Giddyup!

As of my last post I had put on 4 lbs up at the cabin.  Well this little post here made me saddle up Ol' Nelly and keep on keepin' on.

I weighed myself last week on Saturday around 12:00 when we returned from the Bachanalian revelry that was the family vaction.  And I weighed myself today at around the same time (central standard time).  I am proud to say that I am down 7 lbs.  How cool is that?

And you know how I did it?  I made two goals for myself this week.  They were small goals too. 

Goal *1 - Drink those 64 ozs of water.  At SlimGenics I had to drink 80 (yes 80) ozs of water everyday so you would think 64 ozs would be easy to down.  .  .  But it's not!  

Goal *2 - Don't eat after dinner.  That was hard!  In the summer I go to bed really late because I have the whole summer off to sleep in (perks of being a teacher).  I tend to watch tv with the old man and then we eat. 

I didn't reach those two goals each day but I did my best to try!

So now my next goal might be to cut the fat free french vanilla creamer from my coffee every morning.  But I seriously get the withdrawal shakes when I think about doing that.  We'll see!

Thanks HWHL ladies.  I'm not half the woman I used to be but I am down some!

I Loved ZUMBA Even Though I Looked Like A Spastic Dork Doing It

I took a Zumba class from my local rec center this week, to fulfill this session's challenge. I'd been eyeing it for a few weeks, but it took an invitation from one of my friends from church and book club to finally get me there. It was so much fun! But remember Elaine from Friends? Remember her spastic dancing? That's how I felt in class on Tuesday. But it was so much fun, I had fantasies about actually being good at it one day. Needless to say, I'm going to be taking more Zumba classes in the future. I took my camera with me to class to take pictures of myself with some of my friends from church, but class had already started when I got there, and everyone was too hot and sweaty afterwards for pics. So, here's an intro video about Zumba:



This lady in my class, who I also visit teach, had on these cool "Zumba pants" that have little streamers in strategic places, so that while you dance the streamers move in time to the music. Of course, she looked great all throughout class, but it made me think, what if I could do that some day? I wouldn't dare do it now, because I DO NOT need to draw attention to my rear end. But who doesn't love to accessorize for a great workout? Check out eBay for Zumba pants, and you can also find more info about zumba at www.zumba.com. I'm pretty sure I'm going to break 200 pounds by my birthday at the end of October, and I've been wondering what would be a great b-day gift. How about some sassy Zumba pants?

I'll be shakin' my thing soon!

I Did a Post

And instead of re writing it here, you can check it out here: http//stepbystepsupport.blogspot.com/2010/07/wow.html

The Time Has Come

Okay, the time has come to start adding up those numbers. If I'm correct, the challenge ends today. If I'm wrong, someone correct me. Audrey will be back in town Sunday and will be awarding the new challenge winner. Post your numbers here.

Thanks for a great night!

I have to tell everyone who came to dinner last night THANK YOU!! What a wonderful evening with AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL women! I was so impressed with every single one of you. It's crazy how at "home" I felt the minute we met. It was so fun to meet you in person and know that you are who you say you are and so much more!

Audrey, thank you for googling me :) and welcoming me with open arms. I have felt so much love and support. Thank you for starting this blog and for keeping us going.

It was so great to be with you last night; I didn't want the night to end! I am looking forward to meeting all of you someday. Your stories and insights give me more strength then you will ever know. This is so much MORE than a "weight loss" blog. It is finding out how to tap into your inner you and let everyone see; including our own selves.

Some of you were asking about my family blog keepmovingahead.blogspot.com feel free to look anytime. I am looking forward to getting all to getting all the other personal blogs from you ladies too!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!

I've had a few Jillian Michaels DVD's sitting in my drawer, just waiting to be used. I decided to give them a try this week. FUN! FUN! These will have to be worked into my routine.

I can do hard things

HELLO LADIES!
I've missed you!

My summer craziness is over and it's time to get back on the blog. I return a little heavier, a little doughier, but ready to fully re-commit. While absent I maintained some good habits, and let others slip, but at least I was aware. Aware that I was making a bad choice. Aware of the consequences of those choices. Aware that at some point I'd have to pay the piper. Payment was made in part yesterday morning when I stepped on the scale and went for my first run in three weeks. I'm up five pounds, and the run was, well, grueling. I actually stopped and walked for the first time ever. Then I sat down on an electrical box and cried for a little bit. Then I got up and ran/walked home. I should have started with a shorter run. I'm still recovering from the lack of sleep last week on Trek.

