Fitting in Time for Me...And My Husband.

I think I've piled a little bit too much on my plate again (sigh).  I go through cycles.  I put too many irons in the fire, work really hard until I basically have a break down, then step back and try to figure out which things can be taken off the plate.

It's a sickness, I know.

For the last several months, I've been up from 5:00 am till midnight every day of the week.  I have 1 day between now and the end of March, and 2 days in April, that I don't have at least one thing scheduled - above and beyond the recurring appointments already etched into my brain.

And yet, I'm trying to do more. Be more.

Well, actually, I'm trying to be LESS. As in lose weight.

I've spent a couple of months working out 2-3 times per week with my trainer, and I'm beginning to see differences in increased strength and how my clothes fit better.  But the scale isn't moving the way I'd like.

I'm not willing to give up the strength training, because I need the extra strength to handle my son with special needs.  So, with only 5 hours of sleep per night, and having the current commitment of 90 minutes with Ryan (the trainer) three times per week, I struggled with how to add more cardio without taking away from my family.

Decades ago, in high school, I used to play volleyball.  I haven't played since before my youngest was born, nearly 7 years ago.  But my husband is 6'6" and he LOVES volleyball.  Go figure.

I found out about a co-ed volleyball night through our church twice per month, and I asked him about it.  I suggested we could use it as our date night on those weeks.  The nice thing about volleyball is A) it's free.  B) It's not centered around food, which is how our date nights usually go.

Tonight was our first night.

I showed up in knee-length spandex Capris, a pair of tennis shoes, and a t-shirt over a tank top and two bras - one is like a suit of friggin' armor to keep the 'girls' from giving me a black-eye, and the other was to smooth out the bumps because my cups runneth over, if you know what I mean.  The suit of armor was $80 when I bought it. By golly I'm gonna use it till it shreds into nothingness, or the straps break.

I was a hot mess by the end of the first rotation, gasping for breath after the second, and sweating like a pig by the end of the 11-point game. Still, I persisted.

I only needed help getting up off the floor once - I certainly felt like a beached whale - but everyone was a good sport, and we were all there for fun.

My husband and I lasted 2 1/2 hours before we came home.  He swears his hip went out during a play. We both limped up the stairs, then guzzled inordinate amounts of Ibuprofen. Okay, I only had two but that's beside the point. I WISH I could've had like seven.  I am soooo going to feel this one in the morning!

But you know what? We had fun. And we'll be back at it again in two week.  I wonder if I can find more family activities this spring that will get out out of our comfort zone and off the couch. Hmm. I'll add that to my to-do list.

Until next time...

Susan's Epic Weight Loss 11/04/16

Weight: 298.4  (1.8 lbs lost since yesterday)
Workout: Bodyflex

Measurements (starting):

Neck: 16 1/4"
Bust: 50 1/4"
Bicep: 16"
Upper Abs: 53"
Lower Abs: 54"
Hips: 56 1/2 "
Thigh: 28"
Calf: 17"


Breakfast:  Nothing

Lunch:  Shari's Triple Decker Club Sandwich; Side salad w/ranch on the side (no croutons): 700 calories

Dinner:  Almond Chicken (281 cal) , Sweet & Sour Chicken (276 calories), Beef & Broccoli (338 calories), Egg drop soup (66 calories):  Total calories: 861 calories   Diet Soda to drink

Total Calories:  1561


Synopsis:  Not as much energy as yesterday, but I've been up since 5 a.m. and I didn't even try to take a nap today.  Plus, I never hit the treadmill.

On another interesting note, I only ate twice today, and aside from lunch time, which was around 11:30 am (because I never had time for breakfast), I wasn't hungry at all. In fact, I didn't finish by breakfast or dinner.

Went to the movies tonight (Hacksaw Ridge is AMAZING, by the way) and didn't buy anything to eat.  I think that's the first time EVER we've never bought food at the movies.  It's always been a ritual until today.  Woohoo! It's all about change, baby!

Book Review: The Secret to Successful Dieting

I've been working on weight loss for years now.  Twenty, to be exact.  That's how many years I've been a mom.  I began my first real weight loss attempt right after my oldest was born and I'd gained 60 lbs from Pre-Eclampsia and a month of bed rest.

In those 20 years I've tried lots of diets, exercise regimes, and read more books on the subject than I'd care to admit.  In many regards, I'd consider myself an expert, or at the very least well read on the subject.  But I'm not so full of myself to think that I know it all.  So, when I have a chance, I try to read an occasional diet and/or fitness book to see if there is anything new they can contribute to my knowledge base.


