Genghis Grill

     Today was a good day, although I wasn't sure if it was going to be when I woke up.  My sweet baby girl started running a fever again last night.  I gave her some Motrin and that seemed to do the trick, so far no fever today. Just sneezy and a runny nose.  We got up, laid around, then went to pick up my  lifelong friend, Beth Ann.  We went to Barnes and Noble where I got a new vegan cookbook.  Can't wait to try out some new recipes.  Then we wen to a new restaurant Genghis Grill.  It is new to our area and it was sooo yummmy!!  Its a place where they make stir fry exactly the way you like it.  First, you pick whether you want noodles, steamed rice, brown rice, fried rice, then you go along this buffet style bar where you fill your bowl up with everything you want in your stir fry, I had tofu, sprouts, bell peppers, mushrooms, green beans, carrots, Bok-choy, onions, and other things, (my Bowl was full)  then you pick your sauce, and they had a lot to choose from. I got a sweet/tangy soy sauce.  It was so good even Brylee liked it. I will definetly be going back there.....maybe tomorrow after Church ;)  Once I start liking a place I could go there every day for every meal.  It that weird?? Who cares?? 
Here is a picture of my bowl!! It's making me hungry just looking at it!

Here is Bry being silly!

 



And this was my breakfast...almond milk, spinach, ice, and banana. Very Good!

 

Well I'm off to walk on the treadmill and watch a movie!

YAY! The diet bet officially started today. I need to keep this in the back of my mind when I thing I just have to have that extra candy bar or scoop of ice cream.  The pot I think is up to $880 WOW! I didn't think it would get that much.  I have been doing good on my goals....sort of.  I have been drinking more water and I haven't had chocolate in a few days.  On the other hand I haven't strength trained yet or logged a single mile.  I will either get on the treadmill later tonight or do a P90X workout.  If my back allows.  I have been having lots of trouble with my back hurting, so bad sometimes I can hardly walk or change positions so an exercise DVD has been out of the question lately.  I have been going to the chiropractor for a couple of months now.  I also increased the firmness on my sleep number bed which has surprisingly helped.  It still hurts sometimes, it's just not as intense.  My church is having their first 5K coming up in November and I think it's only 10 bucks. I plan on signing up for that and maybe that will give me enough time to train to run a 5K again.  Work was super crazy as usual today.  I am beginning to think it will never ever slow down.  I am so mentally drained by the time I come home that I have just physically tired.  Sometimes I think less pay and less stress would be worth it.  I didn't have much for breakfast...just some coffee.  For lunch I had a veggie sushi roll with brown rice, an orange for snack and a lettuce and guacamole salad with a side of pico de gallo l and some chips...but I didn't over indulge, so a huge accomplishment for me.

DietBet

   I was checking out some new blogs tonight when I came across this cool competition starting up.  It's an online diet bet.  Everyone who wants to play pays 20 bucks.  Everyone weighs in starting September 6 and it will go for 28 days. Everyone who looses 4% of their body weight gets to split the the total amount. I first saw it on this site.  I think its a great idea and maybe the push I need to get my butt back motivated again.  If you would like to joint just go here.  I think we have 14 people, and if it gets to 20 then $100 gets added to the pot. Pretty cool.  Today's post is short and sweet tonight.
  

Day 1: A Success!

Today was a good day!! Yay!  I drank my water, had no chocolate, and ate well.....even at the wedding.  I woke up around 8 am and did some laundry and house cleaning, ate some cheerios and almond milk. Brylee then woke up and we just played and colored a little bit. I went to old navy to try and find a new dress to wear to the wedding but it looked as though all their summer stuff was gone and only a few XS on the rack.  O well, at least I got Bry Bry a new dress.  I did find some shirts that I liked, so I bought three of them in different colors.  I wore purple and white, and Bry did too, we matched it was cute!  For  lunch I had veggie subway sandwich with avocado.  And supper I had a baked potato. I will try to get in more veggies tomorrow.  I had a bite of wedding cake at the wedding but that was it.  The wedding was sweet but freakin HOT because it was like 205 degrees outside.  Seriously, the back of my shirt was wet and every time someone gave be a hug I had to wipe their sweat off my face that they would leave behind. Gggrosss!  Then I came home and went grocery shopping ..got a few things for a whopping hundred bucks! actually $ 100.77.  I need to learn how to extreme coupon shop.  I am currently trying to figure how to upload photos from my google+ on my phone to here so hopefully I can post my pictures tomorrow!  Nighty night!

