surprise!!

Well, according to my scale, I enjoyed the holidays WAY too much and gaihned 5 pounds! I thought I was being careful. Then, I weighed in at JC last night and found that I LOST 1/2 pound!!! WOW! My scale is history! I had been so psychologically bummed then elated the next moment.

So, I'm still watching my diet for the next couple of weeks, I exercised two days in a row after being off my routine and I plan to get BACK into the routine. New Year's eve will come and there will be food (including piggies) but I will be ok. A few of them won't kill me.

Hope everyone else is feeling well, eating well and exercising. Spring Break will be here soon and I want to be down at least 2 jean sizes by then.

Take care,
Lee

FAILURE!!!

That's what I feel like tonite. I gained again for the second week in a row. This is a first. It wasn't a gob - 1.5 lbs - but it's still a gain. With all the office luncheons and Christmas celebrations last week, I'm not surprised. My total weight loss is now only 23.5 lbs. I doubt I will make my Christmas goal of 30 lbs. :( I'm not being negative, just honest.
So, my first plan is to ge4t up tomorrow morning and going for a LONG walk. That should be a start.

It also doesn't help things to come home and sulk and feel sorry for myself. I ended up diving into a glass of eggnog with Amaretto and nutmeg. Made me feel good but it's just more pounds. Oh well, tomorrow is another day to start all over again.

Hope you all do better than I am,
LMR

REBOUNDING

Hi all. I'm stiting here with Stacy (on our new furniture---FIVE built in recliners!) and reveiwing this week's eating diary. I did awful! Stacy attributes it to the stress of my final this week. My professor doesn't believe in reviews (JERK!!) and it was a cumulative final. So, I would get home from work and hole myself in my bedroom to study each night. Needless to say, food was not top priority and it's quite obvious. I need to learn to be able to deal with stress and still pay attention to what I'm putting im my mouth.

If you're in San Antonio this weekend (12-19), maybe we can get together BEFORE Christimas! :) We could get together to play games or perhaps see a movie.

This has not been a stellar week. Besides the poor eating plan, I haven't even been able to exercise. I've been having severe asthma issues since Thanksgiving. I even missed a couple days of work. My plan is to start walking again today, once this thick fog burns off.

The goal for this week - pay better attention to food choices and start exercising again. I can't let the asthma control me. I want to get to my next ten-pound increment so that I can have 30 lbs off by Christmas. It's SUCH a slow movement but I'm constantly reminded that it should be that way. Maybe...but it's irritating!

Hope everyone has a great week!!!
LMR

Leah Speaking

Grandma's house is dangerous. Since I've been here I've eaten cookies and tamales and Doritos :-/ They were all delicious but now the guilt is setting in. Not to mention the lack of exercise these days. On the bright side I'm all done with finals which will give me no more excuses for not working out. I'll be able to take Charlie on a lot longer runs and a lot more often. Reading all of the posts have been encouraging so hopefully I'll mean it this time when I say I'm back on track.
-Mopeah

I Live with the Snacky Monster

Did great all week until we went to San Antonio. It seems to be a green light for eating bad. The first words out of Steve's mouth is - Las Palapas. I stayed away from the greasy Puffy Tacos and had the Taco Al Carbon plate which is fajita meat in a corn tortilla. The night time rolled around and the next words from the dark side were "Let's pick up a Pumpkin Pie." While I'm decorating, Steve leaves for Marie Calendars and comes back with not only a Pumpkin Pie, but a Banana Cream Pie, Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, Potato Soup and Corn bread. I'm not going to list the bad things I ate but you can only imagine with that selection in front of me on an empty stomach.

Here I go again! After having dropped 3 lbs last week, I'm afraid to weigh this week. Before I do, I have two days to run and eat it off.

Whitney - we forget sometimes that this is a public post but you would think our post is too boring for anyone else to follow. Maybe the word "pluckers" was somehow set up as a trigger for the Plucker's Rep (and founder).

Lee, you're doing great; actually adding up the pounds loss rather than like me Adding and Subtracting weekly - I need to get off the roller coaster diet (or yoyo).

PS - Leah's not posting but she had pie too (nanaNAnaNana) - her excuse - finished finals and now celebrating with some Banana Cream heaven.

Next post - how to overcome the Snacky Monster which is my husband.

Hang in!

LDG (I think we should end our posts with initials just in case we are not quite sure who the author is - although it's pretty obvious most of the time. I was just wondering when mom put her two line post, if Whitney knew it was her Grandma when she said she would workout with her - HA - Grandma does not do Jillian - even on a good day)

Sleepover Night

Oh Lee- I laughed out loud when I saw that you were working with your Jenny Craig person to figure out why Mexican food is tempting. I laughed because I had just finished a fajita and loved it. I don't think there is a mystery here- IT TASTES AMAZING. Just like if a million dollars was laying in front of you, you will always feel tempted to take it - no matter how esteemed your self control. You are not alone, the Mexican food toys with me daily it seems.

I didn't follow my plan exactly last night. The snack monster found me. I snacked on non-fat things but pretty much all night long. Then Lindsey came over and we drank hot chocolate by the fire. It is interesting listening to her guy stories these days. She's back on the dating scene and says she's ready to start getting back into shape. She, too fell of the band wagon when Leah and I did and gained 15 lbs, just like me :(. So no matter which life stage you're in, it shows your health and confidence are directly related and equally important.

I would try to list all of the crap I ate yesterday but I think it would only discourage me because I'm doing well so far today.

