Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Hill Sprints anyone???

This morning I faced the biggest physical challenge of my life (besides 58 hours of labor... and actually, I think this was even more difficult, because at the end of the 58 hours, they did a c/s so I didn't have to do the REALLY hard work) ANYWAY, It was over 80 degrees at 6 a.m. this morning and humidity was at 96%. Rachel decided this would be the "perfect" day for an outdoor workout. (I was hoping we'd be inside today.) She let us warm up inside, working on our running stance/posture. Then she told us we were heading out. Off we ran, up the hill, onto the new pavement and then after a ways, she stopped us and we did some bicep curls. Once we finished those, we were off running down the road a little further. She stopped us once again, this time to do some tricep work. Then she told us we would be doing 10 hill sprints. Don't know that that is? Let me describe a hill sprint for you. You are standing at the bottom of a moderately steep hill (remember it is over 80 degrees with 96% humidity), and then she tells you to sprint to the top of the hill... once at the top, you turn and slow jog or walk down to "recover" -- and repeat 9 more times. Rachel ran with me on my 2nd one. I said, "This is only 2, I wish I were on 8!" by the 6th sprint, I was feeling the urge to puke, my side was beginning to ache, but I was not about to give up. Many of the girls in class ran with me in spurts encouraging me not to give up. I was panting. By the 8th sprint, my thighs and hip flexors were feeling fatigued. When I got to the top, Rachel said, ONE MORE, we are out of time! SOOOOOOOOOOO, I descended the hill one last time, turned around and faced that hill for the last time. I chugged up the hill the best I could, still moving in a run, but feeling my thighs shaking with every step. I looked as though I had run through a car wash. There was not a dry spot to be found on me. My hair was stuck to my face. I walked part the way back to the TreeHouse. But then I knew I needed to run into the TreeHouse to finish out the class. Michelle ran with me and carried my water. I was so very grateful! We brought up the rear. I felt good though. No, I felt sick, but I felt amazing! I DID IT! We all said our "Mantra" before we did our hill sprints... mine as you know, is Philippians 4:13 -- and during my run, at one point, Angel looks at me and says "HIS Strength" -- just those words helped move me up that hill! I may not have gotten all 10 sprints in, but I never gave up and if we'd had more time, I would have pushed through that 10th sprint with more determination than I had on any other sprint.

If I can give myself one area of praise, it would be my never give up attitude. Even if it is hurting me, I can't give up. If I give up, it's saying I have no trust in the body and physical ability that I have been given. I have to push through, because no matter what I am going through, it pales in comparison to what my Savior did for me... and if this body is His temple, then I can endure anything and HE is with me and pulling me along when I think I can't move another inch... He is giving me HIS strength to meet the challenge! His strength is perfect when my strength is gone! How awesome is that???!!! This journey to get my body back is as much a spiritual journey as it is a physical journey.

So while I seemingly hated every minute of class this morning, reflecting back on it: I did something I NEVER believed I could do. I stuck through it when the going got tough. I met a challenge head on. I am happy that I did it. I guess it is true that you never regret a workout!

I won't post my whole food journal for today, but I will post a recipe from dinner:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water or chicken stock/broth
3 cups baby spinach
1/2 vidalia onion diced
1 tsp minced garlic (more if you'd like)
3 tbsp parmesan cheese

Heat a skillet to medium high (I used Pam cooking spray Olive Oil, but you can use regular olive oil if you prefer), cook onion and garlic until onion is translucent and soft stirring often. Add quinoa and cook for about 2 minutes, until it is a golden brown. Add water, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to low. Simmer on low for 12 minutes. Add spinach at 12 minutes, let spinach wilt down as you stir it in. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the mixture. Once spinach is the consistency you desire and all water is evaporated, add your parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

I at 1/2 cup prepared with 4 oz of Salmon... FANTASTIC dinner! SO filling!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Three Miles and now a swim

No, I did not RUN three miles, but went on a three mile walk with my neighbor last night. I truly could have walked more-- we were clipping right along and I was working up a good sweat, but we knew if we went for a 4th mile the husbands would begin to get nervous as to our whereabouts, so we cut it short. It was great and we kept our pace nice and quick. Today will be a pool day. I can hardly wait! My kids are in desperate need of some OUTDOOR exercise time! I'm just praying my bathing suit stays up... I don't have a bathing suit in my current size!!! I may have to stop at Target and get a new (cheap) suit.

