Hi Everyone..... Been In Hiding

Hey everyone!!! Like the title says, I have been in hiding. The past few weeks for this month, I have been trying to get all the 2009 taxes done for our accountant before the 15th. Ugh!!!! The other thing was that I started at the Y, planning on teaching one, maybe 2 classes, and now, I have been teaching 8-10 classes, adding more water fitness classes and preparing to be the YSL Swim Lesson Coordinator for the summer. And I only started to take this job to get a free family membership!!!

For all of my followers, I appreciate you all being patient with me, and not giving up on me. I have been working out daily, and if I don't make it to the treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike & I have to teach swim lessons, I get in the pool 30 minutes before class and swim laps before I start.

My food choices on the other hand has been pretty bad!!! Looking at everything that I have been doing so far, I have to say that my food choices is my weakness. I am an emotional eater!!! I LOVE FOOD!!!!! I love the taste of food, how flavors work with the food. I have learned not to use food when I am stressed or upset, but I do let food flavors dictate what I do & don't eat. I also let my husband's emotional eating control what I do and don't eat as well.

For example, we are in Atlanta, GA for the weekend for a Pettibon Seminar, and on our way down here, we just crossed over into Georgia. We had stopped in Hickory, waiting for my new laptop to come in from Dell via FedEx, and we ate Japanese at the mall. About an 1 1/2 after eating at the mall, and back on the road, we drove to an exit that had a Krystal's restaurant (my husband's favorite). He wanted to eat there, even though we ate 1 1/2 hours ago. I stopped and not only ordered his meal, but I ordered a meal for myself. Did it taste good.... Heck ya!!! But was it something that I needed to eat..... Heck No!!! About 10 minutes after eating it, my husband started to complain that his stomach was hurting and he was getting really bloated.

After we ate, we talked about what we just did, and we both knew that it was such a bad idea. All we could do was talk about it, make the changes & move on. He has been real focused on doing the changes because I signed him up for an 8 week boot camp and even though he fought it at first, he has made a lot of changes- involving more exercise. His attitude has changed and he has been more motivating to keep me moving. He even without me having to do this, signed up for 8 week Beach Body Abs workout at 5:00 am in the morning.

Well, I wanted to start back at my blogging, especially since I have on my desktop of my laptop, I can blog right here without having to pull up the full website. If anyone out there is willing to take on this challenge, I need an assistant who will send me an email to say, "Hey lady.... Where's your blog post?" I have noticed that I have been so overwhelmed with everything, that I think I am going to need someone who would be willing to help, remind me to blog & also when I blog say, "Hey, what are you doing? Did you workout today?" or "Did you eat right today?" I hope someone will help me out with that.

Talk to everyone later!!!

Happy Easter Everyone!!

Happy Easter Weekend everyone! The first 3 months have flown by so quickly. I was looking through my planner to see what was already filled in my almost full schedule for the month of April & into May, and I realized at the end of May, that the kids will be out of school. Also, I am two month away from our girls' trip to NYC. I am super excited! Five days- no husband, no kids..... Just us girls in NYC!!! Now, just trying to get tickets to Wicked and figure out what to do for fun that isn't just tourist-y. Anyone who has been to NYC or live/lived in NYC have any suggestions, please send them my way.

This week, my workout has been slow starting, but I pushed through the rest of the week sweating like crazy. Monday, I was stuck at the office, trying to get all the tax stuff together for the accountant. In the middle of last year, we had an accounting software (Peachtree), and the computer it was on was getting "cleaned up." So I put all of our information on a memory stick and store it away. About two months ago, I realized that I had lost the memory stick. Holy crap!!!! I tried to start over with Peachtree, but it was so hard to understand. So I ended up buying Quickbooks, and I had to start over. So I had worked day and night all this week to try and get this done, and Thursday night, I finally got it all done. Phew.......

I finally made it to the gym on Wednesday, and I was pushing hard on the bike & the elliptical. Then I worked on weights & did abs. This week was my first week without Renee, and I was slow going on my own, but I at least I did it. Now, I am working with a co-worker to start taking on some water fitness classes, and creating more intense water fitness classes to really push it.

So, my week has been really interesting, and I am really looking forward to start this next week. Meeting with the accountant on Monday. Now, I am going to talk to everyone later, I have to get ready and head to the Y for my private swim lesson today.

I Haven't Fallen Off The Face Of The Earth.......

Hey everyone!!

Sorry that I haven't been on in a while to blog. The Nieland household has been turn up on its head this last week, and I now feel like it is somewhat back, right side up. Have anyone out there had a day/week/month like that? I was also getting burned out on being on the computer everyday all day and I just took a mind break from technology (except for my phone- my lifeline!!)

Well let me get everyone caught up in what I have been up to...... Since the last time that I have been on, I have picked up more swim lessons. I planned on only doing 2 days a week in the morning, but it has now turned into two classes on Weds & 2 classes on Thurs morning, one class Tues & Thurs evening & a private swim lesson on Sat. I have also completed my water fitness certification class this past weekend, and I am hoping to work with the YMCA Aquatics to offer more intense water fitness classes. But, I haven't dropped my workouts. Still doing them 6 days a week, and I have been focusing on "cleaning up" my eating habits.

My daughter had a new cast put on two weeks ago, and this Thursday, she goes back to the othropaedic surgeon to have her thumb x-rayed to make sure everything is healing properly. My boys are being boys, playing in the mud, cars, legos & anything else they can get their hands into. My husband is pushing through work and teaching his classes at the college. I signed him up for a boot camp course at the YMCA, and for the first 2-3 weeks, we was cursing my name, but now, he has gotten over the pain, and is pushing through. I am so proud of him that he is hasn't given up. He has also add jiu jitsu 2 days a week as well. Way to go honey!!!

Now, I know I might sound like a broken record, but I am now back on track with the blogging. It is great to see people that have read my blog or read my posts on Facebook emailing me or IMing me on Facebook making sure that I am still doing what I need to be doing and not giving up on me. If you are reading this and you have done it, "THANK YOU!!" I am still working out 6 days a week, and now, I bring a lunchbag filled with my snacks, breakfast & lunch (sometimes my dinner as well), and water! I haven't given up, starting to fit in clothes that I haven't worn in years & loving it! I promise everyone that I am going to be back to blogging every night. Talk to everyone soon!!!

Challenge 2 Day 43- I Am Wishing This Weekend Isn't Over

Why is it when Saturday comes, we cram so much things to do instead of enjoying it, and when Sunday comes, we wish it was Saturday again so we can "just relax." We didn't wake up until 11:30 am, which is nice to sleep in. We got ready to go to the brunch with our family friends and then, we had to cut it short because Ally was feeling really sick. That stomach bug is really kicking her butt!!

The rest of the day, I rested and the kids took naps. It was nice to relax the rest of the Sunday.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 2:15 pm
Chicken Thigh
Corn
Green Beans
Biscuit
Dirty Rice
Meatloaf slice
Sweet Tea

Dinner- 6:15 pm
Leftover Ground Beef, Rice & Tomato Skillet
Water

Tomorrow I will see if I can make it to the gym, if Ally is still sick. Talk to everyone tomorrow!

Challenge 2 Day 42- Have To Work On A Saturday

So today was a work day for me & my husband. It has been such a crazy week, that we have needed to catch things up. We spent the morning picking up the house and waiting for the repair man to show up to fix the dryer that still isn't fixed. I decided that I didn't want to eat out, so I packed up my George Foreman Grill, chicken breasts, rice cooker with rice, corn, & BBQ sauce so that we could have a nice little grill out and relax.

We headed to the office, and was getting a lot of work done. The kids played on the computers, watching movies and relaxing. We ended up grilling and we let the kids go outside and play while we grilled BBQ chicken on the George Foreman. We had a whole meal together and it was really good.

By the end of the day, we ended up staying at the office until 12:30 am. We didn't get home and get the kids into bed until 1 in the morning. I was so exhausted!!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Workout
None

Breakfast- 8:20 am
Scrambled Eggs
Hashbrowns w/ Onions & Green Peppers
Slice of Homemade Whole Wheat Molasses Toast w/ Butter & Strawberry Jam
Coffee

Lunch- 12:15 pm
Healthy Choice Portabella Mushroom Pasta
Water

Dinner- 5:25 pm
Grilled BBQ Chicken Breast
Jasmine Rice
Corn
Water

Tomorrow is Sunday, and we are heading to our monthly family dinner get together with friends. Talk to everyone tomorrow!!

Challenge 2 Day 41- Bringing On The Pain!

Today is torture day..... I mean Friday! What a great way to start my morning but to workout with Renee at 8 am. Now I like to workout first thing in the morning because I can check it off of my list and then I can focus on my work that I needed to get done.

When I got to the gym, we started with a run outside. It felt nice to be outside, but it was freezing cold. Of course, Renee said it would warm me up, but in no way did it. I was freezing after I was done. We headed back into the Y and straight over to the dreaded stairs, and of course, 10 flights of stairs. But, I am really proud of myself..... I did it without having Renee "guide" me up the stairs. And straight from there, it was "wall sits" for 20 secs. My feet were shaking! Then straight from there we did 20 chest presses and 2 reps of 20 of leg presses at 230 & 240 lbs. I did great on the first rep, but when we got to 10 on the 2nd rep, and my legs were shaking like crazy. The last 10 were the toughest.

When I got all done, it was so hard to stand. I was leaning on anything that I could lean on. I walked down the hall to the locker room and all that was playing in my head was, "Please don't give out on me legs. Please don't fall." It took everything within me to be able to stand. I sat in front of my locker because I didn't want to stand. Typically, I don't use handicap showers & bathroom stalls in case someone needs them, but today, I needed it. Half of the shower I couldn't even stand up on my own. I had to use the seat to shower. It was so sad.

