The Grocery Fairy

Looks like the grocery fairy visited here! We picked up our 3rd order from Angel Food Ministries this morning. http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ It's a wonderful program that's open to anyone who would like to save on groceries, not just low-income families. There are Angel Food sites all across the U.S., so there may be one or several near you. You get about $50 worth of food for $25 each month you order. There are also specials available each month. I totaled the weights of the food we picked up today, and we got 25.8 pounds of food for $25. I also ordered 10 pounds of breaded chicken tenders for $18, so our freezer is really full now!

I eagerly anticipate Angel Food days because I know we'll have good, quick, and easy foods to cook when it comes in. Much of it is processed food, but good quality. Visit the website for the menu for next month. The next order deadline is Monday, October 9 and pickup day is Saturday, October 21. Bring a large box to put your food in. I like to use our big cooler.

Having quick and easy things to cook for my family helps me with my weight loss efforts, too. The less time I spend in the kitchen the less tempted I am. I actually have been eating mostly what I want and trying to exercise most days. I try not to eat too late in the evening or at night, and that helps, too. Leslie Sansone says in her book Walk Away the Pounds, "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, dinner like a pauper." She explains that the later in the day you eat, the less chance your body has to burn off the calories, so it's best to get the majority of your calories earlier in the day. Makes sense to me, and it seems to be working.

Celebrating One Year

Well, August 28 marked one year since I started trying to lose weight AGAIN. I lost 15 pounds in 10 weeks, then quit exercising and gained 8 of them back by January when I found this website and was encouraged to try again. I'm not where I had hoped by now, but I still lost 45 pounds this past year. (260 last August, 215 now) Not as quickly as I would like, but definitely a start in the right direction.

The first exercise we started with last August was swimming, but by October the water temp was down to 70 degrees and it was just too cold. So we started walking 10 minutes at a time--5 minutes away from the house, and 5 minutes back. We increased it a little at a time before we quit walking. At the end of January, we started walking again and started with 15 minutes, and added about 5 minutes to our daily walk each week until we got up to 40 or 50 minutes. It's hard to find much more time than that to exercise! Some days we do Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds: Walk & Kick DVD. Some days we don't manage to exercise at all, but we're moving much more overall. Every now and then, I even count my "weekly home blessing" or shopping and running errands as my exercise if it's been a really busy day and there wasn't time for anything else. (Have you ever stopped to think how much exercise you get rushing through the grocery store?!!) August ended with 24 exercise stickers out of 31 days.

My weight hasn't been dropping much lately, so I'm trying to watch what I eat a little more. Some days I decide not to eat past 4:00 or 5:00 in the evening, and I think that has helped the past couple of weeks. Staying busy and drinking lots of water till I go to bed helps. I've been having fun flinging clothes lately. My closet is beginning to get empty, since so many things were too big for me. When the weather begins to cool off a little more and the temp stays out of the 90's, I'll shop for some jeans and a few other things. Shopping is definitely more fun now than it used to be, though I still have far to go. Dawn and Angel, hope you are both doing well and still flying!

apologies, violet

I'm sorry we've left you hanging. We've both been going through "stuff", I guess - plus we both maintain several other blogs, so sometimes, there's just nothing left.

However, I know that angel & I both appreciate your time and effort and are happy to see you're making strides. It's not always lbs that count, but inches - do you do your measurements? Now that I'm a little bit more pregnant, I'm disconcerted to see my measurements going the other way, but only in the baby areas LOL Before baby, though, I'd lost 80 inches, so I was pretty proud of that.

Today, angel & I have been flying and we took before & after pics to show our progress. I'm gonna post the ones I've done so far, while waiting for angel to get her man off to work.

This morning, I worked on the bathroom and hallway/stairs. In just 15 minutes, both areas were literally transformed.



The hall was less challenging, but I DID also vacuum the stairs - with an upright vacuum with NO ATTACHMENTS - I think I got my cardio in for the day.



So, that's my update, and again, my apologies to violet for not posting more. I'll try to do better, and WTG on figuring out what's triggering you to stop losing, and how you plan to fix it. Thanks!

Seeing a pattern

No new low weights since 7/25, but I've been looking back over my records for the past 9 weeks. I started with FlyLady's body clutter investigator back this year, modified it, and then created a spreadsheet to track 6 weeks at a time. I record what type and how much exercise each day, pedometer steps, vitamins, water, and weight. Of course the weeks that I lost were the ones where I moved more. I did not realize how much my activity level had dropped recently until I went back and did totals for all those weeks. The junk food and sugar the past few weeks hasn't helped, either. I've printed some more exercise stickers, and hope the rest of August on my calendar will be filled with stickers.