I got all of my hair cut off last Thursday. I LOVE the cut, it absolutely accentuates all of the newly discovered angles in my face. So fun! I had her really blonde it up for me as well... it's my summer look and I LOVE IT! I feel so sassy! Hoping for a pedicure next week.

I must say, I am really loving KickBoxing! I don't know that I am great at it, but I love the way I feel after class. I love the fact that there is nary a dry spot on me after that class! Soaked from head to toe, eyes burning from the sweat! I wish I was able to take it twice a week, in addition to Body Back -- it truly is invigorating! And something I really needed to add to my life. I love coming home and teaching Matt what I learned.

Speaking of Matt... WOW, what an amazing support he has been and continues to be. He told me yesterday how proud he is of me and the work I am doing. He's an amazing husband and father. I am so blessed to have him. He works hard so that I can stay home with our precious children and he let's me use his hard earned money for making myself healthier. He is so UNselfish. AND, he doesn't complain that I've changed up the food we eat in our home. He's perfectly content with what I make, even though he is not a big fan of veggies. He is such an encouragement to me. I love that I am able to feed him good healthy foods and he doesn't push back against me. If he wants to eat junk, he knows not to bring it in the house to tempt me. If I don't feel like working out one night, he doesn't nag me to get up and do it, rather he supports me by cheering me on when I DO get up and workout (which works best for me... you cheer me on, I'm more apt to do something, you nag me and I quit or give up). He bought me an ipod nano for Easter/Mother's Day -- and loaded it with songs for me to work out to. He got me set up with Nike Active, he put a pedometer fitness app on my nano. He is 100% behind my efforts in the most loving way. I wish everyone could have a spouse like this! As with anyone he has his faults, but his love for me and his encouragement on this journey are just overwhelming and make me feel so very empowered. Thanks, Chewie, for loving me the way you do, supporting me the way you do and for being the best spouse I could have ever been paired with... You are amazing and I adore you!

This journey has been so fun. You know I was scared to death to start. Scared of failure. Scared of looking foolish. Scared of falling (wait, I'm still scared of falling). I knew that this journey was not just a health journey, but a step of FAITH to trust in the body that the Lord gave me. If I'm thanking anyone for this journey, first and foremost, my thanks has to go to GOD for creating a body and putting me in it and giving me legs and arms that work, a heart that pumps correctly. God is my sustainer on this journey. He is what ultimately keeps me going, because I know my body belongs to HIM and was a gift from Him. I need to keep it in good condition as it is His temple! I am happy to work out knowing that I'm doing it for the glory of God. And my "mantra" is Philippians 4:13 -- "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." -- This is what I repeat to myself when things get hard. I lean on my strength from Him! I know that God had a purpose in sending me on this journey and I TRUST he will not let me give up or fail at this. I am so thankful to have Him to lean on during all of this!

I'd be wrong to end this post right here... because there is another BIG THANK YOU I need to make and that is to Angel Allgrim! As soon as Angel knew I had won the first session of Body Back, she immediately became my accountability partner. She challenged me and I accepted and met her challenge head on. She started her journey 13 pounds lighter than where I started my journey, so she KNEW the obstacles that I would face. She knew the emotions that would try to hold me back. She was never going to let me turn tail and run and give up! She has been an enormous support in this journey. If it weren't for her, I don't know that I'd even be ON this journey. She is an inspiration to me every single day! She is one of the strongest people I have ever met. Really, you should see her do a resistance run... I tried explaining it to Matt this way, "Picture in your head a cartoon... you have two evenly matched people lined up ready to do a run across the gym -- Angel takes off, and the poor soul trying to provide resistance, digs their heels down into the carpet to hold her back... and then wooooooshhhhhhhh the carpet all scrunches up as this person is dragged across the room at full speed, smoke coming from their heels." If I could draw it I would! You've never seen power like an Angel resistance run! She is inspiring. She doesn't give up or give in. She has lost 50 lbs on her journey, and I'm tagging along right behind her, learning everything I can and trying hard to keep up! Everyone should have an accountability partner like Angel. She is an amazing encouragement. Her desire to see me succeed is so awesome! There is no competition between us, we both just want to be the healthiest moms and wives we can be for our families! And we want to see each other succeed so that we can maybe inspire others to want to do this for themselves and their families. Thanks, Angel, for being an amazing friend, encouragement and accountability partner. I could not be where I am today if it was not for you. I'm SO VERY BLESSED that God put you in my life! Love you, girl!!! YOU ROCK!!!