The rest of the day was getting a lot of work done, and I picked up the kids from school. It was such a gorgeous day that the kids & I took the dogs for a walk through our subdivision. It felt good to enjoy the weather and the changing from winter to spring! The rest of the day I enjoyed just relaxing with the family.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Workout
One-on-One with Renee

Breakfast- 9:10 am
Pear
Coffee
Water

Morning Snack- 10:45 am
100 calorie snack Lorna Doone
Water

Lunch- 12:34 pm
Leftover Tuna Patties x 2 (added to the recipe link)
Cucumber Dill Sauce (added to the recipe link)
Apple w/ peanut butter
Water

Dinner- 7:15 pm
Salmon w/ Mixed Veggies
Fried Rice
Water
1 Bud Light

I am so glad that is Saturday, and I have to spend the day working in the office. Talk to everyone tomorrow!!

Challenge 2 Day 40- Enjoying A Somewhat Normal Schedule

It was nice to get back to a decent schedule. It has been about 2 weeks since I have been able to get things done that needs to be done. I started my day going to the gym to teach my swim class then to the office to get caught up on paperwork without distraction. (Our office is closed on Thursday.)

The rest of the day, I was at the office, trying to weed through all of the stack of paperwork that I had piled on my desk. It felt like it was through the roof. It was nice to get started in it, but I needed more time to get through more. And this afternoon, I had to take my daughter to the orthopedic surgeon to get her stitches taken out of her thumb and get it re-casted. It was kind of gross to see the 2 pins sticking out of her thumb. I am so proud of her. She didn't cry one bit. She took slow deep breaths, and I was talking her through the tough breathing exercises that she was having trouble of getting through. I am so proud of her!!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Workout
1 hour swim lesson class

Breakfast
Missed

Morning Snack- 11:15 am
Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
Water

Lunch- 1:25 pm
Healthy Choice Potstickers (Pretty gross- never going to eat again)
Water

Dinner- 5:25 pm
Nacho Bell Grande
Beef Taco Supreme
Mountain Dew

Tomorrow is Friday, TGIF and I am going to hopefully get through all of my paperwork. Talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 39- Sick Kid #2

Well I woke up this morning with my youngest son who was sick with the stomach bug. And my typical routine- bring my son with me to work (office), get some work done there, then head to the Y and have my husband come and pick him up and keep him since I cannot keep him at work.. Then, afterwards, meet my husband at work and try and get work done while having my son at work.

I got to the gym early and was preparing for my classes, since I haven't taught this class yet. This class was a pretty easy class, a lot easier than my Thursday class. After class was said and done, I headed back to the office, checked on my son, and rolled up my sleeves and dove in. After work, I picked up the rest of the kids from school, and headed home. Since it was such a gorgeous day outside, the kids and I spent an hour walking the dogs and enjoying the nice weather. Jocko, one of our schnauzers got loose, and we spent 15 minutes chasing him, and he was caught!!! I was sweating like crazy- but hey, it felt good. A year ago, I would walk down 2 houses and be already sweating!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Workout
1 hour swim lesson class

Breakfast- 10:40 am
Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
Coffee

Lunch- 1:15 pm
1 Drumstick
2 Chicken Tenders
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Water
Biscuit

Dinner- 5:15 pm
Ground Beef, Rice & Tomato Skillet
Water

Tomorrow is Thursday, and I have my Day 2 of swim lessons. Bring on the kids!

Challenge 2 Day 38- In Raleigh at UNC

Today is orthodontist appointments for the kids today. It was kind of nice to get out of town for the night, to have a break, to just focus on having fun with my family today.



We checked out of the hotel after breakfast, and headed to UNC for the orthodontist appointment, which was a real quick appointment (2 minute wait time- nice!!). After we got done, we drove through the campus, which is beautiful. Then we bought some UNC sweatshirts for the kids, and let the kids have fun in a kids' museum. It was a lot of fun to just walk around and kind of reconnect with the family, and just have fun.

My husband loves the show Man vs. Food (and I admit, I love that show too!) Anyways, he did an episode in Chapel Hill, so while we were in the kids' museum, he had me look up what restaurants that he went to. When we go out of town, we always try to eat somewhere that we haven't been to before. So we went to Mama Dip's, which is a great southern home cooking. It reminded me of my grandmother's cooking.

We spent the rest of the day, spending time, went shopping and had a dinner at the mall. Now, I remember why I don't eat at the mall.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 6:45 am
Waffle
Coffee

Lunch- 12:15 pm
Chicken Fried Steak
Mashed Potatoes
Collard Greens
Fried Green Tomatoes
Fried Zucchini
Sweet Tea

Dinner- 5:15 pm
1/2 Fettucine Alfredo- Yuck!
1/2 Greek Salad
Tea
Garlic Bread
Chick-fil-a Sandwich

Tomorrow I have swim lesson class, so I will talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 37- Back On Blogging Track

If you can tell I am finally getting my blogging back on track. Last week was very challenging, and I am glad that I was able to make it through it. I didn't get 6 days of workouts in, but I did the best that I could with the best that I got.

Today has been a busy day for me. We were leaving out of town today because we had to have the kids to an orthodontist appointment in Raleigh at UNC to find out if they do or don't need braces, and if they do, it can be cheaper. I made it to the gym and got a great workout in, but since my son was home sick from school, I couldn't get my work done at work. So, I took him home and put him down for a nap, and took one myself.

We left later this afternoon and headed to Raleigh, and it was nice to get out of town with the family and just relax.

The new thing that I am going to add, I am going to add my workouts so I can keep track of them as well.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 10:15 am
Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
Water

Lunch- 11:35 am
Chicken BLT Salad w/ Honey Dijon Dressing
Water

Afternoon Snack- 4:15 pm
Carmel Corn Mini Rice Cakes
Water

Dinner- 7:10 pm
Chipotle Burger
Onion Rings
Salad w/ Raspberry Vinegrette
Water w/ lemoon
1/2 PB Cup Shake

Workouts
Elliptical- 10 minutes: 134 calories/.68 miles/Average Heart- 147/ Maximum Heart- 155/ 2:48 in Heart Rate Zone

Stationary Bike- 10 minutes: 130 calories/ 3.52 miles/ Average Speed 21.1

Abdominal Exercises- 20 reps of Standard Crunches x 3
20 reps of Straight Legs x 3
20 reps of Angled Plank x 3
20 seconds of Plank
Tomorrow is our appointment with the orthodontists. Talk to everyone later.

Challenge 2 Day 28-36- The Week from H-E-Double Hockey Sticks!!!

So, obviously I have been not blogging lately, and it has been chaotic around here. My daughter had broken her thumb, and the casting was coming off of it, so we went back to the pediatrician to have it re-casted. Well, he took the original cast off & wanted to take an x-ray of it to see how it's healing.

Well after the x-ray, the bone that was fractured was at a 55 degree angle (NOT NORMAL!!!), so he said that I had to take her to an orthopedic hand surgeon immediately to get it looked at. I took her straight away and after we finally got in with the surgeon, he spent less than 5 minutes and said she had to be back here at 9:30 am the next day for her hand surgery. When I got home, I was so exhausted. My meal choices that day was awful. I let my stress take over what I should & shouldn't eaten, and I ended up eating Chick-fil-a sandwich w/ waffle fries & a lemonade.

We were back the next morning bright and early for her surgery. I remembered the bad choices I made yesterday, so I made sure to pack my own lunch & snacks (healthy of course), not only to have bettter choices, but to also save $$. It was great and I had great energy. She made it through the surgery well, and I got her home right away and let her rest and take the rest of the week off to recoup and get used to her new splint that she had on.

The rest of the week was caring for her, getting the house somewhat decent and trying to fit a workout in as well as teaching my swim lessons. Today, I am finally getting to slow down, so I am getting back on track. I did a terrible job tracking my foods and only worked out 3 days last week, but I am going to be back on track this week.

Talk to everyone tomorrow!!

Challenge 2 Day 27- Start of Spring Cleaning

Happy Saturday! Today, I was hoping to sleep in this morning because since we didn't get home late, I was going to enjoy a late morning snooze....... But nope, that didn't happen! I was up at 6:45 am. The kids didn't wake me up, I guess my internal clock woke me up instead.

I woke up and enjoyed a nice cup of coffee while I finished my email to Renee of my food journal for the week with all the workouts that I did that week. I was thinking that I wouldn't hear from her until Tuesday, but nope.... Her promptness, I heard back from her within the hour. I was thinking it was going to be terrible, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. I still need to work on my snacks, but it looks like it is an improvement.

The rest of the day was running errands, getting groceries, and my daughter had a sleepover at a friends' house. It was kind of nice to just hang out at home, and not have to run anywhere, worry about work, and so on. We ended the night watching UNC get murdered by Duke. Sad, sad game!!!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 7:30 am
2 Eggs & Hashbrown Skillet
Coffee

Lunch- 12:45 pm
Arby's Chicken Pecan Salad Sandwich
Water

Dinner- 5:45 pm
Hunan Chicken Salad w/ homemade Asian Peanut Dressing (see recipe link)
Water

Tomorrow is laundry day- our dryer is broken and we have to bring our laundry back & forth to the office. Talk to everyone tomorrow.

Challenge 2 Day 26- TGIF- Man I Deserved It!

Happy Friday everyone!!!! I am so glad that it is FRIDAY!!!!! This work week has been really hectic, but I made it through and I am glad it's over.

This week has been a tough week to get my food on track. When I went over my review on Thursday with Renee and she wanted me to change some things that I need to help improve my weight loss. It has been real tough to try and transition from a lot of the foods that I have eaten, but I know has really not been the best choice.

We were short staffed today, so I had to cover working the front desk, but at lunch, I met with Renee for our workout. We did more therapy on my shoulder and adductor, and we did elliptical and treadmill. I brought with me my posture strap to help hold my shoulders back, help keep my shoulder down and keeping it from rotating forward and getting hurt.

