Week 9 Weigh-In

  It's the end of week 9 and the end of March. We have struggled a little this past month with staying on track with diet and exercise, but we're finishing out March and heading into spring with positive results and a renewed dedication to getting healthy!
  Katie, our ever-consistent pack leader has lost another 2 pounds this week bringing her total weight loss for 9 weeks to 47.8 pounds! Her secret? YOUTH! She occassionally falls off the low-carb band-wagon, but she always hops right back on. She doesn't beat herself up over a dietary slip-up. Katie also keeps pretty active. She routinely logs an average of 6,000 steps just by traversing the halls of Bremerton High, getting to classes and hanging out with friends after school. She is in desperate need of a new wardrobe-all of her clothes are just hanging off of her. I guess we're going to need to get to the mall soon. I can't wait to see how many sizes she's dropped!

Katie's personal Xanadu

She's Back!

   I bet you're wondering where I've been! Sorry it's been so long-this has been one of those crazy-busy weeks where I feel like I don't know what the inside of my own home looks like. Lucky for me, I live with two incredibly supportive and forgiving people. No matter where life is taking me, they are always warm and welcoming when I get home. 

Group Hug!!!

 

Gremlins on Bicycles

I must be SUPER hot!

  Over these last 8 weeks I've learned a lot about healthy eating, exercise, the importance of sleep and a lot about myself. I'd like to share with you a few of these epiphanies and "A-Ha" moments.
  I'm a cheater. Although I like the diet we're on and I appreciate the benefits to my body of eating healthier foods, I tend to cheat more often than I want to admit. I post all of my cheats in the blog, so I'm held accountable. And having to confess my dietary sins probably helps me to have more restraint. But I relish a good cheat. A slice of pizza, a sushi roll or two, a delectable sweet treat on occasion. And I pay dearly for my indiscretions. I'm not losing the weight as fast as I would like, and I have only myself to blame. And Jeff. I definitely blame Jeff. We do it all together-the successes, the epic failures and the self-righteous "we've EARNED this slice of pie!" leaps into utter dietary chaos.

End of Week 8

  The end of week 8 already. I won't keep you in suspense-here's the stats:
  Katie lost 1.8 pounds this week. She still won't let me post her actual weight (I have no idea where she gets this bizarre vanity from!). I want you all to know that she has reached a very important milestone. But I can't say what. TEENAGERS! Her total weight loss for these 8 weeks is 45.8 pounds! She's a rock star!

Katie-My little Rock Star!

  Jeff lost another 1.4 pounds bringing his total weight loss to 15 pounds-almost 2 pounds per week! His current weight is 282 pounds. He was really hoping to see 279 this week, and he was on the right track, but then we cheated and well...
  Now it's confession time for me. I was doing really well this week. Like REALLY well. I started out the week at 137.8 pounds. I weigh myself every day. Like a madwoman. By Saturday, I had dropped down to 135.4. My BMI was 24.8-normal range! I was beyond excited and proud of me. Yay me! And then Jeff and I ate a pizza and peanut butter pie (Just ONE slice of pie! Each.) I wasn't able to get my 10,000 steps in for the first time yesterday. It was a busy day-jumping from one thing to the next and an emergency with my oldest child that lasted past midnight. One thing right after the other and no time for exercise. 

Yep, this about sums up the last 2 days of the week for me.

Sunrise Perils and Risky Pizza

  There are two kinds of people in this world-morning people, and people who wish mornings started around 10-ish. And both of those people sleep in my bed. I am a sunset kind-of girl. I come alive every night around 9:30 or 10:00, about the same time Jeff is nodding off to one of his many DVR'd TV shows. He is a sunrise (or much, much earlier) fella. He doesn't even use an alarm to get up in the morning. Ever. I think he might be at least partially a robot with a built in alarm system. I have no hard evidence to support this theory, but when I find his control panel-look out! I'll figure out how to re-program him and turn him to the dark side (night-time!). I'll build me a remote control and we're gonna have us a dancing man!!!!!

Early prototype of the "Happy Morning Jeff Robot"

Wet and Wonderful

    Today was a wet and wonderful Washington day. Usually on Fridays Jeff and I walk in the morning after I take Katie to school. Jeff does double duty on Fridays, ending his work week with a double-dose of fielding phone calls from work while doing his homework for his Bachelor's program for computer animation. So we take a morning walk and stop somewhere for breakfast. It's a lovely ritual that I hope we can continue for a long time. 

When we're old and grey we'll still be taking long, wet walks together.

  But this particular Friday morning I had to work for a couple of hours and had some errands to run, so we didn't get to walking until lunchtime. It had started to sprinkle as I was driving home and by the time Jeff and I were "suited up" and ready to walk, it was pouring rain. If you're not from the Great Northwest and you've heard rumors about how much rainfall we get-TRUST! You just can't wait for a dry day to plan any events or outings-you just gotta figure it's GOING to rain at some point during the day. But don't bother with an umbrella. That's how we pick out the tourists. 