One thing that occurred to me is that almost anyone can do those things that helped me lose weight. Though there are diabetics and others who are not supposed to "diet" and some people are not physically able to move lots, most people could do a little and slowly build up. Wearing the pedometer has helped me to be aware of how much moving I'm doing. I check it soon after I put it on, to make sure it is measuring accurately. It doesn't work well if I'm barefoot or in sandals. It does so much better with my lace-up shoes! There are also a few pairs of pants or shorts that it doesn't register well with, so I don't often wear them. Must be something about the angle of the pocket.

These are the things that have made such a big difference for me:

1) Drinking plenty of water
2) Taking vitamins
3) Wearing a pedometer
4) Weighing daily
5) Exercising regularly
6) Keeping daily records

These are all simple things. Hope they will help someone else!

Miss you

Finally hit 215 on July 25, but haven't done especially well with exercising the last 2 weeks, so it hasn't dropped any more. My walking buddy is on vacation this week, and we've been busy starting school this week. It has still been very hot, but I know all those things are just excuses. I know FlyLady would say, "You can do anything for 15 minutes . . . except WHINE!" Help! Anyone feeling motivated to exercise these days? I'd love someone to challenge me. Dawn & Angel, hope you're both doing well!

Success . . .

Success consists of getting up just one more time than you've fallen down.

Saw this quote the other day. It is so true, and could also be worded "Success consists up getting up just one more time . . . and one more time . . . and one more time." Exercise still isn't my favorite thing, but it sure is fun to see stickers filling my calendar and see the pounds slowly coming off. Dawn and Angel, hope you are both having a wonderful week!

Reclaiming lost ground

I am so frustrated with this computer! We keep losing the connection, and it's super-slow to start with (usu. 24 kbps). I actually started working on this last night, but lost the connection. Today the computer is giving me problems as I'm trying to pay bills, so I thought I'd try to post this while it's still working at all.

Dawn, I didn't receive an add in my Yahoo e-mail yet. It has been so long since I've used the Yahoo IM, I can't remember if those come in e-mail or in an IM message when you log on. I'm not even sure that we can use IM with our slow connection, but I'll keep checking my e-mail and will try to get around to downloading the Yahoo Messenger program again and trying it out soon.

Angel, it's fine if you e-mail me. At least I can get e-mails most of the time!

Went shopping yesterday for more shorts, but the store I went to was nearly out of shorts and didn't find the size and brand I wanted. The 18W denim shorts I had been wearing had gotten a little baggy and I had thought maybe I could fit into 16W's. Was disppointed that the 16W jeans and capris I tried did not fit, except one pair that fit very snugly. Decided not to buy the jeans since it is still be too hot for jeans most days. Jeans are for wearing somewhere at night or where there's REALLY good air conditioning! I feel strange in shorts sometimes, but wear them in self-defense to avoid having a heat stroke. Oh well, guess it's the 18 for now. And that 16W dress fits so well! Maybe the problem is that my hips and thighs haven't lost enough for the 16W yet. If only they still had a good inventory of shorts! WHY do stores around here quit selling shorts in July when we'll need them at least till October or November?!!

I've been playing with numbers and looking back to see how many years it's been since I've weighed this little. I think it's been about 7 years. When I reach 215, that will be the first time at that weight since around November 1997--almost 9 years. The lowest adult weight I have recorded was 144 in April & May 1995, except for 128 around Christmas 1989 when I was barely 20 and working 50+ hours a week at a stressful job. I'm 5' 6" or 5' 7" and had a few people say that was a little too thin for me. My weight was 148 in December 1995, but I hit 180 at the end of June 1996 and continued climbing for several years. I think maybe it was stress that caused me to gain so much. Have you read FLYLady & Leanne's Body Clutter book? They both mentioned similar situations.

My life is certainly less stressful today than it used to be, but the weight isn't falling off. It has been a fight, but I'm slowly winning! I feel like I'm reclaiming previously lost territory as the pounds decrease toward what my weight used to be. Wonder how much longer till the whole 10+ years that I've been dragging this body clutter around can be reclaimed?

holy cow

I'm psyched! I just checked my BMI over here - I've gone from 56 to 39.8! Yay me!

Your Body Mass Index

Your current Body Mass Index (BMI) is 39.8.

