What's your workout partner??

OK I have a question for all my readers..

For me since I am a electronic tech geek having some kind of device or App on my phone makes this so much more fun.

For counting calories I use my laptop and use http://caloriecount.about.com/
For walking I use a walking APP called Cardio Trainer.

Walking at home I use my Proform Incline Treadmill
Something that is also great for every muscle in you upper body is the Brookstone Body Form Fitness Stick.
It works ever muscle in your upper body and it is so bendable that you can even use it as a thigh master..You can do a lot with the one piece of equipment which also happens to be under $20
I am now looking into buying The Body Bugg or Body Media. But I need to determine if it gives me enough useful information Because the Cardio Trainer gives me quite a bit for FREE


Body Form Fitness Stick


So what do you use that keeps you interested..Do you use an electronic or devise that tracks your workouts or calories???
Is there a piece of equipment that you just can't do without for your workouts?

So please Follow me and I will do the same back..
In your comment post what you use and your URL and on my next blog I will post both.

Maybe we all will find something interesting that we did not know was out there.

Can you tell????

OK I have had something that has been bothering me..I don't think about it all the time but it has crossed my mind.

I have worked so freaking hard to get where I am.. Harder then I have my entire life..
I have always been the one that said Monday I will start. I would write down my entire plan. I would clean out my fridge and pantry..I have note books that I still have to this day from years past where I wrote down what my plan was. What I would be eating and the exercise I would be doing.

I don't think that I wanted it more this time. I have always wanted this..I just woke up one day and said OK that's it!!! TODAY IS THE DAY! I don't even think it was a Monday.HaHa..

So I started by just making better choices.. About 2 months later after only losing 7 pounds I started Weight Watchers. Then about a month later I decided to count calories. The difference that is working for me this time is that I am doing what works for me. Calorie counting seems to be it. I have been slacking on that for the last two weeks but still measuring and eating the same foods.But I do need to get back to counting..I am in this..One day I will get to where I want to be. There is no time limit.

I have not been able to notice any difference. Trust me since the first 5 pounds I have been looking. It was not till recently that I noticed a difference in my stomach. There is a part on a woman where the stomach ends and hooha starts. From having a stomach I have this line there and my stomach would slightly drop over that. Well now that line is visible my stomach no longer drops over it. By measuring I have lost somewhere form 1 1/2 inches to 2. So not a huge amount but enough to notice that. Plus I have droped a pant size.So things are happening and I know from years past that once I hit the 70's I will really notice a difference. I was there ONCE in the last 10 years and it was about 5 years ago. I thought that I was in the 80's but it was 178. So about 10 pounds to go and I was in a 14 if you can believe that!! Other than that it has been over almost 16 years since I have been under 178. So this will be HUGE for me.

You would think that out of all people in the world your family sees you most. But I don't see my family much since we moved an hour away. So I see every one about every 3 months. This is my close family. The people you want to spend time with..LOL
So come Thanksgiving I had not seen anyone in about 3 months. Since my nieces birthday over the summer and I was 210..MY HEAVIEST EVERRRRRRR!!!!!!! My sister actually thought I looked as though I had lost weight. Must have been what I was wearing or something.

Being 20 pounds lighter you would think that they would notice..NOPE..Not a single person said anything. Maybe it too was what I was wearing. I had on Black leggings and a Boyfriend sweater. So it covered my ass and was a bit baggy.I LOVE that sweater..Anyways..The entire day went on and I did not say anything. I was not going to if no one noticed. I was going to keep it to myself and then maybe the next time which would be Christmas they would notice. But by the end of the night and we were putting all the food away and I was telling my aunt to keep everything. The only one's in the kitchen were my aunt and my grandmother.My exact words were "I have lost 20 pounds can't you tell" Neither said yeah we can tell. My aunt proceeded to say she had lost 20 pounds and my Gma said that she keep the weight off by walking on the treadmill. Maybe they felt the same way..Hoping that someone would notice their hard work???
It just makes you feel a bit deflated..It did me anyways. Those are the people that you want validation from. At least I do!
It has taken me a few months to notice anything. But people that you don't see for a while shouldn't they be the ones to notice??

Don't get me wrong. I am doing this for me and no one else..But one person to notice the 20 pounds I have lost would have been nice..Oh well maybe come Christmas.

Skinny Bitch in a Box

I am happy to report I maintained..

I am always hoping for a loss but if I eat something I should not be eating then I expect a gain or a maintain.

Can't expect to lose weight eating CRAP and for me my crap happened to be CHEESECAKE..

Blahhhhh.. What was I thinking!!??

Just realized I weighed one day early.  Oh well.....


VERY SIMILAR



What's done is done and moving on..

I do know that this year will be different then any Christmas.

Lots of cookies and candy and baking in years past.
I will still bake this year. I just won't be eating it as I have in the past.

Last year for Christmas Jack bought me lots of baking supplies and new very cool measuring spoons.

Have you ever seen the kind that Paula Denne Uses???
Well those are what he got me and I love them!!
I love them so much that they are still in the boxes.
I have planned to hang them and not even sure that I want to use them. So I never have!

The year prior he got me the HUGE Kitchenaid mixer which I love and use to do all my baking.

This year Is going to be way different..

I want anything that involves working out and losing weight.

I bought myself and early Christmas present..
Skinny Bitch in a Box..It includes the book and the cookbook.
Its the small cookbook not the new one..I think it says Bitch in the Kitch.
Anyways I got it yesterday and started reading it last night..I just love it..
I also got a screaming deal. I think both books were $7 and with shipping it was $10 FOR BOTH BOOKS!!! My kind of deal!

Body Bugg verses Body Media FIT *Updated*

Every year since the Biggest loser aired I have been saying that I would lose the weight..
Year after year has passed and season and season of the BL has passed as well..
This is the first year that I am watching the show and losing weight. I am also for the first year not sitting on the sofa eating junk food while watching Biggest loser..It's a great feeling..






BODY BUGG

A few years back they started using the Body Bugg..I instantly looked it up online..

It seemed like a cool device and since I am a tech geek and love anything that is an electronic I WANTED ONE !!!!!!!! Then I read the price..A bit out of my price range for something to help me lose weight when I was not able to stick to any program that I started.




Then this year while searching through blogs I came across someone that uses one called the Body media FIT..I have never heard of it or seen it anywhere..So I started doing some research. When I visited the website BODY MEDIA I noticed that it looked very similar to the Body Bugg and after doing much reading I could not tell what the difference was between the Body Bugg and Body media..So I emailed them..This was the response...






BODY MEDIA FIT

 Hi Renea,

The Bodybugg Armband is manufactured and distributed by 24-Hour Fitness.  They are a Business Partner of ours here at BodyMedia.  The BodyMedia FIT Bluetooth Wireless Armbands are manufactured and distributed by us here at BodyMedia.  All 3 devices are supported by the BodyMedia FIT application Software and all 3 capture, analyze and report on the same data in generally the same way.  The Firmware Software installed on each device is proprietary in that the Bodybugg Firmware is developed and supported by 24-Hour Fitness and the Firmware for the BodyMedia FIT and Bluetooth Armbands is developed and supported by us here at BodyMedia.