Trek was awesome. Matt and I both left with that day-after-Christmas feeling. We pulled/pushed a handcart for 30 miles across the plains of Wyoming. Half of that was on day three, at Rocky Ridge. The trek over Rocky Ridge was intense, and after a night of rain (and hail!) very muddy. Our family was asked to pull a second handcart, because the church needed them transported. That meant we were spread thin, and I pulled the handcart for around 13 1/2 miles. The amazing thing is, I was up for it! I did it, and I felt good when it was done. I was worn out, slightly stiff, and a little sore (I think that was more due to sleeping on the hard ground with nothing but a sleeping bag as padding.) And that's all thanks to this blog! I'm so grateful that I didn't have to worry about the physical aspect of Trek. I had complete confidence that I could do it, no problem. If they would have asked us before I was a part of this blog, I wouldn't have had that confidence. So thanks girls, especially Audrey!

The night before, I heard the Stake Young Women's president chatting with a bunch of girls about the day ahead. We knew it was going to be tough, and she was speaking a few words of encouragement. She said, "What was our lesson about girls? I can do..."

"Hard Things!" one girl replied.

That sentiment was like a glass of cold water in my face. It woke me up. I knew immediately it was to be my new motto. There is so much power in that one thought! I can do hard things! Of course I can. Not only that, but I am CHOOSING to do hard things, and that's even more powerful. Making a lifestyle change is difficult, but it's certainly possible. In fact, it's the purpose of life; to fight off the natural man, to try our best to be like Jesus. It's not only possible, it's EXPECTED of us. Doesn't that make it seem more attainable? It does to me!

Here's the tough part: Sometimes, I don't want to do hard things. I'm tired. I want to sit down on an electrical box and have a little cry. And I think that's okay, as long as I get up again. Because of the Savior, we have an endless amount of do-overs. And that is something for which I am truly grateful.

Spaghetti tricks

I did something sneaky. And something healthy. And it was for my whole family. I used 1/3 whole wheat noodles to 2/3 regular white noodles when I made spaghetti last night. I made sure to mix the all noodles in with the sauce before serving it up to the troops. And you know the punch line: nobody noticed the difference! They all gobbled it right up! Next time I'm flipping the ratios. Bru ha ha ha. (Evil healthy mama laugh).

Quote

I read this on a blog this morning and absolutely loved the writing and meaning behind it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did:

I see it now, you surrendered to food. I don't mean that you gave up and relinquished your power to it in the conventional definition of "surrender"....no, you took a big sigh and made the decision to stop fighting against it. To accept that food was there to stay, and like any other reality, it had to be accepted and dealt with, collaboratively. If you couldn't beat it (and yourself) into submission, conquer it, than you had to find a way to co exist with it, in a way that allowed you both to flourish. That way, you're still you, in charge of you, enjoying and living with food which is free to be whatever it is.

AWESOME!

Recipe for faux chow mein

Faux chow mein - not too bad but definately not your chow mein from the take out place.

Frozen chicken strips
Peas
Celery
Bean sprouts
Onion
Salt to taste (I use Morton's light salt -same great taste just less sodium)
Whole wheat Ak-Mak crackers (in the fancy cracker aisle) for topping (1 cracker per serving)
1 - 2 tsp. olive oil

***You can make some to freeze so I didn't put measurments on the foods. 

----------------
Cut celery and onions.  Heat pan with olive oil.

Sautee chicken strips, peas, celery, bean sprouts, and onion until hot.

Serve with 1 Ak-Mak cracker broken into bits on top.

I don't know how many calories it is but it's way less than real chow mein.

-------------------

Let me know if you try it and if you like it.

Thanks!

For Lori - Take It From the Cowboys & Cowgirls

Thoughts from the Cokeville Junior Rodeo -

Staying on the horse isn't what matters. It's getting back on more times than you fall off. You'll beat that horse in the end.

Fat Chick Walked/Ran the 5K Today!

