Getting fit and fab for my 40s

I haven't posted in almost 3 weeks....

I haven't really been able to get my head in the game since I went on my business trip to Vegas. Lost my mojo and maybe my motivation.

I am back at 200 plus because I let fast food, white bread into my diet and LOTS OF PEANUT BUTTER! Plus a long birthday weekend in New York City with lots of great food.

My goals for the next two months by New Years day-
Be under 190llbs (was 217 at the beginning of 2010)
Wear my tight size 14 jeans comfortably

Monday Chicken, black beans and salsa

Ingredients

* 4-6 boneless chicken breasts

* 1 can black beans

* 1 can corn

* 1 jar salsa, any kind

* 1 package cream cheese (light works fine)

Directions

1.Take 4-6 boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot. (frozen is ok)
2. Add beans, drained, salsa, corn drained.
3.Cook on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.
4. Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.

Tuesday Tuna tomato skillet

Wednesday Pork chops

Thurs Chicken and broccoli

Friday clean out the fridge night

Saturday Pizza bowl

I really need to get back on track with eating

Mon Tuna, tomato and white beans

Tues Chicken with tomatoes, peppers and onions in the crockpot

Wed Salisbury steak with green beans side

Thurs Beef and broccoli

Fri Salmon with TBD sides

Sat Pizza bowl

I watched episode 2 of the Biggest loser last night. I always love the early episodes of each season because you deal with the I can't do it and see them oh Yes I can come on through many times. Family was a theme that we heard with many families being seen during the health discussions via video camera

Family support I know I need it from my husband. I don't need someone enabling me in my bad eating. Darn I can that all myself. Plus my husband does some of the morning kid duties so I can make time to workout. Luckily we have a little competition and he has lost 50lbs this year.

I feel bad for Allie who went home. How could any mother get her child gastric bypass surgery at age 14 - and then feed her nothing but junk?!? Follow that up with refusing to get the chocolate out of the house-she left it right on the counter for tempation. . I don't know what the family dynamic is there but it seems very sad. I am glad that Allie got some support from Danny and has lost 60lbs so far.

Do you get family support in your weight loss efforts?

One of the reasons I gained weight over the years is that my portions were sooooo large! I have been to weight watchers enough over the years to know that 3oz of chicken is about the size or a set of cards or my fist.

The Spark: The 28-Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life

I took the Portion distortion quiz
from SparkPeople
You scored 9 of 16 correct on this quiz.
On Your Way to Proper Portions
You've picked up some portion facts here and there while working towards your healthy goals. But the more you learn, the more successful you will be. Check out the links below for more help with portion sizes.

I knew the meat portion but the fruit and diary.

How did you do?

Publish Post

Good clean eating is on tap this week

Monday chicken breast in the crockpot with tomatos, peppers mushrooms and onions

Tuesday Ground turkey with BBQ sauce and brocolli stir fry

Wednesday Breakfast for dinner

Thursday Pork chops, green beans

Friday clean out the fridge or fish

Saturday Pizza bowl

Mentally and physically I am totally done from my business trip to Vegas. I wish I had a pedometer to track all the miles that I walked in high heels. The blister are starting to finally heal.

Food wise I didn't go crazy but I did eat the bread st several of the steakhouses that I visisted. I did also have the mashed potatos. I didn;t eat the pastries that were in many of the conference rooms. I guzzled water like a fish and but had plenty of wine at night.

I did get a couple of compliements from co-workers who I haven't seen since our last conference 6 months ago.

The best part was that I got to wear a size 16 cocktail dress that I think I bought before my last pregnancy for our nightclub night. I did wear nylons (and I hate nylons) because it was a little shorter than I sometimes.

I am not weighing in until next Saturday so I won't be demotivated.

Eatsmart Precision Plus Digital Bathroom Scale with Ultra Wide Platform and Step-on Technology, 440-Pounds

So close to a new VFT virgin fat territory

I dropped one pound this week. I am at 197 again and my lowest weight in the year that I have really been focusing on my get fit and fab to 40s. I did have the Burger King incident on Sunday which I thought I would not see a loss.

I did finalize my shopping for Vegas. I got a nice gray and black animal print (it is not tacky) jacket and will be wearing that with a fitted black top that sucks me in! I also got a nice brown and cream color top that I will wear with brown pants and I have another outfit from an early summer trip. There is a big party going on as well so I have a dress that I fit in from a few year back.

Resolve, determination, you can do it. Maybe if I keep telling myself I can do it. I will actually do it! I got a bit off track over the weekend again This weekend self sabatog is really irking me. I asked my husband for burger king and potato chips on Sunday night. Can you beleive that and he got it. I felt so ill on Sunday-gas, cramps,bloated from all the salt. And the peanut butter monster has gotten in my head again.

GoFit 10-Pound Yellow Kettlebell with Vinyl Coating, Iron Core Training DVD and Exercise Booklet

On Sunday I did Jillian Michaels: Shred-It With Weights which was on Exercise TV. It is a great combo of cardio and strength and gets your heart beating fast. She used Kettlebells and a modifer do use a dumbbell . I used an 8lb dumbell and I kept my heart rate up. If you like Shred you will like this workout as well. I will probably add the level one of the workout in maybe once a week for something different. Since it is on Exercise TV I will probably just do the workout from there. It is just level one and honestly that kept me going,.

