Fabulous N Fit By Fall Challenge!

Everything is just about ready for the challenge to begin! YEAH! I have decided to have an entire blog for the challenge as I find it easier to keep up with things that way. Instructions and Details of the challenge are located on the new blog.
http://fabulousbyfall.blogspot.com
I'm really excited for this challenge. Everyone who joins, gets' their own 'tree' in the Fabulous N Fit Weight Loss Grove! You get leaves on your tree as you lose weight and check in each week! WAHOO! Who's gonna have a pretty fall tree with me? We will have 2 winners as well! Although anyone who gives a concerted effort and loses something is a winner! :P

My cute little nephew!

I met my little nephew for the 1st time today. He is almost 2 years old (September) and lives just 90 minutes away, however my brother and his ex-wife are going through a nasty divorce and Jon has only been allowed visitation in HER home, with only my dad and my other brother and his wife (who were friends with the ex before all this happened) allowed to go there. However she went out of town on one of Jon's visists so we got 'court' ordered visitation at my Aunt's home which is located in a neighboring (to my parents) town. Jon's attorney encouraged us all to go and visit him. It was a lot of fun. Chandler is a cute little boy and looks a lot like his dad. Almost spitting image!

The picture with othe rpeople in it is my sister Jen, my brother Mike and his 2 kids Brigg is in the red/white shirt and Braden is held by my brother.








****Update on the up and coming "Fabulous N Fit By Fall" Challenge, I am working hard on it, had it just about ready to go then I had a complete, brain storm moment and started over! It's gonna be really cool! Anyways I will be working hard on it and should have it ready by Sunday! SO....stay tuned :)

End of the Sizzling Hot For Summer Challenge

Starting Weight April 1st: 211.6#
Ending Weight May 27th: 206.4#
Total Lost this challenge: 5.2#

Why I love my husband

What a wonderful conversation to start off the day ;) This is an AIM Conversation. Just gotta love his 'kissing' up don'tcha? Makes me feel not so bad for taking a butter knife to my laptop keyboard the other day and popping off the spacebar key (trying to get the piece of food out from under it)....this is coming from my hubby who is a computer geek by trade.

6:57:20 AM) heather Love you
(6:57:32 AM) rob love you too.
(6:57:36 AM) rob oh dso I love you
(6:57:51 AM) rob you are the bestestestest wife in the whole world.
(6:58:05 AM) heather why?
(6:58:14 AM) rob the most caring, kind hearted, loving, UNDERSTANDING person in the world.
(6:59:13 AM) rob and you love your husband to no end and would be happy, near estatic to do anything for him.
(7:00:52 AM) heather What do you need/want?
(7:01:05 AM) heather ;-)
(7:01:11 AM) rob I need $20
(7:01:19 AM) heather What now :-*
(7:01:19 AM) rob I can pay you back when I get paid
(7:01:42 AM) rob um, I need you to stop at walmart and pick up a new keyboard.
(7:02:10 AM) rob cause um, I won't have time to fix yours until this weekend..
(7:02:25 AM) rob O:-)
(7:02:38 AM) rob it was an accident
(7:03:05 AM) heather What did you do?
(7:04:17 AM) rob um, I went to um set some ice on your desk, and um there was a cup there that um I kinda set there the other day so I um wouldn't knock it over, and well um it kinda fell over and um emptied itself into your keyboard, the um entire glass.
(7:05:17 AM) heather So you took it upon yourself to have a heather moment did ya?
(7:05:46 AM) heather: Speaking of which....my brother is harassing me about his puters
(7:05:57 AM) rob and see we um payed like um $20 for them so um I thought you could pick one um up and I would clean the old one um on the weekend and have it as um like um an extra in case um heatherism strikes again.

Tuesday May 26th

Tuesday May 26th : Weight 207.0#
Morning: Started the day off with a Ginger/Parsley/Honey/Lemon Juice/Pineapple juice drink,
Breakfast: Yogurts, Fruit, Almond Smoothie
Snack: 2 Cheese Sticks
Lunch: Salad w/salmon patty/cheese
Dinner: Baked Potatoe/Chilli/Cheese
Snack:
Exercise: 30 Min Walk w/dog
Water: Drank it all

Not suprised that my weight is up with all me excess snacking/munching yesterday. Need to start scrapbooking again or something so I'm not so 'mindlessly' munchie on days off. As long as I keep busy I don't have to keep shoveling stuff in my mouth.

