Goal Day

Well yesterday was my first mini goal date. My goal was to be at 206 by the 15th. Well I weighed in yesterday at 210.2 Only 4 lbs away from my goal and I am pleased with that. Bobby said that I have proved that I can do this and he has agreed to put trying for baby number 2 on hold for now. No matter what I weigh though as of April 1 we are going to begin trying. I would like to be at 180 by then, but that would be 30 lbs in 11 weeks. My goal is to lose 2 a week, so that only puts me at 188. I would be ecstatic with that. I'll shoot for the 30 though, just to push me. I have finally started to bump up the exercising so hopefully that will help. How did you do this weekend??

Weigh-In Wednesday & Other News

Well I will start in with my Weigh-In from Wednesday. I didn't lose but at least I didn't gain!! I stayed at 255!! Ugh.

I have not been very motivated AT ALL the past couple of days. I am wondering if it is because everything is a disaster right now. My house is a disorganized wreck, my car is awful and my office was until a couple of days ago. I know it sounds stupid but when I am unorganized it is like I can't function! Not to mention the fact that I have been broke so couldn't really grocery shop like I wanted to!

So I am starting fresh "kinda". I am off Monday for MLK day so I am going to take this weekend to get my house & car clean and organized. I might even put a few new coats of paint on the walls. When I leave work today I want to leave things in good order so I can't start fresh on Tuesday when I come back to work. I am going to clean out my cabinets and fridge and go shopping and only by "safe" foods. I am going to get my extra bedroom cleaned and get my exercise equipment back in there. I am getting fired up just by talking about it!! I guess it is easier when you are organized and things seem to flow easier!

Not to mention the fact I got "The Biggest Loser" competition going here at work. We are going to go for 3 months each doing our own "diet plans" and see who loses the highest percentage of weight. The Biggest Loser gets the money in the "pot". So far we have 9 maybe 10 people so that puts us up to either $180.00 or $200.00!!! We have someone very trust worthy and not involved to keep the money and do our weigh in. We are going to weight in Tuesday and then we won't have another official weigh in until our last one on April 17th!

I have the advantage though because I have this site and you and I can post each week and get encouragment from you and doing this!! It feels good to come here and put in words how I am feeling!

Recipe

Beef and Biscuits
1 lb of Extra Lean Ground Beef
1/2 c Chopped Onion
1/2 c Bell Pepper

1 Clove of Garlic

8 oz Can of Tomato Sauce
10 oz Can of Regular Refrigerated Biscuits (not Grands)
1 c of 2% Monterey Jack or Colby Cheese shredeed
1/2 c Light Sour Cream
1 Egg, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375

In large skillet brown the ground beef, onion, garlic and bell pepper, drain. Stir it tomato sauce and simmer on low while preparing biscuits.

Seperate biscuits into 10. Pull each biscuit into 2 layers (this part is a bit tricky, the biscuits need to be cold and right out of the fridge or they are hard to pull apart) Lay 10 halves on the bottom of a lightly greased 8x11 casserole dish or a deep 9 inch pie plate. Reserve the other 10 halves for the top.

Remove meat mixture from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese, the sour cream and the egg; mix well. Spoon over layer of biscuits. Arrange remainng biscuits on top of meat mixture.
Bake for 25 minutes, remove and add remaining cheese; bake an additional 5 minutes.

Makes 8 servings. Each serving is only 242 calories! Enjoy!!

To My Blog Friends!

Got this in an email and couldn't resist! I thought it was real cute. I am actually a little nervous today because we get our yearly evaluations. I strive to do my best but sometimes......anyway!

Hope you have a great day!

Weigh-In Wednesday: Traci

Down 3.9 lbs since last weigh and down 8.6lbs since original weigh in on Dec 6th. It's going slow, but at least it's going. I knew I would put a few back on after the flush over the weekend. I always seem do worse on the weekends, so I've decided I'm going to do the modified flush every weekend. I think if I have a certain strict paln to focus on I will do better than just winging it.

I Am Trying!

So last night I ended up changing around my menu some. I ended up eating 1415 calories yesterday and my activities were only at 1409 calories! Ugh! The thing is all and all I ate really good and I walked an HOUR last night!!

Today I am at 1204 calorie wise already!! I am going to have to work out more I suppose or this weight is not going to EVER come off!! I was worried about my calories but based on my BL book my average calorie intake for weight loss should be 1800 a day!! If I am not losing now I sure won't lose with 1800! I really need to pick up the exercise more. I mean on BL that is how they lose all that weight! They exercise like two hours everyday!!! Scary!

Paris' New Purse

I guess it is supposed to be in memory of her dead dog! Ha! Check It Out Here!

Not much to say today! Just busy at home and work...my brain feels kind of jumbled! Hope all is well with everyone else!

I think your plan sounds great. I need to start paying more attention to the food groups too. I noticed on my fitday report that I am getting a lot less than the RDA on many vitamins and minerals. I need to start taking a multi-vitamin. Have you taken a look at the new food pyramid. It now bases your pyramid on your age and gender. Here is mine.


As for the water here is my take on it. I think the flavored water counts as far as your bodies hydration needs are concerned, however I don't think it counts towards helping to flush more fat. Fat is expelled through exhaling and urinating. It does make you go to the bathroom more, but your liver is having to filter out the artificial flavorings and colors therefore it's not flushing as much fat as it would be with pure water. But for people who struggle to get there water, I think the flavored water is a good addition. 100 oz from a combination of flavored and pure is better than only being able to get down 60oz of pure water because it is making you go to the bathroom more, therefore probably expelling more fat. However, 100 of pure would be even better. My goal is to get at least 80 of pure water a day.

New Outlook!

Wow! Sounds like the Trafany Fruit Flush is doing good for you!!! I should have at least try to modify it instead of quitting completely. Have I ever told you about my feminine problems? Without going into too many details - I can go for a year without a period and then I can turn around and go for months and months with one. It has been a nightmare. I got put back on BC Thursday to help regulate it. (When we get ready to try "baby making" I will get put on something else but decided I didn’t want to end up pregnant before WDW!) Anyway, I started taking it Thursday. My "problem" thus far has seemed to "clear up" and I am telling you I feel SO much better!! It also problem helps that I was more active yesterday!! I really feel great. It is a good feeling! I have decided to also come up with kind of my own "diet" plan.

Water
I know for sure I don’t drink enough. This is something I really need to bring in to my diet because without it the weight won’t come off as fast. I remember once you telling me that on one of the plans you tried you tried they say to drink half of your weight in water. Half of my weight would be about 15 8oz glasses. I have a hard time drinking water when I eat so 5 of those ten glasses will be at my 5 different meal/snack times and I will use my "orange" crystal light in those along with another glass of regular water. The other glasses will be "gulp" straight water in between meals! I think this will help A LOT!

Exercise
Truthfully you can’t really lose weight without adding this in. I am going to try to do something everyday for at least 20 minutes for the next two weeks. If I go over that is fine as long as I do something EVERYDAY for 20 minutes.

Food!
For the next two weeks I am going to stick to a strict diet Monday - Friday. On the weekends I am going to be more laid back though I will still somewhat watch what I eat but I won’t be counting calories. Come Monday morning back to my diet! My food for the next week will consist of this:

8oz Water

B - Oatmeal & Crystal Light Water + 8oz Water

16oz Water

S - Orange & Crystal Light Water + 8oz Water

16oz Water

L - Creamy Chicken Soup @ Hand, Dannon Yogurt w/Fiber, Banana & Crystal Light Water
+ 8oz Water

16oz Water

D - Grilled: Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast, 1 cup Zucchini, 1 cup Broccoli, 1 cup Mushrooms & Crystal Light Water + 8oz Water

2 Cups Milk

Protein: 3 Servings
Fruit: 4 Servings
Veggies: 3 Servings
Dairy: 3 Servings
Calories: 1150

What do you think?

The Trafany Fruit Flush - Sunday Stats

8am -1 banana- 105
10 - cup of grapes - 110
12 - 1 apple - 72
2 - cup of cherries - 95
4 - skipped it
5 pm - I was so hungry for some real food and I felt dizzy and lightheaded (probably doesn't help that I gave a pint of blood that afternoon), so I skipped the lettuce and oil and ate leftover turkey spaghetti instead and then I had a tiny piece of chocolate cake. - 459

Total Calories - 841
Total Water - 60
Total Exercise - none

I think this 'detox" is really just a way to lose some quick weight, not as much as it is a cleansing thing. I haven't even been to the bathroom (I'm sure you wanted to know that), isn't that where the "cleansing" part comes in??? I am still doing it today. I brought nothing but fruit to work. I am going to eat real food for dinner though. That's my version of it, follow it during the day and eat a healthy meal of your choice for dinner. I think I may try that every weekend. Protein all day Saturday and a healthy high protein meal for dinner and then fruit all day Sunday and a healthy high protein meal for dinner. I'm doing this mainly for the weight loss not the detox part. I weighed this morning and was at 210.4, so I can say that it at least helps you lose some weight quickly. I just wonder if it will all come back when I go back to eating real food everyday. Hopefully if I stick to the less than 1200 a day it will stay off. I couldn't find the colon cleanse pills, I must have threw them away last time I cleaned out the medicine cabinet. I'm going to buy some more on payday and I will send you some.