I am eat low carb/south beach really removing the sugar and the white stuff out of the diet!

Mon Buffalo chicken casserole made this two weeks ago and was such a family hit!!

Tues Spare ribs spinach casserole

Wed Ground beef and broccoli

Thurs Tuna Tomato skillet over whole wheat pasta

Fri Clean out the fridge night

Sat Pizza bowl

I had a good week and was in a bouncy happy mood and was thinking the scale will go down the scale will go down! I gained one pound last week and was happy that pound would be lost but alas it stuck around and still at 198. I just get so frustrated and really sometimes just want to give up. No matter what I do I just lose so slow. It is hormonal since I am in the middle of my time of the month

I went shopping for my upcoming business trip. I wanted to find a decent blazer. Nope I am so big on top that nothing looked good. I hate shopping especially for good clothes at this weight. I am heading out shopping after soccer today again.

Sorry for the pity me post but Momma said that they would be days like this.

Jillians Michaels has a new DVD out there is a giveaway for it at That's Fit AOL online fitness blog . I wanted to try this one out yesterday because it on Exercise TV on demand but it was having hissy fits. So I did my own version of the Last chance workout DVD. See even my video isn't available I can still work out!

Jillian Michaels Shred it with weights DVD /

Make sure you enter in your commits by end of day Sept 10th! Good luck

I am a realty tv junkie and was excited to see Workout star Jackie Warner with a brand new show that is inspiring weight loss called Thintervention. It focuses on 6 women and 2 men that have about 25-60lbs to lose. While Jackie is very close to Jillian Michaels personality wise that is the closest these tv shows get. There is no competition aspect or a people living in an isolated ranch. They are in the real world well as real as the LA area can be.

I feel like I can relate to these folks more than the people on the ranch on the biggest loser. They complain, bitch and moan. They are dealing with outside temptations and showing that it can be hard to break bad habits I have used her DVD Workout: One-On-One Training with Jackie when it was on exercise tv. I like her style and approach.

Here are some tips from her book This Is Why You're Fat (And How to Get Thin Forever): Eat More, Cheat More, Lose More--and Keep the Weight Off

1. It’s not how long, it’s how strong. Incorporate 20 minutes of high intensity cardio each day. Walk fast on a treadmill for 2 minutes at a 15 incline then sprint for 2 minutes on flat ramp. Cool down for 1 minute and repeat this cycle 3 more times until you reach your 20 minute goal.

2. Women, make sure to include weight training at least 3-4 days a week. If you add 3-5 pounds of muscle to your body, you will burn 250-500 extra calories per day which equals 3-5 pounds of fat loss per week

3. Visualize the muscles you are working on–this is called the mind muscle connection and it will actually increase tone.

4. Your body hits a plateau with cardio and resistance training in one month so change your weight, reps and exercises accordingly

5. The fastest way to get the body you want is through my power circuit training. Combine 3 upper body exercises and 3 lower body exercises together to make one big set. Do not rest in between and alternate quickly from upper to lower for maximum fat burn.

6. The only muscle groups that really burn fat are the primary muscles like the chest, back, quads, glute and hamstrings. Focus hard on those!

7. You have to eat within an hour of working out to make sure you’re not eating into the muscle for energy. Make sure that you combine proteins and carbs like a blended protein shake with fruit and peanut butter or a piece of fruit with a low-fat string cheese.

8. Don’t just set a weight goal, set a physical goal too like running a 3k or training for a charity marathon. Human beings are competitive and you will spark that inner competition by trying to reach a difficult physical goal.

9. A little thing like changing your music playlist every week can go a long way. The more your mind is stimulated during your workouts, the better your results will be.

10. Instead of focusing on being fat, you’ve got to focus on being fit. If you think healthy, it eventually becomes reality to you. I always push my clients to focus on how strong they’re getting, how well they’re sleeping, and how happy they’re feeling by exercising.

If you missed the show I am sure it will be shown on Bravo again or it is on HULU.com

Here is the dinner meal plan for my South Beach diet

Monday Cookout at a friends house

Tuesday Chicken with spinach casserole

Wednesday Pizza burgers (tomato sauce, cheese and mushrooms melted onto a turkey burger)

Thursday Beef and broccoli

Friday Clean out the fridge night or fish

Saturday Pizza bowl frozen pizza for the family

Sunday Steak, black beans,tomatos and onions

One infomercial that has caught my attention lately is the Skinny Switch. The Skinny Switch is basically calorie shifting for that matter is the fact that you can lose weight fast without dieting, by tricking your body into increasing metabolism & fat burning. You combine specific foods for 3 days and eat alot to rev up your metabolism and then for the next 2 days you eat what you want. Sounds so easy as most informerical make it sound.

It sounds like a decent idea and almost like something I tried earlier this yea r Up day down day diet orThe Alternate-Day Diet by Dr James Johnson. You would eat lower calories only 500 calories or so on Down days and then up on the up days eat until you are satisfied. I really did well the first month and then didn’t lose anything more after that. There have been some folks that have lost 100lbs plus and have kept it off. There is a pretty good support group on the low carb friends board under other plans.