Today's Plan:
1. yogurt cup - 120 calories
2. hot choc at work - 100 calories
3. lean cuisine chicken/veggies - 260 calories
4. steamed veggies
5. pop corn - 100 calorie package
7. 3 glasses of Moscatto 360 calories
_____ 940 calories (with room for more)
* Jillian video - 1 hour

I'm right on track so far but as we know night time is the killer. Tonight I have my sleepover with Jackie and Landra. I'm sure they'll want to drink and eat thousands of calories worth. I will NOT partake. I'm going to bring my veggies and pop corn to her house and will not stray from the plan. I have time to do the Boost Metabolism video before I go, too so there should be no excuses.

I did the Boost Metabolism video again last night and I think it's getting easier. Well, not easier but I can get through it without wanting to die. I used to stare at the clock the whole work out but now I try to really get into it and enjoy it. The dogs are getting better at staying up on the couch and allowing me to work out without interruption. Good babies.

Wish me luck tonight. Have a low-cal weekend!

Hi y'all!

This is Lee. Things have been ok lately but that's as good as it gets. I had a really horrible week as far as my asthma goes-couldn't hardly speak at all. The coughing was kicking my rear. Being so under the weather, I haven't walked in at least a week. I WILL get back to it but the mountain seems insurmountable right now.

There was good news, though. I lost 1.8 lbs last week. I'm over 26 lbs now. Wee haa!! I likie having to take my clothes up. The other morning, I had to take in an inch on each side of my shirt from the cuffs all the way down the side of the shirt. THAT was a great feeling!! And, today, I wore a dress that I had ordered weeks ago that was too tight on me when I got it. It's not anymore!!

Even with some losing, I still struggle. I could have mexican food EVERY DAY and be happy about it. Tacos, cheese enchiladas, fajitas...it doesn't matter. It all sounds good. I spoke about this to my Jenny Craig consultant. We can't seem to figure out why this continues to tempt me every day.

Hope everyone doesn't deal with too many struggles. We ALL can do this and be less than we are right now. Keep at it, ladies!

Talk to you later,
Lee

Oops again

Could have been worse. That seems to be my actual motto the past few days.

We went out again, unexpectedly, with Adam and Brandice. Yay! This was the first time I had seen her in so long. I had given up hope that she'd ever be back. Now there's a glimmer. She said at dinner that she has gained so much weight and eats everything in site. Toward the end of dinner I whispered to Brian that she actually had a tiny nibble of everything in site. I swear! The ticket to being tiny is just not finishing your food. Brian thought it was funny, so did Adam. Anyway, my bad part was eating two slices of quesadilla at Trudy's that we ordered to share. And I had a martini.

But I was good the rest of the day yesterday. We had our at-work Christmas party where there were sweets and cheese all over the place. I had 1/2 of a tiny turkey sandwich, no condiments and some broccoli. Then at home, I had 1/3rd of a chicken pot pie. 1/2 of one would have been 530 calories! I had no idea how bad those were. Brian ate my leftovers. I guess it's good to have a human disposal as a partner when you're dieting.

And although I didn't work out, it really could have been worse. I didn't touch the queso or order a second drink. I could have had cake and cookies at the party, but didn't. And you have no idea how hard it was to stay away from the cheese tray. Or maybe you do.

Tonight I'm on my own so the temptation wont be so in my face. I'll actually be able to work out and get a decent night's rest. I had Special K for breakfast and a cup of hot chocolate at work. They're doing free fajitas in the cafeteria today so I may have one. Still on track, on the edges of the track but that counts still I think.

My gray work pants are on and don't cut my circulation off, which is a great sign that I'm headed in the right direction. It feels good to not be depressed when I get ready for work in the mornings. And I must give myself extra props because I have NEVER been able to diet during the winter in my entire life. I usually don't start until Jan-Feb in preparation for Spring. With an early start, I'll be super ripped for August. Fingers crossed. I can do it! I can do it!

Where is everyone?

Oh and I'm a little weirded out that a Plucker's rep commented on my last post. And by the way, that wing sauce is not good for you, even on grilled chicken. But yes, it's better than queso for sure.

Stay on Track

Starting Day 5 this morning. Yesterday I consumed too much again. But again it wasn't all terrible stuff and I did avoid greasy foods even when they were right under my nose.

- Lean cuisine panini 360 cal

- turkey peperoni's (5) 70 cal

- spicy mini dill pickles (4) 15 cal

- Lean pizza pocket 390 cal

- Fat free puddin' cup 100 cal

- Sherbert cup 90 cal

- Banana with honey peanut butter 150 cal

- Slice of lemon cake 90 cal

- vodka tonic 100 cal

1365 calories, yikes! I really gotta watch the snacking. It's crazy how it sneaks up on you. I knew I ate too many snacky foods but until I added it up I was a little in denial. And I didn't really work out very hard. I did a little bit of aerobics but nothing to brag about.

I am very very proud that at Plucker's for Adam's 21st B-Day I didn't have ANY of the food they ordered: wings, chips and ultimate queso, fried pickles, cheese fries ugh! It was super duper tempting. I was a little disappointed that Brian gave in. He's obviously not totally on the diet band wagon with me. But he also didn't try to get me to eat any of it. He knew not even to offer and apologized after ordering. How is he not fatter? It's not fair.

Today I started well. I had some strawberries for breakfast on the way to work. I'll probably go for a cup of 100 calorie hot chocolate because it's so cold and I like to drink it while everyone is drinking their coffee. It makes me feel business-y. I brought a Lean pizza pocket (360 cal) for lunch. And for dinner, we're defrosting some chicken breast to eat with steamed veggies. I'll do the Boost Metabolism Jillian video and the No More Trouble Zones video tonight which is gonna hurt tomorrow. But I'll remember the motto - regret hurts worse than self discipline. It's really true.

I can't deviate from the plan! The Christmas parties and dress fittings are in a matter of days and I waited way too late to start focusing.

