Yep, I'm still alive!

Goodness, it has been a while since I last posted.  I thought of just wiping everything and starting over, but I have some pretty awesome posts and motivational things on this blog, so I decided that I will just start over, but keep the posts!  My life has changed quite a bit this last year, I lost my 'full' time job and had to find a new one (owner retired and closed his location) I do like my new job, and it's still working with animals.  I dabbled in selling Park Lane Jewelry for a while, but because of my introverted personality and anxiety issues, I decided it wasn't for me at this time.  I am still battling the battle of the bulge and I would love NOTHING more than to get rid of it.  I am sick of splitting my scrub pants because of my thunder thighs, sick of being a chunky monkey, sick of being out of shape, sick of not having any energy....so 2012 it is!  I am going to watch what I eat portion wise, and try to drink more water than I normally do....I am a Diet Coke addict!  I drink AT LEAST a 2 liter per day...and would like to exchange that for water.  My goal by the end of 2012, is to lost at least 50#, which is about 1# a week, which isn't 'out of range' if I focus right.

My husband just recently had a couple of surgeries and the Dr really lectured him on his weight as well so we are definitely both going to be on this journey.  Stay tuned for updates, have to go finish 'FLYing' as we have company coming over tomorrow.  Have a great night!

My starting weight 233.4#  My 'goal' is 150# (we will see how I feel/look when I get there), but for now I am working to about 175#  I haven't been under 200# in a LONG LONG time (about 6 or 7 years for longer than about 2 days lol), so I am super psyched for this goal and I KNOW I can do it!

Are you Serious????

Today I made a quick trip to walmart to pick up some stuff, and I always end up getting a cold drink out of the end displays...well I LOVE Sunkist, so I grabbed a regular one as Walmart very rarely has the Diet Sunkist in the little bottles up front, as that's what I was craving at the moment. Anyways I was looking at the bottle after I had drank some and OMG....what a shocking moment that was!

Calories in 1 cup (8oz) 130
Calories in 1 Bottle 320

Holy cow! Can you say that is about a meal? Good grief! That was definitely a learning experience! Check those labels! What I have done in my 'diet coke' addiction.....is buy the 2 liter bottles and then fill 20oz bottles to take to work with me, it ends up being cheaper than can's that way. I usually buy the Walmart brand "Sam's Cola Zero Calorie" unless Diet Coke is on sale (79 cents is a good buy for me), then I get the Coke Zero. Anyways this has got me thinking about 'serving' sizes as well, as I know oftentimes we are in a rush, routine or whatever you want to call it and end up eating/drinking more than we should.

Here is an informative article I found all about Portion sizes:

Portion control and knowing what a portion or serving size looks like is so essential for not only losing weight, but also maintaining your weight. Did you know that there are some basic ways that you can remember what a portion size looks like, or be able to assess how many portions you are about to eat? Too often we eat without measuring, therefore we might think we are eating sensibly, but in actuality we are taking in double or even triple the serving size. Below is a fun and easy guide to refer to for identifying one serving!

Use these comparisons to keep your portions in check. (Nestle.com)

• A baseball or size of your fist- would be one serving of vegetables or fruit
• Tennis ball- measures to about ½ cup of food (for example, ½ cup ice cream)
• Golf ball or large egg- is about a ¼ cup of dried fruit or nuts
• Six dice or one domino- would equal one serving of cheese
• Deck of cards or the palm of your hand- equivalent to a serving of meat, fish or poultry
• Tip of your thumb- about one-teaspoon of peanut butter
• Computer mouse- one serving of a baked potato
• CD (compact disc)- equals the serving size of a waffle of pancake
• Check book- equals a 3 oz. serving of fish
• A rounded handful- about one half cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta

Other friendly tips:
1. Look at your plate of food. Roughly half of your plate should be full of vegetables, one-quarter should be your protein, and the last one-quarter should be your starch.

2. Read food labels. Every one of them displays the serving size. It’s usually not one entire package.

Here is another one that shows serving sizes using your hands as a guide:
http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/handy-portion-control/ccd688dc78803110VgnVCM10000013281eac____/weight.loss

I am going to print both these charts up, laminate them and put them on my fridge and in my lunch bag so I can have them at work!

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!

STOP the Cravings! ARGH!

