Day 5 of 10! Halfway there.....

I really love the weekends and what they have to offer, but what I really don't like about the weekends is how a diet can go topsy-turvy in no time. That was my fear, as I faced my first weekend on "the plan".

Anyway, Friday night was pretty chill. I got home from work and watched "Safe Haven", with Miss Thing. I ordered it from Netflix weeks ago, but hadn't had the time to sit down and watch it. Finally, I made myself sit and enjoy the movie. It was a good movie. I want to watch it again, because I missed the very, very beginning and that is important in this movie.

That's my boy!

That's my girl - beating up on the boys.

Saturday we had to wake up at the butt-crack of dawn to go watch the kiddos play indoor soccer. I was a proud momma bear, though, because it's been a few years since the kids actually played on a team together. It was neat to see them working together on the field. And of course, I missed the opportunity to snap a photo of them on the field together, so here they are in separate pictures.

After we watch their first game, we busted it home to get some chores done. The girls cleaned house, while the boys trimmed trees. We all got finished about the same time and settled into lunch and relaxation for a bit, before having to go back into the city for game #2. 

As I'm loading the dogs into the garage and the pig into his kennel, for a few hours from the scorching heat, the kids and hubby are frantically looking for the cat. They can't find him. Tyler put him in Jayden's room, but kitty was nowhere to be found there. 

Day 3 of having a cat and we have lost him. Great. Just great. 

We had to get going, because we are already running a few minutes behind and have to pick up another player along the way. We get to the soccer fields and luckily they were running 15 minutes behind, so we were actually early. While there, I managed to lose my keys. Yay! Luckily, I must've left them on the counter when I was checking field schedules and someone turned them in for me. (Thank you, Baby Jesus!)

After game #2, we rushed out of the soccer complex, after locating said lost keys, and booked it to Target to shop for the birthday party Jayden was going to attend later that evening. We got all of that done and headed home, so Tyler could clean up and get to a swim party by 4:00.
Oh, and we found kitty! We knew he had to be in Jayden's room, because that's where Tyler had left him prior to us leaving for the second game. I opened up her bottom drawer of her dresser and he was all snuggled in the blankets we keep in there. Whew! 
On the way to drop him off, we also dropped off the extra player we had picked up prior to game #2. (Extra player = Jayden's friend/Tyler's ex-girlfriend).

We dropped them off at their designated locations and went home to enjoy two hours of silence in the pool. (which we have managed to neglect pretty much all summer). I bought a floatie at Target, so I was anxious to try it out. It was so hot yesterday, so the pool was just the ticket for cooling off and napping, apparently.

Don't mind the green water. That's what happens when you don't get in your pool enough to keep the dirt stirred up.

We had a great (short) nap on our floaties, until it was time to take Miss Thing to her Slumber Party at 6:00.

Scott had invited me to go see a movie after dinner, but was worried about the popcorn situation. I can't (not) have popcorn while watching a movie at the Theater. I told him, I could probably swing a small popcorn and be okay.  So after dinner, we freshened up and headed to the movies to see "The Heat". I did order a small popcorn, which we shared, and had a bottle of water.

On our way to the movie!

That movie was hands down, one of the funniest movies in a long time. I laughed so hard, I snorted. I don't snort when I laugh. It was so funny. Melissa McCarthy is a riot and pair her with Sandra Bullock, you have double-hilarious.

I was very mindful of my popcorn helpings and drank my water. I got home and stepped on the scale and was scared what today's weigh-in could bring. I didn't want to be set back, but I didn't want to not enjoy popcorn at a movie. (Although, I will say the popcorn didn't taste as good as I was hoping it would.)

Long story short...here's today's scale reading: 162.4

I'm a little bummed, because I did gain and I don't feel like I ate enough popcorn to cause that. Here's my theory. If my BMR is in the 1500's, that means I should be able to eat my 950 calorie diet and still lose. Mind you, I ate more than that yesterday, but I also moved a lot more yesterday than I would sitting at work all day. I cleaned house, I walked, etc.

I'm not throwing in the towel yet, though. It's a minor set back and today is going to be a good day, so hopefully tomorrow's scale reading will be twice as wonderful! Maybe since it's cooler and a little rainy out, I will go for a run after Church.

Day 4 of 10!

Just a quick note this morning, as we are off to watch our kids play in an indoor soccer game....at 7:30 in the morning....on a Saturday. 