Round 2

   Okay, So I am going to try this whole setting a goal thing again. Maybe this time I will actually reach one.  Since tomorrow is the 1st I will start then...and hopefully I can go a whole weekend with out sabotaging my healthy eating.  ...and...maybe someone out there will help hold me accountable ;)  I will do small goals again in hopes that I will reach them and that in turn will hopefully keep me motivated to loose the rest of this weight.  I know once I get going again it will become easier to stay in the groove but it is so hard for me to get started. So here goes...
1. Drink water every day at least 64 ounces.
2. Go one week with out eating chocolate (this one will be tough)
3.  Strength train 3 days a week
4. Loose five pounds
5. Log 15 miles (walking, running, elliptical)

    If I can meet these that will be quite an accomplishment for me.  I work as a case manager at a home healthy agency and we have been CRAZY busy lately.  We have been short staffed for a few months and the end of the month is always a mess. There are days that go buy and the only think I would have had to drink is a cup of coffee. This is habit I must break!! I also am chocolaloic so instead of doing no chocolate for the whole month, a week is more doable for me. Maybe if I can do one week successfully I will keep going and reach 1 week and a day, then 1 week and 2 days and so on. It's all a mind game with me. 
     I am super excited today is Friday and even more happy that Monday is a holiday so that means a long weekend!! Wooohoo! ;)  We don't have any big plans this weekend. I went to Wally world tonight and got a few things. Bry went on a Tinkerbell spree and got Tink toothpaste, toothbrush, sippie cup, fork and spoon set. It was fun to see her get so excite over toothpaste.  Tomorrow we have my cousin's wedding to go to and Sunday church and hanging with family.  A nice relaxing weekend. 
     Keeping my fingers crossed I can give a good report tomorrow!! 


    What are your plans for the weekend??

Blah!

     My title says it all...BLAH!!!  That's how I feel tonight.  I should be all rested and relaxed since I just spent the last week off work and traveled to Orange Beach for my 29th Birthday. It was a lot of fun and really relaxing....I wish I could just win the lottery and buy a place on the beach. I promise to sill volunteer if I win ;)  Going out of town for me means I go completely off my diet and and I just quit trying to eat even the least bit healthy.  Then I beat my self up for doing it because I know that I will feel like crap afterwards.  Its is something I struggle with every. single. day.  I know I will struggle with over eating for the rest of my life, I just have to learn to manage it and control it. To not let it control me,  It feels like an addiction, the desire is so strong for me to eat that chocolate cake or those french fries that I can't stop thinking about it until I eat it. It's horrible. I will do good a day then the next day do bad. Will my cycle ever stop??
       I have to go back to work tomorrow. I am kinda dreading it but I am looking forward to getting back into my normal day to day routine.  I do better with eating, exercising and just everything when I am in a routine.  I am disappointed in myself  to tell you that I don't think I reached any of my goals for August. I have to quit making excuses.  The reasons I tell myself I can't do this or I can't do that..they are all just excuses.  They are not actual legitimate reasons that are preventing me from waking up early and  exercising, or eating they way I know I should. 
      Since I had today off also I decided to cook a big batch of the veggie taco stir fry that I like and made my lunch for the rest of the week.  My plan is to eat a shake with spinach, almond milk, banana, and Ice in the morning, eat my oatmeal for mid morning snack, my stir fry at early afternoon lunch and then supper.  Not sure if I have mentioned this or not but I have recently tried to stop eating meat, I would like to eventually go vegan but for right now it is vegetarian.  I'll explain the change in my eating in a later post though.  I will also try to start posting more pics. I took some today but can't find the cord I need to connect my camera to my computer. Maybe I should check my 2 1/2 year old's toy box??  Well, i'm gone to bed.  Thanks for listening.