Yours in Health
Ron

BodyMedia Customer Service 

When comparing them both they are very similar..They are also priced about the same as well..





Right now Body Bugg has some great deals...So now is the time to get one if you want one..

I am torn on which one I want to purchase. Body media even measures your sleep. But the price right now is more then the Body Bugg..



If anyone has either I would love to hear what your opinions are!

****UPDATE****

Hello Renea,

I just wanted to give some further information on BodyMedia, BodyMedia FIT and bodybugg as well as clarify some points that Ron previously mentioned.

As Ron has stated, we manufacture and provide the hardware and technology for our Partner, bodybugg.  bodybugg is managed by 24 Hour Fitness/Apex.  They own the web Application and choose what information to provide as well as the features available.  Our BodyMedia FIT solution is our consumer weight loss solution that is similar to bodybugg.  It is essentially the same hardware and technology, however we develop what features and services to provide to the web application, just as 24 Hour Fitness chooses the same for the bodybugg Application.

Both bodybugg and BodyMedia FIT offer a Bluetooth Armband that will communicate with a compatible Smartphone as well as a model that will communicate with an optional Display Device.  We have further information on our website that discusses both the Bluetooth version (BW Armband) and non-Bluetooth (Advantage Armband).  There are some differences between bodybugg and BodyMedia FIT, such as:
-bodybugg provides a coaching session with purchase
-BodyMedia FIT provides Sleep data/graphing and Sleep efficiency
-the look/feel and development of the Application is independent from each other, but both solutions will derive calories, steps and physical activity.  Both solutions offer meal logging to track and monitor your calorie consumption. 

To clarify, the Armband and Display is compatible only with the web Application of the same offering, meaning a BodyMedia FIT Armband and/or Display will only work with BodyMedia FIT Application and same with a bodybugg Armband/Application.  The Firmware for the device is developed and improved by BodyMedia.  We provide regular updates to our bodybugg Partner to ensure they are using the latest technology.  bodybugg has their own support team to assist you with any questions/problems if you purchase bodybugg, and same with BodyMedia FIT.

We are happy that you would choose either solution, and wish you best of luck in reaching your goals.  Please see www.bodybugg.com for bodybugg information and www.bodymedia.com for more information on BodyMedia FIT solution.

If you have any further questions please feel free to reply to this email to reopen your case.

Thank you,
Michael Oncea
Customer Service Supervisor
BodyMedia 







Walking App

The night before Thanksgiving I decided that I finally needed to start walking every day..What better time then when Jack was home with me..I have not walked this new neighborhood before. So I had no idea where I was going.
The night before I set out all my clothes..If I was gonna do this I was gonna do it right when I woke up. NO EXCUSES!!! So I set out my clothes and my shoes etc and went to bed at a decent time..
I still had so much to do for Thanksgiving after my walk.

So come morning. I got up at about 8:30..I got dressed..Then proceeded to try and get Jack up..Finally 30 minutes later he got up..But was slow moving..This was irritating to say the least. Since he was taking forever getting dressed and drinking his coffee I went ahead and started on the rest of the food I was taking for Thanksgiving. I washed the potatoes, mashed the yams etc etc..FINALLY Jack was ready..

I decided I wanted to use this cool little app I had found..

It has GPS and tracks where I walk,how far,time,speed,steps..You name it..It tracks it..It also reads calories. Then at the top of my phone it will say how many calories I have burned and it is ALWAYS there..Then the next time I go to walk or run it will add that one..If you are interested it is called CARDIO TRAINER and it's FREE!!!!

So we zigzagged through the neighborhood only to make it home in 19 minutes??? So we decided to go again. This time we went a bit farther. In total we walked 2.2 miles in 45minutes..Typically I would walk faster but Jacks back was bothering him and I was just glad to have him come along.

I got back home and finished making my potatoes and the night before I made cheesecake and cranberries..

We had a great time at my aunts..Lots of great food..Same foods that I grew up having every year.

Surprisingly I was hungry. One difference was that I did not have any of the pre -dinner munchies..So for dinner I had a bit of everything. But there was plenty left on my plate. I went wrong with the cheesecake and I knew I would..When we left there was about a little less then half left. I told my aunt to keep it and all the other food I brought. I would NOT be eating it. Then Jack says he wants a slice of the cheesecake.

So I brought him home a BIG slice of the cheesecake. Two days later when that was still in the fridge I told him he needed to eat that dang thing..he laughed and said it was telling me to eat it..He was right!!! I am so glad I left the rest at my aunts..

I woke up the day after Thanksgiving feeling like I had the crap beat out of me..I could not move!!! It was partly from the walk. I could feel it in my legs. Then partly because I did way to much the last few days. Over the years I have learned having MS that if I do a ton one day I will be out of commission the next day or even the next few days. In this case...It is Sunday and I am still in pain and not feeling well. So every night before I went to bed I laid out my clothes to walk the next morning. But I have not been able to since. I am hoping come tomorrow I will feel better and be able to pick it back up.

I have not stepped on the scale. Other then the cheesecake I think I have done OK this week.
I did notice that having a meal like that changed how my whole body was working. I found myself standing in front of the fridge looking for something to eat when I was not hungry. My body consumed all those carbs and it went back into "I am hungry" mode..But I recognized it right away!

My water intake has also been CRAP..So I have to get back on that as well..

WoW...One off meal like Thanksgiving and my body tries to tell me that it is back to eating the old way.

I was thinking to myself last night how easy it would be to pile all the pounds back on in a matter of a week if I really wanted to..If I had decided to bring home that cheesecake I probably would have.

Just goes to show I still have a lot of work to do and that cheesecake is like a drug to me and that is sad and partly pathetic!!! To think that I would let something like cream cheese and sugar rule my life and my happiness is just sad!

I am happy to read that most everyone did really good over the holiday...

Now I am ready to start decorating and getting ready for Christmas!

Thanksgiving past

Thanksgiving...well lets see..I could say it did not go as planned but I did not really have a plan.
I ate more then I ever have on thanksgiving. Usually I am not hungry but this time I was. I got a bit of everything and had a few bites of everything.

Then dessert..I was not able to pass up the cheescake. I am sure if I really tried I could have but I didn't. Not only did I have one piece but I had 2 . I knew it was a weakness for me. But I did it anyways. It is one day out of the entire year.

What's done is done. Now what is important is getting back on track and moving on.

Weigh Day..Happy Thanksgiving.

I sooooo need another NEW scale..
Today was weigh day!!
I stepped on my old scale and it read 188.5 I then stepped on my NEW scale and it read the same.
I went to get my camera cause I forgot. I came back and stepped on the old and it read 189.5 and the new 189.5..How is this possible????? I know what your thinking..THE CAMERA..Nope..I set it down on the counter.
So I am gonna go with 189.5..It is still 2 pounds and I don't want to give myself that extra pound.
It will all eventually even out anyways..
Maybe by the next time I weigh I will have another scale..
What is with the inconsistency of both scales?? Plus reading the same exact thing. That is just too weird..