OK, now I'm going to go SWIMMING for the rest of the day. Enjoy your Memorial Day! Oh and I have been journaling, so please don't fret!!! :) I have a goal to get to, and I know how to get there, so don't worry, I am TOTALLY sticking to the plan! WOOHOOO!!!! 258, here I come! (by the way, that will be 30 lbs down since March 1!!!) :D

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Holiday weekend, where's my holiday?

This holiday weekend is not feeling so "happy" -- our house is in desperate need of going on the market, yet there are projects upon projects that still need doing. It is so very frustrating! I'm to a point that I just want to throw all of the kids toys away! There is just too much junk in this house.

The yard is mowed, the house is painted, the new roof is in place... but inside it feels like it will never be ready. This is my highest source of stress at the moment. That and the fact that we have got to pack up EVERYTHING that is not essential in everyday living and get it into a storage unit. Last week I worked on Winter clothes/coats/accessories. Now, I'm trying to clean out all clothes that no longer fit anyone in the family and won't fit anyone in the future. Truly, we have more clothes than one family should be allowed. AND, I'm the guilty party. I love buying clothes for my kids! My sister keeps my son dressed with my nephew's hand me downs, but I still buy him extra polos and shorts for school. My girls pass down dresses from Oldest to youngest... I try to weed out the play clothes, but it seems we still have more than our fair share! And the mountain of laundry in my laundry room proves it. I think for summer, the girls will have to have about 4 essential outfits that I will just rotate out -- everything else needs to just GO! Except dresses... they have to have dresses. And shoes, I have shoes coming out of my ears!!! Where do they all come from? It's like they multiply, but their partners go off with a partner from another pair, never to be found again... There are just so many shoes, and no one seems to have a match! We are a flip flop family. We love our flops. We each have at least two pair flip flops. Then the kids have sandals, tennis shoes, dress shoes... it doesn't end! I've got to develop a system, my current system (a shoe basket for each person) is not working.

I have hit the gold fish today... granted I've not had a whole serving, but I've had a 1/2 a serving... and that is a waste, because I could have spent the calories on something much more fulfilling! Stress eating is annoying. I do have a salad prepared and ready, so if I feel stressed and MUST eat something, I have a good choice ready to roll, no more relying on little goldfish that don't satisfy or fill me up!

Well, the laundry is still beckoning! One load washed, dried and folded, one in the dryer and one in the wash ready to roll to the dryer. Still a mountain left to tackle! Will I see the end of it by Monday??? I certainly hope so. I'm so tired of looking at it! Hopefully storage unit will be ready tomorrow... and we can start hauling things out of this house! I'm so ready. And my house that I want, just stands there waiting for our offer... it won't stay on the market forever! It's time we made our move. Our family needs this... a house made for a family of six, rather than our house made for a family of 4. I'm so ready for my "long term" home!

Hopefully, at some point, I'll get out for a walk and clear my head a bit!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Body Back week 5 -- down!

I cannot believe my 13 week of body back is over... it's going so quickly! We started class without Rachel, but once she got there, she worked us to the core... no literally... we did 6.5 minute planks... THAT takes stamina. I had to take many rests, but I always popped back up.

Wall sits and resistance runs were also in the line up today! I LOVE resistance runs! OMG they make you feel like a powerhouse! something about holding someone back from running across the gym and then pulling someone across the gym just by running! Best part about it... I touched the wall before Rachel on the run! Angel beat the both of us, but it was SO awesome not finishing last in something today! :D It felt like an accomplishment!

Now I'm heading to bed so that I can make it to kickboxing in the early morning! I posted my food journal on our body back forum, so I am skipping it here tonight! I'll post weekend food journals by Sunday night!

G'night and God Bless! xo

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Slow and Steady Wins the Race...

