Lost One of My Exercise Buddies

Just said good-bye to my tiny runner 5. Scooter, my yorkie, crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I was able to take him for one last lap, in my arms under the warming sun and whispering breeze.   

He has been my buddy for a good many years now. Every morning he would bark like mad when he would hear my feet hit the floor after waking up. He followed me every where and when I started my weight loss 2 months ago, he became a big part of that adventure, too.

You see, he may have been small but he had a big heart. He didn't know he was a little dog. So when I would go on my "Zombie" runs, he was right there with me. I would daydream that his bark and craftiness would keep me "safe" and give me an edge as we ran (and walked) from make believe zombies.

Getting ready to take my Scootie Bootie on one last lap.

 

I held on to him and loved on him until he passed from this world at approx 1:45 pm. Later, I walked 3 miles with my Liberty, but it just wasn't the same. I wanted to run, but couldn't. My daily life will forever be missing something. 

27 Feb 2013

 

 

I am so thankful that my little Scootie Bootie could share these past several months with us in our new home, where he had 5 acres to romp and play in. I'm so thankful to have had him as my daily walking partner, my alarm clock, and my cuddle bug.

 



Kickin' My Addiction...

I did it. I won. It was hard. It was painful. But I preservered and I won.

It started many years ago, while working at a local drug store. I was about 16 years old at the time when my addiction really started. I used to be fine with one a few times a week, but then it became a daily need.

I was addicted. Yes, I was. I "had" to have my Mountain Dew every day. I felt bad if I didn't get it. I couldn't leave a store without grabbing a bottle. At one point in my life, I was drinking a liter or more all by myself. I'm ashamed to admit that, but I did it and I'm owning  up to it.

 

One 20 ounce bottle has 290 calories and 31 grams of sugar plus 91mg of caffeine. There were days I would easily drink down 2 of these suckers, it's no wonder kicking the habit was so hard!

 

On the first of January of this year, I quite cold turkey. I didn't "wean" myself slowly. I didn't ease into it. I just quit. And it was hard. I had awful "withdrawal" headaches. I felt bad overall, really. I craved it terribly and my will power almost shattered a week and half into my "Dew free" life. I cried. I felt horribly deprived.  But I stuck it out and here I am, going on two months without it.

 

I feel so much better now that I am no longer drinking the Dew. I feel proud of myself when I can go out and walk past those soda laden coolers. The Dew no longer reels me in like a fish. No, I can walk on by and ignore it's colorful calling. In fact, I can reach into the Mountain Dew filled cooler and grab a bottle of plain water. Two months ago, that would never have happened!

 

After almost two decades, my addiction has been broken! It is such a freeing feeling. It is an amazing thing to think that I no longer want or crave soda.

 

I no longer "drink" my self into calorie overload. No, I drink water and maybe an occasional glass of milk, wine, or coffee. I feel so much more in control of my life now that the soda no longer controls me!

 

Here are the ingredients. I almost got sick when I saw I was drinking vegetable oil! (Ew..) Almost everything on this list makes me cringe! I never paid attention when I was drinking the stuff!

 

CARBONATED WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CONCENTRATED ORANGE JUICE, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVES FRESHNESS), CAFFEINE, SODIUM CITRATE, ERYTHORBIC ACID (PRESERVES FRESHNESS), GUM ARABIC, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (TO PROTECT FLAVOR), BROMINATED VEGETABLE OIL, YELLOW 5

 

 

 

 

 



First 20 Pounds: Gone!

Today was a great day! This morning, I woke up wondering what that mystical contraption, the scale, would reveal. To my delight, I saw within it's crystal the number 209 even. That puts me at 20 pounds lost since 1 January!

Here I am, 20 Pounds Lighter!

 

I had started a "Weight Loss Journey" bracelet after reading and seeing pictures of a fellow forum member's bracelet. My first bead, for my first 10 pounds lost, is for my kids who are my biggest inspiration and motivation! In fact, my son (10) is the one who found My Fitness Pal for me and who cheers me on while I work out, telling me how great I'm doing! My daughter (8) is really into exercise and drinking water, and motivates me a lot as well!

 

My "Proud Mom" bead, reward for 10 pounds lost!

 

 

The next great thing that happened, (as if seeing 20 pounds gone wasn't enough!) I was able to run a full quarter mile non stop! This is amazing for me! I have NEVER been a runner, and here I am doing a quarter mile! I'm very excited for this "Non Scale Victory," aka NSV!

 

My family and I then went out to run some errands and have lunch. When I got home, the following was waiting for me in the mail box:

 

 

 

It was my 20 pounds lost reward charm! Since I credit the Zombies, Run app with helping me shed the pounds, I had this charm custom made for me! It is just the way I wanted and makes a cute little jingle when the two discs dangle! It looks great on my bracelet and I'm very proud to wear it! I can look at this one in particular and be reminded of how far I have come physically in less than 2 short months!

 

 

One last picture for this blog post...I gotta do it! While out with my family, I had my son snap this pic of me with a 20 pound bag of grass seed! Yep...I lost this bag of seed from my body! What a great feeling!!

 

This weekend marked 20 pounds lost! I was able to run a quarter mile straight through. I started and am sharing my "weight loss journey" bracelet with y'all. Other NSV's that occurred recently are: I dropped 1/2 a size in shoes, my jeans are getting looser, I have a whole lot more energy, I can eat 1/4 of a chocolate bar and save the rest so my cravings are well under control, I no longer like the taste of soda, and I can stay within my daily caloric limit and be completely satisfied!

If I can do this, so can you!

