Confession Time -- In A Funk

It time for confessions again over at the Sisterhood.

I have been in a funk all week, don't really know why, but it is true. It's affecting the way I exercise, the way I think, the way I eat and the way I act around my family. I have been sitting around just vegging out at night blog hopping. It hasn't been pretty, either. DH has noticed and he wants to know "what's wrong?"

I don't really have an answer.
I physically am not sick.
I feel a little blah.
I don't want to sit in a dirty house, but don't really feel like cleaning it either.

My hormones seem out of sorts, cuz I am grumpy sometimes for no apparent reason.
I feel bloated but that may have something to do with my minimal exercise and excessive eating of salty foods.
I don't really have "that time of month" too often but I seem to be feeling like I should, ya know? Maybe I'm going through pre-menopause? Any ideas?? I don't know but I really need this feeling of "blah-ness" to go away.

2 weeks ago the trainer at the gym asked me how committed I am to losing this weight and I told him on a scale of 1 - 10 I was definitely committed 100%....but the past week I haven't acted like it. Maybe I just need a swift kick in the booty!

I have been following the C25K training plan and running/walking but that's about all the exercise I have been getting the past week and a half. That's gotta change or my weight will NOT go down...

Help me pull out of the funk, will ya??!!

Healthy Food Choices Make A Difference

This month is The Taste Of Sisterhood month over at the Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans and I was asked to show/talk about a meal that I love.

Well it's nothing fancy and it's nothing special but it is what I eat nearly every morning for breakfast! The fact that I just said I "eat it nearly every morning" is a major change for me in my healthy eating journey of weight loss. I used to HATE eating breakfast and NEVER felt "hungry" at breakfast so I wouldn't eat it. But NOW I eat breakfast every day (and on those days I can't eat my "normal" breakfast I grab something to eat in the car or on the go....BIG change for me!!

Anyway, without further ado here is my breakfast of choice --


No Fat Plain Greek Yogurt with a diced apple and almonds!! YUM!! and with a decent sized apple and 20 raw almonds it is only 323 calories which is (according to my calorie count) just about right for breakfast!

It is filling and good for me! On those days I just don't have time to eat this for breakfast I grab a banana and a Fiber One bar and within about 1 hour I am hungry again. When I eat my yogurt breakfast I am not hungry for around 3 hours (ie lunch time)!! Love that!!



For the Monday Project this month we are supposed to cook one thing that the ladies/gent featured and talk about it. That one was pretty easy for me because as soon I saw Ryan's sausage/egg omlete I knew I was going to make it as long as I could find the 2 main ingredients. That turned out to be an easy task, too since they were both at the local grocery store I shop at all the time...in fact I was there 3 times in 2 days this weekend! lol Although I did make a couple of substitutions -- like no salsa and "spicy italian" instead of "habanero" (which my grocery store didn't carry) I think it was a pretty successful healthy breakfast for my dh...I gave him a piece of whole wheat toast too!!

My eggs didn't turn out as nice looking as Ryan's did this morning because he forgot to mention in his instructions to make sure to use LOTS of cooking spray before you put those sausages in the pan!! My husband said the sausage was great and made the plain, boring egg whites edible!!







So there you have it...breakfast for the adults in this household today!!

Homeschooling: The First Grade Edition

I don't talk much on the ol' blog about the fact that I homeschool That Other Kid, but it's true, I do. During the time when I was working full time it was EXTREMELY difficult and if I'm being honest here (which I want to be) I really didn't do much in the lines of school the entire 7 months I worked, but in my opinions that is one of the beauties of homeschooling in Texas. I didn't have to "prove" my work (or his) to anyone other than myself and dh. Now don't get me wrong, we worked on some math and some handwriting and even attempted working on phonics occasionally it just wasn't consistent and it wasn't much. It never really seemed to matter that much to That Other Kid because he was busy playing, watching tv and just doing whatever. UNTIL we went to Kansas for my 5K and he started talking to his cousin who is 5 months younger than he is! He then found out that "she is in first grade and I'm supposed to be in the same grade as she is because I'm older than she is!!"

