Heather 3.29.06

Yesterday was such a good day for me. I was able to work-out and eat properly all day long! I am not saying that today is a bad day, but I did not get up in time to workout! :( I only have time to work out in the mornings so that means that it needs to be done by 6:30AM. I just need to get in the habit of it and stay in the habit of it! My goal for doing it 4x's a week is getting up on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday during the week and then on Saturday. That isn't too bad. I am still able to "sleep in" on Tuesdays and Fridays. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow morning!

I wanted to let you know a good little find that I found. Kraftfoods.com Under healthy eating there is a part where you register yourself and then it gives you an entire weekly food menu along with recipe's and a weekly shopping list. It is very similar to ediets but the food is SO normal! I have used it for Kevin too! He loves the lunch ideas and so far the kids love the dinner stuff. It makes me feel good to know that they too are eating healthy and learning the proper way to eat early in life!

Kraftfoods.com has also helped me because it tells you the exact portion size to make. That is another area that I need to work on! Portions now a days are so HUGE (like Alicia was talking about) that it has taught me to make larger size portions of our meals. It does not have to be like that at all.

I just thought I would share Kraftfoods.com with you all. Maybe you will find some good meals out of it. :)

Keep praying that the Lord will give me the wisdom to make the right choices. My pastor growing up (Pastor Bill Park) used to love this saying, "Life is Choices, Choices have consequences, so make the right Choices. I think maybe I need to put that on my fridge to remind me to make the right choices.

Have a great day everyone!!!

Target Heart Rate Range & Weight Workout

Here is a link where you can determine your approximate target heart rate range. I'm sure you're like me and want your workouts to have a maximum benefit for you. We don't have time to waste in ineffective methods! I think it's correct to say that the better shape you're in, the lower your heart rate will be and the more you'll have to work to get it up to your target heart rate range. For me, I'm huffing and puffing with minimal activity, so I am concentrating on breathing and keeping my heart rate down.

I also just wanted to point out the link to the Abs Diet site that I posted several days ago. If you have weights and want to start incorporating them into your weekly workouts, check out this site for some ideas of good repetitions to do. Remember not to lift weights every day; only do it every other day so that your muscles will have time to rebuild after you've broken them down. :)

I'm not an expert in these areas! These are just some things I've learned lately. If you have additional information that adds to this, or if I'm inaccurate in any way, let us know. If you have some good tips or websites to point us to, post it! :)

Alicia - 3.28.06

Well, I'm all prepared for my trip to nyc. In order to prevent frivolous snacking and buying of fatty foods when we're out and about, I've made myself 3 baggies of healthy trail mix. I'm also bringing along cereal and granola bars so I'm not tempted to binge on a quick cheeseburger or danish. I spoke to my mom this evening and I can tell she isn't going to be a big encourager of my attempts to eat healthy on this trip. She said, "C'mon, we're going on vacation!" True. Matt advised me to indulge a little but to just keep moderation in mind so I'm not disappointed when I get home. Keep me in your prayers! Not just for eating (forgive me for veering away from this blog subject) but also for my testimony to my mom and gramma on this trip.

Heather 3.27.06

Thank you so much Katie for allowing me to join this blog. After having 2 children 14 months apart, I need to get back into shape!!! Over the last year I have tried many things and failed them all! Well, at the beginning of this year, I knew it was time for a change. So I have been doing it on my own and so far so good!

This time last year I joined Jenny Craig and loved it, but hated the price I had to pay for it. While doing JC, I lost 15 pounds. I did not renew my membership and gained the weight all back. How frustrating is that? Shortly after that, I joined E-diets. That before Thanksgiving. I liked it and am still using their concepts and recipe ideas. I just didn't re-join after my trial membership ran out.

Now today...this is what I am doing and what I am trying to accomplish.....

I eat three meals a day. I make breakfast a good once since it really does start me on my feet the right way! It usually consists of hot cereal or cold cereal with skim milk and a banana. For lunch I eat at the office so I have been doing "smart ones" they are made by weight watchers. For only $1.50 each you can beat that. Throughout my work day I will allow myself 1 piece of fruit and some crackers or snackwell cookies. I use the "diet" food because they are created in mind of counting calories! Then we will have a decent meal and after dinner there is NO snacking for me!!! Drink wise...I have cut ALL the pop out!!! I drink three bottles of water a day (20 oz. each) and in the morning I usually have 2 cups of coffee. I am really working on cutting that back to one but just haven't gotten that far!