I did pretty good on the elliptical, but when we went on the treadmill, my back started to spasm so bad that it was radiating through my chest. It was freaking me out. Renee had me push through it to and even though it was tough, I finally got through it. I took off the posture strap and the pain subsided, which was a bit of a relief. We went into the aerobics room and did more shoulder and adductor work, which was better, but a bit painful.

After work we went out with some friends to eat Thai and go to a movie. We wanted to go see Alice in Wonderland, but it was so packed, so we went to see Copout, which was a cute movie, but I could of waited for it to come out on DVD to rent. But it was a nice night to get out of the house and be with friends.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 7:15 am
Bowl of Special K Cereal
Coffee

Lunch- 11:15 am
Healthy Choice Lemon Pepper Fish on Wild Rice w/ Steamed Broccoli & Apple Crisp
Water

Afternoon Snack- 2:15 pm
Almonds
Water

Dinner- 7:45 pm
Pepper Steak
Jasmine Rice
Water w/ Lemon

Tomorrow is cleaning day at the house, so I am going to be doing a lot of stairs, and lifting tons of stuff in and out of the attic. Talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 25- First Day On The Job

Today was my first day teaching swim lessons. I was really excited to start back to teaching. I really loved teaching the little kids, and I am glad that I get to do it again.

I dropped the kids off at school & I headed to the gym and got my workout in. I did 10 minutes on the bike & then I worked on my shoulders & adductors. Then, I played about 10 minutes of volleyball setting to work on my shoulder. Once I got done, I changed & got into my swimsuit and taught my class. It was great!!

After my classes, I took a water aerobics class (I am going to get back into teaching those as well- taught them for 3 years back in the day), and I really worked my shoulder. When I got done & got cleaned up, I picked up my daughter from school because she was sick, and picked up my youngest son, while my other son had to stay late to make up late days & my husband picked him up from school. I laid down and passed out for 3 hours-- I forgot how much energy gets sucked out of you when you are in the water 3 hours. Wow!!! Now, I am wide awake!

Here is my food journal for today:

Breakfast- 10:15 am
Myoplex RTD Chocolate Fudge Shake
Water

Morning Snack- 12:45 pm
Almonds
Water

Lunch- 1:25 pm
1/2 foot long Philly Cheesesteak Subway Sub on Honey Oat
(Provolone Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Green Peppers, Red Onions)
Sun Chips
Water

Dinner- 6:35 pm
Leftover Chili w/ Fritos
Water

Evening Snack- 8:45 pm
Popcorn
Hot Cocoa

Tomorrow is my workout with Renee- let's see what she has in store for me tomorrow. Talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 24- Snow Day/No School- Are You Kidding Me!!!

I woke up this morning & there was a snow storm overnight, and the kids were out of school. I didn't agree with it, but in some areas, it was pretty bad. So, I understand it, but by mid afternoon, all the snow melted.

Today was suppose to be my first day teaching swim lessons, but because there was no school, there was no work. But, I had to get into the office because my desk was overflowing with work that I needed to do. So, I had to bring the kids with me to work, which was kind of hectice, but I was kind of glad that it was a light day. I powered through all the work, and the kids and I were out the door.

We got home, walked the dogs & picked up the house, then around close to 4 pm we were out the door & to the gym. Future note- I am never going to the gym at 4 pm ever again!!!! It was packed first of all, but there were so many school kids, especially high school kids that were being ridiculous. I ended up after my workout going home and taking a shower- I just had to get out of the chaos. But even after the hectic day, I still made it to my workout!!!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 7:45 am
2 Eggs
Hash Browns
Homemade Whole Grain Bread w/ Homemade Strawberry Jam
Coffee

Lunch- 1:15 pm
Healthy Choice Spicy Chicken Carbonara
Water

Dinner- 6:25 pm
Seared Salmon
Steamed Broccoli/Carrots
Water

Evening Snack- 8:15 pm
Leftover chili
Water

Tomorrow is cardio day & doing more rehab on my shoulder & adductors. Talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 23- Food Journal Review.....Need More Work

Happy Tuesday everyone!!! Today was my first day at my new job, or at least I thought it was.

I went into the YMCA this morning thinking that I had swim lessons, and the aquatics director, Kimberly, came and found me & told me that I didn't have swim lessons today, so I went ahead and unpacked my gym bag & headed back to the office. I had my husband work on my back, and we found out that I had a rib head out under my rhomboid/shoulder blade area and that was what was causing my shoulder problem. The other issue that he saw was that my left leg was turning out. He said that I needed to work on the adductor muscle to correct this problem. When he adjusted my rib head, the shoulder pain went away. It felt so good!!!

I headed back to the gym around noon-ish to workout with Renee & we did 15 minutes of cardio, and then we did some rehab on my shoulder and worked on the adductors to help turn my left foot in. While we working the adductors, I was talking to Renee about why I think my left leg turns out. Since I was carrying around all of this weight for 10 years, I have had to change how I walked, moved, etc. We were doing leg lifts one day and I know that with the excess weight and I couldn't lift my leg straight up, I have to kind of swing it around to pick it up. When I started to do squats and my stomach was definitely getting in the way, I have had to turn my leg out to get the full movement. Sad, so sad!!!

We also went over my 2 week food journal and we went through that as well. I definitely have a salt/sweet issue, and because of work, I eat out a lot. And even though I work a lot, that isn't an excuse to eat out. I need to pack my lunch, or buy a bunch of those Healthy Choices to keep in the freezer so that I don't eat out.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 8:15 am

Bowl of Special K cereal

Coffee

Lunch- 11:35 am

Healthy Choice Tortellini Primevera Parmesan

Water

Dinner- 6:15 pm

Homemade Chili w/ ground beef, chili/kidney beans, diced tomatoes, onions

Whole Wheat Bread

Water

Tomorrow is cardio day, and I am going to keep pushing on. Talk to everyone tomorrow!!

Challenge 2 Day 22- Slump Won't Take Me Down

So yesterday was my slump, but today I was going to back to it. I woke up this morning and got the kids ready to school. My middle kid, stayed home from school since he was sick, and I took him to the office to stay with his dad while I went to the gym. I got my workout in, which felt great, and then I picked up my son, since my husband had a meeting to go to, and brought him with me back to the YMCA for my job orientation (by the way, I got the job- teaching swim lessons- free membership!!). I did my orientation, then took my son out to lunch, ran some errands, and then picked up the kids from school.

Our dryer was broken, so I was at the office finishing some laundry (we have a washer/dryer unit at our office), then got home and made dinner and got the kids in the bath and into bed. It was a pretty flowing day, and I am glad that I made it to the gym and glad that it was pretty easy.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast-10:15 am
Yogurt Parfait w/ Granola & Craisins
Coffee

Lunch- 12:34 pm
1/2 Cajun Chicken Sandwich
Salad Bar w/ Thousand Island Dressing
Homemade Chips w/ Ranch Dressing
Water

Dinner- 5:45 pm
Hunan Chicken
Jasmine Rice
Mixed Vegetables
Water

Tomorrow is my first day back at swim lessons, then my one-on-one session with Renee. We are going to go over my food journal to see what I can change. Talk to everyone tomorrow!!

Challenge 2 Day 21- Feel Like A Slug- Cannot Get Motivated!

Today has been a tough day to get motivated. I woke up this morning and I don't know what it was that made me not want to get up and workout. I stayed in my pjs, I didn't want to move. I had a headache from hell, I was feeling miserable. And it really affected my decision making.

I woke up this morning, and I ate leftovers from last night. I didn't even have a good breakfast, I ate leftovers. When I ate lunch, I ate more leftovers, and it wasn't until 3:30 pm when I forced myself to take a shower, to get out of my pjs. After that, it finally gave me the motivation to be a little bit more active and clean the house & do laundry.

I really tried to evaluate what made me not want to do anything. What got me in my funk.... Still stumped. I was real disappointed that I didn't make it to the gym. I hate that I didn't do it, but I can't beat myself up.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 8:45 am
Leftover Beef & Broccoli w/ Rice
Coffee

Lunch- 12:15 pm
Leftover BBQ Beef Sandwich
1 serving bag of Frito's
Potato Salad
Water

Dinner- 5:45 pm
Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce
Water

Dessert- 7:15 pm
Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk
Water

Tomorrow I am going to get back to it!!! No excuses!!!! Talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 20- Free Day Saturday!

Today was my free day. WOOHOO!!!!!

I really enjoyed this day. We decided last week that we would spend Saturday with no tv, Wii during the day. Just family time. It was a bit of a rocky start (got in a fight with my hubby over something stupid- Sorry honey!!), but we finally got going.

We took the kids to Lowe's to the "Build & Grow" and then we took the kids to lunch. While we were at lunch, we decided to go to the park to have fun (per kids' idea since it wasn't too cold out). It was a great idea. So we headed to the park and we took the kids to the playground, then we decided to walk the track along the creek. It was so much fun. The kids got close to the creek and had a stick race to see which one of their sticks would go down the creek the fastest. Then we walked over to the baseball field and "played" baseball with the kids. (By the way, they all hit a homerun!!) We walked back to the playground and played a bit more and then we headed home.

We went home and just hung out talking, playing and reading. Then we (my husband & I) decided to have a dinner date night. He went out and got Chinese & dessert while I made dinner for the kids and got them ready for bed. While I was sitting on the couch watching a movie, he got the dining room table ready and surprised me with it all. It was so awesome!!!

