tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16124694818311825822024-03-13T15:02:49.510-04:00Amberly's Weight Loss Journey"A winner's strongest muscle is her heart"
- Casie CampbellAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-22107570844999891242016-04-18T14:32:00.002-04:002016-04-18T14:32:34.132-04:00Spud HeavenWhy hello there! You might have thought that I had disappeared - lost all the weight and found myself on a remote island drinking some kind of awesome fruity drink.... well I wish I could tell you that you are right!<br />
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I fell off the wagon, got busy with life, underwent some more hospitalizations, went through some very stressful situations.... yada yada yada. <br />
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I have been doing some different things over the years with some good results - however nothing I really stuck to. However I now weigh 190lbs..... when I started this blog I was 230... and before that my heaviest was 254. As I was updating this blog (still in the process of) I had a moment of pride. In total from my heaviest I am down 64lbs. I think that is a fantabulous accomplishment!!<br />
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So Why am I back here???<br />
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I need some accountability.<br />
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I want to really work hard on losing the rest. I want to finish what I have started. More than anything, I don't want to be on anymore medication or worried that I will be hospitalized again.<br />
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So - what am I gonna do? What diet will I be following?<br />
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Have you heard of the book "The Starch Solution" by John A. McDougall, MD?<br />
I just started reading it. A few of my friends have had some awesome success with it. The research alone is astounding. In fact - It's mind blowing.... I'm still working on wrapping my head around it.<br />
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So today is Day 1.<br />
I have so far... eaten potatoes.<br />
I fried some hash browns (in water not oil) in the frying pan.<br />
I put a bit of seasoning on it.... and it tasted marvelous.... so much so that I didn't use any other condiments. (I was prepared to douse it in ketchup and Sriracha).<br />
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Gonna go get back to work - but wanted to start posting... otherwise I won't follow through.<br />
More to come!!<br />
Lata<br />
<br />Amberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-33966543485963198052014-03-12T15:37:00.002-04:002014-03-12T15:37:35.850-04:00I'm still here!!! Still alive!!!Hey guys and gals! I'm back! More to come soon. I'm going to go check out all of your blogs and see you guys' progress!<br />
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Love you all<br />
~AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-74613502641049214762011-10-27T11:07:00.000-04:002011-10-27T11:07:06.520-04:00All or nothingI must say that I had fallen by the way side. A lot has happened since my last post, as I am sure I will explain in more posts to come. The last few weeks, I have been wanting to start writing on my blog again. The reason I haven't is because I have felt like a failure. I didn't want to post about something I'm going to do, and then not do it. So this morning I was sitting in the suana at the gym (sweating out the fat) when it dawns on me that I have a 'ALL OR NOTHING' attitude... and I had better lose it quick. <br />
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In fact this morning I had wanted to get to the gym to start a new class.... however I overslept and was late about 10 minutes and I'm not about to join a class late as a new member.... Normally I would have rolled back over to sleep and thought 'next time'... I got up and went to the gym and worked out on some of the machines. So many times I will plan to do something and put forth all the effort to get ready for it... and then when it arrives I end up not doing it... and just dissappointing myself. <br />
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I was trying to figure out where I got this 'ALL OR NOTHING' attitude from and I think it comes from trying to be a perfectionist. I can also see where this is hurting me in my eating habits... typically (like a lot of other people apparently) when I eat something that I know I shouldn't it leads me down a path of a lot of bad decisions. By the time I am done I have made a 1000, 2000, 3000 calorie mistake.... and if I would've just accepted the fact that I did have something in the beginning and moved on.... then it would have only been a 200 or 300 calorie mistake. How is it that I allow myself to sabatoge myself? <br />
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Anyways, I'm back... I've been on track for the last 3 weeks. <strike>I've been getting my butt up at 4:30</strike>.... errr my husband has been getting my butt up at 4:30 in the morning to go to the gym and work out. I'm really feeling the changes. I'm really feeling great (except at 4:30 in the morning... then more sleep would be great).<br />
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Much much more to come<br />
Love Always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-57485059916948404512011-05-09T04:57:00.000-04:002011-05-09T04:57:51.401-04:00Quick check inJust wanted to let you know I'm alive!<br />