Yesterday was good for the most part. I am struggling with the sandwich at lunch, but everything else is fine. I'm powering right through the other food. I think the sandwich is getting old, because it's not something I typically eat. I feel like I'm eating horse food...really. 

I wasn't so excited to jump on the scale this morning, because my weight was higher last night. (Yes, I weigh myself at night, so I can estimate what my weight will be the next morning.)

I jumped on the scale and was pleasantly surprised. 161.8. I really wasn't expecting it to be that low, honestly. I weighed again and again, still getting the same reading. I tried to take a picture, but the scale changed. It went up to 162.8 for a few times. I then stepped off and tried a few more times....162.0. So frustrating. 

I feel the 161.8 is the accurate reading as it's the first reading I had, and was consistent for several times after that. 

Today is going to be a true test. It's my first weekend on this plan, so I'm anxious to see how easy/difficult it is going to be. I will have a full report tomorrow...stay tuned! 

Day 3 of 10!

I have to stop and think as I wrote these posts, because my mind is focused on the day ahead, but I'm posting about the previous day. 

Anyway, Day 3 was better! I had a little bit more energy throughout the day. I'm still getting a dull headache from time to time, but I think that's to be expected, due to lack of caffeine and lack of calories/carbs.

I ate everything later than normal yesterday. 

Breakfast - 9:30

Am snack - 11:00

Lunch - 1:00/1:30

Snack - 4:00

Dinner - 7:30

I only got in a touch over 2 liters of water yesterday, so I wasn't sure how that would affect my results. I was busy at work yesterday, which caused the later eating times and lack of water intake.

We went out of town for a few hours last night to retrieve the newest member of our Funny Farm. Meet Berkely: 

He's a 10 week old Bengal kitten and he's so pretty. He has the marbling color in the black/brown shades. He's a sweetie. He loves to sleep on your shoulder. 

Anyway, back to the weightloss topic. After we picked up Berkley, we went to Petco to get his supplies. On our way out of town - heading back home, we stopped by Chick-fil-a for dinner. 

Now, don't get me wrong I wanted chicken nuggets and french fries, dipped in Chick-fil-a sauce, and washed down with a diet coke. What I actually ordered was a Cobb salad with avocado lime dressing and an ice water. Boo. 

Then I stepped on the scale this morning to see what damage I caused myself with not consuming as much water as I should have and de-railing from the written plan for one meal. 

This is what I saw:

So here are my results, already noting Day 4's weight. 

I'm still on track! When I first stepped on the scale, it said 163.6, which bummed me out since it was only 2/10 of a pound lost. Then I stepped on the scale 3 more times and got 162.6 three times in a row, so that's what I'm going with. 

I'm so excited to break into the 150's. if I stay on this track, I will be in the 150's early next week. Thursday is my final day of this Phase and then I'm onto Phase 2.

Stay with me to see how I do in the days to follow!! 

Day 2 of 10!

Well, because I'm a jacknab that forgot to look closely at the scale before starting, I have no idea what my starting weight was. My husband thinks it was 167, but I'm remembering 168.2. At any rate, they are both bad, considering have been in the low 160's for 5 months. (Slipping down to 155 for a few days in April)

Day 2 is complete and I'm feeling pretty good! I was terrified that I wouldn't enjoy the same foods, but I think at this point, I'm just excited to eat!

I'm living with Truvia. (I've never been a fan, but because that's the only thing I can have to sweeten my coffee and grapefruit, I'm just going to power through it!) 

I don't have a lot of energy right now, but it is hard for me to know if that is the diet, heat, stress, or being on the go for 2 straight weeks. I'm going to keep a mindful eye on it, because I have read about people who have gone Paleo and felt like crap for a week or two, then burst with energy. (I'm ready to be at that point). 

Mentally, I am staying tough. I know if I say "this sucks" or "I'm sick of this food", I will cave and be calling the local pizza joint for a large, greasy pizza pie. 

I'm doing the right things for my body. Yes, it's a weird to have to eat the same things for 10 days, but I'm hopeful that Jackie Warner knows what she's talking about.

I'm powering right through the 3 liters of water, like a champ! I have even consumed more than the 3 liters and probably exceeded just a hair over a gallon. 

Exercise hasn't been something I have done a lot of. Because this phase is only 950 calories of food, it is recommended that you not burn more than a few hundred calories. She does have some workouts designed specifically for this phase, but again, I have no energy. 