Hold on here...peer pressure from the cousin...hum, something I had never thought of!
So when we got back to good ol' Texas I told him I was no longer working and I would be home almost all the time now, so we were going to get moving with school, so he could be in first grade like his cousin. Before I continue I should mention that he has been doing first grade math (ABeka) and handwriting (A Reason for Handwriting) since he started kindergarten last fall because he basically knew everything in the kindergarten curriculum before we started doing ANY school....but phonics was another story. He knew his letters but start putting sounds to those letters and he was stumped so we had to take phonics at an incredibly slow speed (at least it seemed to me). So we were about half way done with math and handwriting and only about 1/3 of the way done with Level 1 of Hooked on Phonics, which is what I am calling kindergarten phonics. So...enter in some peer pressure. He wanted to know when he would be in "real" first grade like his cousin, so I told him once we finish Level 1 of phonics he would be in FIRST GRADE! So we did a little math and a little handwriting this past month but mostly concentrated on phonics! On Friday he had 10 little books to finish reading and then he would be done. Over the weekend, YES, I SAID WEEKEND, he finished all 10 books so now we start this week as "an official first grader"! He was sooooo excited yesterday when he finished his last book that he was literally bouncing off the couch and screaming, "I'm a first grader!!"

So...today we start first grade and I plan to add spelling (spelling words from Hooked on Phonics words he is learning), geography and art into the mix and see how that works. We already go to a cool science class every other Friday, so that subject is pretty much taken care of for this year. We will probably finish his math and handwriting up sometime in January so then I will need to decide if I'm going to buy the 2nd grade level or just do some "extra" things for math and handwriting until he "catches up". Just another day in the life of a homeschooling mom!

So...I just wanted to let ya'll know that I have an "official first grader" and I will be spending more of my time getting That Other Kid edjamucated!! I am almost as excited as he is but don't tell him!!

C25K Training -- Day 4 of Week 1

Today was really Week 1 Day 4 of the C25K training plan, but according to my Ipod it was only Day 3. Wednesday when I was at the gym doing my run, I switched over to another app right before the end of my training session and erased my entire Day 2!! So...I had a choice to make...either run today to "make up" my missed day on the app or just make my new "week" start on Wednesday instead of Monday. I really want to try to adhere to the Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday training plan so that my body has time to recover so I decided to take advantage of running this morning before the day got too busy. I'm soooo glad I did!

Today I went by myself since dh was home to supervise That Other Kid and so I was free to take a little bit more of a risk as far as where I went. I went out onto the main street (sidewalk only) and so I was able to run/walk freely. I ended up going a total of 2.77 miles in the 31 minutes that I ran! I'm so excited to see the progress from just this week! I can only imagine where I will be in a couple of weeks!

Here is the progress for the week:

Monday - I'm not real sure how far I went, but I'm guessing around 1.75 miles

Wednesday -- On the treadmill at the gym, 1.83 miles

Friday -- In my old neighborhood with the wind and cold temperatures, 2.5 miles

Saturday -- In my neighborhood, including the busy street/sidewalk, 2.77 miles

I think that's pretty good progress for one week, huh??!!

btw, I added this nifty gadget so I (and ya'll) can see my progress of weightloss! I think it will help me stay motivated if I see this in my face all the time!

Thanks For Your Support

Well today was the day for the Ultimate Shrinkvivor announcement. I knew I was going to be gone most of the day so I got up and looked right away to see if they put the announcement of the winner -- to no avail. They posted a great recipe, but not the announcement I was waiting for, so I left with That Other Kid and my phone fully charged so I could CONSTANTLY check for the announcement I knew would soon be coming.

Would I be the Ultimate Shrinkvivor?? It was anyone's guess at this point and I was anxious to find out!

