DAY FIFTY NINE- Healthy Eating Journal

Long Day! Just got home and unpacked 1/2 an hour ago. Long trip. Started the day with the manly breakfast (and my stomach survived.... barely). Went to church and saw many wonderful friends and neighbors that I haven't seen for a while. They are all so kind. The talks were good and certainly caused me to reflect in my own life. Even people who don't believe in God could benefit from attending a church just for the sole purpose of retroflection (yes, I made up the word). When we get to the point that we know it all or don't need anyone's help, we start boxing ourself in with walls that restrict both our minds and hearts.

Okay, so after church I warmed up the elk steak- veggie stir-fry from last night and we still had green salad with shrimp left as well. Had the stir-fry on rice and baked one of Greg's favorite desserts-- upside down pineapple cake (240 per serving). It was 2:00 before we ate so we didn't eat dinner... just lunch and cake so plenty of calories anyway! Greg did make his Sunday cookies so we could do our "cookie walk" and it was a nice day for a walk. After the cake we needed to walk! Cookie walks are something we started a couple summers ago and really enjoy doing as a couple. We just randomly walk around (or sometimes drive around) and hand out ziplocs of cookies to our neighbors and sometimes we have someone specific in mind. It's great to visit others and it's fun to walk hand-in-hand. That never gets old.

Well it's late and tomorrow's MOnday... ugh. Good thing I have coach Jackie (a.k.a sunshine girl) for tomorrow. I'll need it!

DAY FIFTY EIGHT- Healthy Changes Journal

I have some habits in life-- some things I like to do even more than eating. They are 1) being with my family 2) teaching and coaching 3) shopping at second-hand stores, auctions, and yard sales. It's too cold for yard-sales, but the second-hand stores and clearance racks are out there. Now is the time to buy coats and sweaters for next year, by the way.

So today I made my husband a yogurt parfait: Low-fat vanilla yogurt, granola, blueberries (repeat 2 more times). And we had a slice of whole wheat toast to go with it. He was a good sport and I promised him I'd cook him his manly breakfast tomorrow before church. We both like books, so we headed to a second-hand store and shopped for books. I like the really old ones. They give me a different perspective on life and the world. I also picked up some cute wall hangings for $1.00 for my rental. My husband was very patient with my shopping today. I promised myself I'd by myself some clothes for each 10lbs. I lost. I am not too proud to wear the second-hand clothes, but my husband said, no, let's go to a store. How sweet was that! It's always easier to buy for others, so I have a harder time buying for myself.

I went to a store I like and went straight to the clearance racks. I found a few great shirts for 2 and 5 dollars. I even got a pair of capris for $1.49 and black dress jeans for $5.99. I felt a little guilty, but it was nice to try them on and see what a difference just 12lbs. can make. It really made me want to keep it up. Then he took me to Applebees so I could have my spinach and shrimp salad. He really spoiled me today. Okay, I'm just not a diamonds and high fashion girl ladies, so if that's your thing... good luck with that and go for it. Back to Applebees. I just have to say that I had never noticed how much dressing they put on that salad before. Order it on the side. We both had soup and salad and I was SO proud of the husband for making that choice on his own. He even said he was full and it was good. We did our last shopping stop (shopping burns calories I might add)at the grocery store and we talked about our food choices and looked at the calories, etc. He's having his bacon for breakfast tomorrow, for example, but he really was good about a lot of the food choices. If it sounds like I obsessed about the food today... maybe if we have weight issues... we think about food too much. Just a thought. :)

Played some cards when we got home and watched some Olympics. It's great to have your best friend as your spouse. We fixed dinner together and I had to compromise. He likes elk meat. He said it was lean and tender. I had him cut it up into strips and I cooked it in olive oil and used the GrillMates Montreal Steak seasoning on it w/some garlic powder (lower sodium than garlic salt). Then I added the fresh sliced zucchini. I microwaved fresh asparagus spears in a tblsp. of water for 7 min. to tenderize and sauteed the mushrooms on the side. After the zucchini cooked a little while (stirring every 60 sec. or so), I dumped in part of the bag of broccoli, pea pods, slaw and carrot shreds you can get prepackaged at Albertsons. I cooked this down a little then dumped in the asparagus and mushrooms. We didn't even have rice because we also had a green salad w/tomatoes, carrots, apples, and shrimp. For dressing I like to use the Zesty Italian and mix in a tblsp. or raspberry or strawberry jam in a separate bowl. Then sprinkle in the plain sesame seeds and it's a great taste. We have plenty for tomorrow too.

My students are always talking about "just hanging out" with their friends. Today, I realized that sometimes the best days even for us "older" people are the days we "just hang out" with our friends. It's nice not to have every day and evey hour planned. I'm so bad about doing just that.

Have to share a homophone funny (homophones are the words that sound alike, but are spelled differently). My husband was reviewing an application for a missionary about to go out and it asked for his ancestoral heritage. The boy put they came from "Whales" instead of "Wales". Okay, maybe it's only funny to teachers, but we thought it was funny.

DAY FIFTY SEVEN- Diet Journal

Headed to the other side of the state after school today. Felt like I went from the banana belt to Alaska within a few hours! Of course it's nothing compared to other parts of the country that are getting hit hard so I really can't complain. It's nice to see my sweetie and to see old faces and friends. Went to a benefit dinner tonight for a friend who now has two prosthetic legs after a near fatal battle with diabetes and he actually looks better than I've seen him look in many years. In addition to sporting two new lower legs, he has really slimmed down and looks years younger. The community came out in overwhelming numbers to the potato feed/silent auction in his support. They had a local band there singing songs from back in my day and it was just really a great atmosphere. And of course it's always wonderful to welcome old friends back into your life and catch up on what you've missed.

The drive down wasn't too bad except for the wind. It was outrageous today. I rode with my son and his wife and you could almost watch the gas gauge drop. Jason had to stop at Jack-in-the-Box before we headed out, but I had already eaten my tuna sandwich, fresh fruit, and baked chips, so I passed on the food. I did ask him to ask how many calories are in their regular (10oz.) smoothie. The guy on the other end of the speaker said he didn't know. I passed, having visions of 5 or 600 calories dancing in my head. I was a little disgruntled that he didn't know, but when we got to the window a young lady informed us that they did have a calorie counter and that the regular sized smoothies were 300 calories. That's not too bad and it's nice that they have that. I still didn't have one.

I ate a baked potato w/chili on it at the fundraiser dinner. I could only eat half though and I had a brownie for dessert (that's what they had). I knew that meant a few extra crunches at bed time, but I was good with that. I even got the husband to do the bed time crunches, cycles, and flutters with me. He didn't quite make it to 50on the crunches, but he was a good sport about it. He reffed a few games yesterday, so he's probably got me beat on the exercise anyway. He also passed on buying a pan of the leftover brownies that were being sold and that too is progress because we both love brownies.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the weekend and touching bases with more friends. I am not looking forward to taking down the Christmas lights that are still up outside! I love him despite his male tendancies! I've decided being in love accelerates the calorie loss process and that's why I eat more when we're together and still manage to either maintain or lose weight. It only took me 30 years to figure it out. :D

DAY FIFTY SIX- Diet Journal

Woke up dreading the gym. I like to do my 20 minute shoot-around workout on the days I weigh in. That way I am motivated to do my workout and not skip. Mind move on myself. Plus, I know the coach who weighs me in is always there Thursday morning with the weightlifting. I dreaded getting on the scale because of the whole buffet eating binge last weekend and not a ton of exercising last week. The last time I weighed in I was 157. Today.... 155 (154.9). I just kept looking at it thinking "How is this possible? I should have gained weight." Then the slow realization.... I CAN eat like normal people (including eating out) as long as I pick the right foods, don't get carried away with portion, and exercise at least 3X a week. I also have to swear by the crunches--I never skip them.

I'm not any type of expert on dieting or eating; I have been learning as I go here, but common sense is FREE. Like use the small salad plates at a buffet instead of full size plates they offer and limit yourself to two (without PILING) the food. I have also enjoyed trying all these new foods and recipes. I didn't get to try the baked apple yet and I need to go get some of this butter spray they're talking about, but I can say that you can take a recipe and reduce the calories EASILY after you've started learning the calories and health benefits of certain foods. Like jarred Alfredo Sauce v. Packet Alfredo Sauce made with skim milk (my chicken/spinach lasagna).

I also noticed that I COULD have brown sugar on my oatmeal this morning but if you're going to do that, just eat the apple-cinnamon at 120 calories to start with. Plus, I don't add the milk to my instant oatmeal-- I add berries. I added raspberries this morning and on milk. For lunch I took the "eat 1/2 the soup" approach and it was plenty. I had salad instead of steamed veggies and ate my 12 almonds instead of a smoothie only because I don't have a blender at work. I really want a smoothie though, so I might take my daughter's one cup blender to work with me tomorrow. I traded my 1/2 baked potato for a sweet potato tonight. I did eat my 1/2 candy bar too. Since I still lost my two pounds... and the menu said I could... why not! Yum!