I was offered the chance to preview The Secret to Successful Dieting: Lose Weight and Live Well By Nancy N. Wilson  for free in exchange for an honest opinion.

It's a relatively short read that can be completed in a couple of hours or less if you aren't distracted.  Which means it took me a week (darn kids! lol).  This book was created specifically for yo-yo dieters like myself.  It was filled with several suggestions and ideas on what to do differently in order to make our next attempt at getting healthy (not dieting) a success.

I especially liked the 80/20 rule which said you don't have to adhere to your diet perfectly in order to experience success.  And I liked that no single weight-loss program was endorsed.  In fact, the author emphasized that many programs will work, depending on your special circumstances or health needs.
She wasn't extreme in her thinking, and she used common sense, which is often lost somewhere along the line during the desperation of trying to lose weight.

Links to resources and products she's used to find success were available in the e-book, as well websites, and explanations as to why her suggestions would work.

After all this time, I was still able to glean a few gems of information from this book that I will be able to use in my endeavors to live a healthier life.

I would give this book a B+

Xylacore: The First Tester Product I'm PAYING To Use Again

So, if you haven't noticed, I'm a professional product tester.  I test lots and lots of products.  This month alone, I've tested more than 50 different items.  Don't get me wrong.  I don't test just anything.  I choose each item because I am looking for something, and I'm hoping the items will be 'the one'.

For instance, one of the products I have spent the last month testing is called Xylacor.  I'm in the middle of a major weight-loss journey (160 lbs, to be exact), and I have been looking for things that aid me in the process.  I'm big into supplements and usually shy away from the all-in-one fat burning pills because I'm afraid of the side effects.

I don't know what came over me (maybe it's the hot pink pills that drew me in!) but when I saw Xylacor, I wanted to try it out.

It took a week before I realized what was happening.  I wasn't having cravings any more.  For the longest times cravings were one of the hardest things for me to control.  I am BIG into pizza and pop.  Like I eat pizza 2 to 3 times a week or more, and something equivalent to a 2-liter of diet soda per day.  It's a family thing.  Most of my family is like that. And, quite frankly, it shows on more than one of us.

A few days later, I realized that not only was I not craving sweets or pizza, I wasn't hungry all the time.  In fact, There was an entire week there I kept forgetting to EAT.  For a fat girl, that's unheard of.  You don't just forget to eat.  In fact, we're more apt to forget to STOP eating.  But I had days where I would be entering in my food for the day and realized I'd only had 800 calories.  Not good.  And yet oddly exciting.  How many times do you tell your spouse, "Yeah, I'll come to bed just as soon as I find something to eat.  I've gotta get my calories in for the day."

Yesterday I was 286.8.  Hmm I foresee my period coming on!
You'll see the difference in my belly.
It isn't sticking out beyond my boobs as much as they used to.
  Baby steps...

Then I noticed the extra energy.  I work nights, so I average about 4 hours sleep per night, which meant when my son took a nap during the day, so did I.  But this last month, I haven't felt as strong a need to sleep.  Now I can usually get through the day without crashing mid-day.  I'm not jittery, or hyper.  I just...don't crash.

The most exciting thing, though, has been the inches lost.  Oh my gosh! The inches lost around my belly!  It's frustrating to take pictures because they don't do the loss any justice.

What I can tell you is that I've lost 6 1/4" from my upper abs, 3" from my hips, and 1" from my waist (I just started measuring last week).  My stomach 'flap' has shrunk enough that I can see a difference when I look in the mirror, and I'm down a pant size.


I talked to my husband about the difference and he's noticed too.  In fact, he wanted to know if there's a male version of this pill (which there is).

I can honestly tell you that after nearly 4 weeks of using this pill as a part of my weight loss program, I am thoroughly convinced of the quality of Xylacor.  It truly does what it claims to do. And it is the very first product I've received for free, that I will be PAYING to use again because I like it that much.  Plus I will be buying a bottle of the male version for my husband.


P.S.  Don't forget what I said about the appetite!  Make sure you get enough calories each day to avoid putting your body into starvation mode!!

Trying to catch some Z's

After enduring the sleep study from hell a few months back with my son, the technician suggested to me that I should get my own sleep study because I was snoring. But the experience I'd had with Jake already told me everything I needed to know:  There was NO way I was coming back for a study of my own.  Especially if I felt I was getting enough sleep and wasn't tired in the morning, which I do not.

But, I am mindful of my poor husband having to hear me sawing wood at night.  So, I agreed to test  a "Stop Snoring Bundle", which consisted of nose cones and a strap that would go around my chin to keep my mouth shut, thus inhibiting my tongue from slipping down into my throat and causing me to snore.  I agreed to test the product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.  No problem since I was already looking for something like this. 