Back to the Skinny Switch diet calories shifting or calorie cycle makes the body guess. However I would not waste your money on it. You are paying $5.95 a week for 6 months but you need to pay it all as a lump sum.

Don’t waste your money you would be better off spending the $150 dollars on some exercise DVDs or a new pair of walking shoes so you can get your exercise in.

No big drum roll today for weight loss. I was up 1 pound to 198. This is so frustrating. I feel like I am trying to do everything right but my body doesn’t want to listen. I know how frustrating but atleast I am not seeing the number two at the beginning of my weight.

I got my hair cut yesterday and I don’t know if it was the angle of the mirror in the salon but I could see a double chin that I thought was going away. I know I have a fat face but honestly I thought it was going away. It kind of made me sad, but in a way more determined.

Exercise has been going well. I had 615 exercise minutes in August-2nd month in a row that I was over 600 minutes. I was hoping to get to over 700. I am going to keep September 600 as I will be away for one week in Vegas and between the last nights and everything else that happens in Vegas.

Here is the plan for the week

Drink 80-100 oz of water a day
Get in 5 days of exercise of atleast 30 atleast twice this week
Continue to Meal plan and keep the treats low in the house

Aaah the boys are back to school and fall is near. September is like the new year all again for me. I evaluate fitness goals as well as my weight loss. In the past 9 months I have done well-I am not heavier than I was on Jan 1st which in past years is often the case. I have stayed consistent with my eating except for a slip-up or two.

Getting something new I finally order and my new kickboxing work for being under 200llbs The Cathe DVD Kickmax has been out for 5 years but it still packs a punch. ! The first time I did it, I did all Combos and the Blasts (about 50 minutes). The Blasts were incredibly challenging and intense, but they went fast. The choreography may be challenging for some, but I was able to pick it up after watching just a few the first time. I think it gives the workout more variety. My legs have been on fire for days! On another day I did the leg conditioning drills...these are slow paced but very effective...your legs burn the whole time while you're doing them. I am going to try to incorporate this atleast 3 times a week into my week with the choice of different premixes I know I will not get bored.

Here is the meal plan for the week

Monday night
Buffalo Chicken casserole
2 cups cooked chicken
3 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 C. Ranch Dressing
1/4 C. Frank's Hot Sauce
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
Optional added in celery and stewed tomatos
Season chicken with Seasoned Salt, or salt & pepper. Sautee in oil till browned. Place in greased 13 X 9 Baking dish.

Tuesday Pork chops, baked spinach casserole

Wednesday Turkey Sausage, mushroom, peppers, onions
Thursday Meatloaf, veggie sides
Friday Clean out the fridge night
Saturday Pizza bowl pizza for the rest of the family

Yeah I am down to 197 -3lbs down from last week and 1lb down from my lowest! I think I am really starting to see the bloat go away.
My cankles are starting to go away! I have visible calf muscles, you can see my shin bone along the front of my legs and hopefully in a few more weeks I am will be able to shout out to the world NO MORE CANKLES . I really need the top of my body to get toned and shaped up. I want to see able to see my feet when I look straight down. I want to wear a shirt and not worry about budges or how my arms seem.
My exercise this week hasn’t been great but food was well.

I would really like to continue the downward trend here is the plan for this week

Exercise 4 times this week
Water 80-100oz a day
Stick a strict phase 2 of South beach diet

I am feeling good about my eating- had another birthday cookout for my Dad on Wednesday. I had a nice juicy burger with cheese and a hot dog with some nice spinach salad and just a little pasta salad. No one comments or notices what I am eating. I am not really worried about eating out too much anymore because I am in charge.

I am still enjoying all the veggies from my in laws garden-tomatoes and cucumbers. I have done tuna with fresh tomato and mozerella cheese baked on top . Kind of like a tuna melt but no bread needed!

This week with getting back to work filed in with some dentist appointments and middle school orientation has impacted my exercise routine. Next week when all 3 boys are in school it will be easier to get that time in before my busy work day.
I really want to make it to a new low this week and based on my pattern of staying steady and then going up a 1 or 2 I tend to have woosh. This week seems woosh worthy.

You remember the old Madonna song Get into the Groove that is my theme song of the week. I am getting back into the groove with my lifestyle change.
Back from vacation and pretty darn proud of myself for not going into old binge mode! As a recovering bulimic , this is huge for me. I haven’t had a binge in months and I am not even tempted to.
This weekend could have been the opportunity to keep vacation mode on track eating a bit of track as I had two cookout birthday celebrations. One for my dear friend that turned 40 and another one for my father in law that is turning 80 years old. I find cookouts pretty easy to navigate for lowering my carbs-plain burger with cheese and any other meat plus some salad. People really do not notice that you are not having a roll. In the past I thought someone would ask why no bun, honestly no one cares. I also skipped cake as honestly I can care less about cake.

My sister in law made a great cucumber salad and she doesn’t eat sugar so it is low carb
1/4 cup rice vinegar1 Tbsp. olive oilSeveral splenda packages atleast 2-3 can have more if needed
1/2 teaspoon salt1 large cucumber1/4 cup thinkly sliced onion (red or white -- can be omitted)
Combine first four ingredients in a medium bowl. Peel cucumber, or score it if you prefer. Cut into thin slices. Add onion and toss in medium bowl with mixture. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour.