So I know I haven't blogged for the past few days, I've been a little stressed, a little in the slumps (depression), and have been in a Jelly Belly daze so to speak. I am stressed as my hubby is going to graveyard shift (they are doing away with swing shift), and I really do not like/feel comfortable being home alone at night without the 'comfort' of a big dog. Those who know us know that my hubby is NOT a huge fan of big dogs....so I'm working on him :) My face is breaking out in acne so bad right now and it's the horrible kind that leave marks, UGH! I have been coming home, sitting in front of the TV and digging in to the Jelly Bellies, amazingly enough I haven't gained a hundred pounds this week, just a few since my weigh in (which I'm diligently trying to lose)....which makes me even more depressed. But on a good note, I am an Aunt again, my older brother Danny & his wife Kristy had their 6th kid yesterday, a girl, not sure on the name yet. They don't find out what it is until she has them. They have 2 boys and 4 girls now much to the eldest boys dismay, he really wanted another brother :). Anyways on to the subject of my blog post today. I am fighting so bad with the cravings right now, it's been heck on wheels on me. I am taking this from the Lean for Life Book on how to STOP those insane cravings we all have.

STOP: Visualize a stop sign and hear the word "Stop." Immediately Stop what you are doing
TAKE: Take a deep cleansing breath. This creates a "window of opportunity" during which you can become aware of the temptation you're facing and can start over.
OBSERVE: your situation, yourself, and your options. What's going on? How are you feeling? Are you hungry, angry, lonely, tired? What are you wanting? What are you needing? What really matters to you? What choices do you have? What actions will help you move toward what's really important to you?
PLAN: of action. Choose a plan of Action based on one or more of the options available to you, and put that plan into operation. Shift the focus away from food by doing something: taking a walk, calling a friend, sitting quietly for five minutes and letting your attention rest on breathing, going window shopping, listening to music, working on a project, or reviewing your Motivator Cards to remind yourself why becoming Lean for Life is important to you.

If you find yourself thinking "I'm tired of not eating what I want --I'm going to have a treat" make an active choice to focus on the benefits of maintaining your Plan of Action. Let yourself hear whatever voices inside of you are suggesting that you abandon or sabotage your Lean for Life program, and pause long enough to acknowledge and respond to those voices. Encourage yourself as you would a close friend.

OLD WAY: Food thought or craving --> Give In --> Eat --> Feel Guilty --> Give up
NEW WAY: Food though or craving --> STOP! --> Take a Deep Breath --> Observe --> Plan of Action

The more often you do this the more easily and effectively you'll be able to do it. That's because after you do something successfully again and again, it starts becoming spontaneous and natural. It becomes part of you, It becomes a habit.

I hope you don't mind me sharing the tips that I am learning from my book, they help me, and writing them/typing them out, help me stay on track even more.

Making Excuses

I think I have found EVER excuse in the book this week as to why I can't exercise. Lets see
1- Gas because of Sugar Free Candies, so my belly hurt
2- Got home late (had dog class so that was sort of exercise)
3- Too tired because I didn't get to bed on time
4- It was easter, why exercise on a holiday?

Well I am SICK of my own excuses. I am NOT going to let the excuses win ANY more. Here are my 'combats' to my own excuses
1- Gas becuase of Sugar Free Candies...that's easy...DO NOT eat the sugar free candies
2- Got Home Late, I was still up for 2 hours, that is PLENTY of time to get in a 30 minute WATP DVD, it was just an excuse to get me not to exercise
3- Too Tired, exercise gives you energy, so that would have helped with the tiredness. As for the getting to bed on time, Hubby right now works Swing shift so gets home at 10:00pm and I like to spend time with him. He is switching to Graves in 2 weeks, so therefore I won't have to stay up to see him
4- Who says you can't exercise on a holiday? What a way to celebrate it by blessing my body with loving movement.

So my goal for this next week is to get at least 5 days of exercise in.

Many blessings on monday

Today was a good day. I went to the Dr. with my hubby for a followup on his sleep study. He has Sleep Apnea you can read more about it on my personal family blog here: http://robnheather.blogspot.com/2009/04/another-update-on-rob.html

I must say that I know that God's hand has been in Rob's doctors and care lately, we are getting to the bottom of his issues (Blood Pressure, Asthma, Sleep Apnea) and getting him on the road to better health (and added longevity).

I have been doing Flylady's baby steps for about a month now, and am really enjoying it. My house is MUCH better as well, I don't come home frustrated because it's a mess. It's so easy to do the 1 hour Home Blessing Hour. I still have a little bit to go like the upstairs (office, scrapbook room, master bath) and then the basement storage mess.

Food Intake Meals & Snacks: Protein Day #3 of 3
B: 3 eggs, Bacon pieces, 2 deli ham slices, 1 T cheese
(I'm only supposed to have 1 protein serving but I am on medications and If I don't eat more I get sick and toss my cookies shortly after taking medications.)
L: 3 Hot dog links
D: Chipless Nachos
Snacks: Cheese Sticks, 4 oz Cottage Cheese, 2 ½ oz Lean/Fat Free Cold Cuts

Blessing my Body with Loving Movement: (Exercise):
30 Minutes Elliptical

Weight: 205.0#