A week ago, I went on a road trip to pick up my oldest daughter from visiting friends and had to stay in a hotel with my sister (who was kind enough to be the recipient of my night time snore fest test study).  

The strap was a little tricky, since I had my ling hair tied up into a messy bun and I had to finesse the two neoprene straps around the bun, but I prevailed!  My sister was kind enough to only laugh a little bit when I modeled the chin strap for her, then inserted the nose cones into my nose.  

And, for the record, the nose cones, though a bit funny looking, were pretty awesome.  They opened up my nose airways immediately, and there were several sizes to choose from depending on the size of my nostrils.  Plus, they were fairly inconspicuous and they stayed in all night long. 

The chin strap wasn't quite so lucky. Becca said that my snoring was less than usual, but she still heard a little bit.  I guess that's an improvement from the wild, angry bear my kids usually hear in my bedroom at night???  Oh wait.  Maybe that's my husband ;)  

In conclusion, what I can say is that the snoring bundle did improve my snoring, but didn't completely get rid of the sound, and I would totally use the nose cones again.  In fact, they're in my attache' case for the next trip I have to share a hotel room for some poor unsuspecting soul.  

Eating Healthy is Expensive!

So, yeah.  I'm trying really hard to eat healthy.  Some days are better than others.  I've found when I purchase healthy food, my food budget goes up about 40%. And when your food budget is already $700/month, adding 40% is PAINFUL.

I was given the opportunity to try an App called Price Comparer a few weeks ago.  I really had high hopes for this program because it's description said that it could help you save an average of 15% on your food budget by helping you figure out which items were cheaper at your favorite stores.

It's a FANTASTIC concept. No doubt about it.

So, I went to the grocery store, and bought my foods for the next couple of weeks, then set out to use this App.  I expected to be able to scan the bar codes and all the info would be available, like it is in the MyFitnessPal Ap I use.  This was not the case.  I had to scan the bar code, type in a description, then take a picture of the product (which only worked about 10% of the time).  Plus, the background was orange and the font was white, which made it difficult to read, not to mention there was no bar at the top of the screen where the navigation was, so words would overlap one another and I couldn't read them at all.

I was so disappointed with this program because it was extremely user friendly.

With that said, this has a TON of potential.  I don't think it's worth paying money for a program that you can essentially do for free through a spreadsheet.  But, should they ever fix the issues with the font, and make this program so that all you have to do is scan and enter your price, they'll make a killing on this Ap.  I would easily pay money for something like this...if it worked and were user-friendly.

Here's to hoping the designers read my post and make some tweaks to the program.  It'll be fantastic when all the kinks are smoothed out.



*DISCLAIMER:  I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased opininion.

Shoe Laces Are So Old School! Get With The Times and Use Elastolaces!

 I am right in the middle of teaching my kindergartner how to tie a shoelace. This is a necessary right of passage for any child. It's an opportunity to give them independence and to stroke their ego, showing the child that they are capable of learning new and important tasks. Tasks that were once relegated to the adults.

 As I have been teaching my daughter how to tie her shoes, I have wondered how I am going to teach this very same task to my son with Down syndrome. He has difficulty doing sign language because his fingers don't work independently yet. How will I teach him the intricacies of the dog running around the tree and under his leash?

 A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to try a new product called Elastolaces (found on Amazon) for free in exchange for an unbiased opinion. They gave me two pairs; one white set and a black set, along with several plastic pieces that are used to keep the laces from flopping all over. At fist, I was skeptical of them. I was afraid my shoes would be too loose, or the elastic would fray easily, leaving me with shoddy looking shoes. But once I had them on my shoes, I was impressed. The elastic was strong and resilient - not something that would easily lose it's stretch. And, though the plastic pieces used to keep the elastic in place are something I could expect my children to have enough finger strength to do on their own, once the laces are in place, they're solid.

 I worried that since there was another plastic piece at the end of the shoelaces to keep them from fraying, I'd constantly hear the tap tap tap of plastic hitting the top of my foot, but that wasn't the case. I ran several bleacher laps and didn't once feel or hear the slap of plastic on leather.

 I was impressed with the laces, and so was my 6-year-old daughter. I had to forcibly remove the extra set of laces from her hands. Though I have a feeling she will sweet talk me into using my second set of laces on her own tennis shoes...just as soon as she masters the age-old skill of tying her shoes with regular laces!