New Goals

I have been reading this blog lately and it has inspired me to make small goals as I work toward reaching my big goal.  I struggle with an all or nothing outlook on my work outs and eating.  If I miss one day of my gym for the week then I feel like that week has been screwed up and I need to start completely over. Totally crazy...I know.  I guess it's some of my OCD tendencies coming out.  Same with my diet. If I eat one thing that is not on track then I feel as though the day is a complete waste and I might as well just start over again the next day. Maybe with the small goals it will help me stick with it. I will try to meet these goals my the end of the month.
1) Run/walk 30 miles.  I know this doesn't seem like a lot for the whole month, but I have to start small.
2) I will eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full.  I think this will be the most difficult for me.
3) I will log my food
4) I will strength train 3 days a week
5) loose 5 lbs
 I think that is enough to get me started. I will try to post daily or at least every other day.

Heaven's new angle

Did you miss me?? It has been quite a while since I last posted anything. A lot has been going on and my time was well spent in other ways. I had a bit of a relapse, I guess you could call it, with my unhealthy lifestyle.  Between Christmas and now I have re-gained about 10-12 lbs.  That makes me sad...really, really sad but I have lost it before and I can will loose it again.
         So here is a quick recap of what has been going on in my life since I last posted.  At the beginning of February I got a call that my grandfather had fallen at home and broken his hip. He was then transferred the VA medical center in Jackson.  When I heard that he had broken his hip my heart sank. I knew that meant surgery and then rehab. My Pappaw is a home body, he hardly goes anywhere for lengthy periods of time.  Even at his own birthday parties,( that would be down the road from his house at my uncle's house) he would eat a couple bites, open his presents, and there you would see him go...in his little blue truck back to his house even with everyone still celebrating.
       I rushed to the hospital that first day only to sit in the waiting area for 3-4 hours until I finally demanded that I needed to see him. I hated the thought of him lying back there in the ER by himself. I wanted him to know that were were there. When I first saw him lying in the bed I almost lost it.  It just broke my heart. I grabbed his hand and he gripped mine back so tightly my fingers started to turn blue. Not long after that he was transferred to a closet room.  I just couldn't bear to let him stay by himself so I stayed with him for the first 3-4 nights and then a few more night after that  until he was moved to a different room with a room mate and then I couldn't stay.  He waited 3 freakin' weeks before he had is surgery.  Their "reason" was that they needed to make sure his heart was stable due to his age and the doctors said he also suffered a mild heart attack. I just think they are really slow and were in no rush at all to get him to surgery. Most surgeries after a fall are the next day or at the max a few days. Lying in the bed all those weeks before surgery did nothing to help his rehab potential...it completely ruined it! Praise the Lord,  he made it through is surgery and was transferred to the Community Living Center at the VA. All my aunts and uncles and mom went to visit him so that he had someone there every day for breakfast and supper.  I enjoyed every visit with him!!! I got to spend more time with him during those few months that I probably have my whole life.  I love him to pieces.  He did physical therapy one to two times daily and also occupational therapy.  I went to see him once during lunch so that I could be there during physical therapy. I got to see him walk.  It made me cry. I was sooooo proud of him.  That was the only time that I saw him not lying in the bed while he was at the VA.  The last Thursday he was at the Community Living Center, my uncle and I just happened to come on the same night.  I had walked in a few minutes before he did and I could tell my pappaw was acting differently. I also noticed that he wasn't wearing his oxygen so I though his O2 sats had dropped a little and that was why he was acting 'wierd'. He would not let me put his oxygen back on. All he said was yeah, to every question.  My uncle went and got the nurse and they checked his b/p and other vitals.  His b/p was sky high. I think he suffered a stroke b/c it was as though he couldn't get what he wanted to say out and he would just get more agitated.  They took him to the ER and then he was transferred back to a room in the hospital part.  That was Thursday night.  I went to see him after work Friday and stayed to visiting hours were over. If I could do it over I would have stayed...I wouldn't have left his side.  I got a call around 2:30am from my mom saying I needed to get to the hospital.  Rog and I rushed up there and I held his hand, rubbed is sweet head and told him we were all there how much we all loved him. I knew by the way he was breathing and his unresponsiveness he would be going to his eternal home soon.  I stayed by his side and held his hand until it happened. I wanted him to feel someone there at all times.  He died at 9:11 am May 12.  His visitation was that next night and his funeral was Monday.  It was a sweet peaceful funeral.  He was laid to rest next to my grandmother in a little country church were he attended when he was able to drive.  Now he is walking the streets of gold with Mam-maw.  It was so hard to see his house with his blue truck and know he wasn't there. But I know that I will see him again one day. And that is what I meant when my time was being well spent in other ways. I was spending precious time with my sweet pappaw.  I gave up my gym time which is fine, but I do know I should have eaten better.  This blog helps keep me accountable to I will try to post at least every other day so that hopefully I can stick to my healthy lifestyle.
     I started my clean eating again. I try to eat veggies at every meal.  I also started Jamie Eason's live fit plan and I can already see some results.  I ran a 5K Saturday morning. So I am starting to get back in my old healthy routine. The weekends I STILL struggle with so I am going to post my weight every Monday morning with the hopes that it will help keep my weekends in check. It's like I take one bite of something I shouldn't and it all down hill from there. 