On a sad note, this morning I discovered one of my budgies passed away during the night, Skye, she was egg bound (bled to death while having an egg). Here is a picture of her:

Happy Memorial Day

glitter-graphics.com

Monday May 25th : Weight 205.6#
Morning: Started the day off with a Ginger/Parsley/Honey/Lemon Juice/Pineapple juice drink,
Breakfast: Yogurt/Fruit/Almond Smoothie
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Hummus Veggie Pita Plate, again really yummy, hubby hates it but I LOVE hummus
Dinner: Tuna Bake, Potato Chips
Snack: 100 Calorie Popcorn, Frozen Otter Pop Type Things, way too many of them at 20 calories each....UGH, Potato Chips
Exercise: 30 Minute walk with my dog
Water: Drank All My Water


Just had a lazy day, spent a good majority of it relaxing, doing laundry and dishes. Also reflecting on the wonderful freedoms I have because of all the wonderful military/navy etc men and women who sacrifice so much for me. My Grandfather was in the Army was in WWII, and when he was older just before he died, I did a project where I started going through his pictures and labeled them, he had Alzheimers so was sketchy on what he could remember. But it was so amazing to hear some of his stories, as well as at his funeral the salute he was given. He died just after my Sr year of high school in 1995 (actually lost 3 grandparents that year, January, April and November). I had never lost anyone close to me other than a little boy I had babysat, so that was a very tough year. When I was on my mission in WV there was a gentleman, Marvin who was one of the most amazing men I have ever met, he was in the army severed in WWII and he took us to a memorial in Virginia. It was so touching to see his reverence at the memorial site. I am honored and blessed by all those who have served and the families who support them. THANK YOU!

Snacks, Snacks Snacks...What to have?

Sunday May 24th Day 5 : Weight 206.0# Down 0.4# 1290 Calories
Morning: Started the day off with a Ginger/Parsley/Honey/Lemon Juice/Pineapple juice drink,
Breakfast: Berry Fruit N Yogurt Parfait w/almonds
Snack: 100 Calorie Popcorn
Lunch: Thai Peanut-chicken wrap
Dinner: Navajo Tacos
Snack: 100 Calorie Chocolate Bar, 100 Calorie Protein Snack
Exercise: 30 Minutes WATP DVD (It's raining here), and 2.5 hours cleaning at work...very active
Water:Yes

K weekends are ALWAYS the hardest for me, as you can see I've eaten a few more snacks than normal. It is so hard for me, it's like I have to have something in my mouth, not so sure if it's because I spend a lot of time on the couch, or the computer chair just vegging, trying to think of ways to be more active on weekends so I can stay more occupied as this sucks! It's been such a challenge today. So I'm looking for 'healthy' 100 calorie snacks, either the ones you can buy or the ones you make yourselves. What are some of your favorite snacks to have?

Simply Saturday

Saturday May 23rd : Weight 206.4# 1.6# Loss 1290 Calories
Morning: Started the day off with a Ginger/Parsley/Honey/Lemon Juice/Pineapple juice drink,
Breakfast: Oatmeal, peanut butter, banana for breakfast, it was really yummy!
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Thai Peanut/Chicken/Bell Pepper Wrap
Dinner: Chicken Fajitas
Snack: 100 Calorie Popcorn
Exercise: 45 Min Walk w/dog
Water: Drank it all

Recipe:
Thai Peanut Chicken Wrap
2 tsp peanut butter
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp honey
2 oz cooked chicken breast, cubed (I seasoned mine with Garlic, Onion Powder & Seasoned Salt)
1 cup red bell peppers, sliced
1 whole-grain tortilla

Blend Peanut butter, 2 tsp water, soy sauce and honey until smooth. Mix peanut sauce with chicken and peppers, and wrap in a tortilla.