What can I say. I'm not doing much to watch weight. Back is still real bad. Need that encouragement.

Winter Coat

I'm trying to shed my fall coat right now before it becomes a heavy winter one.

B and I shopped for healthy foods at the grocery store and are ready to dive into the more controlled lifestyle. We're going to shape up our budget and our bodies. It's nice to have support - online and off. It's hard to be motivated to work out when it's cold, dark and rainy. Even when the dogs are begging to go for a run, I just wanna lay in bed with a good book.

Yet, for three days now I have not had fast food, greasy food or sweets. I have done a Jillian video each of the three days, which we all know is NOT easy. She really whips you into shape. As Jillian always says, "Stick with me and you'll lose the weight." She's right. When I did stick with her, I lost and I got complemented all the time. I miss it very very much.

My wedding dress will be here in a week, along with all the work Christmas parties and I must be fit for pix. My camera is back from the shop so I must give it something worth taking pix of. Wow, now that I'm blogging again, all of the reasons for controlling my lifestyle come flooding back. I can do it, as Jillian says, "with intention."

Today's Foods
- pudding cup
- banana w/ honey peanut butter
- turkey, bell pepper, fat free cheese and italian dressing wheat wrap
- special K vanilla almond with sliced strawberries and skim milk
- cup of hot chocolate

^ Maybe coulda done better today but TRUST me it's way better than I had been doing.

Good luck to all and to all a good night.

Holiday Hell - oops, I mean Heck

Why do I have such a hard time with Cold weather and Holiday food. Where is the self-motivation to exercise, eat right etc... At a recent party, my manager gave me a box of Tiff's cookies - they are delicious if you haven't had any - warm and chewy. I said - "I'm only going to eat one cookie and give the rest away"... so I had a Sugar Cookie, then later that night a couple of Chocolate Chip ones, then the next day, a couple more, then a couple more , then a couple... well you get the drift. At 100 calories a piece - yikes! Having said all that, I have to confess that I've gained 5 lbs since Thanksgiving.

But Darn it, it's been fun NOT thinking about every calorie consumed. I've enjoyed indulging on Mexican and Italian food and the Moscato's in the Hot Tub - YES! but alas, the party is over and it's time to focus before all my hard work this past year is flushed away. I'm reminding myself of how I use to feel carrying 5 10lb bowling balls; my backaches, loss of energy, out of breath all the time and most of all, the fear of contracting Diabetes.

I'm ready!!!! I pulled out the journal again, dusted off the treadmill
and began the uphill battle today. It helped hearing that Leah and Whitney were back in the game and watching The Biggest Loser finals. Incredibly, one of the contestants that weighs only 10 lbs less than me, ran a marathon. It took her 6 hours but she did it! That show is such an inspiration although in reality their weight loss is not natural and sadly some of the past contestants have gained all their weight back. My focus is on those that have maintained their weight!

Lee, it was nice seeing you too. Don't think about the big number - just focus on the weekly objectives to reach that final goal. Next week, I've set a goal of losing 3 lbs. How? 30 minutes of Treadmill every night and 30 minutes of weightlifting every other night, update a Daily Journal of food and calories consumed and my biggest challenge - NOT EATING AFTER HOURS!

Ready! Set! Go!!!!

Lee Here

Hi all. It was SO great to see everyone at Thanksgiving. Laura, you look ABSOLUTELY fantastic! What's your loss at so far? It was really good to see you in person. Leah, just an FYI - you looked really good too! Don't be too hard on yourself. I'm sure you'll be able to get back on track. Whitney, sorry we missed you but we'll see you at Christmas, right?

Weighed in tonite..I gained one pound over the last two weeks. Not TOO bad considering the travel everywhere and all. I haven't gotten much walking in asI have been suffering from seasonal asthma for at least five days and it's getting worse. That being said, the walking show I was using in the morning was DRAINING and taxing on my breathing. The doctor said to let go of the walking for a couple days until the steroids set in and it won't be taxing on my lungs. So, ok - I'll let the walking go for a bit! :)

I had a great day, even though I felt like you know what. A few weeks ago, I bought a pair of pants that were my goal to get into. They were slightly tight but not uncomfortable. I wore them to work today and there was no tightness at all! How cool was that! I can't wait until I finally get to the point where Laura has already been - losing 50 pounds. That's 10 pounds short of my halfway point so it whould be exciting. I need to keep myself focused as it's easy to move away from the whole eating program.

I wish you all success this week....keep your eye on the prize!!!
Talk to you all later,
Lee

Leah Speaking

Thanksgiving was amazing but will power was not. I sort of went into it saying I was going to pig out though. I've come so far from the days of Jillian it's not even funny. Yesterday was my getting back into things day. I had a messy room and piles of books and papers to read. In the hysteria of getting re-organized (a process that isn't quite finished yet) I decided it's time to treat my body with respect again. That means no more chips and queso, candy, pie, cheese enchiladas, fried pickles, ice cream ....the list goes on and on. I'm going to start cooking healthy food again, start going on more regularly scheduled runs and visits to the REC. My goal is to drop 10 pounds by New Years Eve so I can look stunning in a New Years Eve dress.
Good luck this week,
Leah

TOPSY TURVY

Well, this was a better week. I weighed in Monday night. I lost 3.5 pounds for the week, which is in itself a miracle as I had my monthly visitor and felt bloated most of the week. So, I have now officially lost 25.2 lounds! WEE HAA!! I HAD to go shopping because my jeans look horribly baggy on me. What a tough situation, right??!! So, only 94.8 pounds to go BUT I'm not going to dwell on that...it's depressing.

Found a new exercise program today. It's Exercise On Demand--perfect for when it's too cold or wet to go outside. I did the Stepping Out -2 Miles today. WHEW!! Felt kinda inferior but I got thru it just fine. It's more of a workout than I ever thought it would.

