It's 3:17 a.m. and I'm seriously tempted to do a bit of cat hunting.

 Miss Smokey, the cat elected to jump on my bed at about midnight and jiggle the whole thing.  I know, how could she jiggle the bed enough to wake me up?   She has paws of cement!!  I swear, she bounced me awake.  So.. of course, now I can't get back to sleep and I'm seriously pissed off at that cat.

On the up side, I received my Valentine's Day gift from my sweetie today and with his prior permission, I opened it early.  I swear to goodness this is the most romantic thing he could have thought of for this year.  It is a CD in which he's taken the time to hand select the songs and give them meaning in our life.

Rather than put the titles on the song list, he gave them phrases so I would know what he was thinking with each song.  So the first time I listened to the CD, each song was a wonderful surprise. Here is the song list the way he wrote it and in parenthesis I wrote out the title of the song and the artist that sang it.  And where explanation is needed, I've added that.

1) January 1, 1978 ( This kiss by Faith Hill )  Our first date and first kiss was a New Year's Party Dec. 31, 1977.. We kissed at midnight and I knew.. I was totally blown away by his kiss

 2) The You I fell in love with ( Emotional Girl by Terry Clark)

3) Together in love (Shiver by Jaime O'Neal)

 4) May 29, 1982 (When I said I do by Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black) This is the day we got married.

5) You and Me (I just wanna be mad by Terry Clark) 

6) A Perfect Life... (Just another Day in Paradise by Phil Vassar

7) ... That doesn't have to be perfect (Perfect by Sara Evans)

8) The Me You fell in love with (An American Soldier by Toby Keith)

9) Times Apart (To Be With You by Jaime O'Neal)

10) No Regrets (The Dance -artist unknown)

11 )  Need I say More?  (Always and Forever by Heatwave) This was "our song" from high school.  

 Now to go hunt down that cat .....

PANIC MODE!

How sad is this?  I get an e-mail from the love of my life telling me he is most likely going to be home by March 4 and all I can think is ACK!!! THAT'S TOO SOON!!

LMAO... I know he loves me just as I am.. and believe me, there is a part of me that is thrilled he's getting home earlier than planned (He was part of the first group that left).  But I was really looking forward to having 6 + weeks to work my program. 

New Week, New Day, New Plan

Timmy, Me, Sara, Bridgette, Laurie, and Michelle Halloween night 2005.

 

Well.. it's a new week (for me).  The kids were home from school yesterday (end of the quarter), so not a lot got done in the house.  Guess I'll be remedying that today.  I have a dinner party planned for my girls, the wives of the stairwell, for Friday night.  Here are my gal pals.

 

My whole menu is coming from recipes in Cooking Light magazine. That should be fun.

As far as my "new" plan goes, I've decided to see if lightening can repeat itself.  Back in the 80's I used a diet plan called the Rotation Diet.  For 21 days, you rotate between 600, 900 and 1200 calories.  Then you take 7 days off to adjust and start the rotation again.  You can lose up to 7 lbs a week. I'm adjusting the calories just a bit for the new nutrition standards.  I'm going to be keeping the 600 cal day (easily done with Slim Fast) and changing the other two to 1200 and 1600 respectively because of the increased exercise I do daily. 

I'm starting this plan tomorrow, so I can be on my high day on Friday.

Our unit is having a Formal Ball on May 20 to celebrate the return of the unit.  I plan to be at least 40 lbs lighter by then. 

Loss of a Friend

I do not often share the words of my husband here in the journal, but this letter that he wrote to all of us so moved me, I felt this tribute to his friend and colleague deserved wider readership.  Please say a prayer for the surviving family members of this brave aviator.

 

Dear Family;  

 I have delayed writing this letter for a few days because I wasn't sure I could do justice to the loss I feel over the death of a friend and colleague, CW3 Rex Kenyon.   Rex was one of the Troop Instructor Pilots at 1-6 Cavalry (Korea) when I was the Squadron Standardization IP.  He was part of a group of truly exceptional instructor pilots that I had the distinct pleasure of supervising. 

Rex was a quiet professional on the job and a practical joker off the job.  He was particularly fond of making MRE "bombs" which he would place outside the door of new arrivals on their first night in country.  Many "newbies" were startled in the night by the loud (although relatively weak) explosion against their door.  

 Rex often reminded me of actor/director Ron Howard (prior to Mr Howard loosing his hair), because he too had red hair and pale skin that made him appear much younger.  

While in Korea Rex went through a very heartbreaking divorce made all the more difficult by the remoteness of our assignment in Korea.  But like the true professional he was, he never let it affect his duties.  