The rest of the night, we got to spend time with just us, and we got to veg out! It was awesome!!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 8:15 am
Scrambled Eggs w/ Sausage
Hashbrown
Coffee

Lunch- 11:45 am
Salad w/ italian dressing
Breadsticks
2 slices of BBQ pizza
1 slice of Chicken & Mushroom Pizza
1/2 brownie
1 cinnamon roll
Coke

Dinner- 7:45 pm
Sample Plate of:
Lo Mein
General Tso's Chicken
Beef & Broccoli
Chicken & Veggies
White Rice
Egg Roll
Beer

Dessert- 9:15 pm
Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk
Water

Tomorrow I am back on track. Got to work off the sugar!!! Talk to everyone tomorrow!

Challenge 2 Day 19- Thank Goodness It's Friday!!!

As you can read from my title: TGIF!!!!!! This week has been so challenging with all the things that needed to be done, but I was really happy how I ended my work week today.

I started my workout first thing in the morning, and then I ran by the office to get some work done for the day. Around 11:30 am, I left the office to have lunch with my son at school. It was real nice to do that. It always make kids so proud when their parents can come and have lunch at school. I was hoping that the school had salads or something to choose from, since we weren't allowed to bring outside food in. So, I had to eat what the school proved. And, I know that it wasn't the best, but I would eat it again- we had an awesome time!!

Today was also one of our staff's one-year anniversary with our office. We like to have reason to have a party and it was great. I made a shredded barbecue beef for sandwiches and my dad's homemade potato salad (one of my favorites), and the other staff brought, salads, baked beans, etc. The staff kept wanting me to eat, and I didn't want to be rude and not eat at all, so I made a plate with little bit of everything. I sampled everything and downed tons of water to try and really fill up my stomach.

I picked up the kids and ran back to the office to get my adjustment, and my middle son stayed with his dad, so I had my oldest & youngest. Boy, did they fight like crazy.... I took them out to dinner, and we went home and rocked out on the Wii. Like I said, a pretty good way to end the week.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 10:15 am
Myoplex RTD Chocolate Fudge Shake
Water

Lunch- 12:15 pm
Cheeseburger w/ mayo, mustard, ketchup & pickle
Fries
2 Orange Slices
Water

Afternoon Snack- 1:45 pm
1/2 Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwich
Potato Salad
Salad w/ Italian Dressing
Baked Beans
Water

Dinner- 5:45 pm
Fresca Salad
Penne alla Vodka w/ Grilled Salmon
Foccacia Bread
Water

Tomorrow is my free day & I am going to enjoy it!! Talk to everyone later!!

Challenge 2 Day 18- Putting Myself First- Part 2

I am reminding myself that I am just as important as everyone else that I worry about everyday.

Today, was my daughter school presentation. She was Pocahontas, and she was a wax statue. You had to push a "button" on her hand, and she would tell you history of Pocahontas. It was so cute to see all the kids dressed up in their costumes and tell about the historical figures they were. I spent the morning, just spending it in my daughter's classroom, and also took my middle son through their presentation. It was great!

I went to the office to finish some insurance stuff and had lunch at the office, then I was off to workout with Renee. Boy, did she run me through the mill. My shoulder is still bothering me (it was rotated forward, so my husband had to put it in place). She had me do 20 minutes on the treadmill doing up hill walking and then running. She pushed me to 5.0, but I wanted to get up to 5.5. What was so funny, was when we pushed to 5.2 and I thought and told Renee it was time to go up to 5.5, a little voice in my head (my gremlin) said, what are you doing, don't go to 5.5. So before she pushed me up to 5.5, I was thinking in my head, maybe I should tell her no, but by the time that debate was over, it was too late. We were at 5.5. I beat that gremlin!!!!

After the run/walk, she had me do lunges on the treadmill at a 1.0 speed, then she turned off the treadmill and had me move the track and do lunge strides. Man, that was tough!! We then moved on the the squats machine and she had me start with 240 with 20 reps, then 280 with 20 reps & 320 with 20 reps. My legs were burning. I actually could feel my entire quads stretch throughout each push. After that, we moved on to 10 minutes of rowing, then 15 minutes on stationary bike. We did hills on the bike and I had to keep my speed at 75 or above. When we hit the 15 minute mark, I pushed myself through and added an additional minute, and pushed it to 80 or above. I was so proud of myself.

After my workout, I went and got the kids, and my husband rewarded me with a 1 hour massage. And I tell you what, I could of had her work on my for another 2 hours. Now this massage therapist worked on me about 1 1/2 months ago, and she worked on me today and she said, "Wow Liz, you have lost a lot of inches. How much have you lost so far?" It was great to hear. And at the end of my massage, she said, "You muscles have really changed. They are so toned from the last time I worked on you." That was awesome to hear!!!

The rest of the day, I spent it with the kids and am enjoying watching the Olympics on the couch. I also made my dad's homemade potato salad for a staff party for tomorrow. Today has been a great day!!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 7:10 am
Special K cereal w/ milk
Coffee

Morning Snack- 10:20 am
Almonds
Water

Lunch- 11:45 am
Healthy Choice Chicken Alfredo Florentine
Water

Afternoon Snack- 2:45 pm
Almonds
Water

Dinner- 5:25 pm
Applebee's Crispy Orange Chicken Bowl w/ sauce on the side (only added half)
Water

Tomorrow is cardio day, and it is also going to lunch with my son at school, then staff party. Talk to everyone tomorrow!!!

Challenge 2 Day 17- Putting Me First Part 1

After yesterday's fiasco of putting others first, today, it was about me. So, after I woke up, I got the kids ready and off to school. After dropping them all off, I headed straight for the gym to get my workout in.

I wore a long sleeve shirt and workout pants, to really give myself a sweat. Typically, people wear short or no sleeves, and shorts or workout pants. But I like to every once and a while wear long sleeve shirts, even a sweatshirt, and do a really good sweat session. And I tell you what, it makes you sweat like crazy!!! I did 10 minutes on the elliptical and then 10 minutes on the stationary bike. I had sweat pouring down my face, just streams of it.

After my workout, I went to look at a location for my husband's business networking group, then I went to the office and got a lot of work done. I had people coming in and out of my office wanting things, but I did things on my time. Now, I did do it in a timely manner, but it was at my time.

The rest of the day, I was at home, after picking up the kids, picking up my house, doing laundry & just spending time with my kids. And even after they were in bed, I decided to have a nice relaxing soak in the tub with a good book. It felt awesome!!!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 9:15 am
Myoplex RTD Chocolate Fudge
Water

Morning Snack- 11:15 am
Almonds
Water

Lunch- 1:15 pm
Healthy Choice Fire Roasted Tomato Chicken
Mixed Veggies (Red Bell Peppers, Carrots, Broccoli)
Apple Cranberry Crisp Dessert
Water

Afternoon Snack- 3:15 pm
Apple
Water

Dinner- 6:25 pm
Homemade Chili
Club Crackers
Water

Evening Snack- 8:45 pm
Popcorn
Water

Tomorrow is my workout with Renee. I am nervous & excited to see what will happen. Talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 16- Bad Habits, Oh How You Love Me

When I woke up this morning, I had this feeling that today was going to be my most challenging day. I got up and got the kids dressed, and got them off to school. I was suppose to meet with the trainer after lunch, so I headed straight to work and started to dig through the pile of paperwork. Now, I knew my day was going to be interesting when I left my lunch in the fridge and I forgot to grab my Myoplex RTD shake for breakfast.

My husband came into my office and said that I needed to help him get this brochure together for this business networking group that he belongs to. He didn't tell me that whether it needed to be done right away or not, but I got started on it right away. After a while, I looked at the clock and it was already 11:30 am. WHAT THE....... How did I let the morning get by me, and how did I miss my breakfast. I rushed into the break room and grabbed the bag of granola that I bought for the office, and started munching on it. I needed to get something in my stomach, especially since I was going to get an intense workout with Renee at 1:30 pm.

I was really frustrated with myself. I have really tried to focus on changing my bad habits (i.e.- not eating breakfast, skipping meals) and putting everybody else before me. And that is what I did. Everyone was coming to me, wanting this and that, and instead of telling them, "Hold on. I need something from me," and get something to eat, or taking a break from everything. I let it happen again, and it overcame me. I felt overwhelmed, frustrated, irritated and I was sick of it.

By this time, it was 1:15 pm and I left the office frustrated and irritated. I met Renee and the gym, and told her what was going on and how I was so mad that I let it take over, but she reminded me that even though I didn't eat, that I recognized what I did wrong, and that how I cannot let other people distract me on what I need to do. The saying that I always tell myself to not get overwhelmed by other people's lack of planning & responsibility is: "A sense of urgency on your part does not constitute a sense of urgency on mine." I need to remember that. I need to put that up at my desk.

The rest of the day, after my killer workout, was to get back on track on eating, and not let it deter me from the rest of the day.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast-
NONE!!!

Morning Snack- 11:30 am
Granola
Water

Lunch- 3:15 pm
Arby's Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich
Potato Cakes
Water

Evening Snack- 5:15 pm
Almonds
Water

Dinner- 8:30 pm
Egg & Hashbrown Skillet
Water

Tomorrow is cardio day, and I am not going to let people force me to put them first! Talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 15- Back On Track Me-2/Gremlins-1

After taking the entire weekend off, I headed to the gym after dropping the kids off at school to get back into the swing of things. I did 10 minutes on the stationary bike & 10 minutes on the elliptical and really pushed myself hard. Throughout both the bike and the elliptical, I had gremlins that were trying to come out, but I kept telling myself in my head, "Keep pushing. Push through it!" A tip, if you want to work your abs while on the bike, suck in the tummy while on the bike. You work the abs, while pushing your quads through your session.

After my workout, I had an interview at the Y to teach kids' swim lessons again. I was pretty much a shoe-in, but I have to wait for my drug test back & background check. Then I will be back to teaching swim lessons. Something that I really loved doing, so it will be great to be able to do that again.