This web site I'm using right now is fairly smart about calories, but I think some of the choices could be healthier. For example, there's a lot of benefit to both almonds and celery. Both are great for your heart. I will post a whole thing on almonds later (Kali) but I've also found the research that talks about the health benefits of almonds for diabetics too. Bananas have a multitude of benefits, and dark honey, dark lettuce, and whole wheat everything. If you're going to have bread.. why not healthy bread? If you're going to eat lettuce... why not healthy lettuce? If you want popcorn... why not try weighwatchers Jolly Time mini-pouches kettlecorn (100 calories for the whole pouch)? Instead of cooking everything with oil.. what about Pam spray? So many easy calorie or healthy choice fixes. I would have to say that I crave fresh fruit and veggies every day now. I would rather eat that then a candybar. Now I still have my weaknesses and enjoy eating other things once in a while, but habits only happen when we KEEP DOING THINGS. Don't stop! If I can lose 12 pounds with minimal, low-impact exercising and better eating habits over a two month period, anyone can do it. It doesn't have to be WOW! she lost 50 pounds! It's more about taking it slow and changing our actual eating and activity habits. The weight loss is just a side perk. When I hit the magic 20 mark.... PARTY! That means... shopping! :) Did I mention my 30 year renunion is in July. Perk, perk, perk.

10 Free Low -Cal Menus

http://www.dietbites.com/01planner.html

DAY FIFTY FIVE- Diet Journal

I woke up with two little monkeys in my bed. That's actually pretty good considering I started the night with four! By the way, the Wiggles Workout was a big hit with the grandkids last night. The bad news.... "Do it again Grandma!" That was after six different ones! It was definitely a workout and it was really a lot of fun doing it with my grandkids. I recommend it for all grandmas and/or babysitters. It also wore them down for bed! :D

Had the whole wheat French toast this morning and cranberry juice. Had a tuna sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce and baked chips for lunch. I also had my celery. Almonds for my afternoon snack. Leftover chicken/spinach lasagna for dinner. And.... a new favorite night snack-- Jolly Time weightwatchers popcorn (minipouch). It's even Kettlecorn and has a great flavor without all the butter (and I'm a butter lover). It makes a good size bowl despite the "minipouch" and it's only 100 calories. That was my dessert. Doing the Tai Chi for exercise tonight. That and Yoga are my favorite. Call me sick, but I always have to throw in my jumping jacks and crunches and squats no matter what I'm doing, or I feel like I'm slacking. I blame that on my high school track coach... Mr. Fast (no really and his wife-- Mrs. Fast-- was the asst. I'm not kidding. That's their name). There was a reason we always won district and medaled at state. Lots of hills and old-fashioned "burpies" back then. Not seeing myself doing those though. :D

I'm weighing myself tomorrow and I did SO MUCH eating out last week... please just hold at 157.... If I see the 160 anything number on the scale-- you may see me break down and buy a pint of Moosetracks. I will also be expecting sympathy emails or comments (from all 2 faithful followers). I'm swearing off all food buffets this week, but it may be too late. :D :0

http://www.louisvilleky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/713F338E-F6FF-4270-BC10-B9DF0CC024D2/0/WeekofHealthyMenus.pdf

GREAT WEB SITE: To keep fat in check, try to choose foods having less than 1/3 of the calories from fat (listed to the right of calories on the label). Oils and soft margarines may be used in moderation. Saturated fat should make up no more than 1/3 of your total fat grams daily. The less, the better. Limit trans fat to no more than 2 grams per day. Try to choose foods that have enough dietary fiber to get at least 25 grams of fiber daily for regularity, colon health, lower cholesterol levels, and to feel full longer. Note that sodium should be about 2400 mg. per day, which is about 800 mg. per meal. Pay special attention to this if you have a condition that requires you to limit sodium.

DAY FIFTY FOUR- Diet Journal

Some days are just normal, good days. Nothing wrong with that. There are those bad days and those awesome days, but the normal days... I like them too. No drama, nothing over the top... just life. I like my students. Even the ones who talk too much. You look at them and you see a future parent with kids and a job and the world at their hands. Nothing spectacular, just normal, wonderful life.

I cooked my egg and put it on my toast this morning as I headed out the door. I threw a whole chicken in the crockpot with some seasoning before I left though. I had my salad for lunch and some pears and celery on the side. For dinner I made the chicken spinach lasagna. I cooked 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles and they take a little longer than the white noodles. While they were cooking I mixed up the McKormick Aflredo sauce packet. Remember, this way saves you about 400 calories from buying the pre-made sauce in the jar. The change I made was that I added 2 cups of skim milk instead of one like it calls for. It's still thick enough, but not too thick after cooking it according to the packet directions. Then, I sprayed the glass cake pan (normal sized) and laid down 3 noodles. Next, I spread a thin layer of low-fat cottage cheese. I went really skimpy on the alfredo sauce as I spread it next. You just need enough with the cottage cheese to add flavor. Then I spread on a layer of fresh spinach leaves followed by chicken (pulled apart out of the crockpot) and low-fat mozzarella.I repeated this two more times then cooked it on 350 for 30 minutes. It's definitely one of my new favorite dinners. It was really good and really easy. You need to let it cool some before cutting into it like any lasagna. My daughter and I both agreed that sliced fresh zucchini would be another good layer. Other than seasoning the chicken when I put it in the crockpot, I didn't add any other seasoning and it didn't need it.

After the boys game I stopped and picked up three of the grandkids to spend the night. They're each hanging on my arm as I type this. One wants me to change it (the computer) to a picture of Bumblebee (transformer) and another one wants me come do a puzzle. The one who was already here (Rello) is running in elated circles as #4 chases him. Oh no.. .they'll go right to bed. That's what their dad said as he smiled and loaded them in my car two hours ago..... very funny. :) Well I'm going to wear them down with the Wiggles workout. They're going to do it with me for my exercise tonight. I'll let you know how it goes... tomorrow.

CHICKEN SPINACH LASAGNA

(320 Calories per serving) I'm going to the crockpot again to get this started. You can grill your chicken instead if you'd like. I just throw it in the crockpot and cover it with water and garlic (not garlic salt) and let it slow cook all day while I'm gone. You can do this with skinless chicken breasts or with a whole fryer (innards removed of course).

2-3 cups of cooked chicken
Creamy Garlic Alfredo Sauce Packet (McKormick)
2 cups of Skim Milk for the Sauce (see packet for instructions- I added a cup)
Lasagna Noodles (whole wheat)- Boiled 10-15 minutes in water
Large container of Low-Fat cottage cheese
1 package of shredded no-fat Mozzarella cheese
fresh spinach

After cooking and draining the lasagna noodles, spray the cake pan with 0 calorie Pam spray. Layer 1/3 of the noodles on the bottom of the pan followed by 1/3 of the cottage cheese, layer of spinach and chicken, layer of alfredo sauce, cheese. Repeat this two more times ending with the cheese. Bake at 350 degreese for 35-40 minutes.

** Pre-made Alfredo sauces in jars have 700-800 calories compared to 350-400 calories to make the sauce yourself with a packet and skim or low-fat milk.

GRILLED BROWN SUGAR TILAPIA

Grilled Brown Sugar Tilapia (270 calories)-- Makes 4 servings-- Ingredients:1 lb. tilapia fillets 1 tsp. lemon pepper+1 tsp. garlic powder + 1 dash salt + 1/4 cup soy sauce + 1/4 cup brown sugar + 1/3 cup water + 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Directions: 1) Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt. 2) In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 3) Preheat grill for medium heat. 4)Lightly oil grill. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side.

DAY FIFTY THREE- Dieting Journal

Can't seem to get the frog out of my throat. Had 1/2 cup of yogurt for breakfast because the throat was too sore for anything else. For lunch I had the pasta (chicken noodle soup from the cafeteria- 165 cal.), and one of the ladies made a fruit and veggie tray for a birthday. She sliced the pears up like apple slices and they were green so I thought they were green apples until I bit into one. Very good that way. She also had raw asparagus spears on the fresh veggie tray. Now I realize everyone else has probably already done both of these, but they were a first for me and I really liked both of them. I also had some celery and 1/2 of a whole wheat cinnamon roll. For my daytime snack I had almonds.

My daughter cooked dinner since she was in charge of me today and she stir-fried fresh veggies (zucchini, peppers, broccoli, carrots, and pea pods) and added steak that she had fried and diced up earlier (total calories based on 1 cup= 230 calories). She made the minute rice brown rice (150 calories per 1/2 cup) to go with it and it was really good. We had the left-over homemade peach cake from yesterday (144 calories) for dessert. When I got hungry about 7:00 I had some grapes (35 calories for 10) and a small banana (80).

I need to skip dessert at night. It's not a good thing. I know I'll be hungry for a snack if I eat early dinner (which I do) so I need to cut the dessert or limit it to fresh fruit or something less than 100 calories. 720 Calories for the dinner and snack at nights when added with lunch is pushing the 1200 mark I want to stay at. We don't need dessert with every meal. That's why it's good to keep snacks like celery, raw almonds, and fresh fruit around. Tomorrow night I'm going to cook the chicken spinach lasagna but no dessert with it. If you don't like lasagna with chicken, you can try Korrine's fish recipe instead.