 P.S. I WILL be buying more of these when it's time to buy tennis shoes for my son who has Down syndrome. Right now he's young enough that he can still use velcro, but for those who have limited mobility, or are unable to reach their shoes very easily (elderly, obese, disabled, etc), these shoelaces are a God send. I highly recommend them!

Week 3 Weigh In: Me and My Man Legs

It is week three and I'm proud to announce that I'm down to 288.8 lbs!  I'm in the 80's, baby!!!!  That means I'm -15 lbs already. 

I measured myself to see how the changes have been thus far, measuring my neck, arm, bust, upper abs, waist, hips, thigh and calf.  on Week two, I'd gained 2 lbs and gained 2 1/4 inches overall.  This week, I'm down 7.8 lbs from last week and down 4 1/4" overall, most notably -2 1/4" in my upper abs (yeah, baby!!).  Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.  

The only body part that increased was my calves.  And this was the second week in a row they've grown in size.  Yeah, I'm definitely getting my man-calves back - which is why you will NEVER see me doing any calf exercises.  Actually, when I'm in shape, I have man legs period.  

In high school, my legs used to rival my older brother's who had played soccer for 13 years. I had to buy my pants to fit my legs which meant my waist always had a gigantic gap. My legs & hips are why I identify myself as 'pear shaped'.  They're also why I rarely eat red meat, instead preferring fish or chicken because red meat has a tendency to bulk my legs (Not my arms.  My arms are scrawny!).

Regardless, it all needs work right now.  So, I'm not too worried.  It won't be long before I'll be buying pants to be fitting my legs instead of my gut again.  This time I'll revel in the experience!

Taking Better Care of Myself...Starting With My Hair

As I mentioned in one of my other posts, I had a tendency to 'punish' myself when overweight by not pampering myself.  I always justified this lack of interest in my appearance by saying I'd do something special once I lost weight.

Well, 20 years later, I'm pretty much as basic looking as you can get.  My life consists of ponytails or buns, a pair of jeans (if I'm lucky) and a t-shirt that has probably been changed 3 or 4 times because my son smeared something all over me while 'playing'.  No makeup.  I'm lucky if I showered that day.  In retrospect, I can admit it was pretty bad.

As part of my weight loss journey, I've committed to taking better care of myself, which is why I do product reviews.  Since I've been out of the game for so long, I have no idea what is good and what isn't.  So, rather than spending hundreds of dollars on different products in hopes of figuring out what works for me, I'm able to get a product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Something that has always bothered me about myself has been my hair.  Of the 10 children in our family, half of us had thick, luscious hair (after my father) and the other half had thin, limp hair (after my mother).  I was in the latter group.  My hair's only redeeming quality was that it's curly, which helps to camouflage the limp state of the strands.

Among the products I was allowed to test was a product called:

• Regenepure NT Hair Thickening Shampoo for Hair Thinning Treatment In Men and Women from Salonceuticals Regenepure.  You can buy it on Amazon (in case you're interested).

First off, let me preface this by saying I didn't know what to expect.  I certainly didn't expect results to occur in any less than 2 or 3 weeks.  Don't ask me why. That's just a number I had in my head. And, at best, I expected the results to be minimal at best.  But, I'm an optimist, so I gave it a try. 

Let me just say I'm impressed with the results.  

My long, brown curly hair falls to the middle of my back when it's wet, so there is a lot of it.  When I put the soap in my hair, there weren't many suds (which are just chemicals anyway), but I could feel my hair getting squeaky clean.  It was a different experience than I'm used to.  Normally, the shampoo would be out-of-control sudsy, then you'd wash it off and think nothing of the texture of the hair.  But it was the other way around this time. 

There was no discernible scent either, which is nice if you've got issues with smells, or are tired of having a different scent for every item you use leaving your body with 15 different scents when you walk out of the bathroom. 

When I was done styling my hair, I was thoroughly impressed.  My hair felt cleaner and not weighed down, plus it was less dull - I had a bit of shine to it.  And, because it wasn't weighed down, the curls bounced into place and STAYED in place much longer.  Normally, I'll do my hair and it will go flat in an hour. But the curls were almost obnoxious today - I finally pulled my hair back into a ponytail.

To summarize, I like this product.  I haven't used it long enough to see actual strand thickening per se, but I did notice cleaner, healthier hair, that was lighter, thus giving me more volume and the appearance of thicker hair.  I even have pictures to prove it! Ha!!

Sometimes You Just Have to Pull Your Big Girl Panties and DO IT!

