You are currently browsing the Daily Life category
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 entries.

Weight Loss Success Can Be Had!

  • Posted on March 30, 2011 at 7:54 pm

Today I got on the scales and I am another 3 pounds down! I started my weight loss journey in early March and I am 9 pounds lighter!! I am seeing or rather feeling a BIG change in how my clothes are fitting. I have been keeping track of how many miles I walk on the treadmill and I am up to 34 miles. That would put me just outside of Millersburg, Ohio if I walked from my house.

So what have I done differently? Well, I would have to say the biggest thing has been my choices. I have increased my activities (mostly walking). I have also changed my eating habits (this is the hardest thing for me). I don’t know about you but I get tired of “thin” folks or those that have never had any problems with their weight telling me or you what you need to do to lose weight. This drives me nuts!!  I want to here from those that fought their weight issues and WON!  Well I can at least tell you what I am doing and what is working for me. My hope is that I can be in some small way a help or inspiration to you.

If you can get yourself into the habit of choosing the right foods the easier it is in the long run. It even becomes easy when eating out. You don’t have to eat anything strange, you just eat normal everyday foods. I found that when you eat what is on your meal plan for the day you will find that you will start feeling full by the end of the day. Here is a sample of what I would have as a daily meal plan.

Breakfast:                    Snack:                      Lunch:                       Snack:                         Dinner

1- Fruit                                                           1- Fruit                                                             1- Fruit
1- Starch                                                         1- Protein                                                        1- starch
1- Dairy                                                          2- Veggies                                                       1- Protein
2- Veggies

This is what I put in those categories.

Breakfast:

1- small apple

1- 3/4cup Cheerios

1- 8oz glass of milk

Lunch:

1- small banana

1- 8oz Chicken Breast

1- 6 baby carrots

1- 1/2 cup raw Cauliflower

Dinner:

1- 3/4cup pineapple

1- small Potato

1- 1tsp of butter

1- 1/2 cup raw mushroom

1- 1/2 cup broccoli

1- Fish in Foil

For my snacks I have been eating Special K Bars (Chocolate Drizzle) or I get Nature Trails Fruit & Grain Bar (Apple/Cinnamon)

Here is the recipe for the Fish in Foil if you are interested.

1- fish (i use tilapia or salmon)(about 7oz)
1- Can’t believe it’s not butter Spray
dash of salt and pepper

Oven to 450
Wrap fish securely in a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 20 minutes.

Open foil and spray with butter spray and add salt and pepper.

Bake uncovered until fish flakes very easily with a fork and is opaque in center.

While you may say there is no way that it is enough food but it really is. As you train yourself to not eat the junk but focus on the right food your body will adjust and soon you will find that you are eating the right amount. Trust me it worked for me before (till I blew it) and it is working again for me.

How else do I know it is working… I went clothes shopping the other day (gosh I hate that) and I came home with some REALLY REALLY cute tops and they were a size smaller! Proof to me that it is working!!

Continue reading Weight Loss Success Can Be Had! »

Care to leave a comment?

Motivation to Lose Weight- Pictures are Worth Their Weight.

  • Posted on March 25, 2011 at 1:56 pm

So I found while looking for other pictures 3 pictures that are probably the biggest motivational pictures that should really keep me on track.  If I can remember to take my motrin an hour before I get on the treadmill I can keep getting my walks in.  My ankle is starting to feel a little better until I step wrong or step on a big rock in the driveway.

I had said before that when I got pregnant with my first daughter I was around 240 pounds, well in this picture I was about 4-5 months pregnant and about 255 pounds.  This picture was taken in 2004 at a friends wedding.

 

I said that I just did not care about my weight at that time, I just said “I am pregnant and I can eat what I want, when I want.”  At least my makeup looked good in this picture.

My daughter was born in early 2005 and I was pushing 300 pounds.  (sigh).  I knew I was very heavy but I just turned a blind eye to it.  When I went back to my first dr’s visit after her birth, I heard them say the 284 number but I did a great job of not letting it sink in or bug me.  However when my daughter was only 3 months old my family went to Cedar Point and this picture was taken of me.

 

That is when my world came crashing down around me.  It was then that I realized that if I did not do something soon I was going to not be around for my daughter.  I was 280 in that picture.  The awful thing is that I got into one of them kiddie trains so I could ride something with my baby.  I am surprised that I was able to get in or out of it.

