This is my brat in the bike thing. I don't know what they call these things, kid bike tow? LOL. All I know is that they cost anywhere from $150 to $400 (or more) but I bought it a garage sale for $30. It looks like it was just sitting in their garage for a while but it works like a charm and she loves it.
Ok so I went online, printed a 2 week pass to Bally's. I went there last night and I am even more sore today. I was a bit disappointed when I didn't see a loss on the scale this morning. That's ok though I ate probably more than I should of last night. Not badly, just more of my regular serving. I made healthy green chicken enchiladas with refried beans (except I didn't FRY them). My hubby actually mashed them and they tasted fine. I had my low carb tortillas but I think I added too much Motzerella cheese. They were delish though! So today I brought a chicken salad for lunch and a pear and 2 South Beach diet bars. One for my mid morning snack and one for after lunch/before dinner snack. Have you had them? Oh man they are SO good! Totally satisfies your sweet tooth. I bought the Cinnamon Raisin and the Peanut butter. They were on sale for 2 boxes (5 in each box)for $5.00 AND I had a $1.00 off coupon for each box, so I only paid $3.00 for 10 very yummy bars.
Today I loaded my bike onto my truck and I am planning on going on a 40 minunte up-hill bike ride for my lunch break. I feel like I am dedicated, but this morning I heard something on the radio that kinda got me thinking.
~They say that it's good to set goals but when you are fixated on those goals, when you get ATTACHED to those goals you become, sort of, closed in. I guess what they were trying to say was that you lock yourself into this bubble and you hang on to that goal for dear life and you don't allow anything else to penetrate through. Even if it's stuff like suggestions from people to do things more effectively (for a lack of a better word).
I know that I am "obsessed" right now with my weight loss, that's all I talk about, and I know that I need to stop. I realized that on my way home yesterday, BUT I NEED to obsses or I won't do this!! I won't loose this flippen weight! I am tired of being fat and I just want to get it over with already. I want to be in maintenance mode so so so bad. I need to pray...cause even though I feel like all is well, I think that I am afraid, afraid that I will fail AGAIN. Weight failure is not acceptable anymore in my life. I am not going to allow it, and I know THIS, but why am I so scared then?
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Have you ever tried to eat just one potato chip? How about just one fresh-baked cookie or just one warm, glazed doughnut? It's hard to stop. Almost impossible, in fact. That is how temptation to sin is. It just grabs us.
When we pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," we are saying, "Lord, I know my own sinful vulnerabilities, and I ask You to keep me from the power of sin. Help me to make the right choices and avoid anything that would pull me away from You."
The classic hymn, "Come Thou Fount," says it so accurately: "Prone to wander—Lord, I feel it—Prone to leave the God I love. . . ." It is our nature as sheep to wander, to go astray, and to do the wrong thing. It is not our nature to do the right thing. We must remember that about ourselves.
As one writer said, "When we pray. 'Lead us not into temptation,' it is an appeal to God to put a watch over our eyes, our ears, our mouths, and our feet and our hands, that in whatever we see, hear, or say, or any place we go, and in anything we do, He will protect us from sin."
We can lay claim to the great promise that God will not allow us to be tempted above that which we are able, but will make a way of escape so we can bear it.
Remember, flee from temptation—and don't leave a forwarding address.
But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
— 1 Corinthians 10:13
So it looks like hitting Bally's last week did something! I woke up Saturday morning nice n'sore (especially in my inner thighs where I need some work) and I was hoping I would either still be 211 or 210 but I weighed in at 209.8! I was very surprised and excited. I was good all weekend but I did have some Pizza Hut on Saturday night. BUT I did not go overboard and I did have a salad so I would feel more satisfied. Today's weigh in is at 209.2! Almost 208.
My short term goal right now is being 199 by February 3rd and that's looking to be very do-able. I reported my weight loss to Paulene's 12 week challenge but on her site I started at 211. Anyway, my point is I lost 4 pounds (from 213 to 209) since last Monday. So that feels good. AND I ate pizza! I love fricken pizza. That's one food I get weak in the knees about.
Going to Bally's on Friday sorta proved to me that I am still a chicken when it comes to walking into an actual gym. You should of seen me. I rode my bike there and the whole time felt like I was going to walk in there and conquer it. The second I walked in on the work out floor I felt like a pup with it's tail between it's legs. I felt overwhelmed because there was just SO much equipment and it all looked the same. You are left to figure it all out yourself. The thing is, it's not like I have never seen a gym, I have been a member of 24 hour fitness for over 3 years. It's like it ALL came back to me when I walked in. That intimidated feeling. But I think that if I go enough times, I will get over it.
Plus I wore the dumbest most uncomfrotable workout pants ever. They are baby blue with a white stripe on the sides, but I just looked dumb and felt dumb. I was supposed to go with Leah again last night but she was going to meet with the trainer at 8pm. I usually hit the sack at 9pm so if I would've gone, I would've of been totally amped at 9am and would not of been able to wake up at 3am this morning. I already felt like throwing my alarm out the window this morning.
I don't know what to do right now. I rode my bike for almost an hour (with 1 year old 20+ pounds child in tow) then I went to Curves for 40 minutes but that still does not seem like enough. I am seriously contemplating quitting Curves...and re-starting my 24-hour fitness membership again. The thing with Curves is this. You are not supposed to work out for more than 30 minutes and when I do stay a little over, I can tell that they are like "she is still working out". Sometimes I barely break a sweat. The chitter chater is funny and all, but sometimes it distracts me..like it did yesterday. I didn't feel like I got a good workout. Plus even if I upgrade to the Sport 24-Hour Fitness (bigger and better) it will STILL be cheaper than Curves. The only thing is I have to pay $80 to upgrade to the Sport club and I will have to wait to do that till I have the cheddar (the money$$$). I don't think I will join Bally's. Although it was good, I dunno, I just like 24 Hour better I think.
This is a great scripture that really spoke to my heart this morning
"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
— Matthew 26:41
FINALLY Friday! I am excited about this weekend. As I might of mentioned before, I put my 24-Hour Fitness membership on hold for a few months while I tried out Curves, and so far I have been a regular at Curves BUT I think I need more of a challenge. I don't think that Curves will cut it for me in another month. That said, I am going to go with a friend, Leah, to her gym as a guest. Bally's gym in fact, it's only a mile away from my house and I can just ride my bike there as well (depending on the weather of course). Hopefully I can go with her tonight if not, for sure tomorrow (8am). I am going to check out their perks and if they are all good, I might just join. I am really starting to enjoy working out. It's like I can't wait to go!
I also think that going with Leah will help motivate me even more. Leah has lost tons of weight on just a low-carb diet and she looks great! (that's her in the pic, about a year ago so she's lost even more since then).
So I planned my meals for today click on the FITDAY link on the right). I got up at 3:15am today and prepared the following:
BREAKFAST:
2 Burritos made from Cheese & chive Egg Beaters & steamed some fresh spinach and made a scramble with those two. Wrapped this yummy stuff in 2 La Tortilla Factory tortillas (only 4 net carbs for TWO tortillas)
LUNCH:
4 oz of Grilled salmon, 2 cups of delish mixed salad greens with the ever greatest Paul Newman's Light Vinaigrette dressing (only 4g of fat per two tablespoons). One tablespoon is actually good enough so I typically only use one.
DINNER
Grilled Salmon seasoned with a zest of lemon, some steamed asparagus and a small salad on the side ;-)
I have weekend food too and I am POSTIVE that I will be back on Monday with a 2 pound loss to report. I am close to 210 so ya never know....
So as I have typed in my other posts I have stepped up my workouts this week and I am SORE! But it's good cause I know that I am doing something right.
So yesterday we had a work lunch at Claim Jumper and I had it all planned out in my head what I was going to eat and that I wasn't going to look at the menu. I didn't eat horribly, but I did order a salad that already had some sort of citrus type dressing on it. It was a weird salad all together. The waitress said "Oh that's my very favorite salad" so I said oh ok I will take that. It had cranberries, chicken, very crispy walnut bits, mandarin slices, blue cheese (I ordered on the side cause it just didn't sound right) and a bunch of other stuff that does not stand out at the moment...I fought it hard not to eat from the HUGE appetizer platter. I caved after 15 minutes, and had a motzerella stick. It was deep fried of course. I should of had a snack at 11am when I usually take my lunch. We didn't end up eating till almost 1 so I was hungry. Anyway, then I had a peice of garlic bread. But that was it.
When I got home I changed into my gym clothes and rode my bike to Curves and then as I was riding back home I decided to go up and down a few streets that had steep streets. I rode for about 35 minutes and covered about 4 miles, I would say, of pretty intense riding. I typed all my food intake on Fitday and I ended up eating about 2000 calories yesterday which is not my norm. I just can't eat that many calories or I won't loose.
So the good thing is I really did not gain...but I knew I had to workout hard to get rid of all those extra calories. I was really concerned about myself yesterday because I went blank when at the restaurant. Like I said above, I had it all planned out that I was going to not look at the menu, I was going to order a grilled chicken breast, 2 servings of steamed veggies and maybe a small salad. So I am going to try and work on that this weekend. Go out to eat and actually order what I planned to order!! I just don't understand why that's so hard for me! So that's got me a little frustrated but I will have to work on my will power when I am out and about!
