Weigh-In ... Water & Hot 100 v.2011

Today's Weight: 186 . 5

Loss/Gain: - 1 . 5 lbs

This was a good week food wise. I've tracked my food at least five days this week and even stayed pretty well within my calorie budget ( a slight miracle for me).

However, I am going to say that I saw this weight coming and it's something I'm determined to figure out. I've been hovering around 185/184 . 5 the past couple of days, then I take my step class - a.k.a. heavy exercise - yesterday and my scale is up.

This happens to me a lot and it vexes me. My only answer is...water.

Which is funny because both Stephanie and MizFit have written about hydration in the past week. It must be a sign, especially because I need that scale to reflect the good eating I've been doing. Not that losing a pound and a half isn't good, but it needs to be can be better.

Why?

Because it's that time of year again...time for the Hot 100 Challenge and this year I'm going to challenge myself more than I ever did in the last two years.

For those that are new to my blog this year, in 2009 and 2010 Steve over at Log My Loss has sponsored a challenge to finish out the last 100 days of the year with a bang. He has inspired us to set goals that will help us stick with our healthiness journeys through the holidays and finish the year strong. I've taken part in these challenges every year so far.

This year it's taken on a do-it-yourself theme (which really isn't it always something we have to do ourselves?? but I digress...) which simply means that he is not going to coordinate it all, set rules, etc. and give out prizes like in the past. For me, it only means I STILL GET TO DO IT!!! :) Yay!!!

The only rule of this challenge is to do it. Whatever you challenge yourself to do to finish out this year strong do it and don't give up.

So I am. And I'm going to finish stronger than I have been all year.

My goal for this Hot 100 Challenge is...

Lose 20 pounds.

Today's weight 186 . 5

Goal for Hot 100 166 . 5

Did you just look at my weight for the past year on the side bar? I knew you would, and I would too if I was you. I would even doubt me if I was you. It's okay, because I know my track record isn't the best. However, I also know what I've been going through this past couple of weeks and if you remember what I wrote yesterday I know that I am capable of more.

So, I am challenging myself in a way I have always had the greatest fear of challenging myself...by setting a weight goal.

I'm not even going to belabor you with little bullets of how I'm going to reach that 20 pounds lost, because I know that right now I don't need to pat myself on the back each week for little achievements if I'm not attaining the main goal. The little achievements are necessary to the bigger picture, but they are not the focus here...even if they always makes me feel better give me excuses to not improve.

So, while my stomach has just become a bundle of nerves for putting this goal out in public (even though I've been thinking on it, planning and praying before this challenge came up) and my fingers are getting shaky as I type.... I wobbly stand before you and make it public.

I will focus and lose as close to 20 pounds by January 30 - exactly three months from today.

Pray for me.

Wish me luck.

Cross fingers and toes.

Send overcoming, fearless thoughts my way

but above all...

Thanks for sticking with me this far.

I. will. not. give. up.

Note: The Hot 100 Challenge is open to anyone. So, if you care to join me feel free to copy the badge and post your own Hot 100 Goal(s) on your blog. Comment here and I'll follow along with you. You can let Steve know you're joining in as well if you'd like. Here are samples of my past goals: 2009 & 2010

Capable of More

ca·pa·ble

 

 [key-puh-buhl]

adjective

1.

having power and ability; efficient; competent: a capable instructor.

Today I took my second step class and I realized again that I am capable of more than I think. I've taken step classes on and off over the last 15 years and always enjoyed the variety of moves and the upbeat tempo. I used to only use the actual step and then when I did add one riser I would barely keep up.

Both times I've taken the class in the last 10 days I've put one riser under the step and I've still been able to add a bounce to my moves and pump it up when instructed to do so. Woo Hoo!!!

Last week my husband went to the gym with me and was running on a treadmill while I was in the class. He could see me through the half-opened vertical blinds and said he noticed how well I kept up with the class.

GO ME!!!

Actually, what's even more exciting is this:

1. The past two-and-a-half years of exercise have put me in better shape and it's showing in the class.
2. I'm one of the heavier ladies in the class, but I'm keeping up with thin girls - due to #1.
3. While it gets tough at times I'm able to keep up and I'm not dying when it's over.

Yep, just when I thought I could settle for nice little walks around my neighborhood I am realizing that I am capable of much more.

This is not to put down walking one bit, please understand that if you've never visited my blog before, and one of my life goals will always be to be physically able to take daily walks when I'm old and gray.