Exericse has been good
Sat Walk and shape up from exercise tv (great workout)
Sun Biggest loser last chance workout
Mon Walk and shape up
Tues Biggest loser last chance workout

Here is the menu plan for the week-we have a huge bounty of vegatables from my in-laws garden including tomatos, peppers and cucumbers-those will be included in my meals as sides for both dinner and lunch. I am try to eat as clean as possible this week to lose my vacation weight.

Monday Chicken and Spinach Casserole
Tuesday Ground beef, broccoli stir fry mixed in with BBQ sauce
Wednesday Family birthday party-most likely pizza. I will take salad and pull off the topping. That is the best part of the pizza
Thursday Burger (no bun for me) black bean ,tomato,onion salad
Friday Clean out the fridge night
Saturday Pizza Bowl for me and frozen pizza for hubby and kids
Sunday Steak, fried egg and green beans

Well I am back from my vacation! 7 days away and I am up 2lbs. Yes that evil 200lbs again. I will get past it.

Overall I did pretty well staying away from the carbs. When we went out to eat I got salad as my dinner entrée. I had several salad made with steak tips-such a treat. I also had a giant turkey Caesar salad that was the biggest salad that I ever had and it gave me some cravings. Breakfast except for the one morning that we went out was my usual 2 hard boiled eggs.

However while eating at the cottage I did succumb to some of the treats like brownies, ice cream social night and some chips. I didn’t binge as I have in past years.

One of my favorite things to do is walk down to the beach in the early morning and then do a loop up the hill. It takes about 45 minutes to walk and it really clears my head. I think that this was the critical part of keeping on track. I also walked to the beach instead of the 2 minute car ride a few times as well plus walking the dog. Overall I kept pretty active.

3 days and I will promise you success yes I am in the middle of watching an informerical.

That is what the Melt if Off with Mitch says… well 3 days is nothing and makes such big promises. I think if you are brand new to exercise and eating clean you can lose 5-8lbs. I hate the commercials that make it sound so easy.

This week has been nuts. I have next week off from work so I am trying to get 10 days worth of work done in 5 days. Sometimes working at home isn’t as grand as people think in the work life balance. Depending on the projects I am working on I can often have 12-14 hours days just to get everything done. Oh well sometimes it balances it out and the kiddos have me here.
Food and exercise have been really good this week so I am hoping to lose the 2lbs that I gained last week. However my monthly friend has decided to show up.

We may be going away for a few days to my parent’s cottage home on the beach. I have a plan to stay on track as much as possible. I told hubby not a lot of snacky food that I like. I am going to be brining healthy snacks to keep Me on track. The hubby and the kids can have the ice creams and cookies but those really don’t tempt me. I am trying to make it a successful lifestyle vacation.

Here is the menu plan this week phase 2 of South Beach diet

Monday Grilled chicken and baked spinach casserole
Tuesday Layered ground turkey casserole in crockpot (simply ground turkey in layers with tomato sauce, brown rice, red and green peppers.
Wednesday Chicken and broccoli
Thursday We have a cub scout cookout-probably leftovers for me and hot dogs for the kids at the cookout
Friday Tipila
Saturday Pizza for the family and a pizza bowl for me

Well I wish I could be doing a happy dance this week. However I gained two pounds this week. I know exactly what caused the eating-sloppy mindless eating. I had a potato chips on Sunday during my binge which are a huge weakness of mine and got a bit in the peanut butter this week.

So what do I need to do
I need to get my butt back in gear. We are heading on vacation for a few days next week so I want to keep this week as clean as possible. On vacation I may losen up but I asked hubby if he could keep the trigger foods out of the cabin such as chips and the local fudge. I told him that cookies and ice cream were ok. Those foods don’t typically call out to me. I am going to bring my nuts and I eat a lot of them that is ok.

Just do it

Three good days in a row however I don’t think I am going to see a loss on the scale this week. I am feeling really puffy etc. I am still about 10 days away from that TOM so I don’t think it is that. I am guzzling the water with some lemon to see if that can help.
Overall a really good day

Exercise was Jillian Michaels Last Chance workout !Remember results do not come for free. A nice sweat.

Food was good hard boiled eggs, sirloin burger over salad with lots of cucumbers and carrots, dinner was tuna and tomato skillet over whole wheat pasta

Two good days in row

Day by day or is it meal by meal when you are trying to lose weight. I want to think positive about this journey and what it means.

The planning for the Vegas conference has started. I get more nervous people thinking of the big fat chick in the room than actually what I am saying or do. Many of these people I talk to daily or communicate via email is much different than what they may think of me. And going to Vegas means some new clothes shopping. I have to buy a nice dress for a huge club type of party which I totally dread. I am not a club person at all. When I started on my journey last August I had hoped to be 30lbs lighter by now. Oh well I am not going to be losing 30lbs in 6 weeks but if I can be 10lbs down by then I will be jumping for joy.

Tuesday food
2 hard boiled eggs, huge salad with tuna and black beans, leftover spinach casserole and carrots for an afternoon snack, almonds (I was starving marvin). Dinner was Ham and broccoli quiche and some more carrots.

No exercise way too busy with kid issues and work

I am my own worst enemy when it comes to weight loss.