Man I have been waking up feeling super tired this week. I went to bed early AGAIN last night and I still woke up feeling tired. My eyes feel heavy and everything.
So far it looks good on my workouts. This is what I did yesterday:
Curves X 2
Bike Ride: 15 minutes
Squats X 45 w/my workout ball
I went in to get measured at Curves last night in Long Beach (I worked out here too) and these are my old and new measurements:
on 11/14/05 they WERE:
Bust: 46.75
Waist: 41.00
Abdomen: 49.00
Hips: 46.25
Thighs: 25.50
Arms: 12.00
Body Fat: 37.80%
on 1/10/06 they ARE:
Bust: 44.50
Waist: 39.75
Abdomen: 46.50
Hips: 43.75
Thighs: 25.50
Arms: 12.00
Body Fat: 35.00%
Notice that I did not loose anything on my arms and thighs. I can see that they are thinner but maybe that's just me thinking that. They measure exactly the same. I know my fat thighs are NOT going to go away until I loose another 10 pounds, at the very least. They are the last fat to go unfortunately. That's when I can tell I am gettin' fat. My thighs start to talk. Anyway overall I lost -8.50 Total inches, -10.91 Body fat pounds. So that's good eh? Good news is that I am in the 211's now. Haven't been there in quite a while. I read the scripture below and had to remind myself of this because when the Curves trainer congratulated me, I was like "ahh, ya know, a little weight loss". What?!! I was mad at myself for saying that. She said "Well since you won't pat yourself on the back, I WILL!!" she is hilarious and is very motivating. I love it when she is there. SOOOO I am patting myself on the back and thanking GOD to the fullest!!
Remember to celebrate your accomplishments, but recognize that you are the instrument of a higher power and that your spiritual needs are continuous, even when you're well. Matthew tells us:
God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.–Matthew 5:3 NLT
Ok so it looks like me working out is actually working. Hmm who knew? So yesterday was Day 1 of 3 protein days. Just protein. This usually gets my body in fat burning mode, which is what I needed. This morning, I am at a new low 212.2. Almost 211. I was a bit shocked and this actually changed my morning completely. I was exausted yesterday though. I went to Curves on my lunch as planned but was not there my planned 45 minutes but 35 minutes because it was pretty full. I did not get to do my bike ride in the morning but I made it up later in the evening. My husband went to run an errand and I went for a 25 mile vigorous bike ride. I set it on the hardest setting (I don't know the bike terminology obviously) all I know is that my legs were burning going up the hilly streets of Long Beach. My husband does not really like me going alone but we live in a good area. Plus I always tell my worried husband "who wants to try and attack a 200+ pound, 5"10 woman. They would look at me and be like "Nah!". He just laughs, but I think he gets it. He knows I am right.
So I did my bike thing, did a few sit-ups (while I was still sweating) stretched, and took a shower. We read our bibles (we each take turns reading a chapter) and I went STRAIGHT to bed. I went to bed at 8:20 last night. For some reason, I was still tired at 3am this morning so I snoozed it for 30 minutes!! Then I got up and rushed. I still had time to sit and have my breakfast though. 2 eggs over easy, 1 peice of wheat toast (this is called cheating on protein days) and coffee. I had to have a peice of toast today though. I was starving. I will keep it a protein day for the rest of the day though.
Work is going to be weird this week. We have tons of training sessions and then tomorrow they are taking us to Claim Jumper for lunch....I already know that I am not going to order off the menu. There is going to be pressure from others to just stuff my face but I am going to be good. :-)
I have been praying hard for God to help me get outta this slump and yesterday He really spoke to me through the preaching I heard in church last night. It was on I Corinthians 9-24-26 and it just sorta spoke to me in all angles. I also first heard Falisa (my friend) talk to us about this in our Saturday study. Basically, when we make a commitment, KEEP IT. God is looking for you to keep that commitment, that promise. Being a Christian, when you speak and tell someone let's say "Ok I will see you tomorrow at 5pm" you should NOT have to end that statement with "I promise I WILL be there at 5". I feel like do that a lot. I make commitments, and I don't keep them. I find myself having to tell people "I promise"....I don't want to be that person. So I am changing my attitude starting today! You know what? I FEEL it! I feel God is going to help me. I feel like I did the day I started my weight loss and lost 25 pounds. I look forward to posting progress pics. This month's commitment is to be down to 199 by February 3rd.
I had a talk with my husband about weekends and how I have a lot of trouble with them. I am so good at work but on the weekend I just give in, a little too many times. So he said "I know cause you cook us good food and of course you want to eat with us!" or we run out and get something to eat in between errands. So he said he is going to be my referee for the weekend and if we do go out to eat we will need to make sure it's somewhere where I can make healthy selections. I felt relieved. He knows that I want to drop this weight and be over it already. He mounted the bike rack back on my truck, so I am going out to ride it for 2 miles in about 20 minutes. Then I am going to Curves on my lunch break. I am going to talk to the Curves people about doing 1 hour versus the standard 30 minutes. Even 45 minutes would be good with me. I just don't think 30 minutes is really cutting it for me. Then in the afternoon I am taking another 20 minute break and riding my bike once more. So I will be getting about 45 minutes of cardio workout, 45 minutes of Curves which I think they call conditioning workout. If for some reason I cannot do bike riding twice in one day at work, I will need to do it RIGHT when I get home. I have to work it in as a routine. No CLEANING my house, or starting ANYTHING until my workout is done. I am officially blocking in the time.
To start off my weight loss, I am going to start doing Lindora again, following their diet plan basically to keep me in check. I might add in more fruits but that's pretty much it. I am doing 3 protein days so my body will get into Ketosis and my weight loss can once again begin. OK well that's the plan... ;-)
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
I was stuck at 213 and this morning I was up to 214.8!! What??? I was ready to move on from 213 and now I am up. This kind of made me even more sluggish. Not sure what happened there. I have cramps and have had them for a few days but I have not gotten IT yet. In fact I have not gotten IT since November. I am very irregular...I think due to PCOS and I know I need to get back on the PCOS meds. Maybe I will do that today, call my OB and get back on track with that. I haven't done it because being on the PCOS meds will trigger me to ovulate and with a one year old, I am not trying to get pregnant. Birth control pills are not on option for me because of the PCOS...so we will need to try another method of birth control.
My weight loss would actually happen too if I was actually working out. I have been training someone at work this week so I can't go on my morning walk or bike ride and I have not gone to Curves either because I don't want to come back and train someone when I'm all sweaty and out of breath. Excuses excuses....yes I know. Today I WILL go to Curves and ride my bike there. Once the workout is done I am going up "THE hill" and burning some calories off. I am finding it impossible to go when I get home but I will need to get myself out of that "there's so much to do I can't possibly go". I weight myself EVERY day. I do it to keep myself in check you see. I don't want to end up right where I started. It's sad, I know...but this time, I don't feel that it will happen. I am so different. My mentality has changed. I hate hating people. I hate resenting people, I don't like to be envious or jealous of other people and what they have. I don't like gossiping and if I catch myself I try and stop....sometimes I don't though and I need to control myself. I know we are human and I am going to slip...but I use to be such a wench before. I used to talk about everyone and hate on everyone. So my point is...I am a different person and I don't feel like I will fall back into my old ways (when it comes to eating and other bad habits). I may slip on the weekends for 1 or 2 meals but I get back on my feet and all's well again in Berthaland. I am so everywhere today....I'm in such a weird mood so I thought I would come in here and BE weird, because, I can.
OK so I made the famous Tofu Shirataki Noodle shaped Tofu and can you say "MMMMM"?? I could NOT believe that this stuff actually tastes like pasta. When you stir fry it it turns into the taste of ramen noodles but I can easily see myself using to make spaghetti for myself. Yes it was that good!! With only 1 gram of fat per package, 6 carbs, 4 grams of fiber (so really only 2 carbs) and 2 grams of protein, can you really loose??!! It's hard to find but lucky me there is this store right off the 101 freeway which I take to go home and they carry it. I am going to try and make spaghetti this weekend. I have to find a low fat/carb spaghetti sauce though. I didn't realize that the spaghetti sauce in my pantry was so high in sugar. Anyway, I woke up so flippen tired today AND with a headache. I think the "no workout" thing is not working for me. I did sit ups last night though...that counts right?
Happy New Year!! I FINALLY got My hubby to take my picture and boy do I look crazy!! yes, I was a bit horrified when I saw this. I always have this image of what I look like in my head, then the pictures "tell it how it is". This was taken yesterday and I *thought I was looking thinner. My daugher yelled out "suck it in Mom", I said NO NO sucking it in, this is the reality. My posture is horrible when I am not trying to stand up straight. I am top heavy and have been all my life so I have always purposely slouched since I can remember so that I would not draw attention to my double D friends. This pic is just what I needed to help me kick butt on my weight loss in 2006.
