Going Grain Free

My husband saw the Dr on Monday for a followup on some of the things he's had going on for a long time.  Well the Dr has concluded that Rob is allergic/sensitive to grains, so we have to go on a grain free diet.  My husband just turned 40 on Tuesday, so this is a bit of a shock to our systems.  We did go through our pantry and gave away all grain inclusive items in our house.  It was a ton of different things!  We had Rice, Rice-A-Roni's, instant potatoes, regular potatoes, flour, sugar, splenda, cake mixes, tortilla chips etc.

Here is where you can learn exactly what a 'grain free diet' entails: http://grainfreerecipes.com/2009/06/what-is-a-grain-free-diet/

It is not going to be easy, one of my husbands favorite meals for breakfast is hashbrowns & eggs, but that's no longer a possibility.  We went to Good Earth store yesterday and picked up a whole bunch of different things such as Tapioca Flour, Arrowroot Flour, Coconut Flour, Buckwheat Flour, Quinoa, Quinoa Flakes (can be used for a 'hot cereal'), Puffed Millet (really Yummy) Agave Nectar.  So you will probably be seeing different things here on this blog.  Will focus on my diet & exercise regime, but it will be grain/sugar free (for the most part).

We have created a blog where we will post our journey, recipes etc: http://healthygrainfreeliving.blogspot.com/ 

We even enjoyed a Grain free Pumpkin Spice cake yesterday, that was really good, so go to our new blog to check it out!

Achieving My Destiny.....

Weight: Down! Will post once a week on Wednesdays :-)
Breakfast: Bagel w/cream cheese, banana
Snack: Turkey Hot Dog, 1 slice Velveeta Cheese
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad, Cucumbers, Cheese, Light Ranch Dressing
Snack: Cucumber slices, 2 Slices Velveeta Cheese
Dinner: Stroganoff, Corn, Garden Salad
Water: Yep got it all in and then some!
Exercise: Zumba 20 Minute Express

"Your Destiny will be achieved when you plan your journey!" Julia Griggs Harvey
I really like that quote, as how can you know where you are going if you don't plan it? Just like you need a road map to go on a trip, you need a roadmap for your dieting journey. My #1 Vice right now is probably Diet Coke w/splenda, and you may be thinking, well it's diet so that's okay....well in moderation maybe....but I drink 6 cans a day, which is way too much for the caffeine part. So that is my #1 Vice I am going to be working on replacing Diet Coke w/Water, so far so good...only had 1 can today. Rather than trying to change everything about me overnight, I am taking this one step at a time, one action at a time...I really like that philosophy. I know in the past I have failed miserably at dieting and weight loss because I try to bite off more than I can chew. I am also starting to create a vision of things to come....not just the weight loss but how I will feel and act, and the things I will do when I lose the weight. You don't have to have the perfect body to start visualizing who you want to become. I did struggle a little today with doing the exercise....I had a very long day at work, groomed incredibly hard huge dogs, and was just beat....but I can't start making up excuses in week 1 so I did exercise.

The Life I Want!

Current Picture of myself:
Will be posted later tonight:

This is a picture of the life I want :
135# (My FINAL Goal Weight for a healthy BMI)























***No this isn't me (above in the bikini) but she weighs 135# which is my goal weight and where I am going to be!

I want to tell you a story about a person. This person is a very happy person, she loves life, and lives to be happy, she is active indoors and out. She is friendly, outgoing and enjoys motivating everyone she meets with her enthusiasm and spark for life. She loves to be seen in public and enjoys meeting people. She eats a healthy balanced diet all things in moderation. She makes healthy eating choices like they are 2nd nature, not having to think about treats and temptations that will throw her off the beaten path. She is extremely happy in her marriage, and is married to her best friend, she is a great mother to her children. This story is about the ME I am going to be!

How much water is adequate for me to drink each day? Weight 232#/2= 116 targeted ounces of water each day.

I am feeling great today, still feeling the exercise burn (good thing though) in my legs/thighs which makes bending/sitting/climbing stairs slightly uncomfortable, but I am excited as it means my muscles were worked and are going to get stronger! YEAH ME! Today for exercise I am going to probably work on some balance exercises on the Wii Fit, tomorrow I will be doing the Wii EA Active Sports workout again.

