Day 57 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Blessed with another day! Blogging about it on time, too! 

Today was great, full of things that consume a homeschool momma's day. Inevitably, at the evening while checking my steps, I knew.....5 miles. I just about cried. I did not want to do 5 miles. I did not want to do any miles. I wanted to sit and chat and read email and read a book. I wanted to go to bed early. 

Enough whining!

 I  am blessed with health and strength. I am redeemed {that is most important}.  I want to live my best to do my best {which is nothing} for HIM. I am thankful. I had to change my outlook. I did my five miles and I am glad of it.

 I have lived defeated in this area of my life for so long. I have done everything but take the time to take care of this body that loves the man sleeping in this house right now. This one body that loves these four precious souls who watch me sweat. I was proud of the excuses that I had to do laundry and cook, they were very legitimate. But, they were keeping me bound. The little small place in my heart that was sad, ashamed and felt hopeless because of the way I had treated this body. No one means to get to being 100 pounds overweight. I did not set out to see just how obese I could get. Little by little, the "I'll start Monday" turned into a decade of Mondays. This journey is a fragile one. You may read this and think that I have it all together. I fight it every day. The only difference between then and now is I am winning small little victories every day that are turning into weeks of health......I pray they turn into years of health.

Day 56 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Get ready, this is just kind of sad and funny. Day 56 was a non-exercise kind of day because on day 55 I decided to try to out jump-rope my dear sweet hubby. He was surprised at how well I could do it. I was shocked at how the front of my legs felt the next day. The right leg in particular let me know right fast that power walking was not going to happen. 

Since this is the morning of the 57th day I can say that it feels some better and I am going to try to get my steps in over the course of the day.

Hope your day is wonderfully blessed!

Day 54 & 55 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Another post with two days! Well, our DSL was down for 24 hours. (Thank you Lord for my iPhone) Although., I could have blogged with my phone I just didn't. I thought I'd wait and just do it today. 

Also, this is not going to be a long post. Just a summary to say I am on track and being consistent. What an accomplishment for me. Also, I think that plateau may have been helped along with a faulty scale. My husband said he got on in and got a 5 pound difference in his reading within the same 2 minutes. So, I got rid of it and got this one. Amazing, it says the same thing no matter how many times you get on it. OR with what foot you step up first. I don't know why I put up with that crazy scale for so long!

Day 53 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Have I said before that Sundays are hard when it comes to getting in many steps.

Today we went to lunch Sweet Hubby's parents  and that took forever! We love that place enough to wait. I had broiled fish, broccoli (can you believe that I actually crave that stuff now and NO cheese or butter was on it?) a salad bowl full of veggies with the dressing on the side.

As far as calories go, I did great.
Steps? Well that is another story. We came home then left again to do a visitation with a shut-in. Then tonight it was either do lesson plans so that we can jump right back into school or workout. I had to do lesson plans.....I will try to get some extra activity in tomorrow (Whew...that was fun, I had to get up and do the twist with Jess and Janie) :)))) (Thanks Mimi) ;)

Hope your week is excellent!

Day 52 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Here I am on the 2nd half of the 100 days. Wow, who would have thought it? Aside from griping about a plateau I want to focus on the good things that have come from this last 50 days.  Today Sweet Hubby and I went to the hospital. 

First oddity from Melanie: "Park here, yes this is good, we can walk a long way." 

Second: "No! Not the elevator! Where are the steps? (notice, I never knew where the steps were and I have gave birth in that place more than once.) 

Third: While going up several flights of stairs...I......RAN......gingerly.....not panting for dear life. Oh, that just felt good.

 So scale, today you have not bothered me. (Just please move downward again!)

Steps today:11098

Calories tracked and in range.

Day 50 & 51 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Alright, so I will not make any more promises about blogging on time. :)

This week we  have been on "work-yourself-to-death-cation" instead of vacation. The days have been full and long. I love having the buzz around here but our routine is out the window. That will make Monday morning hard.

