The Path to Health

A review of past posts

2012-01-25T22:55:00.000-08:00

Looking back over my journey, I realized how very little blogging I did in 2011. I guess it all started when I started having so many health issues with low blood pressure and high heart rate back in late 2009. Saw a cardiologist, who was an arrogant a** that ridiculed anything naturopathic or chiro related, so after following his advice for a while and seeing no improvement, I went off the meds he'd prescribed. One was a beta blocker that people take who have high blood pressure, but mine was too LOW, and the other was basically caffeine, which makes no sense to me when my heart rate was too HIGH! Huh?? I went to a naturopath and got tested for nutritional deficiencies and started taking the supplements he recommended and have finally seen improvement! So I'm sticking with that regimen for now! Still having some dizziness once in a while, but taking it slow usually helps. Funny thing is, the naturopath said the same thing as the cardiologist when it came to sodium! They both said - you need to add salt to everything! And when I get dizzy, I put some sea salt in my water or eat something salty. AND, since taking the supplements, I haven't had to get any cysts aspirated in my breasts! So I've definitely seen improvement with some of my long-running problems. So for anyone who was with me way back then, that's the long story made very short. :-D

Healthy You Check In - 183.4

2012-01-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

Down 2.8lbs this week. Had four days of activity last week, much better than zero the week before! :-) Started the week out well with 30 minutes on the treadmill yesterday. Unfortunately, after the move, the display isn't working. It turns on, but just says zero so doesn't track time or speed. :-P

Going back to the Broadmoor

2012-01-21T23:13:00.000-08:00

Can't wait to go back to Colorado and celebrate my birthday at The Broadmoor! If you are wondering why I love it so much, check out THIS post from September 2009! Or THIS one from the family blog, and this one from this blog from our New Year's celebration there Dec 2009. :-)

Interesting day

2012-01-18T19:08:00.000-08:00

Did 20 minutes on my stationary bike (with a kitty climbing my chest and nuzzling my neck the whole time.) Then drew a hot bath. Read for 20-30min in bath, when I got out I felt a little light-headed, checked my heart rate and it was up to 180. BP had also tanked. Whoa. Took it slow, put some salt in my water bottle, went to my chiro app't. Talked with him about my dizzy spell on Sunday (and this morning) and he said the high cedar levels affect some people that way. So I'm wondering if that's the issue. He also said the same thing my naturopath says about adrendals with the low bp and high heart rate. After a great adjustment, went to get a 90min massage. Feeling good! :-D

Checkin' in - 186.2

2012-01-17T10:28:00.000-08:00

It's been a weird week. Weight was all over the place. Doin' the perimenopause thing. Had a couple of cycles that were 2 months apart, then 3 weeks after the last one, got it again. (So fun PMSing every two weeks.) :-P My cravings are for salty stuff, which I need for my low blood pressure. Woke up Sunday morning and the room was spinning. Hadn't been drinking the night before either! :-) Even laying down, everything was spinning. We had tile put in the master bath on Friday, so my husband wondered if it was the fumes.

Today's weight is finally down and I'll take it! :-) 4lbs since last week.

Figured I would add a photo of my newly painted bedroom (will get stuff up on walls this week.) We had a water leak in the master closet over Christmas. The plumbers put 4 holes in the walls looking for it and getting it fixed. So insurance paid for repair, painting and flooring. WOOHOO!

I was thrilled to get the carpet out of the bathroom and replaced with tile. I hate having carpet around the toilet! We have enough tile leftover to take out the carpet in the bathroom on the kids' side of the house, too.

Another New Year - 190.2

2012-01-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my daughter's 24th bday at The Magic Time Machine. She wanted us all to dress in costume, so I borrowed one of her Renaissance costumes. We had such a great time! This restaurant has servers dressed in costumes and they all loved it that we were, too. Kisa was Vash the Stampede from Trigun - a Japanese anime series. Our server, Zorro, recognized her, but most of the others asked her who she was, one asking if she was Michael Jackson! We did the Roman Orgy from the menu. Brisket, chicken, potatoes, carrots, various fruits and bread. It was actually pretty healthy food with no heavy sauces.

I've been pretty much maintaining my weight since Thanksgiving. I was sick the week between Christmas and New Year's and basically spent the whole week in bed, eating very little. I lost 4lbs, but gained it back when I started eating normally again. Trying to get back into the exercise habit. My sister started a group on Facebook for making healthy choices and honoring God. So I've enjoyed that group for encouragement and accountability.

Whew!

2011-12-05T23:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I've come close to killing myself, but the move is done. And 3 weeks after moving in to our new house in Texas, I had 15 guests for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful! Still don't have everything up on the walls, but we did get the Christmas tree up last night. It's nice to have the family back in the same house instead of half in Texas and half in Colorado. I had gained some weight back during the moving, but strangely enough, 4 days after Thanksgiving I was back down 6lbs! Hey, I'll take it. :-)

The MOVE is upon me!

2011-10-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

Packers come tomorrow. Will finish up on Monday, then load the truck on Tuesday. Wednesday, we drive down to San Antonio, Thursday we will close on the new house and Friday get our stuff delivered. I've been on a "good-bye tour" - sniff! Hate that part of it! Then my son and I got sick, so I had to take a break.

SOOOOOO, after going so long without blogging, I'm going to try to get back to it once we get down to Texas. I will need to get back into a routine of exercise so I don't gain my weight back. I have lost 10 pounds since bouncing back up, still about 13lbs over what my low had been. Maybe I can sweat it out! :-)

I have photos of my new house up on my facebook page if you want to friend me there. June Burnett Colorado. Wait, my privacy settings might keep you from finding me. Send me an email or post a comment here. :-)

September Update

2011-09-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

We've sold the house in CO. Will close on Sept 30, then rent it back for a month since the buyers need to give 2 months notice on their apartment. Works out perfectly all around. I'm not ready to go to Texas until it cools off a little. My son wants to be here for the first Avs hockey game in Oct, so he's happy, too.

Weight has been fluctuating. It doesn't help when I have 2 periods in less than 14 days. Ugh. It's been staying under 190, though. Severe headache today, bordering on migraine. Have taken every medication possible.

WHAT???

2011-08-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted since April? Holy crap! Yeah, that hospital stay for my son was 8 days. That was soooo not fun. He did recover and has been doing rinses ever since, says he can't tell much difference from the surgery. The good part to come out of that was seeing a different hematologist at the adult hospital who questioned the treatment by Children's Hospital docs. He retested Kendall's blood and sent it to 3 different labs and they were all negative for the clotting disorder, so Kendall is no longer taking coumadin! HOORAY!

Traveling back and forth to Texas to spend time with hubby (and now my daughter is living there, too) has been a little stressful. I got up to over 197 and stayed there for quite a while, so I decided to take really shake things up and did the calorie shifting fomr the FatLoss4Idiots website. Lost 9lbs in the 11 days, so I need to do it again.

We have made the decision to make the move down to Texas. People are getting laid off at the office here in CO, but my husband's job has plenty of billable work in Texas. The house went on the market, has been shown several times and we have two young couples very interested. One took a second look today and our agents are talking. Hopefully will find out more tomorrow. I'm getting a gorgeous house in Texas - with a pool. That was a requirement for me moving down there. :-D

Another detour

2011-04-12T14:22:00.001-07:00

No idea what my weight is today. My son is in the hospital after sinus surgery yesterday that went quite badly! In recovery, he started bleeding A LOT and didn't stop for several hours. It was 4 hours before they let us go back to see him. Blood was coming from his nose and being coughed out from coming down the back of the throat. Packing the sinuses did no good, so they went back to the operating room. Poor kid was scared out of his mind. As were mom & dad! It took them a while to find the source of the bleed, and it wasn't just one big one, it was oozing all over the place. They repacked it and cauterized a couple spots and he came out from that one MUCH better.

Needless to say, the outpatient surgery turned into an inpatient stay. Fortunately, he and I both packed bags because we knew with his clotting problems, the results were not necessarily gonna be typical. You can say that again! He lost 4 units of blood. He's doing much better now and we'll be spending a few days here in the hospital so they can monitor his resumption of coumadin, taken for his clotting issues.

Soooooo, couldn't care less what I weigh today. Hubby and I did take a 30 minute walk during the first surgery. And I just took a short one by myself for lunch. Drinking lots of water and I had packed healthy snacks, so keepin' it as real as I can.

HYC check in - 193.8

2011-04-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm up a bit this week, but I've been PMSing pretty badly and craving salty stuff. I've been getting some walks in, need to get the weight-lifting done.

Drinking water

2011-04-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

Great article! Dr. Dave Frahm is on facebook and is located in Colorado Springs.

Why Drinking Water Really is the Key to Weight Loss
by Dave Frahm on Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 10:18pm

Why Drinking Water Really is the Key to Weight Loss

by Maia Appleby

Don't roll your eyes! The potion for losing that excess body fat is all around you. It covers two thirds of the planet. If you eat right and exercise at the intensity, frequency and duration proper for you, but still can't get rid of a little paunch here and there, you're probably just not drinking enough water.

No need to get defensive. You're actually quite normal. Most people don't drink enough water. Most people are also carrying around a few more pounds than they would be if they did drink enough water. If you can't seem to get that weight off, try drowning your sorrows in nature's magical weight-loss mineral. It works, and here's why:

"What on Earth is 'metabolism', anyway?" People use the term all the time, but ask them what it means and you'll get all kinds of answers. Merriam Webster defines it as, "The process by which a substance is handled in the body." A little vague, but that's really all it means.

There are many forms of metabolism going on in your body right now, but the one everyone is talking about it the metabolism of fat. This is actually something that the liver does when it converts stored fat to energy. The liver has other functions, but this is one of its main jobs.