Well today was another day of sleep..Maybe it is the cold weather.
We are suppose to have the coldest Thanks Giving in 80 years here in Arizona.. I just love it!

In a bit I am gonna start my ccheesecake and the cranberries..
I am sorta dealing with the "where are you going this year" We don't like to drive all over the place. We pick one side of the family and switch every year. But it never fails. One side of the family always gets their feelings hurt. My husband family all lives out of state all over the place! So it is just my family that we visit on the holidays. This time it is my dad's side. They are who I am closest to.But I love all of my family.
I have not seen my family much in the last 8 months since we moved an hour away. So I am looking forward to seeing everyone.

As some of you will have seen. I don't talk about my weight loss on FB and I have not told anyone..Not a single person in my family knows about my weight loss..So I am excited to see if anyone notices anything.
Since I have seen most of my family I have lost 20 pounds.I weighed 208 pounds in May. The last time I seen my sister which was over the summer she said I looked like I had lost weight. But I told her no I was at my heaviest EVER!! You know how when you don't see someone for a while you can tell if they lost..Well that is what I am hoping for tomorrow. So we will see.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with those those they love and care about.
Don't get all worked up about what you eat.. That is my feeling anways. For some of you it may be a HUGE issue. So you may want to have a plan in place..I never eat much since it is way early for me to be eating that size of meal.

I look forward to hearing how everyone does..I know everyone will do great..

Book Part 2...Plus Habits

I am going to be making some HUGE changes in my eating habits between now and the next few months,
I have been doing this now for 12 weeks tomorrow and that is ample time to measure my progress. What works and what does not.

During these twelve weeks I have been breaking old habits and trying to create new one.

My list of BAD habits...

1. Full fat ice cream
2. Snacking all night every night
3. Staying up all hours of the night.
4. Drinking my calories..Which included lots of Juices.
5. Drank almost NO water.. Maybe one bottle a day.
6. Sitting on the sofa all day..(still working on that)
7. Eating out 3-4 times per week.
8. Lots of fast food.
9. No fruit
10. Ate a TON of candy..Not chocolate candy but sugar candy. A BIG bag of starburst in 2 evenings. Or a 10 LB bag of Jolly Ranchers in 10 days. Over and Over
11. Eating when I was NOT hungry
12. Eating out of boredom..(Work in progress)

If I had to choose two of my biggest changes. It would be the candy and the mindless eating all night.
Plus I have to add that I am drinking my water..

When I started this weight loss journey early summer...It was for purely vein reasons. I wanted to be the skinny girl. I wanted for the first time ever to not be the fat friend,sister,daughter and even the fat wife. Though he loves me as I am. He has NEVER seen me under 150.

As the weeks have past..My reasons have changed as well..
I want to be healthy...Healthy for me and healthy for my husband..He has gained a few over the years and I am already noticing a difference in him....YEAH..I want him healthy  and to live life with me till we are OLD!!!I want to be proud of accomplishing something I have been attempting for 10 plus years and failing every time or giving up is more like it..
I no longer have a time frame. When I get there I get there. Because no matter if it is 6 months or 2 years. This is not a temporary thing. This is a forever thing.
Every day I learn something new.
I though I knew it all... I have read all the books and tried many "diets"
I never tried what would work for me..

I have learned so much from people around me. People on the blogs. People that I consider my friends.
There is one person that keeps me going more then she would ever imagine..
When I think of making a horrible choice I am not about to lie about it..
This blog is for me foremost and I hope to eventually inspire others..
So if my blogs sometimes seem long..These are my thoughts.
Thoughts that I hope to look back on at 140 pounds and see where I once was..
There are so many bloggers out there that have inspired me..
But that one person was on me about blogging and if not for her I would have never kept doing this and now I am hooked..So thanks Trisha..You are a great friend,confidant and huge support..

So in the next few weeks and month I will be changing up my food choices,where I shop and my exercise and I am so excited..
Once I have my plan in place I will be posting it in detail..

I have also had people asking if I am still planning to do weekly Vlogs???
I am...I had to put it on hold because of sickness and since it will be my first I did not want to be on cam all sickly...

It's a BOOK..Part 1

When I went shopping the other day I purchased a bag of marshmallows for sweet potato casserole that I will be making to take for Thanks Giving..
It is 2AM and when I get tired I mindlessly eat.( I am 90% better)
For some crazy reason I grabbed a handful or mini marshmallows. Now I know they are not THAT BAD..100 calories for 2/3 cup..
But why was I eating them in the first place?
I am so motivated right now it is crazy!!!!

For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a runner..
I have dreams about it.
It is something I have never been able to do..I have hip issues and I never know when the pain will start. I can be walking and all of a sudden I get a sharp stabbing pain deep in my hip that takes my breath away. I have the same thing in my ankle on the same side. I have had MRI's on both. My foot was about 5 plus years ago and they wanted to do surgery. Because it happens seldom usually during long walks or exercise. So I passed.

I may rethink it eventually and see another doctor. This doc knew what he was doing considering he was the doctor for the entire diamondbacks baseball team but it is always good to get a second opinion. Look how things turned out with the dentist. If I had stayed with the other I would have had TWO unnecessary root canals!

So what's the next best thing to Running??? If it can be done outdoors. I would much rather be outdoors then in. For the last few years we have talked about getting bikes for me and Jack. We meant to get them for our birthdays over the summer which are one month apart. But expenses came up.

On the holidays since we do not have children we go all out..
We always have. Usually Jack tries to out do me. If I wrap and put them under the tree. He will actually count and make sure he one ups me...LOL
One year I made the mistake of putting every single item in a separate box and he went out and spent a ton of money because he thought I had spent a ton and he had only gotten me a few things.
That was when I realized this game he plays and felt horrible when he opened his gifts and I opened mine..
Now I know..It's Christmas. It's the thought that counts. But we have fun with it and love buying each other gifts.
Every year we usually buy one big gift for each other combined. Then we buy a bunch of smaller gifts. That is always the plan anyways..It does not always work out that way.
last year we had Christmas in July when he bought us a 50 some inch TV and bought me laptop and himself a PS3..So the bike thing must have been 2 birthdays ago.
Then of course we had Christmas as usual but did not buy the one big gift since we went all out over the summer.

One year he bought me my kitchen aid mixer.. The mack daddy..575watt.. That does 3 batches of anything..It has accumulated a lot of dust lately...)  ; I do a ton of baking around the holidays for neighbors and even hand then out as gifts for my family..I make all kinds of yummy cookies and wrap then in a nice package..It is truly from the heart and not just walking around aimlessly trying to find something they will like.
So very soon I will be firing that thing backup. Tomorrow actually to make my cheesecake to take for thanksgiving.

So back to the bike...LOL
If I will never be a runner and I should not say never. Maybe when I lose the weight it will take some pressure off my hip and things will change. But when I am on my treadmill and I think about speeding it up to where I would have no choice to run. It scares the patooty out of me..
If I am going to exercise it needs to be something I will love doing.
It has been years since I have road a bike..But how could riding a bike not be fun..
Plus a ride into our town is less then a mile..
So when we went out to dinner the other night we decided that is what we will do this year. Bikes for both of us and I am sooooooo excited..I want it now..

