Jennifer Diets

Sonoma Diet Day 19: Exciting news!

2011-09-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

I am so excited today! Sharon gave me some pants a few weeks ago that she'd shrunk out of (let's hear a WOOT WOOT for Sharon, who's lost something like 70 pounds). Anyway, They're size 18, and I have other 18s that fit, but this one pair she gave me didn't. I could get them on, but they were too poochy to wear in public, plus they were just tight enough around the waist that they were uncomfortable. I decided to give it a shot, and I'm happy to report that I am wearing them dancing tonight! They are, admittedly, slightly poochy at the pockets, but my top covers that well enough. They are quite comfortable in the waist. Huzzah!

I always have this trouble with pants--my waist is always much smaller than my hips (even when it's way thicker than it should be), so pants that are big enough for my hips, butt,, thighs, and belly are too loose in the waist. Add in my very curved lower back, and it's a real issue. I can never, ever wearl low rise pants. Ever. Even when I'm thin. Oh well...

Today's menu:

Breakfast: burrito with carb control tortilla, eggs, spinach, a little cheddar cheese
Lunch: spinach sauteed with garlic and a little olive oil, tuna, whole wheat crackers
Dinner: cold roasted chicken, lite caesar salad
Dessert: pineapple

Off to Tango in a few minutes, and I feel pretty! I even put on jewelry. I can definitely see a difference in my face and around my neck and collar bones and shoulders, even though the scale is moving slowly. As long as it keeps moving and my clothes keep fitting better, that's what's important!

Have a great holiday weekend!

Sonoma Diet Day 16: still here

2011-08-31T17:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a few days, but I am still here and I am still following my healthy eating plan. I've just been busy and didn't have much interesting to say...we tend to eat the same things over and over because it's easy and doesn't require thought, but so far we're really happy with how it's going. Greg just exclaimed, "I love this diet!" literally a few minutes ago. I've lost another pound, and so has he. I'm sure we could do better, but I'm pretty happy with what we're doing so far and there's always room for improvement.

Breakfast: spinach, egg, and Laughing Cow cheese burrito
Lunch: chicken and veggies from Panda Express (Mandarin Chicken, Kung Pow Chicken, mixed veggies, saved about half for breakfast tomorrow)
Dinner: Sonoma Greek Pizza and salad.

Here are a couple of yummy diet snack ideas for you:

Natural peanut butter (get it right out of the machine at some grocery stores, not the jarred stuff) with a rice cake or celery
Triscuits with Laughing Cow spreadable cheese wedge

Sonoma Diet Day 11

2011-08-26T23:53:00.000-07:00

Tired after dancing, so I'll make this quick:

Breakfast: skipped. oops.
Lunch: Sonoma steak & bleu cheese wraps & salad
Dinner: Barilla Plus spagetti with Cabernet Marinara (Newman's Own) and turkey meatballs, salad.
Snack: triscuits and laughing cow light cheese. and a pickle.

Sonoma Diet Day 10: End of Wave 1

2011-08-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

The Sonoma Diet is broken up into Waves: the first 10 days is Wave 1 and is the strictest, Wave 2 is the longer term weight loss program that you stay on until you reach your goal, and then you go on Wave 3 for the rest of your life to stay healthy and trim. We weren't QUITE as strict as we should have been on Wave 1, but I think we'll survive anyway.

The bad news is that I bought a bathroom scale since our old one was broken. It was more off than I thought, and I gained more weight back over the past year than I thought I did. I know, I should focus on the fact that I'm doing something about it now, I'm pissed! *sigh*

Breakfast: double fiber English muffin with turkey sausage and one fried egg
Lunch: turkey patty, lemon cucumber slices, one apple
Dinner: marinated flank steak, toasted quinoa pilaf with mushrooms, broccoli
Snack: three triscuits with Babybel light garlic & herb cheese

Sonoma Diet Day 9

2011-08-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

I'm so sleepy I almost forgot to post! I'm starting to notice tiny changes that indicate my healthy eating is paying off. I usually notice it in places where the bons are close to the surface--my face, collar bones, shoulders, etc. They feel just a little tighter and there's a little more definition. Yay!

Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 egg white scrambled with a little ham, double fiber english muffin
Lunch: 2 small pieces of chicken satay, Sonoma Greek pizza leftover from last night
Dinner: salmon, barley risotto, salad. I know, repetitive, but it's jsut because it's so good we wanted it again!

Sonoma Diet Day 8

2011-08-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post before I go dancing. still going strong and very happy!

Breakfast: ham and spinach scrambled with one egg and one egg white on a double fiber whole grain english muffin
Lunch: chicken breast, green beans
Dinner: Sonoma Greek Pizza (whole grain Boboli with red wine vinegrette, spinach, feta, cherry tomatoes, and I forget what else), roasted zuccini

Off to do some West Coast Swing. Have a good night!

Sonoma Diet Day 7! One week! and a diet tip

2011-08-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to point out that I am on Day 7 of the Sonoma Diet and I am STILL going strong. I feel soooo good about this. I'm determined to keep it up forever. We seem to have come up with a workable solution between the recipes in the book and doing our own thing while following the principles. When you follow the meal plans, at least in the old book, every portion of every meail required prep and cooking, and it got to be too much even though I loved every single meal. The new version of the diet offers much simpler meal plans, although we haven't been following them, just cooking simple food in the Sonoma style. We did use one of our favorite recipes from the original book at dinner tonight, the mushroom barley risotto. Delish!

Breakfast: Burrito with one whole egg and one white, spinach, onion
Dinner: Salmon pan seared with a little seasoning (on sale from Safeway again, and sooo good), mushroom barley risotto, green salad with low fat ranch
Snack: 1/4 pineapple. So ripe and sweet. Should have had just 1/8, but since i missed lunch I let myself have it. I generally don't skip meals but scheduling was difficult today and it just happened. I might go have another salad or a piece of low fat string cheese.

Diet Tip of the Day:

I used to think diet food was boring and bland. This is so not the case! Why deprive yourself of flavor? Seasonings, herbs, and spices are "free" nutritionally (just don't overdo the salt), so use them! The Sonoma Diet books have tons of great recipes, although there are many other cookbooks out there for dieters. Take the time to prepare fresh food with lots of flavor, and you won't feel deprived.

The best way to cook brown rice

2011-08-22T03:41:00.000-07:00

This morning, I have a guest post from my husband, Greg Walker, who makes KILLER brown rice. Thanks, Sweetie!

Cooking Brown Rice

Though I have been struggling with cooking brown rice for years, due, in great part, to my particular aversion to devoting counter space to a rice cooker, it was Alton Brown of the Food Network’s show, Good Eats, who finally taught me an easy and nearly foolproof way to cook brown rice. The basic recipe calls for short grain brown rice, salt, olive oil, and water. Whilst remaining true to be basic formula, I change it up by using different cooking liquids such as chicken broth or stock; different variants of brown rice, such as long grain brown rice, brown basmati rice, or brown jasmine rice; and by adding mushrooms or vegetables or mushrooms to the mix. When adding vegetables or mushrooms, do not change the liquid content – the fluids in the mix are sufficient to steam the veggies while the rice cooks.

The basic recipe is as follows:

The Best Way to Cook Brown Rice

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice

• 2 1/2 cups water

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt – if using table salt, use 1/2 teaspoon

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.

Place water, salt, and olive oil in a water boiler, a small pot, or a microwave safe container, and bring just to a boil.

Place rice in an 8” x 8” square baking pan. Pour boiling water over the rice and stir. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven for one hour. Remove from oven, remove the foil carefully to avoid steam burns. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Variations

• Short and medium grain brown rice cooks very moist and cohesive without being sticky. Long grains rice, including basmati and jasmine rice, has very individual grains and distinct flavors and aromas. This method also works well for most wild rice mélanges.

• A handful of sliced or quartered white or wild mushrooms are very complimentary to brown rice. Broccoli, diced summer squashes like zucchini or crookneck, finely diced carrots, fresh corn stripped from the cob, and frozen peas also work well. Just stir them together with the dry rice before adding the water. Avoid high moisture adds such as tomatoes.

• Whatever you add, do not overdo it. One cup of extras, total, is pushing the envelope.

• For an easy chicken and rice dinner, make the short-grain rice with low sodium chicken broth or stock and add whatever mushrooms and/or vegetables you want. Season and pan-cook or grill one boneless/skinless chicken breast per person. Cut the chicken into about quarter inch slices. When the rice is done, either stir the chicken into the rice or plate a portion of rice and top with the sliced chicken. This is yummy and easy and it takes about 20 minutes of hands-on time.

Sonoma Diet Day 6!

2011-08-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

Things are still going great! I took it easy today physically--it is important to give your body a break once in a while. Tomorrow I'll have to actually exercise.

Breakfast: plain Greek yogurt and strawberries
Lunch: green salad with chicken breast
Dinner: splurged on a rib-eye steak (first red meat all week, and yes it's ok on this diet although this cut is a little fattier than I should have and it was a little too big), leftover brown rice and mushrooms from last night, roasted asparagus

If I have a snack, it will probably be low fat string cheese, although I'm kind of jonesing for another salad. In any case, it will be good.

Tomorrow morning, I will post a guest post from Greg Walker on a delicious way to prepare brown rice. It'll make a believer out of you!

Sonoma Diet Day 5...already! And a diet tip

2011-08-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

It's day five, and I'm going to do this a little early since we're leaving to go Tango in a little bit and I'll be too bleary-eyed by the time we get home to write. By day five of a new eating plan, you can tell if it's a keeper or if you'll be diving off the wagon at any moment. All week, I have felt great! I'm not feeling deprived, I haven't had any cravings, and I've been really strong and happy with our food choices. I think there are still adjustments to be made, but we're doing pretty well. I'm fully prepared to eat like this forever, and I even have fantasies of going out to eat and getting something healthy. LOL!

My menu today:

Breakfast: Leftover black pepper/mushroom chicken from Panda Express last night (probably 250 calories)
Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken breast (got a great deal on a huge pack at half price at Safeway), tomatoes, cucumbers, a little avocado, and our fat free ranch dressing. Sooo yummy.
Dinner: OMG so good. Salmon (also half price at Safeway) crusted with a "Tuscan" salt/spice mix and pan fried in a little olive oil, brown rice baked with sliced mushrooms, and roasted asparagus.

Here's a diet tip: if you don't think you like brown rice, try short grain or even medium grain instead of long grain. The flavor and texture is much better! Greg has a really good procedure for preparing it, so I'll have to ask him to do a guest post.

Exercise: moving rocks and Tango. Have I mentioned I don't know what I'm going to do when all the rocks are moved? I'll have to do actual, boring exercise! Have a great night.

