Thursday, September 29, 2011

Funky energy

Wowser, life is busy crazy right now. If I wore one more hat, my head would fall off!! I am seriously thinking about giving a few things back to the universe. Then, I feel like the energy in the world itself is on some funky dial!

Our little one woke up barking like a dog :( It's definitely that time of the year, UGH!

Our kitty is up in a tree, and I mean not even the fire truck could save him up in the tree :( I don't know what will happen...

I have a student who I absolutely LOVE as one of my own, and she had a family member pass away. Sad :(

I am the union president (one of the hats that I feel like I could give away), and there is some conflict, which means I have to play peacemaker, but as we all know...you are NEVER going to make everyone happy.

My schedule today - Saturday, ready?!
Teaching
Volunteer at VG in my step-daughter's class :)
Yearbook programs - we make all the programs for all the sports events, and tonight we had both MS volleyball and MS football!
Mini-cheer camp preview at VG
Practice

Tomorrow
Senior Athlete Pic (I am taking it for our cheer locker posters.)
Teaching
Pep Assembly
Pick up bibs from hospital for 5K
Few other errands
Team dinner
Football game
Dance that cheer is sponsoring
Team Sleepover

Sat
5K race
Team Pics in the afternoon
THEN CRASH!

I am also designing and planning new t-shirts for like three different things!

SLLLLLLEEEP.

OK, so here's what I ate today!

cottage cheese - 1/2 cup- 100
ff, sf white choc, pumpkin - 120
chocolate covered espresso bean - 7
peppermint patty - 30
soup- Campbell's Mexican chicken and rice - 260
string cheese - 60
grapes - 60
sweet potato fries - 130 calories----so YUMMY :))
1/2 biscuit (80 ) with pumpkin butter (25)- 125
meatloaf - 204

Total - 1096

And, I had two cups of Oolong tea today :))

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wonderful WEDNESDAY :)

First off...I wore a pair of size 16 capris today!! I haven't worn those in forever!!! Back in June I was stuffing in and barely wearing 20s, some I even couldn't! I also wore a cute shirt today that a friend gave me at the beginning of summer that I could NOT wear. Then to top everything off...I had MULTIPLE compliments today :)) And, then one of my favorite teenagers told me today that she noticed I was dressing way cuter this year! YAHOO. That's total motivation, indeed.

Calories in =
cottage cheese- 1/2 cup- 100
coffee, SF white choc, SF toffee, FF milk - 90
choc coffee bean - 7
grapes- 1 cup- 60
peppermint patty - 30
string cheese- 60
leftover chicken dinner from the other night - 359
chicken- 164
tomato with garlic, basil- 35
stuffing- 100
mozzarella cheese- 1 slice - 60
10 almonds - 60
2 hard boiled eggs - 156
spaghetti- 500

TOTAL= 1422 *Highest amount that I have done yet. Could be the TOM which I think is coming? It's funny that I feel like it's so much, when it's still relatively low, considering. BUT, I like to be in the 1200 realm! Tomorrow!!

TEA!!! Blueberry :) Forgot to take Oolong to school, but already packed tonight! Gonna have some Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut right now!!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

T and Z

Tea- I love tea :) I forgot how much I love it!!! I have been drinking it the past couple of evenings, and I love how it makes me feel, and I am glad I am getting back into the habit of my tea drinking time. I even had some eggnog tea leftover from last year!! Now, I just want to include it at least once a day in the morning. I love Oolong tea, but if I drink it in the evening, I won't go to sleep because I am severely caffeine sensitive!

I had an awesome time at Zumba today. I was feeling a bit stressed, and I totally felt PURGED after the workout!! As well, according to the ZUMBA calculator , I burn 584 calories at my weight for 45 minutes of mild workout. What I love about Zumba is that it is so much fun, and I feel like I barely shake a hip, and I look at the clock, and we have been shaking for 45 minutes!!!

CALORIES IN =
cottage cheese – 100 -1/2 cup
coffee- SF white choc, SF Kahlua, FF milk – 90
coffee bean -7
peppermint patty-30
salad 2 cups= 15 with tuna -1/4 cup = 60 total 85
homemade dressing – 20
string cheese- 60
grapes- 1 cup – 50
sweet chili rice cakes – 130
dried salmon – 3 ounces = 99
Pork loin -5 ounces =203 calories
Potato = 128 for full potato
Sour cream - 40
BBQ sauce – 45
Beans-1/2 cup – 140
Celery- 2 pieces (4 inches each) – 2
3 small Honeycrisp apple slices- 28

tea - 0

Calories = 1257
Calories OUT = 584
NET calories = 673

Monday, September 26, 2011

Scales says...