Later this evening, my son had a school recital, and it was great to see him. My husband was teaching his class, so it was me and the kids. Now, at dinner, they were a little bit rowdy, but at the recital, they were on their best behavior. The only thing that was funny, was that my son kept yawning through the entire thing. It was hilarious.

Now, after the recital, I promised the kids that I would take them out for ice cream, and it felt great that I didn't crave any of it. Yea me!!!!!! We ran to the store after to pick up some groceries and I picked up some pre-made meals. It has been real hectic with my schedule the past two weeks, and I haven't had time to really cook meals ahead of time. This will help!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 9:25 am
Myoplex Chocolate Fudge RTD shake
Water

Morning Snack- 11:15 am
Handful of Almonds
Water

Lunch- 1:15 pm
Salmon w/ mixed veggies & rice
2 fried wontons
Water

Dinner- 5:15 pm
Hamburger Steak w/ cheese
Green Beans
Baked Potatoes w/ butter & sour cream
Water

Evening Snack- 8:15 pm
Bowl of Special K cereal

Tomorrow is my workout with Renee, so I know I am going to get it handed to me. Talk to everyone tomorrow!

Challenge 2 Day 14- Not Feeling Good

I woke up this morning, feeling terrible. It felt like no matter what I did, drank tons of water, eating, resting, and it felt like my head was constantly spinning. I didn't really drink heavily at night. I had maybe one beer, but I didn't have much sleep. My husband thought that I had a bad case of vertigo. He adjusted my cervical, and it seemed to make it feel a bit better, but it still was spinning.

So, I decided to take the day off, and I ended up sleeping another 4 hours, and I had to get a couple more cervical adjustments. It wasn't until around 8 pm that I started to feel like myself again.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 8:45 am
Hashbrowns
Coffee

Lunch- 4:15 pm
Ham
Green Beans
Dirty Rice
Biscuits
Water

Dinner- 7:45 pm
Bowl of Life Cereal
Water

Evening Snack- 9:45 pm
Popcorn
Water

Tomorrow I am going to do it, and finally get back to doing cardio. It is going to be tough, but I am going to do it.

Challenge 2 Day 13- Free Day/Adult Night

Today was my free day. It was nice to take a break from working out, and just relax. I woke up this morning, feeling pretty good. My husband made breakfast, while I got caught up on emails, and really enjoyed a pj morning. The kids were having fun, laughing, and playing great together.

Now, if my house is a mess, that is my biggest challenge. So when I got a phone call from my good friend about coming over, I panicked. I don't like it. My husband couldn't really care, which didn't help. So I started getting things cleaned up. But, of course, it wasn't done when our impromptu guests showed up. But, we have great friends, and they didn't care.

After they left, I jumped in the shower, got dressed and made my husband do it to it, and get this house cleaned up. It felt great to finally get this house back in order. Everything was back where it was, or at least close to it, and I could breath a lot easier.

Later in the afternoon, the sitter came over as well as some of our friends, and we ordered pizza for the kids, and we headed out to pick up food and head over to some other friend's house and watch the UFC fight. When we got there, they had the Wii up, and we played karaoke on it while we waited for the fight to start. It was great fun!!! Food, fun & friends- it's a great break away.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 8:15 pm
Egg & Hashbrown Skillet
Coffee

Lunch- 12:15 pm
Egg Salad Sandwich
1 serving bag Doritos Cool Ranch
Water

Dinner- 9:15 pm
Hot Boneless Buffalo Wings
2 slices of pizza
2 chocolate brownies
beer
Mtn. Dew

Tomorrow is cardio day, and it will feel good to get back to it. Talk to everyone tomorrow!

Challenge 2 Day 12- Me-1/Gremlins-1

Today, I think my gremlins got the best of me.

I woke up this morning with a bit of chaos in our home. My husband decided that he would take the kids to school, and since he still had to play "Mr. Mom" and take the kids to school, it was a little hectic. Also, it was progress report day and my daughter had missing assignments that sent him over the edge. I got up and went straight to the gym after they left, especially since I felt my gremlins starting to grow!

I got to the gym and pushed through 10 minutes on the elliptical. Now I was real proud of myself because my strides have been between 135-140, this time, I was able to push it between 140-150. I was really proud of myself. Then I went to the stationary bike, and this was where the gremlin started coming out. I left hip was starting to get real sore. Every time I would pedal, I would get this sharp pain in my left side. So I got off the stationary bike and went to the recumbent bike, to see if sitting different would help..... Not so much luck. So me-1 Gremlin-1.

The rest of the day I got a lot of work done as well as picked up the kids and took them to get their hair cuts. While they were there, my friend who owns the shop bought the kids some food at the diner next door, and I did real well not eating anything there. All I got was tea.

Now, when I got home, the kids went off, to play the Wii and other things, while I worked on bookkeeping things on the computer. By the time I realized what time it was, it was after 9:30 pm and I didn't realize that I still hadn't had dinner. Everything was still frozen, and I didn't have any leftovers. So I sent my husband a text to pickup dinner, and when he texted me back to see what to get, I didn't get that text, so he made an executive decision and picked Taco Bell. Now that place is my weakness. I didn't do my best- that is why I stay away from that place completely.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 9:45 am

Myoplex RTD Chocolate Fudge Shake

Water

Snack- 11:15 am

Peanut Butter Crackers

Water

Lunch- 1:15 pm

Fresca Salad w/ Grilled Salmon

Foccacia Bread

Water

Dinner- 9:15 pm

2 Tacos w/ lettuce & cheese

Nacho Bell Grande

Pepsi

Tomorrow is my free day & I am excited to enjoy it. We are going to a restaurant to get wings & beer & watch the UFC 110 fight. It will be great to have some adult time & enjoy it. Talk to everyone later!!

Challenge 2 Day 11- Busy Day, But Made It Through

So today, has been a crazy day. I woke up this morning, getting ready to do a morning session of my insurance presentation. I got dressed, got the kids dressed and we were out the door, off to school & off to getting my presentation started.

Now, most of my morning was tied up in giving them a test that my husband had for them for his class, then I had to do my presentation. Now, in the morning class, they drove me crazy! Complaining, whining..... I couldn't take it. But I pushed through it, and made it 1:30 pm.

When I got done, I rushed over to the gym to get my workout in before I had to pick up the kids. I was about 3 minutes into my cardio on the stationary bike when I realized, "Holy crap! I was suppose to meet Renee at the Express Y!" I finished 5 minutes on the bike, hopped off & called the other Y. I got Renee on the phone and told her that I forgot, but I was at the gym working out. She said that it was fine, that we would meet next week, and to keep working out.

I got off the phone with her, and did 10 minutes of elliptical, and did some shoulder lifts, back pulls, and chest press, taking it easy because my shoulder was starting to get sore. Afterwards, I went into the gym, got a volleyball, and did sets, bumps & practiced spikes. I played in high school and on the side before meeting my husband and having kids- it was my favorite sport. I did that for 20 minutes, and I didn't realize that I had to stabilize my core, work my arms, and work on my coordination. By the time I was done, I was sweating, breathing hard, and my abs and arms was sore. The other thing was it worked my shoulders without injuring it.

In the afternoon, after picking up the kids, I took a nap, then got up and did my afternoon insurance presentation with the evening class. That was a lot better, and the kids were off with dad for swim lessons. My husband had a lot of fun spending time with the kids, & he even brought me dinner. The only thing that I wish he would of done, was he would get me, even though he knows I would not want it, got me something better. He has a tendency to overthink what I do and don't want, while I am working all of this out.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 7:15 am

Bowl of Life cereal

Coffee

Morning Snack- 10:15 am

Apple

Peanut Butter crackers

Water

Lunch- 11:25 am

Chicken Sandwich w/ lettuce & tomato

Fries

Lemonade

Evening Snack- 5:45 pm

Apple

Peanut Butter Crackers

Water

Dinner- 8:25 pm

Burger King Chicken Sandwich w/ lettuce & mayonnaise

Fries

Coke

Tomorrow is cardio day, and I am glad that I am going to have a day that I don't feel so rushed and maybe get some work done tomorrow. Talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 10- Rockin' Out The Gremlins

After yesterday's workout, I woke up this morning, so sore. I had a hard time even getting up out of bed. I had an internal battle with myself on whether or not to go to the gym. I was so sore, and it was so easy to just tell myself that I was going to make it a free day & rest.

But, I knew that would be a bad idea. That was my gremlin telling me, "Hey Liz, it's okay to take the day off. Doesn't chocolate sound good right now?" My body has been like in the movie Gremlins, the cute cuddly ones- Gizmo. The ones that you want to hug and snuggle, feed it chocolate and just enjoy.

But since, I have worked out, all my cuddlies have had water dumped all over them and now, the distructive ugly gremlins have come out. So, I decided to put on my gym clothes before I took the kids to school- if I didn't, I wasn't going to go to the gym. After dropping my kids off at school, I headed straight for the gym, and started my cardio workout. I got on the elliptical and got my strides up to 140 into 150 for 10 minutes straight. That was tough. I then ran into Renee and told her about my battle this morning & yesterday, she told me "Good job!" and said that it was the highlight of her day.

I then got on the stationary bike, and pushed myself for another 10 minutes, keeping my RPMs at 80 or above. That was the toughest part. On that bike, you can either sit straight up and hold on to the handles, but to really work the quads and engage the abs, you need to sit in the angled position, resting your forearms on the handle bar. Now Renee's tip to know that you are positioned correctly and you are engaging your abs, take you arms behind your back, and you should still be able to hold the angled position as if you were keeping your arms on it. The first time I rode the bike, there was no way I could do it, but slowly and surely I have been able to do it more and more. I always test myself each time I get on the bike.