Sonoma Diet Day 4

2011-08-19T22:58:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty good day today. Not much to remark on, so I'll just share what I ate today. I'm looking forward to starting to see some differences in my body soon. Ended up eating out twice today, which is very unusual for us!

Breakfast: burrito with egg beaters, turkey sausage, mushrooms (looking forward to finishing the tortillas and moving on to something different!)

Lunch: Greg and I split a two-taco plate at Rubios. Classic grilled chicken tacos, black beans, spanish rice (bad--white), side salad with balsamic vinegrette. The whole meal was 900 calories according to the menu, so split in half it was 450.

Dinner: 2-entree plate at Panda Express with mixed veggies instead of chow mein or rice, mushroom chicken and black pepper chicken. Totalled about 540 calories, but I only ate about half it so probably more like 270. Will have the rest for breakfast tomorrow.

Dessert: 1/8 of a pineapple
Snack: one low-fat mozerella cheese stick

Exercise: moved half a ton of rocks with Sharon. Seriously like getting a full body workout at the gym..bending, lifting, scooping, sweeping, raking, walking. Muscle building and cardio in one!

Sonoma Diet Day 3

2011-08-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

It's day three and I feel great, but this is going to be a quick one because it's late and I'm tired.

Breakfast: burrito with egg beaters, turkey sausage, onions. We seem to be in a burrito rut.

Snack: celery sticks with about 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter (no sugar added)

Lunch: leftovers of yesterday's taco salad with ranch dressing made from Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix with skim milk and mixed with salsa. Totally yummy.

Dinner (at my mom's): a cornish game hen with a wild rice blend stuffing. She made corn and I had to tell her no on that because it's too high in sugar, at least at this point in the diet.

Late night snack: pineapple. Which is ironic, because I'm sure it has more sugar than corn, but it's on the list for this wave of the diet and corn isn't, so who am I to argue? It's my favorite fruit. Sooo yummy. I think this is the first fruit we've had since we started the diet, so that's kind of good I guess.

Exercise: just Tango. Was going to ride and stuff happened to prevent that, so I'll go tomorrow after moving half a ton of rocks with my sister-in-heart.

Sonoma Diet Day 2: Still going strong

2011-08-17T23:40:00.000-07:00

Day two of a diet (I know, I know, healthy lifestyle for life. I get it.) is still good. You're still fired up, and you're starting to figure out the rhythm of your new way of eating. You can almost resist stepping on the scale again. Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: burrito on carb balance tortilla with 1 egg and 1 white, turkey sausage, and avocado. yummy.
Lunch: yummy taco salad with seasoned ground turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, a little avocado, mushrooms, cucumber, fetta and a sort of salsa vinegrette made with balsamic, olive oil, and salsa.
Dinner: Brown rice baked with broccoli, ahi tuna steak, and mushrooms, with feta and fresh tomatoes added at the end. Also very yummy, although bad Greg made too much rice and bad me let us eat it all. At least it carried me through dancing and everything and I feel like I can skip a snack.

We got some fresh-made natural peanut butter at the store, where they have a machine that makes it fresh for you. It smells soooo good and I can't wait to have a little with celery for a snack.

Exercise: moved about a half a ton of rock with my sister in law this morning (yes, it counts. oy.), Tango dancing tonight. Lots of sweat!

Sonoma Diet Day One: Here we go!

2011-08-16T23:53:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start this post with a request. I'm posting this journal to keep myself honest and keep track of what I'm doing, and maybe to invoke discussion or inspire readers, not to be criticized. Please refrain from chastising me about food choices, exercise, etc. I don't need the negativity. Please also refrain from the "Well, I heard..." comments. This diet was written by a registered dietition/doctor, so I'm going to trust what she says and go with it. There are a million different theories on dieting and they all conflict, so sometimes you just have to put the blinders on. What works for you may not work for me, and vice versa.

Day one of a diet is always so full of promise. In some ways, it's the hardest day because you can still remember all the horrible things you ate before and wish you could still eat them, and you have to get used to new portion sizes. On the other hand, you're also full of fire about making a change in your life, and that motivation goes a long way! I've been through this so many times, but I can't seem to make it stick for long enough to make a permanent change in my eating habits. I would like this time to make it happen. I lost a good 20 or 30 pounds eating this way before, so there's no reason I can't reach my goal weight and stay there. It's all about changing your mindset about food. You don't have to settle for bland, tasteless food, either...there are tons of delicious recipes in The Sonoma Diet books, and once you understand the principles, you can make up your own or adapt others. Also, sometimes I really need to go with what I can afford or is convenient. It's what you do most of the time that makes a difference, not what you do every once in a while.

One thing I haven't done before is kept a daily journal, so I'm going to try that this time. Our scale is broken so I can't give you my starting weight (ugh, like I really want to share it), although I think I'll dig out the tape measure and do some measurements.

Morning:
Woke up early (not on purpose). Drank one cup of coffee with a tablespoon of heavy cream. I know, you've been told not to drink coffee, and heavy cream sounds antithetical to what we're doing. According to the author, Dr. Connie Guttersen, RD, PhD, you can have up to two cups of black coffee or one cup with a tablespoon of heavy cream. Some people say the caffeine stimulates the appetite, but I don't find this to be true. In fact, sometimes if I have coffee in the morning I can hold off on breakfast longer. The reason for the cream instead of lowfat milk is that it is lower in lactose--the less fat you have, the more milk sugar. Also, one tablespoon lightens the coffee just as much as much more of the lighter fat stuff, so you might even end up with less fat than if you used 2%. I'm not sure about the last part--it's conjecture. But the sugar part is true. Greg also interviewed another dietition once who said the same thing, plus it's less processed and she advocates eating whole foods that have as little processing as possible to maximize nutrients.

For breakfast, one whole egg and one egg white scrambled with a bit of turkey sausage in a Mission Carb Balance tortilla. These things are great--high in fiber without having a weird flavor or texture.

Lunch: A serving of packet light tuna in water, one serving of Triscuits (they're whole grain and have fiber), and one cup of canned green beans (I know. Fresh is better. This is what I had.)

Dinner; brown rice and roasted zuccini and mushrooms. Yum!

Late night: 1 chicken taco del carbon from Del Taco. These are more wholesome than you would think, especially for a quick snack after dancing!

We need snacks but we didn't have any. Hopefully we'll live until tomorrow.

Exercise: rode my horse this morning and went dancing tonight. Decided that was plenty, especially on reduced calories!

Dusting off the diet blog

2011-08-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

Wow...it's been just over a year since I posted here! It's been a bad one, diet-wise. I left my physically demanding job, stopped exercising, and went back to my old, bad eating habits. Sigh. I gained back almost all the weight I'd lost. Very upsetting! I've been very busy with work and stressed out and unable to deal with it, but now I've kind of gotten a grip and I'm ready...and Greg even suggested going back to our old favorite way of eating, The Sonoma Diet. We bought a few things to get us going and will start tomorrow. Hurray! We're supposed to keep a food/cravings/feelings/etc journal, so I'm going to use this blog for that.

The first ten days is the hardest, of course. No sweets, not even low-cal sweetener. Smaller portions. Fewer grains. Smaller lists of foods to choose from. However, there are a lot of great foods to eat, and really yummy recipes. We got a copy of the NEW Sonoma Diet book, and it's been simplified and updated for a busy lifestyle. We're looking forward to trying this new version!

Basically, it's just good, healthy eating. Lean proteins, high-quality whole grains, and lots of vegetables, and portion control. It's not a fad, it's not fast, but it's delicious and sensible and it does work. Here's to health!

Sonoma Diet day five

2010-08-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

Good day today. I treated myself to a breakfast burrito (well, Greg cooked it, I just told him what I wanted): a scrambled egg, turkey breakfast sausage and spinach wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Lunch was another steak and blue cheese wrap, since we had some tri-tip left over. Dinner was one of my favorites from this plan: beef and mushroom kabobs. Tenderloin steak, baby bella mushrooms and grape tomatoes, marinated and broiled. Delish! We had a salad with it, topped with the Greek Vinaigrette from the book. I really, really liked it.

Tomorrow, we go to my mom's for dinner. She promised to cook something healthy, so we'll see!

Sonoma Diet day four

2010-08-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

Well, the reunion last night wasn't bad, food-wise. They had a yummy selection of fresh fruits, grilled vegetables, caesar salad, pesto lasagna (which I did not have), roasted red potatoes (which I also didn't have, aren't you proud of me?), a yummy chicken breast with an artichoke and sundried tomato topping and tri-tip. Overall, quite healthy! I did have one tiny piece of bread with butter on it, and I did have three tiny (literally--a mouthful) cupcakes for dessert. I know, I should have skipped dessert, but I forgive myself.

Today, I had my egg and a piece of locally made, multi-grain, high fiber toast. Lunch was the steak and blue cheese wraps from the Sonoma Diet book: whole wheat tortilla, leftover tri-tip from the other night, blue cheese, romaine lettuce (I think that's all...supposed to put bell peppers on, but ew). Quite tasty and decadent! Tonight is Mediterranean Pork Chops, broccoli with almonds and hot pepper (the chili flakes) and toasted quinoa pilaf. I'm not big on pork chops, but these are pretty good, and I like the quinoa pilaf a lot. If you don't know what that is, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a tiny spherical grain. It has good flavor and is fun to eat! Highly recommended on this diet.

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

ETA: I didn't like the broccoli. I'm starting to think the only thing I like on it is cheese! The pork chops were good, and so was the quinoa. The book said to put bell peppers in, but that's gross, so we used mushrooms.

Sonoma Diet day two (a little late)

2010-08-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a good day. I've been starting each day with one fried egg and a Thomas' Better Start Multigrain English Muffins. These are "light", with 1/3 the calories of their regular product but 1/3 of your daily supply of fiber. Honestly, I don't know how these companies are making these high fiber and whole grain products that taste so good and have good texture. I have a feeling an expose is going to come out to tell us these companies have been lying to us, but for now I'm going to go with it! Here are some of the nutritional facts from the Thomas':

Calories: 100
Calories from fat: 10
Total fat: 1g (no saturated, no cholesterol)
Sodium: 170mg
Total carbs: 25g
Dietary fiber: 8g
Protein 5g

Diet wisdom from at least a couple of gurus I've read say to subtract the fiber from the total carbs, and that's the number you should be worried about. That means these have 17g, which isn't all that bad for bread. On Sonoma, this is a reasonable amount. In the first wave, this is fine as long as I watch it closely the rest of the day.

Yesterday for lunch we had chicken and black bean wraps, which were totally tasty. According to the recipe, we were supposed to make a black bean spread, but we didn't have all the spices so we just warmed up the beans and put them in straight. Whole grain tortilla, of course. I loved it. For dinner we had her grilled tri-tip, except we were lazy and broiled it. It's seasoned with rosemary and I don't know what else, but it's totally delish. The key here, since it's red meat, is portion control. I think you get 4oz of meat. We had a simple spinach salad with it (baby spinach and sliced almonds), and did her recipe for broccoli, roasted red peppers and kalamata olives. That we did not like. We don't really like bell peppers, but are trying to be open minded because they're one of the "super foods" she lists in the book. We can tolerate them in some applications, but this was definitely not one of them. *shudder*

In the evening, I DJed a dance (http://www.jenniferdance.blogspot.com), and ended up dancing quite a bit. I've been nursing my sprained ankle and not doing a whole lot (as my friend and bludgeon Patience would say, using it as an excuse), so I'm pretty well out of shape. I danced a lot, though, and my ankle survived pretty well and isn't any worse today. I got a lot of exercise and had a great time. On the way home, we stopped for Del Taco Tacos Del Carbon. The chicken ones have only 5 grams of fat and are really tasty! If you're going to do fast food because your starving, it's not a bad way to go.

Tonight I have my 20th high school reunion. I'm not sure what's going to happen meal-wise, but I have a feeling it'll be bad. I'm going to enjoy myself but try to be modest. Have a great day, everyone!

Back on the Sonoma Diet

2010-08-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well, hello, blog! Long time no see. I know, I'm a horrible friend. What have I been up to? Well, I was working for a horse trainer for 10 months and lost a ton of weight. At one point, I was at 178, a total loss of 50 pounds. That rocked! I was working so hard, physically, that I was burning probably 4-5,000 calories a day and eating as much as whatever I want. Then, I decided to leave that job to go back to working at home full time, writing. Funny, all of a sudden I can't eat whatever I want anymore. Oh, and then I was helping a friend with a horse and it freaked out and knocked me around a bit and I ended up with a sprained ankle. Therefore, not much exercise in the past three weeks. I know, I know. Excuses. I could find exercises to do, but I'm lazy.

So, anyway, I've packed on a little extra padding again, so I need to go back to watching what I eat and *sigh* exercising. Greg and I love The Sonoma Diet, so we're going back on that. We love it because the food is fantastic--she gives a lot of great recipes. Of course, you don't have to follow her meal plans and recipes, but it's a great way to start, get some ideas and get used to this way of eating. It's basically all about balance, whole grains and lean meats, but it's also about making food taste really great so you feel satisfied. You get a wide variety of food, and it's a way of eating that you can live with for the rest of your life. The hardest part is that there is a lot of prep work and cooking involved, but we like that, and it gives us something to do together.

For lunch today, we made the Greek salad with shrimp. Delicious! We did a little extra prep so we'd have some ready-to-go salad toppings to go with dinner tonight. Tonight's dinner isn't exactly on the plan, but it could be worse--it's turkey meatloaf, sweet potatoes and salad. We bought a pre-made turkey meatloaf at the store (it's Jennie-O brand, which has a lot of great turkey products) before we decided to go back on Sonoma. It's close enough. We'll try to steer clear of packaged foods from now on when we can, but we don't want it to go to waste and it's not that bad.

Now I should probably get some exercise...Maybe in the pool!

Losing weight is bitter sweet

2009-12-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

OK, this post is going to prompt you to say, "Oh, WAH. Call the Wahmbulance!" However, I'm going to post it anyway, because it's a triumph as well as a whine.

So, remember when I showed my horse in halter back in April? I think I posted about going suit shopping. Anyway, I had found this gorgeous suit, and it was a 16--we had started with a pile of 18s and had to put them back. I was so happy that day that I was able to step down in size, although it was admittedly a bit tight--I looked pretty good in it standing up, but didn't want to sit down in it! Then, by the time the show came, it actually fit better. That was cool.

Well, I only wore that suit a couple of times. I was invited to a Christmas party the other night, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to wear the suit, since it was a little dressy. I took a shower, put on makeup (something I rarely do) and earrings and everything, then went to get dressed.

When I pulled on the pants, I came to a sudden, horrifying realization. They were too big. Like, WAY to big. Practically falling off me. So big that putting the jacket over them to hide the bagginess wasn't even an option. Talk about a bummer! Yes, bully for me for losing so much weight in seven months that my suit was way to big...but...dang it, I hardly got to wear it! It was an expensive suit!

So, I had to find something to wear. I rifled through my clothes and discovered that even though my 16s were falling off me, I still couldn't wear my 14s. What the Hell??? I have no clothes. They're either falling off or just tight enough in the tummy and thighs that they pooch at the pockets. I have boxes upon boxes of skinny clothes...it's time to get back into them!

So, there you go. Call the wahmbulance driver! My clothes are too big!

Lost another pound

2009-12-07T05:53:00.001-08:00

I have lost another pound, which puts me at 180 and a total of 48 pounds lost. The last time I calculated my BMI, I was at 31.5, which is considered obese. I looked through my old post trying to figure out when I was looking at that before, but I can't find it. In any case, I am no longer obese! I am now simply overweight...whee! My goal was 160, and I only have 20 pounds to go...cake, right? If I tried really hard, I could probably do that in two months. However, I am still not very good about watching my calories, so it'll take twice that long. That's OK with me, as long as it stays off!

We're headed into the holiday season. I don't plan to binge on sweets TOO much, but I'm sure there will be some here and there. I made the executive decision to not put candy canes on the tree this year, because none of us need that much temptation.

Good luck with the holidays, everyone...don't do anything you'll regret later!

Four more gone...

2009-11-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

Hey all, I haven't been very diligent about this blog, have I? I also haven't been very diligent about my diet, although I try to make healthy choices sometimes, at least. Luckily, I have a job that keeps me working hard all day and burning lots of calories! I have lost four more pounds since my last update, so that brings me to 47 total lost. It's funny...I'll stay stuck at a weight for a long time, then suddenly I'll drop several pounds all at once. I'm feeling fitter and leaner all the time! I'm wearing my daughter's jeans and all of my belts are too big. I'm lovin' it!

43 pounds gone!

2009-09-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

After a little over a year, I am now down 43 pounds! If I were more diligent I'd be at my goal weight by now, but that's OK...better slow than never. My new job keeps me hopping, which is great. I'm getting fitter all the time...the first week, I was in so much pain at the end of the day that I'd almost want to cry...now, I can go running after dinner. Just under a month ago, I bought a pair of size 16 white jeans to show in at Sporthorse Nationals, but at the time I couldn't wear them in public because my thighs looked too gross. Now, they look great! I also bought a pair of size 14...I can get into them, but they pull just a little. I'm hoping to lose just a few more pounds before I leave on September 20th so I can wear those, too!

Checking in

2009-08-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

So, my new job is going great...I'm starting to get the hang of everything and learning a lot. I'm working about 11 hours a day, but I hardly feel it anymore. In fact, after grooming all day, I still have enough energy left over to work my horses or even go on a trail ride. I'm losing weight, although my stupid scale can't seem to decide how much. My clothes are definitely getting looser and you can see more muscle definition!

Just under a month to go until nationals...I'm having a hard time fitting in my running with my schedule, but I MUST!

New job!

2009-07-31T07:48:00.000-07:00

I got a bit of a surprise last night...a new job! I'll be grooming for a dressage trainer. I'll be working with horses all day, so I'm going to love it! Plus, it'll be great exercise so hopefully I'll lose a ton of weight. The hard part will be getting in running, too. I'll probably have to do that early in the morning before I go to work. I didn't today because I'm going dancing tonight instead. Off I go...wish me luck!

Today's random thoughts

2009-07-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

1. As I was running and sweating and huffing and puffing today, I noticed something...my fat doesn't bounce around anymore. Thirty pounds ago, when I ran, my fat would bounce around so much that it actually hurt. I still have fat, but it's not loose enough to bounce around. yay!

2. While I was running and sweating and huffing and puffing today,I wondered if I'm eventually going to wear out my little dog. I keep adding on to the circuit and doing a little more running and a little less walking, and I wondered if eventually it'll be too much for her. After all, she's a 10-pound dog...she's really little. But then, when I came into the house, red-faced, pouring sweat and just about wanting to die, she was happy and perky and bouncing around, wanting someone to take her harness off. I guess she's fine for now!

Sleep is not overrated!

2009-07-28T12:27:00.001-07:00

I have found that the amount of activity I get in during a day is directly related to the amount of sleep I got the night before! If I get very little sleep for whatever reason...puppy woke me up several times, couldn't fall asleep, woke up too early and couldn't get back to sleep...I feel it all day. Not only am I sleepy, but I can't find the motivation to get out of my chair to go do something. Then, when I finally do get out there and do something, I have less energy even to do what I do every day. I can't run as far, I don't feel up to riding, etc. By contrast, when I'm well rested, I can go all day.

Today, I woke up with a crick in my neck. I'd had plenty of sleep, but now I have this horrible sharp pain in my neck. Great! I decided to go for my run anyway, prepared to walk the whole way if I had to, but at least I'd still burn some calories. I did manage to run, but it hurt...and I got tired faster. I think I wasn't breathing as well because of the pain, plus it is warm out. I had to stop running several times just because of the pain...but if I walked for a minute and stretched, I could run a bit more. I did get through my whole circuit, albeit in a little more time than usual. I probably didn't run quite as much, but I did run some and worked up a good sweat. Better than nothing!

Interval training rocks!

2009-07-27T09:53:00.001-07:00

I first learned about interval training when I did Body For Life a few years ago. It basically means that you alternate intensity throughout your cardio workout, with periods of relative ease interspersed between periods of wanting to just about die. While you might burn more calories if you maintained a high intensity the whole time, you cannot maintain your peak for very long. With interval training, you can actually reach higher levels of intensity for more combined time, because these high intensity bits come in bursts with a chance to recover in between. In fact, as you go through the workout, you can get MORE intense as your muscles warm up and your heart gets really pumping.

I only follow the Body For Life version when I'm on some kind of machine where I can keep track of the time and have an objective measurement of my intensity. Currently, I don't belong to a gym so that's not an option. Instead, I take a circuit around my neighborhood, alternating walking and running. Each running leg, I have landmarks to start and stop so I know I'm doing at least as much as the day before, if not more. Each leg, I run until I just about want to die. If I set out to just run the whole thing, I'd run maybe a quarter mile and then peter out and quit in a quarter mile. Instead, by taking brief walk breaks between running legs, I can recover and run again until I just about want to die. I even get faster with each successive leg, almost without thinking about it, and I actually sprint on my last one (with bit steps to practice for showing horses). I get much more running in this way, running probably a mile of my mile-and-a-half or so circuit.

When I started this program earlier this year, my circuit was about a mile and I didn't quite run half of it--I had two running legs. Now, I have five running legs. The walk breaks are getting shorter and the running legs are getting longer. Eventually, I hope to hook a couple of them together. Some day, I'll be able to run the whole thing, interspersing sprints with jogging. For now, I feel a little pathetic, but I'm much less pathetic than I was a few months ago! Just wait until I weigh 30 pounds less...

Just keep moving....

2009-07-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

They say the best way to deal with muscles that are sore from exercising is to keep moving. Personally, I think the best way to deal with them is to soak in a hot tub with a glass of wine, but what do I know?

This morning, as I walked out the door for my morning run I told my family I'd be longer than usual because I probably wouldn't run as much--plus I added about half a mile to my normal circuit. I'm sore from riding the other night and running this week, after over a week of doing neither.

So I started out on my route, thinking, "Ugh. This sucks. I don't want to do this. I'm sore. I want to go get in a hot tub with a glass of wine." However, it's not even 10AM yet, so wine is out of the question...oh, and I have to lose 10 pounds in the next month. Suck it up, sister.

I got to the point where my first running leg starts, gave myself a quick pep talk and struck off at a jog. It hurt. Every bounce introduced me to every muscle I neglected while I was out of town. I thought, "This sucks." However, I made it through that leg and rewarded myself with the usual walk break.

When I got to the next leg, I thought, "OK, if I can just get through this one, I get a good break before the next one. I can do it!" I struck off again, and this time things didn't hurt as much. I was still not the most comfortable I've ever been, but it was easier than the first leg. I made it all the way through and got to the next walk break.

By the third leg, which is a new one that takes me across a wide street, I knew I was going to get through my whole routine. I even pushed myself to run just a little bit further on that leg, and I completed the rest of my route. I was hot and sweaty and tired by the end...but I'm supposed to be! That means I'm burning all kinds of calories! Whee! 27 days to go to Region 3....

Back on track!

2009-07-13T09:38:00.001-07:00

Just got back from my morning run. I didn't run while I was at the show, because the thought of running on top of a 12 or 14 hour work day was just too much! I know, excuses, excuses. Anyway, I must have gotten enough cardio in walking around and up and down stairs, because I didn't lose any fitness--in fact, my little trip was actually easier than before I left! I got through each running leg without dying or wanting a break, and I think I recovered just a little easier. I did a little sprint at the end...not full speed, but faster and bigger steps. In a little bit, I'm going to have some high fiber, high protein cereal for breakfast. yum!

Countdown to showing at Region 3 Sport Horse Championships: 32 days!

Home from region 3

2009-07-12T22:38:00.000-07:00

I was at the Arabian Horse Association region 3 championships for the past week. Didn't show at this one, just groomed for a trainer friend of mine, Cari. Tomorrow morning, I'm back on track with running! A few days ago, I had to run halfway across the show grounds because someone forgot her number. Cari was surprised at how fast I got there, and I was pleased with how easy it was! OK, I was huffing and puffing a little, but I didn't totally die! :) Went grocery shopping tonight and planned a couple of healthy meals. 10 pounds by August 14...I can do it!

Where have I been?

2009-06-29T10:28:00.001-07:00

So, as I posted below, I went to Pacific Slopes last Sunday to show. I showed three horses in five classes and won three top fives, a Reserve Champion and a Champion! Very exciting...the biggest title I've ever won. Too bad none of the horses were mine! Anyway, I ran the triangle five times. The official triangle is 328 feet long for all three sides, and probably a little more than that since you run outside of the markers. So, five triangles is about a third of a mile, I guess? Plus you walk about 50 feet on each one. That's actually less than what I do on my regular runs at home, so that's good--that means I'm working harder at home than I do at shows, so showing should be easier.

I did manage to keep up with the horses even on the "lengthen" stretch, but I could still run faster to show the horses better. I did huff and puff embarassingly after each one, but recovered in a couple of minutes and in plenty of time to show the next one.

So then, Patience says, "You should come to Santa Barbara with me tomorrow to Region 2. You can show and groom for me." This would be a five-day trip.

"Ha, ha," I said. "Wouldn't that be nice?" So I texted my husband. "Patience wants me to go to Santa Barbara with her tomorrow. Ha ha."

"You should," he replied.

"Are you serious?" I asked. We went back and forth for a while on it...after all, I had no clothes with me, nor my computer, and I'd be leaving him at home with no car. Finally he decided to live without a car (or borrow Mom's when necessary), and borrowed Mom's to drive a suitcase and my computer down to me in Santa Rosa. I then drove to Patience's, spent the night there and rode with her to SB. He drove home from Santa Rosa and got caught in traffic...it took him 5 hours. Poor guy!

Anyway, so we drove to SB on Monday and set up and showed on Tuesday. I showed just one horse that day, which was the pre-show. We came in 5th of 9, enough to qualify for the championships. Wednesday I showed three horses in six classes (running the triangle six times). Again, I needed to run faster along the top part, but I did Ok other than that. I ran out of steam on the very last showing. The judge didn't like our horses very much, but we came away with three top fives and a reserve champion in the in-hand.

So now, Patience says if I want to show at Region 3 in August, I have to lose 10 POUNDS! Oy, that's a lot...but at least I'll be grooming at the main ring region 3 in Reno next week, and that always helps as far as weight loss goes! Really need to keep up on the running before and after that and watch what I eat! She wants me svelte and fleet next time. oooook!

I get to show again!

2009-06-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

Patience asked me to show horses on Sunday at the Pacific Slopes Championship! Very cool! Good thing I've been keeping up on my running, huh?

Speaking of which, yesterday was hard. I didn't run or do anything out of the ordinary the day before, but I was really stiff and tired. I had to take a couple of breathers. I hope I do better today!

Running, running, running

2009-06-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Just came back from my run, and I'm pouring sweat. I add a little every day...I now have 4 running spurts instead of 3, they're getting a little longer, and the recovery time is getting shorter in between. I want to shorten a couple of the recovery times and lengthen the running spurts just a little more and add one more small one, and I want to finish each one just a little out of breath instead of the embarrassingly ragged breath I'm in now every time I run. Once I accomplish that, I'll be ready to start adding some sprints to work on my speed, but I think I need endurance first.

I have to start wearing white pants when I show. Ick. Better get rid of the thunder thighs!

New motivation!

2009-06-13T19:47:00.001-07:00

Patience was so happy with how I showed the in-hand horses at the last show that she's letting me show them at Regionals and Nationals!! I haven't shown at either since I was a kid...my current horses have never been ready and I haven't had the money. So, it will be very cool to show some very nice horses at this level!

Regionals is in August and Nationals in September. She says I have to wear white pants for Nationals, so I'd better be looking pretty good by then...plus, I want to make a good picture, right? AND, I need to run better...I did OK last time, but I need to be able to sprint with big steps across one part of the triangle.

More motivation to keep up on my running! Maybe even to watch what I eat. :) I've added a little running to my normal circuit, and I want to keep adding on so that I'm not huffing and puffing so much so quickly, and I'll be adding some sprints soon. Just under two months to Regionals!

An interesting sensation

2009-06-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

I experienced an interesting sensation on Friday and today while working horses (didn't make it out there yesterday). I have four that I work, and usually by the fourth one my stamina is flagging and I have a tendency to want to wimp out. However, both Friday and today....I didn't. I, like, was fine. In fact, I felt like I could do another. I think I'm actually FINALLY getting fitter!

Now that I have two horses going under saddle but don't want to ride either one too much, I'm going to alternate and ride each of them twice per week. That gives me four days of riding, which is better exercise than standing there and longeing...well, different exercise, at least! Rode Max on Friday and Molly today.

Inspiration!

2009-06-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

I need to watch So You Think You Can Dance more often. I find it so inspiring...I want to be able to dance like that! I want to have a body I can command to do anything I want it to! Maybe I can find a way to fit belly dancing back into my life...it's been a while, both due to my busy schedule and lack of money. Of course, there's always ballroom and I'd like to fit more of that in, too! What inspires you?

I ran this morning, and it was harder than yesterday but I still managed to meet the same standards. Tomorrow I'm going to ride one of my horses!

Oh, my diet? Ugh...don't ask. I just keep on eating whatever is cheap and convenient. Oh, but a woman today I've only known a few months noticed I'm smaller, as do people I see all the time. I know I keep saying that...but my scale is stuck, so it baffles me as well as flatters me. Maybe I really am putting on more muscle and slimming down, even though the pounds aren't coming off? Maybe this means at some point I'll drop like 10 pounds in a week...yeah, I know, wishful thinking.

Good running today

2009-06-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took a day of rest. I was wiped out from the show and everything leading up to it, so I decided not to go to the barn, running, anything. I did go to the dog park with Maggie and ran around with her a little there, but not enough to really stress myself. I think it's important to let your body recharge from time to time--hm, maybe I need to do some research on that and write an article!

Anyway, I ran today. I posted a couple weeks ago when I started up again that I had lost some fitness and couldn't run as far as before. Well, today I was not only back to my old standards from before I left off, but I actually ran farther in a couple places! I think the rest did me some good. :)

Off to the barn in a few minutes to play with horses...back to the normal routine!

Survived the show

2009-06-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

So we had another show this weekend, where I groomed for Patience. I also mentioned a couple of posts ago that she gave me the opportunity to show a couple of horses for her clients. I always have fun showing, and I love the horses, so it was great! I won a second and reserve champion with one of them and a third with the other. Everyone thought I did a good job, which is always nice for the ego. I also managed to run the triangle twice without falling down and passing out in exhaustion.

While it's good that I did some running in the last couple of weeks, it wasn't enough. I barely kept up with one of the horses, and I was huffing and puffing after each one. I was also really sore for the following couple of days! So, that's more motivation to keep up the running...not only for weight loss, but so that I'll be ready if anyone asks me to show again. :)

Oh, and more people who haven't seen me in a while raved about how much I've lost, how I look like a different person, etc...I love that. Makes me feel really good about what I've done so far! I want the same reaction a year from now when I've lost the remaining 35 pounds!

Busy, busy, busy

2009-05-23T09:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a LONG day. I jogged in the morning, mowed half of the back lawn, went to the dog park to play with Maggie (where I ran around a little more), spent about 4.5 hours working horses, then went dancing! I'm a wee bit stiff and sore this morning, which makes me want to curl up under the blanket and watch TV. Instead, I'm going to go jogging, help Greg weed eat, spend several hours working horses, then maybe go to a party tonight.

Food choices...oy. need to do better.

On the up side, three people in the past week have asked me if I've lost more weight...people who see me on a fairly regular basis. And people who haven't seen me since last year are all impressed! Yay!

Where have I been??

2009-05-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Dieting, for me, is all about momentum and motivation. If I have a lot of momentum going because I've been losing a lot of weight, or I spent a week with Patience and she inspired me to eat better, I can keep going pretty well. If I have an immediate need to lose weight or get fitter, I can be pretty diligent. However, I've been working at this for over a year now (because I didn't stay on track the whole time...if I did, I'd be at my target weight now), and I still have so far to go. It's hard *whine*. So, here are a couple of updates on what's going on with me:

1. I've been eating crap and not exercising. I have various excuses for this, but that's all they are--excuses. I have no actual good reason for it. However, I have been very active working horses, so it's not like I'm just sitting around doing nothing!

2. I've groomed at a couple of horse shows recently, putting in some 12-16 hour days. It was MUCH EASIER than last year, when I weighted 33 pounds more! What I'm doing is definitely working. Just think, in one more year when I'm at my target weight, how easy will it be? Maybe I'll even be able to get on a horse from the ground.

3. I saw a picture of myself from a year ago. Wholly crap, I was fat. Sometimes I look at myself and don't think I'm any smaller, but seeing that was very inspirational! I AM getting thinner...people aren't just saying that to be nice!

4. Patience might let me show some in-hand horses at a show next weekend. What does that mean?? More running!! I've been running every day this week and will keep doing so to get ready for it. I want to do a great job for her!

I think that's it. Thanks for checking in on me...I could use some encouragement!

More success!

2009-04-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

So, I had gained a few pounds during my two or three weeks of falling off the wagon. Thanks to my diligence leading up to the show and then all the hard work and not having time to eat during the show, I've lost it all again and I'm back at 195. Yay! Molly should be happy. Onward and downward!

Success!

2009-04-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

1. This morning I showed a friend's two-year-old gelding in his sport horse in hand class, which involves quite a bit of running. I got through it great! I was a little winded at the end, but not totally embarrassingly, and I recovered! We came in second in a big class!

2. I showed Max in his futurity tonight and ran great, keeping up with him and getting a really nice trot out of him. We were reserve champion!

3. Usually by this point in working a show, my feet would be killing me. They're not! I even taught dance class last night after the show. I am sore from running and my arms and shoulders are sore from holding and dealing with fractious horses, but that's conditioning, not from being fat. Hurray!

It's here!

2009-04-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

The show has arrived, about five times faster than it should have, but it's here. Just a quick update:

1. My trainer Ashley Robinson showed my horse Max (Challs Image) in the open three-year-old gelding class and won. yay!

2. He had to go in the championship, but Ashley had to show another horse, so I showed him. Not quite as much running as tomorrow night, but still plenty and it didn't kill me. It didn't even suck. He wouldn't stand still and THAT sucked, but the running was fine.

3. Tomorrow I'm showing a friend's horse in sport horse in hand...lots of running. Wish me luck! Then in the evening i show my horse in the futurity. more luck!

Five more days

2009-04-05T23:19:00.001-07:00

OK, I still feel like I'm going to die every time I run, but I have four conditioning days left. I must be a little better by then, right?

Two cool things to remind me that I am getting smaller (besides a couple of people saying, "Wow! You look fantastic!"). The first one was, I pulled out the saddle seat suit I bought when I first purchased Molly, thinking I'd show her saddle seat (HA!). It was too small when I got it and has never fit, although I've tried it on a few times over the years and the closest I ever got was barely buttoning it up and not being able to move. Anyway, I put it on the other day and I could not only get it on, but I could actually move in it. I wouldn't go quite so far as to say it was comfortable, but definitely usable. I have no actual use for it, sadly, but it's nice to know it's there if I need it...lol

Second cool thing: today I realized I have NOTHING appropriate to wear Friday night in Halter, and I got a little extra money, so I went suit shopping at the outlet mall where they have really good deals.. Greg came along because he is a really good shopper's assistant and knows more about women's fashion than anyone I know. Don't tell him I told you that.

Anyway, we picked out a bunch of 18's, because while I can fit in some of my size 16 stuff, I can't fit in all of it. The 18Ws were ridiculously baggy! I had to try 16Ws instead, and even they were a little on the big side! Well, that was at Dress Barn, which I guess is notorious for undersizing their clothes.

So we went to the Kasper outlet, and my expectations were pretty low because they're a normal person store, not a fat girl store. However, they did have sizes up to 18, but the regular 18, not 18W. Despite my success at Dress Barn, I decided I should start with 18...given the lack of W and Dress Barn's propensity for undersizing. Well, the 18s were too big and I had to send Greg to get 16s!!!! And they fit fantastically! And I picked a beautiful, beautiful black suit with shadow tape stripes...that basically means it's striped with alternating satin and matte black. It's simply stunning...I love it. It's also very versatile--I can show any horse in it, wear it to Morton's (HAHAHAHAHAHA) or other dressy functions. And it was 60% off! A definite win.

Good day.

OMG, I'm going to die.

2009-04-04T22:59:00.000-07:00

Seriously. I am going to die. Why didn't I start this whole running thing a month ago, when I knew I needed to? I have exactly five days left to try to build myself up before Friday night, and I'll be spending much of those days grooming horses! ACK! I did run quite a bit today (around the block, back and forth at the barn), but it is ridiculously difficult for me. I did run with Max out in the field and kept up with him, but that's a lot easier than the deep footing in an arena! Oh well...must press on! Must win! He looks soooooo good and I want him to do his best!

One week to go!

2009-04-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

The show is a week from tonight. Today I am SORE from all the running I've been doing...which is pretty sad, because it really hasn't been that much! I'm pretty pathetic. I took Maggie to the dog park and ran around with her a little, but I haven't managed to get myself out to run around the block yet. I know I need to, but I'm really, really sore!

9 days

2009-04-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

As of last night when I was too tired and busy to post, I had 9 days left until the show. Thanks to Patience's nudging, I took Maggie for a brisk walk/jog around the block, which I think is about a mile. I ran one 1/4 mile stretch all at once, then two more 1/8 mile or so stretches. When I went to the barn, I body clipped a horse, then worked three, running about halfway across the property twice. I'm tired and sore! Gotta do it all again today...8 days left and I can do this!

10 days

2009-03-31T23:52:00.001-07:00

Big, tiring day today. Groomed and worked horses all day, then taught three dance classes! Didn't do any jogging, but I'm going to have a lot of walking to do from now on, back and forth across the property at the barn, so I'm going to jog it as much as possible to try to build myself up. I think in a week and a half I'll be ready! I can do it!

11 days to go....

2009-03-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

In 11 days, I have to show my horse in hand, which involves running around an arena that is full of deep dirt. While I do this, people are going to be looking at me. If I do a crappy job, my horse won't do well. If I do a good job, we could win a bunch of money. I need to put on the best performance I can, and I am not ready to do that!

I was pretty good today...I'll go update my fitday log in a few minutes. I'm determined to be good and stay good. I need to start jogging--up and down the driveway with the horses (I've done a little but not near enough) and around the block with the puppy. 11 days...can I get in shape in time?

ETA: Oops, wasn't quite as good as I thought I was! Too much fat. The thing with cutting out meat is that I'm eating more or fattier things to feel satisfied. I know, not a very good excuse, but that's what's happening. Must do better tomorrow.

Oops!

2009-03-14T21:48:00.000-07:00

So, Greg and I were at the store yesterday, and I was thinking about what to get for lunches. I said, "We should get some lunch meat." He said, "OK," so we did. We picked out a turkey and chicken variety pack with a low fat content (of course, lunch meat is high in sodium, so it shouldn't be overdone). Today, we made sandwiches and ate them. Then, Greg pointed out that it's STILL Lent, and we gave up meat! GAH! How could I forget?? Old habits die hard, I guess. On the bright side, the bread was from our favorite bakery, a yummy high fiber multi-grain with lots of texture and flavor. So much better than the stuff from the grocery store!

I also jogged a little bit at the barn. OK, it was about 100 feet. I have to be able to run most of the way around the arena in only a month! ACK!

Uh, hello?

2009-03-14T00:18:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? Apparently deciding I don't care about being thin anymore...I haven't been keeping up on my blog or my fitday journal. I've been *mostly* good, but also made some bad, bad choices and given into temptations. I gained two pounds. *sigh* OK...I need to lose those two plus seven more before I go to FEI World Cup Finals in Vegas next month! That will be a total 40 pound loss. I also have a horse show the weekend before that, when I'll be showing in halter...which means running. Oh, dear Lord, I hate to run. Hate it. But do it, I must...so I need to start jogging again!

Tonight I went dancing, but after a couple hours my trick knee started bothering me and I finally had to stop and come home to ice it. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow so I don't have that as an excuse!

Official Weigh-in

2009-02-28T00:16:00.000-08:00

I am so bad about keeping up on my blogs! OK, I weighed in today and I lost two pounds this week! whee!

Very quick update

2009-02-26T00:57:00.000-08:00

I know, I haven't posted in days or updated my log. I've been swamped with work!! I've been pretty good...a couple of bad choices, a lot of good ones, but plenty of exercise. The big news is that I'm giving up meat for Lent, which should cut down on my fat intake. Anyone have some good vegetarian meal ideas? Fish and meat extracts don't count as meat! Tonight we had stuffed acorn squash with tofu instead of the ground pork the recipe called for. Soooo good and satisfying! OK, I'm out.

Official Weigh-in

2009-02-20T08:43:00.000-08:00

Well, after my accidental fat overdose yesterday, I stepped on the scale with trepidation this morning and found that I had lost one pound this week. Better to creep down than up, but I sure wish I was losing faster!! My clothes still feel like they're getting loser and my mother says I look skinnier so I must be.

Here are my averages for the past week (sorry about the formatting):

Grams Calories %-Cals
Calories 1,227
Fat 38.4 343 28%
Carbohydrate 140.1 549 44%
Dietary Fiber 28.2
Protein 84.8 343 28%

Still too much fat and carbs. I need to get more creative and stop eating what's easy. Fiber is much better!

I screwed up!

2009-02-19T23:30:00.000-08:00

So, the good news is that after four hours of working horses at the barn, I still had enough energy to not only teach two hours of dance class, but then go west coast swing dancing for a while afterward!

The bad news is, I screwed up my menu in two ways. The first was that we picked out a frozen crock pot meal that had a reasonable amount of fat and carbs. The unfortunate part is we didn't look at the serving size, which is ridiculously low. I ate about a double portion! Suddenly, not such a good selection. Secondly, we were starving after dancing and I knew I had room for some calories (not having realized my first mistake yet), so we went to Del Taco. The chicken taco del carbon is really pretty healthy, but I wanted something more so I got a quesadilla. After all, it's just a tortilla and cheese, right? How bad can it be? 27 grams of fat and 500 calories, that's how bad!! I didn't realize it until just now when I did my log.

CRAP! With this double whammy, I ate 50 grams of fat and 161 carbs today! Calories was a bit over 1300, which really isn't bad considering I burned about 3500. The good part was that I had a whopping 39.5 grams of fiber, so if you subtract that from the carbs, the fat was the only bad thing today. Oh, and sodium was way too high. Processed foods are just not a good plan...but they're so convenient!!!

Boot camp, day three

2009-02-18T20:26:00.000-08:00

Today was another long day and I worked a little harder, doing more grooming than I did the other day. Therefore, I should be more tired, but I'm not! I think I really am becoming more conditioned to it. My intake was also pretty good today...I realized the ground turkey we had yesterday and today was extra lean, so less fat than what I reported yesterday, so that's good. Still a little high yesterday, but better than I thought! I'm currently under 1000 calories vs the 3600 I burned, so I can afford a healthy snack later.

Tired, but not toooo tired

2009-02-17T22:35:00.000-08:00

Today I spent three hours out at the barn turning out horses, then taught dance for three hours. I'm pretty tired, but surprisingly not horribly tired! I wonder if the weight loss combined with being more active lately is having some good effects? I did take a hot bath and a brief nap (about 10 min) in between, so that helped.

Somehow I ate WAY too much fat today and my carbs were pretty low, coming out at just under 1000 calories. I might go have some bread or a banana something to up my fiber since I can afford some calories and carbs.

Boot camp

2009-02-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

This week, I'm in a sort of boot camp. I'm exercising horses for Ashley & Allyssa, which not only gives me lots of exercise doing something I love to do, but it forces me to be out of the house and away from snacks! I burned mondo calories today...think I can afford some fat free sugar free frozen yogurt?

Bad weekend

2009-02-16T01:16:00.001-08:00

Ugh...I was bad this weekend. I had a couple of good-for-me meals, but I also had some really really bad for me, delicious meals, too. A combination of Valentine's Day and feeling sorry for myself for various reasons, none of which are actually good enough reasons to be going off my diet. What can I say...I'm a sinner. I did get some exercise, at least...I went to the West Coast Swing dance convention tonight and danced for a couple hours.

Tomorrow is a new day, and depending on your perspective, a new week. I will leap right back on that wagon and start losing some weight!

Official Weigh-in

2009-02-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I lost one pound this week. I am beginning to feel discouraged...I feel like I don't eat that much and I'm pretty active, but I guess I'm still eating too much fat and carbs, not enough veggies and not enough exercise. I'm losing momentum and it's hard to stay on track. I need to go to a fat farm (or The Biggest Loser), where other people control my diet and exercise so I don't have to make decisions for myself! Since that's not an option, I guess I just need to buck up.

We found some vegan "chicken patties" at the grocery outlet and tried them today. Low fat, low carb, decent protein. They weren't bad!

Still too much fat

2009-02-10T00:11:00.001-08:00

I'm still eating too much fat. I just can't seem to get away from it! Even though I eat low-fat foods, there are still too many low-fat foods in my diet and not enough non-fat foods. However, some of my fat today was from delicious, delicious guacamole...and that is good fat! Avocados have one of the Omegas that we need.

OK, OK...more veggies!!! For breakfast, I started eating these flourless bran muffins a friend gave me a recipe for. I'll share the recipe once I get her permission. It tastes kind of weird, but it has very little fat and 13 grams of fiber, so it's worth it!

NutritionData's Daily Needs Calculator

2009-02-06T20:52:00.001-08:00

I just ran my daily needs calculation on NutritionData.com. For a woman of my size, age and activity level, here is what I need:

Your Recommended Minimums
Total Carbohydrate 130.0 g
Dietary Fiber 25.0 g
Linoleic Acid 12000.0 mg
Alpha-Linolenic Acid 1100.0 mg
Protein 72 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A 2333.0 IU
Vitamin C 75.0 mg
Vitamin D 200.0 IU
Vitamin E 15.0 mg
Vitamin K 90.0 mcg
Thiamin 1.1 mg
Riboflavin 1.1 mg
Niacin 14.0 mg
Vitamin B6 1.3 mg
Folate 400.0 mcg
Vitamin B12 2.4 mcg
Pantothenic Acid 5.0 mg
Biotin 30.0 mcg
Choline 425.0 mg
Minerals
Calcium 1000.0 mg
Chromium 25.0 mcg
Copper 0.9 mg
Flouride 3.0 mg
Iodine 150.0 mcg
Iron 18.0 mg
Magnesium 320.0 mg
Manganese 1.8 mg
Molybdenum 45.0 mcg
Phosphorus 700.0 mg
Selenium 55.0 mcg
Zinc 8.0 mg
Estimated Energy Requirement (calories): 2818...although on fitday I average closer to 2400 or 2500--I haven't found a calories burned average.

It doesn't give a recommended fat intake, but it does say the % of my calories that come from fat should be between 20 and 35% (that could be the same for everyone, I don't know). The % of calories from carbs should be 45 to 65%, and protein should be 10 to 35%. I ran a report on my daily average for the past week at fitday:

Calories 794.8
Calories from Fat 223.7

Nutrient/daily average/% of RDA (not quite the same as what ND suggested, because I'm above average in size)
Fat 25.3g 39%
Saturated Fat 6.1g 31%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4.6g
Monounsaturated Fat 8.7g
Cholesterol 170.7mg 57%
Sodium 1,514.1mg 63%
Potassium 1,982.0mg 57%
Carbohydrate 91.0g 30%
Dietary Fiber 15.6g 62%
Protein 53.3g 107%

Average % of calories come from:

Fat 28% (within range but could be lower)
Carbohydrate 44% (just below the range)
Protein 27% (well within the range)

I take a multi-vitamin, so I'm not worried about all the vitamins and stuff. So, I'm well under the RDA for everything except protein...and for that I'm less than what is recommended for me by ND. Of course, the fact that I'm short on Potassium and Fiber is bad, but we already know I need to work on the Fiber thing. Interesting stuff! I think I'll do this every week--I don't know that I'll post the whole long thing, but perhaps the highlights.

today's fitday entry

2009-02-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note that I messed up yesterday and entered on today's log (because fitday changes over at 9:00 my time), so I put today's food and activities on yesterday.

Recipe Calculator

2009-02-06T13:15:00.001-08:00

I found a new helpful site today--it has a recipe calculator on it, so you can figure out the nutritional value of your own recipes. You can then type the data into fitday as a custom food so you can track it! It's pretty cool; give it a try. Recipe Calculator

I didn't lose any weight this week. However, I really should be doing measurements, because my clothes are fitting just a bit better and I seem leaner than last week. With the addition of riding and more dancing in my program, I may well be converting some fat to muscle. I'll have to be really careful this next week and try to do better.

Energy

2009-02-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

The past week or so, I have been really dragging. I feel sleepy all the time, especially after going dancing or to the barn. Like, not just kind of tired from exercising, but really, really sleepy. I was talking to my friend Michy about it, and went around and around a little bit...I've been taking a multi-vitamin and eating a variety of foods, so I should be getting everything I need. I get plenty of high-quality carbs, and my calories might be a bit low, but I'm not losing weight that fast so I don't know that I need more.

Michy said an iron deficiency can cause tiredness, but my multi vitamin has 100% of my daily supply. She said this is not always readily absorbed, but pairing it with vitamin C and copper help the absorption rate. Taking it with caffeine can block absorption, but I generally don't.

This made me think...I was taking an extra vitamin C pill when I was sick, but last week I decided to drop it because my multi has C in it. That's probably about when I started feeling tired, so maybe that extra C was helping the iron absorb, and now it's mostly passing through. Since I'm not eating as much meat, I'm taking in less iron than I used to.

Sooo....I'll start taking the C again, and I need more dark, leafy veggies and maybe some legumes. Right now, I really want a nap!

End of free day

2009-02-01T23:02:00.000-08:00

Whew. I had a lot of fun today and ate a lot of crap! Now I feel kind of sick and have a headache from all the junk. I am definitely ready to hit the veggies tomorrow! Hopefully this will serve as aversion therapy to keep me on track for a while...if nothing else, I got my cravings for junk food taken care of! I did get some exercise working my horses, and I did eat some veggies and fruit so I got some fiber. I refuse to weigh myself until Friday...I want to give myself a chance to undo the damage!

I hope everyone had a great Superbowl Sunday!

Tomorrow

2009-01-31T16:55:00.001-08:00

OK. Tomorrow is a big day...it's the Superbowl. Not that I give a flip about football, but the important part of this is that I am going to a Superbowl party where pretty much no one cares about the game. There is, however, large amounts of food. I am going to eat. In fact, I am going to have a full-on, balls-to-the-wall free day. Yep.

Before you get all worried, the Body For Life plan gives you a free day every single week...it allows you to take care of any cravings and convince your body that you are not, in fact, starving. I lost 50 pounds on that plan, and I never missed a free day. I don't do that plan anymore because it's too hard on the other six days, but there's no reason why I can't take a free day now and then. Of course, I have to make sure that they don't come along too often, and that I keep the wagon firmly in sight--and get right back on it the next day.

To make up for the massive amounts of calories I plan to eat tomorrow (starting with REAL, homemade waffles with blueberries and strawberries and real whipped cream and sausage on the side), I restricted myself to vegetables and fruits today and may do the same on Monday--I have a feeling I won't WANT to eat more than that by then! Then, back to life as usual.

Quick update: stats

2009-01-31T09:36:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to give some totals:

Weight loss this week: 2 pounds
Weight loss this month: 10 pounds
Total weight loss since last May: 29 pounds
Left to go: 39 pounds

I'm sore!

2009-01-30T10:06:00.000-08:00

Is it weird that I love it when I'm sore from riding, dancing, working out, or other such satisfying activities? It's a combination of feeling good about having done something so good for my body and happiness in being able to do such an activity. This morning, I woke up a little sore from riding, since it's been so long. I love it!

It was sooo nice to be back in the saddle yesterday. My ride went well, my new saddle felt great, and Molly felt great. I'm going to ride her every other day for now, longeing her in between...the thought of me being just a little lighter and her being just a little stronger every time I get on her is an exciting one!

HUZZAH!!!!

2009-01-29T09:36:00.001-08:00

I decided to cheat and weigh in early, because I've been SO GOOD for the past couple days...and guess what?

199 POUNDS!!!!!

I did it! I met my first micro goal...I can ride my horse again!! I am going to get on her TODAY!!!!!! I could cry, I'm so happy. I haven't been under 200 since I've had her. She better be happy! :D

What's my next 10-pound goal? I have to think about it. I might come back and edit this post when I decide.

What's your motivation?

2009-01-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

Most of us have some sort of motivation for wanting to lose weight, whether it's because we can't find our size in regular stores anymore, because we've become too heavy for the activities we enjoy, or we just want to be more healthy. For me, it is all of these things, and having a short term goal with a big reward (i.e., lose 10 pounds and I can ride my horse) helps to motivate me and keep me on track. However, sometimes I lose sight of my goal, and I need a push here and there.

Sometimes this push comes in the form of inspiration. I was looking at some pictures of my belly dancing teacher, Mychelle, and I was thinking, "Damn. I want to look like that." I also want to dance like that.

Then, I thought about other people I know I'd like to emulate. I'd also like to look and dance like Grace Kato, my friend, sometimes teacher, and just a fabulous person.

Of course, I also like to ride horses, and I want to ride better. I'd like to be able to ride like Patience Prine-Carr or Allyssa Baird.

Of course, they all take good care of themselves! Looking at them and wanting to be like them makes me want to go out and take a few laps around the block! What inspires you? What motivates you to drive past Burger King and go home to make a healthy salad instead?

Aaaahhhh my favorite aspet of weight loss!

2009-01-25T11:58:00.000-08:00

Last spring I bought a suit. When I tried it on, everything fit fine, although the jacket was a little tight in the arms (a common problem because I've always had big arms). However, when I wore it to work, I was really uncomfortable all day because it was even tighter when I had my elbows bent for typing, etc., and I had to take it off. I haven't worn it since then, but this morning when I was trying to find something to wear for church, I decided to try the jacket on again to see how it fit. It actually hangs on me, and I'm wearing it as I type and it is perfectly roomy!!! I love it when I lose enough weight for my old, small clothes to start fitting again. It's almost like getting new clothes! Also, people keep telling me I look skinnier, which I also love. :)

Confession

2009-01-24T22:23:00.000-08:00

I did something bad today. If you've read my journal, you've seen it. Yes, you read right. I ate an ice cream cone. I was really good all day and my calories and fat were good...but I wanted one. So I had it. And I still ended up pretty good for the day, plus I got a lot of exercise between going to the barn and teaching a dance workshop. So, I'm not sorry! I'm not! It was good, and I enjoyed it, so there.

For dinner, Greg made a chicken curry dish with brown rice...really good!

Official Weigh-in

2009-01-23T09:17:00.001-08:00

All right...last week I weighed in at 204. Today...drumroll...

201!

Three pounds; excellent! I still need to watch my fat and carbs--they're often too high, even though my calories is OK. I also need to get more exercise!! I taught two dance classes last night, which had me moving a bit, and I'm teaching another tonight and will go social dancing for a couple hours after.

I hope my readers are doing well! Please check in and tell me how your weight loss is going!

Great place to eat on a diet tip of the day: Jack's Urban Eats

2009-01-21T17:49:00.000-08:00

Jack's Urban Eats is a small chain in the Sacramento area, but Pluto's is very similar and there are several throughout California. They have a variety of things on the menu, including sandwiches, entrees, sides and salads. The salad is what I go for most often, and that's what I had for dinner tonight.

You can get a half or full salad (the full is HUGE) with your choice of toppings for a reasonable price, and you can add meat--I added a fillet of salmon for a delicious, nutritious and filling dinner!

The day started out pretty fatty, so I needed the low-fat dinner to balance it out. Ended with low calories and a pretty good carb level. Fat is still a bit high...I didn't realize the steak tacos are so much higher in fat than chicken! I normally get chicken when I get them but felt like switching it up a little...but I could have had two chicken tacos for the fat in the one steak. I need to have some fruit, so I think I'll have a few blueberries.

I splurged today

2009-01-20T22:18:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago we decided we needed to eat some of the food in the freezer, because it's just sitting there and our wallets are hurting a little. We found some pork ribs and thawed them and decided to have them tonight. Hey, I've been good for a couple weeks now and kept my calories really low. You have to live a little every once in a while, as long as you don't let it get out of hand!

Knowing they would be high in fat, I went really easy on the fat the rest of the day...no cheese, which is my weakness. We also had potatoes with it, which is naughty, but good gosh I love 'em. I ended the day with a pretty decent calorie total, fat was just about 38g, so that could have been worse, and carbs were pretty high. On the plus side, I had about 20g of fiber. And oooohhhhhh they were good! Totally worth it. I hope I still think so when I step on the scale on Friday!

Diet Meal Idea of the Day: Pancakes. Yes, Pancakes!!

2009-01-19T09:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big pancake fan, but every once in a while they sound good. However, pancakes have long been known as a diet no-no. However, thanks to General Mills, even dieters can enjoy pancakes from time to time.

General Mills Fiber One Complete Pancake Mix is made with whole grains--at least 10g per serving (a serving being 3 thick pancakes about 4" across), according to the box. This supplies 5g of fiber, which is 20% of your daily recommended amount. 3.5g of fat and no trans fats. The worst part is there are 36g of carbs--but some diet experts will tell you to subtract the fiber from that number because you need fiber, so really it's only 31. 4g of sugar and 6g of protein...in pancakes! We made ours with a few blueberries thrown in and added some sugar free pancake syrup.

Of course, how good can whole grain pancakes be? I'll tell ya, these things are good. They have a different texture than regular pancakes for sure; it's almost like a light biscuit texture. It's not tough and grainy like some whole grain products can be. I really liked it!

Of course, I can't do this every day, but it's definitely a nice treat every once in a while! A win.

Mmmm Indian food

2009-01-18T21:49:00.000-08:00

OK, if you look at my log today, my calories look really low...but we had Indian food for dinner and I can't find anything on fitday that fits, and I have no idea how to create what we ate! It was sooo good thought...I had onion rava masala dosa, which is a sort of pancake made with onion and spices, stuffed with...I don't know! Potatoes and spices and some other stuff. Greg had Ghee Roast Masala Dosa, which had the same filling but a different kind of pancake and we shared. Probably high on the carb side, but I didn't have much in the way of carbs the rest of the day so I forgive myself, and I think low in fat. It was VEGETARIAN. In fact, the whole restaurant is vegetarian...and it's one of those "express" type places where you get good food, fast and cheap. It's called Mylapore, and it's located at 1760 Prairie City Road in Folsom, suite 160.

Diet recipe of the day: Stuffed Acorn Squash

2009-01-17T16:47:00.001-08:00

Tonight for dinner we had stuffed acorn squash, recipe courtesy the Food Network (link below). Really, really yummy! A little high in carbs, but as long as you use wild and/or brown rice, they are good carbs--just watch how many you eat the rest of the day. I also only ate half of my squash. Also, we substituted turkey sausage for the ground pork to make it a little more heart-healthy and served it with a nice salad. A great winter meal!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stuffed-squash-recipe/index.html

Tonight, I think I'll go ballroom dancing (last night was country).

Great day today!

2009-01-16T23:40:00.001-08:00

I had a gigantic salad for lunch--there's a place up the street that has a great big salad with your choice of up to 10 toppings for only $6.95...by the time I finish one, I am full! Then, Greg made tuna steaks and wild rice and salad for dinner...mmmm. Went country dancing and danced a lot, so it was definitely a productive day on the weight loss front!

Official Weigh-in Day!

2009-01-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

I couldn't wait to wake up this morning to see if all my sacrifice has done any good. You might recall that my weigh-in last week was 209. Today....drumroll....

204!!!!!

That's right, five pounds in one week. I can't keep up that pace forever, but what a wonderful feeling! I am now back to where I was before I fell off the wagon during the holidays. I now have only four pounds to go before I get back on Molly and ride. WOO HOO!!!!!

Fit in exercise where you can

2009-01-15T23:58:00.000-08:00

A common excuse for not exercising is, "I don't have the time!" However, you do not have to lump all of your exercise together in one sitting. A few minutes here and there throughout the day will add up! When I was working in an office, I used to sneak into the bathroom when no one was around and do releves. Today, I took my mom and dog for a walk, about 24 minutes but it flew by.

Then, I was driving to the barn (25-30 minutes each way) and I thought about what I could do in the car. This sounds silly (and I'm sure it looked silly, too), but I had both hands on the wheel and I started flapping my elbows in time to the music. After a song, my arms were tired! Hey, it's calories burned. I also did some curls--no weight of course because I was driving, but I focused on flexing the bicep and did 60 reps on each arm and then reversed it, focusing on the tricep while I straightened the arm, then bent it again. Not the same as working with weights, but at lease I burned some calories while I drove, and my arms definitely need slimming down.

I'm going to try to work in little bits here and there--a few leg lifts in my chair, belly dance while I wait for the shower to heat up, etc. I can do this! Tomorrow, I weigh in. Of course, it's 12:05 so it's already tomorrow...

A yummy meal idea

2009-01-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

Greg and I had some inspiration in the grocery store, and it turned out great! This is something we used to do with ground beef, but we don't eat ground beef anymore. sigh. Anyway, this tastes almost the same and is really yummy, yet low in fat!

Turkey Soup Burgers

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 packet onion soup mix
1/4 cup water
Whole grain buns or bread

Optional:
Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
Low-cal mayo
Avocado
Onions

Mix together the meat, soup mix and water and form into four patties. Grill on the barbecue or fry in a pan with just a drizzle of olive oil. Top with your favorite burger toppings. Makes four servings.

Another website you should try

2009-01-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

A website I found extremely useful when I was doing some articles on supplements was NutritionData.com. At the time, I found it useful for seeing the exact makeup of different types of foods, including their anti-inflammatory values. However, the website has a wealth of other tools for planning your diet. The Daily Needs Calculator takes basic data like your height, weight and activity level and tells you about how many calories you burn in a day, plus how much of certain nutrients you need. There are also many useful health-related articles, and you can customize the tools to save information you use regularly. Check it out!

Animals are great exercise

2009-01-12T22:46:00.001-08:00

Having animals makes for a fun and easy excuse to exercise. Taking the dog to the park and running around with her or playing with her at home and taking my horses for walks are good ways to get me moving. It's something that needs to be done to make the critters happy, and they force me to move faster than I would normally be inclined. Also, Mom said she would start taking walks with me, so that will be good. Not that she's a pet, of course. :)

I also really love dance, so dancing is a great way for me to get exercise...I just have to find the time to do it!

Also, my good friend Beth, who has a degree in biology and was a research scientist, thinks I have an overabundance of yeast in my system (long story). She suggested acidophillus pills to take care of it...she said that too much yeast can also retard weight loss, so maybe this will help!

Cravings

2009-01-11T22:45:00.000-08:00

The thing about me and cravings is that I rarely have them. When I do, I can usually dismiss them...I can even look at a menu and ignore the things I wish I was having and order something healthy instead. However, when you put something I like in front of me, especially if it has a smell, and it's hard to resist. I was doing pretty well until my mother (she lives with us) cooked dinner for my daughter. She made what she calls sausage and eggshells, which is eggshell pasta and Italian sausage in spaghetti sauce. An all-time favorite of mine...and I caved. Sigh...I did manage to keep it to a pretty small portion, though. Then I had a piece of chocolate. Once I start on the downhill slide, it's hard to stop it! It's a good thing the rest of my day was pretty healthy. Tomorrow I must do better!

I'm not going to list my menu here anymore, since I'm putting it on fitday. Feel free to check it out! I will, however, try to keep posting thoughts about the day, milestones, diet tips I come across, etc.

Sitting firmly on the edge of the wagon

2009-01-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

Today was a pretty good day. Could have gotten more exercise, though. That is the hardest thing, besides not eating bad food (yes, I realize there are two basic components to losing weight: not eating bad food and getting exercise. They're both hard, OK?). It's hard to find the time! I need to find a way to get it in, though.

Food

Breakfast: one slice of whole grain bread with natural peanut butter
Lunch: two chicken soft tacos
Dinner: Phuket Salmon with brown rice and a little Pad Thai

If you live or visit near Folsom and like Thai food, you must try Thai Paradise! SO GOOD. If you've never tried Thai, you must. While there are many fried foods and other bad things to avoid, there are many veggie, seafood and chicken dishes that are very healthy. And, it's really not that weird!

Exercise

Worked my two horses. Walked/jogged with Molly to the gate and back and ran part of the way to and from the pasture. Ran around the dog park with Maggie.

PS...my size 18 jeans were starting to get snug and I gave up on the 16s over the holidays. Now the 18s are loose again, so I should be able to get back into the 16s. Yay!

PPS...I joined fitday.com. It's really cool...has nutrition and calories burned calculators and all kinds of other tools. Today it says I ate 863 calories and burned 2614. Whoa.

Perched precariously on the wagon

2009-01-09T21:59:00.001-08:00

Today was pretty good. I didn't belly dance this morning because I'd planned to go ballroom dancing tonight, but ended up going out to dinner with friends instead! Oops. I did go play with the horses and ran halfway to and from Molly's pasture.

Breakfast: 1 slice of whole grain bread with 1T natural peanut butter (no sugar)
Lunch: Manhattan style clam chowder (the red kind--like 2g of fat)
Dinner: 1/2 veggie sandwich and cup of veggie soup at Panera

Patience says no riding until I lose 10 pounds. I don't think the schooling show is going to happen for a variety of reasons, so I'll have to focus on the 10-pound goal for now and then pick something else for after that. The no riding thing is only fair--after all, Molly had a month off, so she's lost a lot of her previous muscle and fitness. I'll spend the next month muscling her up and slimming me down, and then we'll be ready to rock and roll!

Weekly Weigh-in and some other thoughts

2009-01-09T09:08:00.000-08:00

Today's weigh-in: 209. 1 pound loss...not good. I'm not beating myself up over it because I WAS sick, but I need to make up for lost time. I need to stop making excuses, no matter how good they seem, and just get the job DONE!!!

For those of you who live in the vicinity of Roseville, Folsom and Shingle Springs, California, pick up a copy of this month's Style magazine. My husband and I wrote a huge feature in there about people who took charge of their health and made some big changes...very inspirational! Here's part of it, but only one of the stories is there...if you go to the Sierra Style website and look at the issues for Foothills and Roseville, you can see two more.

One that you will only find in the Roseville issue (the physical one; I don't see it online) is the story of Debe Tucker. This woman decided in March of last year that she wanted to lose 162 pounds. That is a HUGE undertaking! And I'm whining about 50?? Here's the amazing thing: she passed the 100 pound mark on December 18th. She is doing it all by diet and exercise. No surgery, no pills. Very, very inspiring! She uses a personal trainer, Suzanne Moen at Roseville Health & Wellness, who keeps her on track. I will be following Debe throughout the year, so we'll be keeping her honest...but I have a feeling this very tough lady doesn't need it!

Another woman, who posts on the Chronicle of the Horse discussion board, wants to lose 100 pounds so she can start riding and doing dressage again. She's just starting her journey, but she has already lost 10 pounds! She has a blog here, where she talks about her plan and progress. Check it out!

Dragging myself back onto the wagon

2009-01-08T22:08:00.000-08:00

OK, today wasn't bad. I had some oatmeal for breakfast, Healthy Request Vegetable Beef soup for lunch, grilled shrimp with veggies and salad with low-cal dressing for lunch, and two tacos al carbon just now for a snack (one steak, one chicken). Overall, the day was pretty low in fat and not bad for carbs. I taught two dance classes, so I got some exercise there, although I really need more than that in a day. I think tomorrow I'll see if I'm up to doing a belly dance tape!

Walking back toward the wagon

2009-01-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

All right, so I fell off the wagon when I was sick and wasted some precious weight-losing days. Damn! OK, the wagon is not far away. I can drag my fat butt back onto it! We bought diet stuff at the store today.

Food

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Crunch with skim milk

Lunch: Chicken rice soup and a salad with FF dressing (I know, rice isn't so great, but I'm still sick you know! It was a small cup)

Dinner: Mom made chicken and dumplings. What was I to do? I had chicken and ONE dumpling. I should have skipped it, but *whine* I'm sick.

Exercise

I went to the barn. I walked out to the pasture to see Molly, then back to the barn to free longe Max. Not enough, but I'm sick! More than I've gotten all week.

Tomorrow, I do better!

Ugh!!

2009-01-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

OK, I have to confess. I've been bad. Greg and I have been sick in bed for the last two days and couldn't manage to go to the grocery store, so we've been eating the crap in the house. It's a poor excuse, I know...but damn it, I'm sick!

I'm actually feeling a bit better today, so I think tomorrow I might be able to go out to the store and to the barn. I'm going to buy some healthy food!!!

blech

2009-01-03T22:54:00.000-08:00

I am definitely sick. I spent the whole day in bed, being a lump.

Food

breakfast: homemade chicken soup, sans actual chicken, with Barilla Plus pasta (it's whole grain, but tastes good anyway. Sonoma Diet approved!)

Lunch: salad with chicken on it

dinner: salad with steak on it

Riding update

2009-01-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

By the way, I started riding again. After a visit from the horsey chiropractor and a saddle that fits both of us (plus the weight loss), Molly is a much happier camper! However, after having a month off, she's gotten a bit flabby so I'll be doing some ground work for a while to get her built up again. The cool thing is, I put on my half chaps, which fit perfectly before, and they are now baggy!

Day two

2009-01-02T21:28:00.001-08:00

Ugh, woke up with a sore throat. This means that either I snored all night (possible), or I'm getting sick. If the former, it goes away within an hour or so...it didn't. In fact, I'm feeling pretty crappy right now. This is what happens when I don't get enough sleep several nights in a row...which I haven't. I have terrible sleep habits. I need to make sure I get enough rest over the next couple of days so I don't derail my plans! Here's my Revisited Healthy Lifestyle Confession for today:

Food

Lunch: taco salad with chicken. No shell!

Dinner: salad with a little gorgonzola and sliced almonds with low-cal dressing, one slice of whole grain bread with a little chicken salad on it.

Snack: haven't had one yet. Going to try not to...if I do, it'll either be Curves popcorn, which is low fat, or a bit of cheese.

Exercise

Did some belly dancing this morning and a little more tonight
Took Greg and Maggie for a walk in the park, probably about a mile and a half. Maggie and I ran part of it.
Went to the barn to work my horses. Took Molly for a walk to the gate and back three times, running parts of it. Probably about two miles total, including walking back and forth to the pasture.

Weigh-in

210 pounds (ouch)

I will not weigh myself every day!! Once per week, that's all I get. I tend to obsess about the scale, weighing myself every day, but it's not healthy or constructive to do that. Much better to wait a week!

Happy New Year! Let's get back in gear!

2009-01-01T22:23:00.001-08:00

My long-distance dressage coach says if I lose 20 pounds by the dressage schooling show on March 29th, I can show first level! For my non-horsey readers, that's pretty cool because I've been working toward that for a couple of years. I have three months to do it, so it shouldn't be a problem!

I'm going to start using this blog as my daily journal of what I eat and how much I exercise and any thoughts for the day. Maybe having to own up to my bad behavior will discourage me from it!

Food:
Lunch: Chinese Express. had black pepper chicken, mushroom chicken and vegetables, iced tea
Popcorn at the movie (yep, bad)
Dinner: steak and potatoes and salad
Snack: grilled cheese

OK, that wasn't very good. At least lunch was a good choice!

Exercise:
Took two laps around the mall. Got a migraine and called it a day.

ETA: decided my head was better enough to sit on my Pilates ball (great for the abs) and do some curls (30 each arm) and crunches (40).

24 pounds

2008-10-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

I didn't meet my goal of losing 8 more pounds before Nationals--I only lost two! I haven't been as strict as I should be, but at least I'm still on my way down, however slowly. Our favorite breakfast place has a build-your-own salad they serve all day and I really like getting that for late breakfast (brunch I guess). It fills me up!

Molly is still not happy with my weight. She's fine with the skinny girls, but is apparently not planning to carry my fat ass around anymore. So, she's going out to pasture for a couple of months to have some well-deserved time off, and I'll concentrate on my new horse, Max, and losing more weight.

I made it!

2008-08-30T09:37:00.001-07:00

Well, I haven't been posting here very much, but I thought I'd take a moment to let my loyal readers know that I made my goal of 20 pounds...a couple of weeks ago! I am now allowed to ride my horse every other day, and she seems happy with the lighter me. In fact, I've actually lost two more, for a total of 22. I'm hoping to lose 8 more before I go to Arabian Horse Sport Horse Nationals on September 19th. It's a little harder now that I don't have the gym, but I think I'm snacking less. I do succumb to temptation more than I should, but I'm also making a lot of good choices.

17 pounds

2008-07-28T23:37:00.001-07:00

17 pounds gone, and people are noticing! I love it! I need to keep at it...I went ahead and started riding my horse again, just once a week, but that doesn't let me off the hook!

Found a new kebob place in town, and they serve salmon and brown rice. Yum! I ate half and had the other half for lunch the next day. I think it will be easier to control my diet when we start working from home (as of 4:00 this Friday--yay!). We'll be better about grocery shopping and eating at home, rather than eating out all the time where it is oh so tempting to get something naughty!