5 changes, big and small!

Sometimes when you're trying to lose weight, you get into a funk. You eat the same breakfast lunch and dinner.  You do the same exercises, you wear the same clothes, and after a while, you start to get bored.  Not only does the soul get bored with such routine, but your body adapts.  My body, for example, is getting far too used to what I'm doing.  Wake up, eat cereal, sit around for an hour, go work out for an hour, come home, get ready for work, go to work, come home, eat dinner.  Exciting, isn't it?

Well, I'm sitting here watching Ruby, and her therapist suggest to make 5 changes that might be a reminder of who you were and what the extra weight represented. So, being inspired by that, I am going to create my own "5 things" list.   THIS, my friends, is my list of 5 things to get me back on my weightloss track!!

1. Stop eating candy! Lately, I've been on this candy kick.  Not chocolate or anything, but chewy sprees! OMG, those are my weakness. Almost everyday before work I've been picking up a bag! Do you realize how many extra calories/points that adds?? Cara, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!?! So, this is my goal, NO MORE CANDY! I'm going cold turkey here folks!

2. Water, water, water, water!! This has been something I've been trying to go for the last few days, is drinking more water. I'm so bad at it! I hate water! I hate the taste, I hate the boringness, I hate everything about it! I've gone a couple days with out water before! Bad, I know,  but that's why it's my goal! I'm going to be drinking AT LEAST 64 ounces of water a day!

3. Get rid of my clothes! I have so many! And it's almost overwhelming!  While they fit, the stress of having so much clutter does not help the weight loss! Clutter = stress = weight gain!

4. Changing up my workout routine!! I think I'm getting bored with my workout shin-dig! My goal is to find some totally awesome new, fun exercises and circuits to do that keep me want to keep going and going!!

5. Mirrors. I have NO full length mirrors in my apartment.  I'd say 85% of the time, I hate what I see looking back at me.  So, I'm going to go buy one.  To change reality, you have to face it.

So, these are my 5 "get back on track" goals!!  Everyday is a fight in the battle of weight loss, but, I'm getting back on track!

101 things to make you smile!

You may ask what smiling has to do with weightloss? Well, you know you can't lose weight when you're super stressed, so smile, laugh, and let some stress out! Once again, I have to give credit to Yahoo for this one! So many days we all look past the simple things in life.  Here is a list of things, by just reading them, you'll smile!

1. coloring (yes, grown-ups can do it, too)
2. crisp cotton sheets
3. soft skin
4. old family recipes
5. the first daffodils of spring
6. sleeping in
7. an exercise endorphin high
8. window boxes
9. a perfect cup of coffee
10. a genuine compliment (giving or receiving)
11. the way babies smell
12. a handwritten letter
13. waking up in a good mood...for no real reason
14. singing in the shower
15. finding a couple forgotten dollars in your pocket
16. doing something nice for your neighbor
17. a home cooked meal
18. laughing
19. movie theater popcorn
20. playing hookey
21. a bubble bath
22. swimming
23. an afternoon nap
24. street musicians
25. your favorite song
26. saying thank you
27. helping someone in need
28. old fashioned photo booths
29. fresh whipped cream
30. inspiring blogs
31. a glass of wine
32. rainy afternoons
33. the funny things kids say
34. a novel you can get lost in
35. finding the perfect piece of clothing...on sale
36. clean laundry
37. the wind in your hair
38. treating the person behind you at the drive-thru
39. sharing an umbrella
40. the smell of lavender
41. a long walk that clears your head
42. a bear hug
43. The Beatles
44. smiling at a stranger
45. eating with chopsticks (Chinese food optional)
46. butterflies
47. staying in your pj's all day
48. singing along to the radio and knowing all the words
49. fresh herbs
50. ordering in pizza
51. happy endings...even if they're fictional
52. flying a kite
53. puppies
54. root beer floats
55. holding open the door...
56. ...or having someone hold the door for you
57. fountain soda
58. white, fluffy towels
59. sunshine
60. spending an afternoon at a museum
61. really great advice
62. green lights all the way home
63. the sound of rain hitting the windows
64. sitting in a booth
65. holding hands
66. a great hair day with no effort
67. building a fort with your kids
68. when someone falls asleep with their head on your shoulder
69. fireflies
70. the perfect taco
71. geraniums on a windowsill
72. slow dancing
73. the smell of fresh-baked bread
74. cheesy, uplifting musicals
75. great stories
76. the smell of gasoline
77. the cold side of the pillow
78. love letters
79. old friends...
80. ...new friends
81. a pull-through parking space
82. a baguette -- crisp on the outside, airy on the inside
83. when a dog licks your hand
84. sitting at the counter at an old-fashioned diner
85. using your favorite dishes
86. reading your child a bedtime story
87. Girl Scout Cookies
88. flossing
89. kissing someone you love
90. the smell of onions and garlic cooking
91. hot chocolate
92. jumping in puddles
93. old photographs
94. birds hopping on the sidewalk
95. Ella Fitzgerald
96. a spoonful of peanut butter straight from the jar
97. your softest t-shirt
98. a new magazine in the mail
99. fireplaces
100. having exact change
101. bacon and pancakes cooking on Saturday morning