BMI is a standardized ratio of weight to height, and is often used as a general indicator of health. The "normal" BMI for an adult woman of your height is 18.5 to 24.9. This translates to a healthy weight range of 95 to 128 lbs. However, BMI does not take body composition into account. A weight above this range could still be considered healthy if your percentage body fat is less than average. For more accurate determination of body fat levels, consider using a body fat caliper, such as the one made by Accu-Measure.

Time to get back on track!

Had a busy but fun weekend, then didn't get much done yesterday. It is still SO hot here, with most days in the 90's and the air conditioner barely working. Even the water temp in our above ground pool was 90 degrees yesterday. Hope to get our weekly home blessing done today. Thinking of doing Camp GonnaWanna FLY with my kids to get us all motivated. Thought maybe we could do our routine each morning, do lots of reading, swimming, and other fun things, and spend 15-30 minutes each day tackling a problem area around the house. It will be time for school to start back in less than 3 weeks, so we'd better plan some fun before our time is up.

I've been having lots of foot pain again, so I bought new lace-up shoes this weekend. I also went in a dress store to see if they still had the dress I had loved when shopping for clothes to wear to a wedding at the end of May. They did still have that same dress, and it was on sale for half price! I thought I saw the size I needed. Went ahead and browsed through the rest of the clearance racks before going back to get a dress to try on. Then I was disappointed that they didn't have a size 18W, which is what I had tried on (and had been just a little snug) 7 weeks ago. I finally decided to try a size 16W, though I just KNEW it wouldn't fit. It fit! :) It's even a little loose. That makes 4 sizes I've lost since last August! It was such a wonderful surprise, because I didn't think I'd made much progress this summer.

Didn't walk with my friend from up the road Saturday or Sunday, but we walked last night. I got her to try on the pair of 18W denim capris that I bought in May. She has been wearing 22's and some 20's and didn't think they would fit, but they did! She has only lost 6 pounds or so, but is also building muscle from the walking. It's cool seeing my progress and that of my friends!

Anyone else interested in trying Camp GonnaWanna FLY to see how much fun we can have moving this summer?

Helping each other

Thank you, Dawn & Angel, for inviting me to join. FlyLady's encouragement since I was introduced to her nearly 3 years ago by my mother-in-law has helped me change my mindset and believe in me--at least a little! :) Now I believe that I can finally fling this body clutter I've had for 10 years. Your stories were so inspiring because Dawn was close to my own age of 36, and you both started near where I was. Seeing that someone in a similar situation to mine could REALLY lose the weight consistently for so many months was a huge inspiration to me! You both have come so far, and have so much to be proud of--even with the recent setbacks!

My highest weight ever was at least 274 in December 2001, and I actually quit looking at that point so it probably went even higher. By August 2005, I still weighed 260, as my weight had gone up and down repeatedly those 4 years, but stayed in the 250+ range most often. Starting in August, I began exercising and lost 15 pounds, then gained back 8 of them through last fall and the holidays. When I discovered your blog in January, I weighed 253. I've lost 34 pounds and now weigh 219.

I've tried many things since January: low carb (I love Leanne's Saving Dinner the Low-Carb Way, too!), fasting after mid-afternoon, walking, and swimming. I even bought Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds: Walk & Kick DVD, and use it sometimes. The weight has not fallen off as quickly as I would like, but it is consistently going down. The biggest thing that has helped me recently is having a friend to walk with. We had been walking pretty consistently for a few weeks and were unable to walk together for almost a week. It was a miserable week for me. I had fewer steps on my pedometer those days, was depressed more, and didn't feel like I was accomplishing much around the house, either. I was so lonely. We walked together last night, and it was wonderful!

Your blog has meant a lot to me. It was so exciting to keep checking back and see how you were doing, to keep cheering you on. That's the wonderful thing about the internet age: We can be separated by thousands of miles, maybe never see each other in person, but still build wonderful friendships online. You are both in my thoughts, and I'm hoping for amazing things to happen in your lives! You CAN do this!

I need help

I need my fly sister to help me drag myself out of the depths of selfloathing and worthlessness! My house is a wreck, and I can't seem to care enough to DO anything about it. I hate it when this happens!!!!! I spent the better part of yesterday just sitting here, reading other pregnancy blogs, watching tv, and in general, doing NOTHING - except I DID clean off my desk. I know, the first trimester is kicking my ass with fatigue and nausea but still - my family NEEDS a clean house, dammit.

we suck

I know - we both suck - we haven't updated this blog in a huge amount of time, but it's kinda for good reasons. Ya know... LIFE.

Ok, not always good stuff, but hey, it happens.

I'm down to 205, but I'M PREGNANT.