Okay, on to the subject. Really, there is little to say. A plateau is an ugly place. A place of learning.......patience......heaven help me....I really like instant. ☺

The workouts are getting easier however, and that means my fitness level is increasing. A good thing.

Part of this health kick is healthy eating and I have a couple of recipes to share. 

The first one is a good way to change up breakfast.

Broccoli Quiche Cups

.

So, Greg walks by the stove and says "You made broccoli cakes!" with a pitiful expression on his face.

No, he did not try one. I really like them. You will love the calorie count.

Here is the recipe

Preheat oven to 350

1 10 oz package of frozen broccoli

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup Kraft Four Cheese shredded 2%

1 cup Egg Beaters

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

Shake in some paprika

Steam broccoli, pepper and onion.

Stir together Egg Beaters, cheese, flour and veggies, paprika.

Spray muffin tin. Spoon mixture into cups. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Each cup has about 57 calories, I had 3 for breakfast and that is still low calorie.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 12
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 56.8

• Total Fat: 1.8 g
• Cholesterol: 5.0 mg
• Sodium: 144.1 mg
• Total Carbs: 4.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
• Protein: 5.2 g

Next is a beautiful, delicious salad.

Black Bean & Corn Salad

black beans- 1 15oz can rinsed and drained 

corn- 1 cup of frozen or fresh kernels 

sour cream, light- 3 TBS

 salsa 1/2 C

 avocado 1 whole, peeled and diced 

1/2 Cup fresh, chopped Cilantro

 6 cups Romaine lettuce 

1 Cup Low Fat Feta Cheese, crumbled

 Apple Cider Vinegar 1 TBS

 Grape tomatoes, halved

Mix salsa, sour cream, apple cider vinegar. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and toss to coat.

Serve with baked tortilla chips. Use 1/4 cup of Feta for each serving.


Serving Size: 1  cups of bean mixture and 1 1/2 Cup of lettuce. Serve with chips (like baked tortilla)

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 277.0

• Total Fat: 10.3 g
• Cholesterol: 8.7 mg
• Sodium: 853.5 mg
• Total Carbs: 35.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 10.4 g
• Protein: 13.2 g

This is so good! Give it a try.


So Yesterday (Day 50) 9987 Steps:(
Today (Day 51) 10,800 I made up for yesterday! :)
Calories all tracked and in range.

Day 49 of 100 days of Health Habit

*in my best infomercial announcers voice*

It's 100 Days of Health!!! Just what you need!! You will experience everything there is to experience in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle! You will get 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day, 122 ounces of water and 5672 trips to the restroom. You will get sweat, lots of it and you will try your hand at tasty, new, exciting, healthy recipes that are filled with those strange looking veggies at the market that you have know idea what they are. BUT WAIT! If you keep following you will also get what every woman in pursuit of a smaller waistline wants a PLATEAU! Yes! You heard that right!........

Okay, you can stop imagining  me screaming like an infomercial and I will try to refrain from sarcasm.

I think I have lost sight of my original goal of just being consistent. Because I have come to expect a 2 pound per week weight loss. The spreadsheet on my computer says it should be (don't laugh). I have become very frustrated over the same number that has been greeting me between my feet. 

So, let me stop here and refocus with a few questions. Yes, I will talk to myself, and answer myself here on the blog...just humor me.

1. My goal was consistency. Have I been? YES! more than ever.

2. Do I feel better? Oh, yes. So many things are better. Especially sleep. And my energy level is great!

3. Has my attitude toward exercise changed? It is a 360 degree change. Tonight at 10:00 pm I said "I'm going to workout.......(hold your breath) because it makes me feel better!

4. Have I learned to make healthy changes? Absolutely. I don't even miss Blue Plate Mayo (that is big, people)

See, this is good. But what in the world is going on with my weight? Well, I just don't know. I am studying it out. There is this weird thing about "starvation mode" In which the fact that I am burning 2800-3000 calories a day and only taking in 1500 is maybe not a good thing. That sounds so messed up to me! It goes against everything I have ever known about what a diet is suppose to do. However, I have NEVER, EVER, EVER worked out like I have been doing the last 49 days. I am burning more energy. Weight Watchers always said you could eat the exercise points that you earned.  I just don't know. The verdict is still out on whether I buy it or not. I did adjust my Sparkpeople range to include my activity level. It did change my calorie range from 1220-1550 to 1350-1770. How crazy this all sounds. All I know is that I do not like a plateau. Period. I NEED, CRAVE, WANT instant gratification. 