I didn’t have a good weekend food wise. Am I get a little too lax about being under 200lbs. There were some potato chips in the house that started calling my name and boy did I respond. I can’t have these things in the house. Last weekend was Doritos incident . Will I ever lose weight if I continue this self sabotage. I did get my act together on Monday for food. Weekdays I am so good!

Besides food Saturday was Turbo Scuplt I really like doing this workout. However I think I made my arm that was hurting any more hurt. Sunday I even up taking off from exercise. Monday night was my swimming and pool walking for 30 minutes.
Reflecting back for the month of July I had 600 minutes of exercise. I really think I lose better when I am at 700 minutes plus.

I stayed the same this week 198 pounds. Honestly it is not surprising to me. I tend to stay the same weight for several weeks than go down a few pounds. I didn’t hit my goal of trying to get to 197 for this month. I have been reviewing my weight loss goals at the beginning of every other month to make sure I am on track. If I am within a 3-4lbs I will keep it the same-if not I adjust it. The weight directions is atleast going in the right direction.
It was last August that I got 226 on the scale and boy that is a scary sight. Someone had to remind me of it this past week when they posted some pictures on Facebook in the not so flattering shot of me. Let’s just say I am rather large chested and having size 44DDD do not do me any justice on my 5’2 inch frame. It is a good motivation picture not to go backwards and keep on trucking even when weight loss isn’t a straight journey.
I did pasta on Wednesday night this week and it didn’t trigger any cravings or set me off track which was wonderful. I also had a banana one day as well. I am going to go slow as I do this transition into phase 2-a phase 1.5 as some call it.

Here is the plan for the week
Drink 80-100 oz of water a day
Get in 5 days of exercise of atleast 30 minutes
Incorporate pasta one day this week
Have fruit atleast twice this week
Continue to Meal plan and keep the treats low in the house

I should like mountain climbers but I really don’t. Jillian Michaels likes them and says they are great for your arms and core. You get down into a plank or pushup position and run. I can only do about 20 at a time before I feel like I am going to die. She does a lot more in her workouts 3 sets of 60 yikes in her last chance workout. As she says getting skinny isn’t free so I need to continue working on them. I did do Last chance workout again yesterday on my big screen tv for the first time in months. It was great and I sweated my ass off.

Sometimes I like this journey is never going to end. I also did some tracking of my exercise in Jan and Feb I had over 700 minutes of exercising. March was a crazy month with my basement flooding and threw me off track. I need to get back to 700 minutes a month atleast. So I need to try to get to 40 minutes a day instead of the 25-30 I have been doing. I am going to try for the month of August to do it!! I have a week off in August and will be going away so I can probably get some good long walks in.

Food on Thursday was ok-I got really hungry mid afternoon we were having an all company meeting and they had some boring guest speakers so I ate 2 breakfast sausages after having a huge salad with ground turkey. Dinner was a nice mixture that we tried skinless chicken thighs with BBQ sauce mixed in with broccoli, mushroom and onions. Very good and I will try it again I have enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow night.

As I continue to phase 2 this week on the South Beach diet I added in some pasta last night for dinner. I used the whole wheat pasta from Stop and shop. I had it with some tomatoes, tuna and onions. I also add in some cheddar cheese on top. It was like a tuna melt-very good food. I am going to try to keep pasta at only a couple of times a month thing. Luckily the pasta nor the banana yesterday triggered any cravings which I was really nervous about.

I didn’t get a chance to exercise yesterday as I was expecting new furniture and I really didn’t want to be in the middle of a workout when they came on by.

I ate a banana for the first time in about 10 weeks and it was so good! The best part was it didn’t trigger any cravings. Food was good as well! Hard boiled eggs, chicken over salad for lunch and then more chicken plus leftover spinach casserole for dinner.

No snacking and peanut butter called me but I didn't answer as a I was watching Tony Robbins new show called Breakthroughs. It was a nice positive motivational TV show to watch with the boys.

Work is so busy and crazy lately plus I needed to sneak out to take one of the boys to the doctors for his annual wellness exam. My work out time was interrupted by my mom calling 5 minutes into my workout and I couldn’t get back into the groove. My work day ended up longer than I liked and the boys didn’t want to go swimming at 8pm.

I got my hotel confirmation for my annual trip to Vegas in the end of September . I need to step it up a notch as not many of my co-workers see except once or twice a year. I don't want to be known as the fat girl from the home office plus clients and everyone seems skinny in Vegas.

I am a huge Biggest loser fan and love Bob Harper style to training and coaching everyone! He posted this on his facebook page-lots of folks have questions and Bob answers them.

Weekend reflections
I was on such a high on Saturday for getting under 200lbs that I went in with a great action plan for dealing with my mother in laws birthday. I knew pizza was going to be on the menu so that plan was to scrape off the topping and put in on a salad. I brought some salad for the family however the pizza we got from Pizza hut and it was very thin crust. So the toppings don’t really come off. I have 3 slices of pepperoni pizza and the salad. Not ideal but better than eating thick crust pizza. I skipped the cake and simply had a cup of tea inside. Yeah me!!