My new Adventure

I have begun an new adventure on my path to health and fitness, and I am really excited about it. It is called the "Vice Busting Diet" http://www.vicebustingdiet.com
I am on day 2 today and am really excited about it. It is more of a 'change the way you think' type of plan by taking your 'vices' and replacing them with healthy habits. You can sign up for free and get access to sound clips, an E-Book, a couple of workbooks etc all for free! Or there is a book available. You also have a daily affirmation that you read out loud twice a day
"I believe in my ability to improve my health, my attitude and my life. I am worthy of the best that life has to offer and today I have the opportunity to get closer to realizing my dreams and goals."

Anyways I am going to be sharing some of the things I will be doing in the workbook as well as how I am doing on giving up my vices....bet you can't guess my first vice to go will be "Diet Coke" while not as bad as regular coke, I am addicted and the caffeine isn't that good for my body!

Anyways here is excerpts from Day 1
This week's goal is to be 'busting' soft drinks. Todays goals are to get several water bottles and always have a water bottle with you when you leave the house, pop tops are the best as they are the easiest to get water from. You should have a water bottle within reach at all times in the bedroom, at your office, in the car, wherever. I like how it's not focusing on what you're eating or exercise, but will be getting to that....it's all about making SLOW changes over time, so as not to get discouraged or overwhelmed with losing weight. I LOVE IT!

Todays Actions:
Step 1: Carry & Drink from a water bottle throughout the day...everyday!
List 10 Adjectives that you feel now descrbies yourself"
1- Fat 2- Ugly 3- Miserable 4- Disgusting 5- Lazy 6- Compassionate 7- Caring 8- Crafty 9- Loving 10- Chunky
These are mostly words that describe my BODY not ME. You have to start choosing your words wisely, for what you say about yourself is a reflection of what you think of yourself. In this we are going to be changing our thoughts to believe in ourself and our abilities.
Now 10 Adjectives that would positively describe ME:
1- Compassionate 2- Caring 3- Crafty 4- Loving 5- Fun 6- Helpful 7- Sharing 8- Considerate 9- Beautiful 10- Bright
The mindset is that your body does not have to be a reflection of the person YOU are.

Now mind you, I am making changes along the way by exercising and eating better foods, so I am doing that.

What was positive about today? Finding The Vice Busting Diet, realizing that my body doesn't have to describe who I am, made me feel better about myself. I also exercised today, although my body is achy and I can feel the difference in the front of my thighs and calves, but it is a good feeling to know I am working to improve myself.

What one or two things can I do tomorrow to make it a more positive day? Remember who I am, and that I am worth it, Find projects at work to stay busy :-)

PM AFFIRMATION: "I am thankful for today and the chance I had to improve my life. I forgive myself for any shortcomings I may have had, and I look forward to the opportunity that tomorrow brings to take action toward my goals."

Loving the Wii Fit!

I am LOVING the Wii Fit Plus! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the EA Active Sports Workout, you work with a personal trainer and it's realistic, like if you're not doing something right she/he will tell you how to correct it, or what a good job you are doing. I have done the workout 2 days in a row now and both days were completely different workouts, so it won't be the same repetitive boring thing every day. I also love the Wii Fit Plus workouts where you get to chose, but like the 'already made' for you workout in the EA Active. Anyways just wanted to share, I am loving it. I am scheduled to do the EA Sports Workout 4 days a week, and hope to do some Wii Fit Plus workouts on the off days, even if it's just a little like working on my balance etc so I can improve that, either that or I thought of doing WATP on my 'off' days so I'm still active but not working out so hard (does that make sense?). Rob is afraid it is going to collect dust after the excitement wears off...I hope not, I'm trying to stay motivated and going to do this---this time :-) I would LOVE to be skinnier by New Year's!

My Measurements June 23, 2010

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Here are my measurements (scary as they may be), am going to be exercising at least 4 days a week with the Wii Fit and hopefully I will FINALLY see these inches go down. (I know these are SCARY measurements).

Bust: 43 & 3/4"
Chest: 37"
Waist: 38"
Hip: 53 & 1/2"
Thigh: Right: 32" Left 32"
Calves: Right 21 & 1/2" Left: 22 & 1/2"
Upper Arm: Right 15 & 1/2" Left 16 & 1/2"

Wish me luck! I will come back once a month to update the stats with lower numbers each month! (At least that is my plan).