As far as keeping myself on track..I have created a chart that hangs by my scale. For each day I check off if i have had my water, no pop and no sweets! I also only weigh myself every Sunday! I was on that scale more than anything else. So I cut it back to Sunday's only! My goal day is the 15th of each month. I like to see 5lbs off of my original weight when I step on the scale on the 15th. Is that a lot to ask? 5lbs a month. I don't think it is.

Working out....I work out 4 times a week doing "Walk away the pounds". I do the 2 mile walk and love it. I have recently started to do 2 x's a week on the weights. (Katie, you inspired me to do this!)

Some think that I have gone overboard but I have 40lbs that I would love to lose! I have to change my lifestyle so that way the pounds stay off forever! Some also think that it is strange that I pray about making the right decisions, but I have too...up to this point, I have not made the right decisions at ALL!!!

Thank you so much for creating this blog and allowing me to get the accountability I need!

Katie - 3.27.06

Praise God, I had a much more "successful" weekend than last (as far as diet/exercise go). I wasn't able to exercise on Saturday or Sunday, but the scale was still friendly to me this morning. I have now lost a total of 5.5 pounds. I am almost to where I was last weekend (6 pounds lost) and am excited that this week I can keep going down.

I was able to do my aerobics video every week day, and Chris and I did weights twice (we missed a day). One thing that I have been concerned about is my target heart rate range. Have any of you every heard of this? I remember when I was a member of Curves, they said if your heart rate is too fast, you won't be burning fat. I did a little internet research on this the other day, and from what I read, if your heart rate is faster than your target range, your workout is less effective (for burning fat). The only problem is, the aerobics workout that I've been doing is low-impact and I think it's just the fact that I'm REALLY out of shape and can't keep up. I really want to keep doing this video, but I guess I might have to go slower than the instructor until I get in better shape. Anyone have any information about the target heart rate range? There are sites that offer calculators to find your range. I'll post a link.

Thankfully, I've been able to keep my snacks and junk-food intake to a minimum (because we hardly have any in the house). The biggest weakness that I need to work on is portion control. Many times I eat way too much! So, that is what I will work on this week.

Have a great day, friends. Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement!

Alicia - 3.26.06

Well, I did not do so well on our mini-vacation. I started out great (as usual) and had only 1/3 of my dinner salad at an irish restaurant. That was mostly because Chloe had decided to skip her last nap and was unusually fussy/demanding. So far so good. Then my sis-in-law and family had to leave on Friday morning so we were all by ourselves and the food temptation began. I have low blood sugar problems so if I don't eat enough I get shaky, get hot/cold flashes, and eventually get sick. So, I rationalized, I NEEDED to stop at McD's for a breakfast supplement since feeding Chloe in the hotel breakfast room only allowed me to have a small bowl of frosted flakes. That was the beginning of my Friday bad-choice downfall. Chloe & I spent the day at a hoity toity mall and I had a sensible tomato/mozarella focacia for lunch but unwisely had a cookie and slushie as an afternoon snack. Saturday was the worst though. McD's for breakfast in the car, Wendy's for lunch, a panera yummy (but I'm sure very fatty) muffin and a McD's cherry pie when Matt's plane was delayed and we didn't have anywhere to go. I again rationalized how I HAD to eat fast food because it's extremely difficult to eat alone with a 7 mos. old baby. It is difficult to do but I could have made wiser choices. My tummy is still floppy and I'm glad to be home so I can exercise and put better things in my mouth.

Thanks for your prayers and support. I feel bad about my choices. I wish I had some blazing success stories to share with you but I don't. God has shown me (again) what a weak vessel I am and how desperately I need His strength to overcome my desires. Matt is helping me put this behind me and going to keep me accountable as well for my eating habits.

Shannon - 3.25.06

Well, I'm signing up for the accountability too. This will be good for me to actually put in writing my goals. The past few weeks I haven't been aiming for anything and have been successful! :) The last time I lost a lot of weight conscientiously was through an accountability/Bible Study program called "Uncommon Vessels". It was good for me. My goal is to lose 15-20 more pounds of baby weight. It's been three months so no more excuses. I think eventually I'm going to have to journal what I eat daily and count the calories b/c I don't realize how they add up. Plus, that helps me control my portions. My weakness is on Sundays. We go to church in Williamsburg, VA and hang out at the Pastor's house all day and have a potluck. There's always so much good food, that I feel like I should indulge myself, but realize that's not healthy. Like Alicia, eating out is also a weakness for me. My diet has been limited with what Esther is able to tolerate, but I really need to incorporate more fruits and vegetables. Stephen works 2nd shift, so we don't 'sit down' for meals that often right now and a lot of time I don't feel motivated to eat a healthy meal if it's just me. Anyways, my goal is to lose the weight and to eat healthy. I want to try to do that by:
1. Exercising 3-5 times a week.
2. Drinking 60 oz of water a day. (thereby limiting my calories from other drinks)
3. Desserts 2 times a week. (okay I'm starting by setting attainable goals :)