However, this 35-year-old lady is capable of more than that right now. The past couple years of investing my time into learning about healthier living has brought me to a point where I'm both capable and competent enough to do more than I have been. Doing well in the step class reminded me of that.

Oh, and you know what this means, right? This means I have no excuse not to get the rest of my weight off. So, I'm going to. Stay tuned...

24-Hour Getaway

A more personal post with some weight-related items sprinkled in....

Last Friday my husband took me out of town for a little 24-hour-getaway to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. The kids stayed home with a sitter for the night. We enjoyed some shopping Friday afternoon including new running shoes for him and pants for me from Kohls (I LOVE KOHLS). They were a more snug size 16 than last spring, but they still fit and that was wonderful for me.

We stopped for a lunch of sushi and a japanese flavored meat and rice tray. Then we checked into our hotel and hung out until it was time to get ready for dinner.

For dinner he surprised me with reservations to The Melting Pot. I've wanted to try this place for years. You definitely pay for the experience of eating a meal that is served completely fondue style and we enjoyed it. We weren't able to finish any of the courses and still left very full.

I have to say that while I ate plenty at dinner I have a great non-scale victory to share about that afternoon.

I didn't pack any snacks for our hotel, so after lunch I didn't sit around the hotel room munching away mindlessly. This meant that I was plenty hungry when dinner time rolled around.

This is good for me, who has always tended to bring along lots of snacks and associated hotel stays with junk food. :)

After dinner we enjoyed shopping around for the 15-20 minutes the shops were still open and I picked up a little something at Pottery Barn, which I love. love. love. (even though I can't afford the majority of their stuff). We also drooled through the windows at Williams-Sonoma, which we both love. love. love. (and I just learned is associated with PB, which explains why I love them both...)

It was nice to get away for a night and spend time with the man who has been by my side literally through "thick and thin" these past 16 years. He's been supportive if I want to lose weight and non-judgmental if I was gaining or maintaining; and through it all he has loved me no matter what.

Yep, he's a keeper and I look forward to many, many more years by his side, though hopefully taking up less space in the future. *giggle*

Busy Start

Well, I'm off to a busy week already. Whew! It's good though and I'm not complaining.

I'll write more tomorrow, but suffice it to say today that I had a great weekend and the scale wasn't up this morning. That's always nice, especially when restaurant meals are included in the weekend.

More tomorrow! : )

Weigh-In ... One Foot in Front of the Other Part 3

Today's Weight: 188 . 0

Loss/Gain: + 1 . 5 lbs

All I feel like is...It figures. I'm still putting one foot in front of the other, making better choices this week and then TOM comes and threatens to ruin my attempts at getting back on track. I say threatens because I have:

• Been tracking my food.
• Drank at least 64 oz. of water daily, and more many days.
• Making much better food choices, both in portions and types of food.
• Pushed myself in exercise a few times this week.
• Made some serious decisions about what needs to be done to finish what I've started.

The number on the scale doesn't show any of this, but I know that I've done fine for this week. Some things can't be helped and TOM is one of them.

I had a good conversation with my therapist friend earlier this week and we were discussing how I usually settle around 180-190 when trying to lose weight. hhmmm....maybe, we thought, my body is comfortable here, because I can still eat what I want pretty much and not gain.

Well, it's time to get uncomfortable, because at 5' 4" this is not a healthy weight.

So, that's my goal for this week. I'm going to make myself a little uncomfortable, work to stretch myself out of what's easy into what takes a little more work. I think good things will come of this.

In the meantime, I'm off to prepare for a fun weekend. Have a great Friday yourself and please don't forget to stop by and meet Sarah if you haven't already.

Meet Sarah

Today I'd like you to meet Sarah. Sarah and I became friends when our oldest children were toddlers. We've enjoyed many years of laughing, giggling, hanging out, scrapping and oh you know, the typical girl stuff best friends do. Though we haven't lived near each other for seven years it hasn't killed our friendship, thanks to Skype, cell phones and email. :)

While I've never thought of Sarah as having a weight problem I know she has had her own struggles to face. She's been a great example of nipping things in the bud weight wise before they become an overwhelming problem.

Through "thick and thin" Sarah has always been there for me and I so appreciate her friendship and support. She's offered a good balance of encouragement and support when I'm losing and non-judgmental friendship when I'm not.

