Feelin' Groovy

I'm feelin' groovy this morning.

Slow down, you movin' too fast
You gotta make the morning last
Just kickin' down the cobblestones
Lookin' for fun and
Feelin' groovy

Hello, lampost
Whatcha knowin?
I've come to watch your flowers growin'
Ain'tcha got no rhymes for me?
Doo Bee Doo Doo,
Feelin' groovy

Got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morningtime drop all its petals on me...
Life, I love you,
All is groovy

Lyrics found here.

It's been a Simon and Garfunkel kinda day. And I feel groovy and fabulous and wonderful. This, from the self-professed exercise hater.

I'm on Day 5 of the Challenge and am getting up a little after 5:00 each morning to do my Wii workout. Great start to each day and I get it out of the way, first thing. Yes, I've been sore...Day 2 was BRUTAL. But, the soreness now is a good sore, the kind of sore where you know you're working your muscles but not so sore that you're in misery. On the Wii Active Challenge workouts, you run each day and although I absolutely detest running, I know it's really working my legs and all those muscles. Especially the routine where you run for a bit, do high kicks for a bit and then try to kick your behind (I can't remember what those are called but I did them this morning). I have been sore in places I've never been before (inner thighs). So, basically, I'm really enjoying the workouts I'm getting even if they are only burning around 120-140 calories each time. I know I'm going to be more toned by the end of the 30 days.

This whole program has also inspired me to cut my calories. I would like to lose 30 pounds (initially) and LoseIt has helped me create a plan that projects I can lose 30 pounds by October. I know that sounds like a long time, but it's one pound a week and that's a really healthy rate to go. Maybe by doing this Challenge and adding in a few more workouts during the week (like walking during lunch or going over to the gym to do the elliptical), I can lose a little faster. In any event, I just want to do this the right way and be healthy. I'm eating 1600 calories a day (some days a little more, some days a little less, but have been pretty good to stick to it this first week) and think that's a do-able amount. Suppers are the hardest thing for me to keep under caloric intake, but I'm gonna try to find some lower fat recipes and incorporate those into our meal schedule. I have lots of lean meats at home, I just have to lay off the cream sauces and fattening sides.

Also, I got a really cool scale for 1/4 of the price it should have been on Amazon: Ozeri Elite Series II Digital Bathroom Scale With 5" Blue Backlit Xbright LCD and InstaOn Technology. It's still half-price and if you use the code SHAPEUPI (not sure if it still works, you might want to check before submitting the order), you get another 50% off! Since it is $25 before the coupon discount, you get free super saver shipping, but you have to make sure you select that option in the check-out. Basically, I got a $50 scale for $12.50, shipped! Just wanted to pass that along to you.

So, how's everyone doing? Weekly check-in is tomorrow and you can share what you feel like sharing. We just want to know how thing are going!

whoops... now to week 4 of the challenge

well, whoops on a few things.
1) that i totally forgot to post last week. forgive me. it was my birthday.
2) i definitely flaked on the week 3 thing.

so anyways, weeks 3 and 4 are pretty much the same. most allergens have been reintroduced. you're mainly working on continuing healthy habits like increasing vegetable intake, keeping sugar and processed foods to a minimum, and making healthy substitutions when possible (applesauce instead of oil, anyone?).

working out... have i already mentioned that i didn't do any of the exercises? yeah. none of them. but hannah has been, and she's my little yoga hero.

i'm still hovering at around 4 lbs down since the beginning of the year. not bad for three weeks. thing is, i'm not exactly sticking to the plan. the good thing is that the recipes are basically anything listed on the whole living website, which means a TON of good foods. the bad thing is that husband and i decided this would be a good few weeks to clean out the freezer and pantry and see how long we can go without buying food. so, i'll still be trying to make healthy changes, and i'll be counting calories, and adding veggies (we have a lot of snack bags in the fridge with fresh carrots, etc, and also lots of frozen veggies), and, and, and...

i'm working on it. i'll wii this week some, too. so that's something. my hopes are to continue with this energy high that i seem to have (yay, more sleep! yay, healthy food!), and lose about another pound or two this week. i can do that, as long as i don't eat pizza. or popcorn. whoops. and as long as i do SOMETHING active, even just the wii boxing. have you done that? it's rough.

challenge, week 2

how'd week 1 go? not gonna lie- it wasn't easy for me. and yes, i cheated. but i knew i would. plus, it wasn't terrible cheats. let's see. monday was alright. felt tired, tired, tired, and had a headache. tuesday got better, so did wednesday. never really had cravings for sweets, so much as for FLAVOR. so i adjusted the menu, and changed some days, and i'm sure i had some things that were forbidden. but this isn't about following all the rules. it's about being healthy. and i felt better. AND, i lost 1.2 pounds.
huge plus to me! (but i didn't do yoga once. i did do wii tennis with husband, though.)

i also documented many recipes over at the domestic daredevils. go check it out!

now, this week. here's the recipes online. and, here's the action plan.

not gonna lie, the recipes look WAY better than week 1. also, you're "allowed" to reintroduce many of the forbidden foods, some on certain days, and others at your discretion. well, i'll probably just do all of them at my discretion. but, here's my "planned" menu for the week. we all know, this can change at any moment.