Yeah, it was one of those days.  I started the day FANTASTIC.  But somewhere between picking up messes, teaching a class at church, and work, I lost all motivation.  Oh, and the 5 friggin' brownies I ate for lunch.  Yeah, that was all I had. Brownies.  My body rewarded me by being sick for the rest of the night (serves me right).  I've had issues with chocolate ever since my 4th child was born.  It upsets my stomach.  Does that stop me? Nope.  I'm a woman for Pete's sake!  The only thing I desire more than chocolate is pizza.  And we've already had that conversation. :(

So, when 9:00 pm (my designated work out time) came and went, then 10:00 turned to 10:30pm I realized I had to make a decision.  Was I going to put my big girl panties on and do what had to be done? Or was I gonna wuss out and go to bed instead?

Yep.  I got off my sorry butt and worked out.  Not only that, but I added .2 mph to my speed, another 12 minutes (almost 50% longer than yesterday) to my time, and doubled my distance - 2.7 miles.  Not bad considering I started at 1/2 a mile a couple weeks ago. 

Any bets on what my weight loss will be in the morning??  I'm hoping karma will reward me by ignoring those stupid brownies today. 

4 Things that have changed in my body after losing 12 lbs

It's crazy to think I'm already down 12 lbs since I started this journey.  Already, I'm beginning to see and feel changes in my body.

For instance, in the beginning, I used to be able to walk only 7 MINUTES before my lower back was in such excruciating pain that I had to stop and rest before continuing.  Guess what?  Yesterday, I spent 30 minutes on the treadmill with only minor pain.

Guess what else?  My clothes are beginning to be loose.  Not just 'gee the thighs in my pants are baggy', but 'Holy freak!  If I have to hitch up my pants one more time I'm gonna scream!' sort of baggy.  Shirts that used to be my last resort, are suddenly being considered for the Goodwill pile.

And, wonder of all wonders, I have MORE energy.  You may think, "Hey, that's kind of nice."  But one must remember that I already only get about 5-6 hours of sleep per night.  For the last two nights I've fallen asleep around 1 a.m. (it takes me longer to fall asleep - not the other way around like most people) and I'm wide awake around 5 a.m.  That equates to about 4 hours sleep.  Plus, I'm off all forms of caffeine.  No coffee, no tea, no caffeinated pops, or even chocolate.  Yet, I'm usually able to get through the whole day with only a 30 minute nap around 6 pm, then I'm good for the rest of the night.

The numbness in my hands is going down.  It's not gone yet, but it's also not constant any more.  That, alone is worth the 12 lb weight loss.

All in all, I'm satisfied where things are headed.  I wish I could drop my weight faster, but I'm also aware that it takes a great deal of effort to get the boulder rolling.

Stay with me!  There are many more amazing things to come!

First Day on the Trails. I Think I Almost Died.

Me after the work out. Beet Red!

My sweet husband woke up this fine Saturday morning and asked me what my plans were.  I told him I had a bit of work to do, and then I wanted to take a walk.  He then told me he'd been planning on going on a walk to and asked if we could go now.

I dropped what I was doing and put on some shoes (I was already in work-out clothes to help motivate me to get my butt out of the house...eventually).

We headed over to the trails that follow the Spokane River for our walk. He asked how far I wanted to go, and I told him my hope was to go 3 miles.  Yeah, I know it's not far, but it is when I stop at a mile on the treadmill.

Walking always seems to take three times longer on a treadmill. Blech!

I was able to get about a mile into my walk before my back was screaming, my hands were so swollen I couldn't make a fist, and my calves were beginning to cramp up, and my hips hurt.  Oh, how I love the beginning weeks of losing weight.  NOT!!

The start of a massive blister. Isn't it pretty? I shall name it Henry

KC asked me if we needed to turn back and I promptly told him NO!  I will finish this walk even if I have to stop 30 times and I'm crawling to the car! Little did he know how close to the truth that may be.

The nice thing, as he pointed out, about walking the trails vs. a treadmill, is that on the trails you must turn around and walk back.  You HAVE to walk back.  You don't have a choice, unless you want to die there on the trails. With a treadmill, you can get tired and step off and be done.

When we got to our half-way point, I had to stop and rest my back for about 5 minutes.  My boobs and stomach are too big!  It was hurting my back too much - if felt very much akin to labor pains.

So I sat down, relieved the pressure on my back, the stood up.  KC asked if I needed more time and I told him, "This is as good as I'm ever gonna feel, so we might as well get started."

My fingers are so swollen they look like stuffed sausages!

I did pretty good for the first 1/2 mile, then the pain in my back commenced again, followed by my hands (from the swelling), then my shins, calves, quads, and hips.  KC very nicely slowed his pace as I adjusted my stride, and quietly endured the experience through gasps of air.