I loved the story of Mindy's run in Boulder earlier this summer. That was some seriously awesome writing. I'm jealous. There's a secret part of me that thinks she could be a writer, I mean get paid to do it professionally, but I keep reading things that are a ton better than what I can do, between blogging and books, so I never go anywhere with it. I think I'll just stick to the reading and blogging.

But I digress. Here's the post I put on my personal health blog about my first 5K race experience:

It was a bright, chilly morning in Cokeville today. Someone said it was a little over 40 degrees, better than freezing, but still. Sue got me up at 5:30 am to head over to the park. On the way there, I was excited, thinking about the awesome feat I was going to accomplish today, doing a 5K and attempting to run part of it. A great thing, you know, for a fat chick. But I wasn't worried about whether or not I could finish, I mean I've been working out for a month, I just envisioned the feeling of success at the finish line. I'm just glad no one at registration was bold enough to enquire about my general health.

But as we headed up the canyon in Sue's friend's car, and the road just kept going and going, I thought, "Holy Cow, 3 miles is a long way!" At the top, standing around waiting for the race to start, I felt very conspicuous. I had to have been the heaviest person there. And not just that, I was the only one dorky enough to have a big camera strapped to me like a fanny pack. But since I knew it wasn't about racing, and just about finishing, I'd decided the night before to take my camera on the run.

Sue stretching out before the race.

Sue's friends, Becca and (Sue, fill in the blank, I'm horrible with names.)

Me and Sue, psyched and ready to go. It wasn't long into the race before I took off that sweatshirt, and tied it around my waist.

The race started right at 7:00am with a pistol shot. It only took about 10 seconds, maybe 20, for me to get left in the dust. Almost the entire rest of the way, the only people behind me were two walking moms with a stroller, and the 5-months-pregnant lady. I started off with a little jog, and it wasn't long before I started walking. As I was being passed, I could here someone say, "She's not even running." Yeah, shut up.

Just a little ways down the road, when almost everyone was still in a pack, these horses ran up to the gate to watch all the people pass.

It was so beautiful out there, with the sun coming up and the wonderful fresh air. If you're a runner, you want to live in Cokeville during the summer.

A small reminder that we are in ranch country.

I'd settled into a pace, where I would walk for a 20-count, then jog for a 20-count, gripping the tied sleeves of my sweatshirt to keep myself anchored. That count got longer, and longer, but when I rounded a corner, and saw this big house we'd passed on the way up, I knew I was getting closer.

It was a great feeling coming out of the canyon, and seeing the Flying J gas station. It couldn't have been much longer, about a mile or less, to the finish line. This was about the point where the "stroller chicks," as I came to think of them, were coming up on my heels, and I really wanted to beat them to the finish line. Sue met me at the corner of Main Street and the highway, where the cops were blocking traffic for the runners. It was great to see her. I eventually got passed by the stroller chicks, dang it, but I was determined not to get beat by the pregnant lady. I could hear her jogging behind me, and it occurred to me later that I cut a corner as I rounded the last bend before the finish line, because I was following Sue, who ran ahead to take my picture. I wonder if the pregnant lady was cussing at me. Oops!

Everyone clapped for me coming in to the finish line. It was great, although I bet they were thinking, "Man, I'm glad that's just about the last person, I'm ready for this to be done!"

Yey for me! My time was 47:56, which I thought was really good. I have short stubby legs, and I can rarely walk a 20-minute mile, so I know the jogging today helped my time. In total, I probably jogged about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way. Sue did really awesome with 28 minutes and change, meeting her goal of coming in under 30 minutes.

Me & Sue. Awesome!!

Our kids got up earlier than usual and met us just down the road from the park. Lily was after some donuts from the store. It wound up being closed, so later Zen took them down to the Flying J gas station to get them all sugared up. Thanks, sweetie.

It was good to see their sweet, crusty morning faces.

After the race, I just kept thinking, "Man, I gotta run more so I can run the whole 5K at Thanksgiving Point in October!" I ought to be 20 pounds lighter by then, and have broken 200 (oh, that is going to feel so good!!!), so I think it will be a good race. Sue, are you going to do the 10K?

Out of town and feeling the lbs.

