310

Wow… Here’s some pictures and information of the situation for my parents. They are in Northern Arkansas. They will be out of power for weeks. They are staying with a neighbor who has a wood burning stove. For all of the pictures go to www.ktlo.com.

Mom said it’s like a war zone. She said they are using snow and ice because they have no water. They set it aside to melt to use to flush the toilet. They havent showered since Monday. They use a gas grill to cook food on, can’t wash dishes. Says it’s like camping. They have batteries for flashlights and a radio. Phones are not always working. Generators are being sold but for alot more than what they usually go for. I think dad said $1800. Tress are down and blocking people from entering roads and drive ways. She thinks the power will be on before I get there. I get there in 5 weeks. It could be 3-4 weeks before they get power on. It looks like David (teen son)and I will be busy helping with the aftermath. It’ll be interesting to say the least. Dad’s shoulder hurts (just had surgey to remove a spur)and he tries to do what he can with his right hand but he can’t use a chainsaw. Knowing how he is, he’d be out there with the other neighbors trying to clean up the mess. There’s Fema(?) and Red cross, salvation army, Obama calling in National Guard. There’s soup kitchens and shelters. Some stores are now open. They’re driving up to MO tomorrow to get drinking water and cigarettes. The ice on the road melts in the day but freezes again at night. Hopefully, this is the end of it, and they don’t get more snow, ice, etc.  She said they’ll probably lose their food in their fridge and freezer in the next day or so, $500 worth. There’s a neighbor going around with his generator charging up peoples fridges and freezers but he can’t get to her house for some reason. Atleast there’s no damage to their house or car, or self.

Yesterday’s Weight= 290.8

Today’s Weight= 286.2 (-4.6)

Who loses 4.6 lbs in one day, except a 400 lb Biggest Loser contestant? I wanna say the scale is wrong but then I’d be able to do that when it shows a gain too then huh? I’ll have to chalk it up to losing water, salt, clearing out the bowels, getting alot of exercise and not eating junk. BUT I’ve been fluctuating like crazy lately so of course tommorrow will be 2 lbs up right? We’ll see.

Yesterday’s Weight= 289.2

Yesterday’s Exercise= 20 leg press, 35 elliptical

Yesterday’s water intake= 12 cups

Today’s weight=  290.8 (+ 1.6 lbs)

Today’s water intake= 17 cups

Today’s exercise= 15 min bike, 60 min treadmill, 30 min elliptical, 60 lat pull down, 45 arm curls, 15 leg extensions, 90 abdominal

Today’s food- Breakfast 669 calories, Lunch 959 calories, Dinner 265 calories, Snacks ( one protein bar and a wine cooler = 390 calories) Total calorie intake = 2283 (27% protein, 27% fat, 46% carbs) DV Protein intake was 306%

The eating today was strange… and I didn’t eat junk either, except the wine cooler. Needless to say I was starving after the 2 hr workout this morning. I went straight for the protein first(tuna salad no bread, 2 pieces of chicken no skin, 3 servings of cheese and 2 cups of blueberries). All said and done, I’m only 83 calories over what I intended.

I drank 17 cups of water without really trying today. 13.5 of which I drank while exercising. It goes real fast that way. My water bottle that I take to the gym holds 4.5 cups and I bring two and still run out! I made two trips to the gym today. One that lasted 2 hrs this morning and one that lasted an hour this evening. It’s interesting to have the whole family going out on a Friday night to the gym instead of sitting home having pizza. But then that’s probably tomorrow night.

Since my husbands’ return to work after a long vacation, he’s been trying to eat right and go to the gym every work day, and eats a junk meal once a week. That’s how he did it a couple years ago (while I was pregnant) and lost 40 lbs, got rid of his major heartburn problem and reduced his dependancy on his albuteral inhalers a great deal. He drove me nuts. He energy was through the roof. He was always doing something and as a result that often times meant I had something to do. At that time I was pregnant, not dieting, not exercising, and content to sit all day.

Our 15 yr old son is still kind of draggin’ butt with this whole thing, but atleast its’ better than what it was a half a year ago. He gets in 30 min on the treadmill atleast 4 times a week and comes out with a sweat.

Sometimes I feel a little guilty leaving the kids in the playroom for so long. (2 hours is the max. But I can go to another gym and do more, like tonight) Good thing they like it. They have a good time. I’m really fortunate to have this luxury of staying home and taking care of myself and my family. My husband is going to start working overtime. It’ll be tiring for him, but the money will help and he sees it as another day of staying on track.