I failed Miserably!

So I tried the first "protein" day. I did okay until about 2:00pm. I used a protein mix that Brian had at the house that he had bought awhile back. Let just say I had to "gag" it down in the first place then by 2:00pm when I tried to drink it again it LITERALLY made me sick. After that even the smell of it or the THOUGHT of it made me sick. It was horrible!!! It was something like one of these but it is fruit punch flavored. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. I wish I would have thought of the low-carb slim fast. So now I need to start again! I don't get paid again until Friday and don't have the money so let me know how your part goes - I look forward to seeing your stats for those days - and I will try the "Traci & Tiffany" version of the Fruit-Flush Detox. I would think it would still be pretty good. I just can't even imagine trying to "gag" down another one of those protein shakes!! I still haven't eaten too terribly bad but I have not necessarily eaten that great yet either. I think Baylee and I will get out for a walk this afternoon and the next couple of afternoons since I have done NO walking and have not drank hardley any water. Those are the two things I am going to focus on right now. I am still going to watch what I am eating but focus alot on exercise and water for the next couple of weeks...you know make 'em a habit. I want this SO bad but thus far I have had a pretty hard time with it. I am still glad we have this though....it makes me feel more accountable when I know I have to answer to Trafany. I guess it is not supposed to be easier is it! I know I can do this - I just need to get with it!

Congrats on the weight loss! If you keep it going you will be at your 1st mini-goal by the 15th!! I was doing okay until the holidays. As of last weigh in I am still 30lbs away from my first mini-goal. I am giving myself until May 15th to reach that first mini-goal. That is only between 1.5 and 2.0 lbs a week. I have to, have to, have to, HAVE to make myself do this! I do NOT want to spend another summer miserable. No I won't be at my goal weight by summer but if I could at least feel like I am working towards something that would be good! I am ready to throw out all thos 22/24 clothes and be in a 18/20. At that point I will really feel like I am achieving something! That will be awesome!

Yes send me some of that stuff and I have seen that audioblog thing on another site - pretty cool!

This is sooooo cool!!!

You've got to sign up for this... www.audioblogger.com

This will also be great for when we start Jack's Legacy....if we ever do!!

That is what I heard when I weighed this morning...

I just weighed in at 213.0 lbs. That's the lowest yet! I know today isn't weigh-in day but I had to weigh this morning because I am starting the detox today. That's the only way I will know if it works. I decided to go with a premixed protein drink. I did a little shopping last night and could only find one protein powder that meets his criteria. It was $39. I'm not spending that much on something that #1 I may not be able to tolerate and #2 I only need for one day....well at least for now. If this goes well, I may do it once a week for a month as he suggests. I didn't realize until I got home that the article says that each 1 oz of powder mix should have 24g of protein. You are supposed to have 6 ounces of MIX, not drink, every 2 hours. Well I only bought enough to have 8 0z of drink every 2 hours (5x total) and it's only 16g of protein for every 8 ounces I drink. I will only get 80 total grams of protein for the day, but after looking at what I have eaten this week, that is more than double what I currently get. So I am just sticking with my own version for today. I will follow to the book for the next two days though. I bought the Slim Fast Low Carb shakes. I will be drinking the equivalent of 4 cans. That's a total of 760 calories, 36 g of fat, 24g carbs minus the 16g of fiber will give me 8 "net carbs", and 80 g of protein. I want to go for 100 ounces of water.

I decided to skip the phentarmine, I just need to press through until 6 pm when I get real food. I should be able to do that without it. Oh yeah Uncle Tom decided to drop by last night, so that will probably make this a little harder, but I'm doing it anyway. No more excuses!!

Later that day.....

Ok, here is an update for Detox day 1. It's 4pm and I've had 3 of the slim fast. I feel really full. It's time for another and I don't really want to drink it. So tonight I'm supposed to have a 3-6 oz piece of lean chicken, fish or beef and 3-6 cups of raw vegetable salad with olive oil! I'm having salmon and steamed broccoli though. I just can't do 3 cups of lettuce with oil. Ok can't really isn't the word, I don't want to. How much different can 3 cups of stemaed broccoli with nothing on it be from raw veggies and oil? So maybe this first day isn't exactly by the books, but I still feel like it's a good first day to the detox. I think this day is mainly to get our body ready for the next 2 days of mostly fruit. I also have some Arbonne colon cleanse. I've taken once before and let's just say that yes I think it cleaned out some areas that had not been cleaned out in a while!! I'll skip the details!! Anyway, I'm going to take one of those before I go to bed too. If you want some, I will mail them to you. I have a huge bottle.

Not only do I have a B&B - we are both T’s! Just add that to the list of things in common!

Organic - I agree about the organic. It is very expensive but it is so much better for you! It is a shame that it is so expensive to eat healthy! No wonder so many people in America are Obese!!!

TBL - Watching the show last night I was really encouraged. Once again these are just people that are watching what they eat and exercising. If WHOLE families can do this it seems like I should be able to do it! It is amazing how much 40lbs makes a difference. Then that one mom that lost 78 - wow! The all looked great! I got my BL book yesterday but did not have time to read it yet. As soon as I do I will start posting info, etc. as I read it.

Discovery/Fitday.com - I signed up for the Discovery but I never went in and researched. Yes before on our "other" tries to lose weight we did discuss fitday. I am glad you brought it up because I was trying to think of it because I remembered the little charts and stuff. I do really good when I can see how I am actually doing!

Detox Diet - I was going to send you the info out of the magazine I found but when I started looking it had a website. I went to that website and found out I could by the e-book for $5.00. I am going to get you the info ASAP. I only read the magazine version - I have not read the e-book yet. I plan on doing that tonight. My goal is to start day 1 of the fruit flush on Saturday. You want to do it to?

Well I tried the Discovery Health thing and I don't like it. You can't choose your foods for the meal planner, it gives you the option of several customized meals. Have you looked at it?? I decided to sign up for fitday.com instead. It's free and you can track your food, activities, water, etc. I really like it. It even lets you do graphs so that you can see your progress. Some of the food I eat isn't listed but I just improvised. For instance the Ragu sauce wasn't on there, so I just used regular spaghetti sauce and adjusted the ounces until the calories equaled what I knew they should be. I figure once the calories are adjusted that the fat, carbs, etc probably end up being pretty close. Even though I am tracking calories, it's good to see the carb and protein intake also. The activity thing is similar to the one on caloriesperhour.com. You enter how much you drove, cooked, worked at a desk etc. It adds all of that up and compares it to what you ate to make sure you are burning more than you eat. It breaks it down to basal, lifestyle and activities. The basal is the resting, the lifestyle is based on your "lifestyle level" you put in your profile (ie: sedentary, active, etc) All of the activities you entered are in the activities category. You should check it out. Seems like it is one of the sites we talked about last time we were trying to lose.

Food Finds

Crystal Light Sugar Free Hard Candies - 25 calories, these are really good and 4 of them actually equals 1/2 of a fruit serving - they are at the bottom of the page
Pillsbury wheat roll - 90 calories, these are awesome, much more flavor than the regular dinner roll, the boys prefer them too

I made spaghetti using the new Organic Ragu and I used the Barilla Pasta Plus that has added fiber, protein and omega 3 (really good, taste just like regular pasta) and I used 93% fat free ground turkey. Yum!!

I like the idea of organic. The spaghetti sauce was sooo good. I assumed that it would be gross because it was healthier. It tasted pure..does that make sense? It was just like I had taken tomatoes from the vine and crushed them. I would love to switch to buying mostly organic products, but it's expense at the specialty stores.

WOOHOO!!!

Congrats on the 4lbs!! Love the picture!!

Yes please send it my way...I think I will try it. You are exactly right on the pregnancy thing. I want to eat healthy and still exercise. Last time I think I used being pregnant as an excuse to
be lazy and eat whatever.....and now look at me!!

I'm going to sign up for the discovery health thing today! BTW I found a new little snack..well the snack isn't new, but I didn't know that they had so few calories. Only 110 calories in the breadstick variety.


I found an off brand at Family Dollar and it only has 95 calories....every little calorie counts. It's just as yummy!