Since I live in Arizona there is a very small window of time where I will be able to ride it comfortably.
I know the exact bike style I want. I want something comfortable. So I am going to get a cruiser..One that has a BIG seat..Plus I can add a basket and possibly take the dogs along or use it to go to the store..

I am going to be honest when I tell you that since I started this I have NOT been exercising. I even bought a treadmill a few months back and don't use it..Partly because the one I bought I don't like. I bought a new kind that is on shocks..I just don't like it.. But I bought it. So I will have to use it..But for now..I will have so much more fun on a bike as long as weather permits.

I have been really tired and dealing with fatigue. So I slept most the day.
I also have not gotten in enough water at all..So I am trying to get down a bottle before I got to bed. Which is slightly a bad idea since I partly peed my pants in my sleep last night..Sad but true..LOL.
Tomorrow is weigh day..I am very excited. Not because i am expecting some HUGE loss. I just love weigh day. It lets me gauge where I am at and what need improvement..

****I AM PROUD TODAY BECAUSE****
I stayed within my calorie count
I realized my reason for the marshmallows
I am extremely motivated and each day I want this more and more and not for vanity reasons but to be a healthier person.

Water and cheesecake...

I NEVER thought I would see the day where PLAIN WATER is more appealing to me then flavored water!
I now crave the stuff and no day would be complete without lots of water.
Jack is now drinking lots of water as well..
So between us two and our animals who have always drank bottled water
we are going through a TON...
We bought more water then food tonight at the store..Well close anyways..Haha..

I had a pretty good day.. Though it did not start off that way.
I manged to squeeze in 4 hours of sleep before Jack got home.
We had dinner at a place called Arena..They have every kind of food imaginable.
I chose a grilled chicken soft taco..It's easy to go fattening or healthy there.
Plus you can go large or small and I went small and it was more then enough food.
We then went to the store to do some Thanks Giving shopping.
Dinner will be at my Aunts but I still make quite a bit.
Every year I make a pumpkin cheesecake and I was torn as to if I should this year.
The choice I made is to make ONLY 1. I only bought enough for 1.
I talked to Jack about this at dinner.
I was setting myself up..My mind was doing that thing.." Well maybe I can freeze one"
NO WAY!!!!!!! That cheesecake would be gone in a week.
I get Joy out of baking for my family. But cheesecake is a weakness.
So I am happy about the fact I could see myself rationalizing it.

Any coupon users???
I use to use them like crazy..Then when we moved six months ago I got out of the habit.
I took and hour today and looked up the deals and printed some coupons.
When I checked out of the store I saved 60%
I forget how great it is to buy so many grocery's and spend so little.
So my goal is to get organized again.
Some people say you can't eat healthy with coupons.
Even just $10 a shopping trip is $40 a month. It really adds up.
If anyone wants help getting started just let me know.

 Today I am proud because....
 I chose a "small" dinner..
 I made the decision to NOT make a cheesecake that will be in my freezer!

Atleast ONE positive EVERYDAY !

I feel like everyday I am complaining about something.
I am not quite sure why that is..
I think over the last 7 years of living with MS and the years before diagnosis.
I complained all day every day about the way that I felt and it has become a habit.
Not so much complaining all day. But I do at least once a day..That's for sure!

I need to be grateful for the little things. No matter how little they are.
I may gripe because the scale does not read what I want it to. Or that my calories came in above what they should
But I am honestly enjoying the journey. Regardless of what the scale says I know that one day I will make it to goal.

In the past I was so caught up on the day. "I must be 140 by summer"
It is what dooomed me for failure every time.
This time around I am just taking it one day at a time.

Tonight for instance..By the time Jack got to Panda Express they had yucky old food. So he called and said how about McDonald's. I agreed then felt guilty the entire time I ate it..
IT JUST ONE MEAL !!!!!!!!
I had turned the package over to realize they have nutritional information and I ate over 50 Grams of fat!!!
I was flabbergasted!!! To say the least!
But just one more thing to BITCH about!
I made that decision..I could have said get me a salad and a chicken sandwich. But i didn't. I got frys instead.
So I am making horrible decisions,kicking myself for it,then upset when the scale does not move???
There is something wrong with this picture.
It means I still have a lot of work to do.

But today I am gonna start by finding one good thing out of my day to be proud of!
Then I will do that every single day!!!
Just because I had McDonald's does not mean I am doomed or that I am a horrible person that will not succeed. I had a weak moment and I am sure it will not be my last.

Today I am proud of the fact that I drank over 60 Ounces of water and still going!
Then i was thinking to say I am proud of that because for the last few days I have not gotten much if any.
But then that sounds like a negative!

I AM PROUD TO HAVE DRANK OVER 60 OUNCES OF WATER!

Being sick and my scale..

I am still on my wacky sleep schedule..
I woke up at 6PM !!!
So I will be up all night again. At some point I will have to go back to sleep early or stay up for 24 Hours.
I may do the 24 hour thing.It has worked in the past.

I am still dealing with jaw pain and some kind of sickness.
It feels like the flu. But the last time I was at the Doc I got a flu shot?
It is that achy yucky feeling..

I have been concerned for about 3 weeks.
I am so dizzy all the time. But mainly when I sit up or lay down..
It really sucks..I figure it is just the MS. But I have never dealt with somthing just like it or for as lomg
So not sure?

I got back on my scale today and it still reads in the 80's
I love that scale. But every time I get on it reads somthing different.
So I guess I will have to take it back and get somthing else.
If anyone has a scale that reads in 0.1 increments and reads water and fat possibly please let me know!

Jack wants Panda Express for dinner !!!
Since I am sick and NOT cooking I am not gonna gripe...
I have had water and OJ today..So I will just go with it.
Plus he just cleaned our carpets!

I still make the wrong choices. But I don't beat myslef up over it.
I have come so far in 11 weeks.
When I think back at my old habits..I have done a 180 for sure..
So I am not going to kick myslef for one meal a week anyone..
But I do know that if I want to lose more weight faster I may need to cut that out.

It's raining!!!! I love the rain.
This dang house we are in has no front window. The front window is actually the back bedroom..
From the street it looks like a front window but it is actually a bedroom..
It's a new bulit house!
What is wrong with this builder!!!
Why did we chose this house!!
I want to go back to my old house!

Feeling better today!

When we got home from the dentist the other day I just about got electrocuted!
I had closed the cord to my laptop in our reclining sofa. When I went to open it. It was sparking all over the place.

So right now I don't have my laptop and using our desktop is a pain. Jack uses it and I can't even get pics to load. So it needs some work..

I ordered a new cord from amazon and should get it in a few days. So until then no pics.. I will just add them later.