So I guess I won't be stayign there long

Angel's back down to the 220's, after having a setback (or 4)

We're not necessarily flying like we should, but at least we're not in hell like we used to be.

Anyways, we've invited Violet to join us - hopefully, she'll get us back on track!

ok, I suck

It's been forever since I've posted here. I'm sorry to those of you who do come to check us out and see what we're up to.

I get discouraged when I don't lose anything in weeks. I'm still losing inches, but not as many as I used to. I'm happy that spring is almost here and hopefully, warmer weather so I can get to walking again. I'm still hovering around 205, though I'd hit 203 and then the next day was up to 208! I keep gaining and losing those same 3 lbs or so, but I have alot to blame it on LOL

Hubby's out of work. He's home all the time. So I have alot of distraction and so I don't fly, I eat more and am rather disconnected.

It's making me nuts!!

But we're working on getting new routines set up so that we 're both happy. We're working on getting our business tarted up, plus we're going on "vacation" in about 10 days, which I'm DREADING because southern cooking is NOT low-carb. I AM very very excited to be meeting my fellow flybaby & blogmate and awesome friend, Angel, on the trip though! I'm going to spank her silly for falling on her butt, and then I'm gonna pick her up, dust her off and set her off flying once again.

So if you don't hear from me, that's why - I'm getting us all ready to travel and try to stay healthy. For now, here's how I celebrated hitting 75.



:)

~Me

Yay for us!

I've been doing alot of decluttering as well. I Freecycle whatever I can, and toss the rest out. It's GREAT to have clean spaces, and not have to deal with things that don't make us happy. Of course, it'll take me a while, but it's still better than hating living where you are.

Woohoo for us!

Decluttering FINALLY

So today i had an "ah ha moment." i realized that my house is crammed with stuff that doesn't make me smile. In fact, it makes me miserable. So... i'm getting rid of it.

Today i got rid of:
Two trash bags of clothes
A dvd stand
Two throw pillows
A table
Two Chairs
A Baker's Rack
A Microwave

And, i'm not done. This will continue. i will get this house decluttered and without all that weight... i just know i can soar!

slow week

So this was a slow week for me. I didn't fly much, mainly because I haven't been feeling very well. I didn't lose much because I didn't drink enough water, and that also led to the problem of "apparently, not enough fiber and so anyways, it's not been a great week.

However, I do have progress to report anyways. I've lost 68 inches and 75 lbs.! :) As a celebratory way of sharing my success, I have posted quite a few recipes on the recipe blog (My Tasty Space), and I'm also sharing my progress pics :)

www.flickr.com

So, last night hubby & I got dressed up and went OUT! I wore a new outfit that hubby bought me (the 1st pic in the series was from last night). We went to where I used to work (a retail store), and I was so psyched when a woman who isn't exactly known for her enthusiasm about things, came over and said "OK... WHAT is the secret???" and proceeded to tell me how great I look, etc. It really felt GOOD to have other people who aren't my family or friends, acknowledge my progress so far. This morning, we went to the library and the librarian did the same thing! LOL Must be my week for kudos or something.

Anyways, I know that angel's been sick and then was tending to other sickies, so I'm hoping she's been behaving!

If not, I'll help her get back into gear!

Have a great week!

how cute!

ignore this please :)

Technorati Profile

now we know

How It Happened

And God populated the earth with
Broccoli and cauliflower and
Spinach, green and yellow
Vegetables of all kinds,
So Man and Woman would
Live long and healthy lives.

And Satan created McDonald's.

And McDonald's brought forth the
99-cent double-cheeseburger.

And Satan said to Man,
"You want fries with that?"

And Man said, "Supersize them."
And Man gained pounds.

And God created the healthful yogurt,
That woman might keep her figure that
Man found so fair.

And Satan brought forth chocolate.
And woman gained pounds.

And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad."
And Satan brought forth ice cream.
And woman gained pounds.

And God said, "I have sent your heart
Healthy vegetables and olive oil with
Which to cook them."

And Satan brought forth chicken-fried
Steak so big it needed its own platter.

And Man gained pounds and his
Bad cholesterol went through the roof.

And God brought forth
Running shoes and Man
Resolved to lose those extra pounds.

And Satan brought forth cable TV
With remote control so Man would
Not have to toil to change channels
Between ESPN and ESPN2.

And Man gained pounds.

And God said,
"You're running up the score, Devil."

And God brought forth the potato,
A vegetable naturally low in fat and
Brimming with nutrition.

And Satan peeled off the healthful skin
And sliced the starchy center into chips
And deep-fat fried them.