This year I want to #1 - get closer to God and pursue my purpose in this lifetime. As I wrote in my "Thank you Jesus" notebook yesterday, I realized how much time I spend on just wanting that week to end so it will be payday and we can "catch up". I feel as if I am wasting my life. It dawned on me that this life is so short and it's passing us by daily. Everyday I am a day older basically. This sounds depressing I know and a bit childish, I know that too...but it's something that we have got be reminded of. I had a great weekend with my family. I really enjoy spending time with them and I can't believe that at some point in my marriage we were SO close to getting a divorce. We were just not on the same page and to tell you the truth I hated him because of the way he was. We didn't go to church, we cursed, smoked, drank and were very unhappy. When we were at that point of our marriage breaking apart his sister invited us to Pacific Baptist Church (christian family church in Long Beach, CA) and I felt like that pastor was talking directly to us. I felt like that for weeks and my husband and I would poke at each other like "DO YOU HEAR WHAT HE'S SAYING!!!) It was the Holy Spirit and 2 years later here we are happier than we have EVER EVER been. We truly love each other, there is no strife in our home, and when there is we talk about it and pray. The #2 thing I want to do is learn how to pray. I pray all the time, but there is a method to praying and I am going to learn! #3 - To continue to loose weight. I have NEVER watched my eating as long as I have this time. As I was preparing my bag for work last night I though "wow I would of quit a long long time ago by now and I am still so committed and I don't feel like I am going to stop anytime soon". I was surprised to realize that my veggies and fruits don't go bad anymore and that I actually run out most of the time. I have lots of fish as well. As I learn how to cook different types of fish the more I enjoy it. My family is getting used to the smell as well ;-)I printed some recipes that I plan on trying tonight. There is lots of fish that I have NEVER tried and I am sorta just going for it.
I have Salmon down to a T. I love baked salmon because it's easy to cook. I place a steak sized portion in a piece of foil, season it and fold all the corners in. Bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and it's ready. I buy the mixed salad, I don't know the name of it, but it's got the purple lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach etc. in it and I mix it with 2 tablespoons (sometimes only 1) of Balsamic Vinaigrette (only 8 grams of fat) and a huge side of veggies and I am set. Sometimes I will eat this 3 times a week and ALWAYS loose. I am trying a new fish tonight. So we will see how it turns out. I added a "Pictures" link on the right hand side from Yahoo. I think I can get it to work. Anyway I don't feel so great today. Stomach is kinda screwy so I am gonna get some hot lemon tea. Ta ta...
Ok so I am FINALLY back down to 213. I was about to say "sheesh, took me long enough" but it was only 4 days. I ate crappy on Monday. I have good healthy food for the weekend. I get off at 11:30 today so I am going to go to the store and buy lots and lots more veggies and fruits. Last night I had a peice of a hershey bar and some Vitamin D milk. Vitamin D milk tastes like cream to me now. I have some soy milk in my cabinet and I am thinking of trying it. I bought some salted soy nuts the other day and they are so the bomb. I ate a little too many though. I went to Curves on my lunch yesterday and got a pretty good workout. So I think I am going to do Curves 2 or 3 times a week. Laura is starting Phase II Lindora on Monday and she's going to want to start walking again...BUT I think I am going to continue my bike riding and Curves. If it does not get too cold, what I can do is continue to take my break and do my bike riding AND walk with Laura during lunch. That would be a pretty good workout. So we'll see how it works out. I need to draft a plan and stick to it. I am SO close to being under 200...I know I can do it by the end of January. That's going to be my new goal. Be under 200 by Februaty 1st which would be a 3 pounds weight loss per week. I think VERY doable! That's about 1 pound every other day, or .4 pounds per day. see these short term goals work for me. Gotta keep reminding myself of that. Wow that makes me feel good. Ok so here's to 2006! I truly believe that God will help me be at my goal weight by April...even if it was May. I just want to be at goal weight by the summer. I can't wait!
Here is some inspiration!
The Freedom of Choice
One of the wonderful gifts we have received from the Creator is the freedom to choose. It is fascinating to see each day how the choices we make affect us and those around us. We always have the freedom to make a choice that can lead us to heartache. Or we can choose a way that will lead us to triumph. In the realm of food and diet, you have been given the freedom to choose between the bad, the better, and the best. Be blessed in having the knowledge of what the best foods are for your body, and be grateful that with the Maker's help, you have been able to choose the best on a regular basis.
Create a Best List
Write down two areas of your life outside of your diet that you feel you can improve on. Create three categories for each area: the bad, the better, and the best. Make lists under each category heading of choices you've made, finishing with "the best." Keep the list and work on how to keep yourself from selecting from the bad list and how to work toward the best choice for each area.
May God bless you and the coming new year!
MY MOM AND ALEXIS in PIC . Ok so I bought this bread/tortilla looking thing called Lavash (LIGHT) and was scared to put it in my mouth..but I did and when it hit my taste buds, they approved. For 1oz this delish food has NO FAT, 45 Calories and 5 carbs AND only $1.99 for 12 servings. Yep...so I went and got egg beaters, some 2% American cheese, this morning I made some scrambled egg beaters, threw half a slice of american cheese, lightly toasted my Lavash and OH MY SOUL....so fricken good...so good my eyes practically rolled back. So this is my new breakfast till my Lavash is gone. It stays good for 4-5 days at room temp. 7-14 days Refrigerated...hmm so I will need to stick it in the fridge or I will be tempted to eat it all within the week. I was even thinking I can make me some pizza (low fat of course)....the possibilities are endless...it's white flour though and I know that's not the healthiest but sometimes I don't care if it's not "nutritious"..I just want some good food ya know.
I am learning how to improvise as well. Yesterday was my husband's birthday so I had to make him a good dinner. It was not a GREAT dinner but he loves homemade Tacos..we are hispanic and all this guy likes is mexican food. So I made him Chicken Tacos, fried the tortilla shells, shreded cheese (motzerella), cut lettuce, onion, tomatos, made fresh red salsa (spicy!) and some mexican sopa (soup). Instead of frying my tortillas I just warmed them up, I had also baked fresh beans, so I served myself about a cup of beans and had two HUGE tacos...I put lotsa chicken in it (boiled the chicken). I did add some cheese since it was skim milk motzerella. This morning I was down a pound AND....I had a slice of cake.. I also made him a cake and he loved it! Alexis helped me decorate it and we went a little wacky with the decorating but overall it was great. Anyway, I am going to Curves on my lunch because I didn't bring my bike AGAIN and I don't want to go walking. I work in a more upscale area so I am curious to see how these ladies will react to me being there. Anyway we will see. I will post photos of the cake tomorrow. I forgot my camera.
MMMMMM my 30th Birthday cake...looks good huh? I actually look a little thinner in this picture. Man I choose the craziest time to start to loose weight and it has proved to be a challenge. I know that God inspired me to start on 11/2/05 because #1 - It was going to be the holidays and I WOULD of gained anywhere from 7-10 pounds ~ I truly do believe that. #2 - I was sick (bronchitis) and working out would be a challenge BUT I still lost 25 pounds. I give ALL the glory to God. He was certainly the one that has given me any and all the strength to do what I have so far. I know that he wanted me to realize that even with these obstacles in place, I could STILL do this. It's not only about weight loss. It's about my spiritual walk. There are going to be obstacles ALWAYS, but I can do it. I can get to know and love him more than I already do. My heart is warm and I truly feel his hand over me, especially right this minute. I love him SO MUCH for just everything he has done for us and in us. I need to be more specific in my prayers. I don't like to ask him for help on many things, but I know that he wants to be our best friend (he wants us to bug him)!! He wants us to ask him for help and so I will continue to do so.
So we went to my parents house in San Jose for Christmas and it was a great one. I planned on leading my sisters and brother to the Lord but I knew that they were not ready. They are not open to accepting Christ right now and it would be one of those situations where I went through the plan of salvation with them and not mean it. So it's a work in progress. My parents got saved the day after Thanksgiving and now when I talk about God & the lessons I learn from the bible and church sermons they listen intently. I can see that God is already working in them. Praise the Lord!!! I got wonderful gifts that I did not expect at all. It really really is about giving. I enjoy seeing their faces when they open their gifts. I wish my sister Lorena would of been around more but she had things to do. I need to call her more often and stay in touch with her. She needs a sister and a friend. I know that I need to do that more with her...I saw that this weekend.
I still haven't taken my side profile pics. I need to take the time to do that..I am sorta embarrased though. Even if I don't post them just yet, I need to do it. Today I promise to start. I did gain a couple of pounds from my eating. BUT, I don't regret it. I didn't eat THAT badly but I did not plan ahead and there was NO healthy food really that I wanted to prepare. I will work on getting the extra weight off today, tomorrow and Friday and then continue with weight loss from there. I brought my work out clothes to work today but Laura has not been motivated to walk again as of yet. I was not either yesterday but I will walk today, even if I go alone. I like riding my bike MUCH better but the bike rack is off the truck and I didn't ask my hubby to put it back on. I will tonight though. I need to continue to work out during lunch because I don't seem to do it when I get home. I need to think about Curves too. I am paying them $39 a month and not working out there much. I NEED to schedule in a routine, I get preoccupied at home. I use the excuse that I have a million things to do at home and CAN'T take the time to work out, and I DO have a million things to do but if I use that as an excuse all the time I will be fat in no time after I hit my goal weight.
