Sometimes it's the mistakes...

So I have been making yogurt in the Crockpot for about 6 months now. I have about a 90% success rate with it, but due to old drafty farmhouse kitchen, sometimes no matter how well I insulate the crock, it just gets too cold for the reaction to keep going. Happened again Thursday, but instead of dumping 1/2 a gallon of milk I saved it and decided to try again with a little more yogurt and a warmer room. Still didn't actually work the second time, but I did end up making (sort of) homemade ricotta! It's pretty tasty with a sweet tangy flavor and a crumbly soft/fresh cheese consistency. Would make an excellent clean no preservative substitute for cottage cheese and I am going to try it tomorrow in a smoothie.

My walking has not been going - I have again fallen into the end of the semester I have no work done and 50 pages worth of papers to write. I am going to stop procrastinating now and go back to writing!

So frustrated!

2 miles (so far)
ChaLEAN Extreme - on the agenda
1-2 more miles - on the agenda
264.6 - WTF?

Okay, for the last month or two my weight has gone up up up everyday. I know my exercising has been haphazard at best and my eating hit or miss, but there has NOT been enough miss for 14lb increase so quickly. It is frustrating t say the least. And for the last week I keep going to bed early or falling asleep on the couch early. I only wish it could be pregnancy (it CAN'T be, not possible, don't speculate) because then it would be explainable.

On the upside, we are almost at Thanksgiving break for school, which will give me lots of time to work on projects for the end of the semester. And we are almost at the end of the semester, which will give me a week or two to work on me before starting my Field Period and student teaching. I wish I was in better shape for student teaching, but that is certainly not the point now.

AND my double stroller should be here today or tomorrow. I am hoping for today, and if it comes I will be taking a walk around the village with the boys when I pick them up from daycare.

Now it is off to get the moose dressed and take him to daycare, then home for the rest of my work out and some homework.

Day 9 - back from my "rest"

Journey of 1111.11 miles Day 9
5 miles - WATP

Did it late, but I did get in 5 miles today. I took a rest on my birthday, but then I skipped yesterday - I was actually so exhausted yesterday I went to bed at 7:30 - right after I put Jonas to bed. Feeling better today, but off to bed now so I can get up at 5AM tomorrow - yes on a Saturday - need to get in another 5 miles and clean my kitchen before taking the boys to Jonas' school for repsite day and before Jacques' siblings, neices, nephews, etc... come out - apparently they will be here first thing. I am just hoping that Jacques' will watch the boys after they get out of "respite day" or Sunday so I can get my hair cut and do my birthday shopping - mom sent me a gift card and told me to treat myself and that is my plan!

Mmm, oatmeal

Journey of 1111 miles Day 6
Need to walk 3 miles after school tonight

So last year when I really got into "clean eating" I was making oatmeal in the crockpot and eating it all the time - and it was good! But now I have so many other things constantly going in the crock - and the last couple times I made oatmeal it flopped - that I decided to try and make it on the stove top this morning. I know this may not seem like a big deal to some, but since I was never an oatmeal eater until about a year ago, this was a very big deal for me. And I have to say it was a fantastic success! I will make this oatmeal every morning I think - or at least a lot of mornings. I made it with 1% milk to up the protein content and nothing else and let it simmer on the stove for about 10 minutes. After it was done I sprinkled on some sugar in the raw (about 1/2T) and about a 1/4C of walnuts and 1/4C of craisins. Oh man this was good! Yummy and filling, it was such a great breakfast. I like eating well and healthy early in the morning, I feel like it sets me up for a healthy day later - and helps me with my Healthy for the Holidays goal. Now I have walnuts and banana for lunch, grapes and cheese for a snack, and a PB&J sandwich for dinner during my Violence Prevention workshop tonight. Plus a canceled class that gives me a little time to get some homework done. Not a bad day!

Journey of 1111 miles day 4

5.3 miles
Okay, missed my walk yesterday (bad  know) but I did go today! Jonas actually pulled me outside ("Um on, 's nice") and we grabbed brother, L'il girl and the Jeep stroller and went for a 2.3 mile walk. Sadly I only know the distance because we have walked it before. For some reason the GPS/Distance app on my phone was not working right.

