How I got exercise last night . . .

Does jumping around for 2 hours screaming your head off in a hot fieldhouse count as exercise??

I think so.(American Idols Concert Tour, Indianapolis, Photo by IzzyBeth, 2008)

And totally worth it.

But my vocal cords aren't feeling too healthy . . .


. . . again, don't care!

Happy Wednesday!!!

What I eat on a 'normal' day . . .

. . . like there is any such thing as normal anymore.

Yesterday Susan at Catapult Fitness asked me what I was eating for breakfast. So I thought I'd give a run down of what I eat on a 'normal' day and see if you all have any better suggestions for me.

On weekdays, I almost always eat a Chocolate & Oats Fiber One Bar and one other thing for breakfast. Sometimes it is a Weight Watchers Chocolate Muffin, sometimes it is a piece of string cheese, sometimes it is a handful of almonds.

I try and drink at least 4 bottles of water a day.

For lunch - it's either Chicken Fajitas, a Roasted Chicken Sub, or a Weight Watchers or South Beach Diet Frozen Meal.

In the afternoon - I usually get the munchies and either eat raw veggies, fruit, string cheese, or almonds.

Many times, dinner is a salad with chicken on it. Also - there are a lot of times where I don't get to eat very much GREEN until dinner time.

I try and mix it up every now and then - but I'm still having "issues" and I'm not losing any weight.

I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

But I know that what I eat affects how my family views food - so at least one of us has the right idea . . .



Happy Saturday!

Still plugging along . . .

Plug pun not intended - but still funny . . . (and unfortunately true).

I got up early this morning and walked for 30 minutes before getting ready and going to work. It did help my energy level - but I'm crashing now! :-)

I've been doing well with breakfast and dinner eating - but lunch is the worst time of day for me right now. We're in the midst of a big project at work and by noon I am READY to get out and take a break - and unfortunately there are not a lot of healthy choices close by. I know I do better when I bring my lunch - but sometimes I just have no willpower to stay at the office and eat.

The next few months are going to be extremely busy - so maybe I'll be too busy to eat . . . HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Yeah, SURE. Like that would EVER happen.

What do you do to curb snacking at work? I've tried to stock our breakroom with healthy snacks and plenty of bottled water. It helps - as long as we don't eat too much. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Happy Thursday (even though it's almost over!)

Yes I am alive . . . but frustrated

I am still doing well with my eating. However last Friday when I weighed in, the scale said I had gained 5 pounds in a week. For some reason, my body is refusing to get out of the 190s. And my body's ummm 'pipes' shall we say are NOT WORKING CORRECTLY! (my frustration should explain that clearly)

On top of that, I've felt yucky all week - tired all the time. I probably need to get to the doctor and make sure all is well - but I've been so busy with work and home stuff - I just haven't had time. I know - excuses, excuses.

So I'm here - baring my soul and asking your advice . . .

What do you do regarding eating and fitness when you are "under the weather"?

Do you have digestive issues in your weight loss journey? Any advice??

Any thoughts on how to get out of that plateau stage??

I hope all of you are doing well and I'll try to better at updating. I know it helps my mindset to have all of your thoughts and support.

Thanks.

Happy Wednesday!

I have not abandoned my path

I have just been too busy to post about it!!

I hope to get caught up tomorrow.

Happy Friday everyone!

Walk the walk

Well, I will admit to all of you that I have been doing a great job of walking every day for at least 30 minutes (usually 60).

However, I have seriously slacked off on the Wii Fit and Push-Up front. I think the reason that I am doing well with walking is that my best buddy (since we were in diapers) now lives down the street from me and we motivate each other to walk.

One downfall of the Wii Fit is that it is kind of a solitary activity. Although others can do the exercises WITH you - it only records 'points' for the person using the Balance Board. It would be good in the next iteration, if they include a way to exercise TOGETHER. BUT - that is only an excuse. I need to get back in the groove. I love using it - I just have to motivate myself to get STARTED.

As for the push-ups - every day I say "We need to do our push-ups" and Hunkahubby growls at me and then I give in and forget about it. ::sighs::

SO . . . this week - my goal is to do the Wii Fit at least 3 times - and to FINALLY FINISH WEEK ONE of the Hundred Push Up Challenge. (And also to keep walking and tracking my food, which I've been doing pretty well at.)

