200th post

We walked to McDonald's today, the girls and I. We had fun. We ate lunch, I fed the baby and then we headed back. McDonald's is about 2 miles from our house. Then we took Daddy for a walk tonight too. We got about 1 mile in with Daddy before his knees started to ache. Tommorrow is another beautiful day so we will get out again. Next week it is supposed to be cold, rainy and/or snowing everyday so we will not get out much if at all. It is really great to get outside with the kids. They enjoy it and I enjoy the exercise. Hooooray for spring!!!!

ACK!!!!

I must must must get back on track. I gained 2 lbs back. Holy crap. What the deuce?!?!?!?!


I know my eating habits have gone back downhill a bit. The last week was not good. I made chocolate cake cookies with peanut butter frosting on Saturday night. They were so good. K and I ate quite a few.

So I am starting out this week with a bang.

I don't need to exercise today

Can you guess what the above picture is? For those that do not live in a snowy climate you may never have to use or even see the above item. It is a roof rake. They are around 20 feet in length, lightweight, flimsy and difficult to maneuver but highly effective at removing snow from your roof. They also really work the arms and shoulders as you are throwing the thing on the roof and pulling it off basicaly.

so between that and the shoveling I have gotten one heck of a work out today.

tried out the new DVD

So this morning I tried the cardio burn DVD and quite frankly I hate it. I am going to try it again another day but today was not the day for it. I made it through 25 minutes. My knees were killing me and the arm movements are not in time with the leg movements so it was kinda difficult to follow so early in the morning. I don't know if that DVD will have to wait until I lose more weight or if I am just hurting from yesterday. Either way I was not impressed with it this morning. I did the mimi challenge from the weight loss board I below to and I am going to do the short workout from my old standby-the Cindy Crawford video. It doesn't help either that I was soooo hungry yesterday. I ate just over 1800 calories. My upper limit is 1800 but I was still hungry, actually hungry, so I ate. I am down 1.4 lbs so far since last Friday's check in I would like that to be 2 lbs but I will take what I can get.

I think after this month my monthly goals will be changed to weekly goals instead. I think that will help me stay on track better. This is all a learning process for me.

Anyway, off to finish up my 45 minutes of working out today and then a shower.

whew!

I worked out to the Cindy Crawford video again today after having done my new one for the last 2 days. WOW. The other one is definitely a breeze compared to the Cindy one.

It is not yet 8 am here and I have already started on my water intake for the day. That is good. I did have a diet cola when I woke up. K and I are cleaning the upstairs today so I will get a workout carrying the vacuum and the carpet shampooer upstairs.

I asked Hubby if we can buy a better carpet shampooer when we get our tax return. He said I could. I really don't need to ask his permission to buy things but because I want one that is almost $200, I felt I should discuss it with him first. I would also like to get a better vacuum cleaner as well but the shampooer is more important right now. Our current one only picks up about 1/2 the water it lays out. Not cool. I have to go over the carpets 2-3 times in order to get it partially dry.

I have been asked on a board I am a member of what my fitness program is. So here goes.

I work out a minimum of 6 days a week. Because I can't get outside for cardio and I do not want to pay for a gym, I am doing light strength training everday but doing a different video. I recently bought a cardio video so I am going to mix it up a bit. My plan is to do my Cindy video one day, my cardio the next, Then either the Cindy one or the Kathy one and so on. The light strength training also has bits of cardio in it. I know that once I can get outside with the kids, I will slack on the weight training so in the end it will work out ok. I will probably only strength train once or twice a week in the summer, not because I don't like to, just because I LOVE being outside and will spend a lot of my time taking the kids for a walk or playing in the yard with them.

I am eating between 1500-1800 calories a day, keeping my fat % below 30, but shooting for below 25. I try to eat 1600-1700 a day but wanted to give myself a range for those hungry days. I eat 4-5 times a day. Dinner is my biggest meal. I work out in the morning as much as I can and then finish up when the kids are napping. I am drinking a minimum of 8 cups of water a day. I don't eat withing 2 hours of bedtime. Nothing is off-limits in my diet. I can eat whatever. I just have to write it down and eat it in moderation. If I know we are having a dinner that I love, I eat a lighter lunch and smaller snacks.

changes

I am starting to notice small changes in my eating. I do not need to eat as much to get full. I reach for fruit or a low fat chocolate before cookies. I actually like to drink water.

Tonight for dinner we had roast beef and potatoes with onions. I ate 1 serving of potatoes and 3 oz of meat and I was full.