When we got home I did another 3 miles! Walk Away The Pounds is fantastic for adding miles in the comfort of your own home. Plus the temp started to dip outside and I did not want to get caught in the rain or something else while no one was home to bring the car and come get us. Sick wet boys = not fun!

Now it is time for lunch, snuggles, naps and homework.

I walked and am eating a big bowl of broccoli and maybe broccoli/chicken casserole later to be healthy for the holidays today - how about you?

The Journey of 1111.11 miles day 2

I only got 1 mile of walking in yesterday (day 1) BUT I did 5 miles today and 3 on 11/10! And I have officially joined Lorrie's Healthy Holidays Challenge. Phew - I thought 5 miles (all walking) would be a breeze, but keeping up a 4.5MPH pace was exhausting. I was beat by the end, but so very glad I did it.

On the monkey front, and keeping with Jonas' general oddness... You would think a kid that likes melted cheese, and LOVES broccoli (yes, broccoli) would at least eat broccoli casserole that was ALL broccoli and cheese, but NO. He won't even touch it. Apparently he really only wants his broccoli steamed. Or on pizza. But he did eat "brea-fas teetees" (that was what he called the pumpkin pancakes I made last night) for breakfast and dinner today. Well, packed with pumpkin puree from the garden, whole wheat flour and just a touch of sugar, those are pretty good "teetees ("cookie" in Jonas-speak).

And going with the pumpkin I have been wanting cookies like nobody's business for days. Instead of buying cookies or trying to deny my craving only to binge and succumb later, I am making whole wheat pumpkin triple chip cookie bars. It's a new recipe - or at least my take on my mom's famous chocolate chip cookies, and I am hoping for something sweet and chewy enough to satisfy my craving, but dense enough that I don't binge - so 1 cookie and some yogurt will be my snack later.

Anyone else want to join our Healthy for the Holiday's challenge just pop on over to Lorries blog My All Natural Weightloss and sign up!

45 days until Christmas

There is only 45 days left until Christmas! Lorrie posted on her blog that she wants to give herself the gift f health for the holidays. I want to give that gift to myself and my family too! She is challenge herself and others to do something for their health everyday and take a picture on Christmas day to show off how they have contributed to their health. I am going to join her. So today I am going to moderate my urge to binge, eat a great big salad, and start my journey of 1,111.11 miles with a C25K workout with the boys after school. 

New Challenge - Goals

With a little over a week until my birthday I am deep in thought of how to make 2011 (and my 33rd year) my best one ever. I have been loving my walk/runs C25K training, but it is super hard to get out with the boys until I get my jogging stroller... (I am pretty sure Dad will be getting it for me for my birthday) - BUT in order to really deserve such a wonderful (and way too expensive present) I have to really do my running/training. So I am going to "announce" my goals for the next year

1. Complete (and eventually run) a 5K every month that I can find one I can afford to enter - I am hoping to do one on Thanksgiving and one in Seneca Falls in December so far.

2. Run/Jog/Walk 1,111.11 miles by 11/11/11. I didn't think I could do over hundred thousand miles in a year... That means I need to do a little more than 3.044 miles a day - every day, no exceptions between 11/11/10 and 11/11/11. This should be fun!

2.02 miles! Had my best yet C25K day today. Feeling of accomplishment and exhaustion when done. Definitely need another week or 2 at this level.

Jogging Strollers

So I was talking to my dad today and I think (okay I know) that he is going to get me a jogging stroller for my birthday :) now I need to research good ones that I will be able to use for a couple years...

Power of Prose

259.8 - yeah, I don't know what's up with that...
W2D2 - 1.91 miles (a whole 1/10 of a mile further than Monday!)

So I follow a couple blogs, including one written by one of my best friends from high school. Have you ever read someone - some writer that seems to write about using a hammer (or some other banal thing) and have it always be complete and utter poetry? My friend writes like this. I can smell the jasmine scented air and feel the moist heat of the far east when I read her words. A "mommy" blog that I read, the writer does the same. Absolute poetry, thick with metaphor, every sentence like some kind of meditation.