It wasn't pretty, but I finished without having to stop, and I have the start of only one major blister on my left heel to show for the experience.

I came home with my face beet red, my shirt covered in sweat marks, and my fingers tingling from lack of sensation. There were moments I felt like I was going to die of a heart attack, or pass out from hyperventilation.  But I also came home with a sense of accomplishment.  The fist step is often the hardest, and today was no exception.  Working out at 295 lbs is no easy task, but as long as I persist - remembering that at this point it is merely a war of the wills - I will succeed and it will get better until working out is eventually fun.  It will EVENTUALLY become something I look forward to and crave.

Organic Coconut Oil Capsules

I have read several articles lately about how great coconut oil is for weight loss.

It's been linked to several health benefits including:

Diabetes, heart disease, chronic fatigue, Chrones Disease, Irritable Bowl Syndrome, Alzheimer's, thyroid conditions, energy issues, boosting the immune system, weight loss, lowering cholesterol, and psoriasis.  ( Resource used: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1092-coconut%20oil.aspx?activeingredientid=1092&activeingredientname=coconut%20oil )

I've experimented with coconut oil a few times. I've done things like oil pulling (swishing the oil in your mouth for 20 minutes) to help strengthen the teeth and help with cavities, and I've cooked with it on several occasions.  However, I haven't been able to use it consistently because I, as a habit, don't usually cook with any type of oils unless the recipe specifically asks for oil.  Plus, the coconut oil I have in my kitchen is more of the consistency of grainy shortening.


However, the concept of using coconut oil as a way to enhance your weight loss, has interested me and I've wanted to try out that theory.  So, when I was given an opportunity to get a free bottle of coconut oil capsules, I jumped at the opportunity to give them a try.

The capsules are look about the same as a fish-oil capsule.  They don't have any funky after taste, and I never had any problems taking them. 

Is it helping to aid in my weight loss?  I'm still up in the air about that because I've made so many recent changes to my lifestyle that I can't pinpoint any one thing.  What I can say is that I haven't GAINED weight.  I can also tell you that my skin is looking pretty darned good lately.  I have a pretty large spot on my right hand that has psoriasis.  It has always cracked and flaked and been pretty nasty.  It's a spot I've been consistently self-conscious about over the years.

I have noticed that the spot is gradually getting less flaky as my use continues.  There is no more cracking.  For that reason alone, I would take these capsules.  Never mind the fact that I may also lose weight, lower my cholesterol, increase my energy, or avoid getting diabetes.  Those are all bonuses to a product I would say is definitely worth giving a try.

Is It Hot In Here? Or Is It Just Me?

Ok, I'm just gonna throw this out there.  I don't know if I'm crazy, menopausal, or if this is normal, and I'm just not getting the memo.  But, for me, when I'm losing large amounts of weight (i.e. a pound or more per day) I notice that I have a tendency to sweat.  Like all day long.  As in, feeling like it's 110 degrees outside, but I'm actually in an air conditioned house, kind of sweat.

Do any of you feel that way, or felt that way when your body was in 'the zone' and burning off a bunch of weight?

I noticed it for the 3 whole days I tried the Hcg diet - then stopped because it was outrageous.  I think I lost 5 lbs in those 3 days, but I also almost passed out and had migraines.  I noticed it this week when I had the 2 lb weight loss in 24 hours.

So, am I crazy?   Just tell me I'm not crazy.  I think I could even handle menopausal.

Maybe it's one of the supplements I'm taking?  I dunno.  What I do know, though, is that sweating like an Banshee is a double-edged sword.  Yes, I know that a killer weigh-in is eminent.  But it also means I feel like I'm living in a fish bowl 24/7.

And, before you start telling me it's just water-loss, I'm gonna stop you right there and say, "Nuh-uh."

This sweating thing is a normal occurrence for me.  It happens all the time.  Not just twice.  And a girl can only lose so much water before she starts losing fat - especially if she's doing everything right.

Oh well, it's hard to get a response from your own personal blog post.  So I'll post this to the World Wide Web and hope that someone responds.

Thank you, and good night :)

Does Reading To Your Children Count As Exercise?

I recently downloaded a book off Amazon called: GREEN Bird: The Adventures Children Book illustrations.  I thought it would be a fun book for my kiddos, seeing as they are 4 1/2 and 6 years old.  

I've been looking for something that I can give them to read when I need them to sit quietly - i.e. in waiting rooms, in the car, or wherever. But I didn't want to be lugging a bunch of books around in a diaper bag either. Thus, the e-book method. 