Oh, let me just say. Yes, I have been unhappy. But, in the big scheme of things. I am so thankful. I know I am so blessed. Please don't think I am all wrapped up in myself. I know that just to be able to exercise and serve my family and walk this journey is a gift. I am thankful!

Steps:11117

Calores tracked and in range

Day 47 & 48 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Goodness.....now I am getting so bad that I am having to combine the days! Sorry about that. We are having a "stay-cation" this week and those seem to be busier than normal life!

Yesterday (Day 47) started out very good. I got up and worked out early! Can you believe it? I did. Then we went to the mall (that is not normal for me). Janie, the 2 year old has been begging to get her ears pierced since her big sister Jenna wears earrings. I need to get some pictures of that on here.....Anyway, it was a great day and I crawled into bed without even thinking that I would need to question how many steps I made. Surely I had surpassed my daily goal? Imagine my shock when just before turning out the lamp I gaze in wide-eyed wonder at the little Fitbit that is telling me I am about 1000 steps short for the day!!!! I was shocked. Needless to say I did not get out of bed and do 1000 steps. Oh well, no more assumptions for me. Calories were all good, even with a trip to Starbucks (oh yeah...that was good!)

Now on to day 48. Wow, I am so tired just typing this. Last week we were very busy and I did not keep up my routine of 2 loads of laundry a day. Well, that spells disaster at this house. Today I have done 10 loads. I hung 5 loads out on the line (that is so awesome!) and did the others inside. Just a moment ago I was shocked to see that I have 9500 steps and have not even done a walking workout!  Just taking away a little modern convenience and I increased  my activity level greatly! Think about that in your life. We all have so many things that help our lives so much but they cause us to be so sedentary. Ummmm....is that really helping us? Just look at the obesity problem in this country.

So, I have a few more things to do and that will easily put me over 10000 steps for the day.

We had a treat tonight and ordered Pizza Hut. This is rare because it is just expensive. What did I have? The Veggie Lovers pizza was awesome and only 180 calories a slice! The trick to lifestyle change is not feeling deprived. Just little changes. I did not miss the Meat Lovers or the heartburn that accompanied it!

Almost half way there!

Day 46 of 100 Days of Health Habit

It's been a great day! Just finished working out (still getting them in late). I added in some strength training. 

It was pretty good. I just cant do the floor exercises due to that nasty tenderness I have had since my epidurals. (Why do you never hear about that) Anyway, I can do the ab work on a ball.






So, I'll tell you the scale was moving great until the last few days (about 10) and I am really getting anxious about it. One positive thing I am doing to combat the scale monster is taking measurements. I use to try to do that with a regular tape measure (used for sewing) but this one is so much easier and you don't have to do the unthinkable and ask for someone to help measure you. :)













Another day down and I am happy with myself (take that you mean scale). Time for bed. Vacation (stay-cation) next week. Going to eBay some stuff, work in the yard and Lord willing, just enjoy my family.

Steps: 10105
Calories tracked and in range.

Day 45 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Wow, I am getting bad at blogging these things late! Last night Janie feel asleep on me (I just love it) and I could not blog with one hand so....here I am a little late.

Yesterday was day 45. Nothing major, just still counting consistency as a worthy goal. If I ever was gonna fail it would have been easy in this last week. I have just been out of sorts and after a sweet talk with my honey (he IS the BEST) I am getting out of that rut. But hey, I have come through it, which is major for me. I used to get in the pit and waller (that is southern slang for wallow) in it for a while.

So, have a beautiful day and I will try to get day 46 post before it ends. :)

Steps on day 45: 10445

Calories tracked and in range!