 Rex was the pilot-in-command of the Apache that was recently shot down in Iraq.  

Rex had just remarried before deploying to Iraq.  

Whenever an Army aircraft goes down, every pilot in every other Army Aviation unit holds their collective breath to hear the names of the pilots we have lost; hoping that we will not recognize any of them.  Somehow it makes it less real.  Although I was stunned and shocked to hear Rex's name, it was far worse to see it in print in the Stars and Stripes newspaper.  I guess when it was still just word-of-mouth information, it could still be wrong.  But it wasn't.  

I, and many others, will deeply miss Rex.

WHY?

Why do you want to lose weight?

This is the big question you must ask yourself.
And if you don't have an answer, you're dead meat.

Point is, dieting means change.

In particular, it means changing your EATING HABITS.
And this isn't easy.
Because we don't like change.

So, in order to SUCCEED, you need something to help you OVERCOME your resistance to change.

You need an INCENTIVE.

With a good incentive, you can move mountains.
Without an incentive, you can do very little.

So before you go any further, find an incentive.
Find a GOOD REASON or a BIG PERSONAL BENEFIT for losing weight.

I can't find one for you, because only YOU know what turns you on.

Make it as personal and selfish as possible.

Because in my experience, losing weight for vague reasons like 'better health' or even a 'better figure' isn't very effective. We need a specific incentive.

Bar Mitzvahs are good. Weddings are good. So are beach holidays.
Whatever you choose it's gotta be POWERFUL enough to motivate you.

Think about it.

This is tip one from Anne Collins Weight Loss Program.. Find your incentive, the reason (and apparently it has to be specific and inspiring) you want to lose weight.

I want to lose weight because I am done having children. Sincehaving kids I carry my excess weight up in my belly, causing me to more than one time be asked if I was pregnant.  I hate that... I hate that more than anything else in the world.  I want to be rid of the quasi-pregnant physique.  I want men to turn and stare because I'm so ravishing.  I want to be at a weight where I can feel like I am attractive and I know that I could get any guy I want if I so desired.  LOL.. this is very selfishly motivated.  It's all about how I feel about what I look like.  the comments I'd prefer to never get again and the comments that I love to get.   I want my kids to be grossed out at the thought that their mom is a "hottie".... LMAO

Another day

I've decided to forego the daily weigh in.  I think that weekly is enough right now to keep me on track.  Especially after a fasting weekend.  I am sure that there is some gain initially after coming off a fast, but I've been keeping to my calories and doing my exercises, so I know I'm headed in the right direction... no reason to lose my momentum by unwanted news.. LOL!

So yesterday was a good day.  I had time for four separate workout intervals, each one about 30-40 minutes.  My total intake calories were 1508.  Water intake was 64 ounces at least!  All the diet soda is out of the house, so I'm either drinking water or milk with my meals.

My food percentages were pretty good yesterday.  Carbs 55%, Protein 21 % and Fat 23%.  So I'm getting closer to that Ideal 50,25, 25.

Well, I'm behind the power curve at the moment,so I'll sign off now and be back later.  

 

Thank God the fast is over!

  Weigh in this morning was 214.9, so I lost a total of 4.3 lbs.  Not bad, and I'm lower than I was on my last good week of exercise and diet (the combination is really what works best for me.) So all in all, I 'm chalking this one up into the "win" column. 

 Not sure that I'd care to do a liquid fast again anytime soon, but it was an interesting experience and I'm very proud of myself for sticking it through.   There were a couple of times yesterday that I really really really wanted to cave.  Oh.. and I discovered that my stomach can growl REALLY REALLY loud when it doesn't have any food to digest! LOL.

So.. the pluses of doing this fast.  1. I didn't have to think about food for 48 hours (at least in terms of "what to fix")  2. the lost pounds.   3. There was a certain feeling of control over the whole thing. 4. successfully completing the weekend. 5. I feel that this has given me a bit more control over my cravings, but I think the proof will be in this next week of eating.

I did seem to have an abundance of energy on Saturday (could have been the left over glycogen in my muscles) so I did a lot of exercising.  But Sunday I felt tired, not fatigued, but it was nice to be able to rest through out the day and just take it easy.  I didn't make it to the grocery store yesterday, but it's on my list for either today or tomorrow.

So, this morning I got up at 520 and once I'd done my usual morning routine, I did a half hour walk and kick program.  After my workout I drank 16 ounces of water and ate two clementines, plus took my iron supplement.  I'm trying to slowly ease back into eating.  I will sit down for breakfast at 8:30, but between now and then, I hope to get another workout in.  All in All.. a successful weekend and a good beginning for this week.  Let the happy dance begin! 