I joined the blog and then went out of town for a week to a cabin wherin my family eats, drinks and be's merry for 6 days and 7 nights.  Grr.  I gained 4 pounds this week.  It was total anarchy.  So now I'm just going to start again tomorrow and aim for the things I was doing before.  I'm sure those 4 lbs will be gone soon because I do not eat like that at home.  Still. .  . grrrrrrr.

New Challenge

Wow, this blog has been really quite the last couple days. I hope most of you are out of town and enjoying the summer. I know Audrey is. In fact, she asked that I post a challenge for this round to keep us all motivated and going. Kind of funny, after reading Becky's last post, that was exactly the challenge I was going to do. I don't know about you, but I get exercise boredom really easily. That's when I begin to slip on everything. So by, next Friday, I want you to all try a new exercise. This doesn't need to be complicated. Some examples might be, go to the library and try a new exercise video, take the kids on a new hike, try running a little bit instead of walking (you might be surprised how in shape you've become), go for a bike ride instead of running. Looking for an easy, creative idea? Check out this website: http://workoutmommy.com/2010/04/07/deck-of-cards-workout/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Workoutmommycom+%28workoutmommy.com%29

This is a two part project and is worth 20 points: Do the exercise, and then tell us all about it. We could all use some new ideas! Can't wait to hear about the final results!

Try Something New

Walk it off, sister!

I did something new yesterday. I went on a small hike to the petroglyphs outside of Rock Springs, WY. You can read the full story, with 19 pics, on my regular blog at http://randomlyoddbits.blogspot.com/. It was a slow pace with little kids, and I probably didn't burn that many calories, but it was fun, and it got me thinking. I could shoot for a serious backpacking adventure sometime next summer, maybe Yellowstone Park. I've always wanted to visit there, and it's kind of lame that I've never been there, although I've managed to live in Wyoming for about 9 years of my life, about 5 years in college, and about 4 years now in Rock Springs. It would be a great goal to set.

I'm also attempting something new in the morning. I'm in town with my sister, maybe some of you know her, Sue? Ha, ha. Cokeville is celebrating its Centennial, and we came down to watch Lily in the junior rodeo. There is a 5K run in the morning, and I'm going to attempt it with Sue. Now, I will probably walk it more than I run it, but it feels like a good challenge to me. More tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Calling All Utah Women

October 9 2010

Where: Thanksgiving Point

Start Time: 10K Run starts at 8:30

5K Run/Walk starts at 8:35

Register: Open Now! $25(10K) $20(5K)

http://www.wasatchwoman.com/

http://www.active.com/

http://www.active.com/running/lehi-ut/wasatch-woman-love-your-body-5k10k-2010

(keyword: wasatch woman)

*Run is 3.72 miles (6K) to include Thanksgiving Point Gardens

I'm signed up! I'll be taking the kids so we'll most likely be doing the 5K walk. No men allowed! My mom did this run last year. The t-shirts were incredible. Cute design and my favorite, dri fit! The registration to pick up t shirts was a bit disorganized last year, but they said there are 5 places to pick your t shirt up this year. Anyone interested? What a perfect time of year for a race.

Dieting Humor

Okay, I don't know the source, but I ran across these over a year ago, and they're worth posting again. Enjoy!!

True. There are days when not only do you feel like eating the whole cake by yourself, you'd also eat the plate it came on.

Yep, yep, yep. It's a classic lesson in dieting math.

Dinner

I just sent out an e mail to all those in Utah next week. Check out your e mail and let me know your plans.

Good read anyone?

I think I have to read this book. It's only in hardback right now. But it sounds right up our alley. Here's a blurb from online:
"The way you eat is inseparable from your core beliefs about being alive. No matter how sophisticated or wise or enlightened you believe you are, how you eat tells all. The world is on your plate. When you begin to understand what prompts you to use food as a way to numb or distract yourself, the process takes you deeper into realms of spirit and to the bright center of your own life. Rather than getting rid of or instantly changing your conflicted relationship with food, Women Food and God is about welcoming what is already here, and contacting the part of yourself that is already whole—divinity itself."

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Congratulations to Becky!
She did an amazing job not only eating healthy but completing her 30 point challenge and getting started on something she wants to finish.

That's the way to stay well rounded girl! Keep up the good work and pushing us all.

There were many of us that were in the high 300's. Great job to you all!