215.6
That's down from 244 in Mid-June. Next week I might be down a total of 30 pounds!! And, it's all in such a healthy way :))

Check out all the updates over on the Challenge Blog!

Food is so YUMMY :)

I know I have mentioned this before, but I LOVE cottage cheese! I love it with chipotle Tabasco, green Tabasco, fruit, spices, etc. My most favorite cottage cheese is some I had at an Amish restaurant in Ohio!! I do have that recipe, and I need to dig it out!

Tonight I tried a new recipe, and everyone liked it, and it was low calorie, and YUMMY! I layered thin chicken breasts, with mozzarella cheese slices, and then I used two cans of tomatoes with garlic and basil to mix up with chicken stuffing, and a little bit of hot water, that I then added to the top of the cheese covered chicken. Then I baked it! YUMMY :)))))) OH my goodness!! I used fresh basil, oregano, and garlic, too!

I also made a new honey mustard dressing. I take the Safeway brand honey mustard (only 10 calories for a tbsp), and I just add spices and water. I shake it up, and VOILA! Perfect dressing and cheap on calories but not taste!

I am at the point, where food is tasting really good. I think that's because the MAJORITY of the processed food is out of my body. I also think I am at a new set-point as far as the food goes, because I just don't feel hungry, even though my calories are limited.

Calories in:
cottage cheese – 100 -1/2 cup

coffee- SF white choc, SF coconut, FF milk – 90
chocolate covered coffee bean - 7
Pearson mint patty = 30

salad 2 cups = 15 with tuna 1/4 cup = 60

homemade dressing – 20

hard boiled egg- 78

string cheese- 60

grapes- 1 cup – 50

sweet chili rice cakes - 130

4 almonds – 25 *I had a whole bag, just wasn't hungry!

chicken dinner:
chicken- 164
tomato with garlic,basil-1/2 cup = 35
stuffing ½ cup = 100 calories
mozzarella cheese-1 slice – 60

3 slices of Honeycrisp apple – 28

Salad – 2 cups- 15- homemade honey mustard dressing- 20

Pearson mint patty = 30 *Had an extra one left in my bag!


Total 1057

Sunday, September 25, 2011

OBSERVATION

I noticed that I eat better during the week than the weekend. And, it's not what you think...I am not eating bad or too much. I don't find myself eating regularly. I am just not hungry. Whereas at school, I have a lunch and snacks packed, and I have such a schedule, I eat, and I eat when I can!

I also see that I can get big exercise in on the weekend :))

Calories In

Calories in today:
coffee with creamer- 70
banana - 105
cottage cheese- 1/2 cup - 100
corn with 1tbsp light sour cream, lime, garlic and pepper - no butter - 44(corn) 30(sour cream)
half a baked potato- 50 - sour cream- 30
coleslaw- 1 cup - 50
beans- 1/2 cup - 140
chuck eye boneless steak- 6 ounces- 300
BBQ sauce-2 tablespoons for dipping- 45

964 calories - I did not mean to eat so low. And, quite frankly, I just wasn't hungry, and I felt I ate a gi-normous dinner.




Calories out=
5K = 416 calories!!! I used the WEBMD fit-o-meter to figure it out! It takes your weight and time and calculates for you.

YEAH!

So proud of myself!!! I didn't do my challenge yesterday (even though that was my plan),so IMAGINE how bummed I was when I woke up to a thunderstorm :( In the end, I was determined to jog my 5K!!

Thankfully when I did go for my challenge, it was not hot or cold, just CRAZY windy. I was also worried about the jog/walk when I feel like my muscles were tired from bucking hay the day before, not to mention I DEFINITELY did not eat to prepare for a 5K!!

Drumroll please...I jogged/walked the 5K in 36 minutes!!! That's 12 minutes a mile :) I am so stoked, I can barely stand it!! I haven't been training, and my i-pod was dead, so I wasn't excited about going at it without my rockin' tunes. The wind was PSYCHO, and I didn't take water with me.