You know what I was thinking about just now (yes again), that once I am at goal weight I will be able to indulge a little and just work out to get rid of the extra colories and fat.....can't wait. I actually set a goal data on FitDay of 4/12/05 I don't know what made me pick that date but I did. Since that is my goal date I am supposed to loose 2.53 lbs a week. I think that this is very much do-able. Anyway...gotta get to work. I need to look at the Hungrygirl website. I am going to try the Tofu Shritake Noodles today..gotta go get them..the happen to sell them at this nutritional store right off the 101 Freeway. :-)
Sunday morning we will unwrap our Christmas presents, but eventually the novelty of it all will wear off. The present that was once so precious to you will end up stuffed in the closet or handed off to someone else. A newer version of your latest gadget will arrive that has more megapixels, or is smaller, or faster, or has better battery life. In time, your Christmas gifts will mostly be forgotten. But God has given us the ultimate gift—the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.
Don't miss Christmas this year. As Watts and Handel once wrote, "Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room."
Well I am really trying to prepare myself for Christmas, my eating habits and working out. We are going to my parents again and being in that happy atmosphere just makes me want to eat, but this time I promise to indulge on ONE meal a day for two days. By indulge I don't mean a complete pig out but I will have Tamales and the fixings but I am not going to eat to the point where I want to throw up (like I used to). I AM going to use my sisters eliptical machine and since at this mornings weigh in I was ALMOST in my 213's I am not gonna blow that. I have 3 more days to loose one pound and I know I can do that but can I stay 212? Yes I can! It's so totally do-able.
Anyway, I am typing this because I want to make myself accountable. I don't want to come back here on Monday and read this and shake my head in shame. For Thanksgiving it's like I programmed my mind a day before that it was ok to indulge the whole weekend. I was 221 on Thanksgiving and now I am 214 (almost 213) so that's 7 almost 8 pounds since then. I could of done so much better but I have been eating crappy 3 out of the 4 weekends...so I gain 1, 2 even 3 pounds by Mondays's, I know it's mostly water weight on some weekend because of all the salt but it still takes me 3 to 4 days to get rid of that weekend weight gain. I can use the weekends to loose and not just maintain or worst GAIN.
I brought my bike to work today so I plan on doing that. Laura and I haven't gone walking at all this week and the only day I rode my bike this week was Monday. I took a short walk yesterday after my sucky lunch so today I am taking my lunch at 10am and going for a 3 mile ride. That should work well. I think I definitely will be 212 by Saturday if not lower. Ok well today is probably my last day training which will be nice because I will have my space back!
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I got my Cooking Light magazine yesterday and there are so many yummy recipes in there. I think I might try a few while I am gone.
Ok off to eat my breakfast but read below...this is something we should all think about.
No Room in the Inn
"She brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."
Luke 27
In these days of modern technology, we never miss a thing with TiVo, voice mail, DVD recorders, and camera phones. But even though our toys keep us from missing a phone call, they can also cause us to miss the real reason for the holiday season. You can watch Christmas disappear in front of your eyes in a heap of shredded wrapping paper, and find yourself saying, "I was so busy shopping, so busy attending this, going to that, that I think I actually missed the point of Christmas."
It might be surprising to know that the majority of people missed the very first Christmas as well. People just carried on with business as usual, paying no attention to what was happening just a few feet away. In Luke chapter 2, we are introduced to an innkeeper who had no time for Christmas. In this familiar story, Mary and Joseph came to the innkeeper for a room, but because his inn was full, he turned them away. The only place to which he referred this young pregnant woman and her husband was a stable, a cold, dark, and damp stable—which was more than likely a cave. He was too preoccupied with other things to make the time for Christmas.
There are people like this in the world today. They don't necessarily oppose or hate God outright. They are simply preoccupied. God and spiritual things do not concern them. Their interests lie more in what can immediately satisfy their own physical needs. The innkeeper was too busy to make room in the inn for the soon coming Messiah.
Let me ask you this: have you made room for Jesus this Christmas? If not, there is still time to refocus your holidays and make room for Christ this Christmas.
Look Alexis has braces! She thinks they are funny now but I think the effect will wear off soon. She has to have them on for 3 whole years, maybe 2 1/2 but most likely 3. I was doing so great last week and I am convinced that fish is what helps me loose weight. I am up a little in weight but that was because I had fajitas, refried beans and a little bit of spanish rice AND 4 tortillas for dinner Monday night. I am back down though. Now my goal is to get down to 212 by Friday or Saturday. I was OK on the weekend BUT I did give in to a few pieces of Godiva Chocolate and at the Christmas party there was NO healthy choices at all. So I ate some, but did not do as much damage as I could of. I indulged on sweets to much though. I LOVE pumpkin cheesecake and someone brought 3 of them. I stayed to help clean up because we had it at one of our Christian couples house (nice huge house) and she kept saying "take this, take that, we don't eat sweets" so I took a pie and a diet coke for the weekend since I was out at home. I had a slice on Monday...I shouldn't have but I was too hungry then I told myself I would work it off and didn't since we were at the Orthodontist for a while.
Oh my best friend Falisa, Vivian and my husband threw me a surprise Birthday party on Saturday!!! I was really touched and relieved. Relieved because now I know my husband is not up to any funny business. He was acting weird and very secretive on Saturday, we were supposed to go to Dave and Buster's and ended up in the Pizza Hut parking lot having some pizza for lunch. He "changed his mind" about going to Dave and Busters after he rushed me out of the house using the excuse of him being SOOO bitterly bored that he HAD to get outta the house. So I was like "ok ok ok fine let's get ready to go then...sheesh" I mean I seriously had NO IDEA. I was complaining about how messy my desk looked as I walked in the back door and then heard "SURPRISE"!!! The first thing that came to my mind was "OH no! What did my house look like when they came in!" Had I vaccumed? Was my bathroom clean? Was there stuff just laying aorund? Then I was happy, I let it go. Oh well they were in there already. I told my husband "YOU SHOULD OF TOLD ME SO I COULD OF CLEANED MY HOUSE BETTER"!!! He just laughed. So anyway, my camera was dead so I didn't even take 1 picture! But Falisa did so I am going to have to bug her about giving me some. I got great gifts. This is the first time I EVER have a Birthday Party...EVER...my birthday is on December 26th and of course it's because Christ's birthday is on the 25th and that's more important but I would like to have had a June birthday or something...celebrate in the summer...totally separate from any other holiday. Sure my mom would buy me a cake and give me "a big and more expensive present" for Christmas AND my birthday (which I totally hated) but have come to accept it. Of all people my husband SO totally feels my pain. His birthday is on December 28th. LOL.
Ok well I am blabering, I bought some Tilapia fish yesterday and big huge thing of mixed green salad at Costco and that's going to be my lunch and dinner all week. With exercise, healthy eating and most importantly my walk with God, He will help me be successful in meeting my goal of 212 this week.
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."
Matthew 1:21
At night I usually like to eat a small something, like 5 oz of 2% milk and a few regular M&M's (that's if I have had a GREAT eating day) or usually some whole wheat cereal with a little milk. That's my treat. But since I have been really trying hard this week to reach my 4 pound loss I was good last night and skipped the snack. I LOVE milk and one of the things that has sucked about my healthy eating is not drinking as much milk as I used to. I know that I can still drink some but my mentality is that if I can't have A LOT then I won't have any. I have gradually come to the grips of having SOME...and so far I have been able to handle it. The scale this morning told me that it was a good thing. In fact I am ALMOST in the 214's. So bike riding and eating salmon pretty much all week has helped me get out of what I think was a plateau. I love fish I just get lots of silly comments from my hubby and my daughter. When I cook it, my husband opens all the doors and windows like the house just go fumigated or something. He doesn't complain but still...Even my diet partner Laura doesn't like fish, not even shrimp! My husband even likes shrimp! I plan on eating a different type of fish like Telapia (spelling?) next week. I will marinate and prepare it differently so I don't get tired of it. I can actually say that I am tired of chicken. I like beef, but I don't LOVE it...and I just don't think it's as healthy as the others right? I dunno.
Tonight is going to be a challenge as it's my Sunday school class Christmas party (my bible study class) but I have worked hard ALL week and I am not gonna blow it. I just hope there are options and not just fried food or cheese on EVERYTHING ya know (I love cheese)! I don't want to have to sit there and pick it off. When I get to my goal weight I won't have to do these irritating things but right now I am on this weight loss mission and I need to LOOSE and not MAINTAIN. Some people struggle with maintaining but I don't think I will have much of a problem. If I eat badly, I am just gonna have to step it out on my workout for that day.
I just got back from my bike ride and I am surprised that when I get off I still have jello legs. As I walk to the building doors (with the audience watching) I feel like I am gliding and like I have no legs. Eventually I start to feel them again but once I sit down at my desk I have to make myself get up to go to the bathroom or get water. The lazyness kicks in.
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I am training this week so I will need to make sure I plan my meals on Fitday right when I get here and if I have a jornal entry I need to get to crackin' when I get here as well. Ok I will be back Monday to report my weight loss from the weekend. I will take pics and post them. I am posting a picture of my pudgy body a little later today ;-)
So is it bad to want to make a few bucks by adding advertising stuff to a blog? I dunno. I see so many other blogs with stuff so I decided to add one or two to mine..I don't think anybody actually reads my blog but if you do leave me a comment. It would be nice to know. Anyway, my scale actually went down to 215.8 but for some reason I didn't think it was accurate so I weighed again and it said 216. I ended up going back for a bike ride yesterday around 11ish (AM) as it was WAY too cold to ride at 7:30am. So today I am spending my entire lunchtime on my bike.