My first mistake was to read the book after dinner - which means they had full tummies and a renewed sense of energy.  I sat my 4-year-old on my lap and flipped on my IPhone.  His face immediately lit up when he saw the bright green bird on the cover then he began to clap, which drew the attention of my 6 year-old.  

I began reading the book out loud to my children.  One was on my lap, and the other was standing next to me, leaning over the screen, making it hard for me to see.  This caused me to have to dodge my head around my 6-year-old daughter to read the screen while my 4-year-old son pointed to the pictures. 

The pictures were cute and completely engaging.  But every few pages, it was a white page with words, which caused my 4-year-old to zone off momentarily until another picture appeared.  This lull in his attention caused him to look elsewhere (i.e. at his big sister) for entertainment.  

Eventually, the book reading session turned into something akin to: 

ME: "'Excuse me, are you a bird?' The little green bird asked the little green thing."

JACOB Grunts and tries to tap the phone phone to turn the page.

COURTNEY: "JACOB! It's my turn!"  She slaps his hand.

ME: "Courtney, don't hit your brother." I bat her hand away and touch the screen myself.

JACOB Dives for the phone and I wrestle him away as Courtney manhandles it out of my grasp while my attention is focused on Jacob. 

COURTNEY: "Ooh, Mama! What do you think this is?  An Apple? A Pear?" She waves the phone in front of my face, but yanks it away when I try to grab it for a closer view. 

JACOB tries to make a move for the phone, but I grab him around the waist and pull him back on my lap. 

ME: "Courtney, give me the phone back so I can read it to everyone."

COURTNEY returns the phone and leans in, tapping the phone to turn the page to words.  

JACOB grunts and taps the phone too, causing it to turn back to the mystery picture. 

I tap it again, batting both hands away and reading the words. 

BOTH KIDS grin when it's revealed to be a mango!

JACOB lunges again to turn the page.

COURTNEY screams and lunges too. 

I wrestle the phone away, dodging little hands, and reading the dialogue while moving the phone every .3 seconds to avoid sticky fingers. 

More screaming (some from me).  

We turn the page. 

COURTNEY guesses, giggles, and squeals.

JACOB lunges, successfully turning the page again, and pointing to the newest animal discovery.
And then repeat....

Seriously, can I count that as my workout?  My arms are kind of tired.  It's gotta count for a few minutes anyway.

Needless to say, the book was a hit.  You might want to check it out.  If you dare...but I wouldn't recommend it for quite time.    :)

Fat Girls Don't Run Triathlons

OK, whose bright idea was it to sign me up for a triathlon?

Oh. That's right.  It was me.  I was the idiot who agreed to do one.  Brilliant.

In case you didn't get the memo (because I apparently didn't), 300 lb women don't run triathlons.  OK, to be fair, I'm sure there's probably SOMEONE out there who does.  But I don't.  I'm too FAT.

Lucky for me, it's only a Sprint distance triathlon.  Though that may be enough to kill me off.
My little sister, after seeing some of my blog posts, suggested I join her in this truly amazing (cough cough) endeavor and train so that we can both do the triathlon together in September.

Apparently, I was still on my walker's high and thought that, after walking an entire 18 minutes on the treadmill, I was invincible.  Maybe I should restrict my Internet time after my evening work-outs.  Apparently I'm a hazard to myself. But I digress...

5K run? No problem.  I can walk if I need to. 10 mile bike ride?  Sure. No problem.  1 mile swim?  Yeah, I'm gonna drown.  Mebbe I should dust off my floaties, or strap on a life jacket.  At least they'll find my body that way.

In all seriousness though, this triathlon scares the CRAP out of me. Why? Because I CAN'T run a triathlon at this weight.

But you know what?  I don't intend to.  I have 2 1/2 months to train like crazy and lose as much weight as possible so that I can participate.  The goal isn't to win. Not by any means.  It's merely to compete...and not die.  Yes, life after the triathlon would be good.

I can lose a lot of weight (in a healthy way) in 2 1/2 months.  Besides, I had made a goal 10 years ago to do an iron man by the time I turned 40.  Guess what? I turned 40 two weeks ago and am no where close to doing an iron man. Maybe this idiocy of mine is just the shove I need to get me started down the path of completing a bucket list item I've had for more than 10 years.

Wish me luck!  ...I'm gonna need it.

Susan's Epic Weight Loss: Up 2 lbs. Thanks Aunt Flo!!