Now, every time you get out of that position, Renee says, "That is a gremlin trying to do what it wants you to do. Fight them! Keep pushing!" When I first started in on the bike, I had a ton of gremlins. Today, I only had one come out! That was a big accomplishment-- from where I started to today. I am really hoping that the next time I get on there, I don't have any.

Once I was done with my workout, I headed into the locker room and took a shower & got ready for work. While I was getting ready, I looked at my calves & HOLY COW!!!!!! I have definition in my calves. You know that muscle line on the side of your calves, when you flex or when you wear the perfect heels to show that off- I am getting them!!! Sexy legs!!!! Here I come!!! I have these cute red heels (2-in heel w/ a red point) in my closet that I bought a long time ago, that I have kept in the box, wrapped in tissue paper for the day that I can go and buy that sexy black dress & wear those heels with.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 10:15 am
Yogurt Parfait w/ Craisins & granola
Coffee

Lunch- 1:35 pm
General Tso's Chicken
White Rice
Egg Roll
Water

Afternoon Snack- 4:15 pm
Bowl of Life Cereal
Water

Dinner- 6:45 pm
Leftover Spaghetti w/ Homemade meat sauce
Water

Tomorrow is my insurance presentation that I have to give at the college. A bit nervous, but looking forward to it. After my presentation, I am heading to the gym to do upper body, or the best that I can do with my shoulder. Talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 9- Got My Butt Kicked!!!

Today, was another challenging day. I woke up this morning, and started off with a phone call from our staff person saying that she was sick and she couldn't come in, so I had to cover her shift today. It was a start of a challenging day.


I called my kids' sitter to meet me to get my car and pick the kids up from school and take them to their activities after school. I called Renee and told her that I needed to reschedule my session with her & we moved it to a later time, during my lunch break. The morning appointments went smooth and I changed my clothes at the office and darted off to my session with Renee (running 5 minutes late).


When I got to the gym, Renee stopped me before we started and told me that we were doing circuit today. At first, I thought, "Okay. I haven't done this since high school, but I can do it." Man, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. We started off with bike, and she had me first start off, just warming up, and then she made me kick it into overdrive, getting the rpms up to 100. Then we got off of the bike and headed straight for the chest press, and I had to do as many in 1 minute. I felt I was doing well, but my shoulder was starting to really hurt. So Renee helped assist me to finish the minute out. We then, moved straight into planks, and that was tough, keeping my abs in.


We moved onto the elliptical and I had to do strides at 80 for, I think, 7 minutes, then we moved on to the treadmill, walking backwards for 2 minutes, and then she had me turn around and watch normal for another 2 minutes at 2.7 speed. When I got done, we went into the basketball court, and did more planks on the bleachers and bent my arms a bit and held that position for 10 seconds, doing 3 reps.

Then, the nightmare came after that- 10 laps on the stairs. When I first started up and down the stairs, I thought, okay, my quads are burning, but I think I can do this. But as I kept going, my legs were cramping, and I was breathing hard, I didn't think I could make it. Every time I would go up the stairs, or go down the stairs, I wanted to completely stop and I was struggling from 1-7, but by at the end of 7, I didn't think I could do it. so Renee had to "guide" me through the rest. My body wanted to give up, I was getting so emotional and just wanted to sit on the stair and say "That's it!" But Renee wasn't going to let me. She said that she wasn't going to put me into anything that I couldn't handle, but man, it was so tough to push through it.

Now, when I got back to work, my brain felt like it was mush. We also got hit with 3 car accident cases that came it, and it was full speed from when I got back to the office around 2:45 pm until past 6 pm. By the time I was done, I just wanted to get something to eat and go to bed. So my husband and I, as well as my daughter, went out to dinner, and then I got home, got into my pjs and went to bed. I was done!!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 7:15 am
Bowl of Life cereal
Coffee

Morning Snack- 11:15 am
Handful of Almonds
Water

Lunch- 2:45 pm
Chicken BLT salad w/ Dijon Mustard Dressing
Water

Afternoon Snack- 4:15 pm
Handful of Almonds
Water

Dinner- 7:15 pm
Steak Fajita Quesadilla
Water
Chips & Salsa

Tomorrow is cardio day, and I hope that I have to will power to go and make it through it tomorrow.

Challenge 2 Day 8- Another Snow Day

Today was another wonderful snow day, and the schools were cancelled. It threw me off on what I had planned for my workout, but I just rolled with the punches and made it fit into my schedule.

I ended up not getting a workout in until 4 pm since I had to wait for my husband to get home so he can watch the kids, and I finally made it, and it was pretty busy. But I was able to get my workout in. But I ended up running into a family friend and by the time I was able to get back to finishing my workout, I ended up at the gym for 1 1/2 hours.

The snow day threw a little bit of a wrench in the plans, but I was glad that I still got my workout in. The only thing that I would change, is not doing my workout that late. I didn't realize how exhausted it made me. I had to run to Wal Mart after my workout, & I tried to get through it as fast as I could, so that I could get home and get to bed.

The other thing that I know that I need to change, that I haven't is if I don't get my entry in by 9 pm, then I am going to have to do it the next day. What happens to me is that I bring my laptop into bed and do my blog entry, but then I end up searching the web afterwards & I don't get to sleep until midnight or later. It is killing me on sleep, especially since I am back up at 6 am the next morning.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 9:15 am
Hashbrowns
Orange
Coffee

Morning Snack- 11:25 am
Bowl of Life cereal w/ milk

Lunch- 1:15 pm
Leftover Banh Xeo
Water

Dinner- 7:15 pm
Homemade Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce
Water

Tomorrow is my workout with my trainer & we are doing more upper body. Talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 7- Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

Today was cardio day, and if you read my last blog entry, traveling and working out is not my strong suit, but I still had to do it. I couldn't make myself not do it. So, when I got up, we took the kids down to the restaurant to have breakfast, and I waited an hour, and while my husband was taking a nap and the kids were occupied with their cartoons and computer games, I snuck down to the gym and did 10 minutes on the elliptical (strides-140, 120 cal., 2:45 min in zone), and then I worked on abs and some lower body. It felt really good.

We headed home and met friends for lunch in Greensboro, and we went to the mall to get some new shoes to help my feet while I workout. We ate the food court, but I tried to avoid anything that was greasy, and stayed hydrated. Then when we came home, my husband made dinner (mainly the leftovers that were in the fridge), and we relaxed the rest of the night. It was a great way to end the weekend.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 7:45 am
2 eggs- over medium
Home Fries
Sausage patties
Grits
Cantaloupe
Coffee

Lunch- 2:15 pm
Steak Burrito w/ rice, black beans, pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole)
Chips w/ salsa
Water

Dinner- 6:15 pm
Beef & Broccoli w/ Jasmine Rice
Water

Evening Snack- 8:45 pm
Apple
Water

Tomorrow is lower body, and I am glad, because my right shoulder/arm has been hurting, so it will be a nice break. Happy Valentine's Day everyone and I will talk to everyone tomorrow!

Challenge 2 Day 6- Free Day/Trip to Raleigh

Today is my free day, especially since our family is heading to Raleigh to take my aunt to the airport to catch a flight on Sunday. Renee, my trainer said that trips or vacations are the true test of committing to your workouts & is the toughest challenges because there is so much temptation to make food choices that you wouldn't make at home. I know that it is my free day, and I have a little bit of a break, but playing through my mind is, "Do I go crazy?" and "I have to stay motivated to not take a break." Usually, when I travel (for work or for fun), I have a tendency to completely skip workouts and enjoy local delicacies, and when the weekend is over, I feel terrible that it is so hard to look myself in the mirror.

I really focused on not eating like mad, even though we were traveling. I made our family's favorite breakfast, and since it is Chinese New Year's Eve, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant and had my favorite dish, & then my husband & I spent time with the kids swimming, snuggling in the bed afterwards watching a movie, and then my husband & I went down to the restaurant in the hotel & had a wonderful & romantic Valentine's Day dinner.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 8:45 am
Scrambled Eggs
Hashbrowns
Sausage links
Coffee

Morning Snack- 11:45 am
Apple
Water

Lunch- 2:20 pm
Pho
2 Spring Rolls
Water

Dinner- 7:25 pm
Buffalo Wings w/ Blue Cheese
Side Salad w/ Thousand Island Dressing
Filet Mignon w/ Mushroom Sauce
Vegetable Medley (shredded zucchini/Squash/Carrots)
Baked Potato w/ Sour Cream & Butter
Slice of Chocolate Cake
Glass of champagne
Coffee

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day & it is also cardio day. Will talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 5- Eventful Day

So, by the title, it was a very eventful day. After waking up this morning, my husband & I took the kids to school and took my husband to pick up his car from getting fixed. After I dropped him off, I headed straight to the gym to get my cardio workout in. After my one-on-one sessions with my trainer, I have really tried to carry that over when I am by myself, not giving myself any slack. So I did 10 minutes on the elliptical, keeping my strides above 140 & then I did 10 minutes on the stationary bike at an incline keeping the RPM at 80. Sweat was pouring off of my face!



The rest of the day, before I had to pick up the kids, I was dealing with scheduling some massage students, clients for Saturday (which was an absolute nightmare) and computer problems instead of getting any type of work done. When I picked up the kids from school, my daughter's finger was still purple and still swollen, so we headed to the office to get an x-ray of it. When we finally saw the x-ray, she broke her thumb. Great..... now we have to get it casted. When we called the pediatrician, his office had closed. Dang it..... Now it is going to be an ER visit.



I called our pediatrician's wife, who is a friend of mine, to see if her husband was with her to get his advice on what to do. She was awesome!!! She called her husband, and he was so kind enough to go back to the office & meet us there and look at her x-ray and casted her hand. Phew..... No ER visit!!!!!