Unfortunately, another of the liver's duties is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to work properly. If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. It then can't metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their own weight. If you allow this to happen, not only are you being unfair to your liver, but you're also setting yourself up to store fat.

"I've tried it and I couldn't stand it!" The problem is that, though many decide to increase their water intake, very few stick with it. It's understandable. During the first few days of drinking more water than your body is accustomed to, you're running to the bathroom constantly. This can be very discouraging, and it can certainly interfere with an otherwise normal day at work. It seems that the water is coming out just as fast as it's going in, and many people decide that their new hydration habit is fruitless.

Do take heed , though. What is really happening is that your body is flushing itself of the water it has been storing throughout all those years of "survival mode". It takes a while, but this is a beautiful thing happening to you. As you continue to give your body all the water it could ask for, it gets rid of what it doesn't need. It gets rid of the water it was holding onto in your ankles and your hips and thighs, maybe even around your belly. You are excreting much more than you realize. Your body figures it doesn't need to save these stores anymore; it's trusting that the water will keep coming, and if it does, eventually, the flushing (of both the body and the potty) will cease, allowing the human to return to a normal life. It's true. This is called the "breakthrough point."

One recent finding, as irresponsible as it may be, that caffeine increases the body's fat-burning potential has many people loading up on coffee before going to the gym. This finding may hold some degree of truth in it, but caffeine is, in essence, a diuretic, and diuretics dehydrate. Caffeine may increase the heart rate, causing a few more calories to be burned, but this is at the expense of the muscles, which need water to function properly. This isn't doing your heart any favors, either. It's already working hard enough during your workout. Never mix caffeine and exercise. In fact, your best bet is to stay away from caffeine all together. It's a big bully that pushes your friend water out of your system.

Water is the best beauty treatment. You've heard this since high school, and it's true. Water will do wonders for your looks! It flushes out impurities in your skin, leaving you with a clear, glowing complexion. It also makes your skin look younger. Skin that is becoming saggy, either due to aging or weight loss, plumps up very nicely when the skin cells are hydrated. In addition, it improves muscle tone. You can lift weights until you're blue in the face, but if your muscles are suffering from a drought, you won't notice a pleasant difference in your appearance. Muscles that have all the water they need contract more easily, making your workout more effective, and you'll look much nicer than if you had flabby muscles under sagging skin.

"Eight glasses a day? Are you kidding?!" It's really not that much. Eight 8-ounce glasses amount to about two quarts of water. This is okay for the average person, but if you're overweight, you should drink another eight ounces for every 25 pounds of excess weight you carry. You should also up this if you live in a hot climate or exercise very intensely.

This water consumption should be spread out throughout the day. It's not healthy at all to drink too much water at one time. Try to pick three or four times a day when you can have a big glass of water, and then sip in between. Don't let yourself get thirsty. If you feel thirsty, you're already becoming dehydrated. Drink when you're not thirsty yet.

Do you think water is yucky? Drinking other fluids will certainly help hydrate your body, but the extra calories, sugar, additives and whatever else aren't what you need. Try a slice of lemon or lime in the glass, or if you really think you hate water, try a flavored water. Just make sure you read the labels. Remember that you're going to be consuming a lot of this fluid.

It's probably a good idea to stop drinking water a good three hours before you go to bed. You know why.

"How cold should it be?" This is debatable. Most experts lean toward cold water, because the stomach absorbs it more quickly. There is also some evidence that cold water might enhance fat burning.

On the other hand, warmer water is easier to drink in large quantities, and you might drink more of it without even realizing it. Do whatever suits you, here. Just drink it!

When you drink all the water you need, you will very quickly notice a decrease in your appetite, possibly even on the first day! If you're serious about becoming leaner and healthier, drinking water is an absolute must. If you're doing everything else right and still not seeing results, this might just be what's missing.
____________

I heartily endorse this article

Dr Dave Frahm, ND, MH, CNC, CNHP

HealthQuarters Ministries

www.healthquarters.org

(719) 593-8694

Tuesday weigh-in - 191

2011-03-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Down another pound today after two days of the cleanse. I figure eating normally may put some right back on, but we'll see. Loss since last Tuesday is 1.4lb.

Breakfast: Cheerios with fresh strawberries and sugar, 1/3c granola, V-8 Fusion

Lunch: chili with ground turkey, a few Ritz crackers, yogurt with choc chips.

Need to go to the store and get some apples and bananas.

End of Isagenix 9 day cleanse 192.0

2011-03-29T02:07:00.000-07:00

My laptop died, so I'll have limited access to internet for a bit. Weight this morning was 192.0. Will take measurements tomorrow morning. Glad to be done with the cleanse. The smell of the liquid made me a little nauseous yesterday and today. :-)

3/25 End of Day Report

2011-03-26T00:09:00.000-07:00

Same as yesterday. Just couldn't do the 2nd shake. Had an apple and peanut butter instead. One more shake day! I'm glad. They don't taste nearly as good as my other protein shakes! Oh, and for exercise today I did the treadmill for 30 minutes.

Went out in the hot tub for a bit as the stars were starting to come out. Crisp, clear night in the mountains. Then I spent a few hours taking photos out of magnetic albums. Gotta get them all sorted and organized so I can get them scanned.

3/24 End of Day Report

2011-03-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Oops, forgot to do this last night. Yesterday was pretty much the same kind of shake day. Weight has stabilized at 193.2. Last night I just couldn't bring myself to drink another shake. It was too late and I already felt bloated so I had some applesauce and a handful of almonds and cashews, plus some Dark Chocolate M&M's. What can I say, I'm pms'ing. :-P

This morning's weight was the same. Have been drinking water and need to make a shake now. In the morning ones, I've been adding frozen blueberries and strawberries instead of ice.

3/23 End of Day report

2011-03-23T23:52:00.000-07:00

Weight was up a bit this morning. I figure there could be a couple of reasons for that and neither worries me! :-)

Did everything as yesterday. Except "lunch" was Mexican chicken, roasted potatoes, carrots and yogurt. (I will confess to a couple of small cheats, nothing major.)

Did the Ultimate Abs Ball workout and 30 minutes on the mini-tramp.

3/22 End of Day Report

2011-03-22T23:17:00.000-07:00

Had a busy, productive day today. Saw my chiropractor. Didn't realize how TIGHT my back was until she rolled me onto my side. Felt VERY good to get an adjustment. They've finally hired a massage therapist, so I scheduled a massage for next week when she starts. Then I took my Jared's jewelry for its 6-month checkup. Stopped by the bank, then went on the Academy to get gas, then to the commissary to pick up groceries, went through the car wash, stopped by a friend's house to pick up more cleanse stuff, then to Walgreen's to pick up son's headshots (needed for an audition on Thursday), to King Sooper for produce, then to Petsmart for chinchilla food, Staples for address labels. WHEW!

Bfast: IsaLean Shake
Snack: hard-boiled egg
Lunch: Chicken, potato, carrot soup, salty chips, 2 Dove dark chocolate squares
Snack: cashews
Dinner: IsaLean Shake - I added frozen blueberries and strawberries instead of ice
Snack: apple
Exercise: Ultimate Abs ball workout, 30 minutes on mini-trampoline
More than eight 8oz glasses of water

Day 3 Same weight today

2011-03-22T09:24:00.001-07:00

Not sure this is good for my heart issues. Just getting dressed and taking my measurements, my heart rate got over 150. Probably not good for me to get no salt for 2 days!

That shake tasted SOOOO GOOD this morning! :-D

3/21 End of Day 2

2011-03-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

2nd day of cleanse and I'm so hungry! Gotta get to bed so I can eat when I wake up.

Breakfast: 4oz Cleanse for Life drink
Snack: almonds
Lunch: 4oz Cleanse for Life
Snack: apple
Dinner: 4oz Cleanse for Life
Snack: almonds
11pm: 4oz Cleanse for Life
Snack: peanuts (needed a bit of a changeup!) :-)
Lots more than eight 8oz glasses of water
Light exercise: Ultimate Abs ball workout, weights

Day 2 - Weight 192.4

2011-03-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

Shedding all water weight during the cleanse, that's for sure!

3/20 195.2 - Day 1 - End of day report

2011-03-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

First official day of the 9-day cleanse program. I'm going to count like the program does, just so I can keep it straight. Today was a "cleanse" day. Program has 2 prep shake days, then 2 cleanse days, 5 shake days, then 2 cleanse days.

Breakfast: 4oz Cleanse for Life drink
Snack: apple
Lunch: 4oz Cleanse for Life
Snack: almonds
Dinner: 4oz Cleanse for Life
Snack: apple
9pm: 4oz Cleanse for Life
Snack: almonds
Lots more than eight 8oz glasses of water
Light exercise: laundry and dusting

3/19 End of day report

2011-03-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Isagenix shake for breakfast
Snack of cocoa dusted almonds
Did 20 minutes on the mini-trampoline
Lunch was baked potato w butter only, rice and veggies, yogurt, 1oz of dk choc peanut M&M's
Supper was Isagenix shake (late and made me feel way too full!)
Didn't get 2nd snack in
Drank more than eight 8oz glasses of water
Going out to the hot tub for a while

2nd Day of Shakes - 195.6

2011-03-19T12:11:00.001-07:00

OK, I will admit I probably had a MAJOR advantage by weighing in the morning after traveling from Texas. Being there, and traveling, I always get kind of bloated. But it still feels good to see a 3.8lb loss on the scale! :-D

Today's weight: 195.6

3/18 End of day report

2011-03-18T23:38:00.000-07:00

OK, the 9-day cleanse is really 11 days because you start off with 2 Shake Days.