People that can write with such evocative imagery... they are on my list of people I wish I could be like. Who is on yours?

I love running!

257.6
C25K W2D1

I want to go again - right now! I loved my run this morning. Took L'il Girl with me and improved my speed and distance today. I had a little trouble going for 90 seconds sometimes - especially coming back up the hill but... All in all, a great run and I can't wait to go again.

Running with the boys

C25K W1D3 (2nd time)

Jonas requested that we take brother and the puppy and go for a run this afternoon. :) How can I say no? I am going to do as much of the C25K training as I can with the boys - if I can improve time and distance and speed while pushing 70lbs of stroller with dog attached then I will really be getting in shape! The moose is taking a nap right now, but when he gets up later we will be on our way.

I also planned out meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for the next 2 weeks and have it posted on the fridge. I am spending the day today (besides our run later) working on homework, tie-dying and baking. I will be baking pretzel nuggets, onion bagels, bread and some breakfast pocket pies (for Jonas).

As for Jonas - my little monkey will be starting preschool in a couple weeks. We had Jonas evaluated for special ed about a month ago. We had a meeting with the Steuben child services people on Wednesday and the decision made was to get him the most services possible and bring his speech and language development to where it should be he will attend a full day 5 days a week preschool program in an enclosed special ed classroom. I feel good about this. I think the structure will be good for him and will get him the help he needs. I feel bad that he will not be at day care that much any more and I think that will be an adjustment for him and Jackson - Jackson really wants nothing more than to be with his brother at all time. :)

After having lost 3 of our 4 dogs in the last 2 weeks, it looks like L'il Girl will recover. She is eating (cat food, not dog food) and drinking and even she seems ready to go out for a run today. I am keeping my fingers crossed. The saddest part is that she has no pack now. The cats (especially the kittens) are trying to make a new pack for her though and have slept with her, cuddled with her and been staying very close to her the last few days.

Still stressed and busy, but that's life!

One month until my birthday

It is only one month until my birthday. I will be 33 and over 250lbs - still. Last year I wrote a blog post on Sparkpeople about how I did not want to make the same birthday vow to eat better and workout and be in better shape... and I will make exactly that same vow this year. It is depressing. I know that organization and planning is the key to changing my life and I haven't been able to get it together. I am bored and unhappy and unmotivated and I hate feeling like this!


I am upset with myself that I never really seemed to find my stride with this year. I didn't find an exercise program I could stick with and my eats have been totally all over the place. 

I feel like running is the way to go for me, so I am going to concentrate on my C25K and add in some strength training 2 days a week - probably ChaLEAN Extreme because it targets the whole body... And today I am going to go on a long walk/jog with my boys. Probably in their stroller for most of it (the baby for the whole thing) and just try to have some fun and enjoy the bright crisp fall day. I live in such a beautiful area and I feel like I never take advantage of it. So I am going to dedicate at least one day a week to taking a long hike/walk with the boys. Get some fresh air and sunshine (or at least as much sunshine as is possible in Western New York...) I feel good about that idea. I feel like this will help me reconnect and feel better about myself too. Maybe I can even get a jogging stroller and take the boys running with me all the time - with some really good warm clothes and one of those insulating wind block things!

Inspirational...

This youtube video about Ben was on my Fat Runners Club thread on Sparkpeople. It is a truly inspirational video of his journey. More than his weight loss, the change in his face from depressed to happy made me cry. He just looks so much happier at the end. Smiling from the inside, deep inside, instead of on only on the outside.

Pumpkin Butter

I am so excited! I found a recipe/instructions on how to make pumpkin butter from my pumpkins out of the garden. I am still planning on carving the big one, but I wanted to make sure I had pumpkin puree for pies and pumpkin bread and some pumpkin butter. Hmm, I hope I actually like pumpkin butter... the apple butter was a success so hopefully this will be too.

This is where I got the directions for the pumpkin butter in the crockpot. As soon as my yogurt is done in the big pot I am making this. The apple butter was so delicious that I put it on almost everything the last 2 weeks! And I really like how the whole batch had very little added sugar - the sweetness came mainly from the apples themselves. I am hoping to have the same success with the pumpkin butter. 