We went to see MegaMind with some friends and then went to lunch. The movie was great so I was distracted enough with the movie that I didn't check my email or the Shrinking Jeans website till after the movie. Still no announcement and it was nearly 1 p.m.!! UGH!! When will they get the winner posted??!! We went to lunch and I check a couple of times during lunch...still nothing! After lunch we went to the park and I had planned to run for my C25K training. It was cool (only 58 degrees) and windy but I needed a distraction and I really didn't want to run on the treadmill again today, so I left That Other Kid at the park in my friend's care and took off with my Ipod, my pedometer, my heart rate monitor and my bottle of water!

I did my run around the neighborhood (which happens to be my OLD neighborhood) and got back to the park where I sat down on the sidewalk to stretch. I took my phone out of my phone carrier (also known as the holder of the "girls"--where do ya'll keep your phones while you run??) and checked my email! Lo and behold, Melissa had just sent an email telling us the link was up! I was so excited...I tried to click the link but because it was a video I couldn't get it to pull up! I was sooooo bummed but I thought "hum, I wonder if Lissa is still online? She just got the link and email sent, maybe she is still there!" I emailed her and told her I couldn't pull it up on my phone...who won??!! It was truly my lucky day...she was still online and replied right away!! She told me Mary had won the Ultimate Shrinkvivor and that Sam had won Exile Island! I was momentarily bummed that I had not won, but it literally only lasted a moment, because I was sooooo happy for her. She really did work hard and lost a lot of weight. Plus once I realized who Mary was I really didn't think I had a chance. I mean come on now, Beth is her daughter! Beth is how I found out about Shrinking Jeans and I KNOW her network is HUGE! Not only did Mary have Beth supporting her but she has several other adult children and even grandchildren and extended family to support her! She's one very fortunate woman to have all of this love and support!

Anyway, I really appreciate all of you that voted for me and cheered me on during this challenge. I would not have been able to stay so focused without the support I got from everyone. I really appreciate all the support I got from the Green Tribe, too! We really did do amazing things during the past 7 weeks and I am so proud of all of us ladies. Not only did I lose 13 pounds but I met some wonderful women to share this journey of weight loss with! I know that the bonds we started building over the past 7 weeks will continue to grow because we are all in this together!

There are other challenges coming up soon so if you are in need of a wonderful support system to drop some pounds, no matter how many or how few pounds, you need to check the ladies of the Sisterhood out! You won't be sorry, and who knows what you will gain out of the experience? I do know one thing you will gain out of joining the Sisterhood....FRIENDSHIP!!

**C25K training update -- I ran/walked almost 2.5 miles today on my run! and I did it in 31 minutes!! I was soooo excited when I saw how far I had gone! I may actually be able to do my next race in a reasonable amount of time!!

Shrinkvivor Challenge Final Weigh In

The Shrinkvivor Challenge is nearly over and I am excited to report that I have lost a significant amount of weight this time around - 13.2 pounds to be exact!!

On September 15 (the beginning of Shrinkvivor) I weighed in at 206.6.

I have lost weight every week since this challenge started (which is a first for me during the Sisterhood challenges). Sometimes it was only a couple of ounces, sometimes it was much more, but the good news is I lost EVERY WEEK. Finally consistent weight loss!!

Today, at the final weigh in for this challenge, I weighed 193.4! Last week I was at 193.6, so not much change but a change in the right direction, non-the-less!

My goal weight for this challenge was 195 so I definitely met that goal!

My goals I had for this challenge were:

Track my food daily -- MOST DAYS
Lose weight EVERY week -- CHECK
Exercise NO LESS than 3 days a week (more than work related exercise, too - I don't really count that, although it is sometimes physically demanding I want to do something more organized) -- CHECK; I actually exercised 6 days a week! I took Wednesdays off...I needed the break!
Weigh 195 OR LESS -- CHECK
RUN my first 5k on October 2 -- and RUN more than I walk!! -- NOT SO MUCH -- I ran and walked my first 5k, but I have to admit it was more walking than running but that is changing as I start training for my next 5K!
Sleep no less than 6 hours a night -- lack of sleep has been scientifically proven to hamper your weight loss efforts. I don't want "lack of sleep" to be hindering me!! -- CHECK, I actually managed to sleep 7 hours a night except for 1 night that I only got about 5 and that day I took a nap that was at least an hour long!