 

 

 

24 hours

 

This morning I weighed in at 217.6.  Although.. let me just say that when the sum total of your calorie intake is 300 for the day... one would expect to see that kind of loss.  And yes, I realize it may not be "permanent".. .. but I had the powder, it made sense to at least try it and see what happened. The shake tastes good (I have the chocolate flavor) and is easy enough to whip up.  And.. initially it's pretty filling, but if it weren't for the additional water that I'm drinking, I don't know that I could have gone this long with out caving and eating something. 

I am spending today to plan out my menus for this week.  It would seem a shame to get this bit of a kickstart and then ruin it by not having an eating plan to follow immediately.   If I can get this all together in time (we have limited grocery hours on Sunday), I will head out to the commissary so I can be prepared for the week.

I also exercised quite a bit yesterday (left over energy from the day before), but I doubt I will get much more than a walk in today.  While I feel good, I have to admit I feel a bit tired as well and am not sure that I could do as heavy a workout as I did yesterday.  Of course, "they" advise you to take it easy during the two day fast, so I'm not overly concerned if I don't get up and do something today.

Where did this week go?

There just aren't enough mood choices on the list here! LOL..  Well.. anyway, for those that are curious, I am in a very determined mood this weekend.  I have decided to use this weekend to kind of  kick start my program.  I am a big fan of  www.Beachbody.com .  They have some awesome workout programs that get rid of the fluff and really work... if you can stay committed to the program.  This has been my biggest problem- staying committed.  Anyway, with one of the programs I purchased, they were offering a free gift of their 2 day Fast Formula.  I hadn't used it, but this weekend I decided to give it a try. 

Here's the speil from their website:

Two days is all it takes to cleanse and gain control of your body. If you're ready to rid your body of excess fat, this is a perfect place to start. Just choose from two delicious flavors: chocolate or vanilla. Then use 2-Day Fast Formula for two days to experience:

• A greater sense of being slim and in control of your body*
• Total body cleansing*
• A dramatic reduction of unhealthy cravings*
• An invigorating, natural boost of energy*
• An increase in weight loss from your fitness routine Two days is all it takes to cleanse and gain control of your body. If you're ready to rid your body of excess fat, this is a perfect place to start. Just choose from two delicious flavors: chocolate or vanilla. Then use 2-Day Fast Formula for two days to experience:
  • A greater sense of being slim and in control of your body*
  • Total body cleansing*
  • A dramatic reduction of unhealthy cravings*
  • An invigorating, natural boost of energy*
  • An increase in weight loss from your fitness routine

Last week I continued to record everything I ate in my journal, I kept my calories in the range I wanted and I lost a few .10ths of a lbs.  I didn't do any exercising.. it was just one of those weeks.  But it has been a chance for me to have a good talk with myself, so I think that after this two day cleansing fast, I'll be ready to stay focused for a while.

For comparison purposes, my weight this morning was 219.2.  Let's see how things look on Monday morning :)

Back, with a vengeance

Okay, my title makes it sound like I've been plugging away, but really I haven't been. I have been honest with myself and I've kept track of every calories I've put in my mouth. I haven't gained anything back after the scale popped upwards, so there is that small (incredibly small) consolation. I know however that this will drop off ASAP as soon as I am back totally into my program. On that note, here are the official calories for my "lost weekend" that started last Thursday.

  Thursday: 1796 Friday: 2047 Saturday: 1980 Sunday:1728 Monday: 1934 

 I don't think it was the calories so much as it was the choices. Higher fats all weekend, along with a lot of sodium. I knew I was going to be ready to start back today, so I did a good shopping trip on Sunday and picked up all the fruits and vegetables I'd need, along with a lot of whole grain stuff. I'm good and I have no excuses for the rest of this week. Monday was my weigh-in for the start of my challenge/competition with my sister. My weigh in was 219.9... Which means I'm starting a bit heavier, but it's all good now that I've got my focus back. I have eight weeks, give or take a few days before Paul is home and I do intend to be down below 200 by that point. FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS!!!

Taking Stock

It's been a tough three days for me. My calories for each day since Thursday have been high, and I've made no opportunity to exercise.  I wish there was a pill I could take that would keep me focused on my goal each day. No excuses though.. I know I'm up against a deadline that is coming up pretty quick and I need to stay to the path until I get there. My hero is coming home and I want to be ready for him. I want him to be excited about the changes that are happening to me. I know he loves me just as I am, but I don't. Just as I am right now, I tend to shy away from being naked around him... and I don't know why, but even if I'm still heavy, at least when the scale is moving down I can feel so darn sexy... this is the gift I want to share with him.. my sexy self. So, I know I can do this. I have a great plan that will work if I just keep it in play. I have a great group of ladies in the chubclub to spur me on and catch me when I fall. Okay.. here's to a new week of unstoppable weight loss and power to make change!

