May Results

Three more pounds.

It's not the 10 I was hoping for, but maybe that was a little unrealistic.

Losing three is better than gaining one, so I guess I'm happy with my results in this month's competition.

Hopefully June will prove to be a very "healthy" month. With a weekend in Chicago for just the two of us and a NASCAR race thrown in there I have my doubts.

Only time will tell.

Fitness Freebie

If you are bored with your current workout or not getting the results you would like, you might want to try a killer workout put together by Jillian Michaels, the big bully trainer in a 100 pound body on "The Biggest Loser". You can get a free one week trial of her fitness program.

All you have to do is go to her website http://www.jillianmichaels.com/ and sign up for the FREE Weight Loss Plan. You'll have to fill out a short survey with some personal information. When you get to the end of the process you will find out that the 3 little paragraphs telling you to eat less and workout more were your "FREE Weight Loss Plan", and then you will be asked to provide your credit card number and pay $4 per week in order to get the customized workouts, etc. Don't do it. Just leave the site. In about 2 days you will get an email offering you a free one week trial of the complete program.....and this time it really is free.

When you start your free trial you will have to enter your payment info but you will not be charged until your free week is over. As long as you cancel before your week is up you are free and clear. On the program you will receive access to a weight tracker, customized circuit training workouts for 7 full days and menus and meal plans. You can also get a preview of "next week's workout". So you actually get 2 full weeks of workouts for free.

The biggest advantage to the site is a section called "The Moves". This section has detailed descriptions of every exercise that Jillian recommends. It also has pictures of Jillian doing every move. All of this is printable. I went through and printed off a picture of Jillian doing every single move (close to 50 different exercises). Now when my two weeks of workouts are up I can create my own new ones using other moves from Jillian's database. I've already introduced some of the ab moves to my TurboKick class and they really liked them.

These are great workouts, but I'll warn you....they are tough. I'm only on level two (out of three) and I'm supposed to be doing 3 sets of 15 push ups where you push yourself up so high that you can clap your hands together before you come back down. Yeah, right. I'm not a Navy SEAL. I just do plain push ups and consider that good enough. If you haven't been working out regularly you will definitely want to go with level one.

My original plan was to add the Jillian workouts on to my 2 mile run days. No way! Those workouts are enough in themselves. So now I have an alternative to running on the days I don't do TurboKick. I'll let you know how it goes on June 1st.

Month Two

Well it's May 1st which means it is weigh-in day for our local Biggest Loser competition. Last month I lost 9 lbs so I was looking for equal or better results this month.

Wrong.

This month I lost a grand total of .............................2 pounds.
T-W-O. 2, as in almost 1.

Ridiculous! I followed the same routine as last month almost exactly. I'm still working out 6 days a week, sometimes 7. I'm still eating based on the same Weight Watchers guidelines as I used before. The only difference I can see is that I didn't consistently drink my 64 oz. of water everyday like I did last month. Could that really be 7 pounds worth of weight? Maybe.

I'm also at that magic number where my body thinks it belongs. Every time I hit this point with my weight my body stops. It never wants to go any lower than it is right now. I have no idea why. There is still plenty of room for improvement. I'm still 15 pounds from my goal. I have a feeling if I can just get over this hump I'll be home free.

Oh well. This is a new month. I'm having pork burgers on homemade whole wheat buns, bean bake and carmelitas with my family tonight and then back on the band wagon. I'm going to try shaking up my routine a little bit and hitting the water hard.

My goals for May are:

1. Lose 10 pounds.
2. Drink a minimum of 64 oz. of water per day.
3. TurboKick 3 days a week.
4. Jogging 2 miles 3 days a week.
5. Walking 3 miles 2 days a week.
6. Add Jillian Michaels workouts 2 days a week. (*new*)
7. Add weight lifting routine 2 days a week. (*new*)

We'll see what happens.

I'm a Loser

Well, the results are finally in!

Drumroll please......................................................

I came in 4th in our local Biggest Loser contest.