My Saturday exercise was Turbo Sculpt from Beachbody. Oh my the number of lunges and squats on this is insane. A good insane I felt it the next day when I was walking up and down the stairs. Sunday exercise was an oldie but goodie from my DVD collection. I did Express Cardio from the Firm-this is a good 30 minute step aerobics program. She does have you doing high step at 14 inches but this nearly 200lb body and creaky knees don’t mix too well.

I did well with food all day until hubby left a bag of Doritos out and boy they called my name. I haven’t had any chips at all. You see chips are my weakness. I would eat a whole large bag of chips especially salt and vinegar flavor and down it with a ton of milk. It was totally mindless eating and I hated the feeling.

So Monday I got on my big girl pants and restarted over. Back to normal clean eating and I had a fantastic day. I had my hard boiled eggs, grilled chicken salad, chicken and spinach casserole plus some carrots. I wasn’t hungry afterwards. Evening time I spent with my 3 boys in the pool doing my pool walking and lots of jumping playing keep away for over an hour. A perfect way to end the day.

Here is the menu plan for the upcoming week as I am heading into Phase 2 on the South Beach diet
Monday Grilled chicken and Spinach casserole

Tuesday Tuna Tomato skillet with whole wheat pasta

Wednesday Chili

Thursday Chicken and broccoli stir fry

Fri Tilapia and a veggies on the side

Saturday Pizza bowl pizza bowl. I get a decent size soup bowl. Spray the bottom with oil, put a bit of mozzarella cheese, pick a couple of pepperonis from their pizzas, do some red onion, with more tomatoes and sauce

Sun Burgers (no bun for me) roasted green beans and zucchini fries

I am calling onderland this week! I got on the scale this morning and it actually said 198lbs. I haven’t been under 200lbs in 3 years. And the last couple of times was only a month or two before I spiraled out of control. In 2005 I got down to the high 170s doing South beach diet and the weight loss was much faster then. I had a life hiccup when my Dad got into a bad construction accident and the priority wasn’t me but him. The second time was in 2007 I was actually under 200lbs for almost 6 months when I was doing LA weightloss. I got there at the end of January and bounced around 15lbs to 185lbs for several months. By June when the boys got out of school and we were going to Disney I remember being 205lb. I had joined LA weightloss because I wanted not to the big fat maid of honor at my size 4 runner sister wedding . While the plan was expensive , it stopped working well for me once I lost 20lbs .

What helped this week

Blogging keeping myside accountable
Meal planning
Getting in 4 days of exercise this week for atleast 25 minutes each day
Miminal peanut butter!

I last time was I under 200lbs for a long long time- and believe I want to keep seeing onderland!!

So now that I am under 200lb!

I get to get my reward I am getting a new kickboxing DVD

My hubby and I had to challenge whoever got under 200lb first would get 7 30 minute massages over the next month. I won I won I won!!
Start adding back in fruits and whole grains! I am going to start transitioning to South Beach diet phase 2
Continue to Meal plan and keep the treats low in the house
Continue to shoot for 4-5 days of exercise a week

I got upset about carrots yesterday.

I don’t know if I am overly stressed but my oldest son probably ate half a bag of carrots yesterday. While I love him to eat healthy-don’t overeat too much of my staples.

After talking about Consistency on Tuesday and having a plan-yesterday was totally thrown out of wack. My son’s bus was late and my boss called mandatory meeting at 9:15 to review a couple of projects I am working on. No time to exercise in between. So on to a plan B do a short workout after the mandatory meeting.

I did the Biggest Loser Cardio Max workout with Bob Harper-a quick 20 minute workout that is on exercise tv. It is usually not that hard but yesterday between the new work projects and working out later than normal I had a lot on my mind.

Food was good! Actually perfect no “treats” of peanut butter or cheese sticks. I am really hoping I see under 200 on the scale this week.

Breakfast Leftover Spinach Casserole
Lunch Ground turkey, salad and black beans mix
Dinner Crackslaw I had no soy sauce in the house so I made it with bbq sauce. It was really good and I will probably make it again with this
Snack Wanted some carrots being upset about the missing carrots. Decided I wasn’t really too hungry

I am a huge Jillian Michaels fan. I like doing some of her workouts on exercise tv on demand.. I actually own one Last Chance workout with a cast a biggest loser. So yesterday was Last chance workout which is similar to the 30 day Shred workouts level one.

I needed some extra motivation so I turned to Hulu and watched an episode of Losing it with Jillian while I was working. It was the one with the single mom whose husband had died. Great episode and totally motivated to get my A game on for the day.

I was able to get some pool time last night with the boys-I did 30 minutes of pool walking and running while holding a 70 and 50lb boy at times.

The day ended with watching Jillian's show with a family whose Dad was really in denial and a 10 year old son with diabetes. The son really broke my heart luckily he ended up losing 25lbs. I hope that he will continue to be able to get the support and continue with the karate.

Food
Breakfast hard boil eggs
Lunch Ground turkey over a salad with black bean mix on the side
Snack Carrots
Dinner Baked chicken and spinach cottage cheese casserole

I did have 2 scoops of peanut butter during the day-eek peanute butter

What is your secret for staying consistent? Do I have a secret.... maybe maybe not

I think I am a naturally consistent type person - consistently on track or consistently off track, one or the other. That being said it it has gotten me over 200lbs.