Experimentation

 

I have so admired the journals of people that include all these fun and witty and cute and pretty graphics that I just had to try a few myself.  Thank goodness for the computer-savvy next generation!  My oldest daughter Kendra, is helping me figure out how to do all this neat stuff.

Two days of BLAH

This is a picture of my daughter, Kim and my son, Mac, with Kim's best friend, Larissa.  They are dressed up to go to a school dance (Mac's first one!)

Oh.. and it became official last night.. I am the shortest member of our family.  LOL, Mac is at least an inch taller than me now.. and considering he's only 12..ummmm.. I'm thinking he's not really done yet.

Well, Thursday and Friday were not exactly "woo hoo" days in the dieting arena.  I had a bunch of appointments outside the house and I allowed myself not to exercise either day.  My calorie counts for both days were kind of high (between 1700 and 2000) and there was comfort food involved.  My water intake was low. All this to say, I'm up 2 lbs from my last weigh in.  I'm not thrilled, but I know that the weight is not fat.. it is water and waste, to put it delicately.  Today I'm increasing the water and the fiber, heck.. today I'm getting back in my groove.  Putting a big note to self that I absolutely MUST make the exercise a priority.  Without it, I feel off-kilter and I hate that feeling.

 

A Taste of my own medicine

Received an e-mail from my mother in law today informing me that she has not received thank you notes from Kendra and Mac.  She went on to mention that she didn't get one from Mac last year either...  then she stated that Mac may not get anything from her next year. OUCH!

You know, I understand, I do.. but at the same time I'm feeling like.. HEY, he's your grandson.. it happens.. GET OVER IT! 

I think I need to take a chill pill.

What's driving me crazy right now

Most of the time this doesn't bother me.. but today I am cleaning off my desk (first time since before Christmas) and I keep running into the insurance receipts for all the gifts I've mailed out.  Now mind you.. we are only talking about two weeks past Christmas...  but it's not really the "Thank You" note that I'm looking for.. what I'd really like is acknowledgement that the gift arrived, in one piece, so I can throw out all these receipts.  And most of these folks that I'm bothered with could have popped off an email to let me know that they'd arrived safely.

We have a couple of culprits from each side of the family ( mine and paul's).  But I'm laughing because one of them always claims to at least send out a "hey we got it note" when he gets something.... Apparently it's only for his mother that this happens.   Ah well.. I sent out ticklers to everyone I haven't heard from so I can get rid of this paperwork.. Other than that pile.. my desk is looking fabulous!

24 hours in a day

Here's how it works: List each hour of the day and then a reason why that hour (anytime in the 60 minute block) is significant. If you want to play along then just create a timeline and start remembering. If you do play along please leave a comment here and tell us where to find your list.

12:00AM  New Year's Eve of 1977, Paul and I shared our first kiss, unknowingly locking our futures together.

1:00 AM  Kendra joins the world at 1:28, on September 20, 1988... two weeks after she was expected.

2:00 AM  Last call on many Friday nights at Graham Central Station in AZ

3:00 AM  Was pulled over by the Phoenix Police because they got a call that my car was "behaving suspiciously" in a neighborhood.  We ( I had company) were waiting for the lights to go off at a friend's house so we could TP the house. I was 17.  The police suggested we try using bikes next time (less noticable).

4:00 AM  Kimberly joins the world at 4:32, on September 15, 1991... why do my girls like those early morning hours?

5:00 AM  Early morning breakfasts with my father when I was young.

6:00 AM My alarm goes off every morning at this time, rain, shine, snow.. doesn't matter.. it goes off

7:00 AM   I'm happily waving my kids off to school by 7:30 during the school year

8:00 AM  Time to start my first hour of exercise.

9:00 AM  When we used to homeschool, this was the time we started. I loved homeschooling my kids.  We had such a good time during those years.

10:00 AM The hour my father died, on 17 December, 1991

11:00 AM  The graveside ceremony for my dad on 24 December 1991

12:00 PM  Lunchtime... always...

1:00 PM   Dawson's Creek.. I never miss it (reruns on AFN)

2:00 PM   Our second year in Germany, Mac was the only one in the grade school on our post. The first day he came home at 2:30, I actually wanted to know what he was doing home from school so early.  Turns out the elementary school is released at 2:15. <sigh>  so much for my 8 hours to myself.

3:00 PM Mac joins the world at 3:30pm on February 20, 1993... trust the boy to sleep in late ;)

4:00 PM Kids are arriving home from school during the week.