Ok so I bring my bike to work and people look at me like "Is this girl actually bringing her bike, unloading it off bike rack, and riding it on her break"? When I return from my bike ride there is almost always a crowd of at least 3 to 4 people smoking and they all stare at me while I put my bike back on the bike rack and as I proceed to walk past them (and try to act as if my legs don't feel like jello) I hear comments like "That is SUCH a great idea!!". It makes me feel good that I am actually TRYING. You know how it's like "Eating season" right now? Alot of people look at me like "Ok why are you reminding me about being healthy and working out!! CRUD!!, can't I just enjoy the holidays and eat like a pig"!! Yes, I get all of that from the look on someone's face. I think I can read people pretty well...and that's what I read and I'm sticking to it!
I also know that eating right is not going to melt away this fat. I need to work it off. I have been planning really great meals and keeping my fat intake very low (not more than 25 grams of fat).
I told one of my co-workers how much I weighed and she said I didn't look like it. But I don't think anyone will actually tell someone "yeah you look about 216" So...it's out there. The only reason I told her was because I am not planning on staying at 216 for long...actually...I don't plan on staying over 200 for very long. I can't wait till I see 199...ahh... I was 218 when Laura left for her cruise (my weight loss partner at work) and I want to be 214 when she gets back. I want to give her a good report. I care what she thinks. She is doing great as well and she was really going to try hard to maintain her weight if not loose while on this cruise. You can really see the weight loss on her and people are constantly complimenting her. I have gotten a few compliments myself...but when you are so overweight you tend to not accept the compliments well. I am not satisfied yet at the weight I am at so although they are a bit motivating, they are not really.....um...meaningful I guess is the word.
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Yesterday instead of going to Kaiser I went to my Orthodontist appointment. It is going to cost me like $2000 bucks...I would have to pay in installments and I would pay $76 a month. So at the end of January is when I will be getting my braces. I have a crossbite apparantly and so I will have to wear rubber bands so that my lower teeth open up my top teeth...I had never realized it. It's weird now that I know. Surgery is the only thing that can correct it 100% but I am not getting surgery so hopefully the braces will correct it. The reason for getting braces was to have nice straight teeth not fix a crossbite I didn't even know I had. Weird that none of dentists ever mentioned this to me. Anyway I wanted to get them put on right away (like next week) but my husband was like "whoa whoa whoa can you wait till the end of January while we are back on our feet and recovered from Christmas"? I was a little peeved I must admit but I realized I was being a pouty baby and quickly got over it (took me about an hour). I have been seeing these "vitual models" for a while and thought "why not get my own"? So I did and I am posting my BEFORE and After pic (virtual model of course)! I do plan on posting actuals soon though. I am going to start taking pics weekly.
Lost another pound with no working out. I AM glad that I am loosing weight but mad because I am not working out. That one pound could of been 2 or 3. I am also mad because I am not getting better health wise. I read that some herb called Myrtle was good for bronchitis, so I am going to try and find a health food store or herb spot that carries it. I need SOMETHING!! I have been waking up with a terrible headache and a super sore throat all week and I am SO SUPER SICK OF IT. Today I woke my husband up at 4:00am and asked him to get my bike from the garage and put it on my truck cause I AM going bike riding today on my break and lunch break. I have not brought my bike to work all week because I was waiting to get better, but it's just not happenin'. I wore warm clothes, brought my gloves and ear plugs...because yes I still have an ear infection. It's like what the??? Ugh! I am ready to scream, seriously. It's been a LOOOONG 2 months almost and here I am still sick.
Anyway, I made Alexis an appointment to get her braces on Monday. I can't believe it! I also have a consultation today to see how much of my money they need to get my teeth perfectly straight. They are not bad now but I want to have a nice beautiful smile so I might go for it. I had already gotten a quote from another Orthodontist but he wants $5000 for the invisiline. Um...no I don't have $5K. So for Alexis this other place is WAY cheaper and with my insurance kicking in I only have to pay a little over 2K for her braces but she has to have them for 2 1/2 years. She has beautiful nice teeth and they are straight BUT she has a large overbite. She doesn't look like a dork ya know?...but it makes her teeth look bigger or something so I might as well nip that in the butt and get it done before it costs me more moola that I don't have. I have to finance the 2K as it is but the payments will only be $80 a month. Now that she is selling candy to pay for her school tuition, I think I can actaully afford $80 a month. When I get my taxes I will probably pay that down as well. When she gets her braces I will take a pic and post it. She's scared...she should be!....she's only 9. So my consultation is today at 4pm but I want to go to Kaiser as well and get my ear checked out so if they can get me in today then my ortho appt. will need to get rescheduled. Alexis is singing today for the school play so we have to be at church tonight by 6:40. I think that gives me plenty of time to go to my Ortho or Kaiser appt., go home & shower, make something for dinner and fly out the door. Story of my life.
Bible Reading: We are on Luke chapter 5. I love that chapter, it's so good. Even though we have read thorough a lot of Luke in church, I still love to hear how Jesus spoke with such authority. I mean He was the Son of God so why shouldn't He speak with authority?? Can you imagine being there in His presence??!!! Wow....it gives me butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it. How blessed those people where to be in His presence!! He is so good to us. We are going to get together and pray before the New Year...2 of my close friends and me and my hubby.. My friend sent me this verse that almost brought me to tears....
"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it WILL be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:19-20) Thank you Jesus!
As I struggle with the things in my life I go to this verse and makes me realize that whatever I am going through it's for a reason....read on...
Everyone goes through hardship. But for the child of God, whatever comes into our lives comes first through the grid of God's plan and purpose for us.
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." — Romans 8:29
Happy Monday! Whew well I did ok this weekend. Didn't get to work out as much as I wanted but that's ok. I did a lot of stuff around the house and got to spend time with the fam. It was nice. I had a good breakfast on Saturday and tried to keep it low in everything. The outcome of the weekend was a one pound loss so I can't complain....only 52 more pounds to go LOL.
Actually I was talking to my hubby the other day and he was asking me not to loose that much weight. I wondered why? Is is because he truly does not think that I would look good that thin OR is he scared that I won't love him if I get that thin? Not sure. So for now I am upping my goal weight to 175. I think once I am there I will be able to tell if I do need to go down 10 more pounds. I think that he might be right. We will see.
So I am trying something new, I am adding more fruits to my diet. I am wondering what this will do. I hardly eat fruits but I think my immune system needs it. So I brought in a pear, a green apple and a banana. I think the banana might not get eaten today though. It is LARGE and in charge and when I plugged it into FitDay.com it said it had 34 carbs. Those are good carbs though. Like I said, I think I am just gonna see if I still loose and add more fruits as I go. Laura my walking buddy at work is gone for the week, on a cruise so I will need to keep up with my lunch workout. I didn't bring my bike today cause it was in the garage so I am bringing it tomorrow and working out twice on it. Once at 7:30 and again at 10:30. 4 miles total. Then going to Curves after work starting on Wednesday. Can't do Curves till Wed. cause Alexis has a load of See's chocolates she needs to sell before Thursday. 3 of those boxes will pay for her tuition so we need to get a move on. My money is not looking very good for the week. We have to be super good. I spend about $75 a week on gas. Hopefully we will be ok. I was tempted on waiting to tithe till next week but when I mentioned it to my husband he looked at me like I was nuts. Wait? wait for what? The devil brain washes me sometimes...sad to admit. I am glad my husband is faithful and knows that we still need to give God his 10% and some.
I ran into some of the kids from the bus ministry after the woman's service (we had separate services yesterday, men/women) and they all hugged me. It was a nice feeling that they actually like me!! I bought a big box of chocolates last weekend and plan on bribeing them with it next week when I see them again.
Well I guess I better get to work. I hope this is a slow week so I can concentrate on bible reading, listening to sermons and reading up on healthy eats, menu planning and reading inspirational blogs that will help me meet my week loss goal of 4 pounds :-)
Not If, but When
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
— James 1:2-
It's raining today. Totally did not expect that. I realized last night that I have not watched TV all week. Maybe it's cause I don't have any cable anymore. When we moved into to our house the cable was already hooked up. I never got a bill. God convicted us quite a bit on gettin' the free cable and we thought several times about just calling them to come and hook it up legitly ya know..but they beat us to it LOL...I guess someone near by moved in and they got their cable hooked up and disconnected everyone that was not on their "list" of paying customers. It was a relief. I have been meaning to call but we do hardly watch TV anymore. It's just so raw nowadays. It's like the commercials are crazy! They'll be some naked chick or someone making out and you watch it thinking "what are the trying to sell"? and it will end up being a gum or deodorant commercial. What the?? My daughter does miss watching Animal Planet, she was getting addicted to that show though so she has been reading A LOT. Anytime she's not running around doing something for me, she will lay on her bed and read. ;-) ANYWAY, the point was, I did not know it was going to rain because I didn't watch the news. BUT I still brought my bike. My hubby put on the bike rack and my Specialized bike (that I had to buy on Lay-away, yes they still have such a thing called lay-away). He put air in the tires cause it had been THAT long since I last used it. I made him put it in the house overnight because even though the bike rack has a lock, I didn't feel comfortable leaving my expensive bike out on the streets of Long Beach. We don't live in a bad neighborhood, but still.