If "slow and steady wins the race" is true, then I am well on my way to winning my battle of the bulge! At today's weigh in I did not meet my goal of making it to the 250's. Bummer... however, I cannot complain. I lost 4.5 lbs in 2 weeks. 2.25 lbs. per week... that's fantastic! So, I'm sitting at 262.0 down from 269.5 when I started this 8 weeks, down from 288.0 when I began my journey on March 1. That's 26 total pounds in just under 3 months. Again, I cannot complain! I am wearing clothing that I could have never worn 3 months ago. I am running, I am sprinting, I am doing planks and push ups, sit ups, wall sits, lunges, crunches, squats, mountain climbers. So, I didn't hit 259.5 like I so desperately wanted, but it doesn't even matter. I have 3.5 weeks of class left and I CAN get there. I just have to stay focused and committed. 2.5 lbs is doable in the next 3 weeks. I can do this!

Now to start my day with my family. It's the last week of school for my son, my daughter's AR party is this week. I meet with the nutritionist tonight, I meet with the national walk coordinator today and the rest of my week is super busy. Really looking forward to some pampering on Thursday afternoon, it's been a long time coming and I can't wait!

I think there will be afternoon dance parties everyday this week, as I need to add in some extra cardio and I have to lay off running because of my knee (grrr... NOT happy about that). Time to step up my game to the next level. I have a goal to meet! :)

Monday, May 23, 2011

Monday

Here were are at Monday! I've been moody all day. I think partly because I'm really wanting to make my goal tomorrow, but not certain I've achieved it! I am proud of myself, however, for running 2 miles last night, and that accomplishment trumps the weight anyway!

The other reason I am moody is because we are waiting on word for something, and I get anxious during these times. I used to deal with this anxiety by eating. Now I am TRYING to not use food as my go to for stress! So, I'm trying writing out as my stress reliever! I love to write, so this should be a good trade off!

Today was an excellent food day (in my opinion) -- pretty stoked with my choices today, though there is always room for improvement!

Breakfast
Veggies (mushrooms, onions, peppers) and egg whites (omelet) -- on top of a bed of spinach leaves and topped with salsa
Strawberries, blueberries and banana

Snack
string cheese and 1/2 serving of wheat thins

Lunch
Black bean burger on 1/2 slice of roll up bread, topped with simply ketchup, onion, tomato and spinach
6 cheez-its

Snack
Granola Bar

Dinner
chicken and veggies topped with salsa, 1 bite of a cheese crisp (made w/ lite cheese)
1/2 a yogurt

Sunday, May 22, 2011

What a weekend!!!

OK, So Friday Food Journal --
English Muffin/v. sausage
turkey wrap w/ spinach, peppers, onions
Movie Popcorn (a small, shared with a friend, no butter)
550 cal. Island Grilled Shrimp dinner at AppleBees
(need to look up my snacks, I have them written down elsewhere)

Saturday Food Journal--
English Muffin/v. sausage/low fat colby jack slice
5 shrimp (left over from Friday dinner)
Turkey wrap w/ spinach, peppers, onions
granola bar
2 slices Cheese pizza
spinach, onions, peppers, feta cheese & balsamic vinaigrette

Sunday Food Journal--
English Muffin/ v. sausage/low fat colby jack slice
banana
Kashi dark chocolate mocha almond granola bar
grilled chicken sandwich w/ lettuce and tomato (whole wheat bun)
yogurt


Hasn't been my best eating ever this weekend... but the weekend was awesome. Friday night, I took my precious friend out to the movies for her birthday. Saturday started off with grocery shopping and then soccer for the kids. Following that, our friends came over and we worked on decluttering and took several boxes and bags to Goodwill!

This morning was amazing! I got up at 5:30 am and headed to Stafford VA to meet up with one of my CHF board members. We drove up to American University. Of course we got lost, but it was the best tour of DC I've ever had! Oh my gracious!!! The embassies were fascinating! We finally made it to American University, where we set up for and then participated in the Congenital Heart Walk DC Metro. We had a HUGE turnout. We met some amazing people. And most of all we just had fun raising money for such an important cause (the NUMBER 1 birth defect in the world!) Following the walk, we headed home. Then my kids had their end of the year choir performances at church. Once we got home from that, we put the kids to bed and I decided it was much to beautiful a night to stay in, so I chose to go for a run. The night was so gorgeous that I did not stop with my 1 mile, but rather continued and completed TWO miles! This was a first for me!

