Lovely Ladies

I finally got the calories back under control today...thank God! I took a break from the treadmill to rest the joints and back for a day....back at it full force tomorrow. Mom is coming over tomorrow morning with her van to help me take a load of stuff up to the new house. It is absolutely amazing to me how much crap you can squeeze into a 2 bedroom apartment. Amazing.

I want to tell you about two blogs that I have been following recently. Maybe you've seen them, but I'm guessing not, as neither one of these lovely ladies have hardly any followers on their blogs yet. That needs to change. :)

Michelle has a blog called My Journey to Onederland and she and I have exchanged a few emails. I love this woman. I can feel the grit in her writing. She really wants to get it right this time....she wants this to be the LAST time...just as we all do.

In fact, she's got a camping trip coming up very soon with her best friend. These little trips are usually filled with bad, bad eating so she's been a little nervous. She finally just told her friend that she will be bringing her own food to try and stay on plan. She has begun counting calories and gives herself a daily limit of 1500. Her friend asked her can't she just let loose this weekend? Most people would cave at that point. Not Michelle. She very plainly told her friend that no, she can't let loose. She is proving that her quest to lose the weight is THE most important thing in her life now and I applaud her for standing up for herself.

Then there's Lisa that I recently found. She very recently started her own blog called Struggles With Losing Weight. I haven't exchanged any emails with her yet, so I don't know a whole lot about her, but I have been following her blog for a few weeks now and leaving comments. I can see her desire too. She is a member of TOPS and seems to enjoy that, and she's had some success in her weight loss. I'm very proud of her.

I feel like Lisa and Michelle would benefit greatly from a few more followers on their blog to pop in and leave their words of encouragement and support. We all know how much we love comments when we receive them, don't we? Sean has already signed up on both their blogs and is already offering his insight and inspiration....thank you so much Sean!! Now...for the rest of you....Pam!! Diane!! Kari!! Sheilagh!! Rebecca!! Carla!! Amy!! Both Amy's!! I mean all 3 Amy's!! (I'm talking to YOU Amos, lol.) I won't list all of you, but you get the point. :)

I've got a little laundry left to do before I turn in, so I'll say goodnight. Oh by the way, Michelle gave me the quote that I'm using tonight. She said it's her favorite one and it comes from the Navy Seals. She's Canadian, but loves our Seals!! How cool. :) I love this quote so much and it ties in with the one I gave you yesterday....Pain is just weakness leaving the body. BRING IT!!!

Quote For The Day:

"The only easy day was yesterday!" -Navy Seals

Pushing Harder

Today has been really productive. I got a lot done and it feels good. I got 20 boxes packed to move over to the new house tomorrow morning. I also did some household chores and got all my laundry done. I got on the treadmill this morning and finally pushed myself to do more than the usual 20 mins. I walked 34 mins. today!! That may not sound like a big deal to some people, but it is HUGE to me. I am so challenged in the exercise department, lol. I really want to get better at it. Where's Jillian Michaels when you need her?

I want to say thank you to the new followers on my blog, and the people that have been commenting. It's so awesome to have this circle of people around me, cheering me on to my goal. A special thanks to Jack Sh*t for the comment he left on my last post. I love it when he comments...he always makes me laugh out loud and that is so needed. I should stop taking things so seriously and make light of things more often. It makes the world a happier place. :)

Stephanie from Muslim Mama commented on my post as well....I added her to my blogroll. Time to spread some more love. Please pop over and read her last 2 posts. She is in the same place I was 7 weeks ago, wondering if I had it in me to really do it this time...to really get this weight off for good. Well....we're all here to tell her that she can!! Without a doubt!! Check out her blog, say hello and offer her some encouraging words. Let her know she's not alone in this battle against Obesity...that we're all part of the same army and we will slay the beast together!!

I've got a busy day tomorrow so I'm going to turn in. I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Keep watching those calories and keep those buns moving!! :)

Quote For The Day:

"Don't ask for a light load, but rather ask for a strong back." -Anonymous

Spreading The Love

Today has been pretty good. :) I stayed within my calories, and while I didn't walk on the treadmill, I did move a truckload of stuff to new house we're moving into in a month. With all the lifting and carrying boxes, up and down the stairs several times, I'm quite sure that my heart rate was elevated for an extended period of time and I can count that as my cardio for the day. :) Tomorrow's goal is to hit the treadmill right after breakfast, then over to the tag office to get my sticker for the car, and then to Mom's to borrow the truck to move another load. I really need to up my exercise...I need to push harder if I ever want my endurance to improve.

I spent a LOT of time on the computer tonight reading weight loss blogs. There have been a couple of ladies who have been commenting on my posts lately and I finally set aside the time to look them up and check out their blogs. What a great bunch of people! I've added all of them to my blogroll as well as signed up on theirs. If I missed anyone, please let me know!