Looking back at this day, my food choices was terrible. My husband drank my Myoplex RTD in the morning, I forgot my lunch at home (but luckily I had leftovers in the office fridge), and I was behind on getting my dinner that I ended up munching on some of my kids' Valentine's Day party treats.



Here is my food journal entry for today:



Breakfast-10:45 am
Orange
Coffee

Lunch- 12:45 pm
2 Barbecue Crunchers (leftover)
Spinach & Artichoke Dip w/ Tortilla Chips (leftover)
Water

Dinner- 7:25 pm
Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Pancake w/ ground pork, split mung bean, shredded cabbage)
Water

Tomorrow is my free day since I have to take my aunt to the airport in Raleigh, so I will talk to everyone later!

Challenge 2 Day 4- I Am Exhausted!!!!!!

Today has been a really exhausting day. I woke up this morning in hyper-drive! As soon as I got up, I was in the shower, got the kids off to school and took my husband to the college to his class that he teaches as well as working at the college getting his grades caught up. While I was there, there was a health fair at the college for students & staff, and my husband & I decided with the massage program director to participate at the last minute. So I was running back and forth between the event planner two buildings away & my husband & the massage students. By the time we got them all settled, I was sweating like crazy.

After the health fair, it was right away to meet with Renee. We did rowing (which I haven't done in a long time) & elliptical and then we did chest & some shoulder exercises to re-integrate my upper body from my shoulder injury. It was tough, but I pushed through it. My right arm/shoulder was real sore. Then she had me do 10 minutes on the stationary bike. That was tough. She had me position on there where I was at an angle at I wanted to sit up and relax, but she stayed on me to stay in the correct position because it was really keeping pressure off of my shoulder and really working my abs.

After my workout, I rushed off to pick up my husband from the college & dropped him off at the office, picked up the kids from school & my early Valentine's Day present from my husband, I got a 1-hour massage. When it was over, I had to rush off again to get my husband back to the college for his evening class, and the kids off to swim lessons. I got to rest a bit during their classes, but getting in and out of the locker room with changing clothes, showers was busy, but done. On our way out of the Y, my oldest daughter fell and hurt her hand because she tripped over my youngest son's foot. Then we went to Wendy's to get dinner, and I steered clear of the fries & soda and got some chicken & chili w/ water. It actually was really delicious!

At the end of the day, I picked up my husband from work, got him & the kids home and we finished their Valentines for their classmates, and we checked my daughter's hand (her thumb swelled up so big, that I am kind of worried that she either sprained it real bad or might of broke it- she couldn't bend it, so my husband is going to x-ray it tomorrow.) Now, I am finishing up my entry tonight and going to get ready for bed and try to get some sleep.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 7:10 am
Coffee
1/2 piece of toast w/ butter & jelly

Lunch- 11:45 am
Breaded Chicken Sandwich w/ lettuce & tomato
Fries
Pink Lemonade

Dinner- 8:15 pm
Spicy Boneless Chicken
Chili
Water

Tomorrow is cardio day, and I am going to take what Renee has told me about some of the cardio exercises. Talk to everyone tomorrow!!!

Challenge 2 Day 3- Feeling Good!

After yesterday's great day, it has kept me on a high into today. This morning the kids were out of school because of bad weather, so there was no sitter for me & I had to get work done. My aunt is still here until Sunday, but she was sick and I didn't want to bog her down with all the kids.

Even though I had obstacles starting my day, it was great to be able to sleep in until 9:30 am. The kids already had breakfast, were playing quietly when I woke up. I got up and sat on the couch with my oldest daughter, and enjoyed breakfast & a cup of coffee while watching cartoons with her. I got up and took a shower and got dressed, then waited for this guy to come over and measure out where we wanted to put new lights in our living room & dining room. After he left, I finished getting ready & decided to run to the office and get some work done that I was 1 1/2 days behind. My middle son decided to go with me while my oldest daughter & youngest son stayed home with my aunt. My aunt was up and feeling better, so she decided to help me watch the kids so I could get some work done.

The rest of the day, I ended up getting everything done that needed to be done, and I was playing catch up (which I still didn't complete), but I was glad that I got further than I was yesterday. I didn't make it the gym though, which was real dumb because I was trying to get everything done. But even though I skipped the gym, I watched what I was eating, stayed hydrated, and didn't stay seated for too long. Also, since I am suppose to workout with Renee tomorrow & starting upper body, I had the massage therapist work on my right shoulder/arm, & I think she really worked those knots out.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 9:45 am
Special K cereal
Coffee

Lunch- 1:10 am
Salad w/ green peppers, onion, cucumbers, egg, cheese, fat-free thousand island dressing, croutons
Barbecue Crunchers
Water w/ lemon (3)

Dinner- 7:45 pm
Chicken Thigh
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Biscuit
Water

Tomorrow is upper body and I am really excited & nervous about it. Talk to everyone tomorrow!

Challenge 2 Day 2- Getting Out of My Funk!

If you read yesterday's blog, you could probably tell that I was in a funk that I was frustrated a bit from my weigh-in. But, after the day I had today, it turned it around.

It was great to talk with someone who has been reading my blogs & my Facebook page. We ended up talking for over 2 hours, about Body for Life, my journey, what her goals & concerns were and many other things. It was nice to be able to really talk with someone that has been on their own same journey. It felt great to not feel like I was the only one on this journey.

After my phone call, I finished some more work and then headed to the gym for my one-on-one training with Renee. We did lower body and man did she really make me work for it. The rest of the day, it was chasing after kids, doing homework, making dinner (which was really delicious!), and taking the kids to swim lessons. As a treat, for the kids' hard work, I decided to take the kids' to Wendy's to get a frosty. And I was really proud of me that I didn't have one.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 9:45 am
Myoplex RTD Chocolate Fudge
Coffee

Snack- 11:45 am
Handful of Almonds
Water

Lunch- 3:20 pm
Homemade Chicken Alfredo w/ Spaghetti Noodles
Water

Dinner- 5:25 pm
Ginger Salmon (go to Check out Recipes link for these recipes)
Jasmine Rice
Broccoli Stir-fry
Water

Evening Snack- 8:15 pm
Special K Cereal
Milk

Tomorrow is cardio day, and I am going to do it to it. Talk to everyone tomorrow!!

Challenge 2 Day 1- Weigh In Day

So, at the end of my 1st BFL Challenge & starting my 2nd BFL Challenge, I decided to see where I was at in my weight loss. I lost a total of 15 lbs in my first challenge. At first, when I was thinking about it, while on the elliptical and bike, I was feeling like I didn't lose enough. At the 1st month of this challenge, I dropped 10 lbs. And I thought if I keep this up, I would of lost 30 lbs at the end of months.

As I am sitting here typing this blog, I am watching Celebrity Fit Club on VH1 & what is frustrating, is while I am watching it, they are telling them that in 8 weeks, they need to drop 30 lbs, & they make it sound like it is a really realistic goal for them. And while talking to my husband, he said, it was like I said when I started this challenge. These are people that can all they do is because that is all they are doing. They aren't doing anything else.

Me on the other hand, I am working out, changing my eating habits, all the while working full time & being a full time mom. The other thing my husband reminded me is people that do Celebrity Fit Club & shows like that, it's like a yo-yo diet, where they are doing a crash course on weight loss, & they have a bigger risk of gaining that weight back. For me, my husband said that since I have made these stabilized life changes, I won't gain those 15 lbs back. I have to keep reminding myself that! I also have to remember that I have had to stop the upper body because of my shoulder injury.

Today was cardio day, and I did 10 minutes on the elliptical & 10 minutes on the stationary bike at where Renee told me to do. I was sweating up a storm! I weighed myself before I worked out, so I let that frustration & how I was feeling a bit rotten when I woke up, to fuel my pushing through this workout! I did not want to slow down. I need to let that fuel me to keep going & anticipate losing more!!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 11:20 am
Yogurt w/ Bear Naked Granola
Coffee

Lunch- 3:30 pm
Beef & noodle Stir fry (sliced beef, carrots, green peppers, onions, celery, spaghetti noodles)
Water

Dinner- 8:10 pm
Ham & Cheese Sandwich
BBQ Chips
Apple
Water

Tomorrow is workout day with Renee, and I have 3 more days of resting my shoulder before I start doing my upper body. I cannot wait!!! Talk to everyone tomorrow!

Day Eighty-Four- Free Day on Super Bowl Sunday!!!

It is Super Bowl Sunday and I made sure that it was my free day, so I could really enjoy the Super Bowl party that we had at a friend's house. It was great to have an adult only night and watch a great game (WAY TO GO SAINTS!!!)

Even though it was my free day, I still stayed active & did more laundry & cleaning out closets. The only other thing that didn't go well, was how often I ate. I ended up eating two meals throughout the entire day & grazed at the party of party food that probably wasn't the best.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 10:25 am
Scrambled Eggs
Hashbrowns
Sausage Patties (2)
Coffee

Lunch- none

Super Bowl Party Dinner/Snack- 5:38 pm
Chicken Enchilada
Spinach & Artichoke Dip w/ Tortilla Chips
Spicy Queso Dip w/ Tortilla Chips
Chex Mix
Chocolate Scotcheroos/Rice Krispies Treats
Water (5)

Tomorrow it is back on track so it is cardio day. I am looking forward to working off my yummy free day treats! Talk to everyone later.

Day Eighty-Three- Icy Mess, But Rocked Out A Workout!

Sorry that this post is coming in late, but we were at a friend's house until 12:30 am last night & by the time I got home I was so exhausted, so I just went to bed.