So today was successful.
Isagenix shake for breakfast
Snack of raw, unsalted almonds
Lunch was black bean soup, bbq chips, applesauce and 1.5oz of dk choc peanut M&M's
Supper was Isagenix shake
Did 20 minutes on the mini-trampoline
Had 2 chocolate Isagenix snacks. Meh, not impressed. Kind of tasteless
More than eight 8oz glasses of water

Have a bit of a headache, which is par for the course for me when I do a cleanse or detox.

A new beginning - 199.4

2011-03-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

So many of us have a lot of these. My damage since the last measurement in May of 09 is:

20 pounds gained
1.5" gained on each upper arm
2" gained on chest
4" gained on upper abs
5" gained on waist
3.5" gained on lower abs
3" gained on hips
2.5" on each thigh

It's all about HEALTH and HEALTHY ACTIVITY!
Starting today with Isagenix shakes and at least 20 minutes of exercise. I'm going to try to post at the end of each day listing my success. Failure is NOT an option! ;-)

Monsters

2011-03-15T23:57:00.001-07:00

We had SOOOO much fun at the Lady Gaga concert!

A new kick start

2011-03-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday and we ate at Maggiano's. I had the tilapia and crispy red potatoes. YUM! I didn't completely finish the monster piece of cake, but ate a good bit of it! :-)

I'm in Texas visiting my hubby this week and going to see Lady Gaga tonight with my daughter. (It's my birthday present from her!) When I get back, I'm doing a 9 day cleanse with Isogenix and getting back on track.

Last month had what appeared to be a gallbladder attack. Ultrasound showed no stones, thank GOD! But reading about the gallbladder, seems that food allergies can trigger problems, so need to start focusing better on avoiding gluten, dairy and corn.

SO, I want to get back into the habit of checking with HYC!

True confession time - 195.0

2011-02-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

Time to be transparent and take my medicine! Back where I was 2 years ago. Sigh. 2010 was a rough year. With the prospect of moving to Texas, I did a lot of comfort eating. Bad me. Hurting my knee in Feb, then hip in July did not help much. Still battling depression some. Hate having hubby in TX with me here. So a lot of days I stay in bed well into the afternoon. (Same schedule as my kids except the days my daughter works!)

I am using NONE of this as an excuse. No one to blame but myself. I NEED to get back on track so I don't have to buy all new clothes in bigger sizes. :-P

A new business

2011-02-03T01:48:00.000-08:00

I've decided to sign back up with Heritage Makers. They are a digital scrapbooking company. Their new program is quite awesome. Digital is the way to go now! :-) It will certainly help me get caught up with putting our family's stories into books!
My Website

I've finished physical therapy, still struggling to get back into the habit of walking. Today my heart rate was up to 175 shoveling snow, so I figured I got my aerobics in for the day! ;-)

So, how the heck is everyone????

Bad blogger!

2010-12-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

OK, time to catch up. Here's an updated photo.

Thanks to my hip continuing to cause problems, I have totally fallen off the exercise wagon and of course, seen a weight gain. My husband's company did NOT get the contract that would have him as program manager, so I didn't have to move to San Antonio. Hubby is working in TX for a year, though and then hopefully will be able to get back here with a position in management for the same company. He now has an apartment down there and the kids and I are staying here in CO.

I've been going to physical therapy for my hip and have seen some improvement, but it is still sore most of the time.

My son just recently played King John in a local production of Robin Hood, written by one of his directors. It was quite amazing! Another director set up an audition for several of the kids in this group with a representative agency in Denver and Kendall was signed! We're all very excited about it and hope it will lead to some awesome opportunities for him.

My daughter got a job as an executive assistant for a lawyer and is really enjoying the work.

Sooooooo, that's me. Guess I need to spend several hours getting caught up with everyone's blogs! :-D

Hanging...........

2010-08-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

Feel like I'm being held over a cliff in midair, just waiting for the decision on what the future will be for us. It's a little annoying. I'm tired of it. My hip still hurts, so I've been resting it. Every time I do anything, go grocery shopping or take my son to the clinic, I'm sore again. So do I need to exercise it more, rest it more, am I developing arthritis in my "old age" or what? Grrrrrrrr And the way I'm craving cookies, pretty sure I'm PMSing big time.

Still am procrastinating on seeing the doctor about my hip. I'm just afraid I won't like what she has to say no matter what it is. :-P

If you are on Facebook, look me up - June Burnett. I tend to post there more frequently. :-D

Still here

2010-08-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Looks like we will not be moving to Texas after all. Everything is still complicated. Hubby's company did not get the contract, but his friend who got promoted to be the boss wants him to come down to SA to be his #2 man. Hubby says if he did, it would not be permanent. 6-12 months maybe. His other friend wants to create a position down there for him that WOULD be permanent. Plus he's getting offers from other companies. It all gives me a headache! :-P I just want to know what is going to happen. NOW! Patience is not my strong point.

While in Iowa I did physical therapy workouts with my sister in the pool and my hip was hurting after one day of swimming. (Those scissors underwater are killer!) Well, my hip is STILL hurting and it's been over a month. If I sit for a little while, it's really sore and stiff when I get up. We've done some dancing and that doesn't seem to help either. :-) I've been doing some gentle stretches on a physio ball, and the chiropractor does adjustments on it, but I think I might have to bite the bullet and call the doctor. If the doctor tells me "rest until it feels better" I'll have to scream! Dare I hope for PT referral for maybe some ultrasound therapy?

MUCH better

2010-07-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

My 11 day vacation with family and friends in the land of my childhood (and a change in medication and supplements) has done me a world of good. Feeling much better. And after wanting to stay here in Colorado and let hubby get an apartment in TX, I'm back to wanting to go with him. Well, not really wanting to live in Texas, but I don't think Ken would survive without me. He was pathetic when I was gone not even 2 weeks! :-D Anyway, we're looking at houses again. Ken's friend got an offer on his house, so we won't be getting that one, but are looking into building in the same subdivision. So that is kind of exciting. Probably wouldn't be moving until October. So lots to do with getting my Colorado house ready to put on the market. :-P

Anyone know someone needing a house in PARADISE????

But this week is for scrapbooking with friends. :-D

Having a BLAST!

2010-07-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

Enjoying time with family and old friends. Will post more details later, unless you do Facebook and want to look me up there. :-D In the meantime, wanted to post this photo my sister took of me at the lake earlier this evening.

Hanging in there

2010-06-28T12:10:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all of you who are checking in on me. Went to the doctor this week and got my meds adjusted and some suggestions for supplements for perimenopause crap. Still struggling, but maintaining on the weight within a couple of pounds. Tomorrow I'm leaving for a road trip. Going to see my dad and my sisters, then heading to Iowa with Dad and older sister to visit some extended family.

Here's some good info on 30 "Healthy Foods" That Aren't

Hiatus

2010-06-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

I need to take a break from blogging. Trying to dig myself out of a rather deep, dark depression.

HYC Check in - 179.8

2010-05-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

181.2 I've been maintaining for the most part, which is good since I haven't been as active as I should and I've been doing some comfort eating. :-P

Edit on Tuesday - today's weight is down to 179.8. Woohoo! Let's see if I can keep it in the 70's and get a little lower.

A Giveaway

2010-05-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Cammy over at Tippy Toe Diet is having a giveaway! She has a signed copy of a Hungry Girl book. She got to meet the author and everything. Always fun! So go check it out!

HYC Check in - 181.4

2010-05-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

Down 2.4lbs from last week and back down to the weight from 2 weeks ago. Whew!

Habits to shrink your middle

2010-05-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a good article - 9 Habits that will shrink your middle

Within the article are several other links with additional info.

HYC Check in - 183.8

2010-05-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

Weight is up with TOM. No biggie. Fighting sinus headaches with changing weather and storms. Got weight lifting and walking on the treadmill in yesterday. Might get out on my bike today if it doesn't rain again but it looks like we're in the spring pattern of daily thunderstorms! The hummingbirds are out in full force now that I have my feeders out! :-)

Here's a list from Women's Health for Best Supermarket Foods for Women. Not many gluten, corn and dairy free items for me, though. :-(

And The 13 Health Foods You Must Buy

Fatty foods can be HEALTHY

2010-05-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

Check this out from Men's Health: 8 Fatty Foods With Health Benefits

HYC Check in - 181.4

2010-05-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, the scale has continued to go down in small increments all week. Today's weight is 181.4. Yay! I haven't been getting enough exercise in, but today is the start of a new week, right? :-) Maybe I'll even get my bike out a few times this week, though I am hosting our scrapbooking week. If I get to bed early enough, maybe I can ride in the morning before anyone gets here if it isn't too cold. Our highs do not get out of the 50's this week and for Wed, 39 is the forecasted high! Looks like snow is likely starting Tuesday night and all the rest of the week. Not time for the shorts and flip flops just yet. All of the clothes I was wearing in Texas got put in the spare room closet!

Tuesday morning - the low clouds are moving down our mountain. Rain/Snow likely tonight and tomorrow.

Oh, and I didn't post about it here, but I got a wicked virus on my laptop right before we came back from Texas. My son's friend fixed it for me, but had to wipe my hard drive. One thing that really urks me is losing all of my pedometer data for the past year. Sigh. I had almost everything else backed up. Totally forgot about that. Did have to reenter 4 months of transactions in my Quicken accounts, too. What a PAIN!

Word of warning, if someone tells you there's a website where people can see your address, income level and other personal data and that you need to go and get yourself removed from that site, DON'T LISTEN! If they are nearby, punch them in the face!

HYC check-in - 184.6

2010-05-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

Got back from San Antonio and with all the eating out, the damage wasn't nearly as bad as I feared. My body is still adjusting to the climate/altitude change. Time to get completely back into my routine. Did lots of walking in Texas, but very little weight lifting or abs work on the ball. I FELT like I'd gained a lot of weight and my rings were tight with bloating. Hate Texas.