Earlier in the day, a family member (that I love) posted some pictures of me from two weeks ago that absolutely deflated me when I saw them. I thought "I'm working SO hard, and yet I still look so sloppy and fat. It's just gross and depressing." I told Matt my feelings and he looked at me and said, "Are you going to let some PICTURE determine how you feel, or are you going to rely on the way your clothes are fitting?" -- he had a good point. SO, then I turn on the computer, and my friend posted a picture from the Heart Walk this morning... and I could see all the hard work I've been putting in and the pay off. I was also able to try on and zip up several size 18's tonight. Then topping it off with a 2 mile run (no stops)... I feel MUCH better. I just needed a boost after those pictures. Now I'm ready to go to sleep and tackle the new week. I know I should have had more to eat today, but I did not plan well for the business of my day!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Just a quick one...

Feeling so great about the progress as of late. Parted with 3 bags of clothes today. Parting with another bag tomorrow! Super excited to be FITTING in smaller clothes!

Food journal for Wednesday

English Muffin w/ Veggie Sausage
dried fruit and nuts
grilled chicken on whole wheat w/ lettuce and tomato
triscuits/string cheese
homemade shrimp and veggie fajita on w.w. tortilla w/ lettuce

drank all of my water

NEED to get to the grocery store for some fresh fruit!!!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Back Again!

OK, that was annoying ... blogger was down for a few days and I was unable to blog... very frustrating. Anyway, we are back now and I'm ready to bring you up to speed! We recommitted ourselves to the program last week as we are entering week 4 which tends to be the week where people lose steam. I am FULL STEAM AHEAD! I am determined to see the 250's during this 8 weeks. I am 7 lbs from that goal, and I WANT to achieve it. I also want to see improvement in my push ups and planks (working on them at home AS well as during class).

I had a major accomplishment this week -- Friday night my husband and I were to attend my friend's 40th birthday party. She threw herself a big BALL (formal, think Prom) for her 40th -- What a wonderful night. I think I danced for 2.5 hours straight (only cut out for water during slow songs)... It was a major workout, and I loved every moment of it. In March, she and I had gone shopping to find dresses for the party. We both found dresses we loved. Mine was purple. It was a size 24. Beautiful gown. Well, obviously, it no longer fit by this past weekend. SO, I had to find something else to wear. (By the way, she ended up finding another gown and wearing that instead of the one we picked out... lol) -- So, I knew I had two dresses in my closet that still had tags on them and had never been worn! One was a 22 and the other a 20. I didn't really like the 22 -- it just didn't feel "appropriate" for the occasion, a little too conservative and plain, though it is a cocktail dress. SOOOOO... I tried on the size 20... a royal blue straight gown, that just skims the body, spaghetti straps -- not over the top fancy, but also not too conservative. I tried it on, and IT FIT! HUGE milestone right there, considering in March I was pretty much in a 26, squeezing myself into a 24!

So, let's fast forward to Friday morning. I decided to try on a pair of jeans that had been chillin in my dresser drawer for several years (probably close to 6 years) -- They were size 20. I slid the jeans up over my hips. They were quite snug. BUT, I thought, hey, I may actually be able to button and zip these... and so I gave it a try. Low and behold, they zipped and buttoned! They were tight (think major muffin top) BUT, I couldn't even pull 22's up over my thighs in March, and here it is May and I can not only pull 20's over my thighs, but my hips too, AND I can button and zip them! Matt asked if I could sit in them. I told him there was only one way to find out. And I sat down on the bed. The button did NOT fly across the room, as I had feared it may! AND I could still breathe! I was in the happiest of shock! And, re-motivated to continue to work hard! :)

