Dark day

Only because of the weather. It's actually dark and stormy. It's thundering and raining like crazy. The kitties were sitting by the sliding door watching for a while. They don't seem to mind the thunder much.

Hubby is off to his manly man camping trip and my son is helping friends in Denver move to another apartment, so I've had the house to myself. It's been very quiet around here! I did the Ultimate Abs ball workout and for those who asked, yes, this workout DOES make my abs sore, but I've been doing it long enough that it's not too bad anymore. Did some weight lifting, too. Will do the treadmill in a little while.

Better than birthday cake

It's called the Truffle Berry Brownie Trifle


I made this for my hubby's birthday. Kept forgetting to post the photo. For those of you new to my blog who may not know, I'm a chocolatier with Dove Chocolate Discoveries™, the direct sales division of Dove Chocolate. (You cannot yet order chocolate on my website, but we're hoping for that later this year.) It's the funnest job EVER. :-D And yes, I have lost quite a bit of weight since starting this job, so no, chocolate is not the enemy. You can find more yummy recipes at the Dove corporate website.

Today I dropped off my car to be serviced, then walked to a nearby Walmart. Tried out my new pedometer after spending 20 minutes trying to figure out how to set it up! It was about 3 miles of walking and over 6000 steps. Then I went to pick up my daughter and take her out to lunch. Since I got less than my normal 8-9 hours of sleep, I was totally wiped out when I got home, so I napped a lot this afternoon.

Motivation for exercise

From Denise Austin

Feel Great!

Make a Date to Motivate!

Excuses, excuses, excuses. It's easy to make excuses when it comes to exercising: You're tired, you're still sore from your workout the day before, or you have plans.

The thing is, working out should be a priority. And one way you can start incorporating fitness into your lifestyle is by scheduling the gym into your day. Hey, you carve out time for lunch with the gals, hair appointments, bank errands, and meetings with your boss. Why not carve out an hour in the name of health and wellness? After a while, sticking to a regular routine will be second nature!

Figure out what time of day is going to work for you. If you can get yourself out of bed to hit the gym in the wee hours, go for it! Can you leave the office at lunchtime for a midday brisk walk? If the mornings are too challenging for you or you can't slip out of the office during the day, join the legion of nine-to-fivers who work out at the end of the day. Plan to meet a friend at the park or sign up for a class at the gym so you won't be tempted to skip out on it.

Make workout "dates" with yourself or with a friend — before long, you'll see and feel the effects!

Sizzling Hot for Summer Challenge

Total loss for the challenge is 8 pounds. When I started, my digital scale said 188.6, but I couldn't get a photo of it, so I used my son's scale. It said 187. This morning, my digital scale said 179.6, so I thought "Woohoo! That should make it loss of 9lbs and the other scale should say 178. No dice. It also said 179. What the.......?
I'm thrilled that I've lost 8 pounds, though I personally will count it as 9. But for the challenge, the photo evidence is EIGHT. I figured out that if I hit save on the digital scale, I had time to get off, pick up the camera and get a photo of it. Grrrrr. Wish I'd have figured that out at the beginning! The body fat percentage said 37% with my first weigh in and I was pretty happy with that since it's the lowest it's been. Plus I've lost 3 inches over the challenge, so I consider it a success, though I know there are a couple of challengers who lost quite a bit more. Kudos to you gals! Not sure I'll have time to check in with everyone today. I have a chocolate party tonight and need to get ready. And another point, I made chocolate last night and did some sampling. I was a little surprised to be at an all time low this morning!!!! First time on the digital scale below 180.

My updated photo (I'm going to need to take these capris in, the hips are rather baggy. WOOT!)

HYC check in - 181.4

Have been doing a pretty good job of making healthy choices with my meals. Today I did weight lifting, the ultimate abs ball workout and took a 30 minute walk with hubby before the clouds opened up once again. It's been raining a lot lately, which is good, we need it, but the dandelions are taking over our yard. Ken bought some weed killer, but it's been too wet to apply it. :-P Will update after I weigh in the morning. Weight this morning (Tuesday) 181.4, took measurements and I've lost 3 inches in the past month, so that's cool.

This weekend was our pistol class. During the round robin where students get to shoot all KINDS of guns, I instructed on the 380 semiautomatic, hubby instructed on the 410 shotgun. So I shot that a few times. My shoulder hurts today, but it's not bruised, it's muscular, so I think I pulled a muscle, it wasn't an improper hold. No, really! ;-)

Memorial Day

This year is 20 years since my little sister's first husband was killed in the Army. She was only 21 and they'd been married less than 2 months. Many families are remembering loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. That is what this holiday is all about. Please remember and honor those brave ones.