I was very depressed when I saw this picture and that started me off on my 1.5 year of LA Weight Loss.  I was 276 pounds when I started there.

When I completed that journey I had lost 77 pounds!  Here was my beautiful self after that weight loss.  While I thought I look great the world still looked at me as being massively overweight.

 

Unfortunately I let things stop me from keeping that weight off or even loosing more and I have now put 61 of that weight back on, well I have lost 6 of that 61!  I thought if I share this that will even be a stronger motivation than just talking about it.  Let me see what I was at one time and what I could look like again.  My goal is to have a new motorcycle and some drop dead gorgeous mesh riding gear!  But I will only do that when I hit my goal weight of 199 again.  This time I will keep losing weight even after hitting that goal!  Bring it on Amy wants a new bike!!!

Continue reading Motivation to Lose Weight- Pictures are Worth Their Weight. »

1 comment

4 pounds lighter!!!

  • Posted on March 10, 2011 at 8:57 pm

I am a full week into the “New Me” and I am down a full 4 pounds. Now that is numbers going in the right direction. I was a very scared to get on the scales today as I was stress eating yesterday. Just being very worried about something and I ate chicken nuggets from McD’s and after I did I thought I was going to throw up. I thought there is no way that I am going to be 4 pounds lighter. I am now kicking myself because what would the number have been IF I had not stress ate. So what have I been doing different this past week.

I started cooking my own meals. I make breakfast for my girls and actually sit down with them and eat. If I need a snack I have been snacking on Wheat crackers. Lunch has been a salad or a PBnJ sandwich. Supper is a nice meal that I make for the family. I have started teaching myself self control again. I gotta remind myself that I have kids that I want to be able to chase around this summer and I can not do it at this current weight. I read a letter yesterday that was on another blog that made me cry. I thought if I keep on this current routine this could easily be one of my kids writing this. I don’t want to ever have my girls go through this. Here is that letter.

A Letter from Kirstin:

I was in fifth grade when I finally realized my mom wasn’t like all the other mommies. Even though in so many ways she was the best mother in the world due to her strong involvement in our lives through school, sports, talent shows, and the like, it was in fifth grade when I noticed my mother wasn’t normal; she was obese.
Once I noticed my mother was this overweight, it wasn’t long before I understood the disadvantages that came with that fact. I soon appreciated every day with her more and more because I had no idea how many days she might have left. It wasn’t like it was just her problem anymore, it was mine too. I would worry that her obesity would catch up with her. I couldn’t just put it in the back of my mind either because as a child, your mother is everything.
As a child of an obese mother, I just want you to know that if you’re overweight and you have children… they worry about it, and they worry about you.
They may not say they worry about it or even act like they notice, but I can promise you that they do. When you decided to have children, you made a commitment to do everything in your power to be there for them.
Also, know that if you’re overweight, you can’t compensate for it by helping at their school or buying them things. Nothing can compensate for the fact that your choices can leave them without a mother. What you may not understand is the reality that you can die from being overweight.
Is any food really worth not seeing your child walk on their graduation day or seeing them get married or holding their first child? If you had cancer, wouldn’t you fight for your life? You would seek help and do whatever necessary to stay alive. Obesity is no different. It’s hurting you and you really do have the choice… obesity is one hundred percent curable. My mom did it and you can too.

I will be the mom that overcame her obesity and became involved in the lives of her family. So I have started putting the treadmill to work. I try to walk at least 2 miles everyday. Just for now as I keep walking I am just working on getting my shins and everything back into shape to handle upping the mileage. When I am at work I have no choice but to climb the 27 steps we have here at the station to get up to the living area, so I run them. Which is fun in steel toed work boots AND yes I have tripped and fell flat on my face.. many many times! LOL!!! Shhhh don’t tell anyone.

I am started to feeling a lot better about what I am doing with my life. I hope that after I get into a better routine I can help others that are struggling with their eating issues and weight. There comes a time in life, When you surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. So love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don’t. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living!! This is so true!!!

Continue reading 4 pounds lighter!!! »

3 comments on 4 pounds lighter!!!

Tell yourself there’s no going back and prove it to yourself!