OK so I didn't stick to the original I am gonna work out for 50 hours a day plan (ok 2 hours a day) because I have been TIRED...so I have gone home, cleaned, cooked and nap time instead of work out time. But that's ok, I need to rest. Last night as my husband was begging me to stay up with him to wrap presents I broke it down to him, I sleep 6 hours Monday through Friday (from 9pm if I am lucky to 3am), he gets to wake up 2 hours later which means he gets 10 WHOLE hours more of sleep. WHOA! Which also means that he get a whole day and a half more of sleep that I do! What? After he heard my little bell go off in my head, he was like "ok ok ok, go to sleep baby". That's what I thought.
Ok so back on subject, I am going on my bike ride today, fo sho' at 7:30. It stopped raining and hopefully it will stay this way but it's only 5:58 right now so we will see. I bought salmon steaks yesterday, a HUGE thing of yummy salad mix, some grilled ready to eat chicken, brought some pineapple for desert and my non-fat Bernstein's salad dressing which is delish (seriously it is and I hate low-fat low carb whatever dressings). Ok I am off to enter my food and execercise for the day on FITDAY.com. Oh Sarah at work got saved yesterday & Connit got saved on Wednesday, praise God!...I have to write about that here too...tomorrow...
James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Or, as another translation puts it, "If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking" (NLT).
I am having the hardest time getting off my butt this week. I was supposed to go home and workout but I didn't even entertain the idea once I got home. I was supposed to start walking with my co-worker as of Monday but did not because of something...I think she had to do something. Anyway, I feel like I am clinging to being sick. Like I am still using that as an excuse not to workout. I feel better, I still have an ear infection but I AM better. I can breathe at least ya know? I did actually bring back my workout clothes to work so I AM going to go for a walk today. If Laura comes with me cool and if she does not I have my music I can listen to. I have been listening to the Hillsong CD and it's really moved me in ways that are undescribable right now.
I looked at the calendar this morning to see how long I actually had till Christmas came around and it looks like I have 18 days to loose 13 pounds. My goal was to be at 205 by then but that's not looking too good. That means that I would have to loose approximately .7 pounds a day. Not very do-able.
Well...(thinking hard).....if I work out for 2 hours a day it probably is. Hmmm? Should I challenge myself? Can I do it? I really think I can! I only consume about 850 calories a day. I don't starve myself AT ALL but I just stick to really low calorie, low fat and low carb foods. So if I throw in 2 hours of working out, I can actually burn what I am eating and use some of my stored fat for energy. I am such a wacko sometimes. Now I am motivated! I knew that this blog would come in handy ;-) It's on. I am challenging myself to get as close to 205 if not 205 by 12/24/05. Ok so I need to plan my workout. It can't be boring I know that...ok here is the plan:
7:30 AM - Bike Ride 3 miles - 30 minutes
10:30 AM - Race Walk with Laura (or alone) 2 Miles (30 minutes)
4:00 PM - Eliptical Machine - 30 minutes
4:30 PM - Bike Ride - 30 Minutes
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Philippians 4:13
Ok so it's Monday and I do want to scream cause I just read my Friday post. It was SO cold this morning and I had to wash my hair. I knew I should of done it last night but I was just too tired. Man I zonked out too! It probably took me all of one minute to fall asleep. I woke up Saturday morning feeling slimmer (yeah you can actually feel it) and so I weighed myself, I hit a new all time low of 218 which felt pretty darn good....then I go and mess it up by thinking that I have a free weekend. By that I mean that I can just eat badly because it's the weekend. My brain's excuse was "I am feeling better and I will be able to work out this week and can just burn it off real quick". Um...not my excuse, but my brain's. I was not up too much this morning and I am confident I can get it off by tomorrow or Tuesday. I am 5 pounds away from being the weight that I was before I got pregnant with my 1 year old. It will be nice to see what it feels like to be "back to normal" after a whole year. I could of been there a long time ago, but I was too into my Alani. She is so flippen adorable and we waited for God to give her to us for some time so I had to enjoy her (and food) LOL.
So I am cracking the whip on myself on weekends. No cheating. The ONLY time I will be allowed to "enjoy" a meal is either Friday or Saturday night OR Saturday or Sunday morning. Ya know, have a nice juicy dinner OR yummy breakfast.
Christmas is right around the corner and I still have some shopping to do, I have to wait for some $$ to roll in cause I am fresh out of the $$skrilla$$. I think we bought Alani too many toys. Sergio has really been spoiling her lately and I have been talking to him about NOT spoiling her so much, but he's been laughing it off like it's funny. If he wants to continue to spoil her I will have to hope that the future 2 year old tantrums she throws in public are when she is with him and I am nowhere in sight. I am sure that Alani has plenty of these tantrums in store for me so I will need to have a serious talk with "DA-DEE". That's what she says ALLLL day long, back to back to back to back. DA-DEE!
Monday I am gonna look at the title of this post and scream cause it's MONDAY! The weekends pass by so quickly. Sheesh. Today has been one of those Ho Hum days...like...I dunno...I feel better..but still..sorta depressed, irritated, not motivated, and a bunch of other undescribeable things. Maybe it's the weather. But I like this weather! So who knows. I am just being a weirdo I guess. I was not going to post but thought maybe this would make me feel better. I am off in an hour so maybe once I walk out the door my mood will change.
I just realized I have my notary exam tomorrow. Hmmm...now I am gonna think about that ALL the way home. I am just gonna go for it. A little refresher and I can take it. I think it's only about an hour test. We are supposed to have a yard sale tomorrow too. I have SO much stuff in my garage. We can so totally do without all of it. So out it goes...sure I'll take 10 cents for that $50 sweater!
Whew! I went to the Dr. on Monday after work and he sorta scolded me because I was actually pretty sick and have been for a few weeks. He even asked me how the heck I was actually breathing. I have a bad ear infection, my lungs sound awful, my chest is badly congested and my nose was totally plugged up. He gave me an Albuterol inhaler thing and two other strong meds that make me feel even sicker. But I know HAVE to take them because I need to get better. The worst part is that while I was visiting my parents in San Jose, I seemed to have gotten my 2 nephews sick (4 year old and 9 month old) AND my brother. I feel SOOOO bad. I should of gone to the doctor sooner. I just have to pray that they don't get this bronchial infection.
Some good news though. I have meds now and I AM going to get better soon...AND I lost the weight I gained over the weekend. So I am back on track. Still at 13 pound weight loss start date on that was 11/2 and that's without a whole lot of working out so I am hopeful for the next coming weeks when I am able to work out that more weight will come off. I was thinking about bringing my bike to work and go for an early morning bike ride since I get here at 5am (take a bike ride on my break). But not till I get better of course. We are also going to clean out my garage this weekend so I can actually use my eliptical machine. Then I have Curves as well. The new goal I am setting up for myself is to be down to 205 by Christmas. I fit into my size 14 jeans this morning. Plan is to continue to eat healthier while I am recovering and then slowly start to work out again.
This morning I got up and felt a piece of paper stuck to the bottom of my foot, I looked, picked it off and it read "He lives". Alexis made bookmarks for my bible, she made a bunch of them and wrote "He Lives" so somehow one of those ended up stuck to my foot. I got on my knees and prayed. I think she really has a heart for God and I am SO thankful to Him for that. I watched her as we were reading the bible two nights ago and she looked very interested and could not wait for her turn to read. As we went over what we had just read, she just nodded her head in understanding and finished my explanation (to show me that she knew and I didn't have to explain). I am a happy and proud mom and very glad that God has provided for us so that we have been able to enroll her in a bible believing Christian school. I read this in the Greg Laurie devotional I get daily and use it now in my praying.
When you take time to pray, consider this idea. It's an acrostic, the word ACTS. Each letter stands for a specific aspect of prayer, arranged in a natural order:
A stands for adoration or worship.
C stands for confession.
T stands for thanksgiving.
S stands for supplication.
So when we pray, we begin with adoration. We begin by recognizing to whom we are speaking. It is our Father in heaven--not our butler in heaven, not our servant in heaven, and not our vending machine in heaven. We are speaking to the Almighty God, the Creator of the universe. This puts things into perspective.
So yes I was bad all weekend long. I don't know what psycho button went off in my head, but something made me just totally disregard what my eating plan was. It's like I didn't even care. I was with my family, all of them, and I just wanted to enjoy the moment. I didn't want to bother with eating right. Which is bad in so many ways. It's my new lifestyle and I just fell back into my old life. You know what I felt like this morning? I felt like, Jim Carey from the Mask WITH the mask ON while I was there and then this morning I didn't have the mask on anymore. You wake up, look at your surroundings, and you realize SOMETHING happened but you're not sure what?!! But I did, I knew what I was doing. That voice was there scolding me but I ignored it, just like a small child throwing a tantrum in the store, the mother scolds the child and tells them "you are in SOOOOO much trouble when we get home" but that kid doesn't care and continues with the bad behaviour because they know they're already toast when they get home. Well that was me for 4 days. Well I am not gonna beat myself up more than I have already. So I move on and get over it. I think I will be back down by Wednesday. I was not SUPER bad so I think it was all that salty food (yeah that's it).
