The month of March - A TOTAL Flop! Well... almost...

Will explain more later! I'm in a hurry right now! March has been rough - Nonetheless, I've lost 1.6 lbs. this month! Better than nothin'! And hey, March isn't over yet!

I am sick of being sick!

Okay, so today was the day I got myself back in gear and off to exercising again! Just finished my 4 mile walk, which took 110 minutes - my max/avg BPM were 160/140. I didn't want to push myself too hard, since I still have a little cough hanging on. Nonetheless, I feel really good. Over the coming weeks my new goal is to cut my time down to 105 minutes for my 4 mile walk, so that I am increasing my endurance. Again, baby steps!

After not feeling so well, and dealing with our garage sale last weekend, I am behind on my emails, facebook updates, dieting log, blog, etc. So, I am trying to play catch up on those things. Right now my daughter is in preschool, so I have the luxury of updating my blog without being interrupted. I often readthrough my older blogs and have to make corrections, as I think to myself, who wrote this? I think it's a combination of being too tired at night and too distracted during the day (i.e. my daughter). She is my little sweetheart, but she does exhaust me! It's almost time to pick her up now, so I need to quickly dry my hair and get my makeup on! Wish I was one of those who could get away with no makeup! Darn blochy freckles/pregnancy mask! Will update more later...

Busy weekend and feeling a weebit better!

Health wise, I'm not a 100% yet, but feeling much better!

Anywho, we had our BIG annual garage sale yesterday and finally got rid of a bunch of unneeded stuff, and made a little money in the process. I was going to weigh myself today, but since I didn't eat very healthy yesterday, (e.g. a couple muffins, cream in my coffee, a hotdog, and tuna caserole), and I haven't exercised in over a week due to my cold - I'd rather not disappoint myself, knowing that I probably haven't lost much if anything this week - ANND, possibly gained due to the sodium content in the foods I ate.

YES! Another HAPPY DANCE!

Will update scale pictures later today, BUT as for now! I am down 10 pounds! It's taken 7 weeks and a few days - Nonetheless, I've lost and I’ve done it the healthy way!

I just dont want to hear it! The News Media that is!

SERIOUSLY PEOPLE! I have been in such a FUNK over the last two-weeks! Partially because my hubby has been working late and then because of the news! I don’t want to disconnect myself from what’s going on in the world, but my goodness! Lately, it’s been so depressing! People are losing their jobs, homes, pets, and so much more and it’s so sad! SCARY SAD! I'm a confirmed optimist, but with the given economic sistuation and the government intervention wild card, we could be next -- no one knows!

How can any of us make this better? I think the answer is giving back! Nothing raises awareness and a sense of salvation as giving does! I know this, yet I've allowed myself to be swallowed up by my own despair! Please pass the chocolate! Handfuls PLEASE! Oh, I am kidding! Back to what I was saying... So, I need to make time to do something! If there was ever a time, now is it! We are Americans – We are fighters – and we learn from our mistakes and move on as we have in the past! We are NOT the things we posses, nor are we a measurement of them! This is the most important lesson from this economical disaster!

On a personal note, I need to work on away to secure our finances, as we are currently living from paycheck to paycheck! Finding away to save is of the utmost importance! Summer is coming, which means our electric, gasoline, and food costs will all be increasing by almost $500 a month – yikes! We struggled through last summer, and my prediction for this coming year, (based on all the media hype) is that even with tax breaks people aren’t going to be spending, they are going to be saving and cutting back like they’ve never done before! This will equal Inflation – inflation – inflation! It’s a scary thought, but a necessary lesson in how to reevaluate what’s REALLY important, how to be more frugal, and how to save!

Moreover, I believe A TON more small business will fold, and powerful ones like Wal-Marts and Targets will flourish, pending banks don't stop lending! (OMG, how aweful would that be! I LOVE my target store!) The flip side to this very negative situation is that once the economy does regain strength, companies will begin hiring again, people will be getting raises, and the opportunity for new business will reemerge! I like to think of it as America is getting a good pruning, so that new growth and prosperity can grow bigger, brighter, and better than before! With patience, hard work, love, and a new sense of appreciation, things will turn around quicker than any of us thought!