It is me again...

Bet you had thought I had given up on my journey....not quite just took a bit of a detour but have received a new spark to my motivation.  Hubby finally broke down and got us a Wii he saw how much I enjoed playing the EA Active sports and this morning we went to walmart and picked up the Wii Fit.  I completed 2 workouts and a few games on the wii fit plus and boy am I feeling it.  Never thought a workout could be fun...and challenging on a game console.

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Friday April 23rd Healthy Me Day 5!

Food:
Breakfast: Protein Bar, Apple
Lunch: Garden Salad w/Tuna Tomatoes & Light Ranch Dressing
Dinner: Cream of Mushroom Soup, Chicken over Rice
Snacks: Pretzels w/Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges
Water: 110oz
Diet Cokes (Shasta Diet Cola w/splenda): 4
Exercise: walked on the elliptical 3mi on Apr. 23, 09:18pm (Time: 17:00)
Today's Thoughts: Well today I went in to work 3 hours late because a local grocery store was having a great sale on meat, we got 60# of meats for $40, chicken quarters were 39 cents a #, you can't beat that. Then I helped Rob separate and vacuum pack them down so he didn't have to as tired as he was. I did have every intention of getting out of bed early so I could exercise before work, but TOM is really painful this month, who am I kidding, it's painful EVERY month. Anyways get to work and have 5 grooms, so I am 3 hours behind on all of them, didn't eat my lunch until 4:30, did have a couple snacks here and there but I was STARVING! I am proud of myself as I didn't turn to Diet Coke like I normally do when stressed out. Everyone kept calling to see if their dogs were done yet, and that stressed me out, but I grusfrabaad and just let stuff roll off my shoulders best I could. Rob texted me and wanted me to make Brownies for his work's Friday Night Feast they have every few weeks...we were out of eggs, I was going to go pick up what we needed at Costco on my lunch but since I didn't get a normal lunch I left work 1/2 hour early and went and picked them up...ran into my 'boss' at costco...my dad...that was funny! Anyways I really didn't want to exercise today and kept trying to find excuses (I'm really good at that) but when all was said and done I did exercise, not a whole lot because of cramps but at least it was something.

Thursday April 22nd: HHM Day 4

Food:
Breakfast Protein Bar
Lunch: Tuna Salad no dressing because I'm a dunce and left it at home
Dinner: Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Peas
Snacks: Pretzels w/Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges
Water: 110oz
Diet Cokes (Shasta Diet Cola w/splenda): 4
Exercise: Going to skip it today and opt for a bath in epsom salts...I am too sore (shoulder/neck pulled muscle) to exercise. But so far I've done 3 days and have 3 more days left so I think I will be fine.
Today's Thoughts: My shoulder/neck was hurting off and on all day so that really made me have a lazy/hard day at work today as a lot of what I do I have to kind of sort of use my left arm/shoulder for cleaning/lifting/computing etc, and since I was there by myself I couldn't have anyone else do stuff for me, so needless to say, I over did it so have a sore shoulder. I am somewhat stressed as I have a baby kitten (5 weeks old) that I am nursing back to health, she had giardia, but she isn't getting over it like she should and is super skinny, not growing etc. I am making her a concoction of kitten vitamin paste/nutrical/maximum calorie canned cat food/meat tenderizer (digestive enzyme) to try to help her along but I fear I might lose little Miss Daisy despite all efforts. She does have a mom, but I have been bringing her home to give her extra care as her brothers/sisters push her out of the way and she's kind of a loner because she's sickly. Wish me luck~