Weigh-In Wednesday: Tiffany

Well I weighed in this morning....255. Still not as low as I was on my first weigh-in; however, I am down 4 lbs from last weeks 259 and still less that the 262 that I started with way back in August.

I am going to sign up for that Discovery Health thing - great idea!

Any loss - 1.3lbs or not - is great! You go girl!

Well look at it this way even if you do have to start trying now you can still continue to try to lose weight. I mean considering the other problems you have had in the past you may or may not get pregnant on your first couple of tries!! Also, there are alot of workout tapes etc for pregnant mom's. It would also be good for the baby for you to eat healthier and at least walk so don't look at it as a bad thing if you have to start so soon - just stay on track no matter what! If you keep up the good eating and exercising habits through out the pregnancy and don't use the pregnancy as an excuse you will drop the weight SO fast after you have the baby!

I found this kind of "detox" in a magazine I saw at the store yesterday and I picked it up. The lady that told about it lost 9lbs in 3 days. Of course *results not typical*. Anyway, I am going to try it tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. On the 1st day it is alot of Protein shakes etc, 2nd and 3rd days it is alot of fruits. The article really explains it. I will scan it in and email it to you in the morning just in case you want to try it too. They say you can do the detox for 3 days and then regular diet for 4 days and then start over. They were saying you can do this up to 12 weeks or so and it really "cleanses" your body and gives your weight loss a boost!

Oh no!!

I just realized that I am 10 lbs and 10 days away from my first mini-goal. My deal with Bobby was that as long as I met my goal we could wait and try for baby number 2 in April, but if I didn't meet it then I would agree to go ahead and start trying. My whole excuse for not wanting to have another baby right now is that I want to lose some weight first. Well I have been saying that for a year now, so he said if I could prove to him that I was serious this time that we would wait until April. I better get my butt moving. I think if I can lose at least 5 more and be only 5 away from my goal that I can convince him that I am doing good.... I'll blame it on the holidays. I have got to be very good from this point forward. You better believe my butt will be on that treadmill tonight!

Weigh-In Wednesday: Traci

Only down 1.3 lbs and not back to where I was before Christmas, but at least I am down this week!

Surfin' the web!

I think I am going to sign up for this. It's completely free and offers a lot of features that most pay sites offer (meal plans, assessments, trackers, etc) It has some really neat stuff. Check it out. Wanna sign up?http://health.discovery.com/convergence/bodychallenge2006/opener.html?clik=netmain_feat1

Here are a few cool sites or articles that I have found:
http://www.fitwatch.com/ (have to pay for access to certian areas of the site) http://www.deniseaustin.com/free/feelgreat/10dos.asp http://www.wegmans.com/eatwelllivewell/weightManagement/020105.asp

Low Calorie Recipes

Some of my favorites in a low calorie version:

Potato Salad - http://health.yahoo.com/recipe/?f=bhg%20recipe&id=r054249

Meatloaf - http://health.yahoo.com/recipe/?f=bhg%20recipe&id=r053832

Orange Chicken - http://health.yahoo.com/recipe/?f=bhg%20recipe&id=r053198

Eggplant Parmesean - http://health.yahoo.com/recipe/?f=bhg%20recipe&id=r054209

Onion Rings - http://health.yahoo.com/recipe/?f=bhg%20recipe&id=r053932

Fettucine Alfredo - http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/local/fettuccine.html

Peanut butter cookies - http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/local/pbfudge.html (only 30 calories per cookie)

My mouth is watering just reading all of these.

I like the idea of commenting in a post unless we don't have anything to post. I think your DW (disneyworld) goal is definetly acheivable and I don't think 2 lbs a week is unreasonable. You can do it. By the way I think I have gained control again. I didn't take my meds today but I'm still doing ok.

Yikes! New "Five Month" Goal!

We have picked a couple of dates. We have decided that we will go to Disney World sometime between the last week in May to the first week in August. That means I have to get on it NOW because JUST IN CASE we decide to go the last week in May I would really really really like to lose at least 40 lbs by then. That would put me at 219 from my last weekend and at least down one size. That means I would have to lose on average 2lbs per week. I don't know how reasonable that is but I am really really going to try to get as close as I can in the next five months!

BANG!!!

Yup - I went out with a HUGE bang in 2005. I ate and ate junk and tons of food I didn't need! THOUGH no looking at the past I am moving on! It is a new year! I feel like I have a fresh start and I am ready for it!! I am really really cutting back for the next couple of weeks. I probably will have low calories but I have GOT to train myself that bigger is not necessarily better. I am just going to have to eat very little to kind of "shrink" my stomach. I know it sounds dumb but the only time I ever really lost a good bit of weight this is how I started. I get very discouraged when I don't lose pretty quick in the first couple of weeks. I seem to do much much better when I have a little jump start. It gives me just the encouragement I need. It is a NEW YEAR! No excuses!! We can do it!!

Yikes that is alot of Calories at Shogun!! We have those type of places here and I love them. I guess if I do go there I will have to skimp out on eating the rest of the day!!

I am glad you shared those websites with me. I am trying my best to get into this. Calorie counting is one of the ONLY weightloss techniques I haven't tried! The thing is it is basically about just cutting back and exercising - which I should do anyway! I got an email saying my biggest loser book shipped. I should get it any day now...I will share with you when I do!

As far as the scale goes - I agree! No weighing EXCEPT on weigh-in day!

Also, UNLESS I don't have something to post I will probably comment to you in my post so that you don't have to look so many places since it is just us!! However, if I am not posting at the time I will leave you a comment under your post so it wouldn't hurt to occasionly check the site for my comments if you haven't received a post email from me!

Wake Up - It Is A New Year!!

So how many times did you hit the snooze button this morning? It was SO hard to wake up after all of the holiday celebrating!! I myself had a hard time!! My daughter doesn't go back to school until Thursday and I know she will be as ready as I am. It seems like when she is in school the whole house is on a better schedule...I know I am anyway.

We had a very quiet laid back weekend. On New Years we went out to dinner, shot fireworks and were in bed sometime afer 10:00pm. I for one did not see the New Year in! Sunday we hung around the house mostly and then went to my mother in laws to eat dinner and visit with my sister in law before she flew back to Orlando.

My husband and I both were off work Monday and we did not get out of our PJ's all day! We worked on painting my daughters room. It is the most "detailed" paint job I have ever done. We plan on working alot on the rest of the house this year. We have alot of decorating & painting to do inside, we need to finish our backyard fence, clean out the garage and in the spring start working on our flower beds. We are planning a summer trip to Disney World so we will be saving for that along with the fact that we will have to save because I plan to get a new"er" car around August or so. I have done really good. This year begins the 6th year I have gone without a car note. I haven't decided on what I want to get yet BUT all in good time!

Hope you all had a wonderful New Year!!

Low Calorie Recipes

I got a Low Calorie Recipe CD at Wal-Mart last week. I was so excited about it, that is until I put it in the computer. It has some really good recipes (5,500 in total) but it doesn't give the nutritional info for them. Common sense tells you that if some one is purchasing a low calorie recipe CD that they are probably counting calories also. It seemed obvious to me that it would have had at least calories and fat. If you want to know the calorie count, you basically have to take each ingredient and figure it up for yourself. I was planning on posting some recipes each week, but now I'm not sure I want to mess with it. There are some great low calorie recipe sites out there that tell you the nutritional info, so maybe I will just start posting some from there as I try them. I also planning to buy this book this weekend.

Here are a few links:
http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/local/
http://www.recipezaar.com/r/278
http://www.edietshop.com/recipes/

I did it.....

I made it through one morning without weighing. I went straight to the scale when I got up...I guess it has become somewhat of a habit obsession! I resisted though...I did stand there and contemplate doing it just one more day and then stop my everyday weigh in as of tomorrow. But I stood my ground and said no. I wondered for a just a few minutes as to what it probably was, but then I soon forgot about it. It sucks not knowing where I'm at but I know I have to be extra good today, just in case it went up or something. I will make it until Wednesday...I swear. I may not keep my "new rule" after that, but this one time...I think I can do it!!

I think you are doing great. 1500 calories is not much considering what we normally would be consuming.

By the way, I weighed this morning and I'm back down to the 214, so it had to have just been water retention that I gained over the holidays. I am sure it has to be the same with you...I don't think you can gain 5 actual lbs of fat in just a few days. Anyway, I know we have discussed whether to weigh everyday or not... I think I have decided to try to go a week or so and only weigh on "weigh in day". I realized today when I was eating lunch that I had the thought "I'm back down today, so if I splurge a bit that's ok now" WRONG! It's not ok, and I caught myself in subconsicous thought and realized that weighing everyday is probably not a good idea for me at least not right now in the beginning. I do like knowing that I'm "OK" every morning, but I think I will be more strcit if I'm clueless to how I am doing. I will be extra careful knowing that I may or may not be losing. It will be very hard.... I'm even thinking of having Bobby hide it from me. That's crazy, but I don't think I can stop myself, if it's right there when I get in the shower each morning. When I wake up it's my first thought, well after the thought that my bladder is going to burst from all the dang water! What do you think???