Day 44 of 100 Days of Health Habit

I guess you could say that some people never learn, or that old habits die hard, but it is 11:17 pm and I just finished my workout. Oh well, at least I had the drive to do it. I got a lot done today. I completely decluttered the school room which is also home to all of the little girls toys and houses some of my kitchen overflow! Wow, that felt good and although I was on my feet all day at 10:30 I did not have all of my steps in. But, working out in a clean room felt so good!

Here is to good habits and learning to form new ones!

Steps: 10001 :)

Calories tracked and in range.

Day 43 of 100 Days of Health Habit

I've been honest from the start and I'm not going to quit being honest now. Today was full of frustration. I don't know exactly what is fueling the feelings but I know they are there. I am feeling very smothered by some clutter (what homeschool mom doesn't at some point?) and trying to plan for a "stay-cation" next week. I want to get so much done and yet I feel like I'm just going in circles! Tonight I sat down at 7:00 to just list a few items on eBay. When I looked at the clock it was after 10:00. It brought back to memory a note the teacher wrote on one of my elementary report cards, "Melanie does not use her time wisely." That has stuck with me all these years and today I am feeling it all over again! The kids were all still awake, running amuck and I looked down to see how many steps I had in...,6000. So at 10:30 I'm looking at needing to do at least a four mile walk! I just couldn't! I've gone all I can. I must learn to get my workout in early. That is my struggle for the most part, nothing more than procrastination.

So, I'm going to bed. I will learn from this day. I am learning always. Not giving up!


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Day 42 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Day 42! My goodness I am shocking my own self. I am by no means thinking that I have it all wrapped up, but I am starting to really see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have a lot of weight to lose and that in itself makes it hard to stay focused. This little challenge has just worked wonders for me. Why I was never able to set small goals just makes me wonder....

But, I am not looking back. I like this journey.

Have a great night!

Steps: 10025

calories tracked and stayed in my range!

Day 41 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Praise the Lord, I am feeling like my old self again and getting through that 4 mile workout was a lot easier today than it was yesterday!

Today was a busy day. What do you think would be the hardest part of this lifestyle change on busy days? Well, that would be keeping track of calories. This is the most important part for me. I know that I am burning calories, but if you just have a bite here and one there then it is very hard to keep up with how many calories you have consumed.  A good rule to follow is one I learned at Weight Watchers: "If you bite it, write it!" I could not agree more. Keeping track of every thing is key. I do my tracking with the Sparkpeople app on my iPhone. If you are trying to get healthy and are not tracking your intake give it a try. I think you will find that you will be more successful.

Steps: 10364

Calories all tracked and in range.

Day 40 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Can I tell you how many times I've heard that exercise all through the day is as good as one long block of activity? I never really thought that could be true. I always thought that I had to have at least an hour of hard sweating to burn the most calories.

Then comes the Fitbit. Every day it tells you, based on age, weight and activity, how many calories you should have burned. On day 40 I was still trying to recover from day 39. It was all I could do to get the steps in. At 7:00 pm I only had 2000! I almost cried! So after I drug myself through a five mile walk I went to the computer to check my numbers. I begin to compare the days where I am intentional about getting steps in every hour versus when I sit most of the day (schooling) and then do a big workout. In both days I get in the same amount of steps, however, I burn more calories overall when I do little spurts of activity through the day. So I said all this to say DON'T be defeated in your attempt to lose weight if you can't do an hour workout every day or go to the gym. Fifteen minutes at a time, several times a day will do the same, if not more!


Sorry to post this late... Life gets so full sometimes.

Steps:10023
Calories tracked and in range.

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Day 39 of 100 Days of Health Habit

I almost could not bring myself to put the 100 Days of Health picture on this post. Today has not been full of health!

As I opened my eyes this morning my first thought was, "What in the world is wrong with my stomach?"

I felt like I was going to just collapse if I had to walk any farther than my bathroom! 

My poor sweet hubby, the preacher, had to spend the morning getting two little girls ready for church. I know the Lord gave him grace when he got to church. :)

I have just stayed in the bed all day. I feel useless.....I really miss active....