I found two web sites that are great for checking your suggested weight. http://www.weightwatchers.com/health/asm/calc_healthyweight.aspx
http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm

It's Monday.... need I say more. Did Yoga tonight... and now I'm going to watch some HGTV to put me to sleep.

DAY FIFTY TWO- Diet Journal

Fell asleep at 9:30 last night and didn't wake up till 8:30 this morning. I can't remember the last time I slept that long, but obviously I needed it. And obviously I slept through anything because I woke up to a sore throat and and a yard that had been t-peed. Alright Kali... I know it was you. If not you... my freshmen girls team. I will just say it was a rookie job (it cleaned up in less than 5 minutes) and your mom's gonna be mad when she finds out you used the good stuff. :) I feel fully welcomed into the community now. You are not loved until you are t-peed. :)

Well I tried the homemade peach cake recipe and I made a few adjustments if you look for the recipe in my blog dated February 20, 2010. First of all, it's pretty good for doing it from scratch and not a cake mix. I like the cinnamon and ginger, etc. taste, so I really liked it. The only thing I'd say is that you have to chop those peaches up and I think the canned peaches would be softer. You could also use pineapple or blueberries instead. The biggest change though was that I added light cool-whip instead of powdered sugar on top because it's only 20 calories per tbsp. Just go easy and it's fine. If you like a spice cake, you'll like this cake. My husband said he'd rather eat his healthy carrot cookies though. They are good. I'll post his recipe. We don't do any frosting on them (they're plenty sweet without it) and they're about 70 calories per cookie. He always makes cookies for my basketball team so I'll have them test them next time he's here and share the results.

My throat was still sore this morning so had warm hot chocolate and tried a piece of toast but it hurt. So that was it. Went to church and croaked through the songs (poor people next to me)! When you think of angels singing you would definitely NOT think of me (even with a good throat). Instead you might think of Gene Simmons without backup vocals.

After church it was nice to come home to a sunshine day so we could open all the blinds and let all the light in. Sunshine is healthy (unless you tan too much of course which I am living proof of-- dermatologist every 6-12 months for mole removals). It was also nice to have dinner ready with little effort. I love the crock pot. The roast and potatoes and carrots were just right. After that I baked the peach cake from scratch and my son-in-law got my husband's carrot cookie recipe and made those. It was a contest (yes our family is competitive) and I would say it was pretty even. My daughter liked the carrot cookies better but that's because she's a daddy's girl. Okay, she just liked them better, but she's pregnant so she ate both... need I say more. :) The cake was 144 calories per helping, the cookies (I had 2) were 70 each so I had a piece of cake (with peaches) and 2 cookies (with carrots) for almost the same calories as a candy bar. That's pretty good and a lot healthier.

I was dismayed to discover (after eating it) that a large serving of roast beef (8oz) is 368 calories. They consider that 2 thin slices or 8 oz. Potatoes were 70 calories (1/2 cup mashed up) and the carrots were 27 calories per 1/2 cup. The dinner was about 500 calories then add the dessert since I ate both and my Sunday afternoon total was 760. Normally that's way too much (for me) but I don't eat much in the evening on Sunday so I can still hit my 1200 calorie mark. Everything I've read said most people need 2000 calories per day, but I think we'd be fine with 1200-1500 at our age. If you're an athlete or just physically active, you need more calories. I'm not active enough to need that many calories right now. I'm having some warmed up potatoes with carrots mashed up and a little butter for dinner (no roast after reading the calorie count!!). And my snack is a cup of V8 juice (50 calories). My total for the day= 1160. That's pretty awesome considering I had two desserts, roast beef, and veggies (twice). The only thing lacking in my diet today as I review it is the green. You have to "go green" every day. I could have added green beans to the crockpot roast-- next time.

For exercise I'm thinking something that involves toilet paper, night time, and running if lights go on. Calm down dear... I'm not going to do it... this time. I'll act my age.

HOMEMADE PEACH CAKE- 144 Calories per serving

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour • 1 tsp baking soda • 1 tsp ground cinnamon • 1/2 tsp ground ginger• 1/2 tsp ground cloves • 2/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt • 1/3 cup honey • 1/4 cup canola vegetable oil • 1 egg, beaten • 1 cup fresh (or frozen/thawed)peaches, peeled and chopped • 1 tblsp all-purpose flour • cooking oil spray • 2 tsp powdered sugar . DIRECTIONS: Peel and chop peaches. Combine flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a large mixing bowl and stir well. Combine yogurt, honey, oil and egg in a small bowl and stir until blended. Add yogurt mixture to dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Combine peaches and one tablespoon flour, gently coating peaches with flour. Fold peaches into batter and spoon batter into an 8 square pan that is coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool slightly in pan then remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Lite Cool-whip for topping. Yields 12 servings. Per Serving: 144 Calories, 5g Fat (31.4% calories from fat), 3g Protein, 22g Carbohydrate, 1g Dietary Fiber, 16mg Cholesterol, 120mg Sodium

I doubled the recipe (except the ground cloves-- they were strong)and put it in a regular cake pan. Pineapple or blueberries mixed with the peaches would be good too.

DAY FIFTY ONE- February 20, 2010

If I didn't gain weight these last three days, it will be nothing short of a miracle. When you're up early, gone all day, and home late you tend to eat out way too much. Three days in a row of basketball games and everyone is exhausted and our voices are gone. Today at the pavillion I decided to get some exercise in by walking the levels of steps at half time of each game and in between games. I worked off part of the team brunch they fed us. The huckleberry syrup was just too good to pass up with the real huckleberries in it. I had also forgotten how good grapefruit juice is. Then I had the cinnamon glazed almonds between afternoon games. I did pass on all the free chocolate milk though. Each of those little bitty PLASTIC bottles is 160calories. The husband drank 6 just because they were free and he loves chocolate milk. It's a good thing he refs. He doesn't sit around much either (except to watch state tournament games). I did notice that he didn't order fries with anything this weekend, so I think he might actually be thinking about some of his food choices too. A few more weeks and we can start riding our bikes and the weather will make all of us get outside more and think about eating less. Hooray!

So about the plastic bottles.... why didn't they stick to cartons? Do they realize what they're adding to the landfills? And all because we think the plastic "looks" better. It's not like you save your milk container anyway. I'm writing to the united dairymen and sharing my thoughts on their switch to plastic. Nicely of course.

So despite the probable weight gain over the weekend, there were a lot of positives. Hurdles were cleared and character was strengthened as trials made all of us stronger and appreciative of the blessings we receive through unity, patience, and belief. Speaking of belief, I believe I will have to work a lot harder than I have since I started this if I want to keep the weight off. The blessings of doing that are inward and outward. I suppose that's true of most blessings the more I think about it.

I don't think the stairs worked off near enough of the calories from today, so I'm going to do the Jillian workout and head to bed. I think I'm going to put this as a rule to anyone on a healthy change or healty diet quest: NO BUFFET EATING. So that was the lesson of the week right there. If you must indulge, only do it every so often and use the small salad plate. Don't drink anything but water with your meals when eating out and make sure you plan to exercise that day. Spoken like a true guilty woman!

I love Sundays. A day of rest. Since the husband coached me today (and that didn't go so well) I am going to take control of myself and coach myself tomorrow like I normally do. It's a learning process to apply what you've learned from your other coaches along with what you learn about your eating habits and weaknesses as you try to be in charge of yourself one day a week. It's actually harder than having someone else coach you because you have no excuse for your food choices. Plus, if you do a food journal (it's never too late to start) like I'm doing here (only you don't have to blog it), you are more aware of patterns in your eating and your eating excuses.

No excuses. Get er done. (Did I say that right?)

DAY FIFTY- January 19, 2010

Day fifty... I dread that word "fifty". It makes me nervous to know it's around the corner. It seems like I was just in high school. I have the same boyfriend. His jokes are the same. He drives a little better than he used to and he can cook now, but most of the time, it seems like it hasn't been that long since we were 17. Maybe love keeps you young. 30 year reunion this summer. Are you kidding me!?

Okay enough about age. Let's talk lemonade. Yesterday we had lemons and today we made lemonade. What do you add to the lemons to make lemonade? Sugar. If you want to make a bad situation "sweet" you have to pour on the positive and look for the good. That was accomplished today. A lot of positive can drown out the negative and it becomes contagious. Just as negativity can breed negativity, being positive can encourage others to do the same. So.... we had lemonade today and it was "sweet" in a "now" kind of way/lingo.

The recipe for tomorrow's success calls for teamwork. Selfless, trusting, hard working, positive, teamwork. This applies to life and families too. Speaking of families... we are going to be having another grandson... that makes four. Four boys and three girls. To make a 5-on-5 team, we need three more players (if any of my children are reading this, please note that we need three more :).