I found Sheilagh at 60x60.....she lives in England and has a fantastic list of things she wants to do before she turns 60. I need a list.....still working on that!

I found Amy at The Not So Secret Life of a Not So Super Together Mom....I haven't read her entire blog yet....or anyone's for that matter....but I think she lives in VT. because she posted some pics of a lovely hike her and her husband took. The views from the mountaintop that she climbed are just gorgeous. I also learned that her sister is her personal trainer and I think that's great...I'm really going to enjoy following her blog.

I found another Amy at Amos the Lionheart a couple of weeks ago and she is one of my inspirations for walking. She's doing SO much more than I am.....just as K from Fat(free)Me is doing and I'm super jealous of these awesome women! They're really pushing through and getting it done and I think of them daily when I'm gearing up to get my exercise done.

There's also Tena from Texas over at Shrink To Fit. I love the way this woman writes. It comes across as if she's sitting right across the kitchen table from you. And she is perfect at placing her curse words in just the right spot.....her blog is REAL....and she knows, just as I do, that sometimes only a curse word will do. :)

Then there's Less of Lisa that I found about a week ago. Can't remember where she lives right now, but this girl is a TRIP! We have a lot of the same health issues, including PCOS, so I identified with her immediately when I found her blog. Lisa is so cool....she posts fat pics in her bathing suit and her underwear, lol. She's letting it all hang out there for the world to see as she grabs the bull by the horns and gets her weight off. God bless anybody who's got that kind of guts....I sure don't.

I have been amiss in not mentioning Diane from Fit to the Finish yet. This lady is amazing. I learned about her through my best friend Pam at Journey To the Healthier Side of Life. She has like 7 kids, lives in Florida and did all of her exercising in that high heat and humidity that I remember so well (I'm originally from Jacksonville, FL), and she lost over 100 lbs and has kept it off for like 12 YEARS!!!! Her blog is a help to me every day. She learned so many valuable tips and lessons along the way and is more than willing to share with anyone who wants to listen and better their own lives.

Speaking of Pam....I will never stop singing HER praises. Pam's blog is also REAL...she has her ups and downs and she blogs about all of it. What I really enjoy about her blog is that she's always reading and learning about health stuff that otherwise I'd never know about if she weren't informing me of it through her daily posts. Right now she's got 2 posts up that are REALLY cool.....all of you go check it out. One is a challenge by one of her blogger friends that I joined tonight and will be starting tomorrow. The other is Operation Fat Blaster...a website where you can list your goals and there's a whole group of people there to cheer you on to your victory. Very positive stuff. :)

I've mentioned Sean and his blog several hundred times now, lol, but in case anyone missed it, it's called the Daily Diary of a Winning Loser. Sean started his blog at 505 lbs. He is now down almost 200 lbs. and I just don't even have the words for amazing he is. He has a humility and a true desire to help others than I rarely see in people. In fact, he helped me reach out to a fellow weight loss blogger just tonight, which leads me to Susan's blog.

Susan has a weight loss blog called The Quiet Diet. I'm fixing to ruin the "quiet" aspect of her blog and I apologize to her for that....but she needs some encouragement. I'm hoping mentioning her in the post tonight will lead you to check it out on my blogroll, and head on over to offer her any kind words that you can. We are all in this battle together and when one of us is lagging, it is so important for the rest of us to lift them up and tell them that they CAN do it. I know Susan's got it in her...I can read it in her words...she just needs a little help from us. Thank you Sean for already reaching out to her with your amazing story.

There are others that I read every single day but to list them ALL would keep me here all night. Jack, you know you're loved. I also recently found Fitcetera...as well as Zaa who I'm really enjoying at Zaababy....and of course, there's Lyn at Escape from Obesity who was one of my first inspirations to start my blog, right behind Pam. There are a few others and I love you all!! You are all just incredibly amazing people...fellow soldiers in the battle...terrific inspirations to me during my travels...and I'm so glad I found you. I want you all to know how appreciated and special you are. :)

Quote For The Day:

"Every man has in himself a continent of undiscovered character. Happy is he who acts as the Columbus to his own soul." -Sir J. Stephen

A Tribute to "LovIN My Tummy"

I've already done my daily post, but after reading Sarah's blog at "LovIN My Tummy", I was led to post again.

Tonight was Sarah's last post on her blog. Due to some issues with estranged family members accessing her blog and causing her a TON of heartache and stress, she had to end her blog. Much to my surprise, I cried my eyes out!

That response got me to thinking about how important the blogging community has become to me over these last few weeks. It's almost like a little family...maybe an extended one, if you already have a great family and tons of support. Maybe for some it's the only "family" they have. And maybe for some, it's just that feeling of comraderie....of being involved in something that maybe only you understand within your little circle. Maybe your significant other just doesn't get it because they don't have the same issues as you or share all the same hobbies. Maybe all of your friends and family members are skinny, if you've got a weight loss blog. Maybe the community you belong to shares the same passions you do. They are all important, and somehow, they get weaved into the fabric of our lives.