  We decided to have lunch first and then go for our walk, so we headed to Trapper's Sushi. I know-it's full of carb-laden rice. But it's so good! I love me some sushi! And it's a pretty healthy meal (fish, veggies) so I'm not going to feel guilty about it. So there.

Peanut Butter Cookies and Boobs

  You know that we do our weekly weigh-in every Monday, but I also weigh myself religiously every morning. I am a glutton for punishment. There are experts that say this is a bad practice and that I should only weigh in once a week. Pppphhhhhhtttttt! I keep myself in check by weighing in every day. What I've learned is that I tend to lose a little weight the day after the weekly weigh-in, then I will gain a little during the week, then show some loss by the next weekly weigh-in. But today I have to report that I weighed in at 136.4 pounds which puts my BMI at 24.9! I am officially not fat anymore! A BMI of 18.5-24.9 is considered "NORMAL"! I'm normal!!!! I may have to re-name the Axis of Evil. But not yet. She might betray me come Monday morning. 

Who would've thought I would ever be normal?

Week 7 Weigh In

  I'm a day late on our weekly weigh-in post. But here's the recap on me, Jeff and Katie:
  Katie once again is our big winner this week! She has lost another 4 pounds-a total of 44 pounds in 7 weeks! She's so amazing!
  I weighed in yesterday at 137.8 pounds-a 1.6 pound loss for the week. Right on track! I have been diversifying my diet a little these last few weeks. I have added some bread back into my eating plan, and we tried Paleo Pizza crust (not my fave). Occasionally I will indulge in half an English muffin with breakfast or a small serving of tater tots at the 19th Hole for dinner. I have become a bit of a "carb snob" as of late. If I don't love it, I don't eat it. Jeff and I decided to split a waffle at breakfast this weekend. Sinful! But to be perfectly honest, it was a disappointing waffle. Overcooked and devoid of flavor. I took two bites and left the rest. It just wasn't worth the cheat. I also had a fluffy omelet and a sliced tomato on my plate, and that was more than enough. So Jeff finished off the whole thing. Plus his omelet and tomato. Whoops!

Now THIS would've been worth cheating for!

Pyramids, Plates and Pies

My kind of food pyramid!

 How many of you remember being told how to eat with some goofy chart on the wall at school when you were growing up? In the last 100 years, the USDA has redefined our food into segregated groups including the Basic Seven, the Four Food Groups the Six Categories of Food, plates, pyramids and wheels. It's no wonder that with all of these changes along with fad diets and the evil food of the year (red meat, butter, eggs, cheese, potatoes and refined grains to name a few) that we are a nation of confused consumers who turn to fast food because we just don't know what to fix for dinner. Our meals have become portable for your convenience and to the detriment of your health. We put everything into cups and tubes and snack bars that we can keep in our desk drawers  and purses and glove compartments so we never have to go without food for any length of time. Unfortunately, our nourishment is not so nourishing anymore. 

Magic Mirrors and Jell-O Jiggles

  Let's talk a little bit about body image today. I can be extremely vain, but I don't have a super outlook on how I look. Kind of like the evil queen in Snow White. "Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is that in my reflection and when did she get so old?" I am critical of my looks-I pick out all of the flaws instead of loving the pretty parts. I notice the crows-feet instead of my eyes, the lumps instead of the curves. It's not healthy, and I know it. 

Yep-that's me and my reflection-a bit skewed you say?

Healthy Is In The Mouth Of The Beholder

  I get lots of tips and recipes now that I've been blogging about our diet, and most of them are super! I learn something new almost every day and I am researching different ways to get fit and stay healthy. And I really enjoy sharing my pointers and info with all of you!

  But diet and exercise are hot-button topics that can turn into raging debates, much like politics and religion. Everyone has their own beliefs and feeling challenged about what is working for them (or has not worked for them) can certainly stir the pot of emotions to a boiling point. I'm not one to push my convictions on anybody, be it religious, political or dietary. I appreciate the opportunity to gain more knowledge and insight. And it amazes and amuses me when folks get a little judgmental over what we're putting in our mouths. 

Well, sometimes I regret the cheat meals...

Virtual Models and My Hero

     

Me at 139 pounds

Me at 110 pounds

  How wacky-cool is this? Model My Diet (http://modelmydiet.com) is this funky website where you can create a model of yourself at your previous weight, current weight and goal weight to see where you've been, where you are and what you will look like (possibly) when you reach your target. You fill in your body shape, height, weight, click on "More Options" to change skin tone, hair color and style, and other features as well as clothing and backgrounds. Then you can update your weight loss, track your progress and watch your virtual model change shape. It's like a crazy, high-tech version of paper dolls. I used to love paper dolls! I don't know, though. Is this taking it a little too far? Is it a little too "Weird Science"? Does anybody else hear Oingo Boingo?  
  So aside from this weirdness (which I admit, I really dig!) Things are going along same as always, ups and downs. One thing that has crossed my mind is that at some point, Jeff is going to decide that walking with me is far too stressful and that he will strike out on his own. I am probably the most irritating walking partner. Oh, he doesn't say it. I just know that I am. You see, I am super-distracted. Either I'm yakking away, talking about my day or something I saw or read or did or said, or I'm daydreaming and just not paying attention. 