Yep, It's official.  I hate periods.  I weight myself today and I'm up 2 lbs.  I know. I KNOW.  I'm not supposed to weigh every day because there are usually fluctuations.  But I'm not that kind of girl.  When I weigh myself and see the numbers go up, I will instinctively work harder, or watch my portions more religiously.  And that's a good thing, right?

So, when I saw the 2 pound weight gain, even though I know it's probably from water retention due to Aunt Flo, I upped my water to 12 glasses, hit the treadmill, watched my food portions (no dessert, or garlic bread), and generally stayed out of trouble.  And according to MyfitnessPal, I've only consumed 1350 calories, which to a normal person would be fine, but for someone my size is darned near starvation - especially when the program says I burned 500 calories exercising/walking today.

I was only able to walk a mile and put in 18:39 minutes of walking before the lower back pain was unbearable - kind of like the sciatic nerve running down the butt and legs, but I'm determined to add more time each day.  Plus I upped my speed and resistance a bit to offset the lack of time I could put in.  If I can only work out 20 minutes, by golly I'm gonna sweat every stinkin' second of it!

It's frustrating to be at such a low starting point.  There was a time when I was doing 10 miles a day, or biking 20 miles, and working out 3 hours.  But that was before the two little ones came along.  One day I will be back there again.  This weight loss journey is a marathon, not a sprint.  I'm in it for the long haul.

Until next time....

Garcinia Cambogia - Another Supplement In My Coctail

I have long used Garcinia Cambogia when losing weight.  It has been my go-to supplement that seems to help off-set the days when my eating wasn't on pointe.  And on the days when I stick to my regimen the way I should, I notice more energy when I'm using this supplement.

I've used several brands of the years, some better than others.  So when I was given the opportunity to try Vidazen's supplement, I jumped.  I'd already tried their Colon Cleanse earlier and was impressed, so I wanted to see if their Carcinia Cambogia measured up as well.

Guess what?  It was better.  I'm am really impressed.  When I switched brands, I noticed a difference immediately.  I slept better and woke up faster, with more energy (which is saying a LOT because I only get 4-5 hours of sleep per night).

Admittedly, I'm no expert on Garcinia Cambogia.  But from a normal user's perspective, this is one product I would certainly recommend to anyone in the market.

Starting out With A Clean Slate

WARNING:  This blog may encroach the boundaries of TMI, but in an effort to stay true to the process, I'm going to spill the beans anyway!  Skip now, if you don't want to read further.

Part of my weight loss journey begins by starting with a clean slate.  That means I've enlisted the help of a colon cleanse.

During past weight loss programs, I've used some pretty great stuff - not specifically CALLED a colon cleanse, but supplements that were designed to do just that.  One of my favorites was alfalfa.

My problem, however, had always been the taste.  After a while, I could no longer stomach the taste and I created an aversion to the tasted, smell and texture of any alfalfa supplements.  Which was a shame, because they worked marvelously!

Be that as it may, if you can't swallow the stuff, it's worthless.  I tried the Vidazen version, which had alfalfa, but none of the taste.  It was awesome in that regard.  Plus, it wasn't anything overwhelming - as in, I-can't-leave-the-house-for-fear-that-a-catastrophe-may-happen, sort of overwhelming.

Needless to say, I was quite happy using this product as a stepping-off point, especially after this weekend, when my husband surprised me with a kitchen re-model, resulting in a whole-lot of fast food and not nearly enough healthy stuff.  This was the perfect way to offset a little bit of that naughtiness.

Adding Fish Oil To My Diet - Finally one I can stomach!

I've tried to take Fish oil off and on over the years for a variety of reasons. First off, I know that it's good for me. Secondly, I'm aware that I don't get enough of it in my diet because I'm the only one in my family who likes fish. And, since there are six of us, I'm out numbered.

 Fish oil has been connected to a variety of health benefits - anything from helping your periods, to obesity, to helping you gain weight, avoiding stroke, etc. For me, I was most interested in the prevention of stroke and heart disease because two of my children have congenital heart defects, my 19-year-old daughter had a TIA (mini-stroke) 6 months ago, and my father had a stroke when he was 55. Yeah, I'm not remotely interested in toying with any of that stuff. Anything I can do to keep my heart and blood healthy, I'm going to try. The problem I've had with fish oil in the past has been burping up the fish aftertaste. I could never last a day or two. But, when I had a chance to try a brand that promised no fish aftertastes, I was willing to give it a try.

It has totally lived up to its promises in my estimation.  I'm about a week into testing of this product and I'm very happy with it. For those who are interested, I found it on Amazon. The shipping was fast and the service good. I'm blogging about it because I'd recommend it. I hope you get the same out of it as I did!

 Suz