SO, I hope these brought a smile to your face, and I hope even more you are able to accomplish a few of these today! So for now, keep on smiling! :)

Change in Pageants!

This article was featured on yahoo, and I thought it might spark some change in the U.S.




"If Katrina Hodge has her way, the world’s major beauty pageants may start looking a lot different.

A soldier in the British army, Hodge detained and disarmed a suspected rebel fighter with her bare hands while serving in Iraq. But she doesn't wear combat boots and Kevlar 24-7. Lance Cpl. Hodge is also a lingerie model for La Senza and was a contestant in last year's Miss England beauty contest. But don't assume those two very different occupations are mutually exclusive.

The soldier and model (nicknamed "Combat Barbie") recently convinced the organizers of the Miss England pageant to drop the ever-popular swimsuit portion. In England's Daily Telegraph, the multitalented woman remarked that posing in swimsuits just isn't fair to the contestants. "I think it's nerve-racking enough to girls to get up on a stage and speak, let alone in a swimsuit."

No argument here. Instead of strutting their stuff in swimsuits, the contestants will participate in a sports challenge, overseen by Hodge. The show's organizers pointed to the change as proof that their contest is always evolving. Apparently, looking good in a swimsuit is also irrelevant, as winners are rarely asked to appear in swimwear for public events.

News of the changes stirred up a lot of activity in the Yahoo! Search box. Online lookups for "katrina hodge pictures" and "katrina hodge army" both soared into breakout status. Additionally, searches on "miss world" surged an impressive 371% in just one day. Perhaps that will translate to more viewers.

Or maybe not. Back in 1994, when the Miss America contest asked viewers via a phone-in poll whether or not they thought the swimsuit portion should be discontinued, 73% of callers voted to keep it. In 2000, another poll was run, and 50% of viewers said they would no longer watch if the swimsuit portion was discontinued."

Even the great fall back!

Once upon a time, there was a girl, who had a blog, and never updated it! Well, finally after her whirl-wind honeymoon, the time has come for an update, and a confession!

Okay, done with the fairy-tale crap! I do apologize I haven't updated for a little bit, but Colin and I, FINALLY, were able to take our honeymoon to Disney World! It was fantastic!! However, when it came to diet...na-ah! We'll just say, when we hit Epcot, we gained 10 pounds from ALL around the World! Well, I assumed I would just work it out when I got home! (That was the secret confession part, so, don't get too excited!)

Well, I came home and went to Golds the day after, and what did I find out? GOLDS IS CLOSING!! Yes, that's right, my second home, the place that saved me all through Colin's deployment, is closing. I cried, I'm not going to lie.  Well, I joined Lifetime.  It has wonderful equipment, but I'm so not into the half naked house wives! *sigh*

Well, my goal is: I Will lose my honeymoon weight by the end of this month! That give me 10 days...I think I can do it!!