I lost 5.32 % of my body weight between March 1st and April 1st, but that wasn't enough to bring home the prize

Did I mention that the prize was $90. Yeah, $90. You can see why I was motivated enough to lose 9 pounds in one month.

I was defeated by a guy that lost 20 pounds (6.79%), a woman that lost 6.56%, and another woman that lost 6.07%. All in all I felt like I did pretty well and was pretty proud of my effort.

So, how did I do it?

WORKOUTS:

Monday: Jog 2 miles or do TurboKick routine

Tuesday: Jog 2 miles, Walk 2 miles while watching the real Biggest Loser

Wednesday: Bootcamp (a special kind of aerobic and strength training torture)

Thursday: TurboKick routine

Friday: Jog 2 miles

Saturday: TurboKick

Sunday: Jog 2 miles, if possible

FOOD: I stick to the Weight Watchers point system. Here are some of my typical menu choices.

Breakfast: The key with breakfast is to get that fiber in there. I read that the ideal breakfast would be eggs, whole wheat toast and canteloupe. I don't have time to do eggs in the morning and canteloupe isn't in season around here so I make do with what I can get.

High Fiber Cereal

Mini Whole Wheat Bagel with Peanut Butter

Fiber One Bar and Banana

Homemade Granola Bar and Apple

Lunch: I need to eat something that will fill me up throughout the long afternoon hours when I have most of my free time (nap time, ya know). Making sure I have lots of protein and fiber really helps. If I have only a salad I won't make it. If I add grilled chicken to the salad or have a fruit with some peanut butter or some high fiber crackers with the salad I can make it a lot longer.

Salad and Apple with Peanut Butter

Two Fried Eggs and Banana

Turkey Sandwich on Whole Wheat, Mini Rice Cakes, Raw Veggies

Supper: Really, for supper I don't always make a super healthy meal, but whatever I make I eat very small portions. It's ok to have Tuna Helper ocasionally (especially when it is on sale for $1 a box), but I only eat 1 cup of it. If the kids want pizza I make my own whole wheat crust and then I can control the toppings too.

Grilled Chicken Breast, Green Beans, Quinoa

Black Beans and Rice

Chicken Stir Fry over Brown Rice

Baked Tilapia, Peas and Couscous

Snacks: The key here is to eat only the recommended portion size. I eat 17 All Bran crackers. Never more. That way I know exactly how many points (calories, fiber and fat) I'm consuming.

All Bran Crackers

Raw Veggies

Apple or Banana with Peanut Butter

Rice Cakes

Dry Cereal

String Cheese

Grapes

The Secret Weapon: WATER!!

I drink at least, a minimum of 64 oz. per day. When I'm working out really hard and it's hot, even more. Yes, I am in the bathroom all the time, but every time I go I just imagine all of the fat just flowing out of my body with no effort from me at all. I know that isn't an accurate picture of what is going on biologically but it helps me not get frustrated with my constant trips to the restroom.

Big Tip #1: WEIGH YOURSELF EVERYDAY

Do not wait until the end of the week to weigh yourself. If you weigh yourself every morning as soon as you get up you will be able to tell how successful you were the day before. If you wait until the end of the week you won't know which day, which meal, which event set you back. If you get up one morning and suddenly weigh one pound more than you did yesterday then you'll know not to eat the same things or step up the exercise or whatever today.

Big Tip #2: STAY AWAY FROM PROCESSED FOOD

Making "Hamburger Helper" on your own isn't as healthy as having grilled fish and baked squash but it is still twice as healthy as eating the stuff that comes out of the box. Use whole ingredients so that you know exactly what is in your meal. Keep the chemicals and preservatives out of your body.

Whatever you decide to do stick with it and get a group together to keep you accountable (and/or provide you with some prize money). My husband also joined the challenge and he came in 8th out of 18 participants. We are looking forward to bringing home the prize this month!!

That's what is working for me this Wednesday. For more tips head over to We are THAT Family.

Drinking Problems

Yahoo had an article the other day about how many calories americans consume through a straw.

