No Excuses!!!!

It's me...I know it's hard to maintain or lose weight during the high carb/high calorie time of the year...but it's part of life, right?  In the summer it's all the summer salads and BBQ's that get us and now it's Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas Parties!

So sorry to report that I gain a bunch of weight this last month...between my sweet neighbors bringing over the high cal/high carb dinners and all the yummy bread and treats, plus my trip to New York to see my dad...I'm pretty sure they were out to sabotage me with cookies, brownies, cake and doughnuts...not to mention all the eating out!  No, I am not the pillar of strength I wish I was!  Luckily, it comes off as quickly as I put it on...so 7 lbs off this week!  I'm suppose to lose 11 more to get back to my Oct. 11th weight, but on Dec. 11th, I'm suppose to be down 6 more lbs than that to meet goal!  This will be one tough cookie to crack!

So for some encouragement, I joined the Maintain, Don't Gain contest at my gym.  The prize is the pot!  A couple or three hundred dollars, I believe.  Can you say...New Clothes!  The contest ends about mid January.  No more excuses!  I have the time and the mind to dedicate to seriously eating healthy and getting my exercise in!  Today was a kickbox class at 6 and an hour of 1 on 1 racquetball at 8.  I have been pretty good about keeping up the weight lifting...minimum of 2 times a week, but mostly 3 times.  Even in NY, I found a gym that would give me a free 1 week membership and my dad took me 3 times while I was there (So sweet of him!  He just ran an errand or read in the parking lot til I was done.  It was about 35 min. drive from where he lived).  Tomorrow is weights and racquetball.  Maybe I'll have to add 10-15 min on the treadmill just to make sure I'm burning the calories I need to.

The challenging part for me is to figure out what to eat and to have something for my boys to eat...that they like.  That's my goal today...make a menu!  Any suggestions?

Biggest Loser Finale

I'm the one in yellow!

So I know you are on pins and needles wondering how the Biggest Loser contest ended.  It was a great run!  We had a great trainer that would see us about 3 times a week.  She taught us how to eat healthy and the value of good cardio and weight lifting.  Most of all, she taught us how to stay on track while living life.  Not everyone can eat exactly what they should, every meal, every day...but we can still make good choices instead of excuses!

My team mate, Steve, won the grand prize...which, I'm sorry to say...were pretty lame prizes...but the real prize is our good health (is what I keep telling myself !) and the new friendships we formed.

Basically, I lost about 40 lbs total for the year...not enough to win the contest, but enough to look and feel more healthy.  With taking care of Jake...it was all I could do to maintain the past 2 months (not an excuse...just part of life)!  The physical strength I gained helped me to be able to lift Jake when needed and it gave me confidence and strength mentally to handle unexpected challenges.

I was ready to quit trying to lose more weight (about 20 more lbs to go), but I was reminded that I am also part of a Waist a Weigh program that requires me to lose about 3 lbs a month so they will keep reimbursing me for my gym memberships.  I can do this! (dang it!)  So I'm not off the hook since the contest ended.  Life goes on so so must I!

Important

Hello friends,

Please go to Rose's blog to see an important post.  I know she would want you all to see it.

For the Sake of Jake        http://forthesakeofjake.blogspot.com/

Please keep her family and her in your prayers.

Love, 

Missy

Happy Toes!

Remember when I dropped a 45 lb. weight on my toe and broke it?  Well the bruise is still there under the toe nail.  Everytime I look at it, it reminds me of my clumsiness.  Not anymore!  My friend, Missy, came to visit us on the beach and painted my toenails...first time they have been painted since...highschool!  Now I look at my toes and feel the love! :)

Pink Beach Babes!

Thanks for the boogie board lessons, Andrew!  The boys enjoyed playing in the surf and hunting for treasures in the sand!    Jake didn't feel up to coming with us, but the rest of us had a great time at the beach!  Thanks Missy and Andrew!  You guys are awesome!

So nice!

Guess what 'Healthy Wives'?  I got to meet our sweet Rose and her wonderful family this week.  I was in Utah on vacation and was able to meet them.  I got to meet her husband, and all of her five sons including her kind and handsome Jake.