Ay! Oh! Paleo!

 So Jeff and I have been talking about how we can maybe change things up a bit with our diet and exercise routines. We are really committed to the 10,000 steps a day through the season of Lent, we're not exactly ready to start jogging and I look forward to our walks together every day. So we're gonna stick with the walking until Easter. Besides, walking around our neighborhood is free. I'm too cheap to join a gym. 
  We have several friends who have suggested the Paleo diet as an alternative to our low-carb lifestyle. These folks have lost weight, gotten healthy and claim that going Paleo has helped with joint pain and other ailments. So I picked up The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. copyright 2002 at Goodwill for $1.99 and did some research. 
  It's an interesting read, and the diet makes a lot of sense. It's based on the principles of what our ancestors (Paleolithic Man and family) ate and what our bodies are designed to digest and use for energy. Lean meats, fruits, veggies and the occasional tree nut. Sounds good, and not too far from what we are doing now. But there are significant differences. 

If the Paleo diet makes me look like this, I think I'll give it a shot!

Wrapping Up Week 6

  I'm just gonna get right to the stats for this week's weigh-in:
  Angela-I lost 1.6 pounds this week bringing me to 139.4 pounds! Woop Woop! I'm under the 140 mark! I've lost a total of 9.4 pounds to date. Yay me! Where's that war-tuba line? And why is it so satisfying to see the number in the tens position go down? It feels as good as birthdays that end in zero feel bad. If I can keep up the one and a half pound weight loss per week, it will be 6 2/3 weeks before I will see the 129 mark. I better revel in this awesome feeling while I've got it! Anyway-my BMI is 25.5, which means when I lose 3.4 more pounds my BMI will be 24.9. NORMAL RANGE! If I can keep up the pace, I'll be normal by Easter! Just in time to chomp the ears off a chocolate rabbit. Yum!

I shall NOT let them be my downfall! 

Geek Is The New Sexy

  Through this exploration of health and wellness, I have discovered my inner geek. I have never been much for technology-I'm an old-fashioned kind of girl (read-I am not very bright when it comes to items with buttons and screens). But I have to say-I have developed a poetic bond with my Jawbone UP and my Nike app. I check them several times a day, I show them off to everyone from friends and family to coworkers and church clan. I use the Lose It! app to record all of my meals and track my calories, carbs and weight loss (or gain). 

I'm a long way from "geek" status, but I'm on my way!

Walking With Tacos

  It's 16 days into the season of Lent-almost halfway through! Jeff and I have been getting in our 10,000 steps every day, sometimes as much as double that, or even more! We are working the low-carb diet and resolved to getting healthier. Letting go of unhealthy lifestyles for the Lord! Well, I'm doing it for the Almighty. Jeff gets the steps in because he was challenged. He'll do just about anything on a dare. Maybe I shouldn't tell you that. Or maybe I should. Could be a lot of fun to see what you guys can get him to do. Don't break him, though. I really like having him around. 

Jeff's Winter Challenge-jumping into a lake in freezing cold, rainy, Washington winter!

Slow-Going but Ever-Forward!

  We are now into our 6th week of this eating/exercise/lifestyle rehab plan. The time is going very quickly, but for me the changes are moving as slow as molasses running uphill in January. Time to re-evaluate our expectations and maybe make some revisions to our strategy. 

This little fella will find his way down before I reach my goal weight. *sigh*

It's Not All Blisters and Shin-Splints

  Katie's numbers this week are awesome once again! She lost 3.4 pounds this last week making a total of 41.4 pounds she has lost in 5 weeks! Bringing our team weight loss this week to 6.2 pounds and our total weight loss so far to 58 pounds even! 
  Katie and I were talking about my frustration with how I'm not losing the weight as quickly as I would like. She asked me about how much I'm walking and how fast and for how long. I whipped out my phone and showed her my Nike app and all the walks I've been on. She said, "I don't get it, Mom. According to my P.E. teachers, you should be losing a crap-ton of weight. Unless they are all lying to us." Yeah, really? I thought so, too. I admitted to cheating a little this week on the diet, what with my 1 and a 1/2 hamburger buns, 10 tater tots and 4 girl scout cookies this week. She said, "Mom, I cheat ALL the time. Like literally, ALL the time. I don't get it." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. My metabolism betrays me like a double agent. "You can have the cookies. Really, it's cool. They're harmless. And you walked 7 miles today. You're still way under your calorie limit. It's all good." Then he rats me out to the Axis of Evil and I end up going through the slow torture of watching the numbers remain stagnant day after day. Or worse, go up! Two-faced little rat!

Never trust anyone who says it's ok to eat the cookies!

End of Week 5

  I know I've been neglecting my blog this week. Sometimes life just sweeps you away and the only thing you can do is hop back on your broom and come home when it's over. I've had some family issues that I can't discuss here (probably the only thing you won't read about my life in this blog) and some health issues that I will tell you all about. 

If the broom fits, ride it!