Sarah's blog isn't about weight loss. I started reading her blog MONTHS ago...long before I even considered doing a blog of my own. And to tell you the truth, I can't even remember how I stumbled upon it...but I'm so glad I did.

When I first started reading her daily posts, she was very much into fitness, training every day for marathons and the such, eating REALLY healthy foods, and was reading up on becoming a vegetarian. Over these last few months, she did end up going the no-meat route, refining it even more to a raw foods diet that she is thoroughly enjoying. She also had a back injury with her running, something that was a passion of hers, and had to have back surgery, which ensued in some depression (some of it maybe due to the medication she had to take) and the realization that she would never be able to run again in the capacity that she so very much desired.

Because Sarah is such a positive person, she drug herself out of the depression and directed her attentions to other things that she enjoys. Sarah loves to write, and was presented with the opportunity to write for a site called http://www.kidglue.com/, where she posts articles 5x/week. I've read her articles, and if you have children, I would encourage you to visit the site. She never disappoints. She would love to expand her writing with other avenues as well, and I certainly hope she's able to accomplish that. She has quite the talent.

Sarah has a very supportive husband named Chris, as well as 2 unbelievably adorable daughters, named Gracie and Livy. Her daily posts were full of funny quips, her razor wit, the occasional inappropriate comment that never failed to make me smile, but most importantly...it was REAL. Sure, her family looks perfect in most of the pics....but she never failed to include the ones with her kids picking their noses and throwing temper tantrums, telling us about her pain pill daze after the surgery and being afraid that the kids would end up loving Chris more than her because he was doing such an awesome job taking care of them, and letting us know that sometimes she was just so busy with life that she hadn't washed her hair in 4 days. Sarah is awesome. :)

Of all the things I really admire and love about Sarah, the top of the list has to be how she's raising her children. I don't have any kids of my own, but due to being overweight most of my life, and now obese, the healthy foods that she's raising her kids on really strikes a chord with me. I remember reading in one of her posts that her kids don't eat things like chicken nuggets and french fries because they just don't like them....but give them hummus and they think it's Christmas morning. What a fantastic upbringing in the way of food.

Now, Sarah still lets her kids eat "kid stuff", like ice cream, and I'm pretty sure I saw a pic of Livy shoveling down some mac 'n' cheese, lol. But she makes the healthy foods available to her children. She's leading by example....the kids want what Momma's having....and I commend her for that. I'm glad that these two girls will most likely not have the food/body issues that I've had because they're learning at a very young age what's healthy. Kudos to Sarah for being such an amazing example to her children.

I'm going to miss my friend. We live on opposite sides of the country, and will most likely never meet in person, but being able to read about her daily life with her family, along with exchanging a few emails with her, has made her feel like a friend to me. I wish her the very best, and for all of you following my blog, thank you for the continued support and encouragement you offer me every day. You're appreciated more than you know. :)

First Goal Met...and Surpassed!!

The scale says 254.0 this morning....I LOST 6 LBS.!!!!!! I finally met, and exceeded, my first 15 lb. goal and now it's time for a reward!! Problem is, I don't have the money to buy the one I had planned for myself, lol. Time to re-work the reward ideas. I'll be thinking about that and let you know what I come up with.

I've lost 18 lbs. in 5 weeks....man, this feels good!! All the scratching and clawing and crying this week was worth it. I used the advice of 3 different people on last Friday's weigh-in and ensuing gain to achieve my awesome loss this week. One is my friend Chris, who is a nurse, and alerted me to the fact that in order for cardio to really benefit you in weight loss, you need to have your heart rate elevated for a continuous 20 minutes at least.

My best friend Pam, who is also a weight loss blogger and can be found here: http://www.thinnerin08.blogspot.com/, gave me some FANTASTIC ideas on chopping up my veggies at the beginning of the week and having them on hand to use. She also suggested crock pot meals on the days I know I'm going to be away from the house or super busy and might be too tired to cook dinner in the evening. Those two tips proved to be invaluable to me this week. I ate TONS of veggies in at least 2 meals of each day, and I used the crock pot a couple of different times this week, also. Thanks Pam!!!

Finally, the third person that offered their advice when I begged for it was Sean at: http://www.losingweighteveryday.blogspot.com/. He's the one that let me know my calories were all over the map last week, and to give consistency a shot to see if that helps. He challenged me to keep them between 1350-1550 and just see what happens. Well, I chose to get even more consistent than that and kept them right at the 1550 mark all week long, and 6 LBS GONE is what happened!!

Thanks to all of you that assisted me in achieving this loss this week. I love you all and appreciate your advice, support and encouragement...as well as always taking the time to comment on my blog. It means a lot to me....it's a huge help in pushing onward.

Everyone have a GREAT FRIDAY, and I'll be back later tonight for my usual daily post! :)

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." -Vince Lombardi