And remember to honor and support those who are putting their lives on the line right now.

Sometimes instant access to news sucks!

From now on I need to stay off the internet if I want to watch a reality show and be surprised by the results. Dancing with the Stars last night, I brought up my yahoo mail and the headline shouted that Shawn Johnson won. Well, here in the Mountain Time Zone, the show WASN'T FINISHED YET! :-P I don't watch Idol, but the same thing happened tonight with that finale.

Weigh in for SH4FC

I'm up a pound this week. Not really surprised. I've eaten pretty well and did quite a bit of strength stuff, but slacked off on the cardio. I don't think that one sleeve of Ritz was responsible for a whole pound. ;-)

One more week on the challenge. I'll make the most of it.

Wow, I missed my Blogiversary. I started this blog on May 8th, 2007, so I've been at it for 2 years. I started getting healthier a couple years before that, but my weight loss was very slow. Definitely established healthier habits, though and that's the most important part.

Oh, and for my CD giveaway, I'm obviously a novice. I should have specified that it was for U.S. residents only. APO and FPO addresses are OK for military who are overseas. Sorry about that. I just didn't think about it. :-(

Read some good articles on Bonnie's site.
Setting Realistic Weight Loss Goals quote "Unfortunately, research shows that unrealistic expectations boost the risk of dropping out of a weight loss program. And though at least one study has found that dieters may temporarily eat less if their expectations are too high, that under eating may be replaced by overeating at the very next temptation.
Overall, experts concur, unrealistic weight loss objectives are not productive, and can trigger failure. The best way to go: smaller, realistic goals, says Janet Polivy, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, Canada."

The Weigh to Better Health - quote "To retain the health benefits, keeping the weight off is most important. It's best to lose weight slowly - no more than 2 pounds a week - and make permanent lifestyle changes, including regular exercise and a healthy diet.".

Very good info in both articles. Be sure to go read the whole articles!

Skinny Songs winners

OK, my son helped me do a random drawing with everyone's name (and two entries for some of you who also posted a link on your blog.) My son picked 3 numbers, not knowing which number was applied to whom. Very scientific process. ;-)

The winners are.........................

Little Miss Fatty Pants

Happy Skinny Girl

Sherre

Congratulations, ladies! Please email me with your mailing address so I can get the CD in the mail to you. JournalingYourHistory@yahoo.com

Workouts

Read an article in a Reader's Digest while waiting with my daughter for an app't this afternoon. It mentioned a study where one group of women walked or jogged 5 times a week. Another group replaced two of those workouts with strength training. Even though the ones who did strength training actually did 30% less cardio, they did 7% better on cardio endurance tests and lost 2% of their body fat. Those who did only cardio LOST NONE! (Emphasis mine.) There was some other info, but I can't remember the rest of what it said. Something about your muscles continuing to burn calories after the workout is done. Yadda yadda, we should all know that by now. I was tempted to tear out the page, but my conscience won that battle. ;-)

So when you hear again and again and again that you need to add strength training, not just do cardio every day, BELIEVE IT! And just DO IT!

Another week over

This week, I spent most of my time helping my daughter and organizing stuff here at our house as well. So I didn't get "official" exercise in, but was definitely active. Did the stairs multiple times here and at her apartment. And my back is definitely feeling the strain from lifting stuff. After helping carry in an armoir, one of hubby's friends said "Wow, strong woman. (My wife) never would be able to do that." :-D

OK, need an amendment here. It wasn't a huge, solid wood armoire. It's pressed board, so enough of the Hercules talk. LOL And I definitely count the moving stuff as valid activity. :-)

I've been doing pretty well with the food choices other than the full sleeve of Ritz crackers I ate after staying up waaaay too late one night. :-P

Uh-oh

After working hard all week helping my daughter get moved into her new apartment, she got laid off this morning! Yikes! Fortunately, she was really smart and has saved quite a bit of money since she started working. So she can probably do OK for 3 months or so. Starting Monday, she'll be spending several hours a day looking for a job. She has a couple of good leads, so she's going to spend time on her resume this weekend and we're still going to get furniture moved to her apartment. Poor kid. I know she'll get right back on her feet, though. She's a very sensible, mature young lady. But please say an extra prayer for her. Thanks!