It's Friday! Have A Happy New Year!

Well how is everyone!!! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was very nice and I got to visit with all of my family and give lots of gifts and I also got lots of great gifts! Most importantly we got to celebrate Jesus' birthday!

All and all the holidays were good. Work has been a little crazy. Not that we have been busy but the fact that out of 50 people at our office only about 15 are actually here today. Not to mention out of our whole little department I have been the only one that has been here everyday all day for the past two weeks! Others have come and gone or not been here at all. I on many occasions have been the only one in our group that was at the office. I should take advantage of that but it is hard knowing I have a hundred things I need to be at home doing too!

Let's see - what else - OH - there was an incident at a Christmas party I was at. When the party was said and done everything was fine but a week later someone had to start it all back up. Needless to say the past 3 weeks have been hell! I should not have even had to worry about that sort of thing!! I am too old for this drama. ANYWAY - so as of last night it is finally all over with. {I Hope.} It seems like this thing never dies. Every time it is "over" someone brings it back up!!This is why all of us that gossip need to learn that you can't do that because you can really make someones life miserable! ANYWHO!! There are just times in your life when you have to decide what is really important and what friendships or aquantances are worth holding on too. It will all come out in the wash but I refuse to discuss it anymore!

Well guess I better get back to work - just curious though - has anyone set any New Years resolutions?

My only one would be to try to live my life a little better. I have learned that no matter how good you try to be some people still won't appreciate it; however, I am not very good at letting go and letting God. This morning I heard that new Carrie Underwood song "Jesus Take The Wheel". It brought me to tears and the chorus reminded me of what I sometimes forget. Let go and have faith b/c I can't always handle things on my own!"

God Bless! Have a Safe and Happy New Years!

Jesus take the wheel

Take it from my hands

Cause I can't do this all on my own

I'm letting go So give me one more chance

To save me from this road I'm on

Jesus take the wheel

The Low Down on Detox

Here are a few links I found on detox diets.

Is Detox safe? Good info...uh....I think. There is so much conflicting info our there, who knows whats right!!

Detox for quick weight loss! Well heck yeah, if you only eat fruit for a month you'll probably loose some major weight...but will you still be sane??

Quiz: Do you need to detox?
My Results :
You answered 12 items out of 16 matching the detox profile.
Your score is 75%. You're body is showing signs it needs a detox diet.

According to the Today show... experts say detox diets are hype: "First of all, your colon doesn’t need cleansing, it’s an efficient machine that rids the body of impurities on its own. The body expels harmful things naturally. Plus, without enough calories (which would be the case on either diet), your body turns to muscle for fuel, which in turn lowers your metabolism"

In conclusion I think a "detox diet" is a good way to lose some weight quickly and can benefit in other ways, but as far as the claims that out bodies need it to cleanse toxins.... not so sure I'm on board. I do think I may try a "solid diet fast" for 2 days and only drink or eat fruit and water. I would like to see for myself what the weight loss effects are. If I lose 2 or 3 lbs in those 2 days, I may try and do it twice a week for a month or so. What do you think?? Also most sites that support detox...want you to spend $$ with them in order to do so!

Weigh-In Wednesday: Traci

Girl, you're not alone!!! I gained 4.2 lbs in 3 days! That's horrible. The way I look at it is if I had not of lost the 7.8 lbs that I did since the beginning, than that would be 4.2 lbs on top of what I already weighed! Which would be 225 lbs...8 lbs more than I did this morning. That may be a warped way of looking at it...but it makes it easier to accept. Notice I didn't post my "stats" yesterday. It's because they weren't real good. I did ok until I got home. There was one lonely piece of cheesecake sitting in the fridge.....and well the rest I think you know. I then had two chocolate race cars and a mini bag of M&M's. That was all before dinner! Today is going better though. I'm on track, but need to get in some water. I haven't had any today. Just 2 big glasses of tea!!!

Weigh-In Wednesday: Tiffany

This post is so sad! I don't even feel like posting a picture! Oh the misery!! I weighed this morning and I was at *gulp* 259! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Of course eating Christmas food and finger food about 10+ times over the past couple of weeks will do that to you!! I am still 3 lbs less than I oringially started way back in August but I am NOW 1lb heavier than when we officially started this! Yikes!

I am glad to have it all out in the open and that I am being honest - like I keep saying and telling myself - that is what this is about! If I am not honest here then I won't be honest with myself and I won't ever lose weight!

I do feel good that I am back on CC. I have done really good today. I brought my breakfast and my lunch and know what I am going to have for dinner so that is good!

B - Maple & Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal 160; Capri Sun - 90
L - Michelina's Cheese Lasagna - 280; Capri Sun - 90
D - Hot Dog w/Bun - 310 (If I have 1 w/Bun and 1 w/o Bun it would be 543; If I have two it would be 620)

So depend on what I eat tonight my Calorie intake will be between 930 - 1240. I haven't taken my pill today but I am gonig to take it after lunch because it is the afternoon and when I first get home that I need more energy! Plus I eat worse in the afternoon and at home so that might help save me! I also plan to get AT LEAST half my water in before I leave work today! Next weigh-in from me you will be seeing fireworks!!!

Oh My!

So does my picture give you any clues as to how I did and how my weigh-in will go tomorrow? Ha! I - as you did - ate way too much and TONS of stuff I shouldn't have! I am sure my weigh-in will be horrific but that is what this thing is about - being honest! I was really tired so even though I am back on CC (calorie counting) I did not do so well for lunch. I had mexican which as you know is horrible! However, that is all I have eaten today and I won't eat tonight considering I figured what I ate to be over 1500 C!!! Sheesh! I also have ALOT to do when I get home tonight around the house so that will add in some exercise. I haven't drank any water today so I REALLY need to do that! So maybe if I get my water in and do enough work tonight then my day won't look too bad!

Starting tomorrow I am going to have to bring my lunch OR only plan to eat out once or twice a week. It will save money and calories! We have a couple of big trips possibly in the works for next year and I want to definitley be close to goal or at goal when that time comes!! Even if not that - I would like to feel better about myself anyway! We are also going to the rodeo at the beginnning of February and even if I don't lose alot of weight by then I do hope to be able to buy a cute, comfortable pair of jeans!!

I have a juiceman juicer and I have heard people talking about "detoxing". I thought about doing that. Have you ever heard anything - good or bad - about that. It just might be a good way to get all of this holiday "junk" out of my system and give this life change a good jump start!

I failed! I failed miserably. As soon as I was in that fun food & family atmosphere ....I crumbled. Once I had given in I figured what the heck go for it. I had rotel and meatballs, cheesecake and pie, ham and deviled eggs, and a bunch of other crap that I really should have not even put near my mouth. But I will be honest and say it was SOOOO good. After not eating much for the last 3 weeks, it was some of the best food I had ever eaten. Of course after doing that for 2 days straight I feel horrible. I feel bloated and nauseous. I'm kicking myself now. I could've, should've, would've but....I didn't. All I can do is accept it and move on. So I'm back on the program today. Weigh-In tomorrow will be very interesting. How did you do????

Who needs a measuring tape or scales when you have jeans?? Jeans are one of the best indicators of loss or gain. At least for me anyway. If I gain a few, I immediately know when I put on my favorite jeans. For instance this morning, I decided to try some jeans that have been really snug. They will button, but I can hardly breathe with them on. Well, this morning they went on perfectly! They could probably stand to be a bit looser, but I didn't have to lay down to button them. I didn't even have to suck it in. I love that feeling!!

Weigh-In Wednesday - Tiffany

Well not so good this morning! I went back up to 255. I figured I had though. I just laughed when I read your last post about Christmas food. I have already celebrated Christmas with work, bunco, Garretts, Iveys and the Barnettes. I still have to celebrate with the Smiths, Brian's dad's family, Brian's mom's family and my mom. THEN at some point I have to get together with three of my friends to celebrate. We have also had some kind of food EVERY day at work!! This afternoon we are having hor' derves and libations! So needless to say I have been eating, eating, eating!! I will say I haven't eaten as much as I usually would have! I do hate there was that three pound gain BUT if this site is going to work we have to be honest about the good AND the bad!! That includes eating and weigh-ins! SO my goal for next weigh-in is NOT to gain anymore weight. Even if I don't lose any or lose much I DO NOT want to gain anymore!!