Today was sweet in many other ways too. 1) I got to have ice cream (it was on my menu) and it was so good. I just had a baby cone between games because I felt guilty after my KFC weak moment last night, but it was good, so thank you Shannon. 2) I had a banana for breakfast (naturally sweet) and for lunch 3) my "sweet"heart took me to a Chinese food place that had a buffet to die for. Now a buffet is the ultimate test for anyone on a diet. The trick-- get the small salad plates-- not the larger ones. That way if you have two plates of food (which most people do) then you aren't eating nearly as much. If you're eating more than two plates-- avoid buffets while dieting until you can learn to control yourself. So, I had two small plates. The first plate had yummy steamed zucchini, broccoli, and mushrooms. I even had bean sprouts (Raundee would be proud). I had grilled chicken,and my one no-no.... a cream cheese won-ton. My second plate was fresh fruit: pears, apples, fresh pineapple. 4) One last "sweet" thing about today... I got to see Jac (you should recognize her name) and two other former players. I love those girls.

For dinner, I had a hotdog at the game. Nothing else. When you're at games all day and you have a husband who wants to eat out... it's hard to stay on a strict menu, but I did make healthiER choices than I would have at this time of the year in the past. Tomorrow is the last day of State games and my husband will want to eat out one more time, so I will do my own menu tomorrow and have a coach on Sunday when I usually coach myself. I'm thinking Applebees since they have all those meals under 500 calories. By the way... Apleebees lemonade... 250 calories so if you order the low-cal meal and get a lemonade (or soda) with it.... pointless. Get water.

DAY FORTY NINE- February 18, 2010

I am not a bird. Sorry, had to say it. I just have to eat more food than that. Vicki (my mother-in-law) I do not have your will power... no desire... when it comes to food. That is why you are lucky if you break the scale at 100 and I am trying to lose some weight. I didn't do so well today.

Had scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. Had 1/2 a turkey and avacado sandwich on whole wheat and a banana for lunch. Ate a bowl of chili between games and drank water (not the free chocolate milk). Was doing pretty well until the stress hit. Then, I found myself ordering cole slaw and an extra crispy chicken leg at KFC. As usual, I did not plan well. I've got to pack a dinner tomorrow and I told my husband that he is not to allow me to eat that fried food. Okay... so that's weak. I need to police myself. And I have been doing decent at it. Let the stress get to me tonight. I did not order the rootbeer float at least.

Finding the beauty in a storm. Finding the light at the end of the tunnel. Finding the flowers after rain. Well.... we have to look for them to find them. We can choose to simply dwell on the storm, stay in the dark, or not stick aroung long enough to see the flowers. I'm going to try to make lemonade out of lemons tomorrow. Wish me luck.

DAY FORTY EIGHT- February 17, 2010

So have you been making any healthy changes? Have you given up? If you take two steps back, that doesn't mean you just go back to the couch and your remote and your big gulp. It means you suck it up and work harder. I weighed myself yesterday and I didn't lose any weight this week. I didn't gain, but it's the first week I didn't lose any. I'm still at 157 (10 lbs. lost so far), and I'm a little surprised because painting six hours was a major workout and I drank a lot of water. One of the teachers told me that I may have lost a pound or two and retained some water since I drank so much. I think she was just trying to make me feel better. At any rate, I'm still 10lbs lighter than when I started and I'm doing a lot of positive things, so no worries.

I am sure the Valentine's chocolates I have a little piece of here and there had something to do with it too. The good thing is, I ate it and DIDN'T gain weight. Why? Because I didn't go overboard and I exercised last week. Not a ton, but enough to fit my lifestyle and to maintain my weight. Imagine if I increase my physical activity, like start dancing or biking just once a week. I'm just keeping it real. So, if you are thinking about quitting.... ask yourself why? There's probably an emotional reason behind it. I promise. Get someone to do this with. A buddy or sister, or co-worker. I'm not sure I'd still be as dedicated if I wasn't accountable to someone else.

So I tried fake eggs today. Not a fan. You'd have to put some spinach and cheese or something with them to get me to eat them again. I did try them though. And if I was in a dessert and starving... sure... I'd eat them. If not.. why would I eat them. I suppose I could try baking with them and see if it changes the taste. I just don't think there's enough difference in calories to do it. Had some peaches today. It was a nice change of fruit. Had a tuna sandwich on whole wheat and baked chips. For supper I had a taco w/low fat motz. cheese. I don't fry the shell, I just zap it in the microwave. I'm sure Kali will have lots to say about me eating a tortilla shell, but I worked it off hanging stuff on the walls and shopping. I promise. I also had a slice of that homemade whole wheat bread. Yum! Another substitute I can't handle-- fake butter. Sorry, can't do it. It's like eating grease on your bread. I had celery as my snack today and one dark chocolate square. Yes, that's why I didn't lose this past week, but the bag is almost gone and it was Valentine's.

Best treat of the day though... my husband is home. And tomorrow, we're off to State basketball. I have 12 pairs of socks and the Wooden sock talk printed and ready to go. I need to see if I can find out how many calories a person burns , watching a game, coaching, etc. I'll look that up tomorrow. Good luck to all the young ladies competing tomorrow.

DAY FORTY SEVEN- February 17, 2010

Have you ever read a book that was so good, you just couldn't put it down until you read the whole thing even if it meant staying up till 3am when you have work the next day??? I wish that was why I didn't get to sleep until 3am.... I am one of those people who pushes until the job's done. I like to see it finished. I like it done right. That drive made me a good athlete, but now, sometimes it's my worst enemy. My children have been known to call me a slavedriver (lovingly of course). So yesterday I thought I could knock out the accent wall, painting it in the living room, not actually knocking it out, then the accompanying living room walls,and the joining dining room walls. Well... if I set a goal, I knock myself out. Sometimes that's good. Sometimes that's bad. Sometimes, I just pay for it. So... Good news.... walls all got painted. Bad news... went to bed at 3am and got up at 7am (slept in a little) to go to work. Yikes!

I ate my oatmeal and berries for breakfast (no milk). For lunch I obviously had to seek out the cafeteria since in my state of sleep deprivation I did not plan ahead. I had the baked chips (140) and ham and cheese sandwich on whole wheat with a banana for dessert. One good thing about being tired.... not too hungry today. I came home after school wanting to go directly to bed. I thought about he croissants a neighbor brought us yesterday, but leaving croissants home alone with a pregnant lady... yep... not gonna last.... and rightfully so. Just as I was pondering what to eat for dinner before I slipped off to an early bed time (like 6pm bed time), the doorbell rang and another neighbor came bringing homemade bread and it was whole wheat. I had a slice along with a few bites of tunafish (not on the bread, just by itself) and it was all I needed. Homemade whole wheat bread is so filling. And I can't believe how great the people in this little town are. They are so welcoming. I feel very fortunate to live here. I love it it here. After the bread and tuna I made myself sit up for 30 minutes (to allow some digestion), then I had to lay down. I sat my alarm to wake up for American Idol and now the show's almost over and I'm going back to sleep.

The backs of my thighs and legs are so unbelievably sore today from all the squatting while painting for six hours straight yesterday that I am doing my bed crunches and bicycles right now as I go to bed, but that's it. I NEED SLEEP. I did not make a healthy choice yesterday. There was not sanity or balance in that decision. My bad. Tomorrow I'll make better choices. Of course, sometimes there's nowhere to go but up. :)

DAY FORTY SIX- February 15, 2010

If you didn't read yesterday's blog-- please read it. I came to some great realizations in my journey to "how/why" I eat what I do and I think it'll help anyone else trying to focus on their eating habits.

Today I woke up and followed my menu-- egg omelet w/spinach and a piece of toast. I had some hot chocolate that was warm--not hot (remember... nothing over 70 degrees-- it's bad for you). So the chocolate I threw in. :) Then I started getting everything taped for painting. We also had to pull down wallpaper borders... UGH! It took longer than taping and painting together. Luckily I watch HGTV and saw where you can fill a spray bottle with warm water to squirt it if it's old and won't come off. Went much faster after that, but still a lot of work. I got my red accent wall done. A painter shared a trick with me on getting the straight lines agains the white ceiling and floorboard trim-- caulking instead of paint. It comes out in a straight line right out of the tip. Works great.

Took a break between coats of paint on the accent wall and had lunch. Had my turkey sandwich on 9 grain bread and had the baked chips with it as directed. Water for drink. After I finished the wall and the rest of the prep work in the the two bedrooms, I had to run to a doctor's appointment. In the waiting room these two gentlemen in their 50's were conversing. They were very open for strangers. One said he was waiting for his wife. He had been a deputy sheriff and had been injured. It took him three years to get disability and his wife had basically been supporting them through it. He was overweight and I wondered if his health had contributed to the accident or was a result of it. Either way, I wanted to help him be healthier. The man next to him was in a business suit and was slimmer. He said his wife had divorced him after 31 years of marriage and that now he'd probaby have to work the rest of his life. The ex-DS told him he should be grateful he had the health to work. I wondered what else the businessman would do with his life if he wasn't working. I also wondered if he liked his job. It's so important to do something you love. What is life... a journey toward retirement? I don't think so. Our "work" is part of the journey and our way to leave something to this world. That's why it needs to fit us and be more than just a job. They both commented how they'd like to win the lottery and all their problems would be solved. That's the kind of society we live in ---- instant fix. Instant everything.