Oh, and about my diet! YES, I've been absent from my blog, but I didn't quit! No way! I've been doing some thinking, cleaning, reorganizing, and trying to wrap my mind around this whole economy hype! Despite the depressing news, I'm still eating right - had some slip ups, but overall I am doing well – especially with exercising and recently adding nonfat milk to my diet! Didn’t think I could do it, because nonfat milk is just nasty for me! As I LOVE milk - FULL fat milk that is! This is one of the main reason I put on 25+ pounds during my pregnancy! Ever since I was young, I had a serious aversion to the taste of watered down milk (i.e. nonfat milk). Just couldn’t bring myself to drink it! So, by accident I discovered something GREAT! I bought some fiber stuff called Benefiber, the one that comes with calcium added. It’s tasteless, not grainy, and contrary to the package it does slightly thicken the consistency of liquids. So, AHA! I found the answer! Take this stuff and add it to my nonfat milk and voila, I can withstand drinking it! Now, it doesn’t taste exactly like whole milk, but pretty darn close! This will definitely make a HUGE difference for me! Nonfat milk is low in calories and zero fat, but has 9 grams of protein, and LOTS of calcium – and with the benefiber, I get even more calcium, PLUS fiber! LOVE IT! Moreover, a diet high in calcium is suppose to help you lose weight (confirmed by Dr. Oz, I will try to find the specifics in another blog update). Anyway, my nonfat milk plus benefiber is easy to make, lowfat, high protein, and filling - problem solved!

I fell off the vegetable wagon, and now I am back on!

Decided to go back to what I ate the first couple weeks, since that worked! Therefore, I went to Trader Joe's today and stocked up! I bought a bunch of small cucumbers, along with some yogurt dip and veggies galore for another soup! This time I will include lentils (high in fiber and protein), cilantro, cabbage, yellow squash, cauliflower, fresh tomatoes, and a little onion and garlic in a vegetable broth. This will be my dinner for the rest of the week! Tonight, I’ll be making a few lean pork loins, along with a sweet potato – Yum!… I already can’t wait!

I also went to Souper Salad for lunch today. I got a salad (naturally), topped with red beets, red kidney beans, purple onions, peas, a little boiled egg, and some green goddess dressing. It was so good and only $5+ dollars - so I bought a to-go-box and packed it up with all the same toppings I put on my salad, and then bought a bag of lettuce from the grocery store. Now I don't have to buy or cut up any veggies, or open any cans – I just need to open my bag of lettuce and throw on my veggie/beans/dressing, all from Souper Salad. Although, I didn't include the boiled eggs so, I'll have to make that part myself- eggs are kinda risky!

Another ++ for the day: I got some exercise in! I went on a 55 minute walk/hike, with an incline and took 3 five minute breaks - so my walking time was really about 40 minutes long. Being that I over did it last week, I decided to work in some short breaks (interval training style). These types of breaks allow my heart rate to go up and back down, which maximizes my fat burning potential!

Here's a link with more information on the idea behind interval training:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interval_training

A long sigh...

Another week of ZERO weight loss! UGH! I was feeling really negative this morning and my self-talk returned with a vengeance! I began to beat myself up for having 3 glasses of wine last night! This was a lot for me, but I told myself it was a special occasion, and besides its red wine – it has that resveratrol stuff in it, right? The stuff that keeps you looking young! Yes, excuses! Deeply subconscious ones!

It took me awhile to work through my negative thoughts, and after a lot of deep thought, I reminded myself of my determination and my goals. I am going to figure this out! Somehow-Someway! Starting with identifying both my strengths and weaknesses:

***My strengths: I like healthy food, I like exercising, I don’t mind pushing myself physically, and I can manage my calories and fiber intake 90% well.

***My weaknesses: Going to bed early, waking up early, exercising too hard (then I am too sore to do anything for days after), salt, sugar, poor planning, need to keep my protein up!