Beginning Weight: 262
Last Weigh In: 252
This Weigh In: 255

Traci

Only down 1 lb since last weigh in - I knew it would slow down, but I was hoping for at least a 2 lb loss. Oh well 1 is better than none.

Down 7.8 lbs since my begin date 12/06/05

Oh the joys of Christmas......food

One of the things I have always loved about Christmas is the food! This time around it's a little different. I wish we could just leave the food part out. This is a perfect time however to test my self control. We are having a huge food day Christmas celebration at work today. Saturday we are having all of Bobby's family over and doing finger foods (our weakness!) and then mom has decided to skip Christmas "dinner" and we are just having a huge array of ......yes again FINGER FOOD! The thing with this type of food is that you really don't realize how much you are eating. You get 1 or 2 little things here and there, not realizing that by now you have consumed a whole cup of Rotel, the equivalent to a small pig in little smokies, a couple of sandwiches (those tiny triangles seem so harmless by themselves), and about 2000 calories worth of sinful desserts. I have pledged to allow myself to eat, but only one trip. It is going to be so hard....but I'm not going to throw away the progress that I have already made. I will probably get close to 2000 calories on those 2 days, but that's still better than the 4-5000 that I probably was consuming in the past.
As for today's shindig, I have eaten a bagel and one sugar cookie. They are bringing in pizza for lunch and I will have one piece of cheese pizza (around 200) and I have to have a small slice of my cheescake. I HAVE to know if it is any good, I have to see if it's worthy cooking again...right?
For dinner tonight, I will be having my weight in water and maybe an apple. Happy Eating!

WHEW! What A Blur!!

SO! I am actually here typing a post! It is a miracle! We have been SO busy and plan on being that way right through the end of this year! Alot has been going on and I am worn out but I am still trying to stay in the Christmas spirit. Hmm...first here are some pictures from a Christmas party one of my bestfriends Carla and I had. The first one is me and my hubby (what a cutie he is!). The second one is me and my "girls!" - Carla, Brooke, Me and Jessica. We had a good time but all and all glad it is over! It was a lot of work but worth it!

This past week we have been pretty busy. Trying to get some OT in at work AND I had a final in the night class I took this semester. I am taking another one next semester but for now I am glad no more school! I don't think I could handle it through the holidays!!

My daughter was sick Friday so I missed work - I hate she was sick b/c she missed her Christmas party at school and I missed some hours I really needed. I went up to the office to pick up some things to work on for the weekend. I got pretty good hours but wish I could have gotten some more! A glass busted in our dishwasher so that has been a mess and now our dishwasher sounds funny! Our dryer went out and we had to buy one of those and that stupid thing cost us too much money for this time of year! Ugh! Oh well. I plan on getting the washer to match after the first of the year so I won't be "mismatched". Well because of all of this I had to miss a Christmas party that I was supposed to go to Saturday night and then New Years I had plans that had to be canceled though I am sure people understand that when you don't have them money you just don't have the money. PLUS, I am already tired and if you add all the Christmas celebrating that I am getting ready to do I know I will be tired then and I probably would not have been able to stay awake at that party NOR do I plan on being awake when we ring in the new year! To tell you the extent of how tired I am going to be let me just say my daughter has around EIGHTEEN (18) grandparents!!! How you ask? Well that is another post in itself!

Have a good one!

Just relax!

I really haven't felt like eating today. Nothing sounds good. I ate cereal for lunch. I couldn't even eat all of it and it was one tiny serving. I did realize that I used to eat about 4 -5 servings when I would eat cereal. Crazy!! I'm feeling pretty tired today. That may be because I went to bed at 2 and got up at 7 (thanks to Mom's dog -we are dogsitting while they are in MS) Anyway, I am very ansy today. I'm tired, yet I can't sit still. I'm sure that has a little to do with the Adipex. I feel like I need to be doing something and there is plenty to be done, but I'm having trouble getting started on anything, so I came in here and finished yesterday's post and caught up on some emails. I'm done now and trying to decide what to do next...clean out dishwasher, fold clothes, or crash on the couch while Brayden is watching the grinch. That's what my body wants to do, but my mind won't let me. It's says I need to be getting things done. Like these things can't wait until tomorrow or even the next day??? Why can't I allow myself to be lazy. I've become that way over the last few years. I used to have no problem with laying around all day, but now I feel incredibly guilty. Bobby doesn't make me feel that way, he is always telling me just to sit down and relax. I wonder where the guilt comes from. I know that I deserve to be lazy every now then, but I just can't do it without feeling bad. I think part of it is the weight. Overweight people are stereotyped as being lazy people and maybe I just don't want anyone thinking I am. It's not like anyone is watching me though... hmm it will be interesting to see if I find it easier to allow myself to relax once I lose the weight. Well I'm gonna go and see what I can find to do. I'll update you later tonight...

Just Another Night On The Job

This is the best I have seen all year! It is supposed to resemble an episode of cops! It had me cracking up because it is just like cops! Enjoy!

Santa Claus & The Cops

Cutting Calories

I agree that it's not enough calories, but I also don't want to eat for the sake of eating. I know I wasn't going to talk about the Adipex , but if I'm gonna speak honestly about this journey, I can't leave that part out. I think once I am done with the Adipex, it will not be as easy to keep the calories that low. I have been doing a lot of internet reading on cutting calories and I think we are going in the right direction, but I think we need to watch our fat intake also. Most sites tell you to cut calories, not food intake. We are cutting food intake. I think that is due to the pill though. Most of the information suggests that cutting food intake will make you hungry and make it harder to control cravings. We just aren't seeing that now because we have our little friend. I was reading also, that you shouldn't take it for more than a few weeks. I'm on week 4 and going back to get refills next week!?!

If you type "cutting calories Here is one article I found that I likto lose weight" into a google search you will find all kinds of stuff. Most articles suggest that we should be getting between 1000-1200 calories a day. I'm going to shoot for atleast 1100 a day. I need to make sure those aren't empty calories though.

Here is one fo the articles I found and liked:

"When people cut food intake right down they often experience an increased appetite and a general craving for food. Some believe this is because they are eating less however, it may actually be driven by a deficiency or lack in the correct amount of certain nutrients. In other words, the appetite is trying to force the individual to eat more food in the hope that eventually these nutrients will be consumed. Most convenient foods are low in nutrients so if only fast, processed products form the basis of the diet then the appetite may crave the consumption of more food in order to gain essential nutrition.
If the dieter is exercising to lose weight the body requires more essential nutrients to aid recovery and growth of muscles. A diet devoid of nutrient dense foods may only cause further cravings and a larger boost in appetite. Cutting calories by reducing the amount of high-energy, fast foods is an effective way to lose weight permanently but only if other processed foods are replaced with healthy, nutritionally dense foods that are low in calories.
Cutting calories will be more effective if we learn to eat healthy meals regularly. This requires the introduction of healthier choices into the diet by gradually replacing each meal with low calorie, highly nutritious food or varieties. The dieter must veer away from the idea that they are "on a diet" by changing eating habits for the long term. Calories will automatically reduce when nutritiously dense foods replace high-energy package foods for most meals. An occasional treat should be left for when one has earned it by achieving a small goal or weight loss target"

Tiffany's Random Weight-Loss Thoughts

<-----This is the girl I am using if I just have "random" life change thoughts! So if you see her then you know it is just "random"! So I had been thinking I can't wait for two things: #1 To go down a size - well this morning I was actually thinking it is going to be nice to be comfortable in the clothes that I have. So that will be the first thing I look forward to! The clothes I have now fit, they aren't too snug or anything but they are not "comfortable". (If I try to go up a size they hang on me and the size lower is too small but yet the ones I am wearing really don't fit that great - it is almost like I need a 1/2 size or something - strange!) #2 I CAN NOT wait to be under 250. I have been right around this weight for so long that I can't even remember the last time I wasn't around 250. THEN I can't wait to weight less than my husband. He is usually around 210 or so (and he is not a "fat" guy - he is just broad shouldered & muscular - of course with a little bit of a "marriage" gut!) So from when I actually started losing weight back in August (?) until the point I get to his weight it will be a loss of 52 pounds! From yesterday's weigh-in I have 42 pounds left to way the same as my hubby. That would put me at 210 and then of course my next goal will be ONEDERLAND!!! I am not going to get my hopes up because I know that you can hit plateaus and that everyone loses weight differently. Based on the weight loss of several people over the course of 3 months on BL and based on my first weeks weight loss I am going to make a little weight loss goal list based on an average loss of 3lbs a week. I don't think that is over shooting too bad. I know some weeks I may not lose and some weeks I may lose more but lets just put this into focus - makes me feel better anyway to see these numbers!