I am feeling much better today. Though on a really wacky sleep schedule.
I stepped on the scale today which I try and avoid. My weigh day is not until Wednesday but with my new scale... I just love it..
It read 189.3..Yeah back in the 80's..I hate TOM...I put on so much water weight!
I have not been drinking very much water the last few days. For one I could not drink from a straw. I also had to make sure that my mouth healed and that I did not end up with a dried socket. Those are no fun and they happen when you lose the blood clot and the root is exposed. So I had to make sure I was not flushing it with water all day and let it heal..
Things should be back to normal tomorrow and I really feel a difference..I feel really sluggish!

I have kept up with my eating..But I have not been logging anything.
I have been having about 2 meals a day and fruit for snacks..So I am probably way under my calories. When I say meals..I just mean I made those meals but only had about 5 bites! It just hurts way to bad to eat!

I can't believe Thanks Giving is this week. That is just crazy!
The winter needs to slowwwww down..WAY DOWN !!!
Today sometime I need to go to the store and buy a few things for what I plan to make and take.
Every year I make Pumpkin Cheesecake. I agreed to bring it this year. I realized last night that I am setting myself up for failure. So I am gonna have to think about it!

In past years I never gain a pound. We eat so early that I am not hungry..I know odd but true.

Day After the Dentist...

While at the dentist you could smell this amazing smell. The dental assistant told us that there was a bakery next door..GREATTTTT !!!!!
Then she says...It's healthy!

So after the dentist we went in and got a few things. Their breads looked amazing.
Plus Jack needed to bring a breakfast item to work the next day. I had planned on baking as I always do. But they had some amazing cinnamon bread. So Jack took that. I also bought Sweet Potato Butter.
Surprisingly it is healthy..Only 20 calories 4 Sugar and 5 carbs.
I tried it today. It is really good but also really sweet..
I also picked up some honey..I love Honey !

Afterwards we went to Applebees..
Once again I made a bad choice..But with my tooth I was not able to eat much..
Something I have to work on is if I am going to eat out I am going to have to pick a healthier option. They have those options but I did not choose it.

Then we went to Big Lots..I miss Big Lots. I use to have one across the street. But since we moved I don't
We stoped in and what did I find????
Well I found a few things.But they had a Conair Weight Watchers scale that weighs in 0.1LB Increments.
I wanted one that also did body fat and water. But this was $22. So I took it..Maybe eventually I will also get the other one.
I weighed when I got home and sure enough it is just over a pound heavier then the one I am currently using.
But I love the fact that it tells me the exact weight..So eventually I will just get use to it. It is also right on with my docs scale.

The numbing medication wore off late in the day yesterday and I have been in agony since.
I never knew how painful it would be to have a tooth pulled.
Most of the pain is coming from where the shots were given.

I was hungry for dinner and made a turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn..
Then when I started to eat I realized it was just too painful.
The meatloaf was good. I used applesauce,sage,panko,onion and celery..It was SUPER moist.
I will have to make it again when I am feeling better.

So sorry if my Blogs are very blahhhhh But that is exactly how I feel !
Hoping for a better day tomorrow!

Day at the Dentist

It has been a long couple of days..

I have been dealing with some dental issues.
Two months ago I went and seen a local dentist here in the town of Maricopa only to leave not having any of the needed work done. My appointment was on a Friday. I was the last patient to be seen and there was only one doctor on staff. When I left I was given a" treatment plan"  and was told that after he spoke with the head Doc I would be called back in a week and if I did not hear from anyone to call. Well I did and I emailed and I never heard back from anyone.

While doing a search on the Internet I came across a dentist in Mesa..East mesa which is 40 miles from where I live. But they have great reviews over 60 to be exact and they were all 5 star reviews. I was hoping to make it to the first of the year but I was just in too much pain. So this past Thurday I went to the dentist.. WoW was I anxious. The last time I was at a dentist and had a cleaning was quite a while ago and they put me in so much pain I was literally screaming  in the chair.So I have put off going for that reason. I have dental insurance and I get free cleanings..But nooooo..I put it off to the point I now have cavites..I knew this before I was even seen. This dentist that I seen 2 months ago told me that I needed two root canals. So I have been really stressed. They are costly even with insurance. So I go see this new dentist and lets just say they were AMAZING. Super friendly and they took their time,explained everything and told me what I needed done and what could wait and gave me options. They had planned to talk with another doc and see about me having the work done while under anaesthesia. But I was ready to get this done.So the numbing began. Then came the shot! Oh boy. It did not feel great but was nothing like it was many years ago.
I was able to feel how the very long needle went around my jaw muscle. Many years ago she went through that muscle!!! So yeah this time was a HUGE difference..It seemed to just fly by..I may have broken jack's hand in the process!! HaHa..

She proceeded to do two fillings. When she was done she said "since you are all numb how about we get rid of that wisdom". So I agreed. She made sure I was fully numb by pulling up on my tooth. Since I could slightly feel it. She brought on some more numbing meds.. YES more shots !!! But since I was slightly numb. I did not feel it as much.
I was able to feel the pressure plus a few crunchy sounds and then all of a sudden she was done..I was amazed how fast she did it..

So I left not having a root canal as the other doc said I needed. This doc did more X-Rays and did a cold test and said my root is fine. I go back in 2 weeks to have the same done on the other side. A few cavities and one more Wisdom. Then eventually I will have to have another doc take out my last wisdom which is under the skin.

I was soooo numb when we left. That is the oddest feeling.
But since I was numb I was feeling no pain.
We even went shopping and to eat after...
I had no idea what was to come....

Shopping

When is a good time to go shopping for new clothes while losing weight?

Well some would say....DUHHHH....When yours get too big !
I have been saying for years that I was going to go on a diet and I did and it only lasted for
a few weeks. But I still held to what I said. I WAS NOT BUYING NEW CLOTHES TILL I DROPPED SOME WEIGHT !

But then you do this for a few years as I have. Now I am down to about 5 nice tops and the rest are T-shirts. Lots and lots or T-Shirts. You know the kind that you can buy just about anywhere in every color  usually for around $10..I usually get mine from target. They are easy to throw on with a pair of jeans..(I have lots of too small clothes that are in boxes in the top of my closet. Another 15-20 pounds and I may pull those out).

But this time around I am losing and I can see that I will make it to the end. I guess I want it more this time. Plus having lots of support helps.
I wanted a few tops that I could wear through the holidays.
First I looked online..I like looking online but I don't like buying online. Usually I will go to the store and look at what I found online and be so glad that I did not buy what I saw..

This past weekend we went to Sears..I tried on everything that I seen online and did not buy any of it. But did find a sweater that I could wear even when I lose 20 more pounds. It is called the boyfriend sweater.. I love it..I could wear it with jeans or leggings and it is thin with big black and grey stripes..LOVE IT ! Plus it was on sale..I was just looking at it online and it is even cheaper but with shipping it would come out to about the same.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_007B8270000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3

I love clothes..I love buying clothes. But I can't wait till I can buy whatever I want and not what looks good on me or what fits!

I noticed something this time around..
While in the dressing room trying on tops I was not disgusted with what I saw in the mirror..
I also was not trying on swimsuits..THANK GOD !!!
I tried on a lot of clothes and the issues that I was having is I am in between sizes. So when I tryed on this cute sparkly tank top in XL.It did not seem to fit right in the arm pits. But if I went to a L it was too tight..