1. Make it easy –Daily tracking of my food , plus I realize I can only track so much before I get overloaded and give up on it . I don’t bother with saying keeping a real detail track of my food. It is a good day or poor day.

2. Make it enjoyable - I try to make sure that the food I have in the house is healthy and delicious. If I'm enjoying the way I'm eating, there is no need to stray off the path. I also try to make sure to have some on-track "treats" available like the nuts, natural peanut butter and cheese sticks. The danger with these is having them too frequently.

3. Have a plan I make a menu plan each week even before I was in serious weight loss mode. I make sure I have plenty of the right meats-I make sure I have chicken breast, ground turkey in my freezer plus some veggie burgers. I stock up on frozen veggies as well for side dishes and even snacks.

I try to get my exercise right after the boys are on the school bus. I still have one son that is getting picked up Mon-Thurs for special needs school during the summer so this stil works and then I get my into my home office for work. If I don't get it done first thing in the morning it doesn't get done. I shoot for 5 days of exercise a day.

I didn’t get a chance to exercise in the morning because the we getting some new carpet in the house so I was planning to exercise in the pool later. Thunderstorms all afternoon and into the evening got in my way. If I don’t exercise in the morning it doesn’t get done. Consider it a rest day.

Food was good I did sneak some French fries that I had made for the kids at dinner time. I have been making my black beans, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella ,red onion and the occasional avocado.

Menu Plan Monday
Here is the menu plan for the upcoming week and a couple of recipes

Monday South beach diet approved kielbasa , black bean ,tomato,onion salad

Tuesday Grilled chicken and Spinach,cottage cheese baked
16 oz cottage cheese1 eggs, beaten1 pkg. frozen chopped spinachDash of garlic salt
¼ cup of mozerella cheese
Mix together cottage cheese, eggs and flour. Add mozzarella cheese. Allow spinach to thaw until it can be broken apart in chunks. Add frozen chunks to mixture. Bake uncovered for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

Wednesday Crack slaw
1 lb ground turkey or beef 2 cloves garlic, minced3 green onions, sliced or yellow or red onions 1 lb broccoli slaw or regular coleslaw 1 TBSP lite soy sauceCrushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional) mushrooms (optional) Add the meat, with the onions and mushrooms until brown Add the cole slaw mixture Add the soy sauce
I have also made this with just frozen broccoli and still very good

Thursday Pizza burgers
Throw tomato sauce, mozerella cheese, onion, mushrooms on top of a turkey burger and baked

Friday Clean out the fridge night leftover for me and probably sandwiches for the kids/hubby

Saturday Pizza bowl pizza bowl. I get a decent size soup bowl. Spray the bottom with oil, put a bit of mozerella cheese, pick a couple of pepperonis from their pizzas, do some red onion, lots of tomatos and a bit of sauce and some mozerella cheese on top

Sunday Steak, fried egg and green beans

Saturday we headed out to cub scout camp-out as a family. One of my sons doesn’t’ do well in sleeping in new places so the plan was to go home with him before lights out.
Each year we get McDonalds for the lunch time as everyone is getting settled in. I got their Chicken ranch salad. I haven’t had a McDonalds salad in a while and I don’t think I will get a salad going forward. The lettuce leaves were wilted and the grilled chicken was very dry. Yucky  I did put the dressing on the side because it is very high in calories. Next time I will bring my own salad or go the local pizza place and get a large salad which I absolutely love for a treat.
The day was very active-we did some swimming and hiking. Let say looking for a bunch of gold painted rocks is a hard workout in 90 degree heat.

Dinner was not pretty easy-I got 2 hamburgers with no bun. There were no veggies so it was a completely protein meal. I had brought some nuts and a cheese stick.

Sunday morning it was just one of the boys and me. I love one on one time with my boys. With 3 kids it is a little tough. I did a workout that I haven’t done in a while from Beachbody Turbo Sculpt. I think I will try to get it done once a week. I did it with 5lb weights and need to breakout my 8lb weights. I also got in 30 minutes of pool running as well.

I am a slow loser and am so wanting and waiting to get into Onderland but alas it didn't happen again this week. I actually gained one stinky pound from 201 to 202 this week. Being the slow loser that I am it really doesn't suprise me that I go up and down in weight. One step forward, two steps back.

I have two mini rewards for getting to under 200-get a new kickboxing DVD Cathe Kickmax and also if I hit 200lbs before my hubby I got 7 30 minutes massages over the next month. He is close as well but is down over 40lbs since January.

What was it-was the getting into the peanut butter this week and eat those two hot dogs calling my name plus maybe some other bites licks and tastes.

Well I need to get myself back up and ready to kick some ass this upcoming week.

Drink 100 oz of water each day (allowing for 1 cup of coffee to count)
Eat 3 vegetables each day
Exercise 20 minutes each day
No peanut butter allowed!

Sparkpeople.com is one of my favorite websites to get some motivation a litte ass kicking some times. I came across a great article today. called 7 Strategies for Weight Loss Success. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/...ow.asp?show=14

They are:

1. Always See Your Goals
Goals need attention. They need to be seen, heard and thought of often. So surround yourself with as many reminders as possible: on the refrigerator, computer, bathroom mirror and calendar.