Recommended by Women's Health! (Also HYC check in!)

2010-04-27T05:44:00.000-07:00

Under the SWEETS heading of the 125 Best Food for Women, for the category of Dark Chocolate - DOVE! Personally, I like our chocolate covered, cinnamon dusted almonds even better. Soooooo addictive! And if they knew about the products available through Dove Chocolatiers like myself, I'm sure they'd recommend our dark chocolate covered fruit collection as well! ;-)

But the list is for the supermarket and you can't get that collection at the store, only through the chocolatiers.

HYC check in - I'm still bloated in the Texas heat so I'm not going to consider my weight valid until I get back to my mountain and the clean air of Colorado! ;-) I've still been doing LOTS of walking. Friday and Saturday we did Sea World again. Sunday I forgot to put on my pedometer when I went shopping. Today and yesterday did 60min on the treadmill in the hotel's fitness room. I've noticed my heart rate doesn't get quite so high here at the low altitude, so that's a good thing!

Blogging - not so much

2010-04-22T09:18:00.001-07:00

I knew something would suffer if I joined Facebook and yeah, blog posts are now few and far between. Facebook is of the devil. Sigh.

Book recommendation and HYC check in

2010-04-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

I got this promotional email from Prevention about one of the books I already have and REALLY like. It helped me with changing some habits for a healthier lifestyle. I still didn't lose weight very quickly until I did the Flat Belly Diet, but Robert Cooper's book has a lot of useful info in it. I know the links won't transfer, but go to Prevention.com to order the book or search your favorite online bookstores. :-) One other note on the book - the recipes are fantastic! This is where I got my tzatzkiki recipe and it tastes just like I remember it tasting in Greece. The stuff I've tasted in most Greek places in the states just doesn't cut it! :-)

And for a really cool video of my daughter with the dolphins at Sea World San Antonio, scroll down past this post! Visit my family blog to see a video of me playing with dolphins and one of my kitty chasing ice cubes. :-D

I'm off to the hotel treadmill and will weigh on their scale, then come back and log that. OK, I'm around 183 but it's a different scale and this humidity is definitely making me bloat up. Ugh. Walking LOTS! Logged over 5 miles on Friday and Sunday at Sea World. Saturday was too cold and rainy, so we didn't stay long and it wasn't great weather for walking. The other days, I did a 45 minute power walk as well as the walking we did from place to place. I also bought another stability ball to use here. They are just $9 at Walmart. Will see if one of my friends here needs one when we leave.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Online Reader,

Suppose, for a moment, that losing weight was as easy as...

Taking a few deep breaths...
Enjoying a beautiful sunset...
Calling an old friend on the phone...
Or standing on your tiptoes while you wait to check out at the supermarket...

"Well, of course," you might say. "If it were that easy, no one would be overweight. But it's never that easy. Losing weight is just hard work. There's NO way around it."

That's the conventional wisdom. Yet this conventional "wisdom" has resulted in a phenomenal failure rate. It's been estimated that more than 9 out of 10 diets FAIL in the long run. And I believe that conventional dieting has failed you for one simple reason...

You're Working Too Hard at Losing Weight!

Maybe, just maybe, there's a simpler, better way to lose ALL the weight you want. The better way I'm referring to is explained in a new blockbuster book— FLIP THE SWITCH: Proven Strategies to Fuel Your Metabolism and Burn Fat 24 Hours a Day, by Dr. Robert K. Cooper.

The revolutionary plan in FLIP THE SWITCH teaches you to light the secret fire inside your body, and "switch ON" your body's fat-burning processes inside, so fat melts away with every tick of the clock, 365 days a year.

Follow the simple secrets revealed in FLIP THE SWITCH and your body will have NO choice but to shed excess pounds. The great news for you? You'll get all these other life-enhancing benefits:

Your daily stress will seem to vanish
Your energy levels will soar
You'll enjoy deep, restful sleep every night
You'll awake refreshed and ready every day
Your mind will stay razor-sharp
Your mood will be uplifted

OK, decided I would just add a link since the promo on this book was SOOOOOO long! Click here to go to Prevention's link regarding Flip the Switch by Robert K. Cooper, PhD

Sea World

2010-04-17T07:54:00.001-07:00

THIS is why we love Sea World. Quality time with our dolphins. They either remember us or like the way we play with them. I think they remember, they are SMART animals.

Thursday I walked on the treadmill in the fitness room at our hotel. Yesterday I put over 13,000 steps on my pedometer and walked about 5 3/4 miles throughout the day. Today is stormy with flash flood warnings so we are waiting before heading out again.

My laptop LIVES!

2010-04-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

So happy! My son's friend took a look at my laptop and got rid of some stuff that was bogging it down. He's a genius! Found the source of an error message that was driving me nuts and cleaned it all out. Sounds like he worked on it for hours so I definitely owe him BIG!

It's been a busy week scrapbooking with a friend. Have finished around 40 pages so far. I stayed home on Wednesday and it sounds like it was a good thing. A tanker rolled over on the interstate, so both directions were closed for many hours. Everyone was taking the back way into and out of CS going north. My friend told me someone said it took them 4 hours to get home from work that day. Ugh.

Dove Chocolate party tonight, hubby gets home from TX tomorrow. On Wednesday we start driving back down to San Antonio. Will be spending quality time with our dolphins and looking at a few houses, plus a friend of mine will be hosting a Dove Chocolate party down there, too! Crazy month!

Period of Mourning

2010-04-01T01:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I've had a rough week or two. Cried myself to sleep a few nights. It seems that my time in paradise is limited. My husband has been coerced into a job back in San Antonio. AUGH! Heat, humidity, BUGS, no SNOW! There are a couple of things that still need to happen, but it seems pretty inevitable. If everything falls into place, the final decision will be made in June, then the job starts in October. So once we get the word, we'll put our house on the market here. If it doesn't sell by October, I will stay in CO until it does. But as much as I LOVE Colorado and don't want to move back to the heat, I love my husband more and will follow him where'er he goeth. ;-) (But he will PAY! LOL)

I will confess to doing a little comfort eating, especially with TOM occurring, but it's not too bad. Still taking it slow with exercise because my knee does still twinge quite a bit after I walk or stand for very long. Weight is up a bit this week, but my lack of sleep contributes to that, too. Not sleeping well at ALL!

There are a few good things about moving. We do have lots of good friends there. We can afford more house in TX and I'm requiring a pool. :-) And in SA, they do have really NICE master suites and pretty big kitchens in most of the houses. One of Ken's friends/coworkers has a house with a pool on the market, so we may buy that if he is willing to wait that long to sell. The master bath has two vanities and two walk-in closets. SWEET! Tonight I talked with the realtor/friend who sold our house in SA before we moved here and he and his wife with our former pastor and his wife have been taking ballroom dance lessons, too. And they frequently go out dancing, so that's kind of fun! I had been looking online for a dance studio and didn't see much, but he says they take the lessons from a husband and wife who converted their garage into a studio.

And another good thing, I do have family in Texas. Two of my nephews live in/near Austin and my older sister lives near Houston. And my Dad and younger sister are closer to San Antonio than Colorado. And my younger nephews and niece in AR do enjoy spring break going to Sea World. They spent many a spring break with us when we lived in TX. And my daughter and I love spending time with the dolphins, too. I have missed that! We're going down there later this month while hubby is writing the proposal for this contract. So we'll connect with friends (and our dolphins!) and maybe look at a few houses. I've found 4 strong possibilities if they were to last that long.

Oh, and I'll have lots of work to do getting our house here ready to sell, too. Sigh. That's probably the big part of being unable to sleep! :-P

HYC check-in - 182.0

2010-03-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

Back up, though down from last week. :-) TOM approaches.

Finally got some answers on my daughter's problems. CT showed a LARGE 5cm cyst sitting on top of her bladder off the right ovary. So the urologist recommended seeing the gyn doc. So yesterday she had an internal ultrasound and today a follow-up with the gyn doc. (Her regular one is out of town until Monday, so she saw an alternate.) The ultrasound showed the cyst reducing, so it ruptured, which explains her increasing pain the past few days. Doctor thinks it's possible she has IC and endometriosis.

Meeting a fellow blogger

2010-03-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

How FUN! Today, I went and picked up Diana from Diana's Body Journey down in Colorado Springs and took her to a couple of the scrapbooking stores in the area. It was a very fun visit and we didn't lack for things to talk about. :-) She was probably glad to get back to her hubby's apartment after I talked her ear off for a few hours. :-D And I know her husband was glad I didn't take her up into the mountains and slit her throat! LOL (My husband has the same protective instinct when I meet friends from online in real life.)

My daughter had a ct scan on Monday, we went to her urologist on Wed and he showed us the CT and the 5cm cyst that is sitting on top of her bladder! Explains a lot of things about the pain she's been experiencing. She may still have a milder case of IC since she's been having some issues for years that would make sense if that's the case. But it would also probably mean that what she eats doesn't have the violent effect that affects some people. Next step is an internal ultrasound of the female parts. Looks like the cyst is off the right ovary, but it's waaaay bigger than the ovary and about half the size of her bladder. It was quite the impressive picture. :-P

Oh, and by the way, I did some dancing on my birthday. Hey, it's a big one. I'm the big FIVE-OH now. Yeah, I'm paying for it, but it was totally worth it. ;-)

Blah blah blah

2010-03-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

Back up to 181.0 this week. Not surprising with the lack of activity after the knee problem. Went to my primary care doctor and she gave me some hamstring stretches to do. I was kind of hoping to go to physical therapy just so I don't injure it worse. She said "Take it easy" OK, what the HECK does that mean????? No walking, no dancing? Slow walking? For how long? Doctors truly piss me off.