So after a few hours of shopping I went home with 3 tops..Spent $25..I love sales!
So this may hold me over till summer..It will be very interesting to see where I am at then and how my clothes from this past summer will fit. I hope they are all too big to wear and I have to go and buy all new summer clothes..That is my goal anyway.

Wednesday Weigh-In

Wednesday already! I wait all summer for winter to come along and it is just flying by. I cannot believe it is almost Thanksgiving and the winter will be over before we know it.
Then I will be back in what I call "hell" Can you tell I hate the summers???
The heat is so hard on my MS!

I was really hoping to get out and walk first thing this AM
I have been dealing with some dental issues. It is all I can think about when my jaw is throbbing.

Tomorrow I will be going to see a new dentist.
I had seen one a few months ago. One that never got back to me on my treatment plan
So I had to start all over. At least I don't have to get my X-Rays done again.
I do know that what is needed is a root canal. But from the MS I can only open my Jaw so far,
So they will either be able to take care of this or they will need to submit a a letter to my primary insurance to have this done in an OR...
So I am very nervous to say the least. But I will be glad when I am no longer in pain with this tooth.

Today was my weigh day. I maintained. No loss and no gain..
It is that time of the month. So no big surprise. I actually thought I would have a gain.
I crave sweets three times as much this time of the month. But I am managing it OK
This is the 3rd time I have had to deal with this now and getting better at it each time.

Burning the burn

Total calories for the day 11/16/10 were 1705...
I was doing OK.. I was right around 1400.Then I decided to have toast
The last few nights I have been having toast and when I make a habit of something it is hard to break.

For years. I would start eating something and get stuck on that one thing until I found my next thing,'At one point it was Jolly Ranchers. I started buying the HUGE 10 pound bag and it would be gone in about 3 weeks. Then I move onto something else. Probably sugar. It was always sugar. Just before I started eating healthy this summer it was red starburst,Sometimes it is a particular ice cream. Right now the ice cream is Dryers no sugar added Vanilla Bean. At 90 calories it is not so bad.But I also top it with Honey which adds the sugar but on my terms and it is all natural.No that is not an excuse.

Whenever I watch the biggest loser. They talk about meeting their "burn" I have never really been able to figure out how to find out what the burn is..Then I came across this site.http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightloss/a/howtoloseweight.htm
It helped me to understand all of that. Plus how to calculate you BMR.
It told me that my BMR was 1625 That would be my calories I should eat every day..HUH??
Then you add how many calories you burned/once you get that number. You subtract how many calories you ate for the day. That gives you how many calories you burned. Over and beyond your food intake. It has taken me so long to figure this out but I may change my BMR... Which is my calories needed a day.
So I am going to start following this very strict and get out and walk when I get up.
Sure wish I had a walking buddy..Oh well

One thing I will be working on the next few weeks is my snacking,.I have always preferred snacking over sitting down to a big meal.
Today my Snack Calories were 907....CRAZYYYYY
It consist of fruit,ice cream and toast..It really adds up fast.

I am so tired right now I am typing with one eye closed..

Extra Dessert Delights Gum

I love trying new products..
I had been hearing about a gum that is suppose to taste like dessert.
I use to be a HUGE coupon user and received products at home to try. When visiting one of my old sites
it mentioned that if you "LIKE" their site on FB they will send you a free pack of the new Extra Dessert Delights. I went ahead and signed up.
But I could not wait that long. While waiting in line at the grocery store. I seen that they had the Key lime Pie flavor. It was the only flavor I seen and the one I chose on FB.
It is really good. It is best of course when you first start chewing. So I do wish that it lasted a bit longer.
But if you are trying to rid of a sweet tooth fast. This works!
I am not a HUGE gum chewer. But when I do it tends to be the sweet flavors. This works for me..

Can't wait to try the others.

Monday

Today was an overall great day..
Started off good with breakfast.

When I have been adding my food into my calorie blog it has been telling me that I am not getting in enough potassium. So today I made sure to have a banana.

I soooo wanted to get on the scale today but I have been doing that daily and I need to stop doing that.
I never did before. But after I had that HUGE loss I wanted to make sure that it does not creep back up.
So maybe I will weigh tomorrow..

Things have changed since my recent blog..For personal reasons I have decided not to do the water challenge. I am still going to continue to drink the same amount of water. But I will not be participating in the challenge itself. Since I will not have to turn in my weight on Sundays. I am going to go back to Wednesday weigh-ins.

For dinner Jack cooked and we had Fish, Potatoes with Green Beans and Brussel Sprouts.
I have been dealing with some stomach issues. So I ate some of my dinner and a while later had some toast with honey.

Nothing special to report today..Just trying to feel better and get my water in for the day today.
Kinda hard to do with an upset belly!

Sunday Weigh-In

What a weekend it has been...
A weekend full of fattening food!
What's done is done and thank god for a new week.

Last night for dinner we went to a Greek restaurant as planned. The food was amazing as always.

I certainly could have made better choices. While eating my dinner of not so good choices. I was saying what I should have ordered. Oh well we enjoyed it. I did say that I would take one day a week and eat what I wanted in moderation. But this was a bit overboard. It is what I ordered as the old me. There was a salad and my Jack had a Gyro..Plus there was cheescake! 

I guess I still have some work to do!

I have been suffering with a major tooth issue that I need to have taken care of. We have dental insurance but I needed to save up enough money as to not strap us down for weeks. I could just go and have it ripped out. But what I need is a root canal. So I have been saving up for that. Plus I had issues with the dentist I went and seen.

I have MS and I can only open my jaw so far. He recommended that I have all my work done in an OR.
After I was there and had all my xrays done and he looked over all my teeth they gave me a sheet that had all my needed dental work listed with prices. I was told that he wanted to speak to the head doc and that he would call me in a week. If I had not heard back to call them. Well I did and I emailed..Multiple times on both and they don't return anything. I told someone about this and later found out that she was a dental assistant and she said to me " you do know that they are discriminating against you right" She was referring to my MS..So I am not sure what to to about that, But I am looking into it. So here I am almost 2 months later and still dealing with this tooth. I am on bottle 2 of antibiotics and lots of Orajel.
I have found a new dentist. I was hoping to make it to the first of the year. That way I won't have to pay another co-pay. But looks like I will be getting this taken care of sooner! So people if you have dental insurance use it!!! I made the mistake of not using mine! How stupid was I !

I have 2 major things to announce!
First off..Ever since I started this. I have had 2 pairs of jeans that I have had hanging on my wall. They are 2 of my favorite jeans and I was not able to wear them last year. I could not even get close to buttoning them. Even though I have lost "NOW" 14 pounds....I was leary of trying them on. I did not want a big disappointment. Well Friday I tried them on and one pair FIT!!!! I was thrilled. The other pair fit but just a tad too tight for me to wear them comfortably just yet. Maybe another 5 Lbs.
I actually wore them last night. Plus I took my first progress pic in them last night before we went out.