I am bit a late with getting fit and fab by 40 but I want to be 147lbs by June 2010. I haven't been under 150 in atleast 10-12 years. another reason I started this blog was to remind myself daily.

2. Start Small
Quite possibly the biggest mistake people make is pushing the accelerator too soon. You can’t lose 20 pounds in one week. But you can lose one. Just as a plant has to start as a tiny seedling, you have to start with small steps and expect small results, which add up to bigger results over time.

I am the queen of slow losers so I am happy with 4-5lbs a month as long as it going down down down

3. Come Out of Seclusion
Have you ever achieved anything of real value all by yourself, without the support of anyone else? Probably not. Most people receive help, advice and ideas from others. Support, a sense of shared experience, encouragement, advice, and well-timed pep talks are all invaluable as you set off on your healthy lifestyle adventure, so get others to join in and support you in reaching your goals! (You've got this one down already because you are here! )

Yes sparkpeople and 3 fat chicks plus low carb friends are all places I hang out

4. Focus on Everyday Habits
The building blocks of a healthy lifestyle are forged in the smallest of actions you take every day and every week. Healthy choices can become as natural as brushing your teeth or locking the front door. Build your habits, one action at a time.

Takes 21 days to great a new habit

5. Never Stop Learning
A healthy lifestyle is a process—more of a journey than a destination. You can always learn more about nutrition, fitness, and even yourself that can help you be just a little bit better tomorrow.

6. Have Fun!
Who says getting healthy has to be a chore? Think of it as an exciting adventure of self-discovery that will help you build a more meaningful life. Enjoy the ride and find ways to make it fun, whether you join a sports league, subscribe to a fun fitness magazine, or buy yourself some new workout clothes. Make the best of it!

I actually like to workout and have fun with it. New clothes always good!!

7. Put it on Paper
Whether setting your first goals, tracking daily progress, or sharing your deepest thoughts in a journal, writing helps to crystallize your ideas, expose your fears, and paint a picture of real life. As a starting point, write down your goals, big and small, and the steps you'll take to make them reality

Yes that is another reason to start a blog

I woke up with a really bad sore throat so I really didn't have the desire to do any exercise. I have had a sore throat on and off the past few weeks.

Any ways it was an ok food day. Hubby had made the kids hot dogs the night before and there were two left over in crescent rolls. They called my name and won-argh this is the first time I had any bread product in over 2 months.

I pretty frustrated at myself for doing this. I hope it doesn't cause any cravings,

I had breakfast hard boiled eggs and lunch was some lean ground beef over a large salad and carrot sticks. Dinner was lean ground beef, broccoli, mushrooms and onions.

Wednesday was a good day. Food was good

Breakfast 2 hard boiled eggs, v8
Lunch leftover spinach cottage cheese casserole, ground turkey, and mozzarella cheese. black beans and tomatoes
Snack Cucumbers with caser dressing
Dinner made by my son! Pinto beans, grilled chicken and tomatoes and some cheese

Exercise was Chalene Johnson Turbo Jam from Beachbody. I did 25 minutes of Cardio Party one. One of my favorite workouts good music some decent kickboxing moves plus dancing

All day on Tuesday I wanted to chew off my arm because I am expecting my monthly friend any day now.

Breakfast 2 hard boiled eggs, v8

Lunch

Snack Cucumbers and carrots

Dinner Egg, turkey sausage and broccoli quiche

Then some peanut butter, an extra sausage and some too much cheese. I really get mad at myself when I do this.

I did Jillian Michaels Last chance workout the cardio portion. This is one of my favorite exercise videos.

I have been on a misson since my last birthday to get fit and fab for my 40th birthday in October, I think I have been on every diet known to man kind since I was in my late teens and early 20s and dieted myself up from 130 to 226 over the last 20 years.

Last August with a trip pending to Las vegas for a convention I hit the scale at 226. I cried and cried-how did I let myself get this way. Being 5'2 inches tall that means I have over a 42 inch waist and I can't even tell you about my bubbies.

I went to really just making sure I was eating healthy and got down about 8 lbs in 3 weeks and those 8lbs were pretty much off until the holidays. I was doing a Sunday and Monday 2 day fast from when I did LA weight loss. I wasn't too bad but not too good either. I have a binge eating problem especially with chips and the salty food.

The New Year came and I was at 220-I had been reading the Alternate-Day Diet also known as Dr Johnson Upday down down diet. Basically you alternate 500 calorie days with higher 1800 days to make your metabolism rev up. I did that through April and had some success. I did the 500 calories a day on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. The other days I ate what I needed to eat. I got down as a low as 206 in the 2nd week of March but but May I was back up to 214 again.

So after hitting the scale back at 214 on the 2nd Friday morning I decided to hit South Beach diet again I never to get rid of the bad carbs from my diet and focus on good carbs. I had a business trip to San Diego for conference on the folllowing Tuesday so I knew I wouldn't be the best either. My offical first day of South Diet phase one diet was on Fri May 14th. I am down to 201. I have lost 25 lbs since I started last August.

I am still doing South Diet and am my cravings have gone away. I have been on 2 business trips since May and I stayed on plan. I had a family weekend on the July 4th weekend which is normally called food camp.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Monday, October 11, 2010

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