My parents are in nothern Arkansas and were hit with the snow (ice?) storm. They are out of power and supposedly for 3 weeks. 3 weeks?! Does it really take that long? They have a really good friend in their neighbor who they are staying with. Their power is out too but they have a wood burning stove. My dad recently had shoulder surgery and still recovering from that. What a mess. I hope all goes well. It’s only a little over 5 weeks before i go out to see them. I don’t mean to be selfish but I am spoiled in sunny Las Vegas and hoping that…that kind of weather is behind them when I get there!

man… I gotta pee…

Yesterday’s Weight= 290.8

Yesterday’s Exercise= 10 squats, 30 min elliptical, 20 min treadmill, 60 leg extensions, 45 butterfly, 45 arm curls, 150 abdominal, 90 lat pull down, 15 calf lifts.

Yesterday’s water intake= 14.5 cups

Today’s weight= 289.2 (- 1.6 lbs)

It took me 3 days recover from the weight I gained on Monday due to my bad choice of sucking down and eating up comfort foods. I gained 2.5 lbs that night. Hopefully in the future I can try to curb that better. Dentist experiences like that really make it hard to keep the next appointment.

It’s great to know you all got some use out of my water post. I was afraid I’m getting kind of boring here lately; so technical and factual. Sterling, how cool it is to be sitting on your shoulder today; your voice of reason for a day! Hope it helps. Now get those filters on there so you don’t be coming out here to kick my butt

Prayers, well-wishes and congratulations to Jayme ( Jaymes Flab to Fit blog) as she is in the hospital tonight with a scheduled C-section. I’m inspired by her drive and determination to eat right and get regular exercise all through her pregnancy. For the duration of her pregnancy she has only gained 5.8 lbs! And as shallweshrink says, she gets to lose 10 lbs and gain a baby girl tonight. How awesome.

 Did you ever think you’d come here and end up spending money? Linens n things is up to 90% off on bed and bath items, some items are even Buy one, get one free on top of that. I’m not sure how much shipping is, though. Lamp shades- $2.59 BOGO, Decorative pillows 90 % off, $2.99 BOGO. Here’s the link to the BOGO stuff. This isn’t referral stuff. I took the links directly from their website. I just like sharing good deals and freebies whenever I can.

…about drinking water.

I made a new page titled What, Why, How. it has the more detailed findings and links of the pages I read. I don’t wanna overly clog up the blog’s front page with it, so I’m just gonna point out the things that meant the most to me.

I need to drink alot of water because it helps keep the liver and kidneys working easily. If the kidneys don’t get enough water, the liver has more work to do and that means it will work less efficently on my metabolism (converting stored fat to energy). So right there it helps me lose weight to keep that in check.

There was something I read about muscles needing water to get the best toning and reducing flabby skin.

The issue of having to run to the bathroom goes away if you keep up with drinking alot of water. I thought that the water was running right through me but it says that in fact what is happening is that the body recoginizes all of the water intake and releases the water it was holding on to in “survival mode”. if you continue giving the body water, it’ll continue to release/flush the water that is being held in areas like the ankles, hips and thighs and maybe belly.

Stop drinking water 3 hrs before bed to avoid frequent trips to the bathroom. Drinking cold water absorbs faster but warm water goes down easier in bigger quantities. We lose about 6.5 cups a day through urination, and a cup or two through sweat, breathing, etc. So that’s why we’re reccomended to drink atleast 8 cups a day to replace it. BUT, if you’re exercising, overweight, live in hot climate, pregnant or other health issues, you need more water. It said add a cup for each 25 lbs you are overweight. Replace water sweated out from exercise, figure about 2 cups for a short workout and more for anything longer than an hour. After all this, I figure my water intake should be about 14 cups a day.

To Roni

I read your other posts for this week. It might not be as bad as you think. and if it is. Oh well. You just make a YOU Turn. Like the GPS thingy, it says in a non threatening way, “At the next possible opportunity, make a YOU Turn.” No I didn’t make that up myself. Just a clever thing I picked up from a PBS show, “YOU on a diet”.

But this I do say myself….I don’t believe success can come without failures. Every time we fall, hopefully we get back up, learn something from it, and keep on going. What else is there? To surrender completely? We are WOMAN. Surrender to who? Besides, the LORD , nothing. Certainly not obesity, stress, and all of the other daily obstacles.