I have been doing the water challenge as some of you may know and today Allan asked for a pic and our weights. I have been weighing on Wednesdays. But I am going to change that to Sundays. It will just make it easier since it is the day for the challenge.Plus it will help keep me in check over the weekend.
I mean heck I chose Wednesdays for a reason...
So this morning I stepped on the scale to realize I have lost another 2 pounds. So that is a total of 8.5LBS in 11 days. That is just crazy! But I am now in the 80's....YEAH I now weigh 189.

I really wanted to make it into the 80's in November.

I have been looking at scales. I have notices that mine is fluctuating. I can get on it and weigh 5 times and it read one thing. Then weigh again and it read lightly off the other.

I know it is not that far off since my scale reads just as my doctors does each month. So I am not worried about it too much. But I am looking for a scale that reads in 1 point increments. Having water,fat and BMI readings would be awesome too!

Today is going to be a day of flushing out last night dinner. LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER!!!!!

Saturday Morning Funnies

First off...Some Saturday Funnies..
We have 2 Pomeranians and in the morning the female Bella waits for one of us to wake up.
Now if you keep your eyes closed then she assumes you are still sleeping. But usually I will open my eyes as most people do when they first wake up and she will be 2 inches from my face staring at me.

So then forget it. She bugs me till I do get up. This morning me and my husband woke up about the same time and neither of us were ready to get up. This drove Bella CRAZY. She does this thing where she will press the side of her face against your mouth. What she wants is kisses but in the process it is suffocating. After a while she drove Jack nuts. So he rolled onto his back. I watched as she inches her way on top of his chest only to be moved off..My husband then rolls over again with his back to me..I laid there watching Bella (looking so very sad) she was thinking"what do I do next" He had his arm laying on his side and she decides to start licking his hand..Now I had been laying here watching the whole thing and when she started licking his hands. I seen him chuckle. That was it for me..I laughed so hard I could not catch my breath. It was so funny to watch her do every thing possible to get some attention. While Jack was doing everything he could for a few more minutes of sleep.



I am discovering that weekends are bad for me when it comes to eating. I need to find a way to keep from deciding to eat junk food. It seem that come every Friday we are still eating Junk..Last night it was once again Panda Express. By the time Jack got home. We were undecided if we wanted to eat out or stay in. Once we decided to stay in . We were so hungry that Jack and I decided to go ahead with panda. This was not before I had looked up the calorie content which was astounding. I can not believe how fattening my dinner was. That is one thing about the calorie counter. Even after I had added all my food in for the day it still gave me a B rating. My overall for the day came up to I think 2400. Since it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound. I think I will be OK. I had Panda Last weekend without a gain. Actually I had a loss. I also weighed on the scale today and it is sitting right at 190. So I am down 1.5Lbs from my weigh in Wednesday. I had actually weighed yesterday at 189.5 but it did not last long. I knew it wouldn't this was on an empty stomach. One thing I do know is that I can't keep eating this way every weekend and not expect a gain. But I do believe that once a week you can eat what you want in moderation if you have followed plan all week. So far it is working for me.

Now we already had a dinner planned for tonight. It was one reason why I hesitated on last night dinner.

We will be going to a Greek restaurant tonight. It is a weak spot for me. So today I am going to try and have a snack before we go so I am not ravenous by the time we get there.

So far today I an nursing an 8 Ounce glass of OJ..That's it. I have had no breakfast or water yet.

TGIF

                                                       Today has started off great!

One thing I am noticing is that I am not that hungry in the morning. For years I have gotten up and the first thing I have to do is eat. I usually wake up nauseated. But for the last couple of days. I wake up and then have an 8 Ounce glass of OJ. I do my usual check my email etc..Then about an hour later I have a small breakfast. Today I had 1 Cup of Applesauce and 33Grams of Heart to Heart Kashi Cinnamon Oats.

Breakfast 330 Calories

This is a breakfast that I use to eat every single day. Then when my weight loss stoped. I decided to change it up a bit. So I started having eggs. Or a small bagel with laughing cow cheese.

I noticed a difference.

I think our bodies get use to the food and need to see changes every now and then. I have also noticed that when I have a fattening meal once or twice a week. Spread out of course. It sort of speeds of my metabolism to burn  more calories. In the 10 weeks since I have been doing this.I am learning what works for my body and what doesn't. Eating salad and chicken every day just does not work for me. But having a low calorie meal 90% of the time and throwing in some high calorie meals. Seems to help with the weigh loss.

A few years back. WoW I guess it was probably 7 or 8 years now. My husband Jack did "Body for Life" On that program you mostly have a serving of carb. Like a potato. A serving of Protein and a veggie. Very strict and very boring. Every single day. Except for one day a week you could eat whatever you wanted. In moderation of course. But we would eat at his favorite restaurant. He would have his PBJ which he loves and ice cream. He lost and lost every week. There was also a ton of supplements and working out. But having that one day a week to eat whatever helped him stay on track. When he would want to have that PBJ. He knew that come Saturday he could have it. So it kept him from eating it.

That's kinda how this is working for me. If I want to have Mexican food and I have been good all week then I have it. That way I am not blowing it all week because I am craving something that I can't have.

I am learning that everything is in moderation. I can't have it everyday. When before I gave into those cravings daily without a second thought.

I was sitting here this morning thinking back to what I use to eat.

To be honest. It is not all that different. I was never a binge eater. I hear of people saying that they would stop at the drive thru and get 3 burgers and two fries. Or eat and entire half gallon of ice cream in one sitting. I was more of a snacker. I ate throughout the day. Usually the night.

OK so a typical day......

I would wake up. Have a Thomas Everything Bagel with Regular cream Cheese.

I almost never had lunch but if I did it would be a small frozen entree or a sandwich with chips.

Dinner is where it could go wrong. If spaghetti was made it would be a large serving of pasta. When I measured what a serving of pasta was I was amazed. I have always made 5 course dinners. A piece of meat,potatoes or packaged pasta, corn, bread and a salad with regular dressing and croutons,cheese and diet soda. No one course dinners here. We would eat out a few times a week. Fast Food would be Taco Bell. Two Tacos and a Nacho Supreme. McDonald's would have chicken nuggets a 10 pack and a large fry. If we ate out I would opt for Greek or Mexican.

Then came the night time snacking. I would snack all night long. Ice cream,chips,candy..Oh boy was candy my weakness. Just before I started this I could finish off a LARGE bag of reds starburst in 2 evenings.I have not figured out what the calories would be. But I really should.

So looking back. They were not HUGE differences. But they were big enough to keep me fat.

I always said but I don't do like they do on Biggest Loser. I am not stuffing down 10 tacos or a Gallon of Ice Cream..I was consuming close to the same calories. I just spread it out over the day.Mostly the night.

I also notice that I go to bed now when my husband does.I am not staying up till 6AM like I use to. I am now in bed around midnight and up some time in the morning.

So this whole eating healthy is also making changes that I never expected. I never even thought about it.

But little by little I am noticing changes in every part of my life and I am only 10 weeks in..

So I look forward to what the future holds. I am very excited to see the changes 10 weeks from now!