Amanda-3/25/06

I'm so glad to be able to join the group. I know that if I have to tell you guys how i am currently doing...I'll be more motivated to work out. I just got weighed at the doctor's office on tuesday and weighed 141 lbs. My doctor said that my highest weight was around Thanksgiving last year at 149 1/2 lbs. So, i'm on my way to loosing. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I cannot eat or drink anything other than water after 6pm if i want to get a good night's sleep without taking zantac. I have what is called GERD/acid reflex. I know that that has all helped, but now I need to be more consistent with my exercising. I do have a dvd from Biggest Loser that i actually get quite a workout from when I do it.
I do have another motivation for working out....last year I had my first panic attack. Since then I've a had another big one in march where my body was actually shaking uncontrollably. The only way I can deter them now is by exercising. The doctor said that they will get worse if I don't do something about it now. Our bodies sure have a way of letting us know what they really need.
So, beginning this coming week i'm going to try to workout consistently. And i'll let you guys know how things are going. My goal is to loose at least 6 more lbs. I want to get down to 130-135 b/c that is where i feel good.

Alicia - 3.22.06

Hello all. Today was a good day to begin a healthier diet and a workout routine. After panting through the first 10minutes of my 1980s jane fonda workout video I realized how desperately I need to get in shape. My tendency is not to worry too much about my appearance because I used to have a high metabolism and never had to work to lose weight. My post-baby 28 year old body is very different now. My goal is to lose 8 pounds - to reach 138 lbs. Having just 8 pounds to lose is also a non-motivator. I think to myself, "I can wear a baggy shirt and no one will see this floppy tummy." Besides just losing those pounds though, I'm seeing that fitness itself is important. I have high cholesterol tendencies and my heart health needs to be a more important priority.

I'm asking you all to pray for me - specifically for the next few days. Tomorrow I am off to MI with Chloe for a hotel rendezvous with my sister in law and kids. We'll be swimming, shopping, and eating out. That's where I need the prayer! I LOVE EATING OUT! We rarely go out to eat because of our budget and lack of babysitters. As you all know, it's extremely difficult to choose healthy options at most restaurants. Pray that I make wise decisions.

Katie - 3/22/06

I've been meaning to post an update on my progress. Unfortunately, last weekend was quite a setback. My parents came to Lou unexpectedly (for a funeral). We had such a wonderful time with them! Unfortunately, the weekend also involved a very fatty luncheon after the funeral (great Southern cooking with lots of grease!), a trip to the ice cream shop, peach pie and icecream (it was my dad's birthday, so I had to indulge him with his favorite dessert!), and breakfast at Bob Evans. Ironically, we also had previously planned on eating out for Sunday lunch with one of our friends! Yikes. Prior to the weekend, I had lost 6 pounds! After the weekend, I had put about 2.5 back on. (Insert major groaning here.) I know that all of those 6 pounds probably weren't truly lost, but it was still so encouraging to have (sort of) lost them. This week I have gotten back on track, doing my aerobics video every day this week and even foregoing a piece of cake at a birthday party Luke and I went to on Monday afternoon. I've lost about a half a pound each day, which brings up another bad habit of mine - weighing myself every day! It's probably better to only weigh myself once a week. O well. So, the lesson learned is that I cannot eat like I did last weekend or I will undo a whole week's (or more) work.

Alicia asked about my workout video. I was fortunate to have a mother-in-law who had a dvd set of workout videos that she doesn't use, so she gave them to me. If you're looking for a way to get moving and are confined to your house a lot, I would encourage you to find a video to get you moving. Check your library or ask around for a video to borrow. Even if it's Sweatin' To the Oldies, it's better than nothing! I also think that incorporating some sort of weight-lifting routine is a MUST. Once you build muscle, that muscle will burn calories and fat for you, when you're not working out. Try to get your hands on some 5 & 10 pound weights. Chris and I do a weight routine for The ABS Diet book. We really like it.