Wednesday April 21, Healthy Me Day 3

Food: Calories: High end of calorie range today
Breakfast, Left Over Spaghetti, 2 slices homemade honey whole wheat bread.
Lunch: Protein Bar
Dinner: Lasagna Pasta in a box
Snacks: Popcorn
Water: 110oz
Diet Cokes (Shasta Diet Cola w/splenda): 3
Exercise: walked on the elliptical 3.5mi on Apr. 21, 08:59 pm (Time: 20:00) Burned 347 calories
Today's Thoughts: Today was my day off, I normally blow it and blow it hard on my days off. But although I was on the high end of my calories I still stayed within my limit. Probably the most difficult thing today was exercise. It was raining/thunder & lightening so outside walking was out of the question. I slept wrong on my shoulder sunday night (I think) and pulled a muscle or something but my left shoulder/neck has been really bothering me since then, it still hurts, so was trying to use that as an excuse not to exercise, then my exercise clothes were upstairs in the bedroom and I didn't want to go wake Rob up to get them, then I just wanted to goof around with PSP/Incredimail on my computer, I have horrible gas (EVERYTHING I have been putting in my mouth lately is making me gassy) but I gave myself a swift kick in the behind and said to myself, "Heather, seriously who uses GAS as an excuse NOT to exercise? Get off your butt and go do it!" So I used my elliptical while making dinner, was only going to do 10 minutes but I pushed myself and went for 20 minutes. YEAH!

Tuesday April 20th, Healthy Me Day 2

Food: Calories:
Breakfast, Protein Bar
Lunch: Salmon Patty, Frozen Green Beans
Dinner: Spaghetti, Green Beans & Corn
Snacks: Protein Bar
Water: 110oz
Diet Cokes (Shasta Diet Cola w/splenda): 4 (I am trying to limit myself to no more 4 per day which is going to be really hard for me right now.
Exercise:
walked on the elliptical 2 mi on Apr. 20, 07:56 pm (Time: 00:11:00) Burned 191 calories...did this while cooking dinner!
walked 0.83 mi on Apr. 20, 08:36 pm (Time: 00:19:24) I am not sure the distance is accurate as I walked twice around the loop and yesterday it said I walk .6 something of a mile? Maybe time to take the car around the loop to see how far it is.
Today's Thoughts: Busy day today, had a very happy day we have a cat we have had for adoption for almost 3 years get adopted today, she is my cat Mini Dee's sister Mini Dee and Victoria both have something called Cerebral Hypoplasia which is caused by the distemper vaccine/virus in their mother while she was pregnant. It affects their motor skills, a good definition is it looks like they are drunk while walking, wide stance, falls over sometimes. Tori has trouble hitting the litter box all the time so we are very excited that she found a great home, they have a cat that already has CH, and they actually moved to a different house to accomodate their cat better (they have a hard time with slick surfaces). They drove 3 hours one way to see her! Anyways I couldn't WAIT to get home today so I could exercise! How crazy is that? Anyways having a good day!

April 19, 2010: Healthy Me Day 1

Food: :cheerleader: Calories: 1494
Breakfast, Hashbrowns & Eggs
Lunch: Tortilla Chips w/cheese
Dinner: Pork Roast, Spinach
Snacks: Protein Bar
Water: About110oz
Exercise: :cheerleader:
Using Cario Trainer on my phone:
walked 0.76 mi on Apr. 19, 06:22 pm (Time: 00:12:04) ***This was just taking the garbage out 3 times up a slightly steep hill and back.
walked 0.64 mi on Apr. 19, 08:34 pm (Time: 00:10:52) Once around the inside of our townhouse loop.
Not bad considering I have hardly got any exercise for months....
Today's Thoughts: It is hot and miserable today, but I pushed myself and exercised, am going to try to do a little more when Rob leaves for work, undecided if I will walk outside some more or try my elliptical. Will update after I've done it. Decided to go for a walk, it was starting to get dark fast so only did 1 loop, that and my legs were turning into jelly.

My Personal Healthy Me Challenge

So I have decided I am going to get fit, in health, mind, and body! I am going to start by exercising at least 30 minutes per day 5 days per week, this means that on my work days I will either have to crockpot dinner or do a WATP exercise DVD inside. I have downloaded a couple of helpful applications on my phone that will keep track of my exercise, how far I go and time, as well as a tracker from sparkpeople.com (that's too cool they have an application), and a pedometer. I am really excited for this and am starting to day! I will use this place to keep track of how I have done for the day. Wish me luck!

Weight Loss: 10# in 10 weeks...I know it's a small goal but I figured I would start out small since I am just getting back on track.

