What's That You Say, Mrs. Robinson?

Today is as good a day as any

Note to self:

When is a good time to start focusing on eating well, being more physically active, and paying attention to what is good for the body, and the soul?

Today.

And don't beat yourself up about all of the other times you've started and then stopped this. It's not in the falling down, it's in the getting up.

I'm getting back up.

And I'm bringing people with me. I know Dan is game for this. We have been doing good things on and off, but I will commit to making those good things happen more often. And I know that he will not only support me this time, but that we can do this together. It's a bit easier that way, you know.

And my friend Deb is doing it, too. We've only met a couple of times, but our journeys have been somewhat parallel. Go Deb! 

Today was a good start. One of the strategies that works well for me is tracking the calories I put in my body. Here is what I've had today (so far):

1 medium banana
1 cup of coffee with a teaspoon of creamer
1/2 turkey sandwich on a whole wheat roll w/lettuce, tomato, onions and peppercinis.
1 cup of fresh fruit (grapes, pineapple, honeydew and cantaloupe)
1 tall vanilla latte

I will now go to SparkPeople and enter this info and see what the damage has been how well I did today at fueling my body. And I'll find a way to get some exercise this evening.

And I'll be happy with my day. One day at a time.

Hail to the Slice Off

The results from the last 9 weeks are in at The Big Slice Off...I came in third with an 8 pound loss! Jamie, the rockin' chick that she is, lost an incredible 16 pounds! I'm grateful to be in such esteemed company. A big thanks to Jenny who ran the contest and provided all of us with motivation and support.

I haven't blogged about weight loss in several weeks. I've stalled a bit, but seem to be able to maintain without any difficulty. I have lost a total of 20 lbs and feel like I have about 20 left to go. If I can stay away from the wine and the pizza, I just might be able to do it.

I'd be willing to bet that my cholesterol is down too. I have been eating so much less fat and exercising way more than I used to, I can't imagine that it hasn't come down. It wasn't all that high to begin with, but I was wanting it to come down a bit. We'll see at my next Dr.'s appointment.

Overall, I'm just feeling so much healthier. I'm still pretty tired a lot...I am going through perimenopause for sure and am having a hard time sleeping most nights. Over the counter sleep aids help for sure, but I don't want to take them any more than necessary.  I also get night sweats and frequent headaches and pretty severe fatigue in the afternoons.

Oh boy!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Skinny Pants

The blogosphere has once again demonstrated it's kindness and usefulness to me. While I have been chronicling my recent weight loss you have all been so supportive in so many different ways. One of my Woolfcamp comrades, Debra Roby, has also shed some pounds in the recent months and has skinnied out of her size 12 jeans (pictured here).

Now, this is wonderful enough, mind you. However miss Debra has taken it one step further. SHE SENT ME HER PANTS! I arrived home from work one day last week to a wonderful package in my mailbox (don't you love when you get something other than bills and junk?). It was the traveling skinny pants.

Not only are these pants in the size that is next on my way down to a slimmer me, but they comply with my "no more Mom jeans" rule. They are a nice low-rise variety and they also have some stretch in them. PERFECT. I could feel the good karma that came with them as soon as I put them on....

So here I am (sorry the lighting isn't the best) in the skinny pants. A size 12...the size I haven't seen in about 6 years. I love them, and I will take good care of them until it is time to send them on to one of you. I hope to soon be holding out the waistband on these puppies just Debra is doing in the first photo.

In the mean time...I was on the treadmill EVERY day this week. I got my ass out of bed early and spent 30-45 minutes walking every day. It felt soooo good and I will be making this party of my daily routine...for life. I took Saturday off (however I did walk to my son's baseball game instead of driving), and today I'm going to fit in a good hour (I like to do the 5k program as a stretch day, something to push me hard).

I also hope to be posting our menu for the week later on today...so stay tuned. Busy busy day!

Monday Weigh In

After a week of constant eating take out (because we had no counters and no sink), I didn't have such a great weight loss week. I'm not going to dwell on it, I'm just going to move on. Today is another day. This week is another week.

