Diane

For the first time in 12 years my husband said no to something I really wanted.  So, no new dog this morning.  It’s his house too and, in the scheme of my life, he does rank above an animal.  I was trying to figure out when to go to the gym, wanting to do it in the morning yet not have him going into work later.  I really don’t think that’s going to work at all.  For example - dd came in and climbed into bed about 2 this morning.  Since they’re not allowed to sleep in our bed unless really sick, she needed to go back to her bed.  Then my son had another round of croupe about 5:30.  My husband never even heard him.  If I were to work out at the gym, I would have been gone when it happened. 

I guess there are going to have to be a couple of nights a week where he prepares dinner.  He’s typically home by 4:30 so I can go to the gym then to do weights.  I don’t have a problem leaving the kids with him when he’s awake, but if they’re still asleep and so is he. . .  He doesn’t hear anything.  He’s even slept through an earthquake - no joke.

I’ll figure it out, I’m sure.  I just don’t feel like it today.  I caught the kiddie crud and sort of feel like crap today.  I don’t know how some of you are able to work through this type of stuff.  I just want to sleep.

Yesterday I got in 60 minutes of cardio, kept my calories within range and drank all my water.  All in all, it was a good day.  I expect today to be the same, regardless of how I currently feel.  That is what medication is for!

Have a good Tuesday.

I have been trying to figure out how to go about this weightloss thing.  I know I want to use weights and I love the ones at the Y, but they have limited hours and I find it difficult to fit it into my day.  I’ve done all of the antibacterial things to try to keep the kids from getting bugs there, but nothing seems to work.  I am currently paying for something that I go to once every few weeks.

So, insanity struck.  There is a black lab/german shepherd mix that needs a home and I’ve decided to take her.  I really enjoy walking outside as it does so much more for me mentally than just walking on a treadmill or using an elliptical machine.  Even though I live in a safe neighborhood, I would feel much safer walking with a big black dog.  Now I just have to figure out how to tell my husband that I’m getting another dog.

I may take some of the rebate money from the government and invest in a Total Gym.  We had one years ago and I loved it, but since I didn’t use it, we sold it.  I have always wished I’d spoken up and said no to the sale.  Now I just need to cancel my Y membership.  If I find it’s not working, I’ll join again in December when they waive the enrollment fee.

I will be getting up early to go walking.  I’ve found if I stay up when I wake up early, I’m much more awake during the day than if I go back to sleep or sleep later anyway.  I’m tired (no pun intended) of not doing what works well for me. 

So, there it is.  New dog, no gym, weights at home and, one thing I didn’t mention, going to church again.  I must get over my fear of new situations to live the life I feel I need to.

Have a wonderful Monday everyone!  It’s a new week, let’s make it a good one.

The other day I noticed that I’m having to work harder to keep my heart rate in the correct range.  I know it’s a good thing - I’m getting more fit.  But it is a little frustrating at the same time.  I do want to work up to running instead of just walking, but I can’t do it on a treadmill.  Seriously, I look like I stopped at a bar on my way to the gym when I try to walk or run on it without holding on.  I think to start running I will have to go under the cover of darkness in my neighborhood.  Just a little self conscience about what’s going to be flopping around. 

Anyway, my daily exercise streak ended at 13.  Many thanks to Tasha for pushing me that far and to the rest of the 4’s for cheering me on.  I will now be exercising Sun-Fri.  I find that it’s easier to get going on Sunday because I tend not to eat as well that day.  I went for a walk today, a route that I hadn’t been on since I had to take my puppy to the shelter and I’ve shaved 3 minutes off my time.  I was pretty happy with that. 

Now I must go make dinner for the little kiddies.  They’re enjoying Signing Time, but that has to end at some point.  :( 

Have a good evening!

I joined almost a year ago because they have child watch and I LOVE the weight training equipment they have.  But I don’t seem to go very often, not because I don’t want to but because I can’t.  I won’t take my kids if I think they’re sick, obviously something others don’t have a problem doing. 

Every time I take my kids in they have a cold or something 2 days later.  I really don’t know why my kids are sick all the time.  I feed them a healthy diet.  I keep the house pretty well dusted and quite clean.  I know my daughter isn’t allergic to anything.  I also know that she has asthma.  We have no idea what is affecting my son.  I know that this particular branch keeps their pools EXTREMELY chlorinated, more so than any of the others that I’ve asked others about.  I’m pretty sure that’s what triggered my daughter’s asthma as well as my own being reactivated after so many years.

Is it really worth it to keep paying for a membership that isn’t beneficial for the purposes I got it for? I can’t seem to go during the day and I am getting my cardio in without going.  I do like having a place to go to get away from it all, but is it worth a monthly payment?  I just don’t know.  Maybe my best option would be to try one of the other one’s that I have access to and see if the kids get sick there.  I really don’t want to stop going, but I can’t have the kids getting sick all the time.  Well, no pictures of me anytime soon.  I don’t have any hair left! 

On the upside, I have 11 days of cardio in a row under my belt.  Thank you, Tasha, for bringing out the competitive streak in me!  And thank you to all the 4’s for pushing me in all areas.  Now it’s onward to Super Bowl Sunday and the big question isn’t Patriots or Giants (that answer is Patriots, btw), but rather - Do we keep the streak alive?

Have a good day everyone.