We did play softball Tuesday evening, but everything felt different to me. I wasn't catching well, I wasn't hitting well, and I wasn't running well. Mind you, it was 100+ degrees out, our team shirts are black, and I hadn't eaten anything since my 3:00 snack, which consisted of celery and almond butter.

Here are my scale readings, so far.

Day 1: 167 (??)

Day 2: 164.8
Day 3: 163.8 (Since I'm just starting day 3, I thought I would go ahead and record my weight.)

I do weigh myself at the same time everyday. First thing in the morning, after I pee.

Not bad for just being 2 days in!

"Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days"

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it probably is. 

My dad always said, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". I'm a sucker, what can I say? I'm the girl who is rooting for the underdog, hoping for the upset. The girl who is willing to try almost anything once, just to see if it does work. Work from home businesses, yes please! Now, before I start getting grief from anyone who does currently operate a successful work from home business, I truly applaud you, but I also know "timing is everything" when it comes to those types of things. (Trust me, I have tried at least 5 that I can think of right off the top of my head.)

Anyway, I'm not trying to go off on a tangent, I do have a point to make here. Okay, maybe not. But anyway...

I went to Hastings last week and picked up a copy of this book:

(Image: Google)

When I started reading this book, I was determined to really study it. And I have. However, after I studied that book, I found another book by Jackie Warner and downloaded it to my Nook.

(Image: Google)

Of course, I was intrigued and started reading it right away. After seeing the "diet plan", I decided to give it a whirl. 10 days...Schmen days...right?!?!?!?!

I'm happy to announce that I have nearly survived day 1. I only have 9 days left in this Phase, and then I'm on to Phase 2. 

Here's what today has looked like for me:

1 cup of Alfalfa Sprouts on my sandwich for lunch

Breakfast: 1/2 grapefruit, 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, 1 whole walnut,  and black coffee
with Truvia and a splash of Almond Milk. 

I think this is the first time in my 34 years that I have actually eaten a grapefruit! 

Lunch: 2 pieces of whole wheat bread, 1/2 spinach, 1 cup of alfalfa sprouts, mustard,  one slice
of a beefsteak tomato, and 1/4 of an Avocado. It was pretty good, considering there is no meat on it!

Coolest gadget it ever! It cuts, de-pits, and slices avocados...all in one handy tool. 

Dinner: 6 oz chicken breast, 1 cup of broccoli, and  3 new potatoes

Because, I don't always play by the "exact" rules, I did modify a few things. For lunch, I put 1/2 an avocado on my sandwich, instead of just 1/4. For dinner, my broccoli was all frozen and iced over, so once that all cleared away, I realized I didn't have even close to a cup of broccoli. I just went with what I had and threw in some onion for depth. (I'm a rebel like that). Seasoned both the chicken and the veggies with olive oil, minced garlic, and salt & pepper.

Also on the menu for the day is green tea (decaf) with a fruit herbal tea before bed and 3 liters of water throughout the day. Oh, and I almost forgot about the snacks. This a.m. snack is an apple with 8 almonds and the p.m. snack is 8 celery sticks with 1 tablespoon of Almond Butter. 

I made it through the 3 liters of water and then some! My friend was sweet and checked in on me this afternoon, to see how I was doing with my water. 

Since day one is almost to an end, and I'm still kicking, I would say I did alright. Am I looking forward to the next 9 days? Yes and no. No, because I will get tired of eating the same meals for the next 9 days, but on day 11, I get to start a whole new menu. I know this program can work, and if nothing else it's making me more disciplined and focused on clean eating. 

Since I started my job a month ago, I have become very lazy with eating right attitude and I have gained some weight because of it.  When you work with boys, you eat like boys - and the scale is definitely proving that! I just needed to get re-focused on track and this may or may not be the right way to do it, but like I said above, I'm willing to try almost anything once! 

When I get to the point that I'm happy doing this system....aka seeing results,  I will go back to the "This is Why You're Fat" book and use that program for the maintenance. 

Wish me luck!

The Day After....

As fun as Fourth of July is, the day after really sucks when you have to work....especially when it's a Friday. I mean, the decent thing to do would be to close the office Thursday through Sunday and just regroup on Monday, right? Okay fine, wishful thinking on my part, but you can't blame a girl for trying. 

We had a fabulous holiday. We went to the lake around 10:30 yesterday morning and got home about 10:30 last night. Luckily, there's a lake right in the town we live in, so we don't have to travel too far and it's great for when you forget things.