Lattes, cappuccinos, milk shakes, smoothies and even vitamin waters and juices are chocked full of sugar and calories. My personal favorite, Chai, is pretty bad too.

But what is the most unhealthy drink in America?

The Heath Bar Milk Shake at Baskin Robbins. (Doesn't that sound good, though?)

2,310 calories

266 g sugar

108 g fat (64 g saturated)

According to Yahoo:

The 32 ounce taste explosion contains 66 teaspoons of sugar.

You would have to eat 11 Heath Bars to equal the number of calories found in one shake.

You would have to run for 240 minutes on a treadmill to burn it off.

I think I'll pass.

Weight Loss Skills

"People haven't changed in the past 100 years, but our environment sure has
and the reason we're gaining weight so quickly now is that since weight gain is
the default, that means by definition maintenance of a healthy body weight in
our current environment has actually become a skill. "

How true! Eating a balanced diet and healthy portions is completely counter-cultural. Losing weight and/or maintaining a healthy weight is most definitely a skill that you have to master. You have to finagle your way through grocery stores and restaurants with all the prowess of a tight rope walker to avoid falling into the numerous big calorie, big fat nets that are all around you.

Don't believe me? Just ask yourself.

• What do children eat at school from age 5 to 18? (Processed foods.)
• How does the size of a small soda today compare to the same order at any fast food restaurant 10 years ago? (Double the size, if small is even an option at the chain you frequent)
• Which is cheaper to buy at your grocery store: a box of Hamburger Helper or whole wheat pasta, chicken breast and peas? (The highly processed, high fat, high calorie, high sodium Hamburger Helper, of course)
• How big is the average nice restaurant salad? (Enough for 3 good meals.)

There is almost nowhere you can go (except maybe your own home) where you can choose foods and eat them without weight gain repercussions. You have to read labels and pay more and ask for things to be specially made. The dressing has to be on the side. The fat has to be trimmed. The two extra portions on your plate have to be put in doggie bags for later.

It's a skill people, and it takes practice. Just like any skill. And the learning process isn't very fun sometimes.

"And just like other skills (martial arts for instance), just because your
minds' eye might know what it looks like to do a jumping, spinning hook kick, it
doesn't mean you can simply jump up and do one. To extrapolate a martial arts
analogy to healthy weight think of it this way: Just because your minds' eye
might know what a healthy lifestyle looks like, to expect yourself, without
instruction, to be able to simply jump up and happily live with one is often too
much to ask (people do it unhappily all the time - that's called dieting)."

So fight the good fight. Keep up the hard work. Never give up...and a lot of other cliches about staying with even when the going gets tough. You're riding without training wheels. You're diving off of the high board. You're clipping a newborn baby's finger nails. It is scary and tough and sometimes you cry, but it is worth it and the benefits are endless.

The preceeding is quoted from Dr. Yoni Freedhoff's blog Weighty Matters. Click here to read the whole article.

Thank Goodness I'm Not Japanese

Well Weighty Matters has shocked me again.

Guess what? Japan is enforcing mandatory "flab checks" on all employees!!!

If an employee doesn't fall within the excepted range they will be put on a diet and exercise regimen and in some cases....fired!

Another good reason to be thankful to live in America where you can be as fat as you want...uh, maybe not.

Click here to read the whole post.

How to Use a Scale

I read a blog called Weighty Matters every day. It is written by a canadian Obesity Physician.


He comments about stupid laws (like the fact that it was recently ruled to be against her human rights to force a McDonald's employee to wash her hands after using the bathroom...luckily this was in British Columbia), portion control (read the label people!), fast food (evil, evil, evil), and his medical practice.


Recently he had a great post about how to use a scale. He gives really good advice about the use of a scale during weight loss and what it means and doesn't mean and how to take it all in. It is well worth the short read.


He also says this about dieting: "the best you can enjoy, not the best you can tolerate, is truly the best you can do sustainably."


That is something I definitely need to remember.

