raw vegetables or fruit. The first couple of days of this were scary. Tummy did not like it one little bit. I stuck with it and my body adjusted to the dietary change. I weighed myself this morning and was rewarded with a couple of pounds of weight loss. I still have a long way to go, but I think this is something I can do.

My Butt on TV

2008-04-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

Four hours of gardening today including compost turning and mowing. Great work out. Ate right again. Trying to think of something interesting or inspirational to write, but I am too tired. Maybe that is what I should be working towards, being very very tired at night so I sleep well.

Oh, I've got it. I found a way to keep myself from eating at night. L installed cameras to video or just live feed the stuff that is going on outside our house. We have a criminal in our neighborhood and someone stole gas from my truck over the weekend. Anyway, there were two cameras left over. He put one in the kitchen facing toward the living room and one in the living room facing down the hall. At 8:30 pm I turn it on and show the live feed of the hallway on the living room TV. This keeps the boys in their beds, bonus. Second bonus. The camera is sitting on the floor point slightly up. Just at butt level for me as I walk across the room. Have you ever seen you butt on a large screen tv when you are 30 pounds overweight? Not pretty. It will really make you lose your appetite.

Fresh Start

2008-04-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

I got back from Conroe yesterday. Several times a day during the trip I declared to my friends that I would start exercising and eating right on Monday. Today is Monday and I did it. I walked for thirty minutes and I ate like I should have. Somehow over the three day trip I managed to lose 3 lbs. This has to have something to do with hormones. We did not exercise and we certainly didn't eat right. Well here I am starting again.

The veggies are coming along nicely in the garden. I ate swiss chard for lunch. It was great.

Backslide Big Time

2008-04-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

Went to the Doctor today with bronchitis. They weight me at 160, yikes. Now this is too much information, but I weigh myself first thing in the morning in my birthday suit. Anyway, that is still way too much and must show some gain. I adjusted my scale and I am starting from there.

My blood pressure was also up. Now this is about not having to get on a lot of medications to keep me from having a heart attack or stroke.

As soon as I can breath, I am going to start walking/jog = wog. I need to get my cardiovascular system back in shape. I already have all the veggies and stuff to get back on track with the food. As soon as summer gets here I am going to collect a bunch of sisters and start a water work out in our mom's pool. Stay tuned.

New Achievement.

2008-03-13T19:27:00.001-07:00

I managed to fit into my husbands pants. This may sound like a disaster, but before my butt was too big.

I gardened for three hours today. I am bone tired.

Healthy Lunch

2008-03-05T14:36:00.001-08:00

I had a piece of whole wheat toast with humus, asparagus, and a V8 for lunch. If I eat any healthier, I may die from it.

Big Ole Gardening Day

2008-03-02T13:09:00.001-08:00

I gardened from 9:00 this morning to 4:00 this afternoon. I would say I took about 9o minutes of break time during the day. Gardening burns more calories than my walking does, but it's not as good aerobic exercise. So I am going to give myself five miles worth. Calories burned are about 272 an hour bringing today's total to 1361. If I kept my yard perfect I might be thin.

Yo-Yo Me

2008-03-01T05:32:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post this yesterday and to change my ticker. I dropped back down to 145 without doing anything. It really is the hormones. I am paying more attention to this because of this blog. It really is happening, cycle gain five pounds, wait a week lose it without really trying. This should be a lesson in patience.

At Canton yesterday instead of eating a whole hamburger, I split one with Mamala and she shared her fried pie with me. We were full, but not sick. Much better way to enjoy a guilty pleasure. Half the food = Half the guilt.

Walking and shopping

2008-02-29T20:17:00.000-08:00

I spent the day with Mamala and Baby Sister shopping at First Monday in Canton. We walked from noon until 5:00 pm. With about a 20 minute break for lunch. Now this was not a "break a sweat and pant" walking pace of course, unless you count a steep hill I had to go up three times. But I am tired and I counted it for two miles.

Doing a Little Better

2008-02-27T17:38:00.000-08:00

Ate okay today. Not perfect, but did not over eat and had some veggies. I did garden this afternoon. The hard kind moving compost and such. I added up those calories and matched them to the calories burned walking. I added it to my walking ticker. My gardening counts.