And thanks to all of you for your kind comments on yesterday's post. :-D

Skinny Songs

Hey, I keep forgetting to mention this CD. Have you all heard about it? It's Skinny Songs by Heidi Rozen. Check out her website. She's also got some really cool shirts, one of which she sent me last year. She also sent me some extra copies of her CD with the motivational songs and so I want to spread the love. So comment here, and get an extra entry for linking to this post on your blog. I have 3 CDs to give away! I'll draw names on Wednesday, May 20th.

Since getting back on track on Feb 9th of this year, I've lost 20 pounds and this CD is almost always in my car's CD player when I'm out running errands. And I love wearing my "Incredible Shrinking Woman" t-shirt. :-D This picture is from last April. I gained 10 pounds after this photo later in the year, then lost it and another 10 since Feb.



Oh, yeah, and since I started at my highest weight, I have lost FIFTY POUNDS! Not sure how I missed that landmark!!!! :-D It's taken me about 4 years to lose that fifty. And I lost 20 just since Feb 9th when I started the Flat Belly Diet. I guess I finally found what really works for me!

Back in gear

Took the day off yesterday to let my muscles rest from hoisting boxes and multiple stair trips. A little bump up on the scale today, but I'm not going to fret about it. I was going to go do the treadmill but my kitty jumped up on my lap and is purring away. Can't resist those blue eyes!

From Denise Austin:
Feel Great!
Set a Nightly Teatime
There's nothing like a hot cup of tea to make you feel all warm and relaxed before turning in after a busy day. Not only is tea delicious, but routinely making a mug at night might help you unwind and sleep better — especially because some caffeine-free herbal teas, such as chamomile and peppermint, are said to help relieve insomnia. Here's a list of teas that might help you catch some extra z's!

* Chamomile: Besides being able to soothe the occasional upset stomach or bout of nausea, chamomile is also a calming sleep aid with no known side effects.
* Peppermint: Although it's associated more with relieving indigestion, peppermint tea is a relaxing before-bed treat.
* Jasmine: Known for its ability to help relieve headache pain, this soothing herbal supplement makes a fragrant and flavorful tea that's effective in promoting sleep in adults; it's considered mild enough to treat children's sleep disorders too.
* Sage: Said to be an effective sleep aid, sage may also help alleviate depression and certain nervous conditions that might keep you from getting a good night's sleep.

With so many types of teas, and flavors, to choose from, you'll really be able to make this a personal part of your nighttime ritual. Feeling relaxed and calm in the evenings — I'll drink to that!

Just call me.......SUPER BLOGGER! ;-)

I had two very sweet ladies award this to me, so I guess I'd better pass it on, eh? Thank you, Ro and Sassle. You are both awesome!!!


The Rules:
*Tape it up on your blog somewhere.
*Pass it along to 5 fellow super bloggers, and comment on their blog to let them know how lucky they are today!
*When you present your Super Blogger awards, link back to the super blogger who gave it to you.

Many of my favorites have already been tagged with this. Hopefully I can find a few who haven't already been awarded. There are many who leave encouraging words for me here. Wish I could list ALL of you.

Annette at Annette's Awakening always has a sunny outlook and it's evident that her family is her priority. Love the adorable photos she puts up of her family.

Bonnie at Seriously Too-Weight For It! is another bright and shining light on the blogosphere. She has been kicking butt by walking her hiney off.

Darci at My Road to Weight Loss does an awesome job of photo-journaling her healthy eating habits. She's also an Iowan, so has a special place in my heart. ;-)

Jessica at Pudget often posts very yummy recipes that are great on a tight budget. She has an evident joy for life.

Jen at Prior Fat Girl. Can't believe someone hasn't already tagged her. She's an inspiration to many of us, has lost about 100lbs and has a wonderful sense of humor.

Weigh in for Sizzlin' challenge - 179

179 current weight, down 2 from last week, 8 for the whole challenge.

Recipe for a BBQ Challenge

I just LOVE Greek food. Lived in Greece on the island of Crete for 18mos when I was in the Air Force. All the research says that the Greek diet is VERY healthy. So if you are going to a BBQ, take some Greek fare!

Greek Chopped Salad
4 c romaine lettuce, chopped into small pieces
2 c cubed cucumbers
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 c finely chopped red onion
18 pitted kalamata olives, sliced
1/4 c roasted red peppers, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp drained capers
Combine above ingredients and sprinkle with
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 210 calories, 8 g protein, 17 g carbohydrates, 12 g total fat, 17 mg cholesterol, 4 g dietary fiber, 759 mg sodium

Extra workout challenge - on Monday I did two 30 minute cardio sessions. Yesterday, I worked my butt off all day and made several trips up stairs moving my daughter out and moving her stuff into her apartment. Thankfully, she's staying close by for a while. :-D Still have some work to do around the house here, gathering things she needs, so I'll be checking in with everyone later on! Hope everyone had an awesome week!