The End of Detox Week

Detox week ended in, well, tox. It was awful. Let's just say there was a Whopper and Little Caesar's Cheesy Bread involved. I haven't exercised since Thursday and I've had two glasses of soda and no water for 3 days. Ah...the best laid plans.

Anyway, things got really hectic and crazy around here Friday afternoon and Saturday and Sunday weren't any better. My house is a complete disaster, I've got one family member with stitches and one with a golf ball sized lump on his head. I've been making comfort food for all of us and I had to bring home leftovers from a bake sale at church yesterday. Yikes!

So, let's try this again. The bake sale goodies are going in the trash. Immediately. I'm going to the grocery store today so I will be able to stock up on some healthy food. I've got TurboKick scheduled for 3 days this week and I'm finally going to get some batteries for that digital scale I bought last week and never used.

Take Two!!

Detox Day Four

I'm weakening. Help!!

68 ounces of water---check

TurboKick Class (Body Sculpt--turbo kicked up a notch)---check

Weight Lifting (too weak to lift my legs let alone any weights after Body Sculpt)----nope

Menu:

• Breakfast: oatmeal and hot tea
• Lunch: turkey sandwich and Ritz baked chips
• Supper: Eggplant Parmesan and side salad
• Evening snack: Cappuccino

My husband loves to try new recipes so he has been dying to try Eggplant Parmesan. While I was gone to the chiropractor and TurboKick class (Dr. C doesn't really know about my workouts...shhhhhh!) he put on his TIVO'd "Throwdown with Bobby Flay".

Bobby challenged the champion of Eggplant Parmesan makers and lost....but in the meantime inspired my husband to try the dish himself. So Brian had our 8 year old stand in the living room and watch the program while yelling the instructions into the kitchen.

This may sound like a total disaster but it was absolutely delicious...very unhealthy (11 WW points, yikes!) but really delicious. I also got the added bonus of my kids telling me all kinds of tips from Bobby Flay (like how to slice an eggplant, etc.) while we ate the masterpiece.

So not the best detox day...but definitely not the worst. Four days down...3 to go.

Shameless Plug

We've found a product that we really like that I thought I'd share with you all.

Sam's Choice Southwest Black Bean and White Corn Salsa

We used to buy the Black Bean and Corn Salsa from Tastefully Simple. It is really delicious but just too expensive to keep on hand. This stuff from Wal-Mart is just as good.

And it's good for you!

A 2 tablespoon serving only has 20 calories, 1 gram of fiber and 0 fat. That is ZERO points for a serving. Can't get better than that.

Detox Day Three

68 ounces of water---check, plus a little extra

TurboKick class---check

Weight Lifting----nope (too exhausted)

Menu:

• Breakfast: hot tea
• Lunch: turkey sandwich and free sample of the new Cheerios snack mix (very good actually)
• Supper: bowl of Turkey, Corn and Lima Bean stew
• Evening Snack: handful of peanuts and more hot tea

I've never looked forward to TurboKick so much in my life. Running two miles is for the birds.

Three days down...4 to go.

Detox Day Two

68 ounces of water---check

2 miles on treadmill---check

Weight Lifting---check

Menu

• Breakfast: hot tea and chocolate bread pudding (I know, I know but I can't stand to see it go to waste.)
• Lunch: turkey sandwich, corn chips and carrot sticks
• Afternoon Snack: chai tea
• Supper: 1/2 of a Turkey Quesadilla

Bonus Points: I should get bonus points for sitting between my sons and reading them stories while they passed the Trefoil (Girl Scout Cookies) back and forth across my lap. I only ate one!

Two days down....5 to go.

Detox Day One

68 ounces of water---check

2 miles on treadmill---check

Weight lifting---check

Menu:

• Breakfast: banana and hot tea sweetened with Splenda
• Lunch: salad and corn chips
• Afternoon Snack: 1/2 apple with peanut butter
• Supper: Baked turkey breast, baked potato, lima beans

One day down....6 to go.

Detox Week!