Spending so much time on the lake is fun, until you have to wake up the next morning. I am so sore from riding the jet skis all day, but it was worth it. We bought them a few weeks ago and haven't had a chance to play with them much, so a solid day on the lake was just what we were craving. The weather was gorgeous all day long! 

I'm ready for another day on the lake. Maybe not 12 hours, but a few hours at least. 

Well I'm off to sleep work the rest of the day. Happy Friday! 

Happy Fourth of July!

Runner-up to Christmas, 4th of July is my favorite Holiday! 

I've always been a sucker to patriotic colors. In fact, when I graduated from community college, my party theme was patriotic. So festive!

My hometown in Kansas has always had the BEST Fourth of July celebration. From a 5k run, to turtle races, to the silver sand pile, to basketball tournaments, to sand volleyball, to the parade, to the baby contest, and finally the best fireworks show. (I'm missing several events, but you get the jest.) It's one day full of events...fun for all.

"There's no place like home. There's no place like home."

Because this year's holiday fell on a Thursday, and we have to work tomorrow, there's just no way we could possibly make this work. I'm bummed, but today we are going to spend the day on the lake, playing on the jet skis and soaking up the sun. 

Finding fireworks in this area, is never a problem. Because we live so close to the Indian Reservation, we have fireworks all around us and the city always does a display at the lake. Really, we are blessed to have so many options, readily available. 

Anyway, enough of that. I have been a pinning fool on Pinterest this week. As I told you above, 4th of July is one of my favorite Holidays. I even have a board on Pinterest, specifically for the 4th of July. 

Here are a few pins that make my heart happy.....

Wishing you all a HAPPY AND SAFE 4TH OF JULY! 

Hi Friends!

Wow! It's been awhile since I have done this. Like 4 months awhile. 

I'm loving the new space, thanks to Hubby Jack for fixing it up for me. 

Anyway, now that I have my new space, I promised myself I would write more. I just spent 2 hours moving photos around in Photobucket. What a nightmare. I was trying to be diligent and move all 2000+ photos to the appropriate file, but that didn't last long. I can't for the life of me move one picture at a time to the correct folder. Instead, I made an "uploaded 070313" folder and dumped everything  there. From this point one, I will organize photos appropriately. With that being said, I'm sure I just mucked all of my previous entries photos. When you move photos, after you have already used them in a post, it wipes them out. So frustrating, but it is what it is. 

So...you might be asking what's been going on with me for the past couple of months. Here's the rundown:

I'm still running! Not as often as I was, but I'm still trying to get out and run at least once per week (read: once every 3 weeks). Side note: we ran a very slow, pathetic 2 miles last night and I felt like I hadn't ran in 6 years. It was awful. End side note. 

My goal is to get back into a normal running routine. I have a million excuses why I can't, but ultimately, those excuses only hurts me. 

I did get this little update yesterday and I was pretty proud of it! Hopefully the next 6 months will be better! 

Remember when we got this little guy? 

Here he is today:

I still love him - even if he weighs a ton!

He's the best pet! Besides the occasional rooting of the yard and the fact he can open our back door, he's truly one of the best pets we've had. He is just so cool. He's smart, independent, loves to eat, loves to sleep, loves his belly rubbed, and can do a few tricks. He's so much fun.

In April, we said goodbye to one of our favorite people....."Old Grandma" It still doesn't seem real that she's gone. We all miss her dearly.

We started playing softball again.

This time with our church, in an exclusive Church League. It's been a lot of fun and it's keeping us on our best behavior. We are so competitive that it's natural for us to slip a naughty word here or there. Luckily, the worst thing I have said so far is "fruit". I'm trying to be a good girl... :)

I started a new job on 6/3. I took a leap of faith and decided to do something different. I was at my previous job for exactly 2 1/2 years. There are so many things I loved about that job, except the job itself. I'm more of an Accounting type of girl and that wasn't really Accounting. It was more Finance, which I hate. Anyway, it was a great company with awesome benefits, but the job itself and personalities of some folks made me decide to get back into a small office setting. I have been here for exactly one month today and I'm loving it so far.
It's nice to have a laid-back atmosphere and be able to laugh and listen to music, without upsetting anybody. Seems petty, but I'm serious about it being a "no-no" at my other job.