Today was saturday, and I LOVE working on Saturdays, why you might ask? Because my day is cut 4 hours shorter than my normal as I only work 9am-4pm and things are generally a tad bit slower on saturdays so I am able to get some 'busy work' and tedious tasks done. Today I did doggie daycare and it was fun, we have a lot of dogs boarding this weekend:
Saturday we had 6 standard poodles in doggie daycare, 1 golden retriever, 1 Bernese Mountain Dog, 2 German Shepherds. In little dogs we had 2 schnauzers, 2 jack russels, 1 shih tzu and 2 chihuahuas. Just about EVERY noisy dog that ever boards with us is there this weekend, the only quiet ones were 4 of the standard poodles, the bernese mtn dog (only noisy for attention) and the chihuahus. So you can imagine the headache I endured :) But I like it when we have a lot of dogs as there are more playful ones there and they can 'entertain' themselves easier....i.e..find someone to wrestle with.

We have a client who for the past 7 years has 'blended' her dogs food up and frozen it into individual servings. It's a german shepherd and she has something called Megaeosophogus so she can't swallow properly. She is a little skinny but doing amazingly well for her condition, most don't live this long at all. She's such a good girl, she stands on her hind legs on a counter to 'lap' up her liquid food mix, then after she eats she has to stand for 20 minutes on a chair to help gravity. She is so good she stands there for the entire time....you might ask while I'm telling you this....because It made me realize that preparation is the key.

I try to make my meals the night before, well at least when I work I make my breakfasts/dinners as it makes it so much easier in the mornings, and I have less chance of not taking something healthy. If I'm running late, I don't have to worry about not having time to make up my meals n snacks if I prepare them ahead of time. What do you do to prepare yourself to eat healthy?

Slimming Green Smoothie Recipe

Here is the recipe for the "Slimming Green Smoothie Recipe" it is pretty good, if you aren't used to 'veggie' drinks it's a little different at first, but I really enjoy it.
**Added: this recipe came from the "All You" Magazine from Walmart, it's the June issue that's pink with Lemonade on the cover**

Green Honey Ginger Drink
1 Cup fresh flat-leaf parsley (leaves and stems)
1/4 cup pineapple (fresh, frozen, or canned; no sugar added)
2 tsp honey
1 inch fresh ginger peeled and grated
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
***Am Loving Rob's little cute blender we got him, it's a small basically just one-two serving size blender perfect for smoothies and drinks. I LOVE it! Makes it easy, and I HATE the noise of regular blenders, I plug my ears LOL!

Ooh...I did not know this:
Slimming perks: Pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that dissolves lymphatic toxins to smooth away fatty pockets in the belly and thighs. Plus, bromelain neutralizes bradykinins, polypeptides that promote fat storage in the lower body.

I look forward to it every morning. Was wondering if anyone knows if it would hurt to keep it up after the 7 days? It doesn't really say anything in the magazine article. Oooh, I've read this article about a dozen times and have MISSED a crucial step:
1- Start each day with a special drink (Green Honey Ginger Drink) and END each day with a cup of peppermint tea (I missed this step! MMMM gonna go make me a cup, love my herbal teas).
2- Then basically stick to 1200 calories it has a lot of 'healthful' fats in it so it is more filling than typical diet plans (nuts, avocados, olive oil)
3- Get 30 Minutes of Moderate Exercise in.

It also suggests when you have cravings to have peppermint tea. It's weird but this REALLY has helped me. I add a little splenda and calorie free!

Way to go!

Friday May 22nd : Weight 208.0# (I'll take a maintain after having cookies yesterday) 1290 Calories
Morning: Started the day off with a Ginger/Parsley/Honey/Lemon Juice/Pineapple juice drink,
Breakfast: Oatmeal, peanut butter, banana for breakfast, it was really yummy!
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Hummus Veggie Pita Plate, again really yummy, hubby hates it but I LOVE hummus
Dinner: Garlic/Onion/Chive Seasoned Salmon Patty w/sauteed kale and brown rice seasoned with lemon pepper
Snack: 100 Calorie Popcorn
Exercise: 30 Minute walk with my dog
Water: 2 Diet Cokes only...miracle for me, and drank all my water.