(i was going to post a picture like i did last week, but, well, i'm not.)

monday: the moroccan steamed salmon with quinoa.
tuesday: chickpea, tomato, and spelt soup (but i'll substitute something for spelt).
wednesday: out to dinner with friends. this is my cheat day of the week.
thursday: awesome salad with grilled chicken.
friday: steak with warm red-lentil dal and pita chips.

lunches will be salads with grilled chicken, or leftovers. like the soup.
snacks, similar to last week. nuts, fruits and veggies, and that lentil dal. it looks really really good.

enjoy! hope you have a great week!

how bout that challenge?

remember the challenge/contest that was mentioned, well, in october??

i've got something for ya now. the new year is coming. and you know what that means. fresh starts. new you. attempts that fail after a month, if you're lucky. two weeks if you're an average american.
i made those stats up. but i believe most of us fail our resolutions soon after we make them.

well, how about more of a participation thing, than an actual resolution? it's not an easy one. but nothing worth it ever is.

i got some free martha stewart magazines thanks to my darling mother-in-law. well, it seems included with this are some issues of whole living, a martha stewart production. it's neat. better than something limited like shape magazine, it seems to encourage general healthy living.

there's a challenge in the january issue-- if you can find this magazine, feel free to get it so you can participate!-- that doesn't look easy. but i'm going to try it, and i am inviting all of you to join it also. i'll start it every monday starting in january, and i'll tell you what the magazine says to do for that week, or you can look at it online here. it is sort of a cleanse, limiting when you eat things like processed foods and sugar and meat. here's the run down of what it will cover:

week 1: pare down and purify
eating lots of smoothies, beans, veggies, millet. fresh fruits, lots of water. avoiding things like added sugar, alcohol, caffeine, wheat, eggs, dairy...
using yoga to detox your body and clearing clutter to detox your mind.

week 2: lay a wholesome foundation
gradually add in some avoided foods like wheat, dairy, soy. i can't wait to try the avocado dressing on the creamy kale salad this week. also get to have oily fish. continue to avoid sugar, processed foods.
continue yoga, focusing on core strength. focus on positive emotions.

week 3: gain momentum
explore spices in your diet. this week's menu includes things like roasted tomatoes, roasted chickpeas, and creamy broccoli-white bean soup. also something that looks like a cookie, but i don't know what amaranth is.
exercise is more cardio and invigorating workouts

week 4: a new you-- for good
increase the plant-to-animal ratio in your diet. the chipotle-avocado sandwich looks delicious. so does the linguine with toasted almonds, lemon, and romano cheese. yum.
continue the workout from week 3.

so. it's not easy. it's also not a crash diet. more of a see-what-you-can-live-without-in-your-diet regime. like sugar, which is a HUGE problem for me. it shouldn't be a daily addition, but more of a fancy treat, you know? i'm not saying that i'm going to follow this all the way. i have some things that will be hard to live without. like a whole week with just smoothies? we'll see how i do. but i thought it would be fun, and i know that when i eat better, and DO remove those certain items from my diet, i feel so much better. so i'm going to really try to show myself i can do this.

use this week to prepare for week 1. log on to the site, and click on the "food and recipes" tab. i've already got the menu pretty much planned out for next week, and it definitely doesn't look like i'll be starving!

No Excuses

 Arguments I have with myself...


"I don't have enough time to exercise."

You have a lunch break in which you usually just waste time surfing the internet. You can also take 15 minutes mid-morning and 15 minutes mid-afternoon if you need to (the smokers get breaks, so why can't you go to the gym?). You have a free gym on-location. You have a free locker with a combination to store your shoes and gym clothes. Use those resources.


"I'm too tired."

You think you're tired now? Just wait until the baby is crawling and then walking and you have to chase him around. He's not getting any lighter. Go lift some weights, woman.


"I can't afford to eat right."

That didn't stop you from spending $4.15 on a (fried) chicken biscuit, hash rounds, and a Dr. Pepper this morning in the BK drive-thru. You could have used that money for in-season fruit. Apples, for instance. Quit wasting money on junk.


"I don't have any motivation."

Yes, you do. Feeling good. Being healthy. Getting back into pre-pregnancy clothes, or at least, clothes that make you feel like you aren't wearing a tent. Looking good for your husband. Being fit enough to keep up with your son. Plenty of motivation.