Just wanted to brag a little - I feel so lucky!  I hope you are all doing well. I think of you often.
Missy

Not so good news...

The doctor has given Jake a few months to live. We are making them the best we can. Tumors are growing so fast I quit counting. I am hoping he will make it until his best friend comes home off his mission the first of December...but if not...let's just say I expect this Christmas to be the worst one of my life!

Biggest Loser update

Hi Ho my HWHL friends!  I know you guys check here occasionaly to see if anyone has posted anything new (because I do!) so I will update you guys!

First the good news...I have lost 40 lbs so far!  Yay! (insert happy dance here).  They cut 3 people off our team and 3 people move on.  I moved on.  As far as the contest goes...pretty lame!  No team competitions, no team prizes and really, really lame prizes...but, I do have the best trainer and I am getting healthy...that is the best prize right there!

Camping pic back in July

As for Jake, well he can't have sugar or processed foods so I have been cooking a lot more.  Brother's aren't crazy about not having sugar around the house, but it's good for all of us!  That and the liver cleanse I think is helping with the latest weight loss.

Jake, Grandma Sweet, John (twin bro.)

It hurts my heart to consider that every event may be the last one I get to spend with Jake.  Hopefully, this week we will find out what is causing him so much pain in his back.

Sorry, Girlfriend...

My conscious mind has not set a goal this summer for my body and health. However, my bathroom scales have informed me that my unconscious-mind/hormones/general-psychology have decided that my summer goal is to Gain 20 pounds. Ummm... does anyone else out there need a big kick in the rear, too? I'm sitting here, knowing I need a drastic intervention, something to motivate me to get my act together, and right now I'm sitting at the I-am-a-stubborn-2-year-old stage, where I feel like I need to be bribed to get back on track. Where's the Magic I'll-pay-you-a-thousand-bucks-if-you-lose-50-pounds Fairy when you need her? Does anybody else want to get back on track, and could we get some kind of contest or something going?

Aaaack!!!

Jake Update

Here's the link for the pathology test on Jake.
We knew it would be a possibility, but were hoping for a better outcome! (sigh!)

Jake Update...

 

Tumor is OUT!

We are hoping to take Jake home tomorrow!  Right now he's kinda grumpy!  This pic was his first trip all the way around the unit.  He said his arms were not feeling very strong, but it felt really good to ge out of the bed.  For some reason, the food here smells terrible to him, so he won't eat it.  I have to bring him stuff from home so he'll at least eat something!  I made him cupcakes this morning.  He was pretty happy with that!

We will find out Wednesday if he is Cancer Free!  It's been a long, long road.

BL update:  I gain 6 lbs of muscle this month!  My trainer is very proud!  Fat is down 4%.  I haven't been eating on target so much with Jake in the hospital, but I'll get back on track as soon as he's out!  My exercise program hasn't faltered too much (have have to do something to keep me sane!).  I hate sitting in the hospital and do nothing!

Thanks for caring!

Blog ya later! :)

Another Rose update!

Jake will be having his tumor removed on June 29th.  He will also be having his port removed.  There is no other cancer cells showing up in Jake's body, so we are praying that this operation will make him CANCER FREE! 

Weight's still coming off.  Down 32 lbs so far!  I feel much stronger (from weight lifting) and for some reason, probably as a result of your prayers, I feel stronger emotionally.  I still cry...often, but I have a lot of hope that everything will be ok...eventually.  Healing will come...to Jake and to my heart.

This weekend, we will go do some family bonding, breath the healing aroma of the mountains, give all our worries to God and let Him take care of them.

BL and Jake Update

Hey HWHL friends!
It's been a while for all of us!  We all lead busy lives don't we?  I keep checking here to see if anyone is doing anything exciting or challenging, but same as you...did not post anything...till now!

Biggest Loser update:  Well, I had a little set back with my weight.  I believe that my change in eating habits had my stomach confused.  I gained 10 lbs in 2 weeks!  I wasn't eatig badly...but still beating myself up for it.  My "gut" feeling was that my gut was not processing all that extra protein I was ingesting.  I had to do a tea cleans to finally get things moving in the right direction!  By my wiegh in on Friday,  I had lost the extra 10 lbs I had put on and by this morning I had lost the 5 more lbs that came off this month with my exercise and good eating habits!  It came off as mysteriously and as fast as it came on!  Finally some encouraging results!