well......since I started this post a few weeks ago i tried to edit it several times so I could finally post it but my computer would not let me. I kept getting an error message and it would not let me view my posts. ....until now... so Since then I ran yet another 5K however I was not into it.  I wasn't feeling good and just couldn't wait for it to be over. A few days later Rog, Brylee and I went to see my brother in Phoenix, AZ, and his new fiance, and brand new baby girl..sweet Gabriella Rose. I will try to post my weight, food log, and exercise log tomorrow. ...if my computer lets me.

I actually woke up to my alarm this morning and not before like I do often mornings.  I guess I was tired and the fact that I didn’t turn off the TV until 11:00pm.  My husband and I got sucked into watching the show, Intervention on A&E. It’s heartbreaking at times.  Makes me really thankful I had amazing parents and grew up in a stable environment.  I set a new PR last night while running! I finished my first mile in 10:12…I am trying to get to a 10 min mile. I’m sooooo close! I then ran a total of 3.1.  My leg started hurting so I called it a night. I learned my lesson the last time I tried to just “run it off” Ouch!  Any who, today is week 2, Day 2 of my training- back and biceps.  I will have to go to the gym tonight for this workout. I have been thinking about switching back to fitness lady. I hate the hours there but LOVE the fact that’s its all women. I have tried to tell myself to just get over it about lifting weights in from of the guys at Anytime but I can still feel myself getting uncomfortable at times…just because I feel like I have no clue what I am doing..and there are so many dern mirrors!  We'll see, they have an online thing for a free 7 day pass so I may sign up for that to see if I like it. I managed to eat 3 egg whites with a wedge of laughing cow lite cheese and ½ cup oatmeal with almond milk, splenda, and PB2 for breakfast. Snack was my usual carrot protein bar and lunch was ½ grilled chicken breast, and loads of baked veggies that I cooked last night.

(sorry so blurry..don't know what's up with that?)