My daughter may have an answer to all of the health problems she's been having and it's not a very good one. Interstitial Cystitis. No cure, it's a chronic thing. They've given her a list of foods to avoid that may make it worse and things that are OK. She thinks it may have been aggravated by the meds she was taking for her acne. She had quit taking that a couple weeks ago.

My laptop is having issues lately. It won't recognize our wireless connection. My hard drive was full, so I've deleted about 29GB of stuff, but it hasn't helped yet. Big thing was the amount of photos I still had stored on it. Put those on CDs and on an external hard drive. What a mess.

Let's meet for lattes!

2010-03-04T21:10:00.001-08:00

Yeah, baby! Support your local Starbucks. And make sure to pack heat when you do.

Read this: Coffee, tea or don't tread on me

DON'T TREAD ON ME!

My "Creative Writing" results

2010-03-03T22:49:00.000-08:00

OK, here's the skinny on my "creative writing" and the one truth.

1. I grew up in Iowa on a farm. - I did grow up in Iowa, but NOT on a farm.
2. I played basketball in high school. - I played basketball in junior high school, but NOT high school.
3. I lived in Greece for 3 years. - I lived in Greece for 16 months.
4. Once I went on a 3 day hike in Ireland. - Not yet, but I want to!
5. I once got a ticket from a cop wearing no shirt. - This is the true one. I was racing through town late at night and he left his house and came over on foot to where my car had stalled. Fought the ticket and won. ;-)
6. I spent two years living in Okinawa, Japan. - I lived in Misawa, Japan for 2 years but never Okinawa.
7. I still have all of my wisdom teeth. - Nope, all four were cut out.

HYC check in - 178.2

2010-03-01T14:22:00.000-08:00

2.8lb loss....really???? Never fails, when I'm incapacitated, I lose weight. :-P I did go to the ER Friday morning. They took an xray, which showed no breaks or tears in my knee. Wrapped it in an ace bandage, gave me percocet and recommended elevating and icing the knee for 48 hours. So while I scrapbooked, I propped it up on my shaper ball and set my cell phone alarm for every 20 minutes to keep track of the time. I got a total of 60 pages done over the weekend, so I'm happy about that. But I'm afraid I won't be doing any ballroom dancing for a couple of weeks at least. :-( Waah. My knee felt pretty good all day Sunday, so I took no Percocet, but what I'd already taken really messed up my bladder so I had a very rough night last night. Ugh.

Award

2010-02-28T22:03:00.000-08:00

A big thanks to Molly from Molly Marie Gets Healthy for nominating me. She's a wonderful young lady whose blog is amazing!

1. Thank the person who gave this to you
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog
3. Link to the person who nominated you
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth
5. Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

And I nominate the following bloggers:

1. Ro at Ro is getting FIT!
2. The Better Idiot at Bottomless
3. Diana at Diana's Journey Through Life
4. Cammy at The Tippy Toe Diet
5. Sunny at The Sunny Life
6. Lynn at Actual Scale
7. MargieAnne at Nothing Is Too Hard

Here are some lies and one truth. Can you guess what’s true?

1. I grew up in Iowa on a farm.
2. I played basketball in high school.
3. I lived in Greece for 3 years.
4. Once I went on a 3 day hike in Ireland.
5. I once got a ticket from a cop wearing no shirt.
6. I spent two years living in Okinawa, Japan
7. I still have all of my wisdom teeth.

Oh, SNAP!

2010-02-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

Actually, it was more of a riiiiiip. My son couldn't get his car up our steep hill because we've had about 6 or more inches of snow in 3 hours. (He'd been in Denver.) After brushing off a thick, heavy layer of snow off the car, I took Ken's Edge to try to help him out. (Ken's car was behind my Journey in the garage.) Two young men in a Jeep slid into me on the way down the hill. Just a gentle bump, I doubt if there's any mark on our car. They stopped to check on me and said they'd be back in an hour if we were still stuck. I turned around and parked up hill from Kendall's car, walked down to his. Fell on my butt once. Got up, fell again and my leg doubled under me and I felt a ripping in my knee. Told Kendall - "OK, it's time to call Dad. Call Kisa and have her wake him up!"

I backed Kendall's car down the hill and turned around. Down at the intersection where we turn, there's a parking area for a trail, so I parked his car there and Ken and Kendall picked me up in the Edge. The Edge had no problem whatsoever getting up the hill. Not a single spin of the wheels. I could not believe how much snow had fallen since Ken and I got back home from ballroom dance lessons. Snow had barely started accumulating at 8:30!

Tomorrow morning Kisa has a doctor's app't at 10:45. I have a feeling a trip to the ER will be on my schedule. I'm icing my knee, but I can tell it's not going to be good. Kendall has no desire to drive in snow again and Kisa hasn't felt up to driving much either so we'll have to see what works out. I'm supposed to be scrapbooking all day (and all weekend.) WAAAH!

HYC check in - 181.0

2010-02-23T13:22:00.000-08:00

Up 1.4 since last week, but since it's TOM, I'm OK with that. I definitely up the salt intake during this time, which my cardiologist wants me to do ALL the time. Still don't see much difference in my high heart rate, though. :-P (If you haven't seen it yet, scroll down and watch my workout video. :-D

Got this in my email today.

The Amazing Cucumber
>
>>
>>This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their "Spotlight on the Home" series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.
>>
>>1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
>>
>>2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
>>
>>3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
>>
>>4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
>>
>>5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
>>
>>6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
>>
>>7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explorers for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
>>
>>8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
>>
>>9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
>>
>>10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams- AS WELL AS DIVAS!!!
>>
>>11. Just finished a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
>>
>>12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
>>
>>13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!
>>

Ultimate Abs ball

2010-02-21T15:55:00.001-08:00

Here's a video of part of my workout where Nico is trying to get involved. (At the end you get a glimpse of my daughter's chinchilla, too.) When I do the crunches on the ball, he has jumped up on my lap before, too. We just haven't got that on tape. :-)

HYC check in - 179.6

2010-02-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

Dropped the water weight from yesterday after my potato chip binge over the weekend. ;-)

!!!500!!!! - 181.6

2010-02-13T22:04:00.001-08:00

This is the 500th post on my health blog, which I started in May of 2007. And still not yet at goal. That's OK. I'm happy to have made all of the healthy changes in my life.

So am I supposed to post 500 things about me on this one? Ha! Don't worry, I would NOT put you all through that! ;-)

Weights been hanging around 179-180 all week. I've had pretty strong salty craving, so I'm thinking it's PMS. So I wouldn't be surprised if I have an upswing this week.

We had a nice Valentine's dinner with some friends and our kids last night. So thankful our kids are grown. I wasn't allowed to take a photo of the kids. :-P

OK, my stupid browser shut down when I was updating the post with true confessions. So not fair!

Anyway, just wanted to admit that in that couple above, it is my husband who is the romantic. He's the one who remembers what I was wearing on different dates 24 years ago and what music we were listening to when. He's the one who organized a candlelight picnic on the beach when we lived in Japan. We've never really gone all out for Valentine's Day. It's just never been a big deal. On Saturday night he mentioned there was something he'd like "if I didn't get it for him." Yeah, I hadn't even picked up a card! So I said, "PLEASE TELL ME!" Thankfully, it was something I could do. He wanted a copy of a certain photo of me from an amateur "photo shoot" I did in April 07 when I was playing with my new digital camera after a snowstorm. I had an extra copy of the photo, so I cannibalized a frame I had on hand. :-) (This pic was about 30lbs ago!!)

Never mind

2010-02-10T14:17:00.001-08:00

Never mind - voting is over. THANKS!

HYC check in - 178.6

2010-02-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

Yeah, major loss but not in a good way! Got violently ill on Saturday night. Pretty sure it was food poisoning because I did not drink THAT much! :-) My weight last week spiked up all week long, and was up to 185.6, so the illness took away seven pounds. I'm sure it will come back up with normal eating. Will be taking it slow for today since my heart rate has gone up to 130 just by walking into the kitchen.

Had a busy weekend doing a chocolate party on Friday night and then Saturday for a brunch. Will be doing something similar this weekend so I should have good Dove Chocolate sales for this month after a slow January!

HYC check in - same as 2 weeks ago

2010-02-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

Ugh - had a major uptick from last week and not sure why. I'm going to do an official weigh in tomorrow since I did have a cleansing bathroom break after breakfast. ;-)

Answers

2010-01-27T21:48:00.000-08:00

To answer questions in the comments from my previous post:

A few years ago I had put on my blog that before I died, I wanted to learn to ballroom dance, so my hubby checked out studios in the area and found a great one. He basically got the lessons as a Christmas present for me and we started in January of 2006. Wow, can't believe it's been 4 years. There were long periods where we didn't go much. But we are now at the intermediate level. And I think it's one of the best things we've ever done for our marriage. It's a weekly date and then we go to a dance at the same studio the first Saturday evening of the month. They play all kinds of music. Our favorite dances are waltz, rumba, and cha-cha.

And getting cleaned out - I used no system, it just happened. Not sure why. May have been a bug since my hubby had digestive issues as well over the weekend last week. But it never felt like I was sick. I do take Miralax every day because I've had chronic issues with constipation. Maybe with the change in diet, my body is readjusting. Hard to say.