Like my socks?

No Fat Talk Here!

Ran across this article today on MSNBC about females and their curious need to engage in "fat talk" together.

"When women get together, the chatter eventually turns to whose skinny jeans don’t fit anymore and who weighs in heavier on the scale. And participation is socially mandatory, a new study finds."

Not surprising, but still kind of frightening. The article goes on to say that this behavior is common in middle-school aged girls, but is also quite frequent in older women as well. No shit Shirlock! It is a curious social phenomenon really, and I think we could discuss it for HOURS. There is so much to this, so many reasons why we do it.

“Females like to support one another and fat talk elicits support,” Martz said. “An example would be one saying, ‘It's like, I'm so fat today,’ and another would respond, ‘No, you are not fat, you look great in those pants.’”

I understand that part of it. We chicas are a very connected sort. We like to relate to one another and we feel good about ourselves when we connect on whatever level. However, we also aren't generally really good at asking for what we need directly, but instead fish for what we need using cues and prompts like the one mentioned above. This behavior drives my hubby NUTS! Men aren't usually as good at picking up on these cues and that's what gets us all in trouble. We've been working on it for years!

But why do we choose to degrade our own bodies as a vehicle to connect with one another? Our society (America in particular, but in  many other countries as well) clearly has issues with body image.

"The phenomenon might be exclusive to wealthier countries where food is abundant. In nations where famine rules, people often regard heavier bodies as a sign of good fortune and status,"

A sign of good fortune and status. Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about!

Now don't get me wrong. I think that encouraging each other to make healthy life choices is a great thing. We should be here to educate and support each other in our choice to be who we are or wish to be. I want all of you to be healthy and live long and fulfilling lives and some of us really should consider our weight when we are examining our overall well-being. It is when we put ourselves down, even under the guise of joking and "connecting" with each other that we start heading in the wrong direction.

Or am I taking this too seriously? Is it healthy to openly recognize what we might consider faults about ourselves. Like, if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?

What do you think?

Either way, I would like to make this a "no fat-talk zone."  Please feel free to talk here about your weight loss, or gain, your struggle with exercise or eating, your desire to have your clothes fit better and such and so. But please, let's not put ourselves down. I promise not to do so in my posts. I don't think we should feel the need to engage in "fat talk" in order to connect with each other. You are all beautiful and that's that.

End of story.

Big Slice Off Weigh In

One week into the Big Slice Off challenge, I'm doing really well. I lost 3.6 pounds, although I'm suspect of my weigh in last Monday. Like I said before I think it was a weird day (water retention or something). Nevertheless, this is where I am officially today, 179.4.

My goal is to be at 150 lbs by August 3 (the day we get on the plane to Maui). Kind of aggressive at this point, but that's what I'm shooting for. I'm also doing the Future MILF deal over at Mom-o-Matic. You can never have too much support or too much motivation.

The challenge for the next couple of weeks will be the fact that I am not able to cook at home. Hubby successfully ripped the counter tops off yesterday in preparation for the new counters. Yikes.

In other news, hubby is off to spring training on Thursday and will be gone until Sunday. Not sure what I'm going to do. I'm staying home from work on Friday just to kick around and to be able to take both kids to and from school without needing help from friends. Darren has 2 doctor's appointments tomorrow, one for the ankle that he twisted badly yesterday and one to renew his meds for ADHD. Our new sink shipped today (part of the kitchen remodel). Friday we find out if Darren got in to Serra High School or not. I also got a new cell phone today, a Blackberry. New toys are always fun.

Oh, and did I mention that Payton's Spanish teacher recommended him for Honors Spanish for next year? Sheesh. He's never taken an honors class before. My boy is getting some smarts!

MILF Weigh In - Week 9

Pounds Lost This Week: 5 (but I had gained 3 the week before, so net 2)
Pounds Lost Since 1/7/07: 15
Pounds To Goal: 28

So I had gained a few last week (mostly 'cause I went on a short vacation and had Mongolian BBQ, beef stew, pasta and lots of wine). This week I did much better, partly because I was on the snot diet for a couple of days. WHATEVER!