Truly, inactivity breeds more of the same. Just lying around makes me feel so heavy and tired.

I pray that this is only a 24 hour thing and that bright and early I will feel good as new. A mommy has too much to do to be down!

I am surprised that I even logged 400 steps (no, I never take the FitBit off)

Calories: I don't want to think about anything to do with food. :/

Day 38 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Can you say TIRED??

That is what I am and we lose an hour tonight!

So, no long post tonight. Just going to say I am 25 steps away from 10,000. Picture me, standing by my bed, marching in place....counting those last 25 steps before hopping between the sheets!

Goodnight!!

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Day 37 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Day 37?

Well, I've been nothing but honest and I'm not gonna stop now. Day 37 was one full day. A great day, a day spent enjoying life. But, by the time I had a moment to where I could spend and hour working out is was almost midnight! Remember, I do have four kids and two of those brought home their buddies. Which was just awesome for them!

How could I have worked in my steps earlier in the day? I should have gotten up earlier, before everyone else. So, today that is what I will be doing, because it is going to be busy too.

Learning to stay focused. Pick it back up when I've had an off day. Not say: "Well, I couldn't workout today so I might as well just forget it this weekend, and while I'm at it I'm gonna eat whatever I want." That was old me talking. Hopefully, I'm getting rid of that mentality for good!

So, here's to today and not dwelling on yesterday!

By the way, I said I was busy and I was, but you want to know just how many (or few) steps I had in? Just 3,400!!! Just proof that busy is not active enough! But, boy that was good coffee!!

All calories tracked and in range!




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Day 36 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Day 36 and I almost forgot to blog it! Isn't that great? This lifestyle is becoming so much of a normal routine that I forget it is a challenge.

You know yesterday I said that I was having trouble getting lean proteins? Well, today I completely grossed my kiddos out with my protein packed lunch. Tuna and cottage cheese! It taste better than it sounds and was filling! They were having no part of it. :)

Steps: 10100
All food tracked and in range.

Good night!

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Day 35 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Today I want to talk a little about the whole calorie in\ calorie out subject and the fuss about if it works or not. I am not a professional dietitian, although I have done enough diets in the last 15 years that I should hold some sort of degree. So, I am just speaking from the knowledge of trial and error and the research I have done. Do I think that all calories are created equal? No, I don't! I do not think that you can eat 1200 calories of 100 calorie pack Oreo's and lose as much weight as you would if that 1200 calories came from lean meats, fruits and veggies. The latest hoopla with Weight Watchers is the notion that all fruit is free and that is just not true. They are trying to get you to eat more fruit, but not in excess. That is the point, you can not eat in excess, I don't care what food it is.    Pick a banana and not count the calories as opposed to eating that same 100 calories of some packaged diet food. But if you eat all of your points and then two bushels of bananas and expect to drop weight you will be disappointed. That is what I am learning: make better choices. Pick food that is as close to what God made it to be. That would be the best way to eat. Oh, how hard that is! I can remember when the whole craziness of "STOP THE INSANITY" bald lady came
 out?

 She was screaming all over the TV and what she was saying sounded great! Eat all you want as long as it is fat free."Fat makes you fat!!!" she yelled!  Let me tell you how many fat free hostess cupcakes I ate....and how much weight did I lose? NONE! Not one pound! I think I gained weight! What about when Oprah told everyone about eating a whole pound of bacon because it has no carbs....but every so often go pee on a stick so you make sure your body is not getting into ketosis. Remember that one?

So, calories in \ calories out, it will work if you are sensible and eat a balanced diet. Every day that I finish tracking my food I get a chart on the screen that tells me the ratio of my food intake. Right now I am struggling to get more lean protein. I know this and I can work on it. Balance and common sense. Eat right and exercise. It is so simple that it is boring and most people don't want to do boring. They want the crazy lady screaming some new thing! That kind of thinking has kept me on this yo-yo for far too long. 