And he created sour cream dip also.

And Man clutched his remote control
And ate the potato chips
Swaddled in cholesterol.

And Satan saw and said, "It is good."

And Man went into cardiac arrest.

And God sighed and created
Quadruple bypass surgery.

And Satan created HMO's.
(author unknown)

my updated stats

66 inches, 73 lbs :)

and furthermore...

I also drank 128 ounces of water yesterday - I floated around the house!

But today, I'm down another lb on the scale, so I guess I'm convinced!

Dinner

Look at what a pretty dinner I made last night for the whole family. It was so simple to make!

Now, the chicken I used I'd already pre-cooked when I bought it (AWESOME deal on boneless breasts), so all I had to do was slice it into about 1/2" slices and then I put it in the frying pan with about a tbls. of olive oil. I sprinkled some cajun seasoning on it and let it heat up. When they were getting some color, I flipped and added some paprika (just a sprinkle to give it some color). Meanwhile, I put on the plate:

• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 4 strips of fresh orange pepper
• some red onion on mine
• thinly sliced tomato wedges
• 1 tsp. milled flax seed
• 3 oz. chicken breast
  

I finished it off with 2 tbls of ranch dressing (after the photo) and it was awesome!

oops

Ok, I lost a pound LOL

Look mom, I'm A fish!

I drank 96 ounces of water yesterday. 96 OUNCES!!! I peed every 30 seconds. I had 10 carbs. ALL FREAKIN DAY.

I didn't lose an ounce.

I'm NOT happy.

I carted 7 loads of laundry back & forth across the street through the snow.

I did my dishes, shined my sink.

I vacuumed my room and folded and put away those 7 loads of clothes.

Not a friggin ounce.

GRRRRRRRR.

GODDAMN GODDESS

So, the closer we get to my birthday, the more i freak out. i DO NOT want to turn 29. i feel like i'm about ready to be put out to pasture. This is some sort of stupid mental block i have. i know plenty of women in their 40s and 50s i find incredibly hot and sexy. The last woman i had in my bed was 36 and she was steaming hot. i do not feel this way about other women, but for myself... Oh fuck it.

Anyway, i have decided that instead of my normal approach of whining, crying, and having a nervous breakdown, i am GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. No, i can't change my age, but i CAN change how i feel about it. So this year, i am going to work on all the things that make me feel bad about myself. i am going to look forward to my 30th birthday, because after a year of hard work i am going to be a goddamn goddess.

Watch and see.

for the first time in a long time,

I am grateful for a new year! In the past, I've only looked at how lousy the previous year was and figured, well, great - another year to screw up in. I always felt like a slob. I don't feel like that anymore. Sure, my house still falls apart, but it's so much easier to pick it back up again. My kids and hubby are helping (sometimes) and that is SUCH a big boost for me. I am psyched. I took a bit of a vacation from my healthy eating habits in December, although our meals were almost always still healthy, all the extra crap (candy) was there and kept me from losing an ounce. I didn't gain, but I sure didn't lose. So now, all the candy is gone, except for the stuff I don't eat anyways (candy canes - yuck!) and I feel stronger again. I'm ready for 2006 and ready to hit my next goal of 180 by my birthday (March 12th for those of you wonderful readers who want to send gifts, money, etc!) lol I think I can do it, and I KNOW I will try!

As for you, my partner in crime - I'm SO PROUD OF YOU! Your change of attitude is what will get you through this. You've had a setback but you're not crying about it, you're DOING SOMETHING! Woohoo! Hopefully by the time we meet in March, I'll be at my goal and you will be closer to yours! *BIG HUGS*

New Year, New Dedication

So, here it is 2006. i am in such a good mood because all things are possible. For the first time ever i understand why everyone makes such a fuss about the new year. i feel like i have a brand new canvas to paint my life on.
Here are my resolutions for 2006.
1) Appreciate what i have more. Instead of focusing on what's wrong, learn to focus on what is RIGHT. And, that's a hell of a lot.

2) Stick to a healthier pattern of eating and exercising. i know i cannot be perfect all the time, and that its important to treat myself now and then. But, i also know i have to make a LIFESTYLE change. i made great strides with this in 2005. In 2006 i plan to move forward with this. Refining, replacing, and finding a lifestyle that works for me.

3) Continue my work on laying my past to rest and finding peace from it at last.

4) Bring order and routine to my life to increase my sense of stability and security. FLY routines, set bedtime and rise times, habits and self reliance.

There we go. This year, i am going to learn to soar.