I read back on what I had wrote...There are some significant changes.At COSTCO we would buy that big thing of cheese Balls and polish it off in a week. Then there was the cheesecakes..If I bought one. It did not take long to get rid of that..

That is what is so great about this blog..It helps me keep track and to remember where I once was.

To never,NEVER go back where I came from!


30 OUNCES SO FAR TODAY



WATER AND CALORIE COUNTING......

A much better day today..

I am still struggling to to get in all my water. But my calorie intake was way better.

I really would like to know how some of you are downing all this water by early afternoon.

That is just crazy! But I am still chugging along!

 For me this is all new I have NEVER drank this much water.I think it takes time getting use to ingesting this much and learning how to plan out your day to do so. I don't think it is as simple as just drinking water.It will be mid afternoon and I look over and realize I have not been drinking my water.

I will say this...I am sleeping better!!!!! Can you believe that. I wake up having to pee my pants and I am wide awake. I don't feel sluggish or fatigued. Usually I just want to lay back down and sleep all day. All week I have been up early morning. That is not a coincidence! I have been struggling with this for years. Now all of sudden I start drinking a crap load of water and I am sleeping better?? I mean they have to be connected right? Even if I am not getting all 108 Ounces which is my Optimal amount. I think my lower amount is 90 and I have been getting in at least 70. It is a HUGE difference from where I was at. 2-16.9 Ounce bottles if that! I think there may even be some other changes that I will keep to my self for now. I don't want to jinx it. So I will let you know in a few weeks if it definitely due to the water.

Yesterday Jack came home with sugar free coolade fizz tablets that you add to water.

These things are actually pretty good. It calls for 2 tabs. But I think one would be plenty.Just enough to add a tad bit of flavor. I think this will help when I am trying to get that last bit in. But I don't want to get to use to adding to my water. I want to stay as pure as possible.

 

You will not believe this.

I do calorie counting. I add everything. Every piece of lettuce. You name it. It gets added.

This thing is so cool.I am using a site called www.caloriecount.about.com

It shows you EVERYTHING. All the nutritional information. It tells it. What you did good on for the day and what you need to improve on. Over the years I have had issues with low potassium. Would you believe all week it has been wayyyyy low. So now I know that I need to add in more foods like bananas,spinach ( which I eat) and Kiwi. I got a list. Which the site provided and some I would never have thought of.

So after I had added every tiny little thing I had eaten today and trust me it adds up fast. It read exactly 1,200 calories !!!!! Amazing right? I wish there was a way for me to send you a link of my food journal but I have not figured that out yet. I am not even sure that I am able to do that at all.

Typically when I would start a diet and I would be journaling on paper. I would write that I had a chicken sandwich and a salad. But I would not count the calories for the sauces and the croutons. I would add a tiny bit of cheese and not add the calories for that. These so called LITTLE add-on's add up very fast. With the site mentioned above I was able to see just how fast those tiny things add up.

You would think that something like counting points would be easier. I think I am more of visual person and kind of a tech geek. So I love being able to punch in all my foods and see all the data that it spits back out at me.So far it's working for me and that's what matters. That one thing that will get us to the finish line and that we will want to continue to use even after to maintain. For everyone it's different. But I think I surly found mine. If you have any questions about it please let me know.

CONFESSION TIME.......

                      We think fast food is equivalent to pornography,
                      nutritionally speaking.     ~Steve Elbert

First off before I start complaining.....
Yesterday was my best weigh in yet and it could have not come at a better time. Having a 4 Pound gain the week before was enough to make the average person throw in the towel.
Then I spent the weekend following eating Junk..Mostly for dinner. So maybe somehow eating healthy the rest of the day off set that.I am also up and around now for the most part after my MS Flare.
So I rid of all that water retention. That's my guess anyway. I actually had to get on the scale today just to make sure it was not a fluke.But it still read 191.5..It's even odd typing it..I think I am far enough from the 200 mark now that I don't have to worry about teetering back that way..Thank God!!!

I was not feeling so well yesterday..I had a bit of a stomach thing early in the day and every sip of water made me feel as though I would vomit..I had laid down on the sofa and fell a sleep for quite a long time.
I did not eat but 300 calories by 6PM and then I was starving! Jack (husband) got home and since neither of us felt like cooking and he was running out to fill my scripts. We decided on Taco Bell! I know huh?
After just losing over 5 pounds I then decided to eat Taco Bell.. What is wrong with me??This was one of my weak moments. I just did not care..At least over the weekend. It was mainly carbs and a bit too much sodium. ( Panda Express) While Jack was out..I logged everything into my calorie counter to figure out what my calories would be..OMG..It took me from 300 up to over 1700..That is if i ate everything he ordered me. Which I didn't and I could NOT Believe how salty the food was. I have noticed that..When you eat healthy and then you go to restaurant or eat fast food..It is so dang salty!
I am weird..When I don't feel good what I want to do it eat..I know it's odd but I have always been that way.So there you have it..Not only did I not drink all but maybe 70 Ounces of water and I had Fast Food..

Today.....I will be making up for that..I now need to flush all that salt.
So I will be downing me some water today!

Wednesday Part 3...So much on my mind!

I have had so much on my mind today..
I am starting to think that I can't just be happy with the good news.
I have to tear it apart!

A few years back. It was right around this time. It may have been about 5 years ago.
Out of nowhere I lost a bunch of weight without even trying.
I remember going to my families house for Thanksgiving and all the comments I got for the amount of weight I had lost. This was not long after my diagnosis of MS. So I chalked it up to that.
I remember my weight 188 and I even have pictures and the jeans I wore that day.
So this is what is bugging me..I was 3-4 pounds lighter then I am right now. But I am nowhere near wearing those size 12 jeans. I was a bit younger then. They say that when you hit your mid-30's that it becomes harder to lose weight.
A while back I had tried on a pair of shorts that I had bought early this summer that were a bit tight. I had tried them on when I lost a few pounds and they fit way better.
I have 2 pairs of my favorite jeans hanging on the wall. I have yet try them on and I have no plan to.
This being because I am not seeing a difference.
Early this summer I hit my high of 208. So that is 2 pounds shy of a 20 pound loss at my current weight. I mean you would think I would notice a difference. I started dieting back then but did not get serious about it till September when I was at a weight of 203.

So I started thinking. Well, maybe I am losing in other places. I have a bra that I bought early this summer that was too small but I figured I would hang onto it so I had one to wear when I lost weight. I tried it on today. It is not so small that I would not wear it as before. But there is no HUGE difference.

Is it just me??? I would think with a 12 pound loss that I would see something.
Plus there is the fact that the last time I weighed just 3 pounds less. I was wearing a size 12 and I am now still in a 18 maybe a 16. I have not tried anything on with a number yet. But I can just tell that they won't fit and I am not about to give myself that let down.


SIZE 12 JEANS

                                                                                        
So I guess what they say is TRUE! When you age it is harder to lose the weight.
I have a string. It is actually cooking yarn. I had cut it to the size of my waist way back in July when I was at 208. It also shows no difference and that is almost a 20 pound difference. I am just boggled as to where the weigh is coming off of.