As my 'nutty' self I like to keep track with the little smilies
Daily Goal Completed
Daily Goal Not Completed:

Food: Going to Count Calories (have cool widgets for calorie counting too)
Water: Drink 1/2 my body weight per day which is 218 right now so 109oz per day
Exercise: 30 Minutes 5 times per week
Today's Thoughts:

Who's Fault is it Anyways?

As I sit here on my couch reading one of my favorite blogs: http://zeusmeatball.blogspot.com/ as he truly inspires and motivates me, as well as my encourages me that if he can lose the weight, my husband and I can lose the weight. He has lost over 200# in 2 years, he still has some to lose, but how amazing is that? He has done it without surgery even. WOW! Anyways as I sit here pondering about things, it struck me, "Who's Fault Is It Anyways?" That I have been stuck in a diet rut for the past year? I was 212# a year ago in December (2008) and today I weighed in at 219.0# (which was a loss from yesterday but still), I have let stress, and drinking too much regular coke get to me. It is MY fault that I haven't been as strong as I know I can be. I lost 70# back in 2003/2004 so I KNOW I can do it! I just have to keep focused and not let stress get to me. It is MY fault that I prefer (or am just that lazy) to sit on the couch and watch TV instead of exercising. It is MY fault that I chose to eat fast food instead of eating a healthier lunch which I do sometimes. I have an exercise partner (my Golden Retriever, Shellie) and I KNOW I can do it, granted there is snow on the sidewalks right now and I don't want to hurt her paws/feet but I can exercise inside using my elliptical, stability ball or any of the 10+ Leslie Sansone WATP DVD's I have. So while my weight, lack of exercise, and lack of drinking proper amounts of water is MY FAULT, NO ONE force feeds me, NO ONE chains me to the couch, NO ONE forces regular coke down my throat (I have apsartame poisoning so can't drink regular diet drinks), It may be MY FAULT, but ONLY I AM THE ONE WHO CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! I am the one who can get off the couch, eat proper foods, exercise, chose water over Coke. If it is to be, it's up to me!

Love the savings!

I hope everyone is having a great day! I was going through some photobook pictures and found one from last years Ho Ho Ho Challenge (2008) and I was at 212# EEK! I was 219.0# this morning. Definitely gotta do something about that! Rob and I spent a good majority of our morning looking for his little network crimping tool, we finally found it then he hooked up our network so we have computer/internet access to our Media PC (we have wireless but it isn't always reliable for watching movies etc). So then he went to take a nap, I went to the bank and went and picked up some more Fruit at our favorite store...got 30# of fruit (Apples, Oranges, Nectarines & Tomatoes) for $12.00 I LOVE it! I have thoroughly enjoyed having the Fruit to eat/snack on. It's helping me stay on plan instead of eating crap for snacks. Then went and saved $3.50 on the Cheer detergant I buy for our whites (I make our own laundry soap for everything else). If I would have known that it was that on sale I would have boughten a few more. It's normally $8.39/bottle for 32 loads at 2x strength. Maybe I will go back and get more. As that savings it definitely worth it. I have done a little cleaning and stuff today (laundry/dishes) and here in a few minutes am going to do my WATP so I can get my exercise in before Rob wakes up for the evening, so I can spend time with him.

Shellie Says....

Exercise Balls are E-V-I-L!!!!!! Yesterday I took down our Christmas tree, and rearranged/cleaned our living room...well I had put my exercise ball on the couch and it rolled off, Shellie was coming in the room and totally wigged out about the ball, grumbling at it, growling, barking, and crouched down really low to the ground investigating it cautiously. Then a cute shot of my baby girl Zoey all snuggled up at work today.

Rob's New Roaster

Last week Rob decided he wanted Roasted marshmallows so he used out toaster to make them. So I know not exactly 'Diet Friendly' but I am very proud of my hubby, so wanted to share this. Well last night I was cleaning and pulled out our old toaster and asked Rob if he wanted me to throw it away, his eyes lit up and said hey.....so last night he modified it and made a desktop 'roaster' out of it! It was broken, it's an electronic one and the circuitry that told the toaster the toast was done and to pop up was broken so it would burn the toast (to the point it caught on fire), so we bought us a new one. Anyways, he even made it 'Heather' proof so to speak, bending a 'rack' to protect from the inner heating elements. He is so smart, I married a Genius! It roasts them really well and even roasts hot dogs!