We head to Colorado on Saturday and I'm SO glad that I will be able to be outside and wear sweaters and be COMFORTABLE!!! Quite a blessing and I can't wait to get even better!!

Hope everyone has a good week. I look forward to seeing you at Thanksgiving. Whitney, since I won't see you there, you have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving day with Brian.

Talk to you all soon,
Lee

Not There Yet

I wasn't going to post again until I lost 60 lbs. It just isn't happening as fast as I wanted it to. So I'm wavering between 57, 56, 58, 55, 57 - UGH.

The start of the week is great - I stay on calorie plan and I'm jogging every night. Then the weekend comes and all goes down the toilet. Let's see Popcorn at the movies, Olive Garden with fattening Caesar dressing, bread stick and Moscato. Why Why Why?

I only keep from blimping out because I'm weighing every day and working out.

My endurance has been terrific. Tonight I jogged on the Treadmill (at an incline) for 20 minutes and then walked for 10. I remember when I could barely jog for 3 minutes without feeling like a heart attack was coming on; and five minutes turned into a huge celebration. So with that in mind I'm sticking to it. I WILL ONLY EAT ONE PIGGY AT THANKSGIVING.

Hey Lee - way to go on the two pants sizes.

DISCOURAGING

Lee here againKinda discouraged tonite. I weighed in and lost NOTHING this week. Now,I already know that I need to take into account my monthly cycle, my eating this week, etc. I've decided to stay off my scale at home. On OUR scale, I lost almost 6 lbs this week!!! AARRGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!

We walked A LOT this week. We shoot for 5 days w/ 10,000 steps per day. We walked over 62,000 steps so that was good! My measurements will be taken next week. I feel pretty good about that, mostly because we went shopping this weekend and I had to get a smaller size! That's now two slack sizes I've lost. When I lose another ten pounds, I'll weigh less than I have since Kelsey's been born!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to get there. So, this week I need to stick closer to the food portions and choices.

Hope you all are having great successes with your our journeys. Don't give up....it will be worth it for ALL of us in the end.

Have a great nite,
Lee

Lee here

Hi all! Had a rough week last week. I got a flu shot on Saturday and apparently had a reaction. I was sick from Sat. nite thru Tues. nite. I went to work on Wed but was apparently just on autopilot. I was wiped out!! I did manage to keep to my eating program. I'm now lost 22.2 pounds. We didn't do meausurements because I was too out of it. That will come next week.

I got a nice compliment from Kristy this week. She said she's enjoying her arms going further around me as she hugs me and seeing my figure come back. We teased that I'm going to eventually be one of those cute, short girls (women) that she hates because all the tall guys go for them. Since we don't have to worry about anyone "going" for me, she'll be safe.

Hope everyone is having success with their eating, exercises, etc. Gotta go now--Stacy & I are going for a long walk since it's Saturday.

Take care and love to all,
Lee

Congrats Laura, you have managed to get everyone back on the blog. Maybe because we felt bad about you having to talk with yourself. Although it was very entertaining. In fact I liked it alot. Lee you are doing terrific. Yes we will all watch ourselves during the holidays. Are you all going to be here for Thanksgiving. Heard you might go to Colorado.Okay it's 5pm and I didn't walk today. Have alot of excuses --PAIN--, but after reading everyone's efforts I will go do a little walking.Have watched the food today. Charlie went to get breakfast tacos ( what a temptation) but I said no and ate a Lean Quisine Quesadilla,220 cals. Have not idea calories in a breakfast taco, bean and cheese.Called the gym and the pool is finally fixed. Plan to be there tomorrow morning to exercise. Lot of plans, well I better go do the walking.Leah I know its a lot of work but some of your studies really sound interesting. Of course I don't have to think about a grade.
Just got interrupted by a call from Charlie's doc. He had a caediogram done yeaterday and doc said it was fine. Measures heart performance. Told him the last one done measured heart only functioning at 20%. He said it now 38%. Measure to 75. That is good news. Charlie wasn't around to get the call because I think he is out riding his bike -WOW- how does that make me feel. Really need to go walk.

Leah Speaking

Hey yall,
Okay I'm going to be completely honest. My new routine is starvation during the week because quite frankly I can't afford being all grown up. Between vet bills, Water bill, Utility bill, Rent, and Gas my 3 nights a week of waiting tables isn't cutting it and groceries are the last thing I think about. I count on county line food to feed me on the weekends and it's simply horrible for my figure. I would work out more but I have new federalist papers, constitutional law cases, book upon book upon book to read. (and not just text books but actual NOVELS that I have to write book reports on) and then I have to remember to cut out time for Computer science which seems to slip my mind alot because I'm so busy with all the other reading materials. So I'll admit that I have NOT been thinking about the blog AT ALL.
Mom I'm sorry you've been having to talk to yourself but I haven't even had time to do that. My brain has just been none stop. I don't know if college is my thing. I'm not that big of a multi-tasker.
But...so I won't sound like a complete negative nancy I have managed to lose some weight. Prolly not in the healthiest way possible, but hey I'll take it. I do go on a 30 min run with Charlie every day but it's not what I used to be able to do. The good thing is I like most of my classes and I'm managing okay for now. I look forward to the 5k and I look forward to the next break!
Everyone keep up the good work!
Leah

Thanks Everyone!

Tonight with the sounds of rain coming down and Steve snoring away next to me, I just wanted to curl up on the couch all night. Then I decided I would update my blog only to discover Whitney and Lee's blogs. Whitney, that frustrated angry baby face had me rolling on the floor laughing and Lee's fantastic success changed my mood from lethargic to energetic.