I went back to my weight watchers meeting after being absent for a few months..... I've lost 12 lbs since February...... Ofcourse you know I told all those people the truth so they wouldn't think I had some magic secret...... But I can still be proud that a loss is a loss and I reached my 5% goal. My next personal goal is to get under that darn 200...... I keep getting close and then going up a little. <br />
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I've decided to go back and revisit my goals I've set for myself and create a few more. I don't feel like my life is heading in the right direction..... I'm now 27 and I don't have a lot to show for it. I just finished a book called 'A million bucks by 30' by Alan Corey...... Lemme just say I feel very very very behind. I definitely ain't a millionaire and with all these hospital visits I'm quickly going in the wrong direction! <br />
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I saw a book that I want to read called the 'Happiness Project'... From what I read the girl try out all these different things that are suppose to make you happy. Something about the book speaks to me...... I think it's the act of doing things in a positive light. I'm not sure more on that later.<br />
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It's Monday, hopefully the start of an awesome week!<br />
Have a healthy and happy day!<br />
Love always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-65254991380876148922011-04-14T21:13:00.000-04:002011-04-14T21:13:30.106-04:00Rough WeekCan't believe it's been a week since I last posted. I've been on checking up and reading other blogs.... Trying to get inspired. Up until yesterday I haven't had any energy. I've been laying around resting and not getting much done at all. <br />
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Well I weighed in and....... 202.2!<br />
I was hoping to be in one-derland this week but I still had a loss.<br />
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I'm feeling really good now. I still have some stomach issues but it's becoming less noticeable. I'm going to start walking on the treadmill. I think that walking will help me rebuild enough strength so I can start adding in other exercises and help me get enough burn going that I'll have a daily calorie loss.<br />
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Well more lata<br />
Have a happy and healthy one!<br />
Love Always<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-68777948422771099062011-04-07T20:32:00.000-04:002011-04-07T20:32:50.914-04:00The verdict is in.....AND.............<br />
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202.6<br />
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Still a loss! I've been 202 for a couple of days now. Not too bad at all I haven't been at this weight since July 2009. And I had a bit of an emotional breakdown and went from the 190s to the 220s where I have stayed until now. Well I'd like to forever be out of the 200s. <br />
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A change has come over me since I've been out of the hospital. I don't think/crave/worry about food anymore. I'll feel my tummy rumble and then I'm like 'oh let me get something to eat' I get a small something (I don't stuff myself anymore) and then move on to other things. It seems like before all I did was think about food. I also was constantly craving chocolate and ice cream...... It's been a month and I haven't had any candy, cookies, ice cream, chocolate (well I've had sugar free chocolate pudding if that really counts). I still have some stuff in my pantry and I see it but have no feeling or emotion about it. Before if would be like I could already taste it and I would walk out of the kitchen and continue thinking about it until I finally got it. Was I sick or what? Seriously that has to make me an addict or something. I don't want to have a food problem..... I want to enjoy food and move on. Am I cured? Has my hospital visit killed this addiction? I kind of doubt it (don't want to though). I think I'm not craving the sugar because it's been out of my system for so long. I'm going to be watching this and tracking my food. <br />
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Hope everyone else is having a great day! Happy and healthy one to all!<br />
Love Always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-75861357693157658472011-04-07T00:01:00.000-04:002011-04-07T00:01:57.478-04:00CouponingFeeling much better as each day goes by. I am going to start walking since that is the only kind of exercise I can do right now. My stomach is still really tender and I'm still getting winded if I do a little too much than I am ready for. I was so bummed.... On Monday I woke up and I weighed 200.4 and so I figured on Tuesday I would be 199..... well I was 202. I ate a lot more food on Monday than I have been eating though.... Still working on it. I'm still eating a lot less than I use to.... not planning on stretching my stomach out again. I'm excited though.... I'm getting close to the 190's and I haven't been below 192 ever!!! The last two times I got that low... I started gaining.... so my 1st goal is 199.... my second goal 191.... my third goal 180s.<br />
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Today I ate 1/2 cup of cherrios with milk and an applesauce. After work I had another applesauce and a chocolate diabetic milkshake (glucerna) and for dinner I had a homemade burger on a wheat bun and a chicken thigh and leg.<br />