Now that we are both physically active and paying more attention to how we eat I have a feeling the next time we visit together it might just be for a run and then lunch. :)

And now...Sarah!

ON HEALTH:
When did you become interested/concerned about getting healthy?
Before I turned 30, I always heard people say "Everything changes when you turn 30." I thought it was a silly thing to say, UNTIL I turned 30! I realized I couldn't eat whatever/when ever I wanted to. To be totally honest, I saw a picture of myself and at first glance I thought it was my older sister. At that point, I knew that I wanted to keep my weight down, and be healthy.

Did you have any health issues that lead you to change your lifestyle? No.

ON WEIGHT:
Have you ever struggled with your weight? After I had my daughter, who is now 10, I was determined to NOT stay at my post pregnancy weight/pant size. Being a size 12/14 at the time devastated me. Because my family has a tendency to be overweight, I try to stay aware of my weight gain.

What are your must-have foods that you keep on hand at all times to keep you "on plan"? Fresh fruit. One way I get myself to drink more water is to keep sugar free singles to go on hand.

ON EXERCISE:
What part does exercise play in your life? I know if I don't exercise, I will not maintain. Plus, exercising is something that I do for ME. In the summer, I would get up and take a 3 mile run before the kiddo's got up. Now that school is in, I take my kids to school and head to a neighborhood to run.

What kind(s) of exercise do you do and how often? I run/walk 3-5 miles, four or five times a week. If I have extra time, I will go to the gym a couple times a week.

Was it hard to begin exercise, or have you always been an active person? My husband and I started running on the treadmill in India, when we had a lot of "free time". At first, I couldn't run for a continuous 5 minutes. I worked up to run a 5 K, then I ran my first 10K a year and a half ago. I will be running my 3rd 10K this weekend! :)

ON LIFE:
Do you have a family? A job? I've been married to my wonderful husband, Aaron for 16 years and we have two awesome kids, ages 14 and 10.

How has your healthiness journey impacted your family life I have gotten my family to eat more fruits and veggies. I've noticed recently, that my 14 year old son will decline cookies and extra chips. ~ He is making better choices on what he is eating too.

Do you find it hard to stay "on plan" or fit in exercise with all the duties of being wife and mother? Not really, because I am a SAHM, I am blessed to have the time toexercise, cook and have healthy dinners for my family.

What have been your hardest struggles, physically or mentally, while living a healthy life? It's kind of funny. You know the saying "A second on your lips....forever on your hips." ~ I try to remember that. I have found myself taking a snack, lets just say, a candy bar. I'll open it and set it on the counter...take a nibble here and there...then I'll realize that the WHOLE thing is gone and I didn't even REALLY enjoy it. I ate the candy bar because it was there, and then, because I don't "remember" eating the sugar, I'll go to the pantry looking for another snack. I try not to eat on the run anymore. When I want a snack, I'll sit and enjoy it. ~

If you could narrow it down to a few helpful hints to being healthy, what would you say? I have a friend who always says "I'm going to start my diet tomorrow." ~ In the mean time, she's put on another 10 lbs waiting for tomorrow. If you're going to start having a healthier lifestyle, start today. Start with small steps.

I Was Tardy, but I Still Worked Hard

Today I was going to return to the Spin Class, but I was running late. When I got there every single bike was taken. wow. I wasn't worried about arriving right at the class start time because last week there wasn't a full class.

I was disappointed, but knew it was my own fault for assuming it would be a smaller class. Since I was already at the gym I hopped on the elliptical for 45 minutes. I hadn't seen a sign about the general 30-minute usage time on cardio equipment, but I did keep my eyes out to see if anyone was waiting.

Since no one was waiting I went ahead and did the full 45 minutes, plus a 5-minute cool down.

It was hard and great all at the same time. I'm not sure if the levels are the same as the machines I used in OK. If they were I was a little lower on the levels; however, I did a "random" workout that automatically raised and lowered the intensity at random intervals.

Whew, was I sweaty! I had a towel with me and was grateful for it when the sweat was dripping off my chin and then into my eyes. Yes, it flew off my chin and into my eyes...for those who were paying attention to the order of events....Just kidding. :)

Besides the people I see on the elliptical at the gym I don't know many who actually like to use that machine. I LOVE IT!

There's something about it that I love. I feel so strong when I am pushing myself and seeing the miles go by in ways I have yet to see in my running. It tempted me to start going to the gym regularly again, but I want to enjoy my outside walks/runs as long as possible.