The weekend is the big test. Can I get through social situations without blowing it? Can I get through watching movies and wanting to snack? Perhaps if I do some more gardening this weekend....that will get me moving (and it's supposed to be in the 70's this weekend).

I went to a CAbi party last night. It was great fun and they had LOTS of cute stuff (a little pricey, but good quality). What I realized is that I'm soooo not ready to spend money on new pants/shorts/skirts yet. I didn't even want to try them on. I want to wear more skirts, and they had some way cute ones, but I just couldn't do it. I think another 10 pounds and I might be ready. By then I'll be another size smaller (the coveted size 12 of which I already have several pairs of jeans waiting in my closet).

I've been doing good at staying away from carbs. Not so good at moving my arse. It should be a big weekend for me on the treadmill!

 

Excuse Me?

I know...I know it's kinda fuzzy. This photo was taken on Monday, 3/5/07. I must admit, I think it was one of those funky days where you retain some water, etc. because I haven't been exercising (sick, AGAIN), and I haven't been starving myself, yet just 3 days later...(DON'T HATE ME)...

OMG! Just shy of 5 lbs lighter! How can that be? I am wearing the exact same clothing items in both photos, and they are taken at almost exactly the same time of day (first thing in the AM).

OK, so I'm not questioning the weight loss gods, I'm just doing a happy dance!

When I ask myself, how can this be...my answer is "WHATEVER!"

If I can just hold tight over the weekend (or, gasp, shall I even dare to say, loose another pound), I'll be stoked!

Yeah for me!

The big slice off

Found a way to help me rev up my motivation. I committed to participate in The Big Slice Off over at Big Slice of Life, Small Slice of Cheesecake.

As part of this challenge, I'll be taking a photo of my scale (with me on it) **gulp...gasp** each Monday morning and posting it for you all to see. I'll also be planning my meals each week, which will also help me get back on track with my "What's Cookin'" posts. I'll post the menus on Sundays and the weigh in on Mondays. I find that keeping myself accountable to other people helps motivate me and keep me on track.

I also thought I would share some of my favorite blogs that are dealing with weight loss. Some of them are all about weight loss, some are like mine where they blog about lots of stuff, but about weight loss also:

The Amazing Shrinking Mom
Mom-O-Matic (my future MILF inspiration)
Chicken and Cheese
Half of Me
The Waistline
Does This Font Make Me Look Fat?
Yer Doing It Wrong

MILF Weigh In - Week 7

Pounds Lost This Week: 1
Pounds Lost Since 1/7/07: 13
Pounds To Goal: 30

When I came into work today, a co-worker (Twinga) sent me an email that said "You look like 29 today!"

Now, considering that I'm actually 39 and knocking hard at the door of 40, this was quite a way to start my day!

I am wearing my new jeans, a size smaller than my previous ones! Maybe that was it. I'm wearing my hair a bit differently than normal, and I have my contacts in. I've also received several compliments on the shirt I'm wearing. Don't know what I did this morning, but apparently, I've got it goin' on today!

Which ties in quite nicely to Mom-o-Matic's post today about MILFdom and how it's not just all about being skinny, but about getting yourself together in other ways also. Taking time to take care of yourself whether it be exercising, choosing your clothes, listening to great music, putting on some blush or eye-liner, meditating, or just plain pooping in peace (see Mom-o-Matic's post noted above), can do wonders for your self-esteem. I admit that I no longer have the toddlers running around banging on the door of the bathroom demanding my attention, but there is still a very real need to make a conscious effort to make time to take care of myself.

This goes for the guys, too! I think that poker night, dart night (my hubby throws darts in a league), or just a trip to the BMW dealership  or the home theater store to drool over whatever is new and exciting is necessary for guys, just like all of the things I do are necessary for me. We all need time to nurture our "being."

What do YOU do to revitalize and nurture yourself?