Now, about food journalling... do you think that because the blog was down, I stopped journalling my food??? Do you? Well, if you do, you don't believe in me too much! ;) I kept up with the journaling by writing everything down on a yellow piece of paper I keep on my fridge! I will spare you the days that were missed... but I will add today's food intake. I will say that I had 5 parties to attend this weekend. I made it to only 3 of them. At one party, I ate nothing, but did drink water. At the next party (catered), I enjoyed a mini salmon cake, one bite of a mushroom stuffed with blue cheese (so delicious!), 3 cubes of cheese, carrot sticks and peppers, one sip of the birthday girl's signature drink (I let the hubby finish it, very very very sweet drink), then for birthday cake she had purple velvet cupcakes. The husband got one and I took one bite of it... just enough. Then Saturday I was at a Tastefully Simple tasting party. The hostess fixed a tray filled with glorious veggies -- so while I did TASTE the dips and sauces, I did so with veggies for the most part. I may have had 12 chips, total. I ate one bite of the apple cake (and I made sure my bite had a huge chunk of apple, rather than cake). Also, when dipping, I made sure I just tasted the product, rather than slathering my chips or carrots in the sauces and dips. I also ate 4 pieces of beer bread (but could have eaten a whole lot more, that stuff is my weakness) -- luckily, I planned ahead for that day and adjusted my calories to leave plenty of room for tasting. I also had a sip of a vodka lemon slushy -- it was good, but not worth more than the small sip I took. I prefer to EAT my calories! All in all, I feel I planned ahead well for my party filled weekend, and I do not believe that I "over did it" at any of the events. I practiced a lot of self control and I am pleased with my weekend.

I found a treat at Target tonight. This will NOT be an everyday snack for me. This will be when I am having a hankering for Frappuccinos! Tonight, I found a Kashi Granola Bar -- it's Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond -- and if I drink ice cold water with it, then I feel like I'm treating myself to a frapp, without having the calories and guilt! :) It's 130 calories... a perfect snack! AND it's very filling!

OK so here is today's food journal, and then I'm hitting the hay so I can attempt to run in the morning (weather willing)
Breakfast
2 eggwhite omelet with spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers, salsa and parmesan cheese

Lunch
Grilled chicken, lettuce and tomato on whole wheat bun (275 cal)

snacks
5 triscuits and 1 string cheese
1 Granola Bar (Kashi) with dried fruit

Dinner
Turkey Spaghetti with very veggie sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan

AND I had all of my water! :)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Terrific Tuesday

This morning was a kick BOOTY workout... no literally... we worked on our booty today! I can say, with a smile on my face, my butt HURTS... and why am I happy that it hurts? because that means my butt is changing shape and shaping up! WOOOHOOOO!!!! My shoulders also hurt, and I'll be demonstrating to my sister in just a moment, those downward dog shoulder dips we did. Other parts of me hurt as well (like my abs) -- I love it! Change is happening! :)

We weighed in today, and while my weight loss was modest, it was still happiness to me! I've gone from 288 lbs down to 266.5! Yes, that is nearly 22 lbs, folks! :) I am beyond thrilled! It sure is motivating!

Here is my food journal for Tuesday, 5/10

Breakfast
English muffin w/ veggie sausage

Snack
1/2 small chocolate chip muffin at Muffins with Mom at my son's preschool (he selected my muffin for me)
string cheese

Lunch
Spinach and field greens salad w/ peppers, onions and feta cheese w/ balsamic vinaigrette
Blueberry fruit thin

Snack
fruit salad and 1/4 cup cottage cheese
2 bites of pudding (made some for Maegan who had oral surgery)

Dinner
Ate at Kitchen 64
Fish Tacos:
grilled fish, lettuce, pico de gallo, avocado on 6 in flour tortillas (2, but only 1 w/ avocado)
1/2 cup rice & beans
(boxed up the 3rd taco and the rice & beans)

I have had more water than I care to think about -- at least 20 oz at class, 32 oz at home, then at least 32 oz at dinner

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!

What a great day! My children sang in church this morning. We followed that up by coming home and changing. Then we went out to watch my nephew play football. Following that, we took my mom out to late lunch at Plaza Azteca. (my brother and sister came along, which was great. Mom had all but my nephew there celebrating with her.) Once we finished there, we drove back to mom's house to wait for my nephew to be dropped off by his dad. (Yes, his father is THAT much of a jerk that for the 2nd year in a row he violated his visitation rights and kept my nephew on mother's day.) Once he arrived, we played frisbee in the front yard and laughed and laughed. I think my mom was happy to have all of her children and grandchild with her (even if only for a few moments) on Mother's Day. Now the kids are headed to bed. I am going to put on my workout clothes, and head out for a quick jog! I'm a little full from, late lunch, so this may be more of a slog than anything! ;)