I know it's not reasonable to think that I can look like this again... (about 65 pounds ago)

 But not impossible that I can get back down to this... (about 40 pounds ago and the time I felt most comfortable with my body)

Heck...I'd settle for 20 pounds at this point and think 30 is do-able, even though I know it may take me 6 months to a year to do it. So, my goal is to go to the gym THREE days a week for thirty minutes a pop, starting out. I can divide it up if I need to, going 15 minutes here, 15 minutes there, so long as I get 90 minutes of activity per week. I plan on walking the treadmill for 15 minutes at a time, on an incline and at least 3 miles per hour (more, if I can handle it). I will also do the weight machines: arms, legs, core.Eventually, I'll move up and intensify.

So, the first thing I need to do to get started on Monday is to pack a gym bag. Then set my Outlook Calendar to pop up around mid-morning as a reminder. If I have to wait a bit, I will snooze and not turn off the reminder. I will have water on-hand. Yes, I will do this.

Please keep me accountable.

In a few days, I may come back and post about a "diet" (not really a diet, but more of a new way of eating and exercise where you consume most of your calories in the morning and work them off before afternoon) I read about in All You Magazine. I think it may be something to try out.

getting this right

so. i went shopping this weekend, and purchased a few items of clothing. i've forever worn size 18 or XL. it's just what i wear. but i'm not happy with how my clothes fit. they're too loose under my bum, and tight in other places...

we hit sales. and i bought smaller sizes!

so, i bought some pants in an 18 (but they're gap), skirt in a 16, and a few tops that were either large (not XL!) or size 16 (not 18!). they're all super cute, and fit great, and make me look awesome.

i'm not losing more weight. i was wearing the wrong size! so, while i'd love to be down another size or two, i'm happy where i am for now. i feel good, i'm eating well, and while i'm not currently losing weight, i'm looking alright where i am.

don't get me wrong, i'm not done yet. like i said, i'd like to be down a little more. i want to lose some weight before i have baby (babies?), and feel better in general. but i'm not unhappy, which is a really good thing.

i see it now!

it's easy to hear people say you look good. or they can tell you've lost weight. maybe your clothes fit better than they have before, or, like me, you've dropped a size. but i have this image of myself. i still see myself as my heaviest, from over a year ago. i have no idea why chris is attracted to me. i see my sagging skin (albeit, it's that way from weight loss, but still), and i feel so ugly sometimes.

then, i go get my name changed (which, for some reason, makes me feel prettier anyway), and get a new license in the process.

they took a new picture.

(before on the right, after on the left. sorry for the quality, but it's on my phone. and i zoomed in so you couldn't see my address, etc. you understand.)

now, even i can tell. and it makes me so happy. so happy, that i have a new little burst of motivation for continued weight loss.

yay for little moments.

A revelation...

I'm not sure if anyone has talked about this yet, if so, sorry for repeating. But I realized something this week.

I look awesome naked.

Yes, you heard right. I love the way I look without clothes on when I get out of the shower. That doesn't mean that I want to walk around naked all the time or that I'm narcissistic or that I don't need to lose weight.

I would die of embarrassment naked in public, am highly self-conscious, and *do* need to lose weight to be healthy. But, the clothes we wear probably do a lot for our self-esteem.

You know what I'm talking about, right? We all have that favorite pair of jeans. Why is it our favorite? Most likely it's because it fits us well, makes our butt look awesome, hides that muffin top, etc., right?

Why don't we all own a whole closet of clothes that look good and make us feel good?

I don't know. But I examined this. Why do I own 2+ pairs of jeans that I feel make me look fat? Well, I remember on 2 of those pairs. It's because they were cheap. I bought those 2 pairs at Old Navy on clearance for under $15. Not each, but total. Do I ever wear them? Nope. (That's not true, they fit better right after the wedding than they do in the months following... I got excited about food again after the wedding. I think I was *really* watching what I was eating, even if it was subconscious.)

And buying clothes because "maybe" you'll fit into them in a month or after you lose 10 pounds? Also, something I'm guilty of. If I hadn't bought that shirt that I liked, but didn't fit well, I would have had money for that shirt that I LOVED when I found it 2 weeks later.

So, my goal for this week? Take everything out of my closet that doesn't look "good" on me. I realize I may be down to 2 pairs of jeans and 5 shirts (kidding!), but there will be less clutter, more simple, and another box in storage. In about 3-4 months, I'll pull that box out and see if I feel any differently about any of those clothes I "like" but never wear because they don't look good. If I feel the same about them, I'll send them on to Goodwill.

Second goal? Quit buying stuff that doesn't look good and/or make me feel good!

Also, update: I've worked out 3 times in the last 2 weeks. I know, I know! Not good. But two of those times were in the last 48 hours. That's not bad, is it? ;-)