I'm so happy, excited and proud of my Aunt Joyce! She won her works Biggest Loser Contest with a loss of 60+ # since January! Wow! I'm so amazed! I could be there too if I'd quit slacking. This totally gives me renewed spirits and motivation. I'm psyched! Still doing good on plan (day #3) so far. Had a couple cheats at the baby shower yesterday but I made dinner sacrifice and made sure I got my exercise in as well. Update on the upcoming challenge. I'm working on it, going to get it all going this weekend. I've been busy with making the shower gifts and work. I am thinking of having it start on the 2nd (that gives us a week to recover from Memorial Day Festivities) with weigh-ins on Tuesdays (but you can check in any time during the week as long as it's before tuesdays as The Fall Equinox is on Tuesday). Is that cool with everyone?

Baby Shower & new motivation!

Thursday May 21st : Weight 208.0# Down 2.2# WOOT WOOT! Aiming for 1290 Calories
Morning: Started the day off with a Ginger/Parsley/Honey/Lemon Juice/Pineapple juice drink,
Breakfast: Italian Toast (Cottage Cheese/Tomato/Basil on toast)
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Pita/Veggies/Hummus Plate (cucumbers/green peppers/carrots)
Dinner: A small plate at the baby shower I went too (fruits, a chicken salad, and yes I had 2 cookies :(
Snack: None seeing as how dinner wasn't on plan
Exercise: 30 Minute walk with my dog, Shellie, she had ants in her pants today because she saw some cats on our walk and was freaked out by them so kept the walk short.
Water: 2 Diet Cokes (doing good in that regard), yes I drank all my water

Yes I did go 'off' at dinner time, but I kept portions small and didn't eat another dinner or snack tonight to hopefully 'balance things out'. I went to a baby shower for my cousin Kristen tonight. It was a lot of fun. I made a baby journal and a photo album as well as took some gifts. BTW If anyone is in need of any baby items (pacifier, paci pocket, diaper bags) I am selling some items on my hubby & I's personal blog http://robnheather.blogspot.com
Also got some new motivation! My Aunt Joyce (who is one of my favorites if not my absolute favorite Aunt :) She's just one of those 'fun' people, very active in the outdoors, and always good for advice & very supportive! She also was the person who introduced me to Fresca when I'm sick. I don't remember how old I was but I was sick and she came and picked me up from school once and gave me Fresca, I've been drinking it ever since any time I have an upset tummy) has been doing a 'Biggest Loser' challenge with her work, and has lost quite a bit of weight, she looks AMAZING! Great job Aunt Joyce! Her contest ends tomorrow and she was in 1st place last week so I'm rooting for her to get the pot! (I heard it was a huge cash prize). Anyways she was saying how I have lost weight and how she checks my blog to see if I'm still going! That boosted my spirits as well!

I was quite pleased with my weigh in this morning down 2.2#. It was a nice surprise and made my day start off good. I am working on The Fabulous N Fit By Fall Challenge, and just about have things ready. But I wanted your opinions, what types of things do you look for/like in a challenge? Weigh in pictures? Mini Challenges? Prize at the End? Daily inspirations? Measurements? Leave your comments about things you like about challenges so I can gear this towards what you like!

Please by water...

UGH I am NOT happy with this weeks weigh in at all. In fact I broke down and sobbed, loud enough my hubby came running upstairs to see if I was alright.
Last Week: 201.6#
This Week: 210.2# (Gain of 8.6# since last week WTH!)
WTH? I know I wasn't as good as I should have been this past weekend, and I think the scale is showing it, I had a lot of crap/salty foods, and ate more than I should have. I'm so upset with myself. I'm NOT throwing in the towel, and NOT going to lose myself in food, in fact just the opposite. I read about a 7 Day Diet in the magazine ALL You that will help you lose water retention weight, so I'm gonna give it a go to jumpstart my diet, then I plan on following their 1600 calorie per day plan after that. We'll see how it goes. I hope to get back down before next weeks final Sizzling Hot For Summer Challenge Weigh In. I'm so upset about this weigh in. See I told ya I can retain water like crazy. Back when I first started I gained/lost 15# in one week due to water retention.

Wednesday May 20th : Weight 210.2# 1290 Calories
Morning: Started the day off with a Ginger/Parsley/Honey/Lemon Juice/Pineapple juice drink,
Breakfast: Oatmeal, peanut butter, banana for breakfast, it was really yummy!
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Hummus Veggie Pita Plate, again really yummy, hubby hates it but I LOVE hummus
Dinner: Dijon Maple Salmon w/sauteed kale and brown rice --really liking the food so far it's been delicious
Snack: 100 Calorie Popcorn
Exercise: 30 Minute walk with my dog, have been doing 45 minutes, but she was having a hard time with her shoulders today so kept it brief.
Water: 2 Diet Cokes only...miracle for me, and drank all my water.