Weigh In - Week 6

Ok, so I've been putting this off. This last week was all about undoing the damage of the week before when I was sick and gained weight (probably because I was not exercising and I was trying to eat well to keep my body strong enough to fight off whatever I had). The good news is that I lost all but 1/2 lb of what I gained. The bad news is that I'm basically right where I was 2 weeks ago. It feels like 2 weeks lost.

Pounds Lost This Week: 2.5
Pounds Lost Since 1/7/07: 12
Pounds To Goal: 31

The great news is that I went shopping today for some new jeans and I was able to purchase a size smaller than jeans I'm currently wearing. And I didn't have to squeeze into this new size. They fit just right. I also tried on the size smaller than that and although I could get them up and over my bum, I couldn't get them zipped. BUT I'M THAT CLOSE!

More bang for your buck

If you're going to eat it, make it count.

In my quest to loose weight, I am not just concerned with the pounds. As a long-term strategy, I am also looking at my overall health. I come from a family full of diabetics (did you know that Halle Berry is diabetic?) and folks who have suffered from heart issues. My Mother-in-Law (who used to live in Berkeley AND Santa Cruz) is, by comparison to most people I know, a health food nut. I mean this in the most endearing way. She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to what is good for your body and what is not. I learn a lot from her, and from other people in my life who are also on the quest for a healthier way of being.

MILF Weigh In - Week 4

Week 4 of paying attention to what I'm eating, getting more exercise and just generally trying to be good to my body.

Pounds Lost This Week: 1.5
Pounds Lost Since 1/7/07: 12.5
Pounds To Goal: 30.5

I haven't been able to work out much this week. Monday I did 50 minutes on the tread mill. Tuesday I took a break. Wednesday was book club night. Thursday I cam home from work sick. Which is where I am today. I'm going to try to maybe do 10-15 today anyway, just to keep the momentum going. I feel pretty crappy, but maybe sweating some of it out will help.

I feel a big difference in the way that some of my clothes fit. And I actually had a hard time last weekend with the food I ate when we were out and about. We went to El Torito's for dinner last Saturday night and there aren't a whole lot of healthy choices on the menu. So I just picked something decent and only had half of it. I also had a glass of wine instead of a margarita (a LOT less sugar). But later that night and into the next day, I felt really gross. My stomach was all out of whack and I just knew that my body had adjusted to the healthy food I had been eating for the previous couple of weeks.

I got right back on the horse this week and I have felt great all week until now, but that is not food related.  I'm trying to kick this thing before Superbowl Sunday. Nothing like a bad cold to ruin a good party. Also, my Father-in-Law is coming tomorrow to stay with us for a few days, and sure wouldn't want to send him back with my germs.

One down, 35 to go

Just a quick post to share my success. I dropped a pound! I was lamenting in a previous post this week that although I had done so well with my eating and exercising, there was no movement on the scale.

No more! Got on the scale this AM and it was 1.7 lbs less than on Friday. Whew.....

Setting myself up for success

Did some grocery shopping today. Then came home and cleaned out the fridge and cabinets. I'm trying to set myself up for success. Having good choices around makes it so much easier for me to keep on track. Hubby is helping to by being open to new things and joining me in making good choices. We are eating more veggies and fruits (seen here as I unpacked stuff from the store) and also trying to change to whole grain foods. We have always been wheat bread people, but I got whole grain pasta and we switched to brown, whole grain rice. I'm also trying to add more black beans, kidney beans and garbanzo beans into my diet. I still struggle with calcium because I'm not a milk person, and there are very few cheeses I like. I have a calcium supplement that I take, but I'd prefer to go the whole food route and get it right from my diet.

We inaugurated our treadmill this week. It gets used every day; even the kids use it. Payton is trying to get in shape for baseball season and Darren, well, he just likes to run and he sure could use the energy outlet. With him I actually need to worry about feeding him more since he's on the treadmill. He doesn't have any extra weight on him (he's 5'6"+ and weighs all of 129 lbs). I bought him some yogurt smoothies and oatmeal etc. and am trying to add calories to his diet that are full of good nutrients.

I'm going to try to do a big workout today. Maybe 45 on the mill and then some ab work and some weights. It feels good to be taking care of myself and to be making better choices for the whole family.