Running

There is a scene in the movie - "What Women Want" where Helen Hunt and Mel Gibson are pitching to the Nike people. The voice over on the "TV spot" they are pitching is basically a barrage of women's voices talking about all the things they have to do and then it's just the sound of the woman's feet hitting the asphalt as all of her worries and concerns fall away. I want that peace. I have always envied that and the people who run and can enjoy that.  I want to love running, I want to be one of those people who says "Oh yeah, I ran 5 miles this morning before work". To me runners have always seemed to be the epitome of fitness. So I will work on it. I think that the C25K will help me be a runner, to love running.

I am (or will be soon) a runner!

Couch to 5K - W1D2 DONE!

Testing :-)

Got my run in! :)

Insomnia

---
C25K W1D2

Haven't done the run yet, but I will. Had some sleep problems last night - both the boys and me, so I did not get up as early as I would have liked to (10AM). So I am going to leave 45 minutes early to pick up the boys and run along the road in front of the Heron Hill Winery (about 3 miles away from me, but too far for me to run to - for now :) ) park the car at the lookout and have some beautiful scenery to go along with my run. Then I will go get the boys and even though I got a late start I will have accomplished what I needed to today!

Couch to 5K - W1D1

250.8
C25K

Inspired by Lorie from the token fat girl I have restarted my Couch to 5K program. I like the feeling of accomplishment finishing a run gives me, and just the few weeks I was doing it last spring/summer I was rapidly able to improve my speed and distance and I look forward to completing the program (and the "runner's high" everyone talks about). I have the same respect for runners that I do dancers - something I have not been able to get my body to do in the past, but I am trying to get better.

And it looks like I will need to find a better way to store my Crockpot yogurt overnight for the winter - the last 2 batches of my yogurt (made from the Crockpot Ladies' Blog) have not set enough because the kitchen got so cold overnight. I am going to invest in some heavy bath towels and store the crock in the oven overnight from now on.

Bye Bella

--
--

I had to put down my beautiful Husky on Wednesday. My sweet Bella. And I have not been working out or eating right. I go shopping tomorrow. I will be back on track.

Proper Form

Ah the difference proper form makes! Yet another reason that I love ChaLEAN Extreme is that Chalene Johnson explains the proper form for strength training moves AND SHOWS YOU! She has one of the participants on the DVD show the proper and improper form. I have been lifting weights for easily 15 years and in all that time I have been doing dead lifts wrong. I had always heard that dead lifts were great for the butt and legs and never ever felt them targeting the areas they were supposed to when I was doing them. Until today! Hours later I can feel the movement in my glutes and hamstrings too. Every step up the stairs is a mini session in pain - the good kind - and I feel vindicated that I really worked today.

I worked out this morning - in spite of oversleeping by about 3 hours - but I did not get my run in. I ate clean all day and avoided (no matter how much I wanted them) sweets in sticking to part of the "Gorgeous Glutes" challenge I am in on the Tosca Reno boards.

I also have at least one more reader than I knew of! :) One of my fellow students not only told me he has read a couple of my blogs, but that I looked like I had lost weight. Thanks Pete - that really made my day!

Nothing like a shopping trip to depress/motivate you...

257.0
"disco" dancing with Jonas

So I had set aside money to buy some clothes - a couple pairs of jeans, some shirts... so that I had more than 1 pair of jeans to wear. Yeah, that did not happen. I found jeans, and technically they "fit" but how I looked in them was unacceptable. UNACCEPTABLE! I had severe muffin top. And "front butt" - visible "front butt". It was awful. I practically wanted to throw up I looked so awful.

So that was a swift and depressing message that I need to get moving and change my lifestyle. I was truly disgusted with myself. I bought a pack of t-shirts and a tie-dye kit, 2 pairs of sweat pants and a light hoodie jacket. I will not live like this. It really did gross me out.

So  - since I was joining an end of the year ChaLEAN Extreme challenge anyway, I have decided to kick it up a notch. I will complete the ChaLEAN Extreme challenge/program and add Couch to 5K training onto it.

1. Monday/Wednesday/Friday (Strength or Rest days anyway) I will get up before taking the boys to daycare and do the strength training portion of my program. After dropping them off I will either run near the house, or if the weather prevents it I will make sure to leave for school early enough to run on the treadmills at school. 
2. Tuesdays I will do Zumba and one of Chalene's Ab programs (from Turbo Jam, CLX or TurboFire)
3. Thursdays I will do TurboFire and wither BBL or an ab program
4. Saturday I will do CLX
5. Sunday I will BBL or Hip Hop Abs

Spicy Spinach

257.0
nothing - rest day

Mmm, spinach... So far this week I have made spicy curried spinach no less than 4 times. And I end up eating almost all of it in one sitting. Something about the tumeric, the garlic, the cayenne pepper... I am drooling just thinking about it. And I am eating mad amounts of vegetables (not hard since I love vegetables) - at least 1.5 cups per serving! I have more going now to round out my eggs over easy with homemade bread dinner. The only problem with this dish (besides the draino effect) is that my sweet Licorice keeps demanding I share with her - really, do cats in India eat curried vegetables?

Morning Mission Accomplished

258.0
CLX Burn Circuit 3

I did it this morning! Up at at 'em by 6:30, workout accomplished, boys fed, me fed, homework worked on... I feel good. I started about an hour later than I actually wanted to, but that was mainly because Jonas woke up at 5AM and would not go back to bed. I finally got him watching cartoons long enough to finish my workout - he came down for the last 5 minutes and worked out with mommy. Always fun to watch he grabbed my 3lb weights off the table and did sumo squats with me and the stretches at the end - including the moaning and groaning I was doing because of the increase in my weights today!

And as my body was calling out for spinach sautéed eggs for breakfast and lunch, that is what I decided to eat. Big bottle of water and a small glass of milk to round it out and I feel that I did what I needed to do today to be healthy

Reaching out for help

258.4
None

For any readers out there, I am struggling. I want to workout - I really do. I want to get up early and eat healthy and be healthy and change my body and improve my life... but I haven't been able to get myself out of bed in the morning. I hate this. My alarm goes off and I hit it and fall back to sleep. I wake up hours later rushed for time and cranky and made at myself. I need suggestions for getting my schedule together and back on track - ideas for getting myself more organized and together, to accomplish all the things I need to get done!

Others who have done it - how do you make yourself a priority? If you are not necessarily a morning person, how do you get yourself out of bed to workout? I don't want to keep struggling like this, I hate it!

Groovin' & Movin'

258.8
ChaLEAN Extreme Burn Circuit 2

Okay, so the weekend of being in the car, eating crap and not working out have certainly caught up with me. I've had virtually no water in the last 5 days - a by-product of the dogs eating all of my good water bottles (planning on hitting Walgreens this afternoon and getting an aluminum one) and not carrying my water with me. I took action this morning though and even though I overslept - and dropped the boys of at daycare almost an hour late - I did get my workout done! Yay me!

I am also proud of my grocery shopping prowess earlier this month. When I go shopping again next Friday (when we can afford it) we will still have some supplies left from my earlier trip! Actually using the Crockpot Lady Site and planning my meals has helped so much. Tonight is going to be burgers, fries (for the boys) and veggies, tomorrow chili, Wednesday lemon chicken, Thursday Baked Penne, Friday left overs, Saturday "Brinner" with whole wheat buttermilk pancakes and apple cider syrup (from the Apple Farm) and Sunday beef stew or Pot roast. I love the feeling of having my whole week planned out already. After the stress of the weekend I feel much better overall.

Too much to do

257.4
... maybe BBL later

I just have way too much to do today. I am supposed to have a doctor's appointment, but I am cancelling/rescheduling that. I still need to pick up the rest of my financial aid money from school - assuming it is in, the student accounts office is closed for training and no one can tell me if I even have a check there. I also need to pick up Jonas' new bed in Canandaigua, take mom into Syracuse to pick up her rental car and at some point finish my homework! Stressed out just thinking about it.

Shape Ups - the most wonderful sneakers ever!

259.0
Zumba Express

I stole mom's sketchers this morning. I think I am in love with these shoes. My knees did not hurt going up the stairs, my heels do not hurt like they normally do at the end of the day and I couldn't wait to do a workout with them on. I am going to go for a run tomorrow and really test them out! These are fabulous sneakers and I am not going to be able to give them back to mom.

At the moment I am contributing the increased pounds this week to the cold meds drying me out and the weight training causing me to retain the water I am drinking. I am trying to drink at least 3liters or so today and try to flush some of this junk out of my system.

Sick Sick Sick...

250.2 (hormone weight/water retention starting to go back down)
Nothing yet, need to get in Bum Bum Rapido or HIIT 15 at least (today is supposed to be my rest day, but still)

Ugh, it is almost noon on Sunday and I am the only one awake. And that is only because of the 3 cups of coffee I have had. Jonas has been coughing and running a fever all night. He slept in our bed (wouldn't even lay down in his) and woke up coughing at 4AM, he finally fell back to sleep about 20 minutes ago. Jackson has been coughing all night and awake since about 6AM and is finally taking  a nap. Jacques` didn't get to bed until 2 so is still sleeping... And I am sitting at the kitchen table trying to figure out something for lunch. Sort of vaguely hungry, but nothing really appeals at the moment. I do have French onion soup going though, and I am going to make some bread bowls for it in a little while.

Here's hoping that the boys are well enough to go to day care in the morning, I really can't afford to miss school so early in the semester.

ChaLEAN Extreme

252.2
ChaLEAN Extreme, Burn Circuit 1

I started ChaLean Extreme today and I think I am going to like it. From what I have heard the cardio in it gets repetitive, so I will add some of the other BeachBody programs I have, C25K and Zumba to mix up the cardio. I am looking forward to this, and I am proud of myself for getting in my workout even with the moose hanging on and adding his own resistance...

And I have said "no" to the cheese puffs all day! :)

On the downside of my day, somehow I managed to accidently erase all the video off of Jacques` hard drive. I didn't actively erase anything, so I don't know how it happened, but it has certainly put a damper on my weekend.

Missed day

Oh the whoas (at least sometimes) of being a girl. Cramps have laid me up the last 2 days and generally fouled my mood so much... Led astray by grumpy hormones I have eaten cheese puffs again! I need to get those things out of my house.

I did make applesauce in the CrockPot this afternoon and my latest batch of yogurt. I am going to start a loaf of bread now so it is ready in the morning and then snuggle up on the couch with the monkey. He is not feeling well tonight - a late summer early fall cold has felled us both (the moose too). Coughing and crying. I think I am going to throw down on a pot of broccoli soup for him tomorrow - complete with whole wheat bread bowls. Hearty, filling, wholesome and healthy  I should be able to get at least 2 or 3 meals worth of food into Jonas with out complaint - heck he'll probably ask for seconds!

Paying for Cheese Puffs

250.4
TurboFire Fire 45EZ Class

This morning I am paying for the cheese puffs I ate last night. Not financially - although really the cost of junk food overall is ridiculous. Especially when you consider how cheap junk food is next to real food. No I am paying for those cheese puffs with a lack of energy or drive to workout this morning and with a 1lb increase on the scale. I did not eat enough cheese puffs (or anything else) to have actually gained a pound overnight, but the cheese puffs and other snacks (I will not bore you with a bite for bite account) that I ate yesterday contained so much sodium that I am retaining the little bit of water that I drank. That was the other price. Instead of drinking nearly a gallon of water like I did all weekend, I barely had 6 glasses. Not nearly enough. Even 8 doesn't feel like enough to me. I never feel hydrated with less than 3 liters (about 12 cups) of water. I need to get a new reusable re-fillable water bottle to keep my water up. The puppies have chewed up my old ones.

I still need to do my TurboFire workout and get started on tomorrow's homework.

Day 4

249.2
Dance class

So I made the first crockpot meal that didn't really turn out. Not bad just sort of bland. I'm still sore from the TurboFire core 20. Tight through the middle and hips, but looking forward to my workout tomorrow.