Hang in there!

At Sterlings’ Concentrated

my guy is finally back on track. the first day back to work after his vacation he started going to the gym every day, after work, after dinner. His time is short, he works 4 long days a week and then gets 3 days off. Today I was off-plan due to root canal and pain killers (under the influence)… and yet there he was trying to eat right. It’s ironic that it seems we can hardly ever be on the same page. But hopefully the weeks and months to come will work well for all of us.

I think it’s really great; the conversation you had with your hubby. I am surprised you didn’t ask for that a long time ago. But I also think it’s pretty fair and realistic that now is a good time as well. He’s seen how far you’ve come and I’m sure he’s learned a great deal.

I think you’re right about some bodybuilders being insecure and fixated on themselves, but alot people are that way, including myself. The gym is mostly anti social. Ever notice how hard it is to avoid eye contact between sets as two people sit across from each other on a machine? I swear, it’s almost more awkward than being in an elevator alone with a stranger.

My teen son doesn’t want to do weights because he thinks he is trying to look like a bodybuilder, he doesn’t wanna be some “buff” guy, he says. I just want him to be stronger, he hasn’t gotten the point of this whole thing, yet. His back actually hurt this weekend from being too tall, out of shape, weak, fat. It’s like we’ve reversed roles. I did the things he couldn’t bend over for; his chores, bring him a drink… I sat in the back seat. Poor kid… gonna have to get some more pushing from mama to bring his grades up (A.B.C.D.F.F.) and go to the gym.

To Delita’s I Have a dream

My dream is just to be active- physically, mentally, and spiritually. I wanna run and play, ride and hide, seek and sneak, learn and yearn, share and care. I wanna learn to ride motorcycles and dirt bikes. I wanna scuba dive and surf. I wanna play with the kids and be able to run faster than them; hide behind a tree or sneak up behind them. I wanna be physically able to go out and help others and confidently able to as well. I wanna do community work; build a house, feed the homeless, something that gives back. I wanna yearn to learn. Learn the how, what, why of diet, nutrition, exercise; the how and what of budgeting and investing; get a degree. I wanna get my life back and give it to others.

Today’s Weight= 288.8 (-.6)

I haven’t been to the gym since Friday. 3 days is pretty much unacceptable to me. But, I don’t know if I’ll go today or not. Right now I’m feeling the pain killer prescribed from my root canal. There was an infection in one of the ones he worked on last visit. It was an ordeal…I’m told my benefits are almost up already for this year! I feel so stupid for not taking care of my teeth and racking up a bill like this. I’m sure most of it is from years of chain-drinking sodas. No calorie-counting today. I’m seeking comfort foods, so we’re having ham and mashed potatoes tonight. My teen son asks, ‘What’s the occasion?’ It’s usually a Holiday type dinner. I bet they are sick of eating chicken and vegetables, and once a week turkey burgers. Time to mix it up a bit. But for tonight. The ham really hits the mark for me. The answer was, ‘Just because I wanted to.’

Yesterday’s exercise= 5 squats

Today’s weight= 289.4

This week’s Loss= -1.8 lbs

Well, I’d like to see 2 pounds a week, but any loss is appreciated! Especially after last night. Last night is story full of goods and bads. It was a constant mind struggle. First there was the kids’ birthday party we went to. Hot dogs, two kinds of chips, sodas and punches, birthday cake and ice cream. I was determined to only allow myself a little birthday cake. I turned down multiple offers of the other stuff. At a moment of stress and anxiety, twice I almost gave in. It wasn’t as hard as it usually is or used to be but the thoughts did arise and go away quickly enough. When it came time for cake, they added ice cream to it without asking. So I felt guilty when I snuck into the kitchen and dumped it in the trash. A couple people there said I looked good, before they knew I had been dieting and exercising. So that was nice to hear. I don’t see it, and don’t know how others can see it. 20 lbs on a 300 lb woman ain’t much.