Carrots, broccoli, and celery.  I usually hate celery but this was actually pretty
good. o yeah, Know what else is awesome!?  I found a recipe on Jamie Eason’s blog for lemon protein bars…I can’t wait to make those! Yum…love, love, love lemon! For supper I had salsa chicken on a whole wheat wrap with spinach, avocado, dab of light sour cream, light cheese, and salsa. I was very good. Then I hit the gym. I ended up doing about 40 min on the elliptical. I was only going to do about 20 since the first phase of the plan doesn't suggest any cardio, but I got sucked into Pandora's wedding on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. 

  I'm off to get some Zzzz and some snuggle time with my baby girl! :)

Monday, Funday!

Another Monday down! Today actually went ok, I was off work last Thursday and worked half a day on Friday so I spent most the day just getting caught up. It was a steady busy...just enough so that the time goes by quickly but not overwhelmingly busy.  Annddd....so far, so good with my clean eating and week 2 day 1 of Jamie Eason's live fit training.  Today was back and triceps. I modified and did my sets at home while Bry was asleep.  I can already tell a when I do the push-ups, I wasn't has dead this week. I might do a little bit of cardio though.  I want to run a 10K on Feb. 11.  For breakfast I had oats soaked overnight in almond milk, some PB2 powder and 1/2 banana.  Snack was carrot protein muffins, supper was spinach salad, with toasted almonds, cranberries, grilled chicken breast, artichoke hearts, and low fat feta cheese, and same balsamic vinaigrette dressing. One of my faves!
          Just because my daughter is so stinkin' cute here is a pic of her as she was trying to wake up...she fell back asleep. I know the feeling alllll too well

And here is one of her and the best dog EVER!  They are best buds!

So silly!!



                                            

Viscious Cycle

It has been a while since I last posted.  The holidays, my two year old, my job, trying to fit in my workouts, has left my time somewhat limited.  But blogging more was one of my goals for this year.  I have started Jamie Eason's Live Fit program. I kinda tweak it for myself however, and shhh...I still do some cardio. No too much, maybe 20-30 min at least 3 times weekly.  I can really tell a MAJOR difference in the way I feel when I eat clean. I have so much more energy, it's amazing. But.. I still want those bad foods sometimes. I think it is something I will always struggle with. I can't make the desire go away. I know it's bad for me, I know I will regret it after I eat it, I know it's not going to do my body good, I know that I would have to do the elliptical for 25 min. to burn of that one bite of junk, but yet I still want to eat the bad stuff!  Why!?!  I have tried to stop and make myself realize the times when I am eating when I am not hungry. Most of the times it is because I am bored, frustrated, or overwhelmed. I can do so good during the week, but the weekends are just horrible, I don't think I have ever had a good weekend of eating clean or dieting. Like today I ate some cheeze-its, then some peanut butter on some animal crackers, and then we went to eat at the Mexican restaurant and I ate chips and queso...gah!  SO now I am sitting here regretting it, thinking it was not worth it. Which makes me just want to eat more because I feel like, well, I've already blown it completely, might as well and make it worth it. It then the cycle just repeats itself I hope that if I blog my daily meals and exercise maybe it will make me more accountable and knowing that I have to report it on here will make be think twice before I put it in my mouth. 
             In other news, my sweet baby girl turned 2 on Jan 4. And we have just overcome out first case of strep. Wednesday night she started running a really high temp. We finally got her fever to go down and they wanted me to bring her right it when I called her doctor's office the next morning.  We had just been there 2 weeks before because she had a virus that was causing her to run fever (although not as high as this episode) and she had to get retested for strep, the flu, and got her finger pricked again.  Today, the highest her temp got was 99.7, so I think we have turned a corner now. 
           I have done absolutely nothing today, which means I will have to really make up for it tomorrow. I plan on getting up early, going for my run (hoping to get around 4.5 miles) doing some laundry, doing the dishes, prepping some food for the week, and planning my meals. I have my oats soaking right now for in the morning. Well, hopefully I will be able to report a good day of eating clean tomorrow night!! night night!