Yes the foods are 'carby' but I haven't been doing so hot on the low carb plan so I figured I would give a different plan a shot. I am not a huge fan of calorie counting (due to laziness) but I'm willing to try just about anything.

Healthy Choices

Today was a busy day at work, sadly all I had to eat all day was some pepperoni (not on a pizza) just the pepperoni, I take it to snack on but It was really good, I was busy and just didn't make time to eat lunch. So when I got home I was STARVING and lately I've been making nachos (yes with the tortilla chips) and cheese when I get home to stave off the hunger until dinner is cooked. Well not today I toyed with the idea, but I decided to have the salad I didn't eat for lunch instead! WOOT WOOT! I'm so excited. Anyways just wanted to share. Weigh in is in the morning for the Sizzling For Summer Challenge.....let's hope it's a good one. About to go change so I can go exercise. Have a great night everyone!

It's Routine!

I am participating in several challenges right now, but one in particular is making me move and making exercise more routine for me. It's the Spring SEXC (Spring Exercise Challenge) over at choosing 2 Lose. It has been geared towards getting you exercising, and boy what a difference it has made! It is such a routine now, I don't have the inner self battles I used to, it's more, it's 8:30 time to go for a walk, not but my favorite TV show is on. I'm loving it! One of my challenges the Sizzling For Summer Challenge is ending soon :( I'll be sad it's been great, and the support of the other challengers has been awesome! I've been toying with the idea of hosting a "Fabulous N Fit By Fall" Challenge, more because I want to be SEXY by my birthday (Sept 25th) which is just a couple days after Fall Equinox, which is about 17 weeks away! Healthily I can lose 30# by then, which would put me close to my goal! I'm gonna go for it. Would anyone be interested? Just let me know, I will be posting details about it within the week.

Chubby Chick's Fourth of July Challenge Check in Week 14

Name: Heather T (cprcheetah)
Pounds Lost this Week: Weight 201.6# haven't checked in here for too long :(
Total Challenge Pounds Lost: 8#
NSV's: Hubby said my butt is looking good!
Weekly Summary: Have had a rough few days but back on track now. Exercising is going really good since I got my big dog!
Strategies for Success for the Coming Week: Continuing to exercise, getting and staying back on plan

Two Frogs

Two frogs fell into a deep cream bowl,

One was an optimistic soul;
But the other took the gloomy view,
“We shall drown,” he cried, without more ado.
So with a last despairing cry,
He flung up his legs and he said, “Goodbye.”

Quoth the other frog with a merry grin,
“I can’t get out, but I won’t give in.
I’ll just swim ’round till my strength is spent,
Then will I die the more content.”

Bravely he swam till it would seem
His struggles began to churn the cream
On the top of the butter at last he stopped,
And out of the bowl he gaily hopped.
What of the moral? ‘Tis easily found
If you can’t hop out, keep swimming ’round.

My sister Jennifer sent this poem to me while I was on my religious mission in West Virginia/Virginia. I was having a tough time. I have a magnet that she made on my fridge that basically says, if you can't get out, don't give in, keep swimming 'round'. So many times on my weight loss journey, I get so discouraged as I'm not seeing the results I would like, or worse even though I'm doing everything right I'm gaining weight. UGH! I was reminded of this poem this morning as I was trying to decide what to eat for breakfast. It was so tempting to be like the gloomy frog and just have crap, but I decided I'm not giving in, I must keep swimming 'round! I'll get to the top, I'll get to my goal, no matter how slowly I go...I'll get there :)

You are what you eat?

***Disclaimer***
Hubby passed this on to me today, and while comical, I am not in any way endorsing the fact that we should all go out and eat french fries so that we are 'toothpicks' like fries instead of round like lettuce :)

Here come the sleepless nights.....

