Summer Fun II

Haven’t checked in for a while so here I am. Things have been going along pretty smoothly and I am holding the line at 150 pounds. One of the goals I made four years ago when I started this thing was to be in good enough shape to keep up with my grandkids. So far so good. I am happy to report that this summer I have been to the beach a couple times and was not afraid to put on a suit and get in the water.

It might not be a pretty picture but at least it is better than it would have been 21 pounds ago.


Can’t say I have really been trying to drop pounds this past month. Kudos to me for I have been to the gym regularly. However, couple that with fun gatherings meaning meals out of my control, and you barely get maintenance let alone loss.


Summer is winding up and I am looking forward to getting back into a settled eating routine. My next goal will be to do some toning. I am feeling kind of flabby.

Summer Fun

Wow, has it really been almost two months? The day after I last posted we left for the East coast to see Kevin graduate from dental school. We had a great 10 day visit Tiff’s family. When we got home Blake and Sara were visiting from Hawaii then Sonnet came to stay while Christian was out of state at field training. What a great month we had with children and grandchildren. Shortly after the last one left I got busy putting the final touches on Mom’s 90th birthday party. All in all I have been very busy with wonderful events and festivities.

How am I eating and exercising you might ask? Great! Of course there have been many meals out and treats with the grandkids, but after all is said and done I am 2 more pounds down bringing my total loss to 21 pounds. After a hiatus from the gym while the kids were here, I am happy to report that I again enjoy going to the gym about 4-5 times a week. Sticking to my allotted amount of blocks has been somewhat lacks though. Portion control is so important for me to keep as a priority. I am happy Stephen & I do not have any real trips in the near future. I would like to be home every day and get back a settled food routine.

Exercise

This is Sonnet finally checking in. My healthy eating/exercise progress has been a bit up and down. My biggest struggle has been fitting in exercise. My two main exercise activities were going to the gym to swim and going on walks with Ruthie. They Gym was dependent on Christian’s schedule (he had to be available to watch Ruthie) and the pool schedule (the High School Swim Team swims there and they have water group classes and other events that take up block of time). Christian is very accommodating but as he picked up a second job it became more difficult to schedule time.  Going on walks was easier, but it was still required working around Ruthie’s schedule (if I cut it too close to nap time I found myself carrying a grumpy baby in one arm while pushing the stroller in the other).  I will admit that sometimes I would get rather frustrated because I often felt inactive. Last week we got a bike trainer. That is something that you set your regular bike on to make it a stationary bike. I love it. Now I can go for a ride when Christian is at work and while Ruthie takes a nap.  This has been great. I have ridden every day.  Then on Saturday, when Christian was mountain biking with our friends, Kelly and Jayson, Kelly mentioned that she goes to a spinning class. Somewhere in this conversation I was volunteered/invited to go to spin class with Kelly. Yikes! I had been riding the trainer but a spin class was a whole hour of insanely fit people spinning at unfathomable speed. However, I will try just about anything once so today I went. It was so fun – in that odd fitness I-think-I-want-to-die sort of way way. The instructor was really nice (not one of those yell at you types) and encouraging. I am definitely going back on Thursday. Wish me luck.

Another 2 week worth post. Last week at weigh-in I had lost another pound. That brought my total to 18 pounds down. YEA! I continue to go to the gym most days. I very much enjoy it. I must admit without the IPad I would not make it the 30 minutes on the Elliptical. I watch movies and that makes the time bearable. After my 30 minutes or 300 calorie Elliptical workout, I hit about 7 machines. It is a good routine that targets endurance/aerobic as well as arm and leg weight resistance. Today weigh-in showed another pound down, 19 total. Not too bad considering I ate crazy yesterday on Mother’s Day. We had a family dinner and yes, my portions were large and yes, I ate dessert. Other than that, I have been a totally awesome Zone eater. I seem to be moving soooo sloooow. Clothes are fitting better but my chest and hips are still too big. Oh well, they say slow and steady is the key. I am trying to be patient.