So after that I made a stop at bball practice then headed home to dinner. My daughter made a green salad and some other neighbors had dropped of some homemade "welcome" croissants. I love this place! People are so friendly and welcoming. I didn't even look up the calories... I just got out my tunafish and stuffed it in the croissant to go with my salad. I also had a piece of chocolate for dessert because I definitely worked it off today with all the painting and being on my feet from morning to dark. I also counted the painting as my natural exercise for the day but I always do my crunches when I lay down. I can easily do 50 each night now. I can still feel the "extra" on my hips and stomach, but I can also tell I have muscles now and so much more energy and strength than I used to have. And I really just haven't gone overboard on the exercise.

I have enjoyed sleeping in till 8am these past few days, but I know I'm going to pay for it tomorrow. Most pleasure comes at a price. Is that a saying already? I'm adding it to my quote book. Well, I have a living room to finish to bring us out of the 70's and into the now. It's amazing what a little bit of paint can do.

DAY FORTY FIVE- February 14, 2010

Chicken anyone? Okay it's Valentine's Day-- not chicken day, but I couldn't figure out how to get the heart picture in here and I've been eating A LOT of chicken since I began this healthy eating thing. I like to use this picture to remind us that our "perspective" shapes the way we view things and our "perspective" is shaped by where we were raised, how we were raised, what we believe, and what's going on in our life. I use this when I teach teachers to remind them that the students may have a different "perspective" on things than we do!

So what does that have to do with eating? Besides chicken. How do we determine what's healthy? Do we read about it and let others tell us how to eat? What is our favorite breakfast? When do we eat? Do we eat gravy on our bread, toast, potatoes, all of the above? How we eat, when we eat, what we eat is all part of our life story. I remember Christmas time when I was in first grade. We weren't rich people (but I didn't know that then). I remember being excited for our stocking full of hard candy, peanuts (in the shell), and an orange. I hoped for a Santa gift as well, but never really expected more than one at that age. Now what's my "perspective" on these particular foods? I love oranges. I like to suck the salt off of the peanut shells. I can't eat the old-fashioned hard candy without remembering Christmas at Grandma's. Then there are the "bad" food memories.... Opening the fridge and seeing the entire calf tongue (pickled) staring at me through the clear glass casserole lid. Grandma didn't believe in wasting any part of the animal. We even made butter and yes, head cheese. And when I sat out in the barn waiting for the high tech "surge cups" to suck the milk out of the cows so I could dump it nice and steamy into the strainer and milk can, I would sneak a drink in my orange pineapple cup that I stashed in the barn. I loved warm milk! I still love milk and sometimes, if my stomach is upset, I warm up my milk. Now I know some people gag at the thought, but it's part of who I am.

I think we all have food likes and dislikes that are embedded in memories. Grandpa always cooked me breakfast before we milked. He didn't pour me a bowl of cereal-- he cooked breakfast. I remember when Grandma got her new double sink. She had a high step stool that she'd sit on as she snapped the green beans and shelled the peas. I love green beans and peas. I also remember when we finally got indoor plumbing (we had an outhouse) and she didn't trust the toilet at first. No more pee cans under the bed in the winter and no more fears of the cousins moving the outhouse (while you were in it) in the summer. One time it just happened to end up near the bulls' pen. Grandpa swatted those boys good. He also made them pay me my dollar when they bet me I couldn't ride the cow for 10 seconds (I was in the first grade) and I thought I was REALLY dying when it bucked me off (first time I ever had the wind knocked out of me). We had big family get togethers and everyone brought potluck. Guess what I love..... potluck.

So today was nice. I skipped breakfast (on purpose). I wanted to fast some today. I think planned fasts on days of low physical activity can be good for us spiritually and physically. We had a nice Sunday dinner and my son and his wife and baby Maddy came over. She looked so cute in her red daisies and she's growing so fast. I had sauce left over from baking the chicken yesterday and I didn't want to waste it (Grandma would be proud), so I cooked another batch of chicken in the same sauce (yes, I refrigerated it last night) and my son-in-law said it was even better today. I made a green bean dish, but I like the fat green beans, not those skinny ones in slices. Not as good. I also made some stuffing to go with it because I noticed stuffing was only 100 calories per cup. And remember how I saved my other half of slice of cheesecake from the cheesecake factory? Well I split it three ways so Jason and Anne could have a taste and cut my calories to 100 on the piece I had today. Then... even better news... My husband usually makes me chocolate chip cookies on Sundays and he wasn't here today, so my son-in-law made them for me AND I looked it up. 50 Calories on a medium cookie. That is awesome. 4 Cookies= 1 Candy bar.

Now lunch was the only real meal I had today so I had 3 (not 4) cookies for a mid-day snack. For supper I warmed up the leftover broccoli from day before yesterday and that was it (feeling a little guilty for the cookies). Overall, a tasty, nice Sunday. Missing my sweetie, but he'll be home Thursday. Hard to believe we have been dating since 1979 and he still makes my palm sweats when I think about seeing him. Now that is "meant to be" love. I wish it for everyone. I am very blessed with such a wonderful family present and past. The food we eat is a part of who we are. So if I love chocolate... does that make me sweet? :) Depends on who you ask and when you ask I'm sure. :)

DAY FORTY FOUR- February 13, 2010

It was a PJ Day. I wish I could say it was restful, but from now on... 1/2 day is enough. I was bored and here I am up at midnight because I feel like I didn't do anything. I cooked breakfast-- Mandy said I put too much spinach in the eggs (she ate them though) and I bought grapefruit yesterday so I could half 1/2 grapefruit w/my eggs and toast today. I had forgotten that you should never drink milk when you eat grapefruit. Sick!

Played with Rello and gave him a bath. Then they headed to town and that's when I became restless. I loaded the dishwasher and was going to start on the pans... No! I made myself go to my room and check my e-mail. I thought about laying down, but I actually slept in till 8am and I just wasn't tired. I got on the computer and watched part of a play-in game for state. Then I watched game film on a team and took notes.... for three hours. I stopped half way through for lunch. I like pastrami (the cheap lunch meat type that's only 90 calories for the package). I made a sandwich and had some cottage cheese with it and a few chips. Then, back to breaking down film.

I stopped again and did some exercising. Jumping jacks, lunges, squats, crunches, a few tai chi moves, and some other core moves laying down. I didn't watch TV but the computer was just as bad. I made dinner-- baked chicken, brown rice, and grilled asparagus w/red peppers. I baked the chicken in a glass roaster. I'm all about keeping it simple. Put the 8 med. skinless chicken breasts in the pan, sprinkle with your favorite seaoning (Monterey Chicken is good), squirt the french catalina across it (1/2 bottle), then plop scoops of 1/2 jar of apricot jam (makes sure it has real chunks of real apricot in the jam) or even just put real apricots instead. Cover with lid or foil and bake on 325 until chicken is done in the middle. The sauce will be soupy and if you use a slotted spoon to get the chicken out, you won't get the added calories of the sauce other than the little bit that baked in. The chicken tastes great and is moist. I used the minute rice brown rice. It says whole grain on the box. I grilled the red pepper slices and asparagus spears on the little cast iron pan I mentioned before that has the raised grids in the bottom of it. I grilled them then microved them on a plate for 2 minutes and they were just right-- a little firm, but not raw tasting at all, plus a little grill flavor. I sprayed the pan with Pam, but didn't use any oil or butter.

The only snack I had today was a banana. So that's the good news. The other good, but somewhat bad news, is that Mandy brought me back a slice of cheesecake from the Cheesecake factory. Well worth 30 more crunches or even 60. I ate half and saved the other half for tomorrow. I looked it up on calorieking and they even had "cheesecake factory" cheesecake. It was 630 calories per slice. Yikes! But, I only ate half so that's 315. I need to go do my extra crunches and dream of cheesecake. Tomorrow is Sunday, a day of rest.... I should have worked today and rested tomorrow. It's a good thing we have company coming and church in the morning. I can't handle another day in my PJ's!!

I LOVE YOU PUMPKIN (AND BROCCOLI)

My two year old grandson (we call him Rello) always says "I love you Pumpkin" and his favorite food is broccoli. So, here's to pumpkin and broccoli (but not together).

From Missy: If you like pumpkin this is a really low fat low cal dessert/snack.

1 Sm can pumpkin, 1 Sm box instant fat free vanilla pudding, 1 Sm tub fat free whip topping, Pumpkin pie spice to taste. Mix and eat with low fat graham crackers or vanilla wafers.. or put it in a lite graham cracker crust.

A 15 oz can of pure pumpkiin has 150 calories and is loaded with Vitamin A.

PUMPKIN BREAD
Low Calorie Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup pumpkin, canned
1/2 cup skim milk
2 egg whites, whipped
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and flour; set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, ginger, and cloves. In another mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, skim milk, egg whites, raisins, and sour cream. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients just until moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 60 minutes. Makes 18 servings Pumpkin Bread.

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 112, Fat: <1g, Protein: 3g, Carbohydrate: 28g, Cholesterol: 1mg
Sodium: 116mg

My daughter also makes a pumpkin cheesecake using the lowfat cream cheese and it's great too.

BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
2 small cans of Campbells Cream of Chicken soup (600 calories total)
Broccoli (2 big bunches w/stalks cut off down to flowerettes) = 100 calories total
4 slices of bread=400 calories
Butter ½ cube= 400 calories OR Pam Spray (0 calories)
8oz package Shredded cheese (2% low-fat= 650 calories (cut your calories in half by using Fat Free shredded Mozzarella)
Directions: Cut Broccoli into the small flowerettes and boil until tender but not mushy. Dump 2 cans of C.O.C soup into the cake pan. Sprinkle with half the package of cheese and stir. Drain broccoli and add to pan. Stir. Even out mixture in pan. Tear up the bread slices to form an even layer over the broccoli mixture. Drizzle the bread with melted butter (or butter substitute), or spray with pam. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
Bake on 425 for 15-20 minutes until bread crumbs are brown.

This makes a large cake pan full. You can add cooked cauliflower with very few added calories.
265 calories per cup if you use butter (can decrease calories by using substitutes for butter and using fat free cheese). 8 servings.

DAY FORTY THREE- February 12, 2010

The Friday before Valentine's. The office was stuffed with balloons, bears, and candy hearts to be delivered. I worked at a school once where they were not allowed. No signs of love allowed. How sad. I for one, loved the flowers my sweetie sent me. And who can deny the smile that lights a kid's face when they get a homemade cookie on a plate-- even if it is from their mom. I had three students who made homemade cards and we had "cupid" deliver them to kids who are quiet, shy, alone, or new to the school. What a great idea for these three girls to come up with. I know we can overdo anything, but I for one, just love a reason to have fun, to express love to others, and to eat....especially chocolate. Yes, I had some today.

It was such a busy day that I just had 1/2 cup of yogurt for breakfast on the run. I had 1/2 baked potato with the black bean chili for lunch. I had some chips and salsa along with 12 almonds for my snack today. Tonight I cooked a broccoli dish, grilled a small steak, and had the other half of my baked potato. However, there were, unfortunately, a few cinnamon rolls left (remember those from yesterday) and I had one for dessert.

The weather's so nice I might take Rello for a walk tomorrow or to the park as my exercise. Tomorrow is relax day. I was going to do a lot in the house, but my middle son said if I'd wait till Monday, he'd help me paint, so I'll clean tomorow and put away more stuff, but mostly relax. We'll see if I can do it.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
God is great,
and so are you!

DAY FORTY TWO- February 11, 2010

Got to watch a great group of girls win on the floor tonight. They're off to state next week and it'll be exciting to watch them. I think I burned a few calories just because the game was so close. Then the little kid next to me knocked my popcorn over and I'd barely had any, so that was a sign that I didn't need any I guess. That's probaby because of the cinnamon roll I had for dessert tonight. I had some visitors and they brought me some so I could hardly say no. I had to confess to Kali at the game and I braced myself for the lecture, but she just said, "ah, they're only 300 calories". Ah-ha... I know her weakness now! :)

I had the tuna fish with relish and very little light mayo and 1/2 baked potato for dinner. At lunch I had chicken and rice soup and some green salad. It's kind of nice because in the lunch room at our school they post the calories for the foods. The soup was only 165 calories and I was going to get a whole wheat roll to go with it (they bake them fresh... yum) but it was the same amount of calories as the soup, so I passed. Those teenagers need the calories, but I don't. I had yogurt for breakfast. So overall, minus the cinnamon roll, I didn't do that bad today. I'm not as sore today either so I'm going to shoot around and lift again tomorrow.

This weekend I'll be doing a different kind of exercise as I paint and clean and vaccuum and wash old blinds, etc. I am looking forward to a three day weekend so I can actually put some pictures on the wall (after I paint), and get settled. I am also going to take a PJ day-- I'm going to stay in my pajamas one of the three days because I haven't had a PJ day since school started--not even when I was sick. I think it's unhealthy, both physically and mentally, to have something planned and going every single day. I need to take care of myself. I always say that, then I never do... but I am going to try and take a day off. I will still eat healthy that day and do some yoga. I'm not going to be a total blob, just a partial blob. Speaking of blobs, I need to go do my crunches and lose the cinnamon roll-- especially since I know there'll be leftover rolls in the morning to taunt me!

DAY FORTY ONE- February 10, 2010

Serves me right... I was sore today. I haven't lifted for a while and it's all coming back to me now... those muscles that I thought were extinct. Now they're just sore. I also did something I haven't done since I started this... I ate a bowl of cereal after 8pm. Sometimes I crave Fruitloops. The problem is that I ate as soon as I got home instead of just having a snack after school and eating dinner at 6. So I ate a meatloaf sandwhich on whole wheat about 4:30 and by 8:00 my stomach was saying "feed me" and I did. It was 150 calories so it's not the end of the world, but timing is definitely important to our healthy eating habits and I do not want to start eating late.

I did read somewhere that it's important that we stay up and moving or at least sitting up for two hours after we eat. I guess we kind of tell our digestive system to stop if we go to bed and all that sugar, fat, etc. just sits there and goes to bad places making wonderful fat when we eat and just go to bed.
I had the yogurt for breakfast but I need to go buy some gratefruit. I like grapefruit, so I need to do that. I had my frozen healthy choice dinner for lunch (I never eat the dessert in it though) so the whole dinner's probably 250 without the dessert. For snacks I had pretzels and some of Sherri's homemade peanut butter. You can have 24 pretzels for 55 calories so it's a good deal even dipping it in homemade peanut butter. I took the bag of pretzels and the PB to the teachers' lounge to share. Thank you Sherri-- it was delicious and everyone loved it. I drank quite a bit of water today, so that was good. I did some Tai Chi because I was too sore to do much else. Even the Wiggles Workout would have killed me tonight. Sad.

Okay, what's really sad is that one of my former players called about midnight last night. She was upset and discouraged. She's at college on a soccer scholarship and she tore her ACL playing a league game (bball). To make matters worse, she doesn't have insurance to pay for the surgery. She was torn about decisions and sad at the thought of not playing her final season. She knows though that whenever a door closes, a window opens somewhere else. She knows it'll work out and that sports are only one area of her life. She has strong family support too, so she will start this new chapter of her life with a cheering section of a different sort.

We all need a cheering section.

DAY FORTY- February 9, 2010

So it occurred to me that I did not weigh in last week during my illness. I confess that I did think about it on Saturday, but wasn't at school to weigh on the scale and I honestly have never owned a scale. I knew I didn't exercise last week too much being sick, so if I just maintained, I would be good with that. After my 20 minute shootaround in the gym this morning I had to go to the weight room (thanks to coach Jac) and I remembered. I did the lunges (thank you for lowering it to 20) and I did some of the weights, but the weight room was full of football players, so I didn't want to show off too much.... yeah right. I went in and weighed in and had the coach record my weight (it does make a difference when you make yourself accountable in writing to someone else who watches you weigh in and writes it down). I'm at 155! I have officially lost 10 pounds. Funny thing is-- I don't really notice much difference other than my stomach muscles are firmer.

Okay, so I have to share the 20 minute workout thing. My two freshmen came in and I was already part way through my workout. I showed them what to do and how simple it was and when they hit the 15 minute mark-- they were dying on me. The have added respect for their "old" coach now. :) I don't know if they'll be back on Thursday though. I bet they will though because they miss it already. I love basketball, so it's a good fit for me as far as a cardio workout. I also think it's good for them to see that simply doing that is a workout and not just running to run. Now if you're in track, that's a different story... Track... it's just around the corner. And my knees and hip can thank that wonderful part of my life for why I have the worn body parts there already. Too many miles on country roads, dusty hills, and cinder tracks. I just drive everywhere now... which is why I am trying to lose weight!

I was going to do the yogurt breakfast this morning but got to school and my yogurt that I keep in the fridge was VERY obviously expired. I'm spewing right now at the memory of that horrid first bite. Always check the expiration date. Another thing-- I do not tolerate splenda, aspertane, any artificial sweetners at all. In fact my tongue instantly bumps up. My family can verify this. I defaulted to my oatmeal and blackberries. For lunch I did have the chicken salad as directed. For dinner, I was set to cook it, but my daughter had cooked some pinwheel pasta dish. She even threw in tomatoes although she doesn't like them. I had some 9 grain toast with it because I needed the fiber or something. I craved the whole wheat, so I ate it. No dessert tonight. I did try some quaker rice snacks. I felt like I was eating puffy cardboard with sugar spray on it. That's all I can say about it. They may be low-cal, but honestly... what's the point in eating that. I'd rather have one chocolate covered cherry and enjoy it if I'm going to eat just to eat!

So enough about fat and food! I loved Jac's quote for today: "Faith is not only a feeling; it is a decision." It's perfect timing. Why not believe? Believing is a choice too. And as a coach, I see what happens when a team believes. In life, I've seen what happens when there is belief. Believe in each other, in love, in the eternal prospect of life, in the goodness in people, in the positives in life, in the possibilities in life. It's a great reminder to focus more on what we have instead of what we don't have and what we're doing about it (like believing) instead of whining. Great quote.