So I was motivated to wog for 50 minutes tonight on the treadmill. By the way Lee, a treadmill is a terrific investment especially for these rainy nights and soon to be cold nights. Mine was pretty inexpensive. It's not a Cadillac model for sure but it gets my heart rate up. I bought it almost 8 or more years ago and it's still rolling.
AND congratulations on the weight loss and inches - Great feeling when others notice! Steve said that my butt was smaller - hmmm, oooo kkkk, I'll take whatever compliments I can get.

Whitney - JUST DO IT - you have a wedding dress to try on in less than 40 days. Hows that for motivation.









I'll update everyone on Mom's success since she seems to be "time" challenged - seems she's busier now that she's retired than when she was working. She has lost 14 lbs, I repeat 14 lbs and thats including the DC trip. She also had a good doctors visit.

Leah reported last weekend that she is not losing but she hasn't gone over her weight cap; that's the weight where she kicks her butt in gear and goes for it. When Leah is over the midterm hurdles, then she'll join us again. Right now she spends her free time "arguing with idiots" on facebook regarding Obamacare and his attack on FOX news.

Thanks everyone for your blogs. Oh yes, and you too Laura ;-)) It's comforting to know that I'm not alone.

Hmm, I'm feeling a little weak right now so I'm going to eat an orange, shower and sleep.

Somebody Stop Me!

What is the matter with me?

What is different this time than last time?

Why can't I control myself?

It is WAY too easy to pig out. I snacked out again on Monday's leftovers when Taylor and Serena came over. I did NOT take a nap, go for a run or get a notebook. So frustrating. I walked home, snuggled on the couch with my fiance and went on a date. It was lovely but now the pain of self regret is kicking in. I could have squeezed in a work out and could have chosen something different to eat. Why didn't I?

Take 5 million, here I go again. I will work out tonight. I had grapes for breakfast and I'll have a small dinner, swear.

And ladies, way to work at it. It really does help me to be accountable to the blog. It's just so tempting to lie to the blog. Honestly, not proud of myself compared to how well y'all are doing.

Oh and to make matters worse, there is a surprise Power family gathering on Saturday. I'm so not prepared. Gotta do great for the next few days and find that confidence I had last year.

I'm back!!

Yeah!!! I had lost the log in so I couldn't post anything but I'm back. I have officially lost 21.2 pounds.....SUCH a slow process but I'm good. I've lost 11 inches on my waist and hips. My clothes show it!! My jeans are sagging and my shirts I wore last winter DO NOT fit. I have to go shopping. I tried last wekend and couldn't find anything I really liked. I want to find Lee Rider jeans.

I had a really good experience yesterday. A man came into school to register his son. He recognized me from year when I was having issues with my chest. He reminded me that he was the one who came with EMS to do my blood pressure. Well, he complimented me on the weight loss, was glad that I'm doing it a slow but safe way and said I looked ten years younger!! WEE HAA!!!!!! How nice was that. So, I keep plodding away at this.

Stacy and I are still walking daily, 2 1/2 miles each, but he's been having some back issues. I hope it's nothing serious.

Laura, I really liked your post. You're quite ingenius. I can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving!! 55 pounds is quite an accomplishment!!! I saw an ad for turkey sausage to make the pigs in a blanket! Thought I might try that and see what it tastes like and what the calorie count is for it. Who knows! Are y'all going to be there for Thanksgiving or just for Christmas?

You know, these are the musings that I think about. I know y'all all are big Jillian fans and I'm a little wary. I sometimes wonder if I don't push myself really hard like on the show, will I ever really lose all the weight? Am I going to get to a place where I really can't lose it all because I don't have access to a gym with all the equipment, etc. I have me and my desire to walk daily. When it rains, i have to opt to stay inside and workout to a video. Not my favorite activity at all. It makes me feel fat and stupid and not good. The walking has been really good for my mind. I can actually see my feet now!!!

Hope you all keep up the fight, don't get lazy and go for it!!

See you later,
Lee

Split Personality

Laura, you two are so funny. What a great support system you provide one another. I wish I had that. I wish I could re-locate my other half.

It has been such a strugle lately eating well. And I too am just getting over a little cold so it's rough finding energy. But, Captain and I went for about a two mile run last night in the neighborhood. I love running in our neighborhood so much. I always get a little lost because it is so huge but Cap and I end up on a major road that takes us home each time. It's like a little adventure.

I'm dressing as Princess Aurora for Halloween so I have new motivation to be skinny. I never run out of motivation, just will power. Nobody likes a fat princess.

Last night we had Crystal and Nick over for dinner and cooked a new amazing recipe, spicy tortilla soup and empanadas. B and I are becoming quite the chefs. I can only get him to eat things that are meaty, have sustinance and sound like they're a little bad for you. It's tricky. The soup was probably not so bad, lots of veggies and spices. The empanada could have been healthier but hey, they were not fried at least. I only ate one empanada and a small bowl of soup. Where did I go wrong? In the tortilla chips and dip we set out before dinner. I decided taht the key to solving this problem will be to plan our menus the weekend before so that we are not starving come Monday evening and have to nibble while we cook. If we get started on our cooking earlier, we will have food on the table in time for dinner.

Tonight, I'll need a nap because I'm so stopped up and drowsy that it's hard to hold my head up at work. I'll nap, run and see if I can muster up some energy for a weight lifting video. Gotta get back into weight training because for me it made all the difference. And tonight I'll stop at the store and get a little notebook to start writing down each bite I take. That also makes a world of difference.

I'm proud Laura (s), that you are sticking with it and motivating yourself when others are eating chips and dip that they don't need. So the goal is to run the entire 5K? You can do it! I'm excited for the run. It's so fun to people watch and feel like you're a part of something HUGE. And Susan G Komen - enormous. Everyone at Seton is doing it.