I apologize for only blogging about this stuff lately. It really requires a whole mind set change and it has been sort of all consuming for me. Once it becomes habit, I'll have some more balance in my life. There is plenty more that I could be writing about. Next post, I promise.

Feeling goooooood!!!!!

Pounds lost this week: 0
Total loss to date: 7
Pounds to goal: 35

It has been a long, interesting, productive and different week this week. I'm gaining momentum on my "throw out the old habits and start new ones" work. I ate better this week than I have in years. Less calories, less fat, more nutrition. The treadmill is up and I've used it twice now. The first time for 20 min, the second time for 30. The really great news is that so far my knees are holding up. I was worried that I would really have to ease into the exercise slowly because of my bad knees, but they are cooperating so far.

I found several blogs and websites that have been helping me think about my goals, my habits, and my motivation. I joined the "Future M.I.L.F" movement started by Mom O Matic. Now, I think most of you know what M.I.L.F. stands for, and please don't think that that is my true motivation. It's just a funny, light hearted way for a bunch of Moms to get together and say "yes, damn it, I'm going to look good!" Not that I don't think I look good now (I have had issues in the past with body image, and that is still a battle I fight myself on occasion ally). I can see my Mom and my Mother-In-Law (who both read my blog now) gasping in horror at this aspiration. Again, this is just for fun.

On a more serious note, I have discovered SparkPeople which is a free (I can't believe it) site where you can track the foods you eat (both for calories and nutrition), plan and track an exercise program, read great articles on health and weight loss, find new healthy recipes, and also find people who are dealing with the same kinds of issues you are (kids, jobs, etc.). Check it out, it's fab!

Despite all of my good eating and the beginning of my exercise routine, I did not lose any weight this week. Normally this might be a big bummer for me, but I feel so good about the direction I'm moving towards, and I FEEL so much better this week, I only view this as a bump in the road that won't slow me down. Onwards, and downwards!

P.S. - oh, yeah, we have also taken great strides on our home improvement projects. Our garage conversion has begun, we bought bamboo flooring and paint for the room and tonight will be picking out a futon couch to go in there. We ordered our new kitchen cabinet doors and finalized plans to have a custom cabinet built for a funky space we have next to the fridge.

Baby Steps

Did a weigh-in and I lost 2lbs this week. That's a decent rate. I know that a slow, steady rate of loss is better than quick loss, so 2 lbs is a good number. It feels like baby steps, but that's fine. My lunch habits have definitely helped. I have found some Lean Cuisine's that are somewhat yummy and only have 280-320 calories. What this does for me is satisfies me for a while, and still affords me some calories to have a decent snack in the afternoon. This also helps because then I'm not REALLY hungry when I get home and I don't scarf at dinner.

I also realized that actually having something for breakfast, even if it is small, helps keep me from being really hungry at lunch. I usually have an apple, or a piece of toast with peanut butter.

The treadmill gets delivered on Monday. I'm trying to figure out where we can set it up immediately. We got it to put it in our new room (we are converting our garage into a guest/video game/exercise room), however the new room won't be done for several weeks. I would love get going on it so I can get my heart pumping and my metabolism in gear, but we don't have much room in the house, so I don't know that it's going to work anywhere else.

So what else is up in the world? Was shocked to hear that David Beckham is moving to LA to play for the Galaxy. I guessing that Posh will fit right into the Hollywood lifestyle. This will be good for MLS, at least they'll get butts in the seats wherever he is playing. No if only our Earthquakes hadn't moved, we would get to see Beckham play. Curses.

Also, the news of the two boys who had been kidnapped (one had been gone for 4 years!) who were found and returned to their parents just really made my heart sing. Can you imagine? What a miracle. What a breath of fresh air.

So we are off to Home Depot today to re-evaluate our kitchen cabinets and see if we can get new doors with a different style, but the same finish. We are having a custom cabinet built by a friend of ours for an awkward space between our fridge and a wall. You know that space, it is where you dump the broom and the grocery store bags and such. We need more space for cans and other skinny items, so we thought a pull out pantry that is about 7 inches wide would do the trick.