Food from today:
Breakfast:
Eng. muffin, v. sausage, cheese
Snack:
cottage cheese, dried fruit/nuts
Lunch/Dinner:
2 tablespoons Guacamole (fresh)
2 tablespoons Mexican Rice
Aztecal. Salad (shrimp and chicken over lettuce, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, green peppers, onions... and I added salsa rather than using salad dressing)

In our visit to Plaza Azteca 4 bowls of chips were brought to our table. I had ZERO. :D Following our meal, they brought out complimentary sopapillas... again, I had none! :) And I did not feel one bit deprived!
It was a gorgeous day and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect Mother's Day!

*** UPDATE *** I RAN the ENTIRE MILE tonight! Not stopping, no walking... I ran my very first FULL MILE! WOW! I feel extremely strong! :D

Weekend Journaling

So, I did not do such a great job of journaling since Friday! That is all on me! It's been a wild couple of days. Friday morning, my oldest had oral surgery, my youngest three were and still are sick (ear infections/respiratory distress). I did not leave the house at all on Friday. Saturday was completely different, we left at 7:30 am and returned at noon and I left at 1 and did not get home until 9:30 p.m. -- exhausting. Saturday morning was soccer games. I was ill prepared! The morning rush was in such haste that I completely forgot to make my breakfast or pack snack for the soccer field. Luckily, the husband had cash on him and we were able to purchase bottles of water (I even forgot the kids' water bottles) and snacks. I opted for the nut/raisin mix (120 calories, but I shared it with the kids and my dad). When we returned home, I had to rush to get things ready to take to my cousin's house for the post funeral family gathering. Again, I was ill prepared. I called my sis and asked her to grab a bag of carrots at the store. I had hummus, so I knew I could take that and there would be SOMETHING I could eat up there!

I was in a full on headache when I got home, so I chugged some water and went straight on to bed.

Friday's Journal
Breakfast
english muffin, veggie sausage, lite cheese
snack
Cottage Cheese
Lunch
Black Bean burger, 1/2 a 110 calorie wrap, spinach, onion, pepper and tomato
1/2 serving of whole wheat cheezits
Snack
Carrots and Hummus
Dinner
wilted spinach with sauteed mushrooms and garlic, feta and parm cheeses
1/2 cup Blood Orange Sorbet

all of my water

Saturday
1/2 bag of raisins & nuts
eng. muffin, v. sausage, lite cheese
1/2 serving cottage cheese
dried fruit
green beans and potato
carrots and hummus
beer bread w/ dipping oil/balsamic vinegar
fresh pineapple
veggie/barley soup

I can't even tell you how many bottles of water I drank, but it was a lot.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Wednesday

So, today is Wednesday, and it is the day before Cinco De Mayo! I had my meals all planned out and executed when I showed up at church tonight and my oldest daughter said, "Mom, come with me, we have a Mother's Day Tea!" -- I had NOT planned for that at all, but I had not reached my 1400 calories for the day, even with my planned out meals (I had about 100 cal. left). Maegan offered to fix my plate, and she listened to my request and only put peanuts and 2 mints on my plate. I only ate about 8 of the peanuts and both of the mints and had a cup of tea. So, I may have slightly gone over 1400 calories. The tea was very sweet and I had a wonderful time with my sweet girl.

Here is how the rest of my day went:
Breakfast
Eng. muffin, Veggie Sausage, 2% colby jack
Snack
Dried fruit/nut mix
Lunch
Turkey Wrap with spinach, onions and orange peppers
8 whole grain cheez-it crackers
Snack
Cottage Cheese and granola bar
Dinner
Grilled Chicken w/ salad

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Today was one of those crazy days!

I made it to Body Back this morning. SOOOOOOOOOOO glad to be back at it. As much as I THINK I don't like it while I'm working out, then I accomplish something, and realize I LOVE it! It is so unlike any exercising I've ever done before. Today, I was able to go lower with my pushups than ever before -- that was a HUGE accomplishment for me. Also, today, I actually did step ups onto a BENCH -- before, I've only been able to do curb step ups. I was really proud of myself for challenging and pushing myself to do it. It was NOT easy in the least! However, my left leg was more successful than my right, which was a surprise to me! I finished our short jog with a run to the finish ... as I'd saved some push for the end! Planks were a killer today. My shoulders and triceps are feeling it! The crunches today were amazing! My stomach is not flat by any means, however, I can feel the stomach flattening with each crunch... THAT feels great!