Keep up the self talk. And keep reminding me to blog. You are NOT alone.

Hi Laura, It's me again, Laura

Well since I seem to be the only one on our MotherDaughterDietJournal blog I decided to talk to my only audience, ME and support, well, hmm, ME.

Laura, how are you doing on your journey?

Well, it's hard to keep motivated. I seem to fall back into old habits more often, especially since I've been fighting this cold.


Laura, I know it's hard, but remember our mantra, Perseverance. We are the turtle that will eventually cross that finish line. It may take a long long time, filled with ups and downs, successes and failures but we will persevere.

Awww, thanks Laura for those words of encouragement. As a matter of fact, I wogged for 2 1/2 miles tonight. Thought I was going to die afterwords; could hardly take a full breath.

Well, don't push it. You don't want to lower your body defenses and have the cold turn into something worse. Remember, you have a 5k to run in two weeks.

I know, thanks Laura for reminding me. That's why I had to wog tonight. I really want to be able to run the entire 5k this time but this cold has set me back on my training schedule. I am reminded of Jillian's creed - and I was not fainting, puking or dieing so I pushed myself. Not to mention, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT.

Ok, so now, take a warm shower, some cough medicine and go to bed.

Thank you again, Laura for your support. I really appreciate you taking the time to encourage me. It's a rough road alone. It helps having someone share positive words of encouragement. Keep it up!

I WILL, and you TOO. Good Night and Hang in there.

I Need An Easier Way to Lose

Just when the scale was tipping in my favor - BAM! back up. This is such a mental game. Sometimes I just can't find the energy to play anymore. According to my food journal, I've been adding more starches in my diet - don't know why. Maybe it's psychological; cold and rainy equals winter equals eat more rich foods. Plus, I'm just TIRED of jogging.

Whitney motivated me again to jog tonight. I had a soar throat all day and was determined to come home have some homemade "starchy" chicken noodle soup (more like stew by the time I got home) and then go to bed. Instead, I still ate the starchy soup but got on that treadmill thinking I would put in the obligatory 20 minutes. WELL 50 minutes, 3 miles and 400 calories later I jumped off with renewed energy.



This is such a struggle - NO don't eat that, YES get off that couch and move, NO you can not have a Margarita and Cheese bites. Never ending battle of the bulge.




This is the easiest goal yet - blogging!

Now I'm going to crash because I'm feeling a little weak; hope I didn't overdo it tonight. I can't afford getting sick - besides I have to stay healthy for the Race for the Cure in a couple weeks.


Whitney and Leah - are you ready to run the 5K?

Lee, I hope your doing good; staying motivated. Seriously, this Christmas (or Thanksgiving or whenever we get together again) we need to support each other. As much as I love your pigs-in-a-blanket, I am going to eat only ONE this year. Ha - now that's a Goal.

<- My Mascot

Great Week

Shed my birthday, anniversary, vacation pounds and whatever other excuses I used to eat bad. I'm back down 56 lbs and only 4 more to my next milestone (one of many still to reach). Tonight we're going to the movies. What is it about movies and popcorn? I just have to have some. Instead of eating my own medium size, I''l split a small with Steve - 250 calories. We won't think about the fat calories.


Reached an exercise milestone this week. Whitney encouraged me to go to the track Thursday night. It was a great night for breaking records. I wanted to see if I could actually jog 2 miles. Tah Dah - I jogged two miles and then added another 1/2 mile on to it - (Whitney as my witness). The best part is I felt like I could have finished 3 miles but Whit was ready to go. Next time I WILL jog the entire 3 miles. Then Look Out 5k - here I come!

Charlies staying with us this weekend as Leah runs off to play in College Station so I'll have a jogging partner again. Charlies my weekend warrior. Whit...we'll have to sneak the dogs on the track again - maybe Saturday or Sunday night (if you're not working).

Well thats my update - I stayed true to my promise to blog at least twice each week - it keeps me honest.

Would love to hear how everyone else is doing.

Stick with it - we can all brag about our success at Christmas!

Blogging requires dedication to the subject

Alright. I told Serena last night that in order to lose weight you must go cold turkey. I got back up to an indecent weight in the past few months while off the blogosphere. Last I checked it was 143. But then I had nachos for dinner... eh em.

It will be a bit challenging for me this time around because Cap can't go running with me and I have to treadmill or gym membership. Boo. Maybe I'll get hired tomorrow as a full time Sr. Admin and get some sort of a sallary to pay for gym membership. Crystal and Jackie work out at 24 hour fitness and there are a few locations near the new house. I'll also need to start a new food journal. Fresh starts everywhere.

So many incentives to be skinny these days. The nearest and dearest goal is to be thin for our engagement pictures that we plan to pose for in November. I also gotta tone up for Halloween. Everyone knows it's the one day of the year you're allowed to look slutty and not get called a slutt. haha. I have not decided on a costume yet but I know there will be pictures so I must look small no matter the costume. Then comes Christmas and my first wedding dress fitting. Yikes. Then comes February and Valentine's Day. V-Day also happens to be Brad and Bratney's wedding weekend so I guess we'll al get so celebrate our romantic holiday at their wedding. Nice. We'll just have to make the most of it. It should be alright because B and I always have fun at weddings - we're dancing fools. But again, pictures galore and tons of family looking at you all dressed up. Gotta be skinny. Then will come count down to the big day - each minute bringing me closer to the day when my arms must be flawless. Ah!

Strategy: count calories, run my butt off, blog daily, no eating after 7 pm, write down food, stay at 1,000 calories or less per day.


Looking forward to running for breast cancer research on Nov. 1! Get excited!