I ADORE my kids!

They both have the funnest sense of humor. Today is moving day for my daughter, Kisa. (Wish I'd have put my pedometer on as soon as I got up. Made several trips to my car with boxes already. Probably did 1000 steps before I remembered the pedometer! I have it on now and have made a few trips down to the basement to get more boxes from her bedroom.) Anyhoo, back to my daughter's sense of humor. One box said "FRAGILE" then below that "(Not Italian)." ROFL! You'll only understand that if you've seen the movie "A Christmas Story" which is one of our favorite holiday movies. Then another box said "Mish Mashed Crap." She makes me laugh. :-D

Anyway, with the moving thing today, I'll be getting my cardio and strength training at the same time hoisting boxes! Kisa is probably at the apartment complex signing the lease and getting the keys right now. She worked this morning, so it's going to be a pretty long day for her. She gets up for work at 4am.

Oh, one other funny thing one of my cats did when I was exercising one day. I was in a plank position and dipping alternate hips to the floor and Nico, the big kitty, came and plopped down beside me and rolled onto his back. It was sooooo funny. Never have the video camera going when you really need it!

Well, back to work! Will have to put my husband's car in the garage and load it, too. He took his motorcycle to work today.

Thanks - to all of you

Just wanted to mention how wonderful you all have been and how very much it means to me. Reading your comments makes me smile and sometimes cry at how very sweet you are. So thanks a BUNCH.

Finally got back into the cardio routine today. Did the stationary bike for 30 minutes in the afternoon, then walked for 3o minutes with hubby when he got home. Need to try to remember to wear my pedometer. Will be getting in a lot of steps helping my daughter move this week. :-D

Oh yeah, also wanted to mention that you should have seen my cats watching me when I was doing the happy dance today. It was too funny.

Everybody dance now!

Today is another new low!!!!! 180.8 on the digital scale, 179 on the challenge scale. Figured I would get an updated photo as well. In medium leggings. Woohoo! Still a couple of bubbles in the belly, but that ultimate abs ball is definitely working on those!!!

A great email from Denise Austin
Simple Steps
Walk the Pounds Off!
Do you walk the recommended 10,000 steps a day? If not, it's a great health goal to strive for! Japanese researchers were the first to set that number of steps to take a day; it is also about equal to the U.S. government's recommended 30 minutes of daily physical activity. Taking 10,000 steps burns approximately 300 calories and, over time, has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and help with the maintenance of a healthy weight.

Does 10,000 steps sound like a lot? Don't worry! You don't have to walk all 10,000 at once — and they don't even have to come from what you normally think of as exercise. If you go grocery shopping and walk through the aisles for 45 minutes, you've walked 2,000 steps or so right there! It's easy and exciting to find new ways to rack up more steps!

Tracking your steps is easy with a simple device called a pedometer. Simple attach the pager-like piece to your waistband and let it count your steps for you. While there are expensive pedometers with lots of extra features — like a heart rate monitor and radio — you really only need an accurate one, which you can buy for about $10 to $15 at a sports or discount retail store.

Research has proven that people who wear pedometers walk more. The best way to start out is just to wear your pedometer for a few days as you go about your normal activities. This will give you a starting point — the number of steps you take in a typical day. If you're pretty far from 10,000 a day — say you take about 4,000 steps a day — set your first goal lower so it's more realistic to achieve. For example, aim for 5,000 steps a day for the coming week. As you hit your goals, keep setting them a bit higher until you're getting in the recommended 10,000 a day. You'll be surprised at how many steps you can accumulate just doing your daily activities. Don't be surprised to get more and more motivated to move once you see your number of steps rise! Now, who's ready to go for a walk with me?

Rough week

Glad Mother's Day is over. It's been hard, seeing all the displays in stores and hearing the radio and TV adverts.

We went out to eat twice on Saturday to celebrate our daughter's last weekend at home with us. She gets the keys to her new apartment on Tuesday! For lunch, I had a California Fritatta at Rosie's Diner. We had a late dinner at Chili's. I ordered the half-size chicken quesadillas with a side salad. Rather bland meal, I must say. Just ate half of the quesadillas. Also drank a frozen strawberry margarita.