In the end it is learning to be patient and just do the work. There is no quick fix. Slow and steady is going to win this race!

Steps: 10,175

calories tracked and in range!

Day 34 of 100 Days of Health Habit

It took me forever to plan my grocery list tonight. One key to me being successful is having plenty of healthy food choices. I browsed Spark Recipes and my Weight Watchers cookbooks all day! I'm not going to cook separate meals for me, so it's important that our meals please everyone. My family has been great about trying all the new things and don't seem to notice when I lighten up our old favorites.

Planning is crucial in trying to eat healthy! So, now that the cabinets are stocked I am sure all of that thinking was worth it. Plus, going to the grocery store gets in a lot of steps!

So, another day down. It's been good!

Steps: 10251
Calories tracked and in range!

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Day 33 of 100 Days of Health Habit

It's a milestone!! 1/3 of the way to 100!!

Has it been easy? Some days have been. Some days have been hard and I fought myself every 10,000 steps of the way. I was thinking just this morning how energetic I felt. It was almost crazy I felt so good. :)

So, you know that my sweet hubby took control of the scale. Well, after I proved that I could play nice he allowed me to have it. I am not so dependent upon it as before. I know that I am doing the work. I've learned the patterns of my body. I've learned to just do what I set out to do: to be consistent and follow my plan, which is simple. I've learned that I can do more and that I am not a lost cause.

This is the icing on the cake (that's probably not the best way to put it) I have lost 8.1 pounds in the first half of this 100 days. Basically 2 pounds a week. Consistently. That is a first!!

So, if this is helping no one else it is helping me. Keeping this journal of the journey has been key to staying focused.

Have a great night!

10,000 steps (and I'm done for today)
Calories tracked and in range.

Melanie

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Sweet Peace. Sweet Love.

I don't know how we got here. I sit and ponder on it. Two people grown into mature love for one another yet still giddy with like-new love. How do some grow bitter and apart? And yet I love him more deeply than ever and I feel it. He loves me too, all of me. Forty-something, after four babies, flighty, sometimes moody, messy-housed, "honey your laundry is in the dryer," me. There is a deep respect that was not demanded. It was carefully nurtured and tended, guarded fiercely. I can't write a book and tell others how to do it. THE BOOK, told us. I don't know why He chose to bless the two of us with this gift. We just trusted that if we did it His way that we could be happy. Together. Joined. We are two, yet one. Were there rough times? Oh, those first few years....wow.... so glad God worked on those stubborn, self-centered ways. I think on those days fondly, I live in these days gladly. That is my Multitudes on Monday. So humbly thankful for this gift that has built this home and four little blessings. I pray and beg God to be forming someone for them who will make them feel as loved and secure as Sweet Hubby makes me. 

and counting.....

252 a clean house

253 the sunrise

254 washing machine humming

255 How his "I love you " still makes my heart skip

256 homeschool

257 morning bird singing

258 Rooster crowing

259 the feeling of home

260 church family

261 peace

262 grace, again

Day 32 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Well, Sundays are always busy and after the one I had yesterday you will see why I am posting day 32 (Sunday) on Monday.

We went to church, then to Red Lobster, {Met my Mom & Dad there}, then we decided to go to Sams with my parents {because I don't have a card and they do.} Then we came back home for just a few minutes, then back to church. Then home again and of course I had to exercise because I only had in 3500 steps even after all of that running. And at the end of it all still fell 400 steps short of 10,000.

You might be wondering what I had at Red Lobster that did not just blow the deal. Here it is:

Cedar Plank Salmon.....oh my! I did not have rice, instead I just had two servings of broccoli. Of course, I  did have the Cheddar Bay Biscuits...two of them. That came in at around 800 calories. A lot more than I usually have at one meal. But, it is still workable and by the time you eat all of that who is still hungry? For supper I had a bowl of Kashi. We do not eat out a lot anymore for a lot of reasons, but even trying to lose weight you have to remain flexible. I could have went and had the 1000 calories meal (excluding salad and bread that would have been another 500-600) and been miserable afterward. Honestly, I did not even miss that feeling or the old entrées I used to order. Finish that meal off with coffee and the desert menu does not even phase me! It may seem trivial to some, but the feeling of empowerment I get at staying on my plan is what propels me to continue. I have been powerless for so long.