This change is going to throw a wrench in my working out schedule, but man, I have way too much going for me right now to give up! I am SOOOO CLOSE people!! I am now at the point where I need to ace my ASVAB, and boom folks, I am off to basic!! Hopefully I'm going to be able to keep you all updated! All else fails, Colin can! :)  Well, for now, that's all I have for you!

Who really is The Biggest Loser?

As many do, I love tuning in and watching The Biggest Loser!  Sometime's it's inspiring and sometime's it's down right depressing! I see all these people losing A TON of weight and I ask, "why can't I do that!? Why can't I lose 15 pounds in one week? Why am I fluctuation, and they aren't?!"  Well, I logged on to Yahoo today and I found this article.  I think it's VERY important to take things into perspective and know, what really IS going on...

"NBC's "The Biggest Loser" is all about records. In the past seasons, the weight-loss reality show has repeatedly set new benchmarks for heaviest contestant (454, 476 and 526 pounds), fastest 100-pound weight loss (seven weeks), and most weight lost in one week (34 pounds).

The show, which takes obese Americans and pits them against each other in a battle to lose the most weight and win $250,000, thrives on extreme numbers. But physicians and nutritionists worry the show's focus on competitive weight loss is, at best, counterproductive and, at worst, dangerous.

"They're taking people who have been inactive and are not in good shape and boom, automatically subjecting them to this stress," Carol Wolin-Riklin, the bariatric nutrition coordinator for the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, told LiveScience. "Things are going to happen."

And indeed, things have. Two patients were hospitalized after collapsing during a one-mile (1.6 km) foot race for the season 8 premiere. This year's season 9 opened with another strenuous challenge in which contestants raced 26.2 miles (42 km) on stationary bikes. Show medical consultant and UCLA professor Rob Huizenga had to drag one protesting contestant off her bike when she was stricken with severe cramps. A second contestant, 526-pound Michael Ventrella, was treated for exhaustion.

Health risks of obesity

The show's producers point out that contestants are under medical supervision and say the extreme nature of the competition is inspirational for viewers.

And of course, there are serious health risks to being as obese as the Biggest Loser contestants. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer. The risks become more pronounced as the obesity becomes more severe, and losing weight is a very good idea, said Wolin-Riklin ¬- if done right.

"The way I go about encouraging healthful weight loss is by working on changes one at a time," she said. "By making these changes bit-by-bit I think you have a better shot at having long-lasting lifestyle changes."

Real-life weight loss?

But weight loss on "The Biggest Loser" is far removed from weight loss in the real world.

For one thing, contestants start out in worse shape than most. Seventeen of the 22 contestants have a body mass index (BMI) over 40, meaning they are severely obese. In the "real world," more than one-third of U.S. adults, or 72 million people, are considered obese with a BMI of 30 or higher, according to the CDC. But research published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the number of Americans with a BMI over 40 is just under 6 percent. In other words, the show's claim that the contestants are the "epitome" of American obesity is a bit like saying that VH1's "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels" epitomizes the American dating scene.

And then there's the exercise program. Contestants work out five to six hours a day, eating strictly supervised diets. They routinely drop double-digit pounds each week. The contestant who loses the smallest percentage of body weight can be sent home.

In reality, said physician Robert Kushner, the clinical director of the Northwestern University Comprehensive Center on Obesity, a safe rate of weight loss is about one to two pounds per week.

"I think a lot of people can feel quite defeated that they're losing weight in what we would call a recommended amount, but they would have been voted off the show immediately," Kushner told LiveScience. "So the message, to me, is just all wrong."

So is the science. Losing weight rapidly can be risky, according to Virginia Tech professor of human nutrition, foods and exercise Janet Walberg Rankin. Patients who lose weight quickly run the risk of gallstones, mineral deficiencies, loss of muscle tissue and reduced bone density.

Beginning strenuous exercise suddenly can cause problems with hydration, electrolyte balance and cardiac function. High impact workouts can put an extra load on already-stressed bones. At least two contestants in Biggest Loser history have struggled with stress fractures.