Love and Light,
Moni









Love Your Heart, Exercise Your Body!

Happy Valentine's Day, Y'all!

 

Valentine's Day celebrates matters of the heart, so what better subject than exercise which benefits the health of your life pump! My amazing husband gifted me a brand new pair of running shoes and a phone pouch for my workouts! I'm totally thrilled and can't wait to use them!

 

 



I exercise daily. Yes, daily. I have gotten in some form of exercise every day since 1 January. I started being able to walk only 9/10 of a mile in 30 minutes. I have been using a free app on my phone to track distance, pace, and calorie burn called Endomondo. I hurt, was out of breath and exhausted. Everyday I got out there and did it, and saw my distance and pace improve dramatically. Four and half weeks ago, I started a 5k run training program....

"Zombies, Run!" This is by far the most fun I have had in my life exercising! (While I have been fat for many years, there was a time long ago that I actually did exercise and was in decent shape!) "Zombies, Run!" is a fun-tastic app you can download to your phone and listen to while you get in your workout. You create playlists of your fave music and they incorporate your playlist into your session. I'm doing Week 4, Workout 2 of their 5k run training program and it is fantastic! I have never been a runner, and here I am! Working my way to the goal of running a 5k! I am far from fast, and I can't run for longer than two minutes a time...yet...but I am impoving weekly and blasting calories! Oh, and having to do knee lifts in front of a chained zombie, then running when that zombie broke free was fun and made me giggle!

On the days I'm not running from zombies and training for a 5k, I spend time with Bob. Bob Harper from the Biggest Loser that is! I love his Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga dvd. It is a butt kicker, makes me sweat, shake and crave water. It is fantastic! I have been doing it just about every other day for a month and I feel like I am getting stronger. It is pretty tough for me and I am still doing the modified versions of a few of the poses/exercises. I highly recommend this dvd!!!

You may only be able to walk slowly for a few minutes, but get out there and do it anyway! Tomorrow, go out again and try to push just a little further, even if it is only a half a minute or a minute more at a time. It will get easier, you will breath easier, you will feel better!

My next adventure will be strength training. I really need to increase my upper body strength especially. I will share that with you when the time comes!!

Have a Happy Valentine's Day, and don't forget to get out and walk! (Or any other physical activity you feel like doing!)

My "Diet" And Weight Update

I have had a few people ask what diet I am doing to lose weight. Truth is, I'm not doing any commercial diet, I'm not taking any "magic" pills, and I'm not starving myself either! I also don't look at my daily eating as a short term diet, but as a life style change. I do not want to lose this weight just to gain it all back...plus some!

Before I share with you what I have been doing, I want to share with you that as of today, 13 February 2013, I have lost a total of 17.6 pounds! That is almost 18 pounds in a month and a half, so I am pretty darned excited and proud, if I do say so myself! This means that what I'm doing IS working for me.

So, without further ado, here's a rundown of  what I have been up to:

Water: There is much debate on whether or not water helps people lose weight. I can say in my case it does. I drink a full 16 ounces before each meal. This helps me feel full faster, so I do not feel hungry or deprived. I also drink a full 16 ounces right before my workout, and if I don't, I wind up having to stop before half way through to drink. Because I drink so much water during the day (around 64 ounces, sometimes a bit more) I do not crave sugary calorie laden drinks!

My Fitness Pal: I use it daily to log every bite I take, every glass of water I drink, and my exercise. This keeps me accountable, on track, and I get to see a breakdown of my daily nutrient intake. It can be accessed by computer or by smart phone if you are on the go. It has been a valuable asset.

3 Fat Chicks on a Diet: This site and it's forum is holds a treasure trove of support and information! Not to mention they have a super cute banner theme!  I stop by daily and read scan through, as well as answer threads that have been posted when I feel inclined to do so. I have been doing so daily since starting my new healthy life on 1 January 2013! You can check them out here: 3 Fat Chicks on A Diet

Food/Calorie Intake: I use 1200 calories as a base for my day, and increase my calorie allowance based on activity level.  Portion sizes, need I say more? I broke out the measuring spoons, cups and measure everything I eat! When I shop for meat, I look for sizes that easily fit my needs.

Breakfast may be cream of wheat with a bit of cinnamon sprinkled on top, two eggs scrambled with cheese and Italian seasoning, or a Thomas Healthy Grain English Muffin with egg, cheese, and a half serving of ketchup.

I eat a salad daily that consists of baby spinach, kale, or mesclun mix, cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, raw baby carrots, fat free or light dressing, and protein. The protein may be tuna, salmon, free range chicken eggs (from chickens we hand raised!), or beans. Depending on my workout and how many calories I have burned, I may also get to have cheese!

 

This is Star, one of our Australorps.

I eat lean ground turkey instead of ground beef. When I cook pork chops, I do so in a frying pan sprayed with zero calorie non stick spray, and season the chops only with lemon pepper seasoning. No breading, nothing fancy. They are delish!

If something I am going to eat has a certain number of that item for a portion size, I count out exactly that many. One of my favorite snacks is Triscuit crackers (6 crackers is one serving) and two slices of cheese from Kraft combo packs. Each slice, in thirds, perfectly compliments 3 crackers!

Supplements: I take a fish oil capsule, multi-vitamin, magnesium, and potassium daily. These are also logged into My Fitness Pal.



So, there you have it! Watching my portion sizes, drinking water, and holding myself accountable are the magic ingredients in the "weight loss spell" I have conjured up for myself! Tomorrow I will share with you what I have been doing for exercise, so stay tuned!!