After two weeks of big family dinners, several restaurant meals, and piles of Easter candy it is time for what my chiropractor, and resident nutritionist (it's an odd relationship), calls 'detox week'. Detoxing is ridding the body of all of the junk you've put into it. I'm sure there is a complicated process for doing it correctly, but for me it just means little or no carbs and lots of water. I always find that if I don't eat any breads or sweets I don't want any breads or sweets. But once I start eating them again then that is all I want. So for this entire week I am saying no to sugar and yes to 68 ounces of water a day!!

I have also decided to break up my work out routine. I've been doing the same thing (TurboKick) for 6 months now and I think my body is used to it. I have toned up a lot but I haven't really lost much weight...I haven't put on any weight either though. So I'm going to run 2 miles every day that I don't do my Turbo workout. I also want to add in some free weights, especially for my arms. That means that 3 days a week I will do Turbo and 3 days a week I will run. I will lift weights every day. Sunday is a day of rest, after all. We'll see how that goes.

I bought a digital scale today to chart my progress. I'm tired of squinting at my old dial scale to see if it looks 1/2 a pound lighter than it did last week. I'm over halfway to my weight loss goal but I've still got 20 pounds I would like to loose and I'm tired of waiting for it to just fall off. It is time to take action!

In the spirit of weight loss and healthy eating, and to make my blog more interesting, I am going to include a Weight Watchers recipe. This is one of our favorites. It is really sweet and delicious and healthy. Sometimes we add pulled chicken or beef, but most of the time we just use it as a vegetarian meal. Enjoy!

Cuban Black Beans and Rice (Makes 4 servings, 7 points per serving)

1/2 cup uncooked rice (white or brown)
1 T. olive oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 T. vinegar
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. hot sauce
2 (15.5 oz.) cans black beans, drained
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet. Cook peppers, onion, garlic until softened, about 5 mins. Stir in tomatoes, vinegar, cumin, coriander, oregano, and pepper sauce; cook 2 mins. Add the beans, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until thickened, about 10 mins. Season with pepper and serve over rice.

My pants are falling off!

It has probably been approximately 20 years since I was last afraid that my pants might fall down in public. But, actually that would have been the 80's and everyone's pants were plenty tight enough back then to relieve any of those fears. So I guess I have actually never worried about losing my britches until last night. I was wearing my fat jeans, also consequently the most comfortable pair I own, while directing a rehearsal for our Christmas musical. I had my cell phone in one pocket and the battery pack for my wireless mic (so I can yell at the cast when they miss a line or an entrance :)) in the other. I was seriously wising I had a belt! I had to keep one hand on the belt loops at all times as I walked around putting out fires, not literally thankfully, on the set. This may seem like no big deal to most of you but to someone (me) who has been fat for the last 7 years it is a very big deal. Four months ago I was just happy if I could get that same pair of pants fastened.

I started Weight Watchers in October. (Well, let me be truthful. I went to three meetings under a no registration fee promotion, got all of the information and tools, and then haven't been back since.) Over the last 3 months I have lost 18 pounds. I'm still not down to my pre-three-kids weight and I still have 34 pounds to go to hit my goal weight, which also happens to be my high school graduation weight, but it is a start. I never thought it would go so quickly or so easily. I still have really bad days and weeks when I only lose 1/2 a pound instead of the standard 2 or 3 pounds a week but overall it is going great. I was really worried about what two days of Thanksgiving feasting would do to me, but I ended up losing 3 pounds that week in spite of the holiday. I feel like I have really accomplished something. Something I never thought I would be able to do.

So I did a little test when I got home last night. I left my jeans buttoned and zipped and pulled them right off, no problem! I know I have never done that. Then I got out an old pair of jeans and tried them on. I've been terrified to do that so far, but last night I found the courage to give it a shot. Sure enough they buttoned right up. Hooray! I guess all of the salad and rice cakes and water (ugh!) has been worth it. My goal is to lose 8 more pounds before Christmas. That way when family and friends that I haven't seen in several months see me again it will be a big old 26 pound shock!