As of today: 252

Brian's Weight is 210 - to reach that I need to lose 42 lbs - based on 3lbs a week I should reach his weight by March 22nd.

Based on this same scale I should be in ONEDERLAND by April 5th!! 199!! I know that is 4 months but I have NOT seen a"1" in front of my weight in OVER 6 years! SO I figure 4 months is nothing!

WELL if we continue on that same scale I will be 180 by the end of May! Just in time for summer! THAT is only a little over FIVE MONTHS away! That is ALSO on 40 lbs from my goal weight and a total of 82 lbs lost!

SO if I continue on that same scale then I will be at my GOAL weight BY Thanksgiving of next year!! That is less than a year away!

I know that this may be unreasonable thinking and I can't count on 3lbs every week and I can't count on NO plateaus nor can I know when my body is ready say "enough weight loss" BUT considering I haven't been at my goal weight in 10 years I think 11 months is worth the weight! That in itself makes me want to stick to it!

P.S. I was looking at how low your calories were yesterday...mine have been that low for the past two days and I have been eating but not tons and tons of food. I am scared I am not going to get enough calories and stall my weight loss - what do you think?

So Much More...

This thing is so much more to me. It is about losing the weight, changing my life, losing the bad attitude, becoming a better person in all of my relationships in my life! Life is too short to sit around and wait for tomorrow - who knows if we have tomorrow!

I had decided that by the end of this year I would like to lose 10lbs. I am up to 6 and you never know how things go week to week so hopefully that goal will be reached. I feel it will be. My reward? Won't be food! I am going to treat myself to a new pair of earrings! Everytime I reach a goal that I set here in writing by a certain date I am going to treat myself. Of course, it won't always be something expensive! I might only spend $2.00 on those earrings but I am going to get them! Better than the $2.00 I would usually spend on a coke and candy bar!

Thoughts To Live By

For those that know me - you know how I like to talk and what I have written here is kind of long but it is really important to me so I thought I would share it with all of the people in my life who are also important to me! So hopefully you will have time at some point to read it!

This morning when I got to work I talked to a friend of mine here. We talked about complaining, thankfulness and life. Throughout the past week I have had those types of conversations with several people. It has been an eye-opener and made me realize how much we forget the small things - the things that are most important. Some that have really stood out to me are:

Treat others as you would like to be treated. How many times do we - as humans - do or things out of spite, revenge, envy, jealousy or for no reason at all to other people. If the tables were turned is that how we would want to be treated? This holiday season and throughout the year I will do just that - treat others as I would like to be treated!

Let go and Let God. This is my favorite. We often think we can "fix" things and think we know what is best but GOD is the only one that knows! Boy do I know I need to let go of some things! God can not give us answers if we truly never let go! When anger or hurt pops into your head or heart say "God take this from me, give me peace and remove the planks from their eyes and if I have one, remove it from mine"

Do things out of love not recognition - that is what will truly be noticed. My mom taught me this one and the very next week at church they talked about the same thing! Give gifts anonymously! Volunteer without patting yourself on the back. Truly good deeds will go noticed by others and by God whether you think they will or not!

Be grateful for what you have. Now how true is this! We complain about so much but how often are we really grateful for the good. I don't know if they realize I noticed this but my mom and grandmother used to always say things such as, "Thank you God for a beautiful day!" How often do we grumble at the rain but never give the sunshine a second thought? At a marketing meeting yesterday we were told TWICE as many people relay a bad experience than relay a good one. Lets turn those figures around!

It is truly better to give than to receive! This is especially important this time of the year. This is our Savior's BIRTHDAY and we should be thankful and happy all day no matter what. How happy it makes me to be a child of the King! What a wonderful thing to give when you can and what you can! This reminds me of the story in the bible where the "rich" man gave a lot of money and a poor woman gave only a small amount but this was greater in God's eyes for this small amount was all she had - the rich man could have given so much more! I do think that this should apply to all things in life not just monetary things but LOVE and RESPECT.

No matter what ... in any circumstance ...

Psalm 113:3 "From the rising of the sun to the going down of same, the Lord's name is to be praised."

Now that I have rambled on and on I am going to leave you with one more great story one of our co-workers wrote and sent around today! May we all remember to count our blessings and be grateful this CHRISTmas! Love, Tiffany

What I am thankful for this CHRISTmas season -
I am working on a photograph album of the snapshots of our grandchildren from 2005 to give to my son and daughter in-law for Christmas. I've sat at the computer for hours deciding which ones were "worthy" of a place in the album, I've had them printed, sorted them in date order, bought just the right genuine leather album to put them in - because after all, this album should make a statement, right?-it's my gift to my son and daughter-in-law and I want them to be properly impressed with it.

Last night as I sat in my recliner which I haven't had a chance to sit in much for the past two months, I started placing these photographs into the album and something hit me for the first time-90% of these photographs were taken at places that no longer exist due to Hurricane Katrina.

Oh, there's one of my grandson's baseball pictures - wonder where they're going to play next year. Here's the other grandson's karate pictures - well, someday they will rebuild that karate school and he'll be able to start enjoying again those grueling three-times-a-week sessions that he's become so good at.

And here's my precious granddaughter, sitting on the steps of USM, our FAVORITE place to take pictures - well, there'll be another favorite place. I think that big, beautiful tree might have survived the storm, but that's all. That tree just might have to become our favorite spot now.
And here's Easter lunch at the buffet at the Grand. We've been there every year after Easter services for three years now. We need to start cooking at their house on Easter anyway - the Grand was always TOO expensive for that many people. (Guess who always paid the bill!)

Oh, my, (as the tears start to flow) here's the Easter Sunday pictures at St. Patricks. For some reason it's always buggy on the Coast on Easter Sunday, and every year the children are always swatting gnats in their "new Easter clothes" pictures. This last year was no exception. Their beautiful, little church right across the street from the beach, where the azaleas are always blooming on Easter, is now only a slab. They're now holding church services in the gym at Coast Episcopal and the spirit is still there, but -oh, that beautiful little church where they were married and all their children were baptized is no more.

Let me get up and get myself a Diet Coke and get myself together so I can finish this album tonight. Okay, that's better. Now, where was I - okay, here's the beach pictures . . . the ones that were taken August 21, my son's birthday, just one week before Katrina. As far as beaches go, this is not necessarily the prettiest beach, but it was OUR beach, the one where the children played, and I snapped photographs till my heart was content. I guess it will be a long time before we get beach pictures again, but one day . . .

Then I realized that all of these places were just places. Our children and grandchildren were safe at our home when the storm hit. Their home suffered minimal damage compared to those that lost everything. My husband and I are so blessed that we have our family that means everything to us and that they are safe and have a home. They still don't have a "real" school, but that should happen after New Year's, and then, in their minds, they'll be all set and back to normal.

There's not many photographs of my daughter and her husband yet - not nearly enough to fill an album, but guess what, come February 11 (or thereabouts) we're going to be blessed with another precious life in this family of ours, and I guarantee you that next Christmas they'll have an album, too. The only difference will be that instead of taking pictures because it's what I do and something that I've become good at--deleting the ones that aren't technically just right or the ones where someone has a strange look on their face--I'll be taking pictures for the sheer joy of documenting my family and our times together, of watching my grandchildren grow and you can bet that with every click of the shutter, they'll be a silent prayer of thanks for the blessings I have been given.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. I don't usually document to paper many of my thoughts, but I really needed to stop and reflect on the past year this CHRISTmas. God is so good and we have been blessed.

The Good & The Bad: Tiffany

Well I have lost my first 6lbs. (Strange that the last diet in my first week I lost 6lbs. That must be my "starting" number. Ha! Of course, the last couple of diets I never stuck with it and didn't make it any further! This time will be different.) That is definitely good!

The bad is I really haven't exercised but I have been going like crazy with all the Christmas funtions, shopping and activities that I have been involved in. SO in actuality that is more exercise than I usually get. I just need to start trying to add it in and/or make sure AS SOON as things start slowing down I start replacing that time "running around" with exercise.

I really haven't kept up with my diet that well. I have definitely eaten less but I haven't "Crunched numbers" per say. I really didn't start "paying attention" to calorie intake until Monday and on that day I probably had about 1600 or so calories. Based on that I am ashamed to say that my regular calorie intake was probably somewhere around 3200! I say this because I ate SO much better that day. Alot of times it is not HOW much I eat at one meal but the types of foods I eat and the "little bites" of this or that throughout the day. It is funny that you think if you just take ONE cookie here and there through the day it is not as bad as sitting down eating the whole bag! Tuesday I didn't eat enough calories AT ALL! I think I only ate around 1000 and that is shooting high. I ate lunch and went shopping after work so by the time I got home it was late and WAY past dinner and I really wasn't hungry. I am also trying not to eat ANYTHING after 7:00. So the good is that I am eating less but not necessarily more healthy - yet!!