I weigh 218 pounds (last Monday), and I know that each time I jog a 5K, I will weigh less and less, and my time will get better and better, and it will be easier and easier :)

The race will be my official PR, and I am hoping for it to be less than 36 minutes. I did jog and walk the whole thing. I hope to jog more on Saturday :)

What's good, is that just like walking the half-marathon last Sunday, I have a plan for the race this next Saturday. I will also admit that I am nervous about that race because of the timing. The night before we have a cheer sleepover, which will mean NOT NEARLY enough sleep :(

SUPER Saturday :)

Saturday started out unexpectedly, in that we had to buck hay, but the entire field. Our neighbor was supposed to get 2 1/2 tons of the field, and in the end, he was out of town, and we were all worried about the rain (which turns out it was for good reason, since it STORMED this morning!). In the end, it's good because we get to keep all they hay, and needed it!

Normally, if we were doing our whole field (as we have for two other cuttings), we always hire some boys. I help load the tractor and trucks, but don't have to do the HARDEST part, loading it up on the haystack in the barn. SO, yesterday...I had to do that part, too, and let me tell you the barn was a swelter pot, so hot! Plus, I was wearing jeans, long-sleeve t-shirt and gloves. In the end, I decided to tackle the job as an OPPORTUNITY! I was definitely burning calories :)

I had originally planned to do my challenge on Saturday, but we had hay, and then I was WAY too tired and hot to try to jog/walk a 5K! So, that got moved to Sunday...oh boy! I will blog about that in a bit!!

I admit, I did eat more for dinner than I normally would, but mostly because I knew I kicked butt burning calories from bucking hay!

Calories consumed for the day:

Coffee and creamer- 70
Cottage cheese – ½ cup- 100
Sweet chili rice cake snacks -18 pieces – 130

Coleslaw - 1 cup– made with light miracle whip, 50 *I made it, so I know EXACTLY how many calories are in it!!
Beans- 1/2 cup – 140 calories
Hamburger- 6 ounces- 302
Bun- 110
Ketchup - 10
Slice of cheese - 100
Tomato (from the garden)- 5
Avocado -1tbsp on my burger and probably the remainder of an entire avocado (Guacamole –smashed up avocado with lime juice only)with chips- 250 calories
1 corona(didn’t finish it)- 148
Chips – 26 chips (guessing…didn’t actually count them--next time will!) 340
Salsa- 20

1775 total calories- the highest I have eaten since I have been writing everything down.

Water- 100+ ounces

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Turning point :)

I really feel good about my eating! Writing down my calories and being honest about the portions (weighing, measuring, counting) is empowering! I feel strong and IN CONTROL :)) I can't wait for the weigh-in on Monday!!

I did have a test of willpower last night at the football game in LR. I planned well, though, so I didn't REALLY stress!! I had everything packed and ready. And, I didn't even eat everything that was in my lunch/dinner.

BUT...I did want an Indian taco last night. They looked yummy :) And, it wouldn't have been the end of the world to eat one or to eat half of one, and when I reach my goals, I will occasionally have something like that, just because it tastes good. Right now, I am eating to fuel my body! The kicker which really let me NOT eat the Indian taco? I purposely did not bring any money with me!! So, even if I was tempted, I knew the concession stand wouldn't take a debit card, LOL!!!

Food for Friday:
Cottage cheese 1/2cup – 100

FF milk SF white chocolate, SF butterscotch coffee- 90

grapes 60

veggie burger 120

honeycrisp apple- 85

almonds(natural- 28 pieces)- 160

FF, SF coconut frappe'- 230-This was so yummy! It was a cold treat on a hot day, and a little extra zip before I headed off to the football game!! I just explained to the gal at Pumphouse that I was keeping tracking of calories, and she was TOTALLY cool about figuring them out with me :)))

grapes = 60

2 turkey sausages(no buns) – 240

almonds (natural-28 pieces) -160

1305 CALORIES

Friday, September 23, 2011

On a roll!!

This has been a good week for positive feedback on my health and fitness focus! I have had several people make comments, and then TODAY I wore my all-time favorite jeans, that I haven't been able to wear since this time last year :)) And, they fit better right now than they did a year ago! I am SO motivated and pumped to make these changes a PERMANENT part of my life!

The one thing, though, I won't be able to get these exact pants in a smaller size. THAT will be sad :( But, I have figured out what I am going to do...
1) Find a new all-time (and much smaller) pair of jeans!!
2) I am going to use the jeans as a craft project, maybe a purse...I will decide when the time comes!

I am off to take a nap (early release from school), and then head to the away football game. I will blog my calories tomorrow morning!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Zub-a-Wub

I am always making little sound effects! I love noise, I guess, especially quirky noises.

Today was a good day, finally! It's been an odd week, but I think having a massage last night reset my energy :) I did have some bizarro things still happen today, but I guess it was more how I dealt with them that counts.

Also, I had a person, who has not said anything about my weight say, "WOW! You have really lost weight!!" That was AWESOME :))) You know, I felt pretty today. Do you have that happen to you? Where you just feel that way more particularly on one day? That was my day today! It certainly helped that I was wearing a pair of black (always slimming) courdoroys--that I could not wear last spring-- and a pretty shirt!

Onward...
I have a couple of goals in mind right now. This may not be realistic, but I REALLY want to weigh under 200, which is 18 pounds away. I want this to happen by the time I go to Vegas to do my half-marathon, which is the first Sunday of December, so that means that I have 9 weigh-ins left between 218 (last Monday) and that Sunday. That's somewhat of a pushy goal, as I would need to lose 19 pounds in that time frame. SO, I won't be heartbroken if I don't make it, but I DEFINITELY want to be under 200 by the new year, so that's 15 more weigh-ins!!! I know I can do that, and with that goal in mind, I know that I will have more focus and motivation during Hallogivingmas time!!

Another goal that I am starting up in October...I want to start lifting weights again. I have a great program that I know, and I just read the Oxygen magazine that had LOTS of helpful tips!! So, I want to lift weights at least two times a week to start, and two times a week I want to do a medicine ball, Hula hoop, jump rope routine. That I will call medhulump, just kidding! I am planning out exactly what I will be doing and WHEN I will be doing it. I am making up an October exercise calendar, as I will also have 4 times of week cardio, which will be incorporated into those weightlifting days, too!

So, food for today:

Cottage cheese-1/2 cup- 100 And, by the way, I LOVE cottage cheese. I love to add
garlic and either green or chipotle tabasco sauce! Crazy I know :)

coffee- SF white chocolate, SF marshmallow, FF milk- 90

grapes- 1 cup- 60 calories

all natural clam chowder 98%FF Campbells Selct- 240

string cheese- 60

pumpkin pie latte -not sure on this. We have a stand at our school that's open once a week, and I automatically have one delivered. I asked for the nutritional info, so I will have to estimate for now. BUT, I will say it was a perfect mid-morning snack today!!! 150 calories

almonds-14- 85

cod- 12 ounces - garlic,lime, spices - 324

cucumbers- 1 cup- 16

salad- 20

green salsa as the dressing- 20

1111 calories!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Calorie counting

I did a little research to determine how many calories I should be eating. I was shooting for 1200-1400 to lose weight.

I went to several sites, and I received the same info!

For my weight, I need to consume 2482 calories. So, in order to lose a pound a week, it says I should eat 1982 calories, which I think is WAY too high. But, if it's right, then I should be losing 2 pounds a week with my current goals for calories! I am looking forward to seeing how the scale responds next Monday!

I felt like a walking rainbow :)

I was doing really well until about 3:30, then I started feeling sicky icky again. I hate how it goes it waves like that!

I did wear one of my favorite shirts today, one of our staff shirts. It's totally tie-dye :) It did seriously make me feel like a rainbow today, and I LOVE rainbows!!

I had a massage tonight, and boy HOWDY I needed it!!!

Water - good to go today!

Food:

Cottage cheese - 1/2 cup- 100
coffee- sf white choc sf choc sf strawberry, ff milk- 90
grapes - 1 cup- 60
carrots - 1/2 cup - 25
veggie burger- 120
string cheese-60
pluot - 80
brown rice - 2 cup- 400
chicken - 4 ounces 184
alfredo sauce - 1/2 cup - 140
cottage cheese-1/2 cup-100

1359 calories

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Today!

Nutso day, like I felt like the chaos of the world was zipping around everywhere! It seemed like everything was a little off, you know one of those days?

BUT, I did drink tons of water :)
I did exercise! I LOVE ZUMBA!!!!!

And, I ate awesome! So, even though the day was a goofy one, I survived it with my health on.

Here's what I ate:
cottage cheese 1.5 cups -100
grapes 2 cups - 120
sf white chocolate, sf peppermint, ff milk latte 90
veggie burger-black bean 120
plum- 30
string cheese- 60
banana - 105
2 turkey sausages- 220 (110 each)- no buns
ketchup- 25
slice of provolone - 70
homemade peach smoothie- 130 for milk, 40 for frozen peaches

TOTAL calories = 1110

Good dairy, fruit, veggies :) Protein OK, too. So...I could have had one sausage with one bun, but instead I skipped the bun, and I had two sausages!! Yummy :)

Monday, September 19, 2011

What's up (or, should I say down!!)?



The scale says:
Mid-June I weighed 244.
September 19th = 218.