I woke up this morning to a snowy & cloudy morning. It was real tough to get started, but my hubby made breakfast while I was folding laundry & trying to get the house in order. After we had breakfast & got some things moved around, I headed downstairs and pulled up Exercise TV to get a 15 minute cardio in & core workout in. I did "Slimdown Cardio Burn w/ Kendall Hogan" until I started stumbling on my feet through the moves, but I stuck it out for 15 minutes to get a good sweat and increase in my heart rate. After that, I switched it to "Straight to the Core w/ Elise Gulan" and it was tough to do those moves, but I stuck in it & did the entire time working on the core & my abs felt like they were on fire & I was sweating like crazy. I had to constantly remind myself to breath through those exercises because all I wanted to do was hold my breath. Even my husband got on the floor & did some of the moves.

The rest of the day was doing laundry and getting ready to go to a friend's house. I did have a bit of a meltdown with my husband because I asked him to make me lunch because I was jumping in the shower after my sweat session downstairs, but he never did it. I could of just made my own, but I was trying to do other things and took a bit of a nap before the get together at our friend's house last night. Long story short, I didn't end up eating lunch until around 5:45 pm & I was frustrated with my husband. Because during all of that time, he ran on the treadmill, helped our daughter play a computer game & take a shower. I felt his time wasn't used efficiently & I felt he could of easily made lunch like I have done so many times while doing all the other things that I needed to do.

The rest of the evening was spent at our friend's house playing on the Wii, dancing & singing karaoke. (Had so much fun Angela!!!!) I ate a little bit of certain things & I was shocked that I stayed away from the desserts!!! I did awesome & did a little workout with the kids dancing on the Wii- something I would never of done in the past!

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 9:15 am
Egg in a basket
Veggie Hash
Coffee

Lunch- 5:45 pm
Leftover Zesty Chicken & Rice
Water

Dinner- 7:20 pm
Hot Dog w/ ketchup & mustard
1 serving baked beans
1 serving of chips
cut up pineapple
1/2 son's cheeseburger
water

Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday & it is my free day. My husband & I are going to a party & it will be nice to watch the game (I love the commericals) & hang out with friends. Talk to everyone later!

Day Eighty-Two- Snowy, Rainy Mess

Today was a awful weather day. We have been under Winter Weather Advisory so it was was a snowy, rainy mess. This weather was terrible. My husband & I tried to get out in it & it was a nightmare!!! The back entrance to our subdivision (because the front entrance there was no way we could of gotten to our house) was blocked by a car & police car, so we had to sit at a little diner and wait until we thought the police car & other car moved away. It took 45 minutes!!!!!

So we came home and waited until noon before we ventured out again & it was a bit better. We ended up seeing patients this afternoon. It was so busy! By the time we got home it was back to being mom, chasing kids, running up & down the stairs doing laundry. But my dear husband ended up making dinner tonight & you know what- he did awesome.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 9:45 am
2 eggs (over medium)
hashbrowns
sausage links
toast
Coffee

Lunch- 1:30 PM
1/2 Grilled Chicken Sandwich
1/2 side salad
Coke

Dinner- 6:15 pm
Zesty Chicken & Rice (See recipe blog)
Water (2)

Tomorrow is workout day, and I am hoping that this weather doesn't ice over so I can head to the gym. Talk to everyone tomorrow!!!

Day Eighty-One- Back From the Dead

Today was my day of getting back to the gym when the plague ran rampade through our home this past weekend. And I tell you what, it felt great to get back to it.

I had my arm in a sling all day & everyone had asked what had happened. Most people I told that it was from an injury about 3 weeks ago that I didn't let heal properly, then some I said my husband was out of line, so I had to drop an elbow to keep him straight!!! (You understand me ladies when our man don't listen- we have to put them back in their place! hee hee)

When I got to the gym for my workout session with Renee, I was ready for what was in store. What I wasn't ready for was the emotional floodgates to open up. So we started with the recumbent bike, since per my Chiropractor/husband, I couldn't put pressure on my shoulder. I thought, "Hey, I can do 10 minutes, no problem. Especially leaning back." But did I get to? NOPE!!!!! Renee was going to take advantage that I was going to workout my lower body.

There she was, standing with her fingers ready to attack the control panel & she had me pumping those pedals. A couple times, I was afraid that I was going to knock that bike right off it's legs. She had me do 20 minutes with 2 sets of hill intervals (something that I haven't done- kind of chicken) and my quads were starting to cramp, my knees wanted to give out & Renee standing over me telling to get my speed up to 80 or she was going to add another minute. All at the same time trying not to grab that bike for dear life & jam out my shoulder. I thought I was going to die!!! She kept telling me to envision where I wanted to go with this transformation. And you know what, I could see it, but I was emotionally feeling like it was beyond my reach! That was when I started to feel the emotions sitting on my chest!

Then after that torture was over (Renee, if you are reading this- "Just kidding!! ;-) ), she had me in the aerobics room for more lower body exercise. Now, if you read my Body Pump post, you know that rooms with mirrors are not my friend. Well guess what, this room, no matter where you stood, you were either standing smack dab in front of a mirror or in front of a window that anyone walking/driving by could get a clear shot of what you are doing & what you look like. There were mirrors everywhere!!!!

She had me working on a stability ball & one of the steps that you see in those aerobics class. The whole time, telling me to look at myself in the mirror. And I couldn't do it! I couldn't look at the 10 years of sleeves of Oreos, or that chocolate cake, or the months of lack of exercise made. I couldn't do it! That was when all of the emotions started coming out!! She stopped me and was telling me, "Okay, you had your moment, but the thing was, you stopped yourself. In the past, would you eat more than a sleeve?" And I had to really answer that question. You know what, I would eat more than one sleeve. The more we talked, the more I realized that I have made the changes that I have been making. And even though I had my little bumps in the roads, I haven't let that stop me. I haven't said, "Well hell......Since I ate that I might as well throw this whole thing out!" I got up the next day & worked those junk food demons out!!

After my workout, I was a little mopey about my bad food choices, and getting emotional during my workout. But as the day went on, I was feeling more and more like, you know what, who cares? Renee says, that the reason why we have those emotions and we have those cry moments is because we are trying to replace those emotions within ourselves with something else and we have to get them out to make room. And thinking more about it, the reason why I ate those sleeves of Oreos, or not exercised was because I grew up with people telling me that I was fat, I wasn't beautiful, I wasn't going to be loved, and I wasn't going to have a family.

But you know what, I am 30 years old & I have a husband that loves me & we have been married for going on 10 years this year, I have 3 beautiful children. A lot of people would mask their pain with smoking, drinking, doing drugs, and overeating. And I have knocked out all of them. The one thing Renee told me about that, is people can quit smoking, drinking & doing drugs, but eating they have to do to survive. And I know now, that the one thing that I need to work on is no eating to mask the pain, but just eating when I need to eat for a meal, not for an emotion.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 10:00 am
Special K cereal
Milk

Lunch- 12:15 pm
Fresca salad w/ grilled salmon
Water w/ lemon

Snack- 4:45 pm
3 bites of son's grilled cheese sandwich
Water

Dinner- 8:25 pm
House Salad w/ Thousand Island Dressing (Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, croutons, cucumbers, cheese, bacon)
2 individual ribs (they were awful- had to scrape off the excessive barbecue sauce)
Vegetable Medley
Water (5)

Tomorrow is cardio, and I hoping this weather isn't going to be terrible. We are suppose to get freezing rain with a mix of snow all night & into tomorrow, so we will see if I am going to make it to the YMCA. If not, will cardio it up via Internet! Talk to everyone tomorrow!!

Day Eighty- 10 More Days to Go.....Kicking It Into Overdrive!!!

Today was the final stage of recovery since I felt like I was physically down yesterday. I slept in until 12:30 pm and I woke up feeling almost 100% better. I took my time doing things today because I knew that my body was still recovering and I didn't want to push it too much. And you know what, I was glad that I did that. My husband on the other hand did not, and when he came home this evening he was in a lot of pain.

So, since I gave myself a break, I tried to watch what I ate, especially since my body wasn't ready for it as well. But I tell you what, at the end of the day I was craving a cheeseburger. I don't know why, but I was really craving it. My husband came home with one, and after eating it, my stomach was not liking it.

Also, throughout the day, as I was taking it easy, I was getting laundry caught up, cleaning up the kitchen, and while doing all of this, I really aggravated my right shoulder and now, per my Chiropractor's (a.k.a.- my hubby) recommendation, I need to be in my sling for a minimum 2-3 days. Yea......NOT!!! But if I do that, then maybe I can get back to doing my upper body.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 12:45 pm
Homemade Vegetable Soup w/ Rice
Water (2)

Lunch- 5:15 pm
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Water
Coffee

Dinner- 10:12 pm
Wendy's Double Cheeseburger
Fries
Coke

Tomorrow I am back with Renee & I cannot wait to get back on track. Let's see if I can keep my lungs in though after tomorrow. Talk to everyone tomorrow!

Day Seventy-Nine- I Think I Am Dying!!!!!!

It was a terrible day today. It started off with my husband waking up, feeling achy & very sick to his stomach, and my daughter last night vomiting all night & me not getting much sleep. I started my day with everyone having the stomach flu that has been going around. Dealing with diarrhea, vomiting & severe stomach cramping- it was a fun & eventful day.

But as the progressed on, my body started to ache, I was getting really hot & as the day went on, I was vomiting, and feeling the symptoms that everyone else was feeling. Everything that I ate, came right back up. Also, my right shoulder was in such agonizing pain, that I had it in a sling most of the day.

With my husband's advice, as well as my own, I decided to cancel my session with Renee today & dropped out of the Body Pump class because I need to get this shoulder back to where it needs to be. I am really hoping that I get over this flu quick so I can get back to it.

Here is my food journal entry for today:

Breakfast- 8:10 am
Oatmeal
Coffee

Lunch- 12:30 pm
Homemade Vegetable Soup w/ Rice
Water

Dinner- 9:45 pm
Orange
Peanut Butter Crackers (2)
Water

Let's see how I feel tomorrow, if I can get through all of this sickness. Talk to everyone later!