There's a step class on Thursday that I might try, if I get there early enough. LOL

Embarrassed, But Fighting

I didn't wax poetic after my weigh-in on Friday because I really feel I have nothing to say that hasn't already been said; and then with the weight not coming off that's proof I'm not doing what needs to be done to truly be on a "weight loss journey".

There have been a few small changes in what I am keeping in the house, whole wheat bread, Cheerios instead of the high-sugar cereals, amongst a few things, but writing about that and receiving kudos for making good choices seems hypocritical when we're also eating a freshly made "autumn cake" with homemade cream cheese frosting and bacon-wrapped hot dogs.

I'm tired of where I'm at and I know what needs to be done, but I'm figuring out if I think it's worth the time and trouble.

That sounds like I'm giving up, but I'm not...I'm just deciding what I will be willing to do to reach my goal weight. Because the truth of the matter is I have to be willing to do it.

I want to lose the weight, I want to feel better, but obviously not enough to be willing to do what it takes.

Honestly, I'm embarrassed. It's embarrassing to have a "weight-loss blog" that shows no weight lost so far this year. However, this is all part of my journey, my story, and I refuse to quit and give in to the I-love-food, so-I'll-always-be-fat mindset.

Since I refuse to quit I'm reevaluating what needs to be done and working some things out. I'll definitely be back to tell you about things as they occur. Just please know that I do not take lightly the fact that I've been maintaining for the last six months when I'm not close to a healthy weight. I have thoughts on one reason why I might be where I'm at, and I'll write on that as time allows in my week.

In the meantime, thanks for bearing with me. I have to remember, this is MY new ending and a new ending takes a whole lot more work than sticking with the old comfortable one. For me anyway. Dang it.

Weigh-In ... One Foot in Front of the Other Part 2

Today's Weight: 186 . 5

Loss/Gain: 0 . 0

I really don't have anything to say. I was down yesterday, then spent the day driving, about 5-6 hours total, and this morning I'm up and showing a maintain. I had a feeling this would happen with the driving, but it will all even out eventually.

I'm still putting one foot in front of the other and keepin' on.

That's all for today. Please don't forget to stop and meet Stephanie if you haven't already.

Meet Stephanie

Today I'd like to introduce you to my long-time friend, Stephanie. We've been friends since about 6th grade and laugh at how we are closer now in areas we never dreamed we'd be. She's been by my side throughout my entire weight loss journey. She has the patience of an angel and whether it's a text with a question or weight victory, or a phone call moaning and groaning about weight struggles she is, and has always been, there for me.

After reaching her weight loss goal she ran her first half-marathon in July 2010. Stephanie inspires me to be more, to rise above past failures and to push myself harder than ever; both in my weight loss journey and in life in general.

And now...Stephanie!

Before at about 160-165 pounds.....

... and today with her beautiful family!

Hello to all of “My New Ending’s” readers! I am included in that “reader” category, but feel even more blessed to have known Leah for many, many years! Some of you may remember me from last year when I did a guest post for Leah on how much Leah and her healthiness journey means to me. Today, however, she asked that I talk about a few things regarding my own weight loss fight. I hope that in some way it can encourage, inspire and uplift those of you who are continuing your own weight-loss/maintenance adventure. So without further ado-I will answer away!

ON HEALTH:

When did you become interested/concerned about getting healthy?

To be quite honest, I wasn’t necessarily concerned with the “healthy” part of weight loss when I first started in April of 2009. I had just had my daughter and decided that after my 8-week checkup, I was going to do what needed to be done to lose the 40 or so pounds that I had gained with her and my son. It wasn’t until about a year later that I started learning about what healthy really means. Don’t kill me here, but I started watching The Biggest Loser on-line and Bob and Jillian’s approach intrigued me. Interestingly, as a side note – I was listening to one of her podcasts and the thing she said bugged her the most about BL is that there was a lot of hype and drama, but no real information. I just laughed! That was exactly what I felt about the show and so started digging on my own for my own information, and THAT’S when I started the concern for my health – not just a skinnier body.

Did you have any health issues that lead you to change your lifestyle?

I have been incredibly blessed with a very healthy body – one that has not been sick very often and will do just about anything I ask it to do. That being said, it has been interesting to remember how I felt having the extra weight tagging along with me. I was just getting to the point where my knees were starting to hurt a little and I was VERY uncomfortable in my own skin. I was somewhat embarrassed by my body and did not dress very well. I did not get heavy enough that it hindered my daily activities, but I definitely felt the extra weight.