I worked out to my new Kathy Kaehler DVD. It does not seem as strenous as the Cindy Crawford one so I think I am going to use this new one on days when I am not feeling much like working out or on my less strenous days. I do like the ab section in this work though. She does a yoga pose that you are supposed to hold for 1 minute. OMG I could really feel my abs working during that one. WOW. It actually kind of hurt in the lower ab section after about 30 seconds. Of course that is where my c-section scars are so that could be a part of it. Those muscles are messed up from being cut open twice but I know if I work at it I can lose that fat section. Just because I had 2 c-sections does not mean I cannot have a flat stomach, I just have to work harder at it.

Also in the leg section there was this killer move, You slide down on a wall until it is like you are sitting in a chair. Then you hold it for 1 minute. It is killer on the legs but wow what a move. I could feel the leg, butt and thigh muscles tightening.

got out for a walk today

I took K and we got out for a 45 minute walk today. It was great to be outside and exercising. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It warmed up to the mid 40's today so I bundled her up and covered her with a blanket too. She was plenty warm. When we got home and took her coat off she said she was hot so she took of her sweatshirt too. LOL. Guess I might have bundled her too much. I hope to get out again tommorrow. I worked up a sweat.

Hubby

I Love him so much. He is so great. He could tell that I was stressed out so just before we put K to bed he told me to just go away for awhile by myself. I left at 8 and just got back. I went and powerwalked around Walmart and did a little shopping. I was going to wait until I had lost 10 lbs to buy myself some decent workout pants and a good sports bra. But he said I was close enough so I should go ahead and get them now. So I did. I got 3 pairs of knit pants that have a drawstring waist, 1 gray and 1 blue for $3 each and 1 black with pink stripes for $10. I got a pink sports bra that is kinda like a regular bra. I also got some regular cotton underwear for working out because I don't like to wear my "good" underwear during my workout. I got myself 2 3lb hand weights. I already have 5 and 10 lb ones but I wanted some 3 lb ones for the bicep exercises because my biceps are already big. I don't want them to get much bigger, just more defined. I got some candy for hubby as well and a few grocery things that I needed. I have a bunch of recipes I want to make but I lacked some of the spices. I tried to figure out the last time I was by myself for more than a couple minutes without either kid and not having to work, do housework, or go to an appointment and it was awhile ago. So long ago that I can't even remember when it was. So anyway I am feeling much better and hubby said that he wants to figure out some sort of schedule were I can get a couple hours to myself once a week or over a couple days. I think that is wonderful of him considering that he goes to work all day (not that I don't work here) and then comes home and gives me a break. I couldn't ask for a better hubby really. He said that I have the harder job out of the 2 of us and I deserve a break. He said that he gets breaks everyday and I should at least be able to get a couple hours a week. I love that man. He totally gets it!!!

What had me so stressed out was K's little attitude today. She didn't like anyone or anything. She was hitting, kicking, throwing toys at all of us and just doing everything that she knows she is not supposed to, stuff that she NEVER does. She ended up getting put in her crib (luckily we never took it down after we moved her to the toddler bed) for a time out. I spanked her twice for throwing her toys and hitting her sister. She was deliberately hitting her sister. I don't like to spank her but you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. I am not against spanking as a form of discipline but I try not to use it. I have and I will continue to do so. I do not feel that 1 swat on the butt is child abuse. I know that some of the "parenting gurus" will have you believe that spanking your child will damage them psychologically, but I can tell you that I was spanked, often with a belt, and I turned out fine. I will not use a belt on my child however. Counting does not working with K because she will just finish the count for me (GRRRRR!!), time outs do not work because she likes being by herself. Taking toys away does not work because she just doesn't care if I do that.

I had no idea

I really had no idea until I started journaling, just how many calories I was eating a day. OMG, no wonder the weight was not coming off. I was eating between 2500-3000 calories a day. WOW! I was shocked to say the least. I would make pancakes for me and K, 1/4 cup of pancake mix has 150 calories. I would make at least 1 cup of it. Give Kait a pancake and eat the other 3-4 myself. Top that off with Syrup, I use the lite kind at 100 calories in a 1/4 cup. Plus add 2 1/2 sausage patties at 250 each. I am still eating pancakes and sausage, because I like it. But I make 1 sausage patty for me and Kait to share. I eat pancakes but 1/4 cup makes 2 small pancakes. I use very little syrup. I also added in some canned pineapple on the side. Nice breakfast at about 350 calories.

I worked out this morning. I tried to fit in the long version but I only got about 3/4 of the way through it because the kids needed me. I will try to finish it during K's naptime. I have been trying to stay moving today.

I am noticing ever so slight changes in my body. My thighs are getting tighter and smaller. My abs looks a bit smaller. My arms are getting a bit more definition. I can tell where my collar bone is now. It peeks out just a bit when I move my shoulder. Hubby says he is noticing a change in my butt as well. I am able to do more of the ab exercises in my workout video.