5:00 PM When Paul is in "garrison", this is usually the hour during which he comes home.

6:00 PM  Paul and I became Husband and Wife at 6:30 on May 29, 1982

7:00 PM  This was the hour I drove Paul to his departure point for his deployment.

8:00 PM  I like to get to the bars before they get smokey, so we'd usually start out about this time, stop for dinner then head to the clubs.

9:00 PM  This is the time we begin the "go to bed" ritual, involves several reminders to brush teeth.

10:00 PM   My quiet time... assuming the kids are in bed

11:00 PM  Lights out!  Good night!

Doing the Happy Dance

This is the end of my first week on my new plan.  

Weigh in this morning: 218.3

Pounds lost since last Tuesday: 5.3 

Happy Dance shall commence now!  WOO HOO!  I'm pretty excited about having such a good beginning week.

I think that from here on out however, I'm going back to just weekly weigh ins.. and I guess I'll be shifting them to Mondays, to accomodate my challenge with my sister.

I got an email from her yesterday... if she wins, she's going to Choose Cinncinati for our sister trip (Rock and Roll hall of fame).  Sounds like a fun spot.. I'm not sure where I would pick if I win... I'll have to start thinking about that...  but Mexico kind of comes to mind.. Mexico City, maybe.

All three of my children have been taking Spanish this year at school.  The girls are in year 2 and Mac started year 1.  All three are dropping Spanish for the last semester and moving into other classes.  Kim and Mac are in jr. high, so don't really need the foreign language credit right now.. and Kendra says she will take Spanish again during her senior year (she needs two years of a foreign language).. None of them are having stellar performances this year, so this is a class we can eliminate and help boost the grade point average overall.

I took French in high school.  3 years of it.  My goal was to be an exchange student my senior year.. but that never happened.  Still, it has come in useful with our travels in Europe.  I know enough German to be able to decipher a menu and to buy goods, find train schedules, etc.  I'm functional.   But when I hear French.. my brain just automatically translates it.  And it is amazing how many French people come through this area en vacance.  It is also amazing that 20 + years after high school I can still speak and translate French as well as I do.

Okay.. I'm rambling now.. time for me to go exercise. Ciao!

My Sister

This summer my sister and I went to San Francisco for three days.  We left the kids home and spent three days trekking all over.  One of the things we did was the Alcatraz Tour.  That was the most interesting time.  The audio tour they have is very detailed and it was kind of cool to walk through and see where some of the more daring events occurred.

We also went to Chinatown and had the most awesome foot massage ever.  I wanted to have that done every day we were there.

The reason I bring up my sister and this trip .. well.. first to explain the picture, second.. my sister and I are going to have a competition for weight loss a la Biggest Loser.  We are going to do it by percentage lost rather than by pounds lost.  Our contest is going to last 16 weeks... from Jan. 16-May 15.  The winner gets to choose the destination of our next "sister" trip and the loser will host some aspect of the trip (like a fancy dinner, or a special tour, or something along those lines).

My sister and her family are coming here to Germany to visit us in late May.. so the contest will be over in time for us to be more relaxed while she's here.  I don't think that we'll be doing the prize then.. I think our sister trip will be happening later in the summer.

Goals for this week

I multi-task.  As long as I'm watching a show, I might as well get some things done on the computer.. at least that is my thinking.  So.. it's 1pm in overcast southern Germany (and I can imagine a bit chilly, but I've yet to step out into it) and I have already done two workout sessions and have just finished up my lunch.  This is when I usually veg out in front of the TV and watch Dawson's Creek(reruns on AFN)... but today I want to get this entry in as well... so here I am... multi-tasking.

Yesterday ended up being a very low calorie day.. I only used 933 calories.  But I was never truly hungry, so it's all good from where I sit.  Of course, I spent more of yesterday asleep than I did awake.. and that may be part of the reason I wasnt so hungry all day.

I chose not to do any walking or exercise yesterday. It's good to give your body a rest every so often.. helps to decrease the chance of injury.. in my opinion.

Today, I've already walked 4.5 miles and I've done a 30 minute thigh workout. 

My goal this week is to increase the protein.. Last week's averages (for calories) are as follows:  Fat 33%, Protein 17%, and carbo 47%.  Need to make my averages for this week a little closer to the "ideal" 25, 25, 50.

My other goal for this week is to increase my workouts to two hours a day (not all at once!).  It seems to me that since I don't have a job, I can certainly devote two hours of my day to physical activity.  So.. at this point.. I just have another half hour to fit in sometime today. 

I've Been Tagged!

I've Been Tagged....

