Loving It

This was the sight that greeted me this morning! What a way to start my day off.

I ran out of shakes last night so I've officially switched over to a "South Beach'ish" menu for my last 2 1/2 weeks. I can't believe how fast this is all going by. I've also kicked up my workouts and honestly... I am sore all over! My upper body hurts from doing chin-up's (assisted of course), and my lower body hurts from doing weighted lunges. WOW! I am going to make my photo shoot appointment tomorrow and find a tanning place. I think the sunless was working but I don't have that kind of patience and dedication! At least not for a tan (I'll see what I think after laying in a tanning bed thinking about the cancer that is starting to grow!)

I just realized the date is wrong on that journaling art! I wonder how I'm going to fix that!

Enjoy the journey!

Nursery Rhymes

As the music lady in Primary I have the opportunity to go and sing with the Nursery children weekly (if I remember them). Today we learned, "The Wise Man and The Foolish Man" and sang it with some other favorites. At home my own little Nursery man has been singing, "the rains came up and the floods came down, the rains came up and the floods came down, it wasn't really so but it seemed to be, popcorn popping on the apricot tree." He is so cute. It makes it all worth it! Here is the page I had to do!

Enjoy the Journey!

Retro Chairs

I have been sucked into the e-bay world. It's a sad, sad day. I keep thinking that I want to find a chair like the avocado/aqua floral one we got from B's Mom & Dad's rental place when they bought it. I wish I could find one. I really want to recover it. It has so much spunk! I really love it. So I checked out retro chairs on e-bay this morning. This is what I found for the taking. What are your votes? Do you think the shipping would be outrageous? Would it be worth it if I only paid $5 for the chair itself? Am I insane?...

Yes, I realize that they are incredibly ugly as they are. They are so cute in my head though. Seriously, can you see them with linen colored, heavy duty covering and some cute/funky/ sassy pillows? For example, fabrics like these:

So, that is what has been on my mind lately. Also, I realize that there is no rhyme or reason to any of these fabric swatches. They just spoke to me today! Pillows are easy to change. Right?

Enjoy the Journey!

New Quote

I got this just today. I've been feeling especially craving... I'm not sure what. Anyway, Mike Harris posted a few "slogans" from 12 step programs. I really liked most of them. Nothing new, but the one I need to focus on is: NOTHING IS SO BAD THAT OVEREATING WON'T MAKE IT WORSE. Just because I keep having to check myself and busy myself with something that won't take me past the fridge or cupboard. Yes, sadly that means surfing. Isn't there some other way to ignore the kitchen? Why does it have to be right there in front of me? Why is it that nothing in the world sounds better than an not great granola bar or some wal-mart gummies? Could it be that I get asked, "can I have some gummies?" or "can I have a granilla bar?" at least 20 x's a day? Yes, I'm done. No I haven't caved. B will be home soon to save me! The new today quote is from an article Amy Krause Rosenthal did for Parenting magazine. I've been looking for info on her for our book club next month. We're doing "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life" and other work by Amy. I really like her style and we'll talk more about concept and record keeping I think than anything. Should be fun! enjoy the journey!

I Am Okay!

Yes, yesterday was a hard one for me. But... I will not take that lying down. I e-mailed Mike Harris and explained what I'd been doing did he have any ideas. He wrote back (which of course prompted a "daily something") and told me I'm okay. 15 lbs in an entire challenge is nothing to "sniff" at, so what if I lost it all the first 6 weeks. Then he gave me hope again. One of the featured challengers from the 2nd round said her most dramatic changes happened her last week. Mike had inside info on her last few weeks diet wise and he e-mailed them to me. Something that she did was dropping the starchy carbs in week 10 and cutting out fruits in week 11. Plus she increased her water consumption. Mike said that is a strategy long used by professional bodybuilders and fitness competitors. That it really helps to drive out the last few pounds of fat and water between the skin and abs. I don't really know where I am at realistically, but I love the hope he shared. So... Next week no more starches for 2 weeks! Hmm...do you think if I started that now? Maybe pull in a little SouthBeach Phase 1 for the last 3 1/2 weeks? I think I might! Here is my need to document the awesome support that is available (for free even!) in the BFL program:

And so... that is it. I'm just going to keep working my tail off! Cut out even more "stuff" and free days? What's that? Ha Ha Ha! (I know, I'm insane... 3 1/2 more weeks!) Enjoy the Journey!