ON WEIGHT:

Have you ever struggled with your weight?

Boy howdy – Leah and I have talked this question over a million times huh buddy?? I have not and never will be the skinny little nothing standing next to you with the size 0 skinny legs and arms! In saying that, I have always viewed myself as heavier than other girls/women. (some of that view is because of how I am shaped – I carry all of my extra weight in my upper legs and always felt they made me look fat.) I have struggled to lose weight and yes I have struggled keeping the extra weight off. Some of that is perceived overweight-ness (is that a word), and some of that is real excess fat. One thing I always loved about my mom growing up is she never said anything about me being overweight (cuz lets be real – I wasn’t THAT overweight as a kid), she always just reminded me that I needed to keep moving and watch what I eat. Never diets or anything like that – just kept me involved in ballet and PE and called it good.

If you needed to lose weight, what steps did you take to begin?

Wow – that is a heavy duty question! Looking back now, I may have done some things differently, however, this is all about lifelong learning and I have learned many valuable things since I started my weight loss 2 years ago. I think the first and most important step was deciding that I was going to do it and then putting some small things in motion. For example, I knew that after I had my daughter, I was going to lose the weight come Heck or Highwater. So to do that I decided I was going to count WW points (I didn’t join at that point) and was going to start exercising. I didn’t say how often I was going to exercise, but knew I needed to get at least 3 days in to make somewhat of a difference. Those were the only things I “decided” on and I did them.

What are your must-have foods that you keep on hand at all times to keep you "on plan"?

My must haves include:

• Fage, non-fat, plain, Greek yogurt (I do my own mix-ins and currently hate the ones with added fruit or whatever – sorry)
• Plain walnuts and almonds
• Craisins (cuz I like those better than raisins)
• Oatmeal
• Apples
• Strawberries
• Frozen blue or mixed berries
• Kashi Go Lean Cereal
• Flat-out wraps
• Sliced turkey or roast beef
• Spinach
• Chicken breasts
• Green leaf lettuce, tomatoes and carrots

If I have all of these in my house I can eat for a week or more! (course it may be the same thing, but I could do it!)

ON EXERCISE:

What part does exercise play in your life?

Exercise now has played a huge role in me being able to lose the weight and inches I’ve carried with me since I was in high school. ( Shhhhhh – don’t tell but I’m in a smaller size now than I was in high school!)

What kind(s) of exercise do you do and how often?

I do a Jillian circuit workout 3 to 4 days a week (mostly 4) and then run on my 5^th day. I try to keep my workouts between 45 and 60 minutes each.

Was it hard to begin exercise, or have you always been an active person?

I have to say I’m not a huge fan of exercise, but knowing that it is an integral part of weight loss/maintenance I have come to terms with it. I have to say that I am not an outdoors type of person – never have been. I would rather be inside reading a book. But I love what I’m doing right now and it’s working. I’ve always done some sort of activity, whether it be ballet and swimming when I was younger, being a football stat’s girl (and running my butt off while carrying equipment around), aerobics while I was in college, or running as I’ve gotten older, I have tried to keep myself as active as I can so that I can be in shape.

ON LIFE:

Do you have a family? A job?

I am so blessed to have a wonderful, supportive husband (who also just lost the last of about 70 pounds and looks hotter than when we got married – no joke) and 2 beautiful kids who keep me on my toes. My current job is running the family household and that is enough for me at this point in my life!!!!

How has your healthiness journey impacted your family life?

It has been a huge blessing for me to have a husband who has always counted physical fitness as a must. He used to be a personal trainer and is more in-to the weight lifting and body building aspect of activity. It has always been fairly easy for him to lose/gain weight. So in turn, it was easy for me on my journey to healthiness, because he just jumped right along. Of course there were times where I thought I was gonna strangle him if he asked me if I wanted ice cream for the hundredth time!!! But we have both come to a place where we are ready to do some research and figure this stuff all out so we can help some other people who may be struggling too! And my kids are young, so it has been fairly easy to just incorporate healthier foods and activity as a part of our lives.

Do you find it hard to stay "on plan" or fit in exercise with all the duties of being wife and mother?

