Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores
2 hr. walk
12,038 steps

Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
banana
tomato and cheese sandwich
graham crackers
fruitcup, cheeseburger casserole

I saw the photos of me from the horse show....now I am really motivated!

Picking asparagus and rhubarb from the garden. I made a rhubarb bread pudding yesterday and only had a tiny taste.

We can do this!!!!!!!

Exercise
10 flights of stairs
10 modified pushups
30 minute walk

Meals
Berry Drink
Mixed salad
Chile Relleno

Okay, so now you will have to send my your picture by e-mail so I can see it too.
Big will power with the Rhubarb bread pudding. Tonight I had big cravings to get something sweet from the store on my way home. I managed to avoid going to the store. As long as I stay busy I'm okay....

Tip of the Day:

Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores

Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
banana
tomato and cheese sandwich
graham crackers
salad, spaghetti, stringbeans

I emailed you a picture from the show......

Very chilly here this morning. We had a frost warning, but it only went down to 37. I did cover up my potted plants and hanging baskets overnight.

I have another show on Saturday and I hope the weather is good. Right now they are calling for rain.

Have a great Thursday!

Exercise
30 minute walk

Meals
Multi-seed bagel with cream cheese
Tomato, onion, lettuce, cheese sandwich
Mock fish bites

Nice picture! The picture shows your success in transforming to the new you!!! Good job!
You should post that one somewhere in your house to keep you focused.
Steel is magnificent and adorable too. Thanks for sharing. I'm very happy for you.
You have motivated me too.

That is cold! I hope your plants will be fine. We are suppose to have thundershowers tonight and
rain all day tomorrow and Saturday. Sunday back with sunshine. You might be lucky to get a pause
in the weather for a little while. I hope so for the show.



Tip of the Day:

Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores
12,355 steps

Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
banana
tomato and cheese sandwich
grapes
asparagus beef lo-mein

Raining here today, but tomorrow doesn't look too bad. My classes are early so hopefully it will be dry.

Yesterday I finished picking up the fallen branches in the hay fields across the street, then I raked up the old hay in the paddock and dumped it on the stonerow.

As soon as the weather gets better I have mulch to put down in the flower beds.

Still waiting for purple martins.....

Have a great weekend!

Exercise
1 hour walk
10 modified pushups in morning
10 modified pushups in afternoon

Meals
Blueberry bagel
Berry drink
Tofu scramble
Taco salad
Some pieces of left chocolate Easter candy

You are getting a lot of steps in. I may just have to find my pedometer too
and hook it back on me to get me moving again.

Not sure what we are going to do this weekend. Just normal house stuff
and bills I suppose. I will have to think of something different.

Tip of the Day:

5 REASONS TO EAT SLOWER
1) When food is fully chewed, it breaks down and is therefore easier for your body to fully absorb nutrients.
2) People who eat slower tend to eat less according to research. A small study found that chewing pasta 35 times rather than 10 times reduced meal size by 12%. Another study found a similar finding with Chinese males. When chewing pork pie 40 times vs. 15 times resulted in their meal size being reduced by 11.9%.
3) According to a Japanese study, eating fast is associated with insulin resistance.
4) You will be less hungry later. In a study on people who ate slowly, they were less hungry 60 minutes after eating than those who ate quickly.
5) More enjoyment! When you eat slower, you tend to notice the flavors and sensations which boosts your pleasure meals and snacks.


Source https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...r-6-strategies

Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores

Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
california cheeseburger
banana
taco salad, cantaloupe

No change for me

Off to a horse show ....

Have a great day!

Exercise
2 hour walk
30 minute walk

Meals
Tofu scramble
Veggie burger, pierogies
Taco salad

Change for me....scale shows up 1 lb. I am heading in the wrong direction.

I hope your horse show turned out great.

Tip of the Day:
http://dailyburn.com/life/health/wei...n-how-to-deal/

4 Tips for Weight Loss the Second Time Around Getting back to your best body might require fine-tuning your eating habits and becoming more passionate about fitness. But it’s totally possible. And it will set you for success in the long run.1. Get started, ASAP.
As soon you notice you’re slipping, take action right away. “It’s easier to lose two to three pounds than 10 pounds,” explains Linda Houtkooper, nutritional sciences professor at the University of Arizona. “You’ll stay motivated and will be more successful in getting it back off.” A report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that analyzed common traits among weight loss maintainers backs up this advice: “Preventing small regains from turning into larger relapses appears critical to recovery among successful weight losers,” it concludes.