I did my measurements today as well. Since 11/21 I have lost:
waist~1 3/4 inches. I am attributing this to the ab workout. I really have no other explanation for it because it doesn't seem like I have lost enough pounds to have that much of a difference.

hips~ 1 1/2 inches. Same as above

neck~ 3/4 of an inch

I really like seeing results. Not many people have really noticed the weight loss, just me and Hubby. But when you have a lot to lose, I think people don't really take notice until you lose 15-20 lbs. Maybe that is just me but that is what I think. Maybe also because it is winter and I tend to wear heavy clothes: sweatshirts, my bulky winter jacket, etc.

Music, etc

I love listening to music when I am working out, especially rock music. Gets my *ss moving! Anyway this song playing when you first open my blog is Neurosonic's so many people. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this song. I an not sure why exactly, I think it is the overall sound of it.

I did not eat very well the last few days. Lasagna, Christmas cookies and a couple pieces of fudge. I NEED to really get serious about losing weight but I am just not feeling it with being sick and K being sick. I am going to take both of us to the Doctor tommorrow and we are going to get checked out. I think I have a double ear infection and I think K has a sinus infection as well as an ear infection.

Starting tommorrow I am journaling my food intake as well. That was my biggest help when losing weight previously. I need to give myself a "window" for calorie intake though, not an absolute end all be all calorie intake. That was my mistake before and I need to avoid that. So I am going to find out my calories required and set up a range of low to high. I need a little room to play because somedays I am hungrier than others and I would like to be able to have a snack if I so desire.

feeling great

I know I already touched on this subject but I love how I feel after a workout, even just a short one. I feel more energized, less stressed and just all around better. I just finished working out and I feel FANTASTIC!!

a treat

I ordered myself 2 new work out DVDs. I would like to vary my routine a bit so I do not get bored with it. So I ordered
http://www.amazon.com/Kathy-Kaehler-Basics-Fitness-Workout/dp/B00067HP78
and
http://www.amazon.com/Cardio-Burn-Madeleine-Lewis/dp/B000BY9VRI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1198901860&sr=1-1

The first one I bought because I really have no experience with exercise DVDs but this is the instructor from the first one I ever bought (http://www.amazon.com/Cindy-Crawford-New-Dimension/dp/B0000X61V4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1198902093&sr=1-1)
and I really liked her in this video. She is not a supermodel and seems more like a real person. Some of the reviews say that her body is manly looking but quite frankly, I don't see what they are seeing. I think she is built like I am, and I am not manly looking.

The second one I bought because it was from the same seller and looked like an ok way to add in a little more cardio than the other ones have. Plus it was cheap and only $2 to ship.

I am looking for a little more variety in my workouts. I know that once spring hits, I will not use the dvds much except for when we can't go outside but at least I will have them available.

Do I need a DVD to work out to? Not really but I find that if I do not vary my routine, I get bored with it and quit. I can do regular exercises that I already know how to do but it gets old doing the same thing time and again. This way I can spice it up a bit.

I have a hard time picking out a DVD routine because
A) I need something that is in short bursts so I can stop and start when I need to so I can take care of the kids or do whatever. I try to fit in my workout first thing in the morning but that does not always happen. I can do it during K's nap but that is my time to spend with O. I spend time with K in the morning while O is napping. I like giving each child their own little bit of time with me and only me. I am not going to give that up. I usually manage to get in at least 20 minutes everyday so the short sections are perfect for me. I do not have the time for a complete 45-60 minute workout in 1 stretch of time. Sure I can pause it and go back but the sections work better.

B) the choices are daunting. There are so many to choose from. It seems that every model and actress has a video out, not too mention their trainers, etc.

C) Cost. I do not want to spend $20 + on one video that I may or may not like. I tried looking at the used video and the thrift stores around here but the choices are very limited. I even checked out Walmart and found 3, only 3. WTH?!?!

So anyway after I use them for a couple weeks I will let you know how they are. I can tell you that the New Dimension by Cindy Crawford is fantastic. I (and Hubby) have noticed a difference in my "wings"(the flabby lower part of my arm), my butt, and my abs already.

odd

I find it odd that when I wake up tired and then I work out anyway, I get energized for the day. I understand the mechanics of it. Exercise releases endorphins, etc. which puts a person in a better mood. I know that but I still think it is odd that working out wakes me up.

I noticed that during my workout today that I was able to do a bit more of the abdominal part. After working out I took a shower and I noticed that my stomach looks a little bit smaller. I am not fantastic at abdominal stuff. Having 2 kids and 2 c-sections really killed that. I do notice that I can really suck it in so I know I still have muscles in there, I just need to get rid of the layer of fat over them. LOL...

Also I was able to do the squats and lunges today without my knee hurting so that is good.