Playin' Hookie

So, you haven’t heard from me in two and a half weeks. Probably thought I’d fallen off the wagon and didn’t have the courage to admit it. Ah Contraire! Weigh-in day two weeks ago was on the day Stephen & I headed out for a conference in Tahoe. We weighed in but shortly after left town and I never got around to writing. Last weigh-in day was my first day back to seminary and work, so I hit the ground running. Just didn’t make time to write. However, this afternoon I have free and thought I’d catch up.

We had a wonderful time in Tahoe eating sensible.  Notice the water - I cannot think of the last time I had anything but water to drink.  Good thing we wern't soda pop drinkers to begin with.

I packed things like tuna, fruit, boiled eggs and our delicious 1 block trail mix snack bags. Sonnet turned us on to a yummy treat called Cliff Builder Bars. They make an easy snack, come in six flavors and taste good. It was handy to have a refrigerator in our hotel room. We picked up cottage cheese and yogurt at the store there and could pretty much eat out of our room however, at least once a day we went out to eat. The casinos buffets in Lake Tahoe are wonderful. A plethora of healthy food just waiting to be eaten. Of course, there was more unhealthy food but that didn’t tempt us. I have found that I really like spinach. Romaine lettuce and spinach make up the base for my favorite salads.
 I have been hitting the gym about 5 times a week. This increase in exercise has really paid off. Clothes are fitting better. Even while in Tahoe I availed myself of the hotel gym and walked extensively around town. At last weighing, I have lost 17 pounds. Feels great! Stephen is coming along slower. He does the diet thing pretty good but doesn’t really exercise. He is moving in the right direction and that is what is important.

 

Jami's B-Day

 

 So the Walkie-Talkies went out to lunch today to celebrate Jami’s B-day.  I made a good lunch selection of fish.  It came with rice and salad.  I substituted the rice for double salad.  Good so far.  It was a good lunch and when we were ready to go I mentioned that we did not get Jami any dessert, didn’t even ask her if she wanted something.   We always get dessert.  Someone suggested we go down the road to a place called Tutti Fruiti.  It was a cute yogurt shop.  They offered sugar free/fat free vanilla (those kinds of things always make me wonder just what exactly it is they are made of).  It tasted good so I used that as my base.  Good so far.  Well, then there was the topping bar…I had a scoop of Butterfinger, heath bar and almonds with a splash of hot fudge and caramel.   Not so good.  We all sat around eating and talking.  The company was delightful but the yogurt nothing special.  I mean it was good but not worth the calories.  It was a good experience that reminded me that by eating healthy I am really not missing out on anything and to spend my fluff calories only on things I really want.  Tonight we have Relief Society and there is sure to be treats.  No problem.  What I had today confirmed that even goodies I think will be delicious can in reality be unsatisfying.

Weekly Weigh In

Well, I can report that I went to the gym 5 days last week and just got home from the gym today. Lovin’ it! Sonnet says I should step up my block allowance because my activity level has increased so I think I will increase it by 1 block. This gives me a total of 10 per day. I have been happily Zoning as well. Alas, with all my efforts I have only dropped 1 pound – go figure. I have noticed a difference in inches though, which is far more satisfying. Clothes are fitting better giving me more options in the wardrobe department. Stephen dropped 5 more pounds bringing his total to 9 pounds. Good for him. He does not work out per say, but if you count the time he is outside working on his Jeep I guess you could say he is upright and moving for hours most afternoons.

Tonight I am going to try my hand at cooking Tilapia. Sonnet suggested covering it with salsa and baking it in the oven for about 15 minutes. I will add a broccoli, carrot and cauliflower medley as a side with strawberries and cream for dessert. OK, change of plans – When Stephen got home we went to Hart Park and took a walk. By the time we got home it was late to begin cooking so we just had an easy-fix dinner from the cupboards. Stephen had cottage cheese and stewed tomatoes (4 blocks) and I had two boiled eggs mixed with a little Mayo spread on a piece of bread (2 blocks), a string cheese and some strawberries (1 block). Hopefully I can try the fish soon.