HOLY FRITOS, when you look at it like that,it's 26 pounds in three months! YAHOO, buckeroo!! I am definitely feeling the difference, as I am wearing TONS of clothes that I had shoved into the back of my closet at the end of the last school year, since I couldn't wear any of i t. Feels like I have a new wardrobe, even though it's all clothes I have owned forever!!

I do have my yearly poopy cold. I always get one around now (the end of Septemberish), and my theory is that I am not around kiddos, and then when school starts, all those germs attack me! So, even though I am feeling not so hot, I am still keeping on with my exercise in my healthy ways!

SO, I did walk yesterday...13.6 miles!!! That's even a tad bit more than my half-marathon that I am doing in December. I was almost going to not go walk because of how my head was feeling, but I did decide to go for it. It was quite the experience...first at about mile six, I could feel a blister starting, which eventually covered the entire bottom section of my foot where the toes connect. I know better than wearing the socks I did...Grrr. The wind was gusty and blowing like crazy. That definitely was not lovely, all that dirt in my already stuffed up sinuses! I did finish my trek in 3 hours and 50 minutes. I did not jog because of my cold, which feels like it is trying to sneak into my lungs. The Vegas time limit is 4 hours, so I should be good to go!! My goal for there will be 3 hours and 30 minutes. Rick was super cute because he was worried about me, since I was sick, and he drove the motorcycle around a couple of times to come check on me!!

Also, something I am doing at least for this week, maybe longer: I am writing down everything that I eat!

Here's today:
oatmeal=160
SF White Chocolate, Pumpkin, FF milk latte = 100
string cheese = 60
veggie burger= 120
chips = 140
plum = 30
yogurt =160
foot-long veggie sandwich from Subway= 460

TOTAL = 1230

Looks OK with the veggies and I could eat some more fruit tomorrow! Great calcium :)
Water= 120 ounces

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

HELLO...anybody home?

Zoiks! I feel like since school has started that my life is just beyond nutso!! Between school, cheer, and Fair...I somehow survived, and I feel that I will be into a normal routine this next week! If there truly is a normal for me? Seems like it's on fast speed only, but I also don't like the slow speed much.

Let's see, school started,we had our first football game (which my cheer team ROCKED!) and the first weekend was a long one, Labor Day weekend :)We rode our motorcycles down to Horeshoe Bend, Idaho again to go ziplining for the second time in two months. We stayed at Zim's Hot Springs, and it was so delightful!! It was such a fun trip because another couple came with us. Good times!! And, we drove a different way so I saw some new country. Thank goodness the weather cooperated, too. I was able to eat mostly healthy, except for a couple of meals, and the exercise was both the driving the bike and ZIPLINING, yeah baby!!!

Then I had another week of school, but with Fair thrown in there. We went to the Fair on Wednesday after school and cheer practice to take our sheep to check in. This was our first experience of having livestock at the Fair. Let me tell you that it was exhausting and rewarding and exciting and LOTS of learning :)))) I look forward to next year, now that we understand what it's all about. I am so proud of my step-daughter and how well she did!

As far as exercise and eating...I did pack lunches and snacks and drank LOTS of water. It was ridiculously HOT all Fair, and we were there Wednesday for 4 hours, Thursday for 13 hours, and Friday consisted of me going there in the morning for an hour, off to teaching half-day, then back over for 5 hours, then grabbing the bus to the football game in Oroville, and then Saturday for 14 hours, and Sunday for 9 hours. Wowser!

And, I lost weight during this week!! I call it the Fair diet. LOTS of walking, lots of being up on my feet, lots of water, lots of heat, lots of work. I did have two ice cream cones over the 4 days.

This week has been a bit hectic just trying to catch up and to ready us for our first pep assembly and home game this Friday. And, then, ladies and gentlemen, and then I think I will be able to be on a schedule that works for me.

I did ZUMBA yesterday, and I have been eating HEALTHY every day at school and home, and drinking tons of water! I know I will have a good loss this week. I am tired, and truly more tired than I remember being in a long time. I am looking forward to catching up on my sleep this weekend!! I also want to kickstart my exercising and especiallymy jogging program.

In the end, I am proud of how well I have kept my eating healthy and under control. Normally these especially chaotic times end up being when I fall off the wagon, and I have NOT this time! To top it all off, I have lost weight these past few weeks...YEAH BABY :)

Even better...I have had so many people comment on how I look!!! That's such an inspiration. As well, I can wear clothes I could not wear, so that feels SUPER great!!