What are you doing to walk the walk and get motivated?

"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be." - David Viscott

Get Funky!

It's Monday. And like Garfield, I hate Mondays. Especially after a 4-day weekend.

So - I've decided to throw caution to the wind and GET FUNKY!

My friend Kristen (my weight loss inspiration) told me about these snacks several months ago and I finally ordered some off of Amazon.

What exactly am I talking about?

FUNKY MONKEY SNACKS!!


And they are awesome. I am not a dried fruit person, but I love these. My kids love them too! They are 100% real fruit, all natural, freeze dried fruit. And they are CRUNCHY!

They have several flavors: Bananamon (shown) - banana with cinnamon, Jivealime - Pineapple with lime juice, Purple Funk - banana with acai, and Carnaval Mix - banana, pineapple, apple, papaya, and raisins. I've tried all but the Carnaval Mix and haven't found one I don't like yet. But I do have to admit, that the Bananamon is my favorite. And there are 110-120 calories per bag!

And I've just discovered that they have these at Kroger! Woohoo!!

So, on this Monday - I challenge you to GET FUNKY! Get up and dance, fidget in your chair, or go out and find some Funky Monkey Snacks. I promise it will help you get over the Monday blues. :-)

Happy 4th - and Happy Loss!!

Happy Independence Day! Me? I'm looking forward to a continued life where I am NOT a slave to food. :-)

I weighed in. And I finally lost more than point something or other. I lost 2.8 pounds! This is awesome, because I've been at a stand still for an entire month. And I'm finally BELOW the 190s!!! I've lost a total of 28.2 pounds! (And I think I'm nearing the goal of weighing less than my husband . . .)

Here are my weights so far . . .

(image from http://www.weightwatchers.com)

What did I do differently? I stopped 'relaxing' my habits and got back down to business. I drank my water, I tracked my food, and I tried to get some sort of exercise every day. And obviously - it worked.

I am determined to be more vigilant, and not so relaxed with my habits so I can continue to go down and lose that next 25 lbs. I am declaring my independence from the emotional eating fat person within me! :-)

Have an awesome holiday everyone!!!

Progress and FOOD FIND!

I'm still plugging along. Still tracking my food and drinking my water.

Did Week One, Day One of the Push-Up Challenge. Managed to eek out 38 pushups! I was surprised. Hunkahubby did them with me, under MUCH duress.

I then decided to do about 100 crunches while I was in the zone. :-)

Also - I ordered some different healthy foods that I've been reading about and will post about each of them as they arrive and I've tried them.

My new favorite thing???? POPCHIPS!

If you haven't tried these . . . you NEED TO. I don't think anyone around my area has them yet . . . but THEY NEED TO get them. I bought mine from Amazon and got a box of different varieties. So far, I've tried the Parmesan Garlic (my favorite, but Hunkahubby likes them so much he won't share) and the Barbecue. BOTH are awesome.

What is the coolest thing about these chips? They are healthier than regular chips. They aren't fried and they aren't baked. They are 'popped' by some 'snack magic'. They are all natural. And honestly - I think they taste better than any other kind of chip I've ever had. Seriously.

The nutritional information isn't bad either - for the Parmesan Garlic chips (and you get 20 chips per serving!) - 120 calories, 4 g of fat (no saturated fat), 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein. WOOHOO!!!

I have 12 bags, but I might need to get some more and hand them out as gifts! Yay for the PopChips!!!

Have a great Wednesday!

So far this week . . . doing better . . .

I have been tracking my food (since Sunday). And last night, I walked for an hour around the neighborhood. Tonight, Hunkahubby and I have plans to do PUSH-UPS. Woohoo!!

I've also been drinking a TON of water (and subsequently, visiting the bathroom more often).

All in all, I believe I'm getting back on track - and I'm ready to get off this plateau I've been stuck at (through much fault of my own.)

And because we all know another HOLIDAY is fast approaching, here are some tips from The Fit Shack, on how to avoid Holiday Weight Gain.

Happy Tuesday!