On the agenda for today is a bunch of housework,
defrosting the freezer and scrubbing it
cleaning off the top of the computer desk
washing sheets and blankets
cleaning the bathroom
vacuuming upstairs and down
plus my normal household chores.

Better get started on my day.

I love the morning

Both kids are quietly sleeping upstairs while I am downstairs enjoying the peace and quiet of my house in the early morning. You could hear a pin drop in the house right now. I know in the next half hour or so that calm and quietness will coming to a screeching halt, literally.

K usually wakes up by 8 am at the very latest. The baby naps off and on but when she wakes up she will be wide awake. She slept through the night from 9 pm until 6 am. She drank a full bottle at 6, so she may sleep until 9 but it won't be any later than 9.

I should go work out.....while I can.

Have a great day!

tommorrow is check-in day

I am sure that I did not lose any weight this week. In fact I probably gained. If I did gain it is not more than 2 lbs though.

I worked out today. I have a little personal trainer. She is 2. She reminds me to work out every morning as soon as Dora is done. She also had me work out tonight as well. Goof ball.

ow ow owie

at some point during my workout this morning, I turned wrong on my left knee. Oh the pain. I can still walk but I have a sharp pain in the center of it. Crap! It really freaking hurts. If it is not better by Wednesday I am going to go in to the DR. Why me?

I was able to finish the workout minus anything that involved using my knees so no cardio. Basically I did a bunch of upper body and abdominal stuff instead of the lower body.

exciting news!!!

I tried on a pair of pants this morning that fit but were uncomfortably tight. They FIT perfectly this morning. They are still a size 20 but they are the non stretch kind, so they did not fit as well as I would have liked and gave me a pretty bad muffin top before. The non stretch kind is my favorite type of jeans but anymore all jeans have the stretch in them. I very rarely find some that do not. Anyway I am excited. I may have only lost 4 lbs but the working out must be helping with toning up my waistline. WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!

Today

I got the tickets. 2nd row in the balcony. Mom said they are GREAT seats!!!!

I forgot my lunch so I had to eat vending machine food. UGH!! I did alright until my afternoon break. I wanted to get a bag of dried fruit but lacked a nickel. I was starving so I ended up getting nutty bars. Not exactly healthy, but I didn't get to eat breakfast this morning either so I guess it kinda evened out. For dinner I had a salad. I had a tuna sandwich for lunch.

I got quite the workout at work. I was so busy. I made my rate however. I blew it out of the water actually!!! YEAH!!! Yesterday I made rate too but not by as much as today. Making rate means that you completed the number of packages that are required in a given hour. They divide the total by the number of hours worked to determine the rate you did. I did 21 yesterday and 24 today. Rate is 20 and it is HARD to do, especially for a newbie. 4 over might not sound like blowing it out of the water but it actually is. Some of the "veterans" can't even do 20 an hour.

K did not want to sleep last night. She was up until after 9 and bedtime is 7:30. I am letting her stay up later tonight. It is 7:30 here now but she is being really good so I am going to let her stay up until 8 (or later) if she is being good.

Tommorrow is "produce day" at our local store. They have free samples and a Christmas card making table set up for the kids so I am taking K for a bit. She will enjoy that. A little mommy and K time.

tommorrow is check in day.

Although I am not expecting to see any results, I am still kinda hoping to see something. I will not get down if I do not see results. It has only been 2 days! I will weigh in tommorrow when I wake up and if I have time before work, I will post the weight.

I have to modify my goals for next week, regarding working out, because I am scheduled to work Monday through Friday. By the time I get home, get dinner made, pack hubby's lunch and mine, bathe the girls and pick up the house, I am ready to collapse so I will not be working out during the week. If I feel like it, I will but I am not going to push it. Next week is my last week of work so I will have plenty of time to work out after that.

measurements and my check in day

I have always believed that measurements are a truer indicator of weight loss than the number on the scale. I took my measurements before I started dieting. I will measure myself again in 1 month to see where I am at there. I registered on spark people and entered that information.

My check-in day with Alli will be Fridays. I am going to check in this Friday. I do not expect to see results yet. I hope I do but I do not expect to. I will hope for 2 lbs by next Friday 12/21. I would prefer to not check in on Mondays because everything with us is up in the air on weekends. We have a usual routine but I don't usually get in a workout. We eat healthy still but hubby is home so he kind of messes up the routine. I like having him here but it is hard to do certain things with him home. I hate working out with him here because he watches me. I do NOT like being watched while I work out. That is why I never liked going to the gym. I doubt the people there are actually watching me but I feel awkward so I just don't go. Hubby likes to watch me workout but I am really uncomfortable with it. The computer is in the living room, where I work out as well, so it isn't like he can just go in the other room either.