Regaining the weight

Risks aside, weight-loss experts say that the biggest problem with the Biggest Loser is that extreme methods of dropping pounds are less likely to work in the long run. Several former Biggest Loser contestants have regained some or all of the weight, which doesn't surprise Kushner.

"They're not working with a trainer every day, they're not on national TV every day, they're back to life," he said. "It's very difficult to sustain."

While researchers aren't sure if repeated cycles of weight lost and weight gained are more dangerous than staying overweight or obese, the psychological toll of failing to keep weight off can be grim, said Kushner. People often feel like failures and become hopeless about their health.

Those looking for a safe way to lose weight or get healthier permanently should make small changes, Kushner said, like gradually increasing exercise or substituting healthy foods for unhealthy ones. In the real world, slow, steady and committed wins the race.

"We're not looking for extreme makeovers in someone's lifestyle," Kushner said. "We're looking for changes that they can sustain long-term."

So many times I see this show, and I think, "Why can't I do that?" Then a take a look at what I'm doing and I realize, I'm doin' just fine! What they do on this show, is simply not healthy, I prefer to not collapse!

Conquering fears

Since I've started losing weight I've been getting almost all my clothes at Old Navy. It was a very safe place to shop! I knew my pant size and I was so very happy with it!  

 If you didn't know, we are going to be actually going on a Honeymoon, starting Tuesday the 2nd! While I am pumped for this, we are going to be going to a warmer climate!  We're actually going to be spending a whole week in Disney World!  You would think I wouldn't care what I look like there, but I don't want to look at myself 30 years from now and see these pictures like I see my wedding pictures. I hate my wedding pictures.  I don't like the way I look at all! 

Well, as I said, Old Navy has always been a safe shopping store for me! However, in the last month, I had yet to find anything that really fits, and it has been getting discouraging! Instead of looking at it from the point of view of "Oh, I'm getting so much smaller, the sizes are getting smaller and in between" I'm having flashbacks to last year, and the rest of my life!

Because of this, going into a clothing store scares me!!! No, it doesn't just scare me, it terrifies me! The varying in sizes makes me nervous.  You might think it sounds weird, but I am terrified to try on pants!!

Well, Colin and I went up to Duluth yesterday. Being there isn't a WHOLE lot to do in that city we decided to walk around Miller Hill Mall.  We walked into Maurice's. I found a few shirts that I really liked! Then, we walked around the store and there they were, jean shorts! I thought they were actually cute. I wanted to try them on so bad, but they were a size 9, meaning, more of the teenaged type clothing.  I stood there for 10 minutes looking at them, dreading going to try them on!  What if they didn't fit?! What if my weightloss isn't real?!  What if it was JUST Old Navy where I lost size? What if I didn't lose it according to any other store??

For 25 years my mind hasn't fit anything! Well, after debating, I grabbed those shorts, bolted over to the dressing room, and put them on!! What happened? THEY FIT!!!! Doing that one thing was one of the scariest things I have done! It was admitting to myself that I MAY have not really done what I thought I have.  However, I DID! I have achieved this weight loss, and I'm still going! I've lost all the inches!  I am really doing it, and I continue to do it!

Part of this journey is experiencing things I have never done before! Well, this my friends is one thing I never thought I would be able to do!


"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might as well put that passing time to the best possible use."      Earl Nightingale

70 Pound Mark!

Today as I stepped on the scale FINALLY, I have reached the 70 pound mark!! I have been waiting for this for what seems like forever!!  For the last few weeks, I have been hugging the 64 to 66 pound loss.  To finally hit the 70 just lifted my spirits!

I guess I have to ask, what has changed this week?

Through the last year, stress has ruled my life! However, about one week ago, my husband finally came home from Iraq. It's SO amazing how having someone here to help shoulder responsibilities reduces my stress!!  I can't say that's the sole reason I'm losing again, but man it totally helps big time! :)

Yes, I still have a ways to go. My goal is about 30 more! I know I keep pushing it farther and farther, but why not huh? You have to have something to reach for! So, my new goal: to lose 30 more pounds by June!

The weather is starting to get really nice, so outdoor trails, here I come...back to hauling 30 extra pounds on my back! Who'd like to join me?!