Had another scrapbooking weekend. Four of my friends and I are taking turns hosting once a month. I took my stuff to my friend's house on Thursday evening and worked for a while then. Went back Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and after church today until 5pm. I got 72 pages done! WOOHOO! I was very excited. And we had lots of fun chatting. Last night leaving her house, I came within SECONDS of being killed. When I left her house and got to the stop sign to turn onto the main road, I saw a faint red glow to the left and wasn't sure what it was, looked to the right and just then a car ZOOMED past me from the left - a car with NO HEADLIGHTS going 50 or 60mph! If I'd have left her house just a few seconds earlier, I'd have pulled out and been totally creamed. Not sure if it was kids goofing around or what, but I was NOT amused!!!

OK, everyone who commented on my last post is hearby nominated for the HAPPY 101 award. Ha ha! You are exempt if you've already got it before. ;-)

HYC check in - 180.6

2010-01-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

I had a low this week of 179.2 and could scarcely believe my eyes! Had to get off the scale and get back on to double check. Without getting too terribly graphic, I will say that it's partly due to my body getting completely CLEANED OUT! :-) I'll amend the post if I'm back in the 70's tomorrow morning. But I'm pretty happy with a 3.2lb loss!!

Not too good about walking lately. I did do 3 ultimate abs ball workouts and weight lifting sessions last week. And I have all of my photos organized through 2009 on my computer and everything printed out for 2007-part of 2008 so I'm ready for another cropping weekend this weekend with my friends. (I got 740 prints done and need to print out around another 800 to get current.)

Thanks so much to Sophie at Tales of an ordinary life for the Happy 101 award!

The Rules
post 10 things that make you happy
try to do at least one of them today
and pass some lovins on to 10 other bloggers

1. Ballroom dancing with my hubby (will do it tomorrow)
2. Shooting pistols at the range (did it yesterday)
3. Scrapbooking (coming up this weekend)
4. Reading
5. Walking (will do it when I'm done with this!)
6. Taking a long hot bath (will do it after walking)
7. Laughing with my crazy adult children
8. Taking photographs of loved ones
9. Cuddling with my kitties
10. Watching old movies

No wonder I'm so happy! Will pass on the bloggy love after I get my workout done. I've already procrastinated too long!

HYC check in - 183.8

2010-01-19T14:20:00.001-08:00

Same as last week, but since my period started Sunday, I'm definitely OK with that!

Got lots done scrapbooking last weekend and it motivated me to get more organized and get updated with printing out photos. It's really easy to let that slide with digital photography! My friends and I have scheduled weekend crops every month so we get more done. Looking forward to those times!

What I'm doing

2010-01-14T21:23:00.001-08:00

OK, I have had some questions I haven't addressed yet, so decided to do so tonight.

The journal I got back in December has a page for each day. A block for each meal with a side box for "Trigger and Strategy to Change." I don't really use those since I eat roughly on a schedule, not emotionally. It also has little boxes for Hunger Level, Feelings, Alone or with others. The only thing I really do is record the time and what I ate. Then I record what exercise I've done. At the bottom of each page, it has some questions. Did you exercise today? What motivated you to exercise or prevented you from exercising? What reward did you give yourself today? What is your goal for tomorrow? And then at the end of each week it has a page where you look over the week and evaluate how you did that week. At the beginning of each week it also has a food planner, another thing I don't use, but probably should. :-D

As I have mentioned, I'm trying to give up dairy, wheat and corn. Not 100% successful, but definitely making lots of progress. Some of the substitutions I've found: oatmeal instead of Cream of Wheat, coconut milk yogurt instead of my favorite Greek style (sigh, really miss that!), Pamela's gluten free bread mix (made it in the bread machine) instead of the 15 grain I'd been eating. I'd already switched over to Almond Milk for use with smoothies and on cereal. One other treat I've discovered is frozen coconut milk - like ice cream, but maybe even BETTER! The chocolate is absolutely yummy.

I am still implementing the "rules" of the Flat Belly Diet, where I don't go more than 4 hours without eating, each meal or snack is 400 calories (4 per day) and a MUFA at every meal. For more info on this way of eating, visit Prevention.com's website.

I've been bad about catching up on everyone else's blogs, but am going to try to do better! Thanks to all of you who have faithfully visited mine!

HYC Check in Week 2 - 183.8

2010-01-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

After swinging way up all week, glad to finish at up just .4! Getting back into the habit of exercising. The new way of eating has been challenging. Got some good recipes to try and made a run to the grocery store last night to pick up lots of great food.

I've been busy putting away Christmas decorations. Yeah, I'm slow. And I forgot about checking in earlier! Hope everyone has had a fabulous start to 2010!

Oh, and Anonymous who keeps posting stupid things that are just barely English? STAY AWAY! It's annoying having to keep deleting your stupid posts and I'd rather NOT enable word verification, but I will if I have to. :-P

I have a scrapbook weekend planned. YAY! I can't wait!

HYC check-in Week 1 - 183.4

2010-01-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

OK, I've been happy to see the scale go down this week. I've been getting most of my exercise through dancing - on New Year's Eve and then Saturday night. I've been eating well and trying to cut out wheat, dairy and corn. It's challenging! I've got some Oikos yogurt in the fridge that I hate letting go to waste! ;-)

I'm going to start putting my weight in the subject line so I can track better without opening posts to check on my progress. My overall loss for 2009 was around 13 pounds. I'm up about 7lbs from my low for the year, so I don't have too much to make up. I'll get back to a record low before I know it!

More New Year's photos

2010-01-03T01:56:00.000-08:00

Love this photo of my daughter and I! But doncha hate it when you've been to a special event and are looking all elegant, but afterwards you view the photos and realize that you should have stood a different way for photos????? After looking over everything, I was thinking that this dress just wasn't very flattering, but it was the way I stood with my arms crossed over my middle. It made me look boxy. I should have put my arms out or down so you could see the fitted silver band of the bodice. But I was so self-conscious about my arms and the sides, where the dress bowed out a little bit under the arms. DOH! I should have just relaxed more and not worried about it!

My favorite gingerbread houses.

I like the size of these photos much better. I made the other ones too little.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

The Broadmoor certainly lived up to our expectations and was simply stunning with Christmas decorations. They had a display of gingerbread houses that was quite cute and they all had such detail! They were all at the foot of a large chocolate mountain. I took photos of each house, but will just post the bigger view.

The ballroom for the party was so beautiful! The chairs were covered with gold and had a bow of white or covered with white with gold bows. The table settings were very elegant, with centerpieces made of white roses and candles. The food was all amazing, too. Thankfully my husband asked about the meal earlier in the week and discovered that the entree was going to be beef, so ordered vegetarian for me. It's a good thing he did. There were three courses that had meat, so I got a substitution for each of those.

There was a live orchestra and they played lots of ballroom music, so we got some dancing in. Toward midnight and after, they switched to more modern stuff. :-P Kisa and Ken dance a Rumba.

The singers they had were all AWESOME! And "Frank Sinatra" was there! He was so cute and very funny and sang wonderfully.

One of the few photos that shows the silver on my dress! We were dancing a cha-cha at this point, I think.

My favorite photo of Ken and Kisa as we counted down to midnight. They showed the NYC ball dropping at midnight our time on big screens around the room. We were all on the dance floor and at midnight, balloons and confetti dropped from the ceiling. Except one of the bags didn't release! Fortunately, we were in an area where they did fall! :-)

Our first photo of 2010

One other thing, I'm pretty sure that David Warner was checking in at the same time we were. He looked so familiar and in a couple of hours, I realized that he was one of the actors in Titanic - the butler of the jerk.

I will be posting other photos on my family blog if you'd like to check that out.

Green smoothie - 187

2009-12-30T11:24:00.001-08:00

Lately I've been buying spinach and not eating it before it goes bad. So I got some and am determined to use it! So I made my very first green smoothie this morning. Eh. Not really impressed. Will have to seek out various recipes to see what will improve the taste for me. I used spinach, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, flax seed and almond milk.

Looking back, I see that I really haven't posted photos since JULY! Part of that is because of a slow gaining back of around 10 pounds. :-P Will try to get back into good habits and posting photos more.

Cutting out dairy, gluten and corn is quite the challenge. They put corn syrup in almost EVERYTHING! I bought some coconut milk yogurt to try and it was delish! So I'm going to find more of that kind of thing because I do love my yogurt!

Weight today - 187

Health Tips from Dr. Oz

2009-12-29T20:37:00.000-08:00

Dr. Oz's 25 Greatest Health Tips

Burnett Christmas photos

2009-12-27T23:26:00.000-08:00

Just got home and the trip west was much quicker and certainly less stressful than 9 hours in a blizzard!!! Kitties are VERY glad to see us. And it's always good to get home after a trip.

A fairly good photo of the four of us.

My kids with their Grandpa

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

We have had a wonderful Christmas with family here in Arkansas.

We left Colorado on Tuesday evening during a snowstorm. It was AWFUL! Saw a VERY bad wreck on Hwy 24 before we got onto the Interstate, which was also snow-packed with blinding snow coming down almost constantly. We only got 300 miles in about 9 hours before stopping for the night/morning in Wakeeny, KS. We were afraid that we'd be stuck there for 48 hours, but when we got up around noon (we'd stopped at around 5am), it was no longer snowing. The roads were still snow-packed for a little while, but after Hays, KS, the roads were pretty clear. We did run into some rain, too that day, but it was a great improvement over the previous night. We were all pretty tired and cranky. We'd taken 2 cars, so I was driving during the blizzard and at first the next day. But then the kids were in one car and we lost them a couple times in Oklahoma. They eventually got back on track with the GPS. :-)

On Christmas Eve it started snowing/sleeting here so we did have a white Christmas. My older sister's family from Texas are thoroughly enjoying the snow and my nephew's Siberian Husky, Tifa is REALLY enjoying herself! And guess who forgot her camera - yeah, me. As my daughter said, I'm more likely to forget one of my kids rather than my camera! But my sisters, brother and nephew's girlfriend all have great cameras so I'll just a disk of photos from them. Will upload photos later. My younger sister got a FANTASTIC photo of my family on Christmas Eve, so that will probably be the first one I put up.