So we cut the party short because I wasn’t about to be rushed or late for Inkheart at 4:40pm. Therein lies another many thoughts and contemplations. Do I eat buttered popcorn or sneak in a Subway like Joy does! I did eat a Subway before going, BUT change of plans… my husband wanted to go with me! It’s been years (atleast as far as we can recall) since the two of us went to a movie. I typically would not watch something of this nature with him, knowing its’ not his usual kind of movie. But he says he enjoyed it. Myself I was a little disappointed as usual when you read a book first and see a movie. Then you notice the changes they made in it. The accents were mostly impossible for me, with my hearing imparied, so I’ll rent it when it’s on DVD and watch it again. I asked my husband if he was following it alright, he was. He says he liked the storyline, the effects, and felt it didn’t leave any holes, where’d he’d be wondering how or why something happened. Also, I’m not so sure if they tied it up in a way that a sequel can be skipped. Overall, we had a good time. I did have buttered popcorn, candy and soda! SO I’m really happy to have a loss for this week after all.

Hubby says I did good last night though. Says he couldn’t get me to crack. He offered me things many times. Says I kept turning down his creamy strawberry ice cream. I attempted to go to the gym. I was torn. I really wanted to stay home with him, but went anyways. It was late, about 930pm. I have never gone that late on a weekend. When I got there, it was closed. I thought they were open til Midnight, but no.

OH guess what? I just figured out that the water bottle I am drinking from holds 4.5 cups of water, not 3! So on those days, I drank 12 cups, I actually drank 18! It was funny realizing that last night, my husband says ‘it’s becomes kind of obsessive, doesn’t it?’ That came up when I was confirming that 16 oz was 2 cups right? and broke out the fluid measuring cup and checked everything out. Oh well, what a good thing to get obsessive about!

This week I intend to look into the WHYs of things. I know what I’ve heard I am supposed to do but I haven’t educated myself on the WHYs so far. In the past, I’ve kind of been a do-as-your-told kind of girl, do it and get it over with, and not use any extra time or energy on why or if I really want to. I don’t give myself enough time to read the nutritional books I’ve bought. The internet gives answers pretty quickly. I’ll share what I learn along the way.

Thursdays calories= 3000 ( 36% fat, 47% carbs, 17% protein)
Thursday’s Weight= 289.4 
Friday’s Weight= 291.2 (+1.8)
Yesterday’s Calorie intake= 2401 (32 % Fat, 43 % carbs, 25 % Protein)
Yesterday’s water intake=  8 cups
Yesterday’s Exercise= 60 min elliptical (780 calories)
Today’s Weight= 291.2 (no change)

OK say Bye bye to the Polar F11. I’ve tried the settings and the tests many times and still am not sure if or when it is reading the calories burned correctly. I’m being a gadget geek, and really don’t need the $160 item if I can’t be sure I’m getting the right readings. So I’m returning it to Amazon for a refund.

Say hello to the $30 Reebok one at Buy.com. I am really surprised it does the calorie counting thing. I hope I have better results. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Reebok Precision Trainer XT Heart Rate Monitor w/Chest Strap
SAVE 75%
Buy.com price: $29.99
List price: $119.99

The Reebok Precision Trainer XT Heart Rate Monitor provides fast, easy and accurate continuous heart rate monitoring. Its user menu mode automatically generates your fitness index and calculates your calorie count and the fat you’ve burned. A bike mount is included for spinners and cyclists. 1 Year Warranty from Reebok. Includes: Watch, Heart Rate Transmitter Belt, Bike Mounting Bracket, (2) CR2032 lithium batteries (already installed — one in the watch and another in the heart rate transmitter belt), User Manual, and Warranty Documentation.

Features

Chest Belt included for continuous heart rate Time/Date (12 or 24 hr.), Alarm, Chronograph, Timer Calorie Counter, Personal Profile, Memory % of Max Heart Rate, Hi/Low Alarms Bike Mount Included / Water Resistant to 30 meters

I plan to go see the movie tomorrow afternoon. My 15 yr old and his 17 yr old friend are coming with. I said I would buy them a big popcorn they can split. I hope I haven’t shot myself in the foot. I’m not sure yet what snacks I intend to purchase or sneak in for myself. If anyone sees it, let me know what you thought of it. I don’t expect it to live up to the book but it does look entertaining.

Inkheart (movie trailer)

Mo Folchart possesses a secret ability to bring characters from books to life when he reads them aloud. But when Mo accidentally brings a power-hungry villain from a rare children’s fable to life, the villain kidnaps Mo’s daughter and demands Mo bring other evil fictional characters to life. In an attempt to rescue his daughter, Mo assembles a disparate group of friends –both real and magic–and embarks on a journey to save her and set things right.

MPAA Rating:

PG for fantasy adventure action, some scary moments and brief language.Genres:

Action/Adventure, Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation