Friday's Fitness

After last night's miserable weigh in (I did not gain or lose)....I decided it was time to start exercising again. It had been almost 2-weeks since I had rose early and exercised...so this morning when the alarm went off at 5:00 a.m., it was kinda hard getting outta bed. It was even more difficult to motivate myself to actually put on my tennis shoes and press play on that Denise Austin DVD...BUT I DID IT. Not only did I boost my metabolism....I also boosted my self confidence. I was feeling pretty miserable after I had lost 2 pounds (flu induced) but then gained it right back. Plus, I am pretty sure that the scale is broke!!! Seriously, the number screen has flashed the same 132.8 for weeks now!!! Maybe that is just where my body is comfortable. Maybe this is my destiny. Perhaps I just need to be happy with the fact that I weigh less than I did when I got pregnant with Seth and Karah. Perhaps I need to be happy that I am back to size of clothing I was wearing when I started dating TJ. Perhaps I need to take the confidence boosting comments from Jennifer Sauder and Lacie Hamlin and play them back in my head countless times a day and realize that my peers think I look good.

Perhaps I need to pull my head outta my ass and get back on track with my Weight Watchers Points.....SERIOUSLY.....if I am being totally honest with myself....exercise comes easy to me....but eating healthy all of the time does not. It SUCKS! I would rather eat chocolate and ice cream and fried foods. I would much rather stroll down to the cafeteria and indulge in the homemade lunch made by the goddess 'Helen' and wrap my lips around a gigantic slice of cheesecake. I would much rather nibble on cheese puffs and sip Coca-Cola as I watch Oprah in the afternoons. I would much rather snack on Robins Eggs Malted Milk Eggs and Girl Scout Cookies, while I sit at my desk and grade papers. (I could go on and on and on....as I did not even mention the weekly stop by the donut case at Wal-mart as I am grocery shopping.....)

STOP THE INSANITY MRS. COOPER!!!

Today - I am giving the Robins Eggs to Brenda...as she comes by my desk daily for a handful. I am serving up the Girl Scout Cookies in Accounting Class today...hopefully the treats will soften the blow of the Pop Quiz I am giving. The other candy and hidden delights in my cubicle are going down to the Student Services Office, as those ladies need it more than I do. I am packing a healthy lunch and healthy snacks and I am sticking to it. I am also going to try something different....tracking my points starting with dinner being my first meal of the day. It may sound strange or opposite, but as long as I stay within my points range within a 24-hour period, surely that is really the only thing that matters. My downfall is supper.....as TJ and the family don't want to eat fish and chicken and steamed broccoli every night. So, I will cook a healthy, yet delicious evening meal and stop snacking after dinner! I will start my morning with my normal healthy breakfast and pack a healthy option for lunch and snacks....no more trips to the Tallgrass Grille for this lady. This is crunch time!!!! 12-weeks until Bikini Season!!!! I refuse to be that mommy at the swimming pool who is obviously wearing a swimsuit that is too small for her muffin top mommy belly that peaks over the bikini bottom and frightens the young children and teenage boys. I may not be Miss Fitness material...but I will be proud of my body and feel sexy in my own 34-year old skin!!!!

Week 8 - Body Transformation Update

Well, unlike some of my team members, I don't really have anything exciting or fabulous to share about my weight loss this week. Thanks to the Influenza A virus, I was able to drop about 2 1/2 pounds in one week....but the weight has crept back on as my appetite has slowly increased over the last few days. I have not exercised in over a week, so this weekend I need to dust off the exercise equipment and get back to business. I had successfully avoided the Girl Scout Cookie detour....that is until today. I had ordered 4 boxes and now they are just sitting there, staring at me, like one of those Salvation Army Bell Ringers outside of Wal-mart...who just stares at you as you walk by without dropping in a few quarters. I succumbed to the temptation and ate two lemon cookies. Much to my surprise (and disappointment) they were not nearly as good as the Lemon Coolers that I bought last year. These are almost too sweet for my taste! Well, when it comes to lemon....I want tart and sour, with a little sweet. Lemon and Chocolate are my two favorite dessert flavors....well, not together of course. I am sure that my children will devour the cookies like a pack of wolves...all the while the hubby is yelling at me for spending $14 on Girl Scout Cookies. Alas.....I buy them anyways. I can't say no to those little brownies, proudly wearing their sashes, filled with badges and pins. It takes me back to the good ole days when I would go door to door, selling Girl Scout Cookies and then deliver them with my wagon. Oh, the memories.......guess I need to drink some water to cute the sugar taste from my mouth and consider doing something productive today. I cannot get motivated!

Anyways, back to the weight loss thing.....I really need to start tracking my points and staying within my range if I want to drop these last 7 pounds.......'I Can Do It'. It is pure laziness on my part. It is much easier to sit and watch re-runs of Friends and snack on garbage, rather than eat an apple and work out. Oh well, if I honestly want to buy that bikini and those skinny jeans...I gotta move! Also, if I stopped nursing lil Miss Karah, I might actually drop a few pounds in the chest area. But then I cannot justify eating all of those extra calories......UGH, the dilemma.

Waterfowl Widow

Well, that time of year is upon all of those mighty hunters who want to preserve the tundra in Northern Canada and help thin out the snow goose population. With the warmer weather approaching, the geese are moving in large flocks from their warm southern homes to the Canada wilderness. They are making their way through the "Fly Way High Way" a/k/a Kansas. The hubby spends countless hours on the Internet, tracking these migrating creatures. He watches the weather and the clouds and the wind. He reads blog postings where other hunters report their sightings and keep tabs on these flying prey as if they were on house arrest and are wearing tracking devices. The husband also spent numerous hours piecing together and building an electronic goose caller that has been tested and retested. Not to mention the never-ending phone calls and text messages from the hubby's hunting buddies. For me....this means taking care of the house and the children alone for several weeks....as the hubby will come and go as frequently as the geese fly over our house. The 'hunting' alarm goes off at 4 a.m. and the hubby is able to drag his arse outta bed, load up the vehicle, and venture out into the cold February air to set up decoys and lay on a the cool ground beneath blinds...for the hopeful chance that his hard work pays off long enough for that adrenaline rush as the unsuspecting snow geese light upon a field of decoys. The family takes a back seat during these few weeks of heavenly hunting. The garage is filled with random decoys and hunting gear and the freezer fills up with wild game that will probably never be consumed by the family members eating my cooking. At any rate, the Waterfowl Widow presses on....as the winter pushes out and spring creeps in, I have the hope of sunshine filled days and long evening walks and the smell of freshly cut grass, as the yard work obsession will soon take over my husband's free time and the waterfowl decoys will be tucked away until the fall season approaches.

Sick and Tired......

.....of being Sick and Tired. This flu is about to test my patience. I have been feeling lousy for an entire week. Granted, it started out just as a scratchy throat, but still....it has been a week. To make matters worse, the baby came down with a fever on Saturday. UGH!!!!

Oh, and don't forget about the SNOW! It is the last week of February......and Spring officially begins in less than one month.....and we have more snow!!!!

I am seriously on the verge of being depressed! The hubby, who has luckily not been a victim of the flu, cannot relate. He gets to go snow goose hunting on Sunday. As much as I love my children and cherish their very being....I am ready for a day without being sick and a day without being stuck inside this house. If the baby is still running a fever on Sunday, we won't have the luxury of leaving. At this point, I would enjoy anything that would get me outta the house. Time will tell.

On a positive note, the oldest child who had the flu earlier this week is doing much better and bounced back quickly. Maybe the anti-viral medication actually worked on him!

BEWARE!!!!

The flu has invaded the Cooper house! It is super nasty! All I can say is get plenty of rest and listen to your body!!! This is not something that you want to mess around with. I have been sick for almost an entire week. It started with a scratchy throat and then a dry cough. Within about 3 days, I was presenting with all of the symptoms of Influenza A and it took me down! For me, the worst part was the sore throat and exhaustion. Today is day #6 and I am finally feeling better. I am not 100%, but I think I can make it through the day. I still need to take it easy, but hopefully I can function, as the entire family is at home, so I don't have many options. The lack of appetite has helped with the weight loss journey, but as my appetite returns, I need to be aware that I don't overeat. At this point, only one other family member has gotten sick.....so keep your fingers crossed that the rest of them have been spared.

I am looking forward to the warmer weather that is predicted for Sunday and Monday. This never ending winter, cold temperatures and cloud cover is enough to depress a person!