I'm so glad I didn't give up and go back to my bad eating habits!  I have to admit that I did turn to some comfort food in my depths of frustration...but not over doing it...just enough to help me feel better...then guilty about not eating the way I know would help me to be healthy.

What I find most encouraging is the shrinking numbers...from the scale and the measuring tape! 
It's all good!

Jake update:  Jake's blog  click on this link to read the latest.  Jake finished his last chemo and we are waiting to do a P.E.T. scan to make sure the tumor is dead tissue.  It looks to me that the tumor is actually bigger, but if it's dead tissue, it doesn't matter.  We are going to see a Urologist and hopefully have most of his hospital/doctor visits finished by the end of this month. 

I'm really looking forward to things being "Normal" for a while.  Won't that be nice! :)

I'm still here and doing Cat's Challenge

It's been really quiet on Healthy Wife.

I've been wondering how all of you are doing and checking the blog to see if anyone has posted.

Cat's doing her 120 mile challenge again this summer and I was hoping that some of you might want to join me in doing it, I've already signed up. I did it last year, it was a great incentive for me to get my cardio in each week. I finished in August having reached Cat's goal and with a smaller tush and gut.

Let me know if you are joining the challenge too.

http://nutsinanutshell.blogspot.com/2011/05/fat-butt-friday-summer-challenge.html

Yay!

My husband got a new job!!  And they are sending him to Austria next week!  How cool is that?!

Biggest Loser update

Biggest Loser weigh in today! I worked really hard yesterday...last chance work out! I did weights twice during the day, ran (up hill!), played racquetball two hours (one in the morning, one at night), ate nutritiously and weghed more instead of less from the day before! Very depressing! :(
I still lost 7 lbs this month! -1% body fat.

Sorry, I'm out

A stomach bug has been making the rounds at our house and unfortunately it caught up to me last night and today. Ugh! I'm out for this challenge. I should be ready to go for the next one though.

He he...

Soldiers in the army till the conflict is o’er.

Happy are we, Happy are we!

Only healthy foods when we get to the store!

We will grin and bear it by and by!

Rose-bud Update!

Hey HWHL friends!

Here's what's going on in my life!  Jake is almost done with his cancer treatments!  He has one more to go...if his blood counts are good enough!  Yesterday his platelets were 19.  They need to be at least 65 to get chemo.  We are shooting for May 3rd!  Good news...he gained 4 lbs!!!


My Biggest Loser Team is doing great!  We have the best trainer and she really drills us on learning how to eat healthy!  It's a big change in habit eating, but the results are very good.  I have lost 26 lbs since December and 14 lbs since the competition started.  I'm putting pins in my skirts to hold them up and the team t-shirt I ordered is too big for me! 

I'm running a 5K twice a week to get warmed up for the real 5K I'm running in May (actually 2 5K's).  So actually, I'm running a 10K...I'm just splitting it up into two different days! haha  I ran this morning and did it in 44 min.  My trainer wants me to improve my time!  We've been doing weights 2-3 times a week.  I have to say...I can really feel my muscles!  My goal is to be down 3 more lbs by weigh in on May 6th!  I have finally lost enough weight that people are starting to notice! 

I didn't buy my kids any Easter candy this year.  I thought they were really bummed, so I picked up a few things on Monday...they haven't hardly eaten any of it!  I guess they are getting used to not having treats around too!  This is a very good thing!

Today's Funny

Wife to Husband: Last night there were two pieces of cake in the refrigerator and now there is only one. How do you explain that?

Husband: I guess it was so dark that I didn't see the other piece.

Diving Back In!

This has been the strangest two weeks....but it's time to dive back in. Are you ready to join me? Today was a great day. Warm weather, exercise, good food. I dove in head first!

We will have a one week challenge ending Friday. That's five days...can you do it? Then we will start a two week challenge starting Monday May 2nd.