Weigh in Wednesday - Traci

I decided to go ahead and have weigh-in on Wednesday also. That way we are on the same page and can look forward to it together. As of this morning, I weighed 214.4 lbs. That's down 6.8 lbs since I started last Tuesday! That's 15 lbs since August (I lost about 11 on NS and kept 8 of it off)

Weigh - In Wednesday: Tiffany

Well I decided that instead of weighing in on Mondays I will do it on Wednesdays. Just thought "Weigh - In" Wednesday sounded good! Also, I am bad about putting things off until Monday. I will start a new diet Monday, I will do such and such Monday. It is like I make such excuses that I can't start something in the middle of the week - so this "Life Change" is going to be all around for me - not just about weight but about changing my whole life!

So to the weigh - in. When we decided to do this (even before you got the website up and going) I was 258. As of this morning I am 252. That makes it a loss of 6lbs. I know the first pounds are always "water weight" but to me any loss is good! I had told myself that I won't to lose AT LEAST 10 by the end of the year so hopefully I can accomplish that goal.

Where's the Spare?

Weighing in

Woohoo!

As of this morning I weigh..... 217.1 lbs!!! That's the lowest I have weighed in almost 2 years. It feels great!

Just an OK day

In life there is hardly anything that is black and white, there is always a little gray in between. So that is what this little guy is going to represent for me. I didn't do "bad" yesterday, but I wouldn't exactly say it was a "good" day either. I went about 90 calories over the 1400 per day that I had set for myself. Jen and I had our annual Christmas baking day. I started out with gum in my mouth so I wouldn't be tasting along the way, but the gum got old and I got rid of it about mid way through the baking. So I did taste a little bite here and there. I think I had 10 chocolate chips, 3 bites of the uncooked dough (= 1 cookie maybe?), 1 whole fresh, hot, out of the oven cookie and 1/2 of a tiny pecan tart. My estimate is probaby a little high, but I want to make sure I didn't blow it the rest of the day thinking I hadn't eaten too much, so I am estimating 500 calories. I think that is pretty close though after looking up the nutritional info for chocolate chips and a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie! That's crazy. It really showed me how much I really used to eat. I would have normally eaten 3 or 4 cookies, a couple of pecan pie tarts, 1 or 2 pieces of fudge and a closer to 1/2 cup of chocoate and peanut butter chips along the way. Which really doesn't sound like that is TOO much. I decided to see what the calories would have been in that instance. It would have been 1965 calories!! That is crazy. I have looked back at a typical day for me and I estimate that on a normal day I was eating atleast 2500-3000 calories a day and those were the days I felt like I had "behaved". On the other days, probably once a twice a week when I felt like I had blown it I was probably consuming close to 4500 calories. And then I would look in the mirror and ask myself "How did this happen"? Hello... you eat TOO much and you don't exercise! So now that I have finally woken up and I really see it on paper (or screen I guess), I really feel like it is going to change. Why it has taken this long? I think I have been in denial about how I eat. I would always say, I really don't eat that unhealthy, but I was thinking unhealthy in the sense that I don't have chocolate cake 3 times a day. I DID eat unhealthy everyday, not just a couple of times on "special occasions. You first have to acknowledge that you really do have a problem. So here it goes.... Hi, my name is Traci and I'm an unhealthy overeater!

I have never kept track of calories on any other "diet. I've always counted carbs, proteins, and fat - but NEVER kept track of calories. Regardless of all that other stuff, it's mostly about your body and how many calories it burns. As long as you burn more than you eat, you WILL lose weight. Even if your whole day only consists of 1 huge piece of chocolate cake that had 1100 calories and 80 grams of fat. As long as you burn more than that on that day, you will get rid of those calories. Is it healthy? No, but that IS how it works. It can still clog arteries, give you high blood pressure, etc...but it won't make you gain weight. Weight Watchers is the closest thing that I have done to counting calories, but honestly with those points, I think it's decieving. Those numbers are so low (around 20-30) so if you have 2 points to many it doesn't seem like much, however those 2 tiny points could contain 2 to 3 hundred calories. Now I understand why WW didn't work for me. I always allowed myself an extra point or 2 and never felt guilty about it. So I guess I say all that to say that I really like keeping track of the calories. I feel in control of it for once. I'm not watching carbs or proteins, but I am making low fat choices when the option is there (i.e. low fat cheese, skim milk, lowfat yogurt, etc). It has become a numbers game for me. I guess that's the finance analyst in me. It's like a budget. As long as I spend (eat) less than in my budget and I put a little back in everyday (exercise) I will profit. (lose weight) !!

B - 500 calories from baking day
L - Low fat Pepperoni Hot Pocket - 300
D - Grilled Chicken Breast - 231
Side Salad with cheese, bacon, and creamy herb dressing - 360
S - 1 Pkg of Right Bites Chocolate Chip Cookies - 100

Total Calories - 1491

Exercise - does shopping at the mall while pushing a 40 lb stroller for 2 hours and then doing an hour of grocery shopping with a kid in the cart count as exercise?? I would say YES! According the the site, I burned approximately 800 calories. It would take me 2 hours to burn that on the treadmill

Water - only 30 little ounces - the rest of the day consisted of about 60 ounces of unsweet tea

Weigh in is tomorrow... I can't weight (ha)

Good and Bad days

I thought it would be cute to use the images below on the post that we talk about how our day or week went as far as what we ate and how much we exercised. One would represent a good day and the other a bad. I will be doing mine daily. If you like the idea I will email you the images.

We Can Do It!

I still don't have the book and DVD!!!! What's up with that? Do you have yours?? I went to the site to see if I could check the status and it doesn't recognize any of my 4 email addressess. I know I would of had to have used one of them??



Here is my calorie intake for the day:
B - Whole Grain Fig Newton Bar - 130
L - went to a banquet for lunch, so this is all estimated using the foods as listed on www.calorieking.com
1/2 Chicken Breast - 230
Snap Peas - 50
1/2 c Scalloped potatoes - 100
S - 1 and 1/2 Hershey's Treasure Miniatures - 94
S -1 Miniature Candy Cane - 15
D - Low Fat Pepperoni Hot Pocket - 310
S - 1/2 of 1 Little Debbie Nutty Bar - 78
Total Calories - 1007

Water - 55 oz

Exercise - 20 minutes of resistance training using the fitness ball

It's been a good day and I even got to eat chocolate. I am amazed at how many calories are in 1 little piece of chocolate!! I need to work on my water tomorrow though!!

I have another Banquet tomorrow night and there is supposed to be a ton of food. I'm gonna down some water before I go and I'll have Bobby there with me, if I need a little nudge!

We can do this!!

So far...

Well although we don't have our books or tapes yet, I started eating healthy and doing my treadmill for now. I'm going to start posting what I eat and total calories for each day.
I don't remember all the way to Monday (I swear my memory is slipping ....fast) , but I'm going to list Tuesday and Wednesday and then I'll post each day going forward.

Tuesday - South Beach Bar 140, no lunch - I was too busy at work for lunch (not good...I know), a whole grain Fig Newton Bar 130, Baja Chicken from On the Border 830 (good thing I skipped lunch) & 90 ounces of water = 1100 Calories

Wednesday - Whole Grain Fig Newton Bar 130, Nutrisystem Entree (left from my NS days) 270, South Beach Bar 140, 10 mini marshmallows 22, 8 oz serving of Shrimp Alfredo 300, 1 small dinner roll w/o butter 110 & 80 ounces of water = 972 Calories

I walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes both nights - 157 calories burned each time (estimated) I used the following website to determine the calories burned, because the one on my treadmill doesn't take my weight into consideration. The website has some other really great things (other calculators, forums, and food lists) .. and it's free!

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index.html

It calculates the same BMR as what I have listed in my first post, but then the site goes on to explain that the BMR calculates resting energy (basically when you are asleep) It then shows you based on your activity level what your BMR actually is. The calcualted sedentary (because I sit at a desk most of the day) RMR (more accurate than BMR - the site explains) for me is 2226 calories. It also allows you through a huge list of daily activities so that you can get an even better idea. It's got everything from getting dressed to butchering animals!! It's a huge list! You can pretty much go through your whole day each day and choose everything you did that day. I'll post mine. They are out of order from when they occur each day, but you'll get the idea. I didn't quite hit a 24 hr day either, I'm a half hour short. Using that I see that my RMR is actually more like 3,491. It then allows you to figure your calorie deficit. To reach my mini goal on 1/15/06, my deficit is 737 calories. So if I go with the latest RMR, then I need to eat 2,754 calores a day! That seems high, so for now I'm going with the calculated RMR and my calories I should consume is 1489. I'm going with a 1400 calorie diet. So hopefully I will lose a little more than what I want by my mini goal date.