When I first started, I did have a hard time fitting in all that is required for weight loss. I had to go through the whole mental struggle of “I need to do this so I can be strong and healthy to take care of my family.” Once I found that I needed to do this to make a difference for my family, I have made it a priority to buy the nutritious food that is needed and making the time every day to get my exercise in.

What have been your hardest struggles, physically or mentally, while living a healthy life?

I think one of the hardest things to overcome for me is getting the mental image of the “fat girl” out of my head and realizing that I am worth taking care of both physically and mentally. It is ok for me to need some time to do this for myself. I struggle a little with “boredom” eating and am working on how to move that out of my life. And the final thing I struggled with was learning that the ways I perceived food and “how much” you should eat or “how little” or what to eat when, was very skewed and it has taken me some time to get those back into right perspective to make sure I maintain all that I have worked for.

If you could narrow it down to a few helpful hints to being healthy, what would you say?

I would say:

- Make the time to do this for yourself and your family

- Drink LOTS AND LOTS of water (I drink over 100 oz a day and I’m 5’0 feet tall)

- Eat every 4 hours so your body does not go into starvation mode.

- Keep your trigger foods OUT OF THE HOUSE!

- Keep some healthy snacks in your house for you and your kids.

- Make yours and your families lunches for work and school if possible.

Thanks, Stephanie, oh and if you'd like to see more of what she has to say in the future check out the new blog she and her husband have started. He has a great weight loss testimony as well! Click here for more.

New Pain re: Spin Class

So I had to laugh as I leaned forward on our dinner table last night and felt a pain in my forearms. I was like, "What in the world??" and then it hit me, "My arms are sore where I leaned on them when I was leaning forward on the spin bike!!!"

Now, that's a pain I never expected to experience from a spin class. :) My husband could see the slight discoloration, like a bruise on my front of my forearms.

Boy, do I have plenty of room to improve if I leaned on my arms so much they were almost bruising. Sad...

Stop by tomorrow to meet another friend of mine as she shares about her weight loss journey.

My First Spin Class

Today I decided to try a spin class at the gym on base. (We are military and one of the benefits is free access to any gym on base.)

Whoa Boy!! That class KICKED MY BUTT. I'm telling you what...

Prior to the class I asked the instructor if she'd tell me how to adjust my bike, etc. and she was very helpful. She gave me a few beginner hints, one of which was "Try and stay at the RPMs, even if you have to lower your resistance on the bike."

Here's a a YouTube video of an example of a spin class in case you don't know what it looks like. Stay at the RPMs sounded like great advice.

Yea, um, okay. Great!

Not.

I couldn't even keep up the fastest RPMs and when I lowered my resistance my feet were coming off the pedals. Soon after they slipped she said something like "If you're feet are flying out of the pedal holders, then up your resistance." So I upped the resistance and just pushed my speed as fast as I could get these chubby legs to go.

It was an hour class and about halfway through I was thinking, "Why am I doing this again????????????????" *grin*

It's amazing how you can feel so strong when walking, or jogging or doing something you're used to, but throw in a new activity and you feel so out of shape.

No, I take that back, I didn't feel so out of shape. I know there's no way I could've done that class at 231 pounds, or even last year maybe. I also looked in the mirrors to see where I was compared to others in the class and I was about middle to lower middle. Some were keeping up great, some were lagging farther behind than I.

That's good. Not the worst, but with plenty of room for improvement.

I'll definitely try and keep going every Tuesday just for the change in variety. In the meantime I need to figure out a way to keep an ice pack on my bottom and, er, uh in the, um, "down there". Bike seats are not comfortable. *giggle*

Have a good day!

p.s. I've added the Daily Mile widget to my blog so you can see what I do for exercise each day. It helps me have somewhere to write down my workouts and stay accountable. And it's fun ...the real reason... =)

Remembering

I lived on the other side of the country when the twin towers were attacked, but I'll never forget that day.

Last week I saw an article with a photo of a girl my son's age who lost her father that day and realized had my son lost his father on September 11,2001 he would've never known him, because his first birthday was the very next day. It broke my heart.

If you lost anyone close to you in that tragedy, please know that I am saying a prayer for you today as you remember. And please know...

We will not forget.

Weigh-In ... One Foot in Front of the Other

Today's Weight: 186 . 5

Loss/Gain: -2 . 5

Total Loss So Far: -44 . 5

Short Story:

I'm glad to see this loss because I have been careful this week to eat and move like I'm trying to lose weight. I'm emotionally at a point where I have to get back to basic and just put one foot in front of the other. I'll do what I know needs to be done to see weight loss and plan on seeing the scale go down in the process.

Long Story:

I'm glad to see a loss this week as I know I've been watching my portions and staying on track. It's been a good week health wise. I've been doing my best to listen to that little voice in my head that says things like, "Do you need that?" "Are you really hungry?" "Is that the best choice to snack on?" 99% of the time I've put something back because of that little voice and I think it helps.

I had a few really hard emotional days this week and just didn't know what else to do. The struggles didn't have anything to do with weight except that I did come to a decision about how I'm going to continue in my journey and get back on track.

I'm going to work on losing weight.

Simple, huh? What I mean by that simple statement is that I'm going to go back to the basics of weight loss.

• Eat only when hungry and until satisfied, not full.
• Pick healthier food options.
• Drink at least 64 oz. of water daily.
• Exercise 4-5 days a week.

I haven't been doing all of this. I've also been trying to think of what exercise I can do, or what special meal plan I can follow that would help get me back on track.

Instead of stressing about details I'm going to get back to keeping it simple. Calories in versus calories out.

I will eat healthier, but I will not stress if I eat something high in calories as long as it's in a weight loss portion. (ie. the 1 cup of potato cheese soup and 1/2 tuna melt I had for dinner the other night.)

I will exercise regularly, but I will not stress about whether I feel it's working me hard enough. It might be running, a weight/toning workout, a class, a workout DVD or just a good brisk 45-60 minute walk. I will just get something done each day.

My issues are more with food and how much I eat, and I need to stay focused on getting that back under control and getting to a healthier weight. However, knowing exercise is an integral part to a healthy lifestyle I will for sure exercise. I've just decided to quit living under the pressure of what kind of exercise will make me lose weight better. Eating less will help with weight loss as well and that's where my problem is. I don't want to be the fat runner, or the very fit chubby girl. I need to quit ignoring my overeating and justifying it with heavy duty exercise.

So, to sum it up I'm going to put one foot in front of the other - nothing more nothing less. As long as I'm doing that I plan to go forward in my weight loss journey. Right now I can't emotionally commit to anything more. I've been on this journey too long to be all "rah! rah!", so I will just keep going.

As always, I refuse to give up. I will win this war. :)

Have a great weekend everyone! If you haven't already, don't forget to meet my friend Kelly.

Meet Kelly

September is here and with it the "back-to-school" feeling is in the air. Kids are excited about a new year (some of them - LOL). Teachers are excited to get back to work (ditto). And moms, like me, are probably excited at the opportunity to get back to the gym, or at least get back on track with their healthy lifestyle. I thrive on the schedules that come with school time and I feel like my life gets back into some semblance of order when the new school year rolls around.

To go along with this "back-to-school" feeling I thought I'd share interviews of three close girlfriends of mine who are each working on their healthiness journeys. I'll be sharing one a week through the end of September. My hope is that those of us who are trying to get back on track will be encouraged by their stories and maybe even learn a thing or two.

Today I want to introduce you to Kelly.

I've known Kelly since about 3rd/4th grade. Though we've spent most of our lives living in different cities we keep in touch regularly and we're always able to chat like the old friends we are when we're together. She is a strong Christian woman and her faith shows in her devotion to God, her husband and four children. I'm amazed at the energy Kelly has to keep her busy life going and still take great care of herself!

And now....Kelly's thoughts...

ON HEALTH:
When did you become interested/concerned about getting healthy? I became interested in becoming a healthy eater when I saw how much it could and would impact my weight; something I never even thought about until my son Isaac was born.

Did you have any health issues that lead you to change your lifestyle? Yes my mother has Celiac Disease and the older I get I seem to be inheriting some of the problems that go along with that. It definitely has changed my desire to eat the things I shouldn't because I feel so miserable after doing so. I also am in perimenopause and that has had a lot to do with my weight going up and down; and emotionally it has been a challenge that I am slowly over coming. I have seen that the wrong kinds of food ie. lots of sugar and heavy carbs have made my symptoms much worse.

ON WEIGHT:
Have you ever struggled with your weight? I never even thought of "dieting" until my youngest child was born. It went downhill from there until I decided I was tired of complaining about it and went to a very informative health class at my local Sprouts. It was there I learned about low glycemic and lower carb foods and the impact they have on your blood sugar, and how that affects your weight.

If you needed to lose weight, what steps did you take to begin? I think the most effective plan for me to help keep my weight down (and yes I still struggle at times) is to eat my vegetables and fruits and lower carb (notice I did not say No carb); and I try to eat smaller mini meals 2-3 hours apart.

What are your must-have foods that you keep on hand at all times to keep you "on plan"? Nonfat Greek yogurt is my favorite. I eat it with honey or make a smoothie with frozen strawberries and spinach. Its a great meal as well as a low calorie snack. Boiled eggs are an easy go too with fruit. I also love hummus with mini peppers. I always try to combine a lower fat protein with a good carb, usually peppers, cucumbers, and salad. If I could have the high fiber pasta I would eat it too, but I can't :( . It bothers my digestive system too much. 100-calorie pack of nuts are also a great snack idea.

ON EXERCISE:
What part does exercise play in your life? I can eat great but if I don't exercise I don't lose, so it's definitely a neccessity! Plus I feel so good when I'm done.

What kind(s) of exercise do you do and how often? It varies on my mood. haha Right now I'm into running. I've never been a runner, started out just walking with my husband, but he pushed me into doing interval run/walking and now I"m really liking it a lot. I just ran 3 miles for the first time ever in my life in 30 mins and it felt awesome. I have some good dvds I pop in for variety, mostly a mix of cardio and weights. I'm trying for 5 days a week sometimes I only get in 4 though.

Was it hard to begin exercise, or have you always been an active person? This was a tricky question for me cause I'm a very active person, but because of the hormonal activity or lack of it in my body it was very diffficult for a while to get motivated to get out and exercise, which is what I needed to feel better. Once I got started it was easier to keep going. My husband started exercising with me too and that was a great help to me.

ON LIFE:
Do you have a family? A job? Yes I have an awesome husband that I have been married to for 17 years and 4 kids ranging from 15 to 7 yrs of age. Lets see, I am a wife, mother, chauffeur, house-cleaner, Pastor's wife, referee, cook... Oh wait I'm a stay at home mom! Thats a full time job! I just started a part time job that is only a few hours a week, just enough to give me a little extra spending$.

How has your healthiness journey impacted your family life? Much to my kids chagrin! One of the biggest changes we've made is hardly ever eating cereal, now we eat oatmeal, eggs, yogurt, things like that. I have tried to various degrees to try to eliminate "processed " foods. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. We don't eat out a lot and I'm always sneaking veggies in sauces and smoothies. We eat lots of fruit and although I can't eat the whole grain stuff thats what I feed to the rest of my family. As a result my dear hubby lost 20lbs without even trying.

Do you find it hard to stay "on plan" or fit in exercise with all the duties of being wife and mother Sometimes. Over the summer I felt like I slacked off a lot in my excercise and even eating healthier; as a result I didn't feel that good. I was really tired and sluggish. Now that the kids are back in school I have been able to focus once again on taking care of myself, watching what I'm putting in my mouth. I have more alone time to go ahead and make that commitment 4 or 5 days of the week to go running/walking.

What have been your hardest struggles, physically or mentally, while living a healthy life? The hardest thing for me is realizing that if I don't stay on target with my exercise and eating healthy, and yes that does include portion control, those extra 20lbs come on way too quick. I've made the mistake of being extremely disciplined and losing 40lbs only to have it come back because I got lazy. So I see its a lifestyle that I must maintain. Its not easy but it is rewarding.

The issues I've had concerning my hormones have made things very difficult and thankfully with the help of biodentical hormones it has helped a lot with the mental aspect of living healthful. Its hard to be healthy when your depressed, stressed, and tired all the time and thats what I was. I'm convinced that most women who are diagnosed with depression and even mental illness have unbalanced hormone problems and if they got them checked out they would not need the medication they're on. Your hormones control every part of your body including your weight. I had to really cry out to God for help in this area and I know that He led me in the right direction to get help.

If you could narrow it down to a few helpful hints to being healthy, what would you say?

• Get your exercise in, even if its only 20-30 mins a day, you are worth the time for yourself!
• Take a break every once in a while.
• You might have to say No to some things.
• When you feel "snacky" have some fruit and a little protein, it helps.
• Drink Water its good for you.
• Last but not least you need a good friend to encourage you. I have been very encouraged by my friend Leah and her blog and I cherish her friendship in so many ways!