The good thing about late night exercise is you know that you are burning off some of that Cheddar Bay Biscuit! ☺ My workout last night burned 417 calories. YAY! I can't stress enough what the tools that I have do for my goals. I does not have to be a guessing game. You do not need spend a lot of money, grab a five dollar pedometer, if the Fitbit is too much. Timex makes some pretty good beginner Heart Rate Monitors for under forty dollars. The web is full of calorie information. While searching for nutrition info on Red Lobster I even ran across a site that told me how much exercise I'd have to do to burn off the any particular meal that was listed! Use whatever tool you need to make this a challenge and not a drudgery. It is like a game to me now and I like winning! One cool app is My Fitness Pal. (now I love and use Sparkpeople app, but I was browsing apps when I found this) The neat thing it does is at the end of the day, after you journal your food and exercise it will give you a summary that says something like this: "If every day was like this one in 5 weeks you would weigh ###." How is that for encouragement? I love it!

On a note of calorie, I used to cringe when someone would tell me to count calories! I think that is why I loved Weight Watchers for so long. It was a nice camouflage to counting calories. Those points were a nice way to trick my brain. Now, I much prefer counting the calories, because I don't have to find the fiber and fat and now with the new PointsPlus, the carbs.

Okay, enough about that. It's time to get up from this computer!

Steps: 9649 :(

Calories tracked and in range ☻

Later tonight I will do post day 33 and tell you what the scale has said about this 1st part of my 100 days!

Have a beautiful day!

Day 31 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Well, what a day. I have cleaned and mopped and done laundry and cleaned rooms and exercised. I am ready for bed. As a matter of fact I am in the bed and just realized I didn't blog. So before this audio book lulls me to sleep I will hurry and tap out a post.

Steps today: 10710
Calories all tracked and in range.

Good night and have a blessed Lord's day.

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Day 30 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Guess what! For the first time in my life I think I am wearing the soles thin on a nice pair of Sauconys (those are the MOST comfortable pair of shoes I have ever put on) that my mom bought me a few months ago! Trust me, I have never worn out a running shoe. 

It is really amazing how I feel. More energetic, alert and happy. I can tell you that I used to have days where I felt like a big sloth. It was a chore to do anything. Now there is a spring in my step......I'm amazed. I am thankful. I am excited! On day 33, 1/3 of the way to 100, I will tell you exactly how much weight I have lost. That was not my goal to start this, (remember, my goal was just to be consistent)but I am coming to believe that this lifestyle of eating right, tracking intake and being active will actually result in weight loss. Believe me when I say I had lost all hope that this could work for me. I have lost weight, many times. I have never exercised everyday for 30 days, NEVER!

Steps today: 10883
calories tracked and in range.


{And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Col.3:23}

Day 29 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Here we are at the end of day 29. In the last 29 days I have read many articles on the subject of weight loss. One thing that I never knew about was BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate, which is the number of calories it takes for your body just to function. Then you can add into the equation how active you are and see about how many calories you will burn in one day. Then you can see how many calories you need to take in to meet your weight loss goal. One pound of fat is 3500 calories. If you want to lose one pound per week then you will need to create a 500 calorie deficit each day. If you can add in some exercise you will only help your cause. The workout I did yesterday burned a whopping 501 calories!

So, below I put in a widget for you to use to calculate your BRM. You can find them all over the web and if you have an iPhone or iPod touch there are many apps that will do all of the calculations for you. You can adjust that number as your weight goes down.

Steps: 10078
calories tracked and in range!
Here's to health!





Can I just pop in here and say that when I plug my numbers in that widget the calorie recommendation I get is shocking when you consider I want to lose weight. We have been drilled that 1200 calories is a must for everyone. That does not take into account body size. That may be why some heavy dieters are always hungry and fail at losing weight.....you think?