First weigh in of the year....

Ok, I realize that it was the 12th yesterday, but it was my first appointment with the doctor. I got my blood pressure taken (136/79), pulse (72)...and other stats. Um, yes and the scale. I could not remember what the last weight was so I had no idea if I was up or down....then she told me....down 2.5! That was huge considering the holidays had just passed.

I met with the exercise guru, Joey. He is a sweetie. I told him I had not been as good about following his routine set up...I had a couple of bouts with the stomach flu and my persistent issues with my knee and the surrounding muscles. We chatted about stretching and not to over do it ( I had no clue you could over do stretching!). He did up the number of reps so I guess I need to get on the stick with it.

Next I met with the nurse practitioner. I cannot say I was impressed with her. I may have to make that known but in the mean time I guess I need to see her again before I make a formal complaint. First thing was that she was offering me stronger drugs for my muscle aches. I am not so inclined to take lots of drugs. I will stick with ibuprofen for now.

Lastly I met with Dana, the dietician. She is pretty cool. We walked about eating clean. We talked about Paleo. We talked about fiber and protein. I got kudos for making my fruit smoothies and for using soups (broth) as ways together large volume foods for little calories.

I am full of ideas for the coming weeks. I am scouring my cookbooks to see what trouble I can get into. I am publishing my exercise plan for this new week (as it has taken me a few days to get this far!!)

Monday.....day off

Tuesday....Jazzercise in the am and in the pm

Wednesday....light weight work as per Joey

Thursday....Jazzercise

Friday....Jazzercise / stretching in the evening

Saturday.....light weight work as per Joey

Sunday...Jazzercise

Each day I will strive to hit 10,000 steps. There is a new commercial that says if you get 10,000 steps it is like walking a professional golf course. For me, they need to change the analogy....I hate golf. It ruins a perfectly good walk!!

One small step for me.......

One giant step outside of my comfort zone! I have been trying to help a friend get started on her road to losing weight and feeling better/stronger. I have been encouraging her to 'step out side of the box' and do something different. We all know that doing the same thing over and over expecting different results does NOT HAPPEN. Imagine my surprise when I had a session with a counselor hearing my words come back to bite me in the butt.

I was asked what I did in the past when I had success that was different than today. That made me sit back and think....and think.....and think. I can honestly say I was still cooking (my comfort zone). I did, however, move more. A lot more! I was walking every morning with a friend at 5am (days before I had Jazzercise early morning) and we would do between 2 and 3 miles depending on our energy levels or work committments. I walked the dog for nice walks every day. Later in the program I did work with a personal trainer. Since my knee scope I have some limitations. I have cut back on some of my jazzercise..I am now doing 4-5 classes per week. My girlfriend that I walked with got married and moved away. After my knee scope I have lost some range of motion and stopped working with the trainer. What are all of these comments? EXCUSES!

I am now going to post what my 'dates' with exercise are going to be. It is how I got started with Jazzercise 16 years ago (omg...it almost hurt to say that!!). It is not hard to do. I need to be honest with myself. I need to make a committment to myself and my fitness. This is not going to be a 'biggest loser' kind of exercise program but one that I am very confident with that I can meet.

Along with the exercise, I do wear my pedometer daily. Regardless of the exercise I track my steps for the day. My goal each day is 9000 steps with a stretch goal of 10,000 steps. That being said, here is the plan for week 1.

Sunday: Jazzercise in the morning/take sassy for a minimum 40 minute walk
Monday: light weight work (following the routine the trainer gave me); walk the dog for a minimum of 30 minutes; walk at lunch weather permitting
Tuesday: Jazzercise in the morning/ Jazzercise in the evening; walk at lunch time weather permitting
Wednesday: Yoga or stretching; walking at lunch weather permitting; light weight work and resistance ball work
Thursday: Jazzercise in the morning; walking at lunch weather permitting; walk the dog for a minimum of 30 minutes
Friday: Jazzercise in the morning; walking at lunch weather permitting; stretch or yoga in the evening.
Saturday: House cleaning; walk the dog for 1 hour

With all of this, I will continue to cook good and healthy food. This does not mean that it does not have taste! I love spices and vegetables to spice up food....it is not all done with oil and fat. I will be journaling my food intake every day online (not here) to be sure I am meeting the requirements of the doctor I am working with.