So all in all I would say that this challenge has been a MAJOR success! Not to mention I am one of the Top 7 finalists which I never would have dreamed of becoming, but am excited to be a part of!! Won't you take a few minutes and go vote for me?? You have till Thursday night at 9 p.m. to vote! So go here and vote, k???

Thanks for hosting such a wonderful challenge Sisters!! Without your love and support who knows where I would be today!! Ya'll are the BEST!!!

***Edited -- I almost forgot (ok I did forget!) to mention I tried the rowing machine and the spin bike out at the gym this week! They were both challenging and FUN!! Gonna give them both some more of my attention in the coming weeks! Maybe I will eventually try a spin class...although I don't think I'm ready for that one yet!! Thanks for pushing me to try new things, ladies!!

Starting Couch-2-5K Again

***Edited...don't forget to vote for me over at the Sisterhood for the Ultimate Shrinkvivor! You can vote once a day thru Thursday night now!! Go Forth And VOTE!




Over the course of the next 9 weeks I will be training to run a Virtual 5k with my sisters from the Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans. Last year they hosted a virtual 5k and I told myself there is NO WAY I could do that! Wow!! What a difference a year makes, huh? Not only am I going to do it, but I already did my first 5K last month. Before the virtual one takes place on January 8th I am planning to run with one of my real life friends on December 4th! That's only 1 month away!! Can I do it? Who knows if I will be able to run the whole thing by then but I'm going to give it my best shot! That will be my preliminary, test run for the January 8th one with my sisters!

Anyway, I wanted to make sure that I am ready for running outside this time, since my earlier 5k I didn't train at all for outside and I think that really threw me a BIG curve ball....so today I started the C25K training plan over by running outside. I also got this really cool app for my ipod that told me when to walk and when to run! It was one of the best $3 I have spent in a very long time! It played my music in the background and it was SUPER easy to use! Just the way I like it! It really helped alot and it was fun to be able to look down and see the minutes ticking by till I could stop running or till I needed to start running!

As I said I am doing this training a lot different...I have a good pair of shoes, I am making sure I am running outside (unless I just absolutely CAN'T), and I brought along a little running partner, That Other Kid! Since I homeschool him and he's only 6 (going on 16) I can't leave him at home alone. DH is not always home to supervise him for 30 - 45 minutes so I decided that he could do some of these training runs with me. He is naturally athletic but has become rather lazy because I couldn't get him out much while I was working, so he is in essence training for a 5K also! As the runs get longer I may not be able to take him along, but then again I know some kids that run that far for that long without too many problems. We'll see what happens.

Today was our first run and I explained what we were doing before we got started. I was surprised to hear him want to quit so soon after we got started which was after the 2nd run set! He complained that his legs were sore. He faked injury a couple of times and he said he was soooooo tired he just couldn't go on! But he did run most every time it was time to run. Of course, as soon as we got home he wanted to play football/catch with me and he was miraculously healthy once again!

I'm not real sure how far our course was today, but based on the milage in the car tonight I'm guessing it was about 1 1/2 miles. It wasn't the safest course for That Other Kid either, but it was what I started with today. When I have access to the car I will find better, safer courses that I can measure. Of course, I could take my handy-dandy pedometer...but I forgot today!

Anyway, I was pretty proud of myself today. I was able to run every interval the entire time. I was able to pace myself slowly enough that I didn't struggle with breathing issues and I was able to drink my water when it was walk time. I remembered my heart rate monitor and I was in my target zone for the majority of my session today, so I got optimum health benefits as well! I took the advice of my brother and went as slow as I needed to and I was successful! It felt so good! I wish I would have known these things last month...but oh well! Next year I will know how to run that race and run it well!

So...did ya'll start training for the virtual 5K today? If not, it's never too late to start! Just START!!