Upon arriving home, I called the doctor and made a follow up ear appointment with the pediatrician for my son. Then I had to run the oldest to school, then I had to run to the preschool to drop off breakfast for the teachers and let them know Wils wouldn't be there today. I got home and rested a moment ate breakfast, then showered and packed the car with the three youngest and headed off for Dr. Mapp. On the way there, Wils declared, "Mom, I have a double ear infection." -- I told him we should leave it to Dr. Mapp to diagnose.

This was my first time taking the 3 of them by myself. My husband almost always comes with us, or stays home with some of them. Things were going well. Dr. Mapp looked in Wils' ears and sure enough, Wils accurately self-diagnosed! Double E.I. and back on antibiotics. Then he listened to Wils' lungs... not clear -- wheezing like a champ. That means we are back on albuterol. He's still on Zyrtec and now we've had to add in Singulair. My poor boy. So, then I asked him if he thought I should make an appointment for Cait, because she sounded a little wheezy. He went ahead and listened right then... sure enough, she was wheezing. He wanted to get her registered and do a breathing treatment in the treatment room.

OK, If I thought my Body Back class was hard today, and that my arms were fatigued... well, that was a cake walk to what I was about to go through. Caitlynn is a tiny 17 lbs at nearly 14 months old. However, as little as she is, that baby is STRONG like an ox! (Even Dr. Mapp commented on how strong she is.) Imagine being given a greased piglet that you have to give a breathing treatment to... well that would be my experience with Cait. She FREAKED out! Snot was flying, she was screaming, we were both sweating and I have no clue if she breathed in ANY of the medicine. I nearly dropped her about 12 times. I was trying to hold her arms down so I could keep the mask on her face. She was having NONE of it and would wrestle those arms loose and start wildly grabbing for the mask. She even tried to BITE me! Wils and Mia were bored at this point and would not sit still! I was ever so thankful when he said we could go, but she'd have to have breathing treatments every 4-6 hours for the next 2 days (while awake) --- Oh boy!

SO, even with my wild day... I was not discouraged and I was not tempted to eat poorly (it really helps that I do NOT keep a lot of junk in the house!) The food journal breakdown goes like this:
Breakfast
English Muffin (multigrain always and only 100 cal)
Veggie Sausage patty
2% colby jack cheese
spinach

Snack
1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
1 granola bar

Lunch
SHRIMP (approx 4 oz)
carrots/hummus

Snack
Popcorn (1 serving)

Dinner
Black beans and corn with salsa and hot sauce

I'll probably have 1/2 a cup of Blood Orange Sorbet later if hungry -- it's 60 calories!!! And all natural ingredients.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

A brand new week!

Sunday has come and gone and a new week has begun. This past week was strange without having BodyBack classes... they had class this week, only Matt was out of town, so I could not go... and actually, on Tuesday (which was assessment day), I was battling the stomach bug! YUCK!

Now Matt is home again and life is getting back to normal. Tomorrow is Matt's birthday. We started celebrating last night and continued tonight. Tomorrow night, I will take treats to soccer practice and let the kids sing Happy Birthday to Coach Matt. We will relive that again on Thursday night with the 2nd team he coaches. Tuesday, I'm not sure how we will celebrate. We will let him choose. In our house, your birthday is actually celebrated for a week! I'm looking forward to it.

Now that I am finally back to eating normal again, I've restarted journaling (there were a couple of days I ate nothing, so I wrote nothing down)...

Sunday, May 1, 2011
Breakfast

Veggie omelet with pepper jack cheese and salsa

Snack
dried fruit and nuts

Lunch
Black Bean Burger on multigrain english muffin w/ Spinach, tomato and ketchup (organic/all natural)

Dinner (skipped afternoon snack, because I knew we were going out to dinner and I would not have as much control over my meal)
Crab Cake sandwich w/ caesar side salad (no croutons) -- I ate the crab cake, sans bread
2 sips of Matt's watermelon mojito
3 pieces of Matt's popcorn (we were at Cinebistro)

drank 8 glasses of water +