Mom I'm back with you and I know the blog was my #1 helper. And speaking of Jillian, I saw a weight loss suppliment at Wallgreens with her picture on it! What a sell out!?

Head in the game!

A Month of Ups and Downs

The last few weeks have been packed with excuses to stray from the diet. Now that the Birthdays, Vacations and Anniversaries are behind me, I'm back on track. Watching the scale has been like playing with a yo yo - up and down and up and down. My goal was to be down 63 lbs as of Sunday but instead I'm at 54.

This week I'm planning a quick start - exercising hard every night and staying at or just below my planned 1300 calories a day.

I've also signed up for the Race for the Cure 5 K on Nov. 1.

I'm writing down all my meals and exercises again. And I'm committed to update the blog; at least two times a week.

Tonight I was able to wog 2 miles on the Treadmill in 31 minutes. Best time yet! My goal is to run (wog) the entire 5k but I only have a month to train.

It would be great if I could knock another bowling ball off by Nov. 1.

Looks like a momentum shift has occurred with all my fellow bloggers since I was the last one to blog on Sept. 3.

That's OK - the blog is just another tool. And so is Jillian. I imagine Jillian on my shoulder screaming "you CAN do it" and shaking her head in disgust at my bad choices.


How is everyone doing by the way?

Must stay focused!

In memory of my favorite 5k partner:

DC = Walking

Well all you DCers, we will be doing lots of walking so if we eat right, this could be a win-win for us or should I say lose-lose. No excuses next week.
A Good Week - we have no food in the house so I'm having to be creative. Last night I had a tomato sandwich. It was pretty good. Tonight I found a Lean Cuisine, made a tomato salad and will probably have a cheese stick before bed. Tomorrow, I'm going out - probably Cheddars and have my usual Lemon Chicken plate. That's the plan and I'm sticking to it!

Exercise - ugh, it has been so hot outside. I'm trying to walk later at night but then it gets to dark to put any time in. Whitney, I'm so glad Paisley was found. She was my wogging partner last night. We wore each other out. Did about 2 1/2 miles wogging and walking.

Leah, thanks for sharing the recipe. Have you tried it? Sounds interesting. Sweet Bacon- hmm?

Lee - stay with it. I know how personal crisis can take your focus away from the diet goals. I let about a week go with the biopsy stuff; it was real easy to change focus. I'm so glad to be back on the right trail again.

Mom - don't hurt yourself working out before DC- save your energy for "Walking the Mall"

September 2nd

Hello ladies,
School, work, and working out. The juggling act that makes me feel like a true worker bee. Just moving along the daily routine like all the other bees in the hive. Luckily we started this last year so I had an idea of what I was getting myself into but now that I've started it all up again I'm remembering just how difficult it all was. No wonder I only made it to spring break.
Food has actually been the fun part of it all. (Expensive too) I've been making all kinds of delicious low cal recipes and Krista has been enjoying all of it so far (except for some asparagus thing I made that neither of us could finish haha) Anyways the Jillian diet makes me feel healthier and lighter before the work outs even begin. However we did do the first work out yesterday after our usual run and dear lord I am so sore now. I'd forgotten how much work we put into it and it was truly miserable. After the 2nd circuit I was ready to quit. We still haven't done day 2 just yet. Funny how we managed to both want to put it off so late. However I haven't forgotten and we will finish our day 2 work out!
Mom- How is it going? I haven't heard from you about your progress lately. With this trip to Washington coming up we're going to need to be fully aware of the restaurants we eat out at and the foods we eat while we're there. I'm bringing my workout binder I made. You'd be so proud. I made a binder with tabs and everything. Food tracking, Activities, Motivation, Recipes, and Information. It's my handwritten version of Spark people I guess you could say. When we're on the trip I want to be able to keep up with that so in all of your planning plan healthy food options.
Whitney- Glad you found Paisley today! I was bummed you weren't able to join me on my run. You were missed. We'll have to catch you next time.
Grandma- So glad you're going to Washington with us! It's going to be so great :-) Speaking of I thought of another T-Shirt/Sign..."American Woman....Obama let me be!" (Get it? Like the song American Woman) Anyways I was thinking all the walking we'll be doing can be counted as activity points :-)
Lee- You can always walk the 5k's. I 'wog' most of the time we do those things and the age groups are always pretty mixed so you'll be ready for it I'm sure.
This is random but I was watching the food channel last night and this gay guy cooked the most delicious looking apple cinomon baked crisount with sugar and honey coated baccon that looked SO delicious that I went and decided to make my own Low-Cal recipe. Here it is if yall want to try it out:
Ingredients:
Lean turkey baccon
Splenda
1 table spoon of cooking oil ( I used Extra virgin olive oil)
1 large apple (I used a granny smith)
Ground Cinomon
Low-Fat cool whip
I can't believe it's not butter spray
Reduced or Low fat bisquits (the one's I used were 160 calories each)
1/4 a cup of skim milk
Directions:
Peel and cut your apple into small pieces (baby cubes)
Poor your oil and milk into the skillet (on Medium heat)
Add the apples, splenda, and cinomon and stir
(Spray some I can't believe it's not butter spray)
Put two pieces of baccon on a tray and spray them with the I can't believe it's not butter and then sprinkle both sides with splenda. Let them baked for 10 min. or until they're crispy.
Bake the bisquits till golden brown
After the apples are grilled well with the cinamon and all that jazz push a little hole into the top of each bisquit and fill it with the apples top it off with a table spoon of cool whip and slice off a piece of crispy baccon to top it off. DELICIOUS!
Total calories= 335

I'm off to go work out and make some delicious dinner! :-)
-Mopeah

Small steps

Hi all. Last week was ok. We've been dealing with some emotional and heartbreaking decisions for all of us and I know I didn't pay attention to my food as much as I should have. I gained 4/10 of a pound. Not much but not the loss I want. However, good news.....since I started Jenny Craig on July 5th, I've averaged a loss of 1.9 pounds per week. And, drumroll, I've lost over 7 1/2" overall! So, while my weight isn't near as staggering as Laura's, it's a start and I'm happy. I never thought I would EVER look forward to getting up at 5 am to walk before work.