I am also going to buy the book Jac and let you know what I think (but I know we like many of the same books, so I'm anxious to read it). "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks. Tomorrow is coach Jackie.. we fondly call her whacky Jackie (love you Jackie)... not to be confused with Jac (different person). Jackie has gone down a pant size, while I just seem to "comfortable" in my clothes again. I have faith... I believe.... that I am going to lose more weight and continue to find food and fitness that can be a normal part of my lifestyle. :)

DAY THIRTY NINE- February 8, 2010

I thought of Coach Raundee throughout the day. I needed to eat something green, eat some grains and carbs, and eat some healthy fat. Then I added my own needs-- fruit and veggies every day. For breakfast I had my oatmeal (no milk) mixed with blackberries so that the berries are just little bits, not whole. For a snack I had 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with 1/2 peach. For lunch I had one cup of potato soup (my carbs). Kali was not happy with me, but that's all I had and I did 90 crunches tonight besides my Tai Chi, so I'm good with my cup of soup. For dinner I grilled my 4 oz. salmon fillet in this cool cast iron frying pan my daughter has that has raised grids built into the bottom of it so it gives you the actual grill effect. I know.... I'm easily amused. I cooked it in a tblsp. of orange juice and when I turned it over I sprinkled the Grillmaster lemon pepper. That's it. It's was yummy.

I also cooked up fresh veggies: zucchini, spinach leaves, yellow squash, mushrooms, red pepper, and tomatoes. I steamed the asparagus because I don't like it soggy. A lot of fresh veggies though. I still made my best shot at healthy meatloaf for my daughter and her husband. I made it with egg, oatmeal, a little mustard, spinach (threw fresh leaves in there, and a little salsa and garlic. My daughter tasted it and asked what happened to the topping I usually put on top. I usually put ketchup and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Then I add a few strips of bacon. Not today. She complained, but I told her it was better for her and she ate it. Her hubby said it was good (of course what else would you tell your mother-in-law). My daughter made a pumpkin cheesecake. I checked the calories and pumpkin is great for low calorie. Cream cheese isn't bad either. I had a small slice. Yum! I'd never had that.

Between Kali giving me the smackdown on my soup and having the little piece of cheesecake I decided to do both the Tai Chi and my crunches. I did 90 crunches (3 sets of 30) during commercials. I'm telling you the bed exercising is great. I used to hate commercials and I watch two shows a week-- don't have time for much else, but I also catch HGTV right before I go to sleep. I've gotten in the habit of commercial= crunches or elbow to knee cycling. It's pretty easy and I can tell a difference in my stomach. It's also a lot easier on my bad hip. I did a few Pilates on the floor tonight and switched to Tai Chi because I could feel the hip pulling.

Overall, I felt pretty good about trying to hit Raundee's main points of eating healthy. My stomach was a little bloated tonight though, so I think I need to take it easy on too many veggies at once. The whole listen to your body thing again. Well I have a couple players who want to shoot around with me in the morning.... early... so I better get to bed. I'm going to make them do my 20 minutes- no stopping the feet workout with me and we'll see how they do. They're just freshmen so the fact they asked to come that early is impressive in itself, so I might take it easy on them.... nah. :)

Jac is the coach tomorrow. She always makes me do those lunges-- killin' me Jac. And she made me hit the weight room (paybacks I know). I will do that right after the 20 minutes of shooting, but I may modify... but I WILL try. Just for you Jac because I love ya.

DAY THIRTY EIGHT- February 7, 2010

Sundays need to be a day of rest for many reasons: We need to rest our bodies and minds. We need to have time to reflect. We need to have time that is not overly planned. We also need to just sit and enjoy our families. I love my family and being with them. Sometimes I look at my grown children and honestly think "How on earth did they turn out so wonderful." I say that because our poor children are projects without manuals and we raise them by trial and error and in ignorance and bliss. That makes them miracles. So...I look at each of them and know that they are simply gifts in my life and that they turned out in spite of me and not because of me. Today I sat in church with all three of them and that was simply a mom moment in itself to see them all married and with their own children. My mom and dad were there too (and coach Jackie:) and it was just nice to be with family. Nothing is better.

Okay FOOD TALK: The more I do this healthy changes thing, the more I am learning to listen to my body. My body really kind of throws a fit, for example, if I try to eat foods that are too heavy. I also can't eat as much anymore and I can't eat fried foods too many times in a week. I'm fine if I use the spray instead of the oil, or if I just grill it (can't wait until BBQ season), but even then, I have to watch the "heavy" foods. You can tell what they are. Listen to your body.

So I decided to look up the healthiest foods and was pleasantly surprised as I love almost every one of them: SALMON-("Salmon is a tasty fish that's chock-full of omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial fats that can improve heart health. Salmon is also protein-rich."), SPINACH-("Research has shown that spinach aids in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, some cancers and cardiovascular disease") , OATMEAL-(The fiber in oats lowers total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, or the bad type of cholesterol.") HONEY-(Honey acts as an antioxidant, a substance that can prevent the effects of free radicals, which we're exposed to from environmental toxins such as tobacco smoke or radiation and which can contribute to disease. Honey also contains oligosaccharides, which increase the number of good bacteria in the colon. The color of honey is relevant: the darker the honey the more antioxidants it contains." BLUEBERRIES- ("Some research has shown blueberries can slow degenerative diseases associated with aging and improve motor skills. Still other studies have shown the fruit to improve urinary tract health.") WALNUTS- (Walnuts are the only nuts that contain a significant amount of omega-3s, and are known for their high antioxidant activity." I just have to say though that I eat them sparingly as they make my mouth sore). http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/super-foods-44030408#ixzz0eukMGQBn

I was surprised to learn that the darker the honey the better. I knew that about lettuce, but I didn't know that about honey. You just have to make sure it's not the cheap honey mix even if it's dark. Another thing I have learned is that you should simply try to eat fresh fruit and veggies every day. I'm going to make my salmon tomorrow and grill it in Pam spray (not oil) with a little orange juice and zesty Italian and a drizzle of lemon juice. I like to sprinkle some parsley on it and I think I'll throw some spinach leaves in too. I have to laugh sometimes when I look at the recipes on some of these "healty" web sites. For example, the salmon recipe I read today called for teriyaki (2500 mg of sodium--how is that healthy). My husband I have been checking the sodium content and Soy Sauce and teriyaki are FULL of sodium. My mom pointed out the cottage cheese has quite a bit in it too which surprised me. I'm not giving up the cottage cheese, but I can live without soy sauce and teriyaki. I am going to try to plan better this week including cooking my lunch in the morning (the salmon) so I can enjoy it later. I'm also going to try to cook a "healthy meatloaf" for the pregnant daughter who needs more than 300 calories per meal (has not been gaining enough per doctor). Wish me luck with that. I am following Raundee's eating "template" and putting what I've learned into it. I need to do a better job of exercising this week as I'm on the healing side of my cold. May the force be with me.

DAY THIRTY SEVEN- February 6, 2010

Sometimes it's hard to let go of certain things in your life, but when you do, something else steps right in and fills it up. Life's funny like that. This weekend is over after tomorrow and it feels like it never happened. That's called... TOO BUSY. On the upside, my throat did not feel like I was swallowing tacks today. The gargling finally paid off. I didn't run a temperature once today-- in fact I was cold. I'm also hungry again. Fixed a big breakfast since the grandkids all spent the night. It's easy to watch portion control when so many hungry people are eating. In fact, you have to grab your food quickly or there won't be any left! :)
Lunch was different. We were at an annual community auction and they have the real basque chorizos there. Yum! Had to have one. Nothing else... but had to have one. My husband bought a homemade peach pie too. I decided... fruit.. yes! Healthy dinner. Okay, I was bad today. I shared a bag of concession popcorn at the game with my husband and had the pie for dessert. That was my whole dinner. Not healthy, but it could be worse. Poor planning is often the culprit for my unhealthy eating.
Tomorrow everyone is coming for the baby blessing. Now I have to think healthy in bulk. You can't have sandwiches on Sunday.... I will sleep on it... after I do my 60 cruches (had to add 30 for the pie). Next week I will be doing a different coach again for each day, so if you haven't taken a turn in a while.... email me.

DAY THIRTY SIX- February 5, 2010

So did anyone try the Wiggles Workout? We really have to find ways to make exercise a more natural part of our life. I really have little desire to go to a weight room anymore. I've done that long enough. Some soup cans in my room are as much as I care to lift anymore. I do like biking and swimming (which are both hard in the winter), but even then, I like doing those with family or alone-- not in a group or as public exhibition. We all have to find what works for us. I think I went up and down the stairs 20 times (no exaggeration) chasing grandkids today. Now if I had told myself to do 10 sets of stairs... UGH-- not happening-- especially when I'm just starting to feel better.

I still like the Yoga and Tai Chi (with music) and I really do like to go for a walk or just do some exercises a couple times a week (in my room). I like to shoot around or even play team sports with people my age, but I don't like to make it the focus of my life. I just want it to happen because it's what I like to do. Now I sound lazy, but I'm not so that's why I can be picky. If you're lazy and you just like to sit around.... Get up... put down the big gulp... turn off the TV... and go help someone else if you can't help yourself. Or.... get someone to help you. I did!