These are the rules of the game: You must write a journal entry listing the 5 things that drive you CRAZY  ~ as well as the rules of the game... Then, you select five people to tag and link their names/blogs in your entry... Go to their journals and leave a comment informing them they have been tagged by you and to read your journal to see in what way they have been nailed...! Those five then MUST write an entry listing What drives them crazy and tag an additional five people... 

1. People that send out crap e-mail without verifying it's authenticity.  Folks, you can go to www.snopes.com and find out the truth before you plague your family and friends with crap.

2. Any sort of discrimination, but especially the violent sort against people that are different, just because they are different.

3. The trials and tribulations of having teenagers.  THAT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!!

4. Seeing the same two pound lost and gain for months. 

5. Women friends that drop you when they have a man in their life.

And I shall tag:

http://journals.aol.com/hsauls/Tighteningthecorset

http://journals.aol.com/autumnxbutterfly/AutumnsJourney/

http://journals.aol.com/mmclem1112/marks

http://journals.aol.com/serendipity1065/ANewStephanie

http://journals.aol.com/loveladylisa1/TheNakedTruthADietersNightmare

 

Who ever thought I' d show a loss today?

Saturday morning I tried a new cereal for breakfast.  Kellogg's complete.  It was okay, kind of a cross between 40% bran flakes and Total.  Good fiber content.  Then I did a 4 mile WATP tape.  Afterwards I woke up the kids and we scrambled to get ready and head up to Wuerzburg, where the "big PX" is.  I had some returns to do and they wanted to tag along in case something caught their eye to purchase (they have Christmas money to spend).

So, first thing.. here in Germany we get our Girl Scout Cookies in Jan-Feb time frame.  They do not take orders from individuals, but rather set up group booths and waylay unsuspecting victims, errr.. I mean customers.  I bought four boxes.  I'm hoping that is all I'll buy this year, but I do like to support GirlScouts.  I'm sending one of these boxes on to Paul.. he loves the "tag alongs", although I think they call them something else now.. at any rate.. I'm sending that box to him.

We also dropped off some film to be developed.  The kids and I finished up at the Big PX.  I'm planning a spa party for my stairwell friends (the wives) in early Feb, so I picked up some facial masks on this trip. 

Then we went off to Burger King for lunch.  I ordered the Garden Salad and asked for the grilled chicken to go with  it.  I don't like dressing, so I save a ton of calories on the condiments. My son ordered a crispy chicken sandwich.. and I don't know if that is where the mix up happened, but when I got my salad, I had the crispy chicken instead of the grilled.   I figured, how much difference can it make and ate it.  Well..  it makes a huge difference!!  the crispy has 21 grams of fat and 410 calories compared to 8 grams of fat and 230 calories of the grilled! Last time I take the bite for someone else's mistake!

Anyway, the rest of the shopping trip went off without a hitch.  In the evening the kids and I went to the movies.  We saw the new version of "The Fog."  I hadn't had a dinner, so I splurged and got a bag of M & M peanuts.  Then when we got home, I did a quick 2 mile walk and kick program.

It was lovely to get up this morning and see that my weight is still heading down.

Today's Weight (1/8): 219.2

+ or - from  yesterday: -1.4 Breakfast: Kellogg's Complete Cereal 3/4 cup, skim milk 1/2 cup, small banana Lunch: Garden Salad with crispy chicken @ Burger King, no dressing, diet coke Snack: nofat frozen yogurt Dinner: Bag of Peanut M & M's Calories Allowed:  1300-1500
Calories Used:  1355 Exercise:   AM- 4 mile WATP, PM- Walk and Kick tape Did you  Cheat?  not as such  If so why?I stayed within calorie parameters, so to me that is not a cheat.  

Reality Check for Yesterday

Okay, I really thought that yesterdays cheats were going to hit me hard and fast on the scale this morning.  And yes.. I am up .1 of a pound, but I can deal with that.  I do know that I hate feeling that out of control with my eating.   AND I REALLY HATE THE AFTERMATH>>>... there was a point when I could have tried to save the rest of the day but I said "WHAT THE HECK" and proceeded to continue down the corruptive path.  Here's hoping I got whatever it was out of my system and I can go back to plan today with little fuss.