I really tried to find an excuse not to go to the gym today.  I’ve been a bit lazy about laundry the past week so I knew I didn’t have any workout pants fit to wear in public.  Well, I didn’t think I had any.  A couple of months ago I bought some that had pockets in them, but they were tight.  Tight to the point I wasn’t sure I wanted to try using some of the weight machines while wearing them.  I figured I’d try them on, see that they were still too tight and, presto, there was my excuse.  Yeah, didn’t happen.  They are by no means falling off me, but I wasn’t too worried about them splitting open.  So, the kids and I went to the gym.

My son typically cries from when we get to the gym parking lot until I’ve been gone about 2 mintues, but today all he did was say, “I don’t want to help with babies.” (They’ve calmed him down before by letting him “help” with the babies which means he needs to be quiet.)  He was very stoic going into Child Watch, but he took off jacket and followed his sister into the enclosed area.  He didn’t cry at all in the nearly 90 minutes he was there.

I got home and made burritos - you know, the frozen, really high in fat, low in nutrition kind.  :P  Not really.  I did make burritos, but they had fat free beans, tons of veggies, a little low fat sour cream and a little cheddar cheese.   My kids call them salad burritos.  For something sweet I had a 140 calorie, low fat mousse instead of the ice cream the kids were having. 

Well, I still have 25 minutes of cardio to do today, and some laundry to do, so I’m going to get off my butt and away from the computer.

Have a good day everyone.

First, I lost more than 1 pound for the first time in months and lost weight for the second week in a row in even longer!

Second, I may not have lost a lot of weight, but I can fit in clothes that I couldn’t before.  For the first time, my husbands shirts are loose on me.

Third, I exercised every day.  No breaks, no excuses, and no desire to break the streak now.

The most significant change, though, is that I have actually started singing again.  I haven’t felt like singing along to anything for a long time and I noticed yesterday that I was.  Not ready to take center stage at the Grand Olde Opry, but I will be making an audition tape and sending it to the Reds to sing the national anthem at a game this summer.

I hope everyone has a really good week.  Stay healthy, stay strong and stay on track!

I have a love hate relationship with my elliptical machine.  Using it burns so many calories, yet if I do use it, no matter how much water I’ve had, I seem to get dehydrated.  For me, that means a killer migraine.  After more than a half gallon of water, a couple cups of herbal tea and medication, I finally feel well enough to stop the kids from making a complete disaster of the house. 

The elliptical machine at the gym doesn’t seem to have the same effect.  Maybe it’s because I use that one in the morning.  If I use the one I have at home, I always use it in the evening.  

Anyway, I have exercised every day this week and will still do it today even though the migraine probably won’t leave completely.  I’m so sick of this excess weight and if my head’s going to hurt anyway, I may as well exercise.

Hope everyone has a healthy, happy weekend.  GO PATRIOTS!!

I never exercise on the weekend.  Until today.  It’s 27 degrees, misty and I walked my dog.  She was excited to go and more happy to get home.  I plan to get 21 days in a row before taking my next day off from exercise.  I am planning to take off the first Sunday of every month from exercise.  That is my goal. 

Tomorrow I’m getting up at 5 a.m. and exercising.  I still plan to walk the dog in the evening, but with colder temps, she doesn’t want to go the distance I do so I must get my exercise at another time.

Now I’m off to get some sleep.  Have a good evening everyone.

I have done more than 8200 steps today so far.  Included in that is the nearly 7100 aerobic in 63 minutes.  I’m trying to get to 16,000 steps a day.  It really isn’t as much as it sounds.  It’s being active for 10 minutes each hour that I’m up. 

Lunch was a bomb.  I’d bought a veggie mix that ended up being terrible.  I couldn’t even stomach to eat more than a couple of bites.  I must stop buying seasoned veggies.  I’m still within calories, but the balance between carbs, fat and protein are probably off at this point.  Dinner will be eggplant parmigiana done on the grill instead of with breading and I plan to skip the pasta and most of the cheese.  It’s just not the same without some cheese.  Too much Italian blood running in these veins.

Well, I need to dig out my son.  His sister has buried him in stuffed animals.  He’s not screaming so I know he can still see Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

I needed to get some things figured out and I think I’ve got a place to start.  Taking my own advice and the advice others here have given me.  So, here it is - my plan of attack on this beast called obesity.

1 - Quit complaining and act
2 - Stop thinking I’m doomed to fail
3 - Accept responsibility for my own actions
4 - Stop looking for excuses to justify unhealthy behaviors
5 - Focus on one issue at a time
            a - Exercise: make it a habit, not a chore
            b - Water: drink 1 ounce per 2 pounds per day
            c - Diet: portion control, balanced
6 - Stop berating myself when I stumble

Drinking water is easy for me so I will be combining that with the exercise routine.  Since exercise has so many benefits besides weightloss, I’m going to make that a habit before completely focusing on diet.  I have been trying to do both together and it has not been working.  That’s not to say I’m going to bake a cake tonight and eat half of it or have James bring home pizza and donuts.  I will be keeping up with my food journal on Sparkpeople.com so when I am ready to completely revamp my diet I will have a pattern to show where I need the most changes. 

My goal is to exercise every day until the end of January, drink my water and eat 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies a day.  I’m not going to stress about the rest of the diet right now.  I will try, but if I don’t stay within my calorie counts for the day, I’m not going to berate myself and make it worse. 

Thank you to everyone who has given me advice and for all who have read my blogs.