Had mini-meals today. Didn't want to go out anywhere, so we stayed at home. Hubby and the kids got me a beautiful cross necklace. They seemed to understand my need to lay low today.

I've done the ultimate abs workout every day this weekend, but no cardio.

Weigh in for Sizzling Hot 4 Summer Challenge

Maintaining the 181 weight from Monday. So down 6 pounds for the challenge. I'll take it! :-)

My abs are killing me from that ultimate abs ball workout! We did an hour of intermediate waltz last night and I was feeling every one of those muscles!

Here's a message from Denise Austin:
Put Your Thirst First!
Who doesn't love sugary drinks? I definitely do! Soft drinks, sweetened coffee drinks, and some fruit juices might not seem like much when you're drinking them, but they can add hundreds of calories to your diet — and your waistline! The diet versions are a little better, but only a little. They're still crammed with sodium and chemicals. Their sweet taste can even trigger cravings for other sweets!

Remember that you can have a can of soda or your favorite latte! Just be sure to consider these drinks as treats and not an everyday part of your eating plan. To quench your thirst, try herbal tea, seltzer flavored with lemon or lime, or the most sensible drink of all — refreshing water!

NEW LOW!!!! WOOT! - 182.2

Today's weight, 182.2 on digital, 181 on challenge scale. Woohoo. (Oh, by the way, this is with my period starting today!!!!)

Did all 3 Ultimate abs workouts this morning. Wow! I sure can feel it.

For photos of our ballroom dancing and of family, check out my family blog.

Updated photo

Here's a photo my aunt took of me. Like my size 12 capris??? :-)

Looking ahead

I liked this list on Mrs. Sheila's blog, so figured I would make my own plan for May.

What are your goals for the month of May?
I would love to lose 10 more pounds by the end of the challenge. Will do cardio six days a week and strength training 3x a week. Must have one day of rest.

How do you plan to accomplish these goals?
Getting it done first thing when I get up. Sometimes my walk will be with hubby after he gets off work, though.

If you had problems in April, what will you do differently this month to ensure that nothing gets in your way and that your goals are met?
Well, a death in the family is an unexpected and unavoidable stress-maker with traveling and lots of comfort food available. I did pretty well even during that period, but will keep active to let the exercise decrease the stress.

What did you learn about yourself in April that will help you reach your goals this month?
I am able to keep up my healthy habits even under great stress, but am realistic enough to know that it's OK to have an occasional treat or a meal that is not completely on track with my 400 calories per meal.

What a week!

It's been an INSANE week. Had to scramble to get the gauze overlay skirts made for our waltz by Thursday evening. Not my best sewing projects, but they looked OK when we performed last night. Then my hubby's 50th bday party was Friday night and since Safeway had no fun designs for cakes, I made a yummy trifle with my Dove Chocolate mousse and Truffle Fudge brownies. SOOOOO good. I took a pic, I'll post it later. It was a fun party, his friends got him all kinds of gag gifts for "old-timers!"

Then I had to get my skirt done on Saturday and decided to find an elastic belt to sew the gauze to instead of making a waistband, which was a total pain on one of the others I made. I was also supposed to shorten my dress by 7 inches, but there was so much material, and just not conducive to making a hem. Total nightmare. Decided my dress would just be longer than the others! Couldn't find a good applique, so I got a black and silver boa to put around the neckline of my dress. I sewed that on while in the car on the way to the dance! Went to put it on and I hadn't stretched the neckline enough, so the thread snapped. Sigh. Such a stressful day. My daughter helped me pin the boa at the shoulder and I looked fabulous! ;-)

After my weight being up all week, it's back to 183 this morning. Whew, that's much better. I figured it would sort out after the traveling, stress, etc. I'd like to lose at least another pound by check in days this week, so I'll get busy with my workouts again. I had to give myself a break this past week. Oh, and Thursday night my hubby and I went to Carrabba's for dinner. I had a salad with grilled chicken, but splurged on the drink, getting a pomegranate martini. Oh, my! It was quite yummy. Had a mini tiramisu for dessert, too.

I'm pretty sure all of our dancing last night burned off the calories of a few days! :-) We had such a good time and really enjoyed our waltz routine with the 3 other couples. We video taped it and if I can ever figure out how to upload our videos, I'll post it on YouTube. Haven't viewed it yet, so don't know how well it turned out. OH, and our 21yo daughter did a tango and she and her partner were FABULOUS! We are quite proud!