That's what is happening at the Mission house for now. Hope your weekend is full of good news.

EEEEK Gads!

As I sit here eating my 280 calorie Lean Cuisine Chicken Parmesan meal and surfing the net for food/diet/exercise/weight loss blogs, I come across this very hip looking site called Hungry Girl, Tips and Tricks for the hungry chicks. CUTE!

As I dig into the site, I uncover this most ghastly information about the super duper yummy KFC Famous Bowl thingy. Crickey! 720 calories and 34 grams of fat! Wow, I guess the one time that I had this yummy monstrosity will have been my last. SHHHEEEESH. That's disgusting. This food item now falls the way of these other yummy and super bad for you items that I have stopped eating forever:

• Anything at Cinnabon (a regular Cinnabon has 730 calories 24 grams of fat)
• Big Macs (704 calories, 43.7 grams of fat)
• Fettucini Alfredo (varies based on recipe, but we all know how bad it is)

I feel much better about my little lunch now. It even affords me a little afternoon snack as well.

My next big task is to figure out how to get back on the What's Cookin' track while keeping myself from eating things that will sabotage my goals. What's a girl to do?

Inspiration and then Perspiration

Just read this post from Table for Five and damn it, I'M IN! We ordered a treadmill that should be here in the next few weeks and I'm ready to go. I've actually lost about 5 pounds since Thanksgiving (pretty damn good over the holidays, NO?). My REAL reason for wanting to loose weight is that diabetes runs on my Mom's side of the family in a BIG way and that scares the SHIT out of me. I love my boys and I want to be around to play with my grandkids and THEIR kids too.

But my more immediate inspiration is our August trip to Maui with a bunch of families that we know, all of which have Mom's with tiny figures. While I'm not after the tiny figure, I am after one that is less jiggely than the one I own currently, and one that perhaps can fit into a size 10 instead of a size 14. My driver's license says that I'm 150 lbs. which is about a 37 lb lie at this point. My goal is to lessen the size of the lie. Technically, I should be more like 130, but come on now, let's be real. One step at a time.

Day by day.

So there it is, readers: my spouse, my co-workers, my spouse's co-workers, my co-worker's spouses, my Mom, my friends (both physical and cyber), my future friends, my lurkers, whoever you are. I am doing this naked. Clearly, not literally, but in the sense that I'm putting myself out there for the world to know. And although I would love to know that somehow I have done a good thing for someone else by doing this, I'm actually doing it for the selfish reason that when I commit to something in front of other people, I am much more likely to stick to it.

One of the tools that I have been using is called FitDay.com. It helps you keep track of what you have eaten and the calories and nutrients that you have consumed. You can also track your weight, physical activity, and other things. It's free and it's really cool.

I have been on this journey before. In 1999 I started going to the gym with a gal friend of mine (at 5 effing thirty in the AM!) about 3 days a week, sometimes 4. We started with cardio kick-boxing but quickly switched to a 1 hour weight lifting class 3 days a week, with a 1/2 hour ab class 2 days/ week. Over the course of a year I lost 35 pounds and kept it off for about another year. And then 9-11 happened (which rocked my world, seriously), and then the company that I was working for was bought out and I knew I would be out of a job soon, and then my Uncle had an aortic aneurysm and was in ICU for 6 weeks and the died (he was very young), and then I changed jobs, and then, and then, and then. And then I gained it all back.

And this, dear readers, is where I am today. I'll turn 40 in August and I better lose it now or it will be WAY harder. It is a change in lifestyle, not a diet. Eat better, watch your portions, move your ass, take your vitamins, the whole 9 yards. I have posted about this before, but I wasn't quite as serious. I lost my momentum. I was doing really well, but I couldn't keep it off.

Not again.

Losing It - Update

I've really stalled with the weight loss, but I haven't gained it back either. I'm feeling good that I've changed enough about my "normal" eating to know that I can maintain where I'm at.

HOWEVER...

I have a trip to Hawaii coming up at the end of July so I'm going to make a renewed effort.

So there it is...