Going Public

I'm excited about inviting some friends to join this blog. It already has motivated me to continue on in my goals and keep exercising. One thing I wanted to point out about this blog - if you noticed, the address for this site is "notmaybe." This is because, this time around, I will not MAYBE stick to my plan. I WILL do it. I've started too many times and quit too many times. I know this thinking can be dangeous; I know that it is not my resolve and determination alone that will get the job done. If left to my own devices, I KNOW that I would most certainly subtley drop these healthy habits and find myself frustrated and very unhealthy in probably only a few months. Even now, I don't have a lot of confidence in myself to stay on the narrow road. But, I know that God will continue to be faithful to me; I just have to take it one day at a time.

I know that my posts might sound serious and all "this is war" talk. I think it's safe to say that, by far, I have the most weight to lose and ground to regain. Most of you are just trying to lose some extra baby pounds that are lingering. So, just use this blog to accomplish your own goals and maybe help some of us continue working towards ours.

Note: I'd also encourage you not to worry about putting as much time into this blog as your own personal blogs. Let's not worry about posting pictures too much (you can post a "before" picture if you're trying to lose weight). Just treat this as a journal - that others' will read and comment on, all for your encouragement and benefit of course! Check in every few days (or every day if you want) to post your progress and any thoughts/ideas you have.

Blessings to you, my friends.

Katie

P.S. If you would like to be a part of this blog, please email me at kbruno01@yahoo.com

Update - March 9

We made a short trip to MI this week for Chris' great grandmother's funeral. It would've been nice to stay longer, but on the other hand, I feel like Luke and I just got back in the groove from our trip there a week and a half ago. Seeing everyone was nice though.

I did aerobics both Monday and Tuesday. The video is from 1986 and is so incredibly cheesy, but it feels so good to do it! Wednesday, of course, was the funeral and the trip home. But, tonight I did the video and weights again. I thank God for the grace and help he's given me this week to make wise choices. I can't help feeling pessimistic about my future ability to continue exercising and losing weight. But, I know those thoughts are lies. I can do it. I know too, that once I lose a more substantial amount of weight and see a teensy bit of difference, it will be even more motivating. As of now, I have lost 3 pounds. And going.

Here We Go

Today is the first day that I have journaled. It was a pretty good day for my fight to be healthy. I didn't have the most healthful lunch (keilbasa), but I didn't snack other than a few grapes. I also was pretty proud of the meal I made for supper. We had pecan-encrusted tilapia, wild rice (well, sort-of), and some really great muffins that I made with a recipe I got of the back of the flax seed box. I also did aerobics this morning; Luke was quite intrigued. And, Chris and I did our weight routine tonight! Ideally, I would like to do aerobics at least 4 times a week and also weights with Chris every other day. This sounds like a lot, but it's really not. The aerobic DVD that I did was really low impact, but when I was finished, my heart rate was going and I had broken a sweat. It seems like a good place to start.

Another thing that I have come to believe is that I must continue to read books or material on healthy living/losing weight. This gives me good ideas and renewed motivation. I sorted through 3 large tubs of clothes this afternoon, and I got rid of one whole tub! Getting right of "stuff" feels so good; now I just need to get rid of this extra "stuff" on my body! Going through my old clothes - most of which don't fit right now - was also really motivating. When I finally do get this extra weight off, I will have a whole new wardrobe! I'm so sick of not having any clothes to wear. I wear the same clothes, and they don't look that great.

This is a start. Tomorrow is a new day, and by God's grace, I can use it to be a good steward of the body he has given me.

Note: This pictures was taken about one month ago - on my 25th birthday (Feb. 2).

Them's Fightin' Words

This is blog is really personal. It's my fighting words in my battle for personal discipline. My fight against being overweight and even technically obese has already been a long one. I have rarely been successful in gaining ground against the enemy, but I have also rarely used the right method and right tools. I have come to realize that my success in being healthy and having a healthy weight corresponds pretty directly with my personal discipline as a Christian. This has been another stubborn enemy of mine - my love and desire for Christ is just plain weak.

I've just gotten back on this road again. I've begun countless times - with fresh resolve that quickly wanes. What will make this time different? It could easily share the same fate as the other failed attempts, but there are a few things that I have learned along the way. I pray that I will remember this lessons learned and make the right choice each day, each hour, each time I meet a fork in the road.

1. If I want permanent change, I must establish habits that I can live with permanently.
2. I DO have a choice. Each time I want to eat or do not want to dive into the Word, I must answer the real question.
3. The question is, "What choice will push me toward my goal?"
4. I MUST get a move on! Exercise is one of the biggest things my life is lacking right now. Exercising will not only make me look better, but it will make me feel better to.
5. I'm going to make wrong choices, but I can choose to stop there. Mistakes are not an excuse to give up the fight. There's always another choice waiting to be made. Stop the madness. NOW.