  • Posted on March 6, 2011 at 2:43 pm

I find myself doing a lot of daily “self-talking” or talking to yourself. Some of it is what I need to get done during the day or stuff that I wish I could say or should say but mostly it is all about me. Things I need to change and things I would like to do for myself. Without realizing, I have been doing a lot of negative self-talk (destructive thoughts) about food and my weight. I know that this is not a good thing. SO I really need to do more positive self-talk, why because that will lead to more positive behaviors. It really can’t be that easy… Can it? I need to make an effort to change my negative thoughts and turning them into positives. It is not going to be easy but if I can make this change and make it a part of my daily routine then my attitude will become much better.

My plan is to set myself up for success. I have found my self in the past saying things like “if I have this one cookie, I will just eat less at dinner”. That is such baloney. I never cut back on anything later. If I can just remember the big picture of what I am accomplishing that cookie will never touch my taste buds. The challenge of becoming thinner is realizing that it maybe difficult at times. If I focus on feeling sorry for myself and getting what everyone else is having, the faster I will find myself right back into those bad behaviors. One big way for me to not fall into the “poor me” trap is to make a mental note of why I am not eating things that are unhealthy for me.

For this “new life” to work I need a support person.

What do I want in a support person.

Well I would like to have someone who:
I feel comfortable talking to about my weight and the challenges that goes with it
Someone who will compliment me
Someone who reassures me when I am having a troubled time
Will help out when I am in a pinch
Is honest- without hurting my feelings or use harsh words
Is available to me
That I am not embarrassed to be open with
Supports my weight loss

What I do not want in a support person.

Someone who:
Hassles me or makes demands
Does not understand having a weight problem
Is overcritical of me
Is a “know it all” type of person
Nit-picks and makes me feel self-conscious (I have a BIG problem with this already)

Continue reading Tell yourself there’s no going back and prove it to yourself! »

Care to leave a comment?

Setting summertime goals.

  • Posted on March 3, 2011 at 5:01 pm

I have set some small goals for myself for the start of summer. #1 is I hope to be able to walk/jog a few miles on the tow path. If the rest of my family gets out and rides their bikes then I could hope that I could do a little walking/jogging. Goal #2 is to able to waterski this year. Steve taught me several years ago to ski and have not been able to due to 2 pregnancies or just being to heavy. We had a nice little “starter” boat that in the past few years could not even begin to pull my butterball butt up out of the water. We now have a new boat that can do it without even some much as a hic-up. Well my goal is to help the boat pull me up by ditching some weight. I am hoping that I can get some off so that my knees and legs will not hurt as much. Goal #3 Getting into a swim suit that don’t look like something straight out of the early 1900’s or a moo-moo. My family loves to be outside and in the water so I would like to look semi decent.

As long as we are talking water I am also a scuba diver, well I used to dive all the time and any chance I got. Have not done that for a while because it takes WAY to much weight to sink me. The unsinkable Titanic sunk, o why can’t I get my large behind under the water. I am starting to think that I am just one big life raft. In Aug my family is going on a vacation where we will be on a houseboat for a week. Wonderful vacation. We boat, fish, (some of us) scuba dive, swim, snorkel or just lounge around watching some of the most beautiful sun rises and sun sets I have ever seen. I am really hoping to be able to dive this year.

I also have horses. I have had a love of horse for my entire life. I love to ride with my mom. We out riding when we can but with having 2 kids that greatly limits my time of loading up the trailer and setting off for a state park. The oldest likes to ride but we are having trouble finding her a horse that she can ride as she lost her mounts due to old age. This makes things very hard. About 7 years ago it was nothing for me to head to the barn saddle up and swing a leg over the saddle and head off into the woods and be gone for hours. Now a days I see if daddy or grandpa is going to be around to watch the girls, head to the barn, saddle up, find my step ladder, and grunt and groan and barely get my leg swung over the saddle. Meanwhile my horse is thinking “Oh Wilber, Where’s the chiropractor?” The day that I can swing my leg up and over the saddle again from the ground will be a glorious day!

With our oldest in school, I can see us cramming in a ton of outdoor activities from the father/daughter bike riding to boating to camping and swimming this summer. I am really looking forward to being much healthier this summer!

Continue reading Setting summertime goals. »

Care to leave a comment?