2. Realize that your body is different.
If you’ve got less to lose this time around, you might need to shake up your strategy. “You need fewer calories, since you’re lighter than you were when you started the first time,” says Houtkooper. When Diamond initially lost her weight, she relied on low-calorie (but less-than-healthy) staples like 100-calorie pre-packaged cookies, canned soup and diet soda. Or, she took advantage of the fact that she wasn’t working in an office to make giant salads. But the pounds didn’t fall off as easily the second time. “It was a slower process, and I had to find different tactics,” says Diamond, now 31, who’s since moved to Geneva, Switzerland and writes about living in moderation in her blog A Healthy Happier Bear. “I had to learn portion control and how to bring healthy snacks to work.” She also started training for a marathon.

3. Exercise to tame your hunger hormones.
You know that exercise is critical to keeping weight off — but did you know it does more than just burn calories? Some evidence suggests that frequent sweat sessions might help you regulate your appetite and help you feel more satisfied after meals. This may be particularly crucial for weight maintenance. The American Academy of Sports Medicine recommeds 150 to 250 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week to lose weight and more than 250 minutes a week to maintain it.

4. Aim for a sustainable goal.
Experts agree that one of the reasons people regain weight is to compensate for the deprivation they experienced during their diets. Diamond was so focused on reaching 140 pounds during her first loss that she was super strict about what she ate — even skipping olive oil on her salad. The second time: She adopted a more moderate diet, which got her to a happy 150 pounds. “I know I could be a size smaller, but I’ve been able to enjoy wine and chocolate and cheese. I’m focused on being healthy and strong,” she says. “You don’t get that same high from losing weight the first time. But you’re coming back to the best version of yourself. It may not be defined by weight, but it’s the best version of how you feel.”

Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores

Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
banana
tomato and cheese sandwich
cantaloupe, spaghetti, zucchini

Steel did awesome yesterday. We got a 2nd in halter, a 1st in showmanship and a 1st in obstacle, so we were Grand Champion! This show was all miniature horses and the rain held off. It was a good day!

I think I need to step up my game with my eating.....for some reason, even if I eat less, the weight won't budge. I guess maybe age has something to do with it. I need less calories, but I get so hungry, then I crave carbs. It's a vicious cycle.

Chilly here today. Might have frost tonight.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Exercise
2 hour walk
1 hour walk

Meals
2 eggs and 2 veggie sausages
Veggie sub
Tomato soup and flatbread sandwich with tomato/mozzarella
Tofu burrito

Congratulations Renee and Steel!!
The Miniature Horse Show Grand Champions!!!
I'm glad you had a fabulous day!!!

Had a nice play session with my dog this afternoon after our walk. He is fast asleep now, which is a rare instance in the daytime. It will probably only last for 10-15 minutes. Then he will be back on his feet begging to play or work.

We saw a family with a Blue Heeler puppy today at Lowe's. It was so adorable. My husband fell in love with him right away. He said he never owned a puppy before. I didn't think he was going to stop talking about it. He even offered to take it off their hands if they didn't want him anymore. I saw 3 kids look at him in horror. I could only laugh and slowly coax him away. Someday when we get another dog, I will have to make sure it is a puppy.

I started off thinking I would eat less today and exercise more, but I was ever so hungry and I was afraid I was on the verge of another migraine day, so I ate a bit more. Luckily no headache. As far as exercise goes, I was fine this morning, but my body was in slow motion this afternoon. Oh well, maybe tomorrow I will do better.

Tip of the Day

17 Reasons Why You're Regaining Weight


By Dana Smith & Olivia Tarantino
For many people, shedding the pounds was the easy part—it's keeping them off that can be the real challenge.
Trying to slim down can be similar to bouncing on a trampoline. The harder we jump down, the higher our weight infuriatingly shoots right back up. It's not just hard on your wallet (buying new pants all the time isn't cheap!), but it can also be hard on your health, from increasing muscle loss to attacking your immune system. Regaining lost weight, also known as weight cycling, is a common occurrence for 75 percent of people who attempt to shrink their waistlines—just look at the participants of the show, The Biggest Loser.

In a new study about the show, published in the journal Obesity, researchers followed 14 contestants for six years following the 2009 season. They were shocked to see that nearly all of the contestants (13 out of the 14) regained weight after the competition ended. And four contestants are actually heavier now than before they started their weight-loss journey. For some, that's over 100 pounds!

You probably already guessed there's more behind the added flab on your frame than just calories-in-calories-out and that simply moving more and eating less may not help you slim back down. Instead, you'll need to pinpoint the precise reasons behind your weight gain so you can reverse the damage. To help you out, we've outlined the most common weight-maintenance saboteurs below, along with ways to fight back against each. You may be surprised to learn which seemingly innocuous habits are making the scale tip further away from your goal weight! And to find expert-recommended tips to escape that weight loss game of tug-o-war, here with number 1 way of 20 to lose Weight for Good.