I am taking a big chance on myself. I am doing something DIFFERENT hoping for new and lighter results.

I will keep you posted!

Happy New Year 2012!!!

Here I am late in the afternoon on the first day of the new year. Following through on the non-alcohol induced resolutions, I have gotten over 6500 steps (goal of 10k per day) and have eaten pretty clean today. The only processed food I have had was the creamer for my coffee...otherwise I cooked it all. Fresh. From scratch. Locally grown. What more could a girl ask for..

I have tracked my food...everything has been added into my fitness pal account. At the end of the day. I will also post my steps.

This has not been a hard thing today. I really find that I enjoy journaling. What is frustrating is when I pick a meal that I don't plan for. I am pre planing my meals... I want succes. I can see it....there is a newer little black dress in my future. Isn't that a pretty dress?!

There are many things I want to experience and accomplish in the coming year. I will take care of me first and listen to my body relating to both food and exercise.

One goal is to take a boot camp from the Culinary Institute of America. There is one coming to Illinois in March. I am checking it out......more to follow!

Happy New Year's Adam.....

Ok, I have to admit I borrowed the title from a friend with a great sense of humor. You know, Adam came before Eve....ha!

I am gearing up for a new year. A friend wrote that most new year's resolutions fail because we make them when we are inebriated! How true is that? He has also said that if you can visualize what you want you can achieve it. Now you might wonder why I would be so interested in what a high school classmate has to say? He has lost over 150 lbs this year. My recollection is in the whole year he has only had 2 weeks that he did not post a loss.

Chris has done it by being consistent. He admits he eats the same thing everyday for breakfast, lunch and snack. He also limits the number of calories so that he can enjoy a nice dinner if the mood strikes. In my case, I am trying to eat 6 times per day, each meal being about 225 calories. Some are higher and some are lower but all contain protein in each. No carb loading!!

Chris also exercises 2 hours at the gym 3 days per week. I split my exercise up a bit differently. I love my jazzercise.....and that is 3 early mornings, 1 evening and 1 weekend day. The other days I walk with the dog, weather permitting walking at lunch. Now I plan to incorporate some yoga. Stretching and breathing are so important and I want to feel the benefit.

Lastly Chris is visualizing his progress. When he started he was not sure how it would all go but he knew he needed to lose weight. He was not exercising, he was in a job search and has a great family.....wanting to be more active with them.

I dream myself thin, when I look in the mirror I see a nice looking person. I wonder where she goes sometimes when I look at pictures. I love to cook and am working on doing it in a healthy manner. I love how it feels when I sweat and have a great workout. The difference between Chris and I is the consistency. I am good with the exercise....not so good with the food and portion control. I want this. I want this. I want this really bad. It is not to be phenomenal looking (bonus when it happens) but to be healthy and feel great.

I am sober, I am awake, and I am sure of this. 2012 will be a year of even more success for me. I want my joints to feel better, my overall health will be improved and I will be one hot mama.......so look out world!

New Year......New and improved me!

Ok, so maybe it is not the new year yet, but I have decided that the holiday food fest is over for me!

I really do not want to use the holidays as a reason to put on the feed bag and nosh to my stomach's content. Stomach does not always talk to brain and if they are not working together there can be serious consequences!


Prior to the holidays I was eating much cleaner and was very aware of avoiding processed foods and wheat products. I had much more energy, my joints felt better, and I was thinking clear and not in a fog. My tummy liked me......liked me a lot! I had eliminated much of the discomfort I had previously. So what could possibly tempt me into going back to the 'other side'? The promise of comfort and something special. Aren't most of the holiday memories about delicious food; the preparation, sharing, and eating. C'mon, Italians celebrating Christmas eve with the feast of the 7 fishes!! In my family feast now, I was lucky to get 4 different fish dishes.....I have 2 non fish eaters, 1 vegetarian, 1 carnivore, and some friends who really have no preference......they just come for the party!

On top of all of that, I have had one ailment after another from tummy issues to sinus infection and other things in between. My workouts have been seriously interrupted. NOT ANYMORE! Tomorrow I will be back to Jazzercise and walking the dog after work. I am not letting darkness hamper our fun time......a flashlight is my friend.

This being said, it is a new beginning...let the good times roll!!

Feeling success on Friday........

Here in the office we have 'Bagel Friday'. It started a few years ago when I would stop by Panera and get 2-3 dozen bagels for the office. Of course I was sharing but made sure to get my Asiago cheese bagel. **sigh** The scent of the bagel toasting in the toaster oven......the glistening of the butter melting. How I miss those mornings.



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I act like I have not had one in forever. Maybe it has been weeks.......I know it has been at least 2 weeks without the savory feeling of the cheese and butter swirling around teasing my taste buds.

I came back from San Antonio with the resolve to eliminate sugar and white flour from my diet. I wanted to see how my joints reacted to it and how my weight loss might respond to it. I think my joints are less achy. I have much less acid reflux. Between these subtle changes and the fact that I am counting calories instead of counting points the scale has really been on my side!

So, this morning I brought in hard boiled eggs, a slice of cheese and an apple. That was my delicious breakfast. I looked longingly at the golden hues of cheese melted on the bagel. I stopped for a moment. There was one already toasting in the oven.......I took one deep breath and that is what I savor today. There may come a day soon that I will be able to be satisfied with 1/2 of a bagel, but for now I revel in the feeling that I did not succumb to the White Flour devil along with his friend Count Calorie!!

Changes, challenges, and perfection

It has been some time since I have put thought to computer. Lots of things have been going on and some changes need to be made. I have been struggling with my lack of success at weight watchers. Not their fault and I am not so sure mine either BASED ON THEIR CALCULATIONS. In talking to someone it was suggested that I check out a dietician and an exercise physiologist at a local spot. They specialize in helping people with medical weight loss. No pills, no cutting........just lets look at the calories in vs calories out. Seems reasonable to me.

So off I went to a 3 hour (OMG!) appointment and learned the following. FOR ME (a basic disclaimer) it seemed like I was getting too much food intake in calories. When you look at the current WW plan fruits and vegetables are free. Now what in life is really free??!! I was loading up on those bad boys. My overall cooking and food choices were not bad......poor portion control seemed to be my problem. Whooda thunk that a bag of broccoli would be my downfall!

From there I spoke to an exercise physiologist, Joey. He is adorable...not the 'ooh I am hot for him' but more the 'he is going to work my tush off (literally!) but he is also Italian.......what is not to like?! I have my first assessment with him this coming weekend. I better be ready to rock!! I am looking forward to see what he has to say. I have a regular exercise routine but there is always room for improvement.

Lastly I spoke to the doctor. He was impressed that I did not have a weight goal in mind. I don't know what feels good. Does that make sense? This journey is about feeling good, looking better, but overall being healthy. I go back in a couple of weeks for my first review of what I have been doing.

The first few days did not seem to be too much of a challenge, but it was close to the weekend and I was in my safe place, home. Counting calories IS a challenge. Compared to what I had been doing this is an amazing eye opener. The same food I was eating on my old plan is SO MUCH MORE than I needed. I feel good. I have only had 1 day that I felt I needed more but it is also the same day I have 2 workouts. I was asking for more food (may I have more, sir? Can you just hear Oliver Twist's plea for more gruel??) The answer was a quick no. I need to balance out the levels of protein and be happy. Ok, it was not said in a cruel manner at all. It was more like 'this is new. Take it for what it is worth and maybe we can make an adjustment later but right now the plan is the plan."

Lastly, I am learning every day that it is ok not to be perfect. You wondered about that too?? I was raised to be perfect all the time. I am the oldest and am setting examples for everyone. Wow, the pressure! I am freakin' setting examples for the whole world!! Here is the example I want to set.......it is ok NOT to be perfect. Just always put forth your best effort and that is all anyone SHOULD ask of you. That being said, I am moving forward. Doing the best I can. It is nowhere near being perfect and I am ok with that.

So the new and NOT perfect but improved girl moves forward with much success in my future. I can just feel it in my bones!