Today's Weight (1/7): 221.6

+ or - from  yesterday: +.1 Breakfast: Slim Fast Optima  Shake Lunch: Slim Pocket Philly Cheese steak, 13 tostitos, salsa, cinnamon roll, 3 chocolate chip cookies Snack: Snickers, diet coke Dinner:  meatloaf, Snack:  peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 1 oz of ruffles, 3 chocolate chip cookies Calories Allowed:  1300-1500
Calories Used:  2614 (cringing) Exercise:   PM- 2 mile walk
Did you  Cheat?  yeup.  If so why?Because I allowed myself to do so. Comments: I use a program on my computer called Fit Day that allows me to journal my food and my activity for each day.  So.. even though I was much higher in calories than I wanted to be, I can see from my program that I still expended more calories than I ate.. (although the sodium may bite me in the butt).  I really hope to not have another day like this any time soon, but it was good to see in black and white that it was a "doable" trash day.  I'm glad I got up and did the walk, that little bit of exercise made all the difference.

Reviewing the Day

My plans for the day went askew this morning when I received a call from the H. S. nurse regarding my oldest daughter.  Okay.. I admit it.. for a couple of minutes I acted like a spoiled brat.  I was just getting ready to start my workout with plans to clean the bathrooms after that and then take my shower.  Needless to say, I was not exactly ready to have to shoot off to the school ( a 45 minute drive) at that moment.  So I asked to speak to my daughter, asked her if she really thought she needed to come home.  Then I told her she'd have at least a 90 minute wait since I needed to shower before I could come get her.

I know, I know.. not exactly bucking for a mom of the year award.. but OMG.. she had to have just gotten off the dang school bus when I got this call.. I mean.. if she felt that freakin' bad this morning, why did she even go to school!!!!    okay.. done venting now.

Anyway.. picked her up and hit the Commissary as long as I was so close to the "big" one (Here where I'm at in Germany I have the "choice" of three commissaries.  the one on our post is about the size of a 7-11, the one at Katterbach where the H.S. is .. is about the size of a small local grocer.. the one in Wuerzburg (about an hour away) is huge).... so did a fast grab and shop (milk, bread, fruit, veggies) and then brought Kendra home.  Called the clinic to see if I could get her in this afternoon.  Luckily, we could get her in at 2pm.   We suspected a UTI, and going a whole weekend without antibiotics could be touchy.  And yes.. it was a UTI. 

Well... anyway..  the food intake today was kind of a "grab with no thought" ordeal.  Ultimately, the damage lies at 1750 calories and no exercise.  I keep telling myself to get up and do a WATP tape.. and I many yet actually do it.. we'll see.

Well.. it's been 6 days now since my last cigarette.   That aspect of all of this is going well.   Of course, I think part of what is making this successful is that I've cut out one of my "triggers" all week.   Horrid to admit this, but my next door neighbor and I had gotten into the habit of visiting for an hour or so each morning and during that time we'd both smoke at least two cigarettes. We'd meet up again in the afternoon.. and again in the evening.  So.. I've not spent any time with her this week, which is what is horrid.  But I do have plans to pop in and see her later this morning, once my exercise and my chores are done.

Today's Weight: 221.5
+ or - from  yesterday: -.1

Breakfast: Slim Fast Optima  Shake Morning Snack: 1/4 cup dried apples
Lunch: Slim Pocket Philly Cheese steak, 8 cherry tomatoes Afternoon Snack:  Smart Pop Popcorn- single serving bag Dinner:  meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuit Snack:  fat free, sugar free chocolate pudding with coolwhip lite
Calories Allowed:  1300-1500
Calories Used:  1355 Exercise: AM- 3  mile walk (WATP) and 15 min Abs(I Want that Body series)    PM- 2 mile walk and kick
Did you  Cheat?  Nope, Thursday was a "perfect" day.  If so why? Comments: Planning ahead AND eating dinner at home definitely saved me a lot of calories .  I am loving that extra walk in the afternoon.

Rambling thoughts of a dieter's mind

I have 2 subliminal message cds for weight loss that I listen to each morning.  I purchased these from a book club that I belonged to some time ago.  I've had some success with them, but I find that I really can't skip listening to them.. .so I started using them again this week and I play them while I do my morning computer ritual.  If anyone is interested in learning more about subliminal messaging... check out this website. www.brainsync.com

Weigh in: 221.5

Yesterday calories: 1776

Exercise: AM- 2 mile walk (WATP) and 15 min Upper body workout (I want that body series)      PM- 1 mile fast walk

It's that time of month and my cravings for Chocolate are very high.  I tried yesterday to be "good" and have a WW snack, but discovered that my horde of WW snacks have gone moldy.   Will be tossing a lot of stuff out today, but on the plus side (trying to be positive) I will have a lot of space in my cupboard.  These are snacks that I purchased through E-bay months ago.  Silly me.. while i wasn't dieting, I didn't eat them... thinking to "save" them for when I am dieting...but some things will wait for no woman.

I think that today I will plan ahead for my chocolate treat and make up some fat free sugar free chocolate pudding.  YUMMY! 