So I am doing a protein day today and have a gazillion things to do including going to the doctor now because, yes, I am STILL sick. I am actually pretty tired of typing and saying that to people. I have lost my hearing in my right ear due to the congestion in my head. I literally sound like a newly sick person and it's getting to be pretty embarrasing to continue to blow my nose after a whole month. I leave my desk now to blow my flippen nose, if that's not embarrasing what is? Well hopefully they will give me antibiotics to get rid of this monster.
The best news of it all is that my parents got saved! Whew relief!! They accepted Jesus as their Savior and now that we are going back to San Jose for Christmas (jumping up and down) I am going to work on my sisters and brother :-) Thank you Jesus!
Isn't this a good "narrow path" photo? I thought so :-) So I was going to get on here to complain about having to get a root canal today and how I probably have a sinus infection or somethin' because of this cold/cough thing I seem to have...but right before I logged on, God led me to this (can you believe it?!!):
Don't let negative circumstances crowd your memory. Choose to focus on the enjoyable and wonderful aspects of your life. What benefits can you thank God for today?
Psalms 103:2 -- Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (NIV)
With this He showed me that I have been on my "diet" and lost 13 pounds. I think God is allowing this because once I am healthy, I will appreciate being helthy and appreicate that I can actually breathe when I am working out! I just can't wait until I am my old healthy self. No wheezing, coughing and blowing my nose while working out. I mean how great is that? So my dilema today was do I move forward with this root canal the day before Thanksgiving? My ONLY free day to eat whatever I want? I was seriously thinking about waiting, but I know I will be miserable the whole time and I want to enjoy the time with my family! THANK YOU JESUS for dying for me, giving me joy in my life and for setting me on the right path all the time!
Well I lost weight over the weekend. That's a first! Maybe it's because I can't chew anything on my left side. Since going to the dentist 2 weeks ago, it seems like I have been having pain in my mouth ever since. I don't know what they did to me! One of my molars is KILLING me! I took an 800mg Ibuprofen yesterday after church and I fell asleep for 2 hours with an ice pack on my left side of my face. I was in such pain that I actually wanted a dentist to see what the heck was going on. Well from the calls that I made to my dentist and my insurance, aparantly nobody EVER has a dental emergency on a Sunday so there I am listening to an answering service person telling me to go to the Emergency Room. For what so I can sit there for 5 hours and they can tell me I have to make an appointment with my dentist? Yeah. I took another Ibuprofen, got another ice pack and went to sleep. GREAT...now that I actually get to eat on Thursday, I probably won't cause I am sure I am gonna need a root canal or something crazy..SIGH...well see. The ONLY good thing is I am down 12.4 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks. Great job (patting myself on the back) :-)
The other day I sorta broke down a little...I just felt overwhelmed. It was weird because my house was pretty much clean, I was just going to mop and be done but all of the sudden I felt like I had to cry because I felt VERY depended on. I know I am a mom and a wife and I expect to be pulled in all directions but I was just doing too much. Plus super planning my healthy meals, their meals, cramming in my exercise.
My husband works 6 days a week about 11 hours a day so I took over many many of his house duties because I saw how dirty and tired he looked when he got home. I didn't feel right asking him to do the laundry. I sit at a desk all day and he has lost like a lot of weight becuase his job is so labor intensive. So he had been outside doing something and he walked in just as I had finished washing the mop out. I was trying to communicate these feelings I had to him and I just busted out in tears. Nothing major, just a little breakdown. He sat me down on the couch and asked me to tell him what was going on, so I told him, he just sat and listened and ever since that day he has stepped it up on the help like 1,000%. He took over his laundry duties again, he takes over the girls when he gets home, tells me to go to Curves and he does the home thing, and best of all I have been resting (as in sleeping, naps).
I figure I get up at 3am, have a 63 mile commute, I work out during lunch, drive home takes me an hour and a half, I pick up the girls from school, give Lauren a ride home, go home clean, start dinner, try and play and pay attention to Alani as much as possible, Serg gets home, we eat and it's about 8pm by this time, I shower, bathe the baby, clean up kitchen from after dinner, get to bed at 9:30. SO I AM EXAUSTED! The next day same thing, except for Wednesdays we go Soul Winning from 7pm-9pm, Thursday we have Church Services 7pm-9pm, Friday off, Saturday we have our Purpose Driven Life Study 7-9 and Sunday we are at Church from 9am-11am then 6pm-8pm. As you can tell me love God and we learn so much from all the services we attend and the PDL study. It's really a blessing but it takes a toll on you sometimes. I thank God that my husband understood where I was coming from and I am glad that I am reading "The Power of a Praying Wife" I think that God likes it when I pray for my husband and is doing great things in him. Like I always say, God is good!
This is the puppy I just got for my mom. She is a mix with a Jack Russell Terrier and Cocker spaniel. My mom gets her on Thanksgiving. She is cutie patootie. Alexis has gotten attached to her even though we told her not to. I like the dog but I can't wait to get rid of her ya know? I can't handle pets anymore. She is very low maintenance but she still annoys me so I know I can't have any pets! But I know I will have to someday for my kids...UGH!
Well I got 8 hours of sleep! I put Alani to bed at 7pm and prayed that she would STAY asleep and sleep all night...and she did thank God! She was still sick also and her eyes were droopy, so I gave her a bath and in her crib she went. She cried for about 10 minutes but 2 seconds after I said "God please let her go to sleep", it was suddenly silent! That meant that I got sleep and I feel SOOOO good. I did not go soul winning last night though. My hubby still went but I was just waaaaayyy tired, grumpy and STILL feeling sick. I need to get as much rest as possible to get better ASAP. This being sick thing is just not cutting it for me. I was running on barely 2 hours of sleep, and even those 2 hours were interrupted sleep. Earlier in the day when I came home from work I almost had a heart attack because my house was a DISASTER AREA. Like I should of put yellow crime scene tape around my house it was THAT messy. I can tell when my husband is running late in the morning cause there is stuff everywhere ya look. It took me from 4pm to about 7pm to clean it.YEP sho' did!
I did not take the time to put together a good lunch either, THEN I came in late so I had to leave late which meant I was stuck in traffic. In L.A, traffic is NO JOKE. If you leave work after 2pm, forget it, you're stuck! Is that sad or what? But ya know what? I love living here. It's just my kinda place.
Also, if someone is reading this blog, I have a question for you! If you were to die today are you 100% sure that you would go to Heaven? If you are not sure, and would like to be sure, look to the right side bar, click on "The Plan of Salvation", read it PLEASE it takes 2 minutes!!! Just read it, and from the bottom of your heart, say the prayer and I promise you, that will be the BEST thing you will EVER do! God was really pressing on my heart about putting this on because He loves you. Yes I am talking to YOU!
GUESS WHAT? I have met my 2 week goal (and a little somethin' somethin' extra)!! The scale was at 222.8 this morning. I was sorta shocked because I didn't even get to go to Curves last night BUT Laura and I walked about 2 miles - well RACE WALKING as FitDay.com calls it AND I cleaned for 3 hours. So I am happy that I met my goal, yet I don't feel as happy as I should be, ya know what I mean? I think the word might be "no satisfaction". I need to see more of a dramatic difference in myself before I can actually celebrate my weight loss. Another thing that has been on my mind is Thanksgiving eating! Actually not just that but the day after and the day after that. We are going to be at my Mom's in San Jose from Thursday to Sunday morning. But I will try to be good. Thanksgiving was supposed to be my FREE day but I am having second thoughts about that. I will have all the fixin's but I am not going to overeat like I usually do. I am planning on taking some low-fat/Low-carb side dish recipes to help keep me on track. Ok well I am getting hungry, I usually eat my breakfast right about now, yep 6am. :-)
My fixation right now is getting to my goal of 10 pounds lost by Thursday. So far I have lost 8 and need those 2 pounds in 3 days which I know I can do. I took my 30 minute walk during lunch already and now I just need to do Curves for 30 minutes and hopefully take another 20 minute walk up a steep hill by my house. I bailed out on Curves on Friday and Saturday because my husband was actually off work! But I still worked out. Not as much as I should of, but some. We ate out a few times and I tried to make the healthiest choices possible but I actually gained a pound, which was probably water weight because it's gone as of this morning. So Curves was fun, the trainer was knowledgeable, funny and I'm looking forward to going back tonight. I learned something new, if you don't stretch after a workout you can loose up to 19% of the workout. So she showed me how to stretch and how to use all the machines. So that was good...
I am finding that sometimes I have to make myself be proud of the weight I have lost so far. I just have so much to loose that I get anxious. But I have to block it all out and remember that I am meeting my SHORT TERM GOALS! I am going to have to go back and read my old posts. I just want to be thin TODAY! But I know that won't happen so I need to chill. I need to stop skipping my snacks too. I feel sorta bummed today, not sure why....I need to listen to a good sermon right about now. God always seems to lift my spirits like nobody else can! God just pointed me to this...