First thing this morning I get a call from Petco, wanting to know if we could take a tiny kitten into our adoption program, of course I said yes, I'm a softie and have a special talent of raising baby orphaned kittens. 2 Years ago I had 12 kittens (3 different litters) that were at the local shelter at the same time. It was tough but rewarding, my cat Sissy LaRue is one of the kittens I raised. Anyways the guy brings the kitten in, she's a beautiful probably medium to long hair probably will be a blue tabby althoug a little hard to tell tabby at this point. She's about 2-3 weeks old and was found INSIDE this guys trucks engine. SCARY and lucky she didn't get eaten up in the engine. So for the next week or two I will have to get up every 2-3 hours during the night to feed this little one milk replacer with a bottle. I've named her Mercedes since she was found in a truck.
The first picture is of her snuggling with 'surrogate' mama a stuffed kitten that has a pouch for a heating pouch, and a 'beating' heart that tends to calm baby kittens, the 2nd picture is of the 'mama' then a picture of Mercedes in my hubby's hand, I should say that my hubby's hands are HUGE, and then just the little cutie, she has a NICE set of lungs on her, she's very noi


Today I was SO excited to get home from work and go get the mail, as Shellie's new "Walking Harness' came today. It's called a Gentle Leader and it goes on their face 'mimicking' how where their mother grabs them when they are puppies, the back of the neck and the nose. I have been using one to walk her, and I ordered her a 'deluxe' one that is decorated and padded, it came today. I was SO excited to walk her my 'excuse' that tonight was the season finale of "Numbers/Ghost Whisperer and Flashpoint" did not even PHASE me (besides, hubby has them recorded for me every day). Here is Shellie in her new 'gentle leader' You can read more about it here: Gentle Leader Dog Head Collar Website (btw, we did 45 Minutes walk tonight)

And for ANYONE having a Hard time getting off the couch and exercising, might I recommend an AWESOME book called "Every Excuse In the Book by Jeanne "Bean" Murdock, it is AWESOME and has helped me, when I don't feel like exercising I grab the book and it 'debunks' the myths as to why you 'can't exercise. Here's what excuse #99 shows:
"There is a good show on TV and I don't want to miss it"
There are so many good things she says about it, take your tv with you, buy a sony watchman that can be held in your hand...just make sure you do it in a quiet area where there are not a lot of cars or other hazards :) Another thing she mentions is exercise at a gym where there are TV's. Or there is always buy a stationary bike or treadmill for your home and put it in front of your TV. See you don't even have to leave the house to exercise. And for 'excuse' queens...If you can't afford a piece of equipment, walk or jog in place, just get yourself off the couch! See how helpful her tips are? I love them! There are 120 Excuses that she debunks!

How I Spent My Day...LOTS of pictures

First off I went to Walmart and picked up a few essentials, then came home and went down to the park for a walk n play with the dogs, well they were doing some work there, so we came home and spent some time in the backyard:
Zoey, my chihuahua in her carry bag, it straps onto my chest so she can go for walks with us.

Shellie LOVES tennis balls, notice the dirt progression, she kept putting it in her water then it would end up in the dirt.

EWWW Dirty!
While we were outside, I decided to take advantage of the good weather and weed a little (anyone who knows me knows this is a MAJOR undertaking for me, as I hate weeds, bugs, and am allergic to a lot of plants/trees/weeds), the part behind the fence is going to be Shellie's potty spot in our backyard we are just waiting for the grass to grow, as our backyard is mostly deck with dirt/flowers around the perimeter. Right now we have Lilacs and Tulips in our yard, both are pale purple in color (purple is my favorite color--no we didn't plant these).

Then I came inside, did some dishes, organized our tupperware cupboard which was a MAJOR undertaking, here's the finished result:

I made a healthy mixture of 'food' for the dogs to entice Shellie to eat better. It consists of 1# of hamburger, 1 grilled chicken breast, 1 salmon patty, 2 cups brown rice, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 4 hardboiled eggs, 3 cups mixed veggies all were ground in a food processor and all were cooked, Munchie the kitty is the supervisor, and Shellie was Quality control...as you can tell she LOVED it! I only give like 1/4 cup per feeding to Shellie and then maybe 2 teaspoons to the chihuahuas mixed with their dry food per feeding. I separate it out into storage containers freeze some, and keep 1 in the fridge.

I also did about 4 loads of laundry, cleaned a little in the kitchen, mixed up the dogs weekly foods, since they are on supplements and such and to save time I portion out their am/pm feedings for each day add the powdered supplements and put them in rubbermaid type containers...BIG time saver! I do this about 1x a week. Yah my babies are spoiled. I also went for a 45 minute walk with my dog, Shellie, while listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone on my Zen player, I'm almost finished with it, should finish it tomorrow. YEAH! I've watched all the movies and have listened to them before, just re-listening.

Chicken Dijon Recipe

This is one of Rob's favorite recipes. We have it quite a bit in the summer when we can grill it on the barbeque. We prefer Basil on it, and watch the salt content in the mustard or it can come out really really salty.

From: Lean For Life Website
Makes: 4 servings
Prep time: 00:05:00
Ingredients:
	4 Chicken Breasts 4 Tbs Dijon Mustard 2 Tbs water 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp Marjoram or Basil
Instructions:
	Mix Seasonings, Marinade Chicken Breasts for at least 2-3 hours Cook on the grill or in the oven until done.
Items Needed:
	Chicken Breasts Dijon Mustard water garlic powder Marjoram or Basil

Sizzling For Summer Week 6 Check in

Sw: 211.6
Cw: 201.6
Amount lost this week: 1.4 lbs
Overall loss in this challenge: 10#

Wow! I am SO close to ONEderland! It has been a tough week, mothers day was hard due to squabbling with my hubby about my anxieties. I haven't seen him that upset in a long long time. We don't really fight have only had maybe 2 major fights in our marriage as we generally take time to talk things out. But we did on Sunday. But then we made up for it...if you know what I mean...and again on Monday Maybe the extra activities made the loss this week, although I've been being pretty good, and exercising EVERY day :) WOOT WOOT!

Just for Fun....

Health Questions answered by a Doctor:
Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is
this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... Don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up our heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ..... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had
about food and diets.

And remember:

'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather
to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other -
body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO,
What a Ride'

AND.....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on
nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those
conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Sizzling For Summer Week 5 Check in

Starting Weight: 211.6
Last Week: 204.8
Current:203.0
Loss This Week: -1.8#
Total Loss: -8.6#

This week was a hard one, I was busy busy, but I kept on working at it, I exercised a lot and that really helped. My dog is able to go for slightly longer walks without it affecting her shoulders so I am excited about that. We did 45 Minutes today, and she's not bouncing off the walls tonight. I LOVE it. Maybe I need to get up 30 minutes earlier and go walking in the mornings too...then she will be tired all day long :P It is really great going for walks, I'm meeting people whom I haven't met in the 8+ months we've lived here, everyone wants to pet the doggie. So that's cool. My neighbor who is just 3 doors up might consider a 'walking' buddy, that would be cool!

New Upper Body Workout :)

Having a new big dog is so much Fun! Shellie definitely is keeping me on my toes, I HAVE to go for walks or she drives me and my hubby BATTY with all her energy! She also LOVES to play tug of war, you can see from the pictures! We have a huge park just down the street in our complex and Shellie LOVES to go there. She is such a happy friendly dog, she goes absolutely out of her skin whenever she sees ANYBODY, especially children. We are hoping to get her into a constructive obedience class soon so we can work on some things like the excitement she feels when she sees anybody.

What a week

So it's been a week since my last post. It has been a very hectic, tiring week. We are haing Dog Show's here locally so I have spent a lot of time helping my sister get her Standard Poodle ready for the dog shows. Wednesday I bathed her for Jen and it took 3 hours to bathe, and hand dry her. I've been coming home from work so exhausted it's all I can do to make dinner and walk the dog and go to bed. So I apologize for being an absentee blogger. I promise to do better :) We still have 2 more days of dog shows. I am loving having a big dog, I am actually becoming more active, and even though it's TOM I only have gained less than 2# which is a nice change for me. My new dog, Shellie needs a lot of training and work, so I am spending quite a bit with her trying to 'shape' her into a 'great' dog. She's still very puppyish and mischievious. And boy can she pull me hard! This morning she got so excited about sprinklers she pulled me on the ground so I ended up scraping my elbow/arm and knees pretty good. So that's something I have to work on.