I did a very short ab workout on Tuesday.  I really didn't think that I'd feel it this much two days later!  Guess it was short but effective.  Always a good thing in my opinion.

Yesterday was laundry day.  We live in a stairwell and have a community laundry room which is shared by 9 families.  When I plan to do laundry, I get up at 5 AM so that I can get my laundry done and out of the way before anyone else gets going.  Our laundry room has 6 washers and dryers and it's in the basement.  Because I didn't do a great amountof laundry over the holidays, I had 12 loads to do.  Lots of walking up and down stairs, lots of folding, lots of walking all over the apartment, first to gather up the dirty clothes, later to put clean clothes on people's beds.  I also ran out all the recyclables.

Germany is very environmental friendly.  They recycle just about everything.  There are special bins placed in the housing areas so that we can participate.  It's easy enough to do and as the saying goes... "when in Rome... "   The way I see it these days, it's one more good excuse to get out and do a bit of walking.

So yesterday I also made up all the beds.  It was a serious hi-cal burn day :)  My girls share a room and have bunkbeds.  That top bunk is one major cardio workout to get it made up!! 

Tonight I simply  MUST cook dinner at home...  

Yesterday's progress

The girls were up late last night working on their Spanish homework.  This was assigned before Christmas break.  It was to be a story of their own creation with at least 4 characters and they had to create character profiles, etc plus write the story... all in spanish. Kim started hers towards the end of the break, but Kendra's I believe did not get started until Monday night.  I'm amazed they got up as easily this morning as they did. :) 

Yesterday was a day of mixed issues for me.  After I sent the kids off to school, I went back to bed until 10:30 AM.  Then I half-heartedly did some straightening up in the house.  When the kids got home, I took them out to dinner.  When we got back from there, I did a three mile walk and I did some crunches.  Calorie-wise, it was a bit high, but overall it was not a wash.  I liked doing the walking after dinner, if only because it made me feel as though I was not allowing the french fry calories to sit too long. :)

 

Weight: 222.1

Exercise goal of 3 miles walked and crunches achieved.

Total calories used: 1434

Breakfast: slim fast

Lunch: 2 eggs, 1/2 pita, 2 plums

Dinner: hamburger with lettuce and tomato, french fries

No snacks were taken in yesterday.   48 ounces of water consumed.

For reference purposes.. yesterday was the beginning of TOM.

 

My contract with myself

My name is:Estela
My current weight is:223.6
The plan I will be following is:1300 calories a day/ 50% carbs/ 25% fats/ 25% protein

My exercise program is as follows:  Monday, Wednesday and Friday: Walk Away The Pounds - 2 miles/ Power Half Hour (strength training- alternating upper and lower body)  Tuesday and Thursday: Walk Away the Pounds - 3 miles/ Slim Abs workout   Saturday and Sunday Walk Away the Pounds- 4 miles
I promise myself that I WILL NOT CHEAT AT ALL until I have reached 190 LBS
My mini goal(s) is/are: 10 lbs by February 1; 10 lbs by March 1; 8 lbs by April 1; 8 lbs by May 1;  8 lbs by June 1; 6 lbs by July 1; 6 lbs by August 1; 8 lbs by September 1; 8 lbs by October 1; 8 lbs by November 1; 8 lbs by December 1; 8 lbs by January 1, 2007


My GOAL WEIGHT is:Aproximately 132
I would like to get there by:January 1, 2007

The Holidays are Truly Over

It's 11:00 pm on Monday night. The kids are in bed and (hopefully) sleeping.  Tomorrow they go back to school and I get back to work on ...well.. lots of things.  I have to complete 5 quilts and I need to take down all the holiday decorations, plus generally straighten up the house.

Tomorrow is D-day for me.  Time to re-start the exercise and the diet.  Everything is in place, I have no excuses for this first week.  I am ready, and I am focused.

Setting Reasonable Goals

Part of my New Year's Resolutions is to set Reasonable Goals.  And more concrete ones.  So.. first of all... My three generic goals for 2006 are as follows.

1. Quit Smoking

2. Lose weight

3. Exercise more.

To put these in more concrete terms...  I am quitting cold turkey, and have in fact not had a cigarette in over 35 hours.  I am avoiding my main trigger (my next door neighbor) to smoking for just a bit longer and then I will be back to my normal visiting self.

As far as weight goes, I have an initial goal of losing 20lbs by March 15.  My hubby is due home sometime that week and I want to at least have the ball rolling by then.

For exercise, my goal is to exercise an hour each day at least 5 days a week.

Tomorrow is my starting day (Tuesday).  The kids go back to school in the morning and we can get back into our usual routine.