1 - You Eat As Much As You Did Pre-Weight-Loss

Congrats, you did it! You made it to your goal weight. But just because you dropped the pounds doesn't mean you can eat as much as you did before your weight loss. In fact, you may have to eat even less to keep the scale tipped in your favor. Why? Well, your body needs less fuel at its new weight. That's because when you lose a significant amount of weight, your metabolism actually slows down because of a mechanism known as "metabolic adaptation." Our bodies have evolved to store fat and become accustomed to the weight you've gained. So when you try to lose it, your body's metabolism switches to survival mode and decreases the amount of calories it burns on a daily basis—and stays like that for about a year. At the same time, research published in the journal Obesity found that your levels of leptin, the satiety hormone that tells your body when you've had your fill, actually drop after weight loss, leaving you feeling constantly ravished.

To be continued tomorrow with How to Counter It.

Source: http://www.eatthis.com/reasons-you-g...fter-losing-it

Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores

Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
banana
grilled chicken, pasta salad
shrimp chow mein

I had a luncheon meeting yesterday. It was potluck and I brought fruit salad. I made good food choices and was happy I controlled my eating.

It's a chilly 34 degrees this morning. Might have frost tonight. I'll need to cover the plants again.....what happened to Spring????

My next horse show has in-hand jumping. I need to set up some jumps and practice with Steel. I've jumped him before and he does well, we just need to practice a bit.

I love puppies!

Have a great Monday!

Exercise
1 hour walk

Meals
Bagel and Fat Free Cream Cheese
Tofu and vegetables, spring roll
Mock Chicken patty and zucchini relish, pierogies

Good job on the potluck dinner. You came prepared.

We are suppose to get down to freezing here tonight.
I hope it doesn't kill all my flowers.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Tip of the Day:
Counter It:

Know that your first year keeping the weight off is most likely to be the toughest and the time you'll have to be the most diligent. Maintain an eating schedule so you don't indulge in random office snacks your co-workers brought in. And to beat those menacing low leptin levels, read up on these 26 Ways to Feel Full While Eating Less.

Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores

Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
california roll
grapes
fruitcup, roast beef, potato

Chilly here, but no frost. Went down to 35 degrees.

I'll get lots of exercise today. We are doing a clean-up of my winter manure pile I usually dump it right into the manure spreader, but during the winter I make a pile because the spreader will freeze. We spread it back on the fields to fertilize the hay. They use a tractor with a loader, but then I rake what the loader misses.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life......I am packing too much extra weight...I was practicing jumping with Steel yesterday and my legs really hurt....I can hardly run with him...I am focused!!!!!!!!!

Exercise
45 minute walk

Meals
Tofu scramble
Veggie Pizza
Mock chicken patty, cheese sandwich

I bet your arms and legs will both be sore tomorrow after that work out. Go wonder woman!!

We can do this, yes we can, and we will.

We must stay focused and increase our will power!!!!

Tip of the Day:

17 Reasons Why You're Regaining Weight (continued)....
Reason Number 2-You're Super Tense

If your crazy-busy life has left you feeling worn down and stressed, that could be the reason you're starting to look a bit mushy in the middle. Cortisol, the stress hormone that's released when we're under pressure, causes the body to metabolize food more slowly. To make matters worse, the types of food we crave when we're tense tend to be fat and sugar-laden, say researchers. As a result, this diet-derailing combination can kill your hard-earned weight loss wins. Researchers say that the combination of high-cal cravings and a stress-induced snail-paced metabolic rate can result in significant weight gain.

Counter It:
To stay cool as a cucumber and keep those pesky pounds at bay, give a few different stress management tactics a try, suggests Lori Zanini, RD, CDE, Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Practicing yoga, going for a run, meeting up with friends, and unplugging from technology for an evening are all things Zanini says are worth a shot. Research even shows that smiling and laughing can help diminish levels of stress hormones. See what works best for you, and set aside time to decompress a few times per week.

Source: http://www.eatthis.com/reasons-you-g...fter-losing-it

Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores
10,625 steps

Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
grapes
tomato and cheese sandwich
banana
pork chop, pasta salad, snow peas

I'm not sore at all today. I rake and shovel everyday. It's the running that did me in the other day. I ran again yesterday and it wasn't so bad.

I did good with my snacking yesterday. Just had fruit. I had smaller portion sizes too. Hopefully I can keep it up....one day at a time.

Sam ordered some bio-degradable plastic mulch for the garden. We never keep up with the weeds so we're hoping this will do the trick.

Have a great day!