Daily Something

Can I just tell you how much I am loving doing the Daily Somethings that Ali shared? It has turned into my quick/ no mess creative outlet. When I need to think of something good I find something, take a picture (or use a past one) and journal about it. This is what I did today: I needed something to smile about... I'm feeling a little rebuked right now. On the BFL guestbook there is a woman named Tara & she isn't seeing the results that she would like to and she's in the same place I am. Anyway, I shared some of the things I've found. An example being: I read @ hussman fitness that some of the past champions have lost weight prior to starting their challenge to put themselves more in a position to have the results they were looking for. I shared that with her and said something to the effect that we just keep working and waiting and if it doesn't happen this time, well then we'd be primed and ready for the next challenge. Well, today Mike Harris did his blog about the whole subject. That if we aren't seeing the results we want it's because we haven't truly given it our all. That we would be able to look back and see where we went wrong. I pulled this from the blog: "I know that everyone in their own mind thinks they are doing this the very best they can. But often those who are seeing little or no results will have the presence of mind to really go back and examine their program from top to bottom, and will see that they are not really being that careful or stringent." What really hit me hard though was this comment: Tracy HOUSTON, TX-- It’s ironic how you blogged this today. I was pondering about this after reading some posts from the GB yesterday regarding some challengers not seeing better results. Thanks for putting into perspective that we won’t witness the "8 week miracle" that we all so desire if it is not earned..." Sorry that I'm complaining... I seriously feel hurt. I think I have earned this! What could I have done more? Is this stalling period a result of stacking my weights? I just need to keep going. Even if I don't lose another pound I will finish this challenge! So grateful that I have two beautiful boys who love me anyway! Have I told you that my oldest understands that I don't eat anything with sugar? He thinks I have an allergy! So cute! enjoy the journey!

De-Junking

This is what we did today. I had a list of things I wanted to get done & B had his. Unfortunately, his to-do list turned into my "have-to" do list because, sadly, his big dreams of de-junking the junk room meant I had to go through all of the stuff... it is after all, mine. So, I thought I'd catalog all of my stuff and keep it "continually before my face" so as not to forget what's there and what needs to be done. Plus, an added bonus... I realized something really great... IT'S ALMOST AUTUMN! I love autumn. The air gets cool, I can wear long sleeved t's, the leaves on our trees turn red. Plus, autumn means Halloween & Thanksgiving (and my Birthday!) I l-o-v-e, love pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin pie too for that matter! So, the day wasn't a total loss. I have fun pictures of all of my fun things! Enjoy the Journey! *Please keep in mind this is just a small sampling of what is in the junk room. This is, in general, my AUTUMN collection only.

No. 4 {NEW}...finally!

Well, it took long enough, but a yesterday Mike Harris had the greatest blog. He had a quote from a 12 step program about being willing to go to any length to get what you want then you are ready to take certain steps. About being willing to let go of past behaviors and ideas. Then in his own comments he talked about not selling yourself short. That you could be the winner of this game as easily as anyone else. But it won't be easy. Do it right, do it with all you have, and don't let anyone tell you you can't get it done. I loved it. He was talking right to me. I can do this. I will have a new me. One who doesn't live at the mercy of my emotions showing "a little here and a little there!" So, here it is. No. 4 {NEW} a little random... I found some dresses that I liked online and blacked them out so I just had these great silhouettes. It was fun to try. Just trying a bunch of different things... Enjoy the journey!

First Day Craziness

I can't believe it... he's actually going to school. It was a hectic day for us all. We loved it. After school we picked him up and went to get McDonald's then when and ate with Dad. It was, after all, his special day {and don't you forget it!}. You can go into shock if you'd like, but I really wanted to get a jump start. I was just going to do another daily something, but decided that I needed to start putting together pages for our family yearbook. So...what do you think?

I know, I must be crazy! Seriously though. I feel like creating lately. Something has inspired me. Maybe it's all the change in the air. (Maybe it was the elf that cleaned my house the other day!)

Enjoying the journey

In That Place Again...

I hate this place. The one where the hole isn't deep enough and there are too many people/ things around... I feel like a pathetic loser in this place. As a side bonus, my house is a disaster and I am not nice. That makes me look like a pathetic loser too! However, I had an epiphany on my way home from the gym. It had a little to do with some things B said to me last night and a lot to do with past experiences. Things I have forgotten. Basically, though it isn't anything new or profound, it reached into my hole this morning. Here it is: FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT. I know, I know. Sounds like a bunch of B.S! The truth of it is that I can either be a pathetic loser just because I feel like one, or I can pretend like I've got life together and have at least some of the pressure off. Besides, in trying to fake like I have it together I'll be keeping my mind off the fact that i'm in this deep dark place again. Does that make any sense at all? So, the two questions I really had to ask myself this morning:

1. What does the greatest mom in the world do that makes her the greatest?
2. What does the greatest housekeeper in the world do that makes her the greatest?

Those are my two biggest questions for now. The two biggest changes that need to be made. My first official act as the most together woman of the day is to limit my computer time to 15 min to document this. I have four minutes left so I'll share one more thing. I put together this collage yesterday for my "daily something" that Ali has challenged. Things that I found inspiring and happy...

Enjoy the Journey!

New Ideals

Tonight on the BFL guestbook someone mentioned Mike Harris' blog from 7/27 about diet. I went back and read it... I still have this nagging in the back of my mind that I'm just not doing everything I could be doing to win this thing. Anyway, I found it to be enlightning. He listed the things we should be eating and what, in his very educated & seasoned opinion are the best choices in those groups. This is what he said: PROTEIN:

1. egg whites
2. whey protein
3. white fish
4. water packed tuna
5. turkey breast
6. chicken breast
7. no fat cottage cheese

CARBS:

1. rolled or steel cut oats
2. brown rice
3. yams
4. beans (i.e. pinto/black/garbanzo)
5. non-tropical fruits and berries (limit to 1 serving/day)

RAW GREEN VEGGIES: eat these with 4 of your meals/day

MYOPLEX/ MYOPLEX LITE SHAKES: 2 x daily.

I see areas of change to be made. My go to protein (besides the whey) is cottage cheese or cheese sticks. My go to carb is an apple or cut up peach (in the cottage cheese) and my go to veggie has been sauteed spinach the last few days... I realize that this is even more restrictive than what I have been doing, but... I really think it's got to be done. Only five more weeks + a few days left. It's got to be all I can do to get rid of this excess fat! Don't want to be left thinking, "I could've done more."

I tried a new recipe for dinner. It was pretty good considering...

AWESOME PANCAKES 2 servings Combine together in blender: 1/2 cup Oats(can be instant or regular), 6 egg whites, 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 packets of Equal. Add cinnamon if desired. Cook in heated skillet coated with Pam, butter flavored, turning once. Unbelievably wonderful. Submitted to BFL website by: Jacque Bain

Actually, I did like them. I didn't put anything on them (still need to pick up some butter spray) and I did add the cinnamon. I put in 1/8 tsp but could've done more I think. What I liked most was that I was able to eat 4 pancakes! That just did a lot for my head I think!

Enjoy the Journey!

For Your Information

I added a few links to check out. I know I've talked a bit about hussman fitness. You can go there from here now. I also added a like to Calorie King. You can go there and look up food you want to know the calorie count for... I have been wondering about mushrooms so I went looking for a place to tell me more. FYI: 1/2 cup fresh mushroom pieces has 8 calories, no fat (actually .1g), 1/2 g fiber, 1 g protein, 111 g potassium. So, it's a good place to go for questions about calorie foods. For fun I added a link to Keri Smith's blog. She promotes guerrilla art. I'm still not entirely sure what that means exactly, but I think she draws on sidewalks/buildings etc. with chalk. On her site is a list of 100 things to do to get your creative juices flowing. I think it was a fun list over all. Today, at playgroup, my friend Victoria had a shirt she had altered. She wanted a new, funkier, shirt than anything she had in her closet so she pulled out the bleach and wrote something in German on the front of her brown t-shirt. I loved it! I told her I was going to have to make myself one. I have to say that Victoria is someone I need to hang around with more... Enjoy the Journey!

Inch By Inch

Here it is ladies...the official 6 week comparison. I'm still not conviced that visually there's a whole lot of change, but the numbers and my pants don't lie: week 1 to week 6

There may be a slight difference in the depth of the furrows. I can see a big change in my face. Here is the big change though...

1. Weight: from 195 to 180
2. Body fat: from 31.7% to 29.7%
3. across belly button: lost just over 2 1/2"
4. at true waist: lost nearly 2"
5. rear: nearly 1 1/2" lost
6. approx. 2" off each thigh
7. lost a little off each calf
8. biceps are growing

I am very excited. Still always questioning if I'm doing enough to win. I know, I know. I'm a winner regardless because I'll look awesome. We could really use that money to finish the house though. That's a worthy reason. Right?

Thanks for all of your support! YOU ROCK!

Enjoy the Journey

What's Up?

So...this is a hard post to write. I just finished week 6 and tested my body fat % again this a.m. It went up to 29.7...that is a huge bummer for me. I'm trying to figure out what's up. I'd like to just pass it off as a junky tester, but I don't know that the tester is the real problem. This is what I think the problem is...

1. Last weekend I had my first "real" free day. It was all out too. Starting with a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie at 11:00 a.m. moving on to R.S type salads, and coffee cake, and more cookies, etc. etc.
2. This weekend I had two smallish (but still 2) slices of pie, 2 pieces of fudge, approximately 5 serving of black licorice (nearly 700 calories by itself), and then a 3 scoop cup of rocky road with milk.
3. I've started to feel like I've got a good grasp on things in general and basically stopped planning my meals/workouts. I'm sure it's not helping either. It's all about awareness and I'm just doing it automatically. That will be good when I'm maintaining, but not during the challenge.

So, what do I do about it? Here's what I think...

1. Learn from this little set back. No more "free days" I will choose something - one thing - to treat myself to on free day.
2. I will plan everything. My meals, my workouts, my sleep...that's another thing I forgot to mention, just plain still not getting enough sleep.
3. As much as I despise it, I will be a calorie counter for no other reason than that it is a huge eye opener. It's amazing how fast a little here, a little there adds up.

Speaking of "a little here, a little there" did I ever tell you what B has to say about that? I was telling him how Ali Edwards says that things are easily done in baby steps, "a little here and a little there" he started using that against me. If I'm drooling over something or trying to talk myself into eating something questionable by saying it's just a little, he'll say, "a little here (pointing at his waist) and a little there (pointing at his rear)." He's really been great you know. Super supportive and not condescending. Definitely a cheerleader. I get into trouble when I project the feeling I'm having onto him. Then I start to think he's looking down his nose at me and I want to rebel. I'm doing it all to myself. I'm looking down my nose!

So, little set back. It's not going to stop me though. I've still got 6 more weeks of this and they'll be better than the first 6.

Enjoy the journey!

Five Weeks Down

Can you believe it? It really is going by pretty fast and in all truth, I'm getting pretty used to it. I had an all out free day on Sunday. The first all out so far. I was really worried about how Monday would go after that, but it was okay. Still trying to keep my calories down. I can tell I'm getting stronger. Today I did my 6 rep level bench press with 30 lbs dumbells...that's 60 stinkin lbs! Tomorrow I have to kick it into gear on the cardio. I'm still waiting/working towards the 8 week miracle. Everyday when I read on the BFL tracker I see another lady touting the 8 week miracle. I sure hope this all pays off. (Literally too!) Man, wouldn't that be awesome? Oh, by the by, I have reached the end of my sentence as Bruce puts it. So any of you who were still wondering if I might be prego and just not testing positive (again...as you may recall that happened with Isaac) I am bleeding profusely. Not to worry! Enjoy the Journey!