I saw my sister's chiropractor on Thursday and she did all kinds of testing on me. (It was my sister's gift to me.) I showed a sensitivity to dairy, wheat and corn. So I'm going to try a 2-week detox by eliminating those major 3 and see how I feel. (That will start AFTER we get home, though I have been limiting my intake of them.) She also recommended a couple of supplements, which I'm going to take and my cardiologist can kiss my butt. ;-)

I hope all of you have had a happy and healthy Christmas with family and friends. We celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Is your scale stuck?

2009-12-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

I'm just reminding myself of all the truths of working on weight loss. :-) Last week at a business women's luncheon, I bid on the MK Satin hands set and it included a weight loss book and journal. I would rather stick with my flat belly diet but am excited to have a bona fide journal to use. :-)

Great encouragement from Denise Austin:
Fitness Flash
Is Your Scale Stuck?

Many times, people who start my plan become worried when they notice a weight gain instead of a loss after their first few weeks of exercising. Or they're concerned because they've added plenty of movement to their day, but the pounds just aren't dropping off.

If you're exercising and eating right, the most likely explanation for why you don't weigh less is actually good news: your increased activity is building muscle! Don't panic: Additional muscle mass can cause you to weigh more, but it looks much more trim and fit! Muscle tissue also uses more energy than fat, meaning you'll be burning more calories even when you're not exercising.

So try to focus on more than just the scale! Don't forget to measure lost inches with a tape measure and the Inch Tracker, and remember that even if you're gaining muscle weight, you're increasing your fat-burning potential and reshaping your figure at the same time. Be proud — you're working hard and your body is changing for the better. Keep it up!

10 pounds to go?

2009-12-12T10:55:00.001-08:00

Love this advice from Denise Austin. Actually, after my recent gain, I have 20lbs. :-P

Ask Denise!
10 Pounds to Go!

Q: I've lost close to 50 pounds, and now that I'm finally down to the last 10 pounds, I'm finding it hard to stay determined. How can I keep up my motivation?

A: Congratulations — you've done a great job so far! The last 10 pounds are usually the hardest to lose, but don't give up! The best way to rev up your metabolism is to add another five minutes to your routine. Try light walking around the block, toning exercises, even light isometrics (resistance exercises during which you hold a position for a set period of time). These will all help speed up that metabolism and burn those extra pounds. Also, make sure you drink plenty of water and curb snacking in the evening. This will help you get over your last hurdle. Good luck — you're almost there!

HYC Check-in

2009-12-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

Hanging in there. Definitely feeling better. Got back into the exercise habit the past couple of days. Maintained over the holiday so that's cool. My goal is to really focus on weight-lifting. Found a gorgeous dress for the New Year's gala at the Broadmoor and it has spaghetti straps. So need to firm up the flabbies. Those of you as close to 50 as me know what I'm talkin' about! ;-)

We woke up on Thanksgiving morning to an oven that didn't work! Zoinks! Hubby started looking online and found a recipe to grill the turkey. It was the BEST turkey we've ever had, so tender and juicy! Everything else we did stovetop or microwave for Thanksgiving. Got up the next morning and the oven turned on just fine. Too funny. But we plan to always grill the turkey now!!

FROM DENISE AUSTIN:
Eat Right!
Get Your Superfoods!
Looking for a way to get even more bang for your nutritional buck? Try these "superfoods"! They're loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to help you feel great, and they even help fight disease! Incorporate them into your diet today!

* Almonds: A source of "good" fat, almonds can help your heart by lowering bad cholesterol!
* Berries: They're jammed with vitamins — particularly vitamin C — but new research has found these sweet little sensations to be ace disease fighters too, helping to prevent bladder infections and even cancers, among other illnesses.
* Broccoli: Folate, vitamin C, calcium — broccoli is packed with all these awesome nutrients. Now researchers think it might also fight cancer!
* Avocado: The large number of calories in a serving of avocado is totally worth it! This source of healthy fat contains a ton of vitamin K and potassium and is also associated with lower cholesterol and even the prevention of breast cancer!
* Salmon: Low in calories, easy to prepare, and amazingly good for you — what's not to love about salmon? And the omega-3 fatty acids in salmon are great for your heart!
* Olive oil: Another good fat! Besides making your food incredibly tasty, olive oil can also protect you from heart disease.
* Green tea: So much research has touted the benefits of green tea, it's hard to know where to begin! But here's a sample: A Japanese study in 2006 showed that green tea lowered the risk of death from all causes. How's that for a superfood?

HYC check in

2009-11-24T17:27:00.001-08:00

Forgot about checking in! Went to my chiropractor yesterday and she did the thing to my jaw joint again on both sides. It hurt, but it definitely helps! My ears feel better and I don't hear the blood rushing around anymore.

Weight is still up. Need to get back into my walking habit! Sneezing like crazy and my sinuses feel like they are filling up. So I may be coming down with something. Ugh. Took some Emergen-C and think I'll go to bed.

Good news alert, though. My son had his annual CF app't today and he was up SIX POUNDS since Sept. That is a reason to celebrate!!!! He is ALMOST on the growth chart, near the 5th percentile. BMI is still waaaaay too low, though. But the doctor was really happy with the gain.

Here are 7 Snack-Smart Guidelines

And here is The Vending Machine Survival Guide

Great lists

2009-11-22T18:07:00.001-08:00

The 20 Worst Restaurant Foods in America
I need to get my son to eat Outback's Baby Back Ribs every night. Maybe that would help him gain weight! =O

The 10 Best Foods You Aren't Eating

Dove dark chocolate

2009-11-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting article from the Prevention Magazine website - Dark Chocolate and Antioxidants

Relief

2009-11-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

I went to my chiropractor on Tuesday and she did some weird thing, sticking her finger deep into my jaw on the right side. I iced it according to her direction that evening. Yesterday I kept a heating pad on it because it felt good. And today, my ear is feeling SO much better. Now that the right side is feeling good, I can tell that there's a bit of pressure on the left side, too so I may go back and her do that on the left side, too. I can't remember what she said it was, but it worked!

Yeah, I'll take that "voodoo" medicine every time! ;-)

And today I fell

2009-11-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

Literally, fell. Got out of bed to go to the bathroom this morning and my bladder was full so I probably was moving a little more quickly than I should with POTS. As I got to the bathroom door, things were going black, so I grabbed the door frame on one side, the other hand grabbed things hanging on the over-the-door-rack which all came tumbling down, so I fell backward and sideways and slammed my upper back onto the corner of the cupboard attached to the wall opposite from the shower. I guess that was probably preferable to putting my head through the shower door, eh?

I will confess to several non-family friendly words coming out of my mouth. It HURT! Plus I was just PO'ed that I fell. I'm 49 years old, not NINETY! Felt like calling my cardiologist and telling him that he's an ass and why am I so much WORSE than when I first went to him?????????????

Weight is up and I'm just not going to worry about it right now. I'm PMSing on top of everything else and I'm CRANKY. I'm sure my hubby will validate the truth of that.

Oh, and I noticed after having cereal that my ear (just the right one now) got worse, so I'm going to do some trials with milk - avoiding it and using rice milk for a while. The POTS website did say that some patients do have problems with dairy. Of course my doctor would probably consider that "voodoo medicine." Stupid quack.

Tuesday

2009-11-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

Weight down a bit more to 184.8.

I don't think this is tinnitus. It's not really a ringing, it's my pulse. I can hear the blood rushing around. So I'm hoping that if I can get my heart rate under control, it will ease up. I didn't get the new med until last night. Walmart has having problems with the insurance connection and when we picked it up last night, it says not to take it within 4 hours of going to bed. So I took the first dose this afternoon when I got up.

Need to get my sleep pattern under control. Staying up way too late and I know that hampers weight loss and health.

Some great lists:
8 Fatty Foods with Health Benefits
This will warm your heart as it encourages eating some of your beloved foods that you are avoiding because you THINK they aren't healthy.

The Truth behind 5 food myths
OK, the one on salt validates what my cardiologist said! ;-) I definitely need to try to increase my potassium.

Edit to note: Blood pressure today 101/67, heart rate 86 before walking on the treadmill. My cardiologist actually wants to get my BP UP, not down. :-D Yesterday and today I have noticed that my heart is getting lower than it has in a while, so maybe the new med is what I needed. Have an appointment at the acute care clinic at 10:40 tonight! Figured I would take any app't I could get today. Need to go by Walmart and pick up a new book before I go.

HYC check in

2009-11-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

Well I've been yo-yoing with a pound the past week. This morning's weight was 185.2, so still a net loss of 1.2lbs since last week. I'll take the loss. We went dancing Saturday night. I get a little light-headed if I dance too much, but it was fun. Today I walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes. My heart rate was up to 156, so I didn't want to push it for too long. I'm going to keep it kind of low key for a while. But I'd really like to lose 10lbs by New Year's and get a fab new dress for the gala at The Broadmoor. ;-)

The doctor's visit was still unsatisfactory. He said I'm a "puzzle" and he wants me to try another med. Still have the noise in my ears and it's still driving me nuts. I guess I need to go to a regular doctor and get my ears checked out. I have a follow-up app't with the cardiologist in six weeks. And since he REALLY pissed me off last week, (don't want to go into details right now) if I'm not measurably better then, I'm going to tell him he's fired since he hasn't helped me any, so I choose not to see him again.

Lynn at Actual Scale is having a giveaway for a $50 Amazon card to celebrate her 50lbs lost. Check it out!

Thursday - down again!