Breakfast-- I made my daughter try the eggs w/spinach and she was turning up her nose and calling it gross, but she ate it. And guess what... she liked it. The throat is still recovering so I'm not eating salad yet. I had a sandwich and 1/2 cup of yogurt for lunch. For supper my husband wanted mashed potatoes and hamburger gravy so I cooked him some. I've always used evaporated milk in my gravy because it has good flavor and makes it thicker, but the calories are 450 a cup compared to 120 with reg. milk . Something to think about. And now I can't add flour to anything without thinking aobut 455 calories per cup. So, easy on the flour, use skim milk, and use lean meat. The mashed potatoes were easy on my throat.

On the way home from watching one of my students perform we stopped and picked up a few groceries since we have family coming into town this weekend for a baby blessing. My husband started throwing stuff in the cart and the first thing was his kettle cooked chips. I started to lecture about the calories and grabbed a bag of Lays and Clover Club to show him the difference. I was the one who had egg on my face (where does that expression come from)when we finished. 18 Chips and 140 calories for Kettle Cooked (0Trans fats too), 15 chips at 150 calories for Lays and Clover Club was even more! He was quite smug as he chomped on his noisy chips (if you've had Kettle Cooked you know what I mean) on the way home... and it was after 9pm. He did stop at 18 though since we had discussed amounts in the store, so I guess that's progress??

My final thought of the night is about John Wooden (go figure-- my basketball hero). I like to buy the socks for my players and give them the Wooden "sock story" to go with them. It is such a lesson for me every time I read it. He always started each season by teaching his players how to put their socks on properly. Some thought he was a crazy old man, but by the end of the season... or sooner... they got it. It's the little things that show we strive for excellence. It's the little things that make champions champions. From the time they step into the locker room and start putting on their socks, they are focused. It doesn't start with the blow of the whistle. Life is like that as well. As we strive to do the little things right, even when we hit obstacles, we are prepared and we do our best. We live in such a rushed time and such an egocentric society-- sometimes we need to go back to the fundamentals of life and living. Thanks Wooden.

DAY THIRTY FIVE- February 4, 2010

Are we there yet? My throat is tingling so much I know it can't be good. My voice is better-- my throat is worse. I've gotta go to the doctor tomorrow. I don't want to get any of the grandbabies sick and my throat hasnn't hurt this bad in a very long time. Okay, I'll quit whining.

I mixed my warm oatmeal (no milk) with the fresh, large blackberries for breakfast and stirred it all together so the berries weren't whole (easier to swallow). It was really good and felt good on my throat. No snack because I just didn't feel like it, but bad move again, because even though I'm sick I was "starving" again at lunch. I had a soft grilled cheese on wheat bread (no crust because I don't like crust) 250 calories, and a bag of baked chips- 120 calories-- for lunch. I remembered my water bottle. I had to meet the grandkids in town. Stopped at Wendy's and had the chili for dinner. Not a super healthy day but a "normal" day. I'm still watching the calories and getting in fruit and veggies. The biggest mistake though is that I didn't eat anything green today. I try to eat green every day. Something to remember. I am not exercising today plain and simple.
Well tomorrow is Friday and I should be excited, but I just want to swallow normal. What a whiner. I'm going to bed.

HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER BY SHERRI

Have you ever gone to Winco and bought the peanut or almond butter that you can grind yourself? Well, this is kind of what I did...we buy the mixed nuts from Costco and throw them in the Vitamix...until it is smooth. I didn't add any oil or butter or honey...but I know you can. It was tasty--especially when mixed with some creamed spun honey (the white thick kind) on bread...I'm not sure how long it will last--but we only make what we can eat right up.

DAY THIRTY FOUR- February 3, 2010

I can't believe it snowed today.... big flakes even. I feel like I'm back home. I told my daughter she brought the weather with her. It was good to get back to work today but you always have twice the work to return to. It does take your mind off of being sick though. You don't have time to think about it. I just had a banana for breakfast because my throat is still not so hot. I'm going to do the warm lemonade again tonight, but we were missing lemon juice when we got it all unpacked so the daughter is out getting some as we speak... blog... whatever.

By noon I was feeling better and had some spaghetti, small helping of green salad and green beans. Forgot the water bottle.. not smart. For supper I warmed up the potatoes and carrots and diced up the roast into it (hash). I had that with some more green salad (added the carrots, craisins, apples, and red peppers). Salad just isn't as good when your throat is sore though. Pudding was sounding good, but I had already used up my calories, so "no". I'm thinking oatmeal and cottage cheese, and yogurt (not all together) will all slide down fairly easy tomorrow.

So having a two year old around again is exercise in itself. Now I remember why it was so easy to stay skinny when I had kids at home! But thanks to little Rello I did come up with a new and unique way to get in your 30 minutes of cardio. I really doubt any of you have tried it, but I could be wrong. I'm calling it GRANDMA'S WIGGLES WORKOUT. Rello loves the Wiggles and I love Youtube for exercising. I googled the Wiggles on Youtube and boy did I come up with a workout. Here's what you do (you younger bloggers can try it with a toddler too-- not just us Grandmas). Get your grandchild (or sibling or neighbor's kid or child) and go to Wiggles on Youtube. Do it in this order. 1) Happy and You Know It (use for a warm up). Don't just stand there. Follow the lead of the kid in the blue shirt-- he keeps the knees bouncing. 2)Five Little Ducks (keep moving-- don't stop-- and if you feel uncoordinated as you try to flap your arms and skip at the same time.... join the crowd!). 3) Hot Potato, Hot Potato (I love the twist dance move), 3) Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Be as graceful as you can and hope that no one is watching. I felt some Yoga moves going on during this one.) 4) Monkey Dance (if you're calves aren't feeling it by now, you're slacking!) 5) Head Shoulders Knees and Toes (march in between when he's talking-- this video is a little bit of a break :) 6) Pirate Ship 7) End with "Wheels on the Bus" and make up your own moves with you and your little buddy. Now don't roll your eyes or make fun of me until you try it!

Not only is it a good little cardio workout, it's a great way to spend time with your kids/grandkids/siblings and to teach them that exercise can be fun. Let me know how it goes. Some of you young ones need to try it (Whit/Kalli) and tell me what you think too. Don't make fun of me... just tell me if it even made your heartrate go up, or if I'm just easily entertained and old. Jaki, I'm sipping my warm lemonade.

DAY THIRTY THREE- February 2, 2010

Wanted to roll up in my covers and just sleep today only coming out for an occasional cup of warm lemonade to soothe my throat, but it wasn't in the cards. I did sleep in till 7:30am. It was strange not hearing Gma Shorty banging the pans around at 5am (her cue for "are you up yet"), but my body's still used to it so I woke right up even though I could sleep in. I talked myself back to sleep, but had a side ache by 7:30 so had to get up. I'm supposed to take it easy today. I have little voice left after three out of the last four days being basketball games and a cold to boot. I'm sure my players are tired too. I wondered about them all day.

I also wondered about the rooms that need painted, the carpets that need cleaned, the boxes that need unpacked, the computer that needed set up, etc. Who can rest with so much on their mind. By noon I couldn't take it any longer (I have never been a good sick person) I had to unpack at least the kitchen. I took some tylenol after that and rested. That lasted a short while then I went to town (Home Depot to be specific) and prayed that I would not see anyone considering I look like a sick woman (which I am) and I still had on yesterday's hair and makeup. I did brush my teeth and change my clothes though. I got in-- I got out. I have the paint and outlet covers and window blinds. I don't have the energy to do any of it today, but I can sleep a little easier tonight knowing I can hide in my house now and paint away the remainder of the '70's that still abides in my new abode. Love the space though.

My mom and dad drove over and brought dinner (thank you). She knows me too well. Amidst all the hustle and bustle today I did grab a bowl of cold cereal for breakfast, but forgot lunch completely. The roast and potatoes w/carrots was great. A diet tip here though-- don't skip lunch. You think you're starving by dinner and your stomach isn't as large as your eyes resulting in a heavy stomach afterwards. I will definitely do my crunches tonight. Thank you to all my wonderful children and their spouses for helping us get moved in, get the computer set up, and bringing the grandkids over to fill the rooms with the reason I am here. Championships are great, but families are forever. :)

DAY THIRTY TWO- February 1, 2010

I apologize for the delay. It was a late night. Won the championship, but it was tough. What an awesome group of young ladies and parents. I will miss them. I also slept in the rental for the first night, but you know how it is... boxes, bare walls, new sounds, and exhaustion... especially after an exhausting game and already feeling effects of the flu. Okay, so those are my excuses.

I made the yogurt with granola and berries yesterday. Shared with Kali since she always shares with me. I'll also give you her mom's peanut butter recipe tonight and some other tips she shared with me yesterday. I had one of those Healthy Choice micro-sandwiches and it gets nice and crunchy with chicken and spinach on it for lunch. It was really good. I didn't have much time to eat, so that was it. But... those lovely basketball parents I told you about... they brought me treats and I did partake. I had a Reeses Fastbreak. I ate a hamburger right before the game and nothing else so it wasn't a real healthy eating day, but portion control was there and it could have been worse. I'll do better once I get moved in and unpacked.

Did I mention I love coaching and teaching. It's just warped when you worry about your students when you're home sick. I'm sure they'll be fine till tomorrow. I need to rest. It was a good day despite the challenges and possibly more rewarding because of them.