"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." Proverbs 2:1-6 (NIV)
Scale reads 225.8 this morning and my hair was wet (gotta account for that ya know) so I would say I atleast had about 8 oz. of water in my hair (I have long hair) but to be on the safe side I am gonna say....I am....225.5 ~ how's that? The weight is just coming off and dream until the day where I have skinny arms and don't have to suck in my gut! I can tell that my belly is significantly shrinking as well. I would like to share my blog with more people, especially the gals from work but they won't believe that I weigh this much. I mean I am 5'10 and I guess I hide it a little better than someone that is 5 feet tall but still. Ya can't hide fatness. Really. Just when you think you look really cute in an outfit SOMEONE will bust out a picture FROM THAT DAY, and that confidence, that memory you had from that day is instantly stomped on and you feel like crap. It's sad that I have felt this low about myself for so long. I prayed that I would not turn into some conceited rag when I do loose the weight. I used to get a lot of attention when I was thin (and single) but I am happily married now and I seriously pray that I don't get to where I want to be someone that is trying to look good for other people. If I do make myself look pretty, I want to do it cause I am proud of myself.
I know that sounds like a bunch of poo but God knows that I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I think that this is something to be taken seriously. I know that women that have lost weight suddenly have the attention of men that never gave them a second glance before. So I will continue to pray as God allows me to be strong during this weight loss crusade of mine. God bless. I read this today and it was a great blessing to me.
Remember to celebrate your accomplishments, but recognize that you are the instrument of a higher power and that your spiritual needs are continuous, even when you're well. Matthew tells us:
God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.–Matthew 5:3 NLT
I am so flippen excited today!!! I woke up at 3:10AM (as scheduled)and was instantly anxious to weigh myself and check if I was in Ketosis. I am down 1 more pound which is 6 pounds lost in 1 week! The bomb. God is truly helping me I tell ya. I am eating nice healthy meals, not being hungry at all, being good about snacks also. I kicked my working out into gear. I walked in the rain yesterday with my co-worker (I know not a good idea when recovering from a nasty cold/cough) I was in my workout clothes so I got outta them quickly and warmed up nicely. I made a point to walk up stairs and come back down on my way to the bathroom, and go up those same stairs before walking back to my desk. I feel like an idoit doing that sometimes but who cares, I'm the fat one.
I also finally made the committment to join Curves! They just built a brand new shopping center right by my house and I can walk there, do my 30 minute workout, walk back home and do my mom and wife thing. I have a membership to 24 Hour fitness and have a great deal but I NEVER go cause it's a little out of the way, still a little intimidating. I don't want to cancel it either so I decided to place my account on hold for 8 months (so I don't get charged) while I try out Curves. I think once I loose a lot more weight I will actually get my butt to 24-Hour Fitness. I think I will grow out of Curves by then. One of the main reasons I joined them also is they are all women, I am accountable there. They will measure me when I want and there are a few other perks that I just loved.
Anyway, today is a Protein Day and I am not really looking forward to it but I am not going to be a whiney baby about it either. I have all my meals planned out for the day, workouts planned as well so here is to a great day!
Ok so the scale this morning read "228.4" that's 5 pounds less than what it read on Friday. If I keep this up I will easily meet my 15 pound goal by Thanksgiving. BUT...I know in the back of my mind that the weight will not just fall of this easily at all. I have worked hard in the past for two weeks and lost only 2 pounds. Yesterday the scale read 228.6 so I was already disappointed this morning when I only lost .2 pounds. But then I checked myself. This weekend was the first weekend that I was good. I stuck to my eating even when we went out to eat. Once I get in the "mode" I won't usually crack...and I'm in the mode right now so I need to take advantage of it. I made the yummiest yummiest vegestable casserole last night for the week for me. It has Eggplant, sundried tomatoes, onions, zucchini, red bellpepper, balsamic vinagrette, and parmesan & motzerella cheese. I got it from the new calendar that KRAFT sent me. They have recipes every month and this one was very low in calories, fat and carbs....sounds like my diet nowadays. SOOOO good.
I did not have such a good night sleep at all. I have my girlie monthly which I only get when I loose weight (weird I know). When I was 275 pounds I went a whole year without it, then when I did get it, it did not stop on it's own and I would bleed severely until I would become anemic and close to hospitalization. I had forgotten about that time...BUT...I feel like today is one of those days though, it's very bad and I am hoping it dies down a bit. Very annoying. I pretty much brought my whole brand new box of tampons. I have a headache too which tells me my iron is running low. I have to make sure I take my vitamins, I haven't been doing that and with the Lindora diet you are supposed to take them like 3 times a day so I better get to crackin' on those. Well I am going to log my planned food intake for the day today. I packed my breakfast, lunch AND snacks today. WHOA.
So here I am at work on Saturday...got here at 5:15am. Yep. The really sucky part is that I had to wake up at 3am to take a shower and do tons of other things because I brought the girls with me. My hubby works on Saturdays and since I missed 2 days of work because I have been sick, I had to come in today. Sick time is running low so like I said, here I am.
The good news? Is there good news? Yes there is! Jesus loves me and I am Heaven bound! And guess what? There is more good news! I lost 3 pounds in 2 days. I can't wait to call Laura to let her know. I think that since I have WAY more fat to loose. I might actually beat her in this "loose 15 pounds by Thanksgiving friendly competition" and not because I ate better. She works out at the gym like 3 or 4 days a week and my workout yesterday was throwing Alani up in the air. I noticed my arms started to burn..like when you are lifting weights ya know? And I was going to stop but my "brain lightbulb" went off and I kept doing it for a while since she was cracking up. Too funny...that's ghetto huh? LOL
I am also very happy to report that I was good eating wise and we went to the movies. As I walked in I waited for the overwhelming smell of popcorn, candy, hot dogs and pizza to hit me. It was not bad, I pretended to feel disgusted (yeah right) my husband looked at me like "yeah right, you're disgusted"? Since we are on a budget I pulled a Mom move and made buttery kettle popcorn at home, put it in a ziplock bag and stuck it in my purse. I was glad I did that because popcord STARTED at $5.75. What?! The only other reason we went to see Chicken Little was because we had $20 worth of Gift Certificates to Pacific Theatres. For 2 adults and 1 child it was $26.00. Man I must be getting cheaper every year cause I would rather buy 3 used DVD's at Blockbuster for that price, ya know?
Ok ok let me wrap this up...today is DAY 3 of Protein Day and I cannot wait until I can actually have fruit and salad and bread and all sorts of other food tomorrow. Protein Days are killer but I am in Ketosis according to my Keto stick this morning. YEAH BABY! Ok well I guess I better do some work while I am here. MUA!
"If we confess our sins He is faithful and just, to fogive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrightousness" 1 John 1:9
Ok so Laura (pictured to the left) which is a co-worker and now close friend of almost 5 years and I are competing to loose 15 pounds by Thanksgiving. We were IM'ing each other yesterday and we were talking about being motivated about loosing weight and I said "Do I smell competion"? and her reply was "Bring it on sister". Man that was enough for me. I love a nice friendly competition...so since I did not weigh myself yesterday morning I did so when I got home and I actually had gained 1.6 pounds back so I was at 234.6 so this morning I weighed myself and I was back down to 233. But I am not counting that extra weight...maybe just water weight or something. I dunno. Anyway, I am super excited about this. I am still flippen sick and when I got home yesterday I had plans of walking and bike riding but before I left work yesterday I started to get a fever then I got a headache. I took some tylenol when I got home an hour later and laid on my bed with Alani and all she did was smack me, pull my hair and pounce on me....this entire time I would yell out from my bedroom door to Alexis "are you almost done cleaning your room??!!!" when she was done she ran in as always to rescue me from the brat. Man she is such a great help! I love her to pieces. Sometimes I think I am too hard on her. I try not to expect too much of her. She is another HUGE reason I want to loose weight. I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with her and kids born from a diabetic mother tend to be obese as adults. She is chubby and I want to help her eat better. I am allowing her to one indulge on ONE thing per day and the rest has to be healthier food. We can still go to McDonalds once in a while and eat chips and dip...KEY WORD = ONCE IN A WHILE. God bless. I prayed once again this morning and asked God for help and this is what He gave to me. Isn't God good!?
"I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them."
Psalm 34:4-7
I am setting short term goals from now on. Although I see people do this often and seem more successful I shun the idea thinking that if I tell myself that I have 70 pounds to loose that it will motivate me, I am wrong. What happens is when I do loose 3 or 4 pounds and it seems like it's just a tiny bit off of that HUGE 70 pounds and I will never get there. I have been sick for about a week now and yesterday I was going to start Lindora over again (yes again) and I thought well I should just wait till after the holidays cause I have to give myself that pigging out holiday time. WRONG! If I do that I will gain the little 5 pounds that I have lost and gain probably 10 more pounds in the process.
Soooooo...with Lindora I CAN loose about 5 pounds a week if I stick closely to it. I got my protein bars and protein soups in the mail and I can BEGIN! So today is Protein Day 1. I am going to take my daughter out candy selling for her school and plan to walk quite a bit. After this nasty cold/flu and cough go away I am hitting the gym baby! Once my husband gets home from work I am getting on my bike and going for a bike ride for 20 minutes. So I have a plan and I am gonna do this "Short Term Goal" thing that works for lots of people for 15 pounds in 3 weeks. I want to take family pictures when we go to San Jose to visit my family so hopefully I will look thinner. Oh PLUS I am going to take my 30 minute walk with Laura at work Monday through Friday. She is going on a cruise and is SO totally motivated to loose weight AND she is doing Lindora too. I am so exited!!!