Laura....congratulations on 55 lbs!!!! What is your overall weight loss goal?

Whitney....hope you and Leah have a GREAT time looking for wedding and bridesmaid dresses! You're gonna have a blast!

So, is the event in December a "run" only or is there walking too?! I'd like to try to work up to that. I'm still at 2.5 miles per day but we're off the track and walking around the neighborhood with all the hills, etc. If I have the time each morning, I'd like to increase the daily walking but that means getting up that much earlier. Not too hot of a prospect.

Keep up the good work, ladies!!!!

Lee

Great Week to Good Week

I had such a great week last week that I'm not going to complain about my good or so-so week that followed. We ate out alot - say no more! I did exercise constraint - had a chicken wrap at the Oasis when I really wanted the Mexican platter. I split several meals. Bottom line - my weight stayed the same.

Leah's pushing me off the computer now so I'll just finish this post with one message:

DON'T QUIT!

August 27

Ahhhhh this is all starting to feel great again! I've been creating healthy meals, counting calories, and going for long runs with Charlie and Krista and already after 3 days of it I feel amazing. I haven't lost any weight yet but it's the feeling of cleansing my system and rebuilding my energy that doesn't compare to any other feeling. It's the same feeling of relief and comfort that you get when you get something back that you've really missed. It's alot more work than making mac and cheese and lounging around watching TV all day but certainly alot more gratifying.
Food Today: We had 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese for breakfast, tuna tomato lemon and mayo casarole with baked asparagus with garlic and red bell pepper for lunch and for dinner a moracan chicken with wild rice. It's all low calorie high quanity so we feel full but aren't adding up more than 350 calories per meal. The food part has been a breaze.
Activity Today: We went for 60 minutes of cardio around the neighborhood. After pushing Krista so hard yesterday I decided to take a different approach. We did 1 min jogging 1 min walking on and off all the way down Craddock and LBJ and back. It was alot longer but more slow paced. I could tell Krista was feeling alot better about it and hopefully she'll be able to keep up with it all over the weekend when I'm not with her. I plan on hitting the treadmile up at the REC this weekend and work on getting back to my 10 minute mile. Tuesday is officially our Jillian workout so I'll need to be IN SHAPE before then or I'll die haha.
Mom- Wow is that what Rush looks like now? He's lost a ton of weight! All from diet but he's also a man don't forget how much easier it is for them to lose weight. Us women have to work harder so don't stop the working out. Not to mention the energy it gives you. Way to go on hitting a new low on your timing with your mile. It's always great when I hit a new low so congratulations! I am down for the December 5k also so I'll mark it on my calander (that I am using) right now.


Whitney- Dress shopping this weekend! :-) I'm so excited to see your final pick!And I'm hoping we can find some pretty bridesmade dresses also. Hope all is going well with your weight loss plans. I'll make us all a healthy Jillian breakfast and lunch this weekend.




Grandma- Hope all is going well. Still hitting up the gym? Glad we're getting a visit this weekend. Maybe we can all go on walk at the park- I know mom misses Charlie so we can go give her a good walk and burn some calories ourselves.



Lee- Hope all is going well and hope you join us in the 5k!

I'll leave off with Jillians Tip of the Day:
Do You Have the Right Shoes?
Sometimes people complain about numbness in their toes during workouts. If you're experiencing this, it's most likely because you need bigger shoes. The shoes you wear when you work out should be a half size larger than your normal size, because the feet tend to swell during exercise. The extra space in the shoe will create a comfort zone without screwing up your foot mechanics.

Good luck this weekend ladies
-Leah

NEW GOAL: Reindeer Run 5k December 12

We should all plan on doing the Reindeer Run on Dec. 12. It's a 5k held in San Antonio. They raise money for Toys for Tots. Let the training begin;-))

I am now 55 lbs down and feeling pretty good. Jogged a mile in 15:30 last night. I know to some of you(Whitney), that still seems like a big number, but I beat my old record. Put in 60 minutes on the treadmill overall and my T-shirt was soaking wet. I told Steve afterwords, that maybe Rush Limbaugh's theory of losing weight isn't so bad after all. He says that he's gone from 290 to 204 simply by dieting. He does not believe in exercise. My thought is that diet is 100% of losing weight BUT exercise builds muscle strength; heart and lungs. While, I'm not quite ready to adopt the Rush plan, I do believe it's true when he says exercising increases appetite and gives us this false perception that we can now eat more since we burned extra calories.


Tonight was not as productive; my Off day. Steve and I vegged on the couch watching a movie and eating popcorn - BUT at least it was air popped corn ( 1 cup = 30 calories). My activity consisted of cleaning the guest room and some weight-lifting exercises.

Mom, glad you are jumping on that path too; it's never too late. I just keep referring to the incredible changes to the Biggest Loser contestants' health just after 3 months of healthy living. All of those with severe medical problems from the start were able to decrease or eliminate their meds for cholestrol, high blood pressure, diabetes etc. They showed pictures of the fat around their lungs decreasing allowing more lung capacity. It was amazing how exercise and good eating made such a huge difference in a short amount of time.

I feel like I'm back on the right path!

<- Funny for the day - Caption reads "Fed up with how her diet is going, Charlene takes a more serious aim at her target weight"