PS: What day do you thing we should use as our weigh in day?? Monday morning maybe? I think they will help me stay on track better on the weekends.


Totals: 3,491 calories in 23 hr 27 min

Kissing - light
8 calories in 5 min
Hugging - light
8 calories in 5 min
Food - preparing, at home
124 calories in 30 min
Eating - sitting
161 calories in 1 hr 5 min
Child Care - bathing, sitting
21 calories in 5 min
Hairstyling - self care
41 calories in 10 min
Applying Makeup (self care)
33 calories in 10 min
Walking - 3.5 mph
157 calories in 25 min
Grooming - personal care
33 calories in 10 min
Watching - TV or movie
199 calories in 2 hr
Child Care - play, sitting, light
124 calories in 30 min
Child Care - grooming, standing
10 calories in 2 min
Cleaning - multiple household tasks, light
83 calories in 20 min
Driving - light vehicle (e.g., car, pick-up)
66 calories in 20 min
Office Work - desk work
1,609 calories in 9 hr
Driving - light vehicle (e.g., car, pick-up)
33 calories in 10 min
Showering (self care)
33 calories in 10 min
Dressing and Undressing
33 calories in 10 min
Sleeping
715 calories in 8 hr

History of Eggnog

Well Hello! Happy Friday to everyone! Can't stay long just wanted to tell you all hello! This will be my last post until Monday! Busy day at work! We are having an office Christmas party! Yeah! Then tomorrow one of my friends and I are throwing a "Christmas Party" for all of our friends. We have been planning this for months and I am so excited! We have a lot of little loose ends to tie up before then but everything is coming together nicely!

Have a great weekend!

R.I.P. Snowman!

So how is everyone today? I have been terribly busy and have not had alot of time to post! I have something going JUST ABOUT every day between now and New Years! I am sure most of you all are the same way! I will stop into say "hello" and do quick updates but most of my post in the near future will probably consist of Christmas Cartoons! Gotta Love Them!

Have A Good Day!

Kids These Days!

Before "Face Shot"

What is sad about this picture is we tried SO hard and took so many "test" shots in order to keep them from looking like "fat" pictures! I can't wait until we can take one and like it on the first try!

Getting Started

So here is the short of my story. I have pretty much always been "chubby". I was a cute tiny baby, so I know that cute and tiny is in here somewhere. I just have to find it. My first memory of me considering myself as fat is as a teenager. Before that I just don't ever think I thought about it. I don't even remember weighing myself until I was at least 16 or 17. I maintained at 180 for several years, but then I got married and had a baby and now here I am only 5 years after the days of 180 at 221! That's 41 lbs in 5 years, almost 9 lbs a year. At this rate I'll weigh 300 lbs by the time I'm 38 yrs old. The thought of that has my head spinning. I cannot, WILL NOT let that happen. I actually gave Nutri System a try back in August. I lost 11 lbs after 4 weeks and have managed to keep all but 2 of that off. I just got so bored of eating their food.

Tiffany and I have talked about our longing to lose weight for so long, I think we have both realized that we aren't getting any younger and there is no better time than the present. So here we are, supporting each other through this journey. We WILL do this, we HAVE to.

I am posting my goal virtual model below. Notice that my second goal is to weigh 180 lbs.....before I get pregnant. My husband and I have been wanting to have a baby for the last 6 months or so, but with my weight like it is, I just can't allow it right now. So even though 180 is not ultimately where I want to end up, it's the weight I which I am comfortable getting pregnant. This is not a diet, it's a lifestyle change, so even once I am pregnant, I will continue to eat healthy and may even continue to lose fat, just not wieght due to the baby and fluid. After the pregnancy I will lose what I have gained and continue to my final goal of 160. I don't want to be a supermodel, I don't even have to be considered skinny, but I do want to be healthy and 160 is much healthier than where I am today. Last time I was pregnant I gained 25 lbs and lost all of it within 4 weeks (17 the day he was born). So hopefully after birth, I will be right around 180 where I started. Then I would like to lose another 20 over the next few months. So in summary, (if all goes as planned, babywise) I would like to lose a total of 61 lbs by April 1st 2007. Now that's some long range planning!! It seems a little far fetched even to me right now as I write, but the goals I have written above are attainable...now it's just up to me to follow them through.


Current Stats as of 12/06/05

Weight: 221.2
BMI: 35.7
BMR: 1779.20
Hips: 51 inches
Waist: 46 inches

My Story: Tiffany

I am Tiffany. My cousin Traci and I started this site (mainly her idea!) to help us be able to go through the "weight loss" process together. This site is mainly for our use but if you stumbled across it - that is okay too! Most of my post will be directly to her or mainly about my feelings, struggles & accomplishments day to day. Here is my story:

I have just about always struggled with my weight. I have not always been obese like I am now but I have always had to work to keep that extra 5, 10, 20 lbs off that most people can do without blinking an eye! Mine started around puberty and it seems like it just hasn't stopped! I was average weight (which by today's standards is probably chubby to some) until about ninth grade. All through high school my weight fluctuated. Up and down and up and down. It seems like I was on a constant weight roller coaster.

Well marriage and child birth took its toll on me! I am now considered obese. Severly obese. In the days to come I will give you my stats and will be posting before and hopefully soon - after pictures!

Today I am waiting on my "Biggest Loser" book and DVD to come in. That is the "life change" that I am going to try. I really enjoyed how the show took just normal people and showed them how to lose weight by regular methods - food and exercise!

By the end of the week I will have actual "before" photos up. I plan on updating those every two weeks. I will also set a weekly goal beginning on Mondays. Other than that I am going to play it by ear. I want this to be somewhere I can come and share exactly what I am feeling and exactly what I am going through.

My Stats as of today:

Height: 5 ft 5 inchs
Weight: 258
BMI: 42.9 Obese
BMR: 1947.70

BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)Your BMI or "Body Mass Index" helps to assess overweightness or obesity using individual weight and height ratios. BMI does not measure body fat. Depending on your calculated BMI you can gauge whether you are undeweight, overweight, or obese for others in your weight/height range. Info obtained from: Biggest Loser Website

BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR); This calculator will assess your Basal Metabolic Rate, which is fancy talk for the number of calories you naturally burn. Or, another way to look at it, is the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed and slept all day. A person's BMR decreases as they age, meaning you need to be more active to burn the same amount of calories that you naturally burned at a younger age. The BMR calculator uses height, weight, age and gender to determine your resting calorie count. Info obtained from: Biggest Loser Website

Our Fellow Bloggers & Weekend Things!

First and foremost I would like to mention these two things:

Bombadil & Goldberry have welcomed a precious little bundle of joy into the world! Stop by and see the pictures and wish them luck!!

Sallie one of my dear blog friends has been dealing with a death in her family. Her father passed on so if you know her or would like to send her some encouragement through this time I know she would appreciate it!

Weekend Things

I had a very good weekend! I very rarely get company at my house - I guess because I live so far out or either that the hubby and I usually are the ones that go around and visit. WELL my friend Jessica and her two children came over around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. We caught up on some DVR'd Oprah shows, some cooking shows and then made lunch. After that we loaded all the kids in the car and went to the grocery store. We went back to my house and I cooked a baked spaghetti recipe that I got from my cousin Traci (which is yummy!). We played some games and watched several movies. All and all it was a great time and I really enjoyed it!!

Sunday my mom came to my house where I reheated the baked spaghetti for lunch. We then went out to do some Christmas shopping and were gone about 6 hours or so! We never do that so my legs were KILLING me when I got home. I tried another new recipe for dinner - which was yummy - moved some furniture around and then went to bed! Over the weekend I talked to my friends Brooke & Carla two or three times and got to visit briefly with one of my neighbors. We have been so busy lately that I felt so out of touch but I am feeling much better now.

This week I have a lot I need to catch up on at work and I have to get ready for a Christmas party that my friend Carla and I are throwing. I am SO excited!

Well that is all of my "ramblings" for now! Hope you all have a good day!

Templates...UGH!!...How Did YOU Learn HTML?

So I have been working on my "template" and I will say - I am not very good at this! I am impressed at my "little bit" of knowledge but I feel well - dumb - while trying to do HTML!! Like I should just KNOW this stuff! Some of you blogspot/blogger people have the cutest blogs! (Not that the others don't but just comparing apples to apples!)

Where did you go to learn how to really use HTML and to change your blog templates???