Road Block Ahead

Had I known last week that I would hit a ROAD BLOCK this week, I would have made a few changes to my food choices. I am at home with the flu...not the stomach flu....but the upper respritory type. I am miserable....fever, headache, body aches, dry cough, extremely sore throat, and exhaustion. I spent the majority of Wednesday in bed, sleeping. I tried to call my normal doctor, but they never returned my phone calls, so I drug my sick arse down to the open clinic at our local health department late yesterday afternoon. That was a complete waste of time, as "Dr. Mike" was an arrogant jerk and told me to eat honey and that I should be feeling better by Monday. I was annoyed. I came home and did the best I could in dealing with the family. Today, I am feeling a little better, but I am still sick. I called my normal doctor again and they have told me to come in around 11:30. I realize that this is a virus and it just needs to run it's course....but I really need some pain meds and cough medication to help me cope with the symptoms and allow me to function when my family is home tonight. I have taken some advil, so hopefully in about 30 minutes I will feel well enough to take a shower and head out in this nasty sleety weather to get some medication. I really wish my hubby would come home early from work and take care of me, but he is saving his time off for hunting. ANYWAYS, this flu is the road block in my body transformation journey...as I have no appetite and I have no energy to exercise. I forced myself to eat, but it was high carbs/high calorie comfort foods. On top of everything, my monthly female visitor arrived, so I am retaining water and craving chocolate. It just never ends.....

HOWEVER, I refuse to let these little bumps in the road ruin my progress. Hopefully by next week, I can get back on track and continue on my journey. We still have 12 weeks in our Weight Loss Challenge, so surely one-week won't set me back too far. I am anxiously awaiting the warmer weather to arrive so that I can embrace an outdoor evening walk with the children.

I am going to take a few moments and veg out and hopefully save up enough energy for a shower. Seriously......taking the shower will wipe me out. This flu is nasty!

Body Transformation Journey

I decided to establish a New Year's Resolution this year and I roped in about 7 other friends to join me. We all wanted to shed a few pounds and get healthier for 2008.

For me, I really wanted to make a promise to myself to exercise daily and start eating healthier. I did not have a significant amount of weight to lose, but I did want to lose some inches and tone up my entire body.

I have never really been overweight. I have always been able to eat whatever I wanted and did not have to worry about my weight. After turning 30 and having a baby, I realized that my metabolism had slowed way down. Over about a year's time, I gained about 10-pounds. Now, one might not see this is a huge gain, but if I continued to gain 10 pounds every year, I would easily weigh over 200 pounds by the time I turned 40. That thought scared me to death. It also scared my husband! His mother is overweight....actually she is obese. Not only has her weight contributed to high blood pressure, diabetes, bad knees and sleep apneia....she cannot really enjoy her grandchildren the way that she would like to. I know that it has been difficult on my husband to watch his mother decline over the years. When I gained the 10-pounds, my husband was vocal about his dislike for my extra padding. When I wanted to have another baby, he told me that I had to lose weight before he would consider having another child.....that was all the motivation that I needed.....I started Weight Watchers and joined the gym and I dropped 15 pounds in about 4 months.....then I got pregnant. I only gained 30 pounds with the pregnancy.

My baby is now 1-year old. My how times flies! Over this last year, I have lost all of the baby weight and now I weigh about 1-pound less than I did when I got pregnant. What is amazing is the way that my clothing fits. Since starting this Body Transformation Journey in January, I have dropped one pant/dress size already. It has only been 7 weeks and I have lost 7 pounds since I first stepped on the scales. I hope to continue to lose about a pound per week. Our official challenge ends in May - right before Memorial Day. My goal is to buy a bikini and feel confident in wearing it at the pool. My other goal is to be the same size I was when I started dating my husband...well, I have met that goal. Last weekend I wore a little black cocktail dress to my sorority formal....I wore that exact same dress back in December of 2000 to a holiday party with my then boyfriend....now my hubby.

Now, some people look at me and say that losing weight is EASY for me....that is SO NOT TRUE!!! I have to be conscience non-stop about what I put in my mouth. I also HAVE TO exercise. For my body and my metabolism, I find that I need to alternate daily between cardio and strength training. Not only does exercising help me feel better and gives me energy, it helps build muscle...which burns calories a lot faster than fat does.

EATING is my downfall. I absolutely LOVE food and soda pop. I try and always choose diet soda, but sometimes I just want a real Coca-Cola. I have done really well with taking my lunch to work each day and packing healthy food. I just feel hungry - a lot. It is always very difficult for me to pass up sweet treats. I do try and drink a lot of water and green tea, but I still splurge on soda pop daily.

If I am to meet my ultimate goal between now and Memorial Day, I am going to need to commit to following the WW points and stick to them....NO EXCUSES!!! I need to commit to keeping a daily food journal and logging my food consumption and how I was feeling that day...or why I ate what I ate. I need to commit to exercising daily....no matter what!

Life is a Marathon....not a sprint. Same goes for my Body Transformation Journey!