2009-11-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

Was completely shocked when the scale said 184.0 this morning. Stayed up way too late reading. (A pox on that Dean Koontz!) ;-) But I'll take that 1.4lb loss in 24 hours.

TSO is so amazing!!!

2009-11-05T01:52:00.001-08:00

We completely enjoyed the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert! Check out their website and you can listen to some of their songs. They had some new band members and a new stage. There were a few times when my ears were hurting, but with the loud music, it drowned out the internal sounds in them! ;-)

We like to make their concert an annual holiday tradition, but as I mentioned, I missed the past couple of years. They announced tonight that they will be doing a SPRING tour as well, so my daughter and I plan to go to that if at all possible. Hubby hates the traffic and the crowds and my son doesn't like the main male vocalist. (In fact, he didn't want to go tonight, so we invited my friend's oldest daughter. It was fun taking someone who'd never seen TSO before.) Of course, they've been saying every year for 4 or 5 years that their Night Castle CD would be coming out in the spring. Hopefully the spring tour will happen THIS spring! ;-)

Way too late. I need to get to bed. Good night!

Wednesday - down again

2009-11-04T13:48:00.000-08:00

Down another .6 today for a whole pound since Monday. I think I'll continue this trend. ;-)

12 Lies Your Menu is Telling

Tuesday

2009-11-04T00:58:00.000-08:00

Down .4 today. Can I continue? We'll see.

Today my son had his app't with the neurologist and they did the nerve conduction test. He said it was the worst test he's ever had to endure. :-( It showed that there was significant damage to the nerve, but it is re-enervating. I think that is the word she used. Anyway, there's still some weakness, but he's LOTS better and she said he should get 100% recovery. But it may cause him problems when he gets older with weakness or aching.

Tomorrow night (Wednesday) we go to the TSO concert. Yay! I have a feeling it may not be totally enjoyable if my ears are still ringing, but last year we were in Arkansas and missed it and the year before I was sick, so I'm NOT missing this year. My daughter just bought their new Night Castle CD and it totally rocks.

HYC check in - 186.4

2009-11-02T20:33:00.000-08:00

Decided to bite the bullet and change my ticker to the true weight. Up 10 pounds or so since August. Ugh. Didn't want to admit that, but it doesn't make it go away! My head is still making lots of noise and it may very well be driving me INSANE! When there is other noise around, it sounds like someone dragging a box across the floor. When all is quiet, I can tell that it's my heart beat. The fast heart rate has been worse. Today when I got up, I just put some laundry away, cleaned up some clutter in the kitchen and heart rate was up to 150 at one time. What the ........?????? I called the cardiologist and left a message about it. An assistant called me back and I'm trying a different med. I see the doctor on Friday.

Our video camera has died. :-( Would love to be recording our cat right now. He's being terribly cute.

HYC check in

2009-10-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late. Haven't been feeling great and not sure if it's just frustration or something physical. My ears have had a kind of ringing or humming in them and I'm wondering if it's the medicine the cardiologist put me on. I have a follow up app't with him next week. We're having a storm here today so it's COLD, windy and snowing heavily.

Great info on healthy foods that help your skin. Most of them are a regular part of my diet. Except tuna - can no longer tolerate tuna!
10 Best foods for your skin

"A healthy and balanced diet can shield your insides from all sorts of bad health mojo. But it can also protect your outside. The right vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, fish, teas, and chocolates can shield your skin from the ravages of the environment, time, and even cancer. To address every skin woe, from wrinkles, to acne, to dryness, click through this slideshow. And prepare yourself - bartenders might start asking for your ID more often."
My Favorite?
Dark Chocolate
Skin boost: Sun Blocker
Flavonols, the antioxidants in dark chocolate, reduce roughness in the skin and provide sun protection. In a study from the Journal of Nutrition, women who drank cocoa fortified with a chocolate bar's worth of flavonols had better skin texture and stronger resistance to UV rays than those who drank significantly few flavonols.

Here are some snack tips from Denise Austin:
Best Bets for Healthy Snacking
Snacking is not a dirty word for dieters if you're careful about what you reach for! I can think of loads of nutritious, low-calorie foods that can help you feel full and boost your energy without ruining your day. Stick to a sensible serving size and you're good to go! Here are some ideas to get you snacking healthy!

* Cut up veggies with hummus
* Sliced fruit with nonfat Greek yogurt
* A few almonds or walnuts
* Low-fat cottage cheese
* Air-popped popcorn
* Hard-boiled eggs
* String cheese
* Baked tortilla chips with salsa
* Homemade smoothies or fruit shakes

Try a few of these snacks this week, and a few more next week. Constantly switch things up so that you don't get bored — and you'll be all set to handle your next snack attack!

Great info

2009-10-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

Check this out - A Guide to the 9 most misunderstood foods in America that will help you separate fact from fiction in a quest to getting exactly what you bargained for every time you take to the supermarket.
Many people need to read the first one regarding DIET SODA!!!!!

HYC check in

2009-10-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

First, I will announce that Jen at Priorfatgirl is having a lotion giveaway. Those of us living in Colorado can NEVER have too much lotion! ;-)

Weight is slowly coming back down. Today was my cyst aspiration appointment. Oh, joy. The juicy details - 3 cysts of 12, 11 and 6ccs of fluid removed from the right breast; 2 cysts of 6 and 4ccs removed fm the left. (Wonder what kind of weight loss that will show! LOL) Yeah, I know, TMI! ;-) There were several other smaller ones that weren't worth the discomfort of continuing. So I've been a little sore and tired all day and I had to take my son to Denver to see the hematologist in the afternoon. I took the day off from exercise! Yesterday I did cardio and weight-lifting. (Lynn, for my routine, I use one from The Abs Diet for Women book. It has a set of 12 different moves and I usually do 2 sets of 15 reps.)

Last week we had a bit of fun when Kendall got up and was bleeding quite profusely from his mediport site. We had to remove the needle and put pressure on it for a while. I was glad we had the hematology app't this week. His INR level may be off because he ran out of his multivitamins with high levels of K and has been without for a couple of weeks. I hadn't thought about that connection but it makes sense. So we'll alter his coumadin dosage until the INR levels back out.

So glad I don't have ANY appointments for tomorrow or Thursday. We have a snowstorm moving in so it's a good time to just stay home! Maybe I'll get a chance to check up on my fellow health bloggers. ;-)

Hip, hip, hooray!

2009-10-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

I got to take off the heart monitor today! WOOT! I feel like a free woman, finally. But my period started today, so I'm feeling crappy because of that. It's just not my month. :-P Weight was higher today than it's been in months. Time to stop THAT trend! I did walk 2 miles on the treadmill this morning before taking my son to Denver so I'm glad of that. Yesterday I did strength training, so I'm getting into the right habits. Will get the scale moving down again in no time.

Feeling better

2009-10-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I both feel better after the visit with the electrical heart doctor this morning. He doesn't think I need to do anything else. He said I could stand for extended periods to help train my body to cope with that and not faint. But he said my heart beats regularly and is strong, it just beats a little faster than most other people. He recommended I continue with exercise at whatever level I am comfortable and is going to talk to the other doctor about stopping the monitoring since they got plenty of good info already. I LIKE this guy. ;-) This was the kind of appointment I was expecting last week. Oh, and this guy also said that if the beta-blockers I'm taking make me feel fatigued, stop taking them.

I got up early this morning with less than 8 hours of sleep so I did not step on the scale. Will weigh in tomorrow.

Regarding the movie we saw last night, yeah, it was pretty scary. A few good jumps and lots of creepiness. (Just wish they didn't have to pepper every movie with so much bad language. Although my language might not be squeaky clean if I was being haunted by a demon either!) Not the scariest movie we've ever seen. We were talking about that on the way home. I think my scariest is "What Lies Beneath" because things under water totally creep me out. Gothika is a close second. Kisa said Quarantine was hers and Ken couldn't decide. The end of Paranormal Activity was NOT a satisfying end to a creepy movie. It didn't have everything all wrapped up in a little bow and that's kind of cool.

More REALLY good words from DENISE AUSTIN
"Go at Your Own Pace!
Okay, here's a news flash: You're one of a kind! No one in the world is exactly like you. And being unique is a fabulous thing! It's important to keep this in mind whenever you start spouting gloom and doom about how much longer it's taking you to lose those last 10 pounds than your jogging partner, or why your legs aren't shaping up quite like your gym instructor's. Instead of thinking negative, be positive and have more faith in yourself and your hard work!

You have your own healthy-weight range, based on your height and metabolic rate, which determines how quickly your body burns calories. Furthermore, different body types respond to exercise in different ways. If you're pear-shaped, which typically means that you carry most of your weight in your hips and thighs, you may never achieve the same athletic tone as someone who's naturally lean. It's just not physically possible. And you know what? That's perfectly fine!

The last thing you should be doing is comparing yourself with others or obsessing about the number on the scale. Focus on achieving your weight-loss goals on your own time line. Do what's right for you, and relish each and every accomplishment!"

Going crazy

2009-10-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

I HATE being hooked up to this monitor. I change the electrodes every two days, but they still itch and just generally annoy me. And I'm not even a week into this. Sigh.

Tomorrow morning is my app't with the electrical guy at the cardiologist. Not sure what he'll be looking at or suggesting. I'm still just so annoyed that I don't have a definitive plan yet. I've been feeling really tired and generally cruddy. Not sure if it's my attitude or the general state of my body and my heart working overtime constantly. :-P

This weekend has been REALLY cold here. I'm talking temps in the TEENS. Everything is covered with frost, so it looks really pretty and the clouds are down at our level, so we can't see the mountain behind our house.

We're all going to Denver to see a movie today. Paranormal Activity - a subject that seems to fascinate my children and husband.