Don’t Let Foot and Leg Pain Keep You From Walking

  • Posted on March 2, 2011 at 2:14 pm

I did the deed and got my measurements and “starting” weight taking yesterday and boys and girls the numbers that looked back at me were not very friendly. I started to get mad, maybe mad is not the word for it. I was down right P.O’ed. Angry, upset, shocked, bewildered and embarrassed. If there was a feeling I had it running like fire through my veins. It was at the moment that I said the excuses had to stop I have to do something and start now! So after I put the baby to bed I grabbed my tennis shoes and onto the treadmill I went. I got my laptop set up to where I could watch “hoarders” on Netflix and away I went. I decided that I wanted to start out at a mileage that I know I can reach with ease. 2 miles was my goal at a speed that I could comfortably handle on knees that were hurting. 2.2mph was my speed. Well I was doing really good till about a mile into it when my left knee and my right hip felt like they were going to crack in half and my feet…. OH my feet…. I swore I was walking on concrete that had a meat tenderizer top. The inside of both feet were screaming. Great now what do I do? I finally get it in my head that I am going to do this and now I can’t. I pushed and I pushed till I hit my 2 mile mark and hobbled and limped back up stairs and collapsed into my chair and tired to calm my poor achy feet. But in the mean time I did burn about 309 cals doing that! WooHoo!!! However I spend that rest of the day with very sore feet.

On my list of things that will get done for the following day (today) was to go to a store called Second Sole in Thursdays Plaza in Belden Village on the recommendation from a friend and get me some good walking shoe. That place is great, you go in there and tell them what you need and what you are doing and they pull out tons of shoes to try. They have to take off your shoes and stand up so that they can see how you stand, he right away asked me if I was having any arch pain or trouble. I smiled and said as a matter of fact I am. He said that my arches are collapsing and my ankles are started to roll in a little. I asked him if that was a weight issue and he said yes and just poor shoe choices in the past. After our little chat you get a different shoe on each foot and go walk around their walking track they have inside. You keep the shoe on that felt the best and get a different one on the other foot and take a lap or two around the track….and just keep repeating until you find a shoe that fits and works the best! After finding the right shoe and checking out and having a heart attack over the price…. Lets face it folks I have never spent much more than $10.00 on a pair of Wal-Mart tennis shoes I came on home to give them a real test drive.

Baby off for her nap and to the treadmill I go. I started off expecting a little pain in my feet but was very happy that when I got to the 1 mile marker I did not have any. I had pain in my legs from being overweight and out of shape but my feet felt great! I upped the speed a little and still no pain….hummmm this is good. When I got to the 1.90 mile point I…. yes me, did a little jogging!!! WHAT? SAY IT AINT SO! I jogged the rest of the way at a whole whopping 4.0mph. I am laughing right now because there are some out there that eat that pace for lunch but hey I DID IT! and I did not fall down and off the back of the treadmill and hit the wall either! My feet never hurt at all my shins on the other hand were barking at me but they will get better and used to me making them work a little.

I decided that I am going to stick with the 2 mile mark as I am hoping that as I go along I can get my speeds up a little more each time and jog a little longer each time till I am able to jog the 2 miles with out stopping. It might not be the best goal to have but it works for me as I can only be on this while the baby sleeps so I get somewhere between an hour or 2. I can’t wait for spring/summer to get here so I can get out with the baby and walk/jog!

Continue reading Don’t Let Foot and Leg Pain Keep You From Walking »

Care to leave a comment?

A change is in the air

  • Posted on February 27, 2011 at 11:30 am

When I started up a blog about my life and my on going struggles with my weight my thought was that I know that I am not the only one out there with these same struggles. I also think that if I put it out there where my friends are reading this I might finally be able to hold myself accountable and keep up on my working out (when I get my workout stuff all together) and my meal portion control. I am going today measure myself and hopefully see them numbers start shrinking!

I started making a cookbook with meals that are not just healthy but that I know what is going in the meals. I also have my 2 cookbooks that I got from LA Weightloss. The great thing with those books are that the meals are great! Lots a flavor but they held you to a nice portion. I wanted to make this cookbook for my family for 2 big reasons, ONE we are not going out to eat TWO we are sitting down as a family and having dinner at home! There is nothing better than that.

Yesterday was my shopping day. I made my list and away I went. I am very proud my oldest daughter she is learning about healthy eating and will ask me all the time if something is healthy. She stuck with me and really never asked about getting to much “junk food”. Now she is a kid and she did some things but not much. So I think that if I can change my ways and get back on an appropriate eating and workout routine she will follow in my footsteps because I sure don’t want her following them right now.

I am smiling and feeling good just sitting here typing this and thinking about what my future holds for me and my family. Maybe just maybe I might enjoy being in family pictures again.

Continue reading A change is in the air »

2 comments on A change is in the air