I'm still working on getting fit and healthy. When Old Grandma passed away, I was down 10lbs from where I am now. I would like to get back to that point, but I don't want to gain it all back as quickly as I did, once things settled down. I have been pretty lacks in eating right. Working with guys is different, because they eat. I feel like I eat like them, when we eat together. When I worked with girls, it was easier to eat lighter and to "diet" more.
I'm trying to stay aware of what I'm eating, so I can't blame anyone but myself, when the scales are yelling at me. Today's weight wasn't the best, but it wasn't horrible considering I haven't exercised much lately and have eaten a ton of ice cream this summer. I picked up this little gem last night and can't wait to dive into it.

If you follow me on Instagram, I'm sure you saw this already, but I thought it was pretty comical. I bought a book explaining why I'm fat and then I left the bookstore and bought ice cream. I mean, it is "skinny" ice cream and the book does say "eat more, cheat more, lose more"....just sayin'!

Just the runs

A few years ago, okay like 16 years ago, I was runner. Not a great runner, but still a runner. I ran in Cross Country and ran in track. During track meets, I typically ran the 1/2 mile, mile, and 2 mile for a total of 14 laps around the track. (Boring!) Right after high school, I got married and started a family. I never ran again.....until recently.

I reintroduced myself to the running world in September 2011, with the Couch to 5k program. We went from barely being able to run 90 seconds at a time, to running 8 minutes without stopping. It was hard for us, but we fought through it. He started traveling more, so our time of running together ended. I had to venture out on my own and try and complete this program. I quit the program on Halloween. It was cold, drizzly, and I almost got ran over, so I decided enough was enough.

In December 2011, I bought a treadmill, with hopes I would get that desire again. And I did. I loved running on the treadmill, in the comfort of my own house, anytime of the day, no matter what the weather was like outside - I could run. I continued a mile here, a mile there for awhile, but didn't really progress. In the Spring of 2012, I once again started the Couch to 5k program again, determined to finish the entire program and to prepare for a race we signed up for. Consistency was better, but still not great. We would run our little hearts out and then celebrate with margaritas afterwards. (Probably not the best training method.) Our race came and I felt good. We ran our first mile really fast, but kind of faded after that. My friend was having major side cramps and I wasn't sure if I was supposed to stay with her or go on, so I decided to stay and walk when she walked.

My time was 36:22, which was a lot better than my previous 5k. (I won't tell you that story just know this: School reunion the night before + beer + late night + early morning + hot summer = bad racing experience//bad racing time)

My Scentsy Sponsor signed up for the Hot Mamas Run that would take place September 2012. I had been running every so often, but nothing consistent. Maybe a mile a week, maybe nothing. I decided to sign up for the race as well. I tried so hard to be more consistent with my running, but just didn't commit. When it was time for the race, I felt somewhat prepared, but not completely prepared. It was a hilly course and I walked a lot of it. I started walking with her, but was determined to beat my time from March, (that totally didn't happen, by the way), so I left her behind and walked/ran to the finish line. The hills were brutal. I was used to running on either the treadmill, or flat streets. I was not prepared for a lot of hills (not big ones. But still, hills are hills). My time was 39 something. You can see pics and deets here, if you are interested.

Anyway, fast forward to the current running situation and we are doing things like this:

This is what I'm most proud of. Challenging ourselves each and every week to do more, whether it be more miles, or more times. Just more.

I don't want to be the fastest runner, I just want to be a good runner, who is always improving. I would love to (eventually) run a half marathon, but right now we are enjoying our own challenges and seeing what we can do. So far this week, we have run 9 miles. (6 on Sunday, 3 on Tuesday). That is completely unheard of for us. Someday, we might be running 9 miles in one day. Who knows.

What I do know is that I like this. I like the feeling we get when we are finished, when we look at each other and say "we just ran 5 miles. 5 freaking miles". I like that it's making me stronger - physically & emotionally. I like that it's good for my heart. I like that I can do it with my husbad by my side.

My purpose for writing about "the runs" today is to let you know that you don't have to be good, you just have to be good enough. You have to want to do it, commit to it, and not give up - no matter how slow you might be. I have been there, even after being a "runner" back in the day. Running is hard, but it so rewarding. Don't let your mind talk your body out of something that could be the best thing you've ever experienced.

As we were running 3 miles yesterday and struggling going into the 3rd mile, the song "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus blasted in my ears. The words rang so very true with my experience with running. My failures, my successes.

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going
And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

A little motivation/funnies:

These things are so delish. I also like the Banana Foster flavor.

Sparking it up! (Oh and look, my nails don't look hideous!)



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