Too tired for a long post today so this will have to do.

Energized morning & New (School)Year's Resolution

250.0
Turbo Fire Core 20, Bum Bum Rapido


I woke up energized and refreshed this morning! I don't think I have felt that way in a long time. I was actually able to wake up a little before my first alarm went off and was out of bed making coffee and getting my workout prepped before the second one. Going back to cleaner eating is doing the work it is supposed to. And I was rewarded with another 3+ pounds down on the scale.

So I have decided to make a new year's resolution for the start of the school year.

This school year I will make my health and my family's health a priority - this means:
Cooking as much from scratch as possible
Little (for the boys) to no (for me) "junk" food. If it does provide real nutrition I do not need to eat it!
Adhere to the clean eating principles - whole grains, lots of fruits and veggies, lean healthy protein at every meal.
No procrastinating on homework - I get cranky, miss sleep eat poor and skip workouts when I stay up until 2AM writing papers and doing homework. All my homework should be done by 10PM the night before it is due at the very latest! A day or before is better.
Start research papers soon rather than later. I already have an idea of what I want to write about for at least 2 of my papers, now is the time to get started on them.
Workout every day - even just a walk with the boys. I feel awful and am not the mom I want to be when I don't move. I need those endorphins to keep me sane and keep me from over reacting to everything.
I will blog every day (yes every day) to keep myself on track and accountable. It will include my weight and my workout.

This is my New (School)Year's Resolution!

edited to add:
10 days of getting back to clean eating and my personal portion sizes have drastically reduced themselves naturally and I have lost almost 8lbs!

Getting my plan in motion

253.6

Well I haven’t been as good as I would like to have been with exercise this week, but I have been eating much healthier and it is starting to show! The scale is moving back down again and I do feel much better. In went grocery shopping on Wednesday and while I spent almost my entire food budget for the month in one trip I have many of the supplies necessary to start making all our foods from scratch like I want to.  Real whole wheat bread in the bread machine, orange chicken and fried rice (which was absolutely fantastic! Authentic flavor without extra crap and no delivery or take out charge) in the slow cooker, even whole grain ridiculously tasty macaroni and cheese – it may not be low fat, but it was clean and wholesome and with the full fat cheesy version I ate ½ the portion size I would have of boxed mac and cheese – and I didn’t need to add some hamburgers or hot dogs or chicken or anything else to make it feel like a meal.

Now I have got granola cooking in the slowcooker while I do homework and give the boys a bath. Woo Hoo for multi tasking!

Wrong direction

257.4

I'm moving in the wrong direction. I know I did not eat enough to gain 2lbs since yesterday, but I certainly have not had enough water and way to much salt for the scale to have changed that much.

At least my dance class has got me moving and in the mood to move again. I have decided that for this semester I am going to do ChaLEAN Extreme and my dancier cardio workouts - along with some running. I will be able to do something different every day and keep my motivation changing up.

I am also going to join the Eat Clean Diet Contest and a few more of the challenges on the Tosca Reno boards.

Need to get started

255.6


From Flab to Fab - one mom's journey from fat to fit (I am looking to be one hot mama!)

It seems that my journey to health and fitness has had a major stall out. So I am going to blog about my journey and force myself to confront the reality of my progress everyday. The last two weeks of poor food choices and total lack of movement have taken a little toll and I have gained about 2 lbs.

I am sick of being fat and out of shape, but I am also sick of dieting. I just don't have the energy or drive to restrict myself from foods I enjoy - or the foods I can afford. It is sadly true that good quality food is more expensive and it is hard to feed a family of 4 on less than $400 a month and have it all be good food. That said, I am making it my mission to use whole food and make things from scratch. I am not going to deny myself or my family cookies or cupcakes - but I am only going to eat the ones I have made from scratch. I am only going to use bread (at least for myself) that I made from scratch - that way when I eat whole wheat bread I know exactly what went into it. I am going to buy and use some new tools to help me with this, but I am beginning to think that if  eat real food instead of processed "franken-food" I may find a big difference in my appetite and lose the need to fill some void inside with overwhelming amounts of food.