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Started watching this show called 'Extreme Couponing' on TLC.... it's such a cool show. I love having coupons when I shop. These people are really extreme. In fact one woman had $1175.00 worth of groceries and after using all her coupons she walked out only paying $51.00. Isn't that awesome. I would do a lot of donating to a food bank with that kind of savings.... because let's face it.... who can eat 50 or 100 boxes of cereal before it expires?!?!?!?! So maybe that's a little extreme but you get the point. It would be nice to not only save a lot of money but to also give to those that need help. I love the idea. Between this and my gardening..... I'll be saving so much money.... and with the weight loss..... I can afford a new wardrobe!!!! <br />
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Well that's all for now. Tomorrow is my weigh in day so I will be posting how I've done for the week!<br />
Hope everyone is having a healthy and happy week!<br />
Love Always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-52620033268168466582011-04-02T16:48:00.001-04:002011-04-05T22:03:40.959-04:00Building StrengthWow.... I just decided to fold some laundry, sort out some loads into piles, and I took one to the washer to get it started and I am winded! Let me say though I have come a long way since I was released from the hospital. When I was released it was hard for me to stay standing for very long. In fact I would get winded trying to sing a song!<br />
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So my stomach is doing great. And I'm also still losing weight!! However I have had a throbbing, aching pain in my arm. During my hospital stay they inserted a picc line into my arm. Picc stands for peripherally inserted central catheter. This is so they don't have to keep sticking me for blood work or for my IV line etc... Well my arm has been hurting ever since a few days before it was removed. I started doing research online and let me admit I'm a little scared. There are people complaining of the same pain I have. Some saying they have nerve damage, some have had the pain for years, some have even lost mobility in their arms. My arm today feels like it's better than it's been. I've been trying to rest it as much as possible. Hopefully things will turn out well. <br />
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I ate a half a cup of cherios with some milk and a half a cup of cinnamon applesauce. I was so full!!!! I love this smaller stomach thing. Its great!<br />
Tomorrow I'm suppose to go out with a friend. She mentioned going to one of my favorite restaurants called Don Pablos. Now Mexican food...... Enchiladas in particular won't go with my stomach anymore. I've been really careful to have nothing fried or nothing too fattening. So I've already decided that I would get the fajitas minus the tortillas. I'm proud of myself.<br />
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Thought I would give you guys an update, more lata.<br />
Have a happy and healthy weekend!<br />
Love Always<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-31493607903925065362011-03-31T23:51:00.000-04:002011-03-31T23:51:49.920-04:00Free!!!Good news they have released me! Let's face it I was starting to feel like a resident there and I can't afford their rent! In fact if I had to stay any longer I was going to ask for an application.... After 15 days I'm sure I would make a great nurse.<br />
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So I have been home for two days now. My stomach is great, no pain and I'm processing food almost perfectly...... On the other hand my right arm hurts and aches like crazy. Since I was in the hospital so long they inserted what's called a picc line which is 3 IV ports connected to one line that went inside my arm (between my elbow and armpit) in my vein all the way over to my heart. I thought it was the smartest thing in the world because everytime they needed to take blood work (daily) or give me pain meds (several times daily) and also my IV solution to keep me from dehydration (24/7) I already had the line and they didn't have to stick me a million and a half times. However the last two days it was in, my arm was getting sore..... And now..... It's the only reason I'm still taking any kind of pain medication. I'm watching it closely because I'm ready to go and get it checked out if I need to (I've got this fear it could be a blood clot in my arm).<br />
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So more good news........ During my hospital stay I was mostly on no food at all while my pancreas healed. I was on a liquid diet for about 4 days and I was on real food for about 4 days...... Well my stomach shrunk. You know how you hear the gurus tell you that your stomach is the size of your fist..... Well mine is!!! I am being ever so careful not to stretch it out. I don't want to sit down and eat half a pound of food.... Let's face it if I want more of something good I can always wait 3 hours and eat more. I've been doing good too for dinner I had a grilled chicken breast with mushrooms and a little cheese and a sweet potato. For breakfast I had scrambled eggs and 3 bites of pancakes and 1 bite of a sausage link (my husband went out and got Dennys). Yesterday my husband made me a chicken noodle soup Caribbean style and I couldn't even eat a half a cup! <br />
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Can you stand for anymore good news? I weighed myself yesterday morning and I weighed 205! And baby I'm going down from here...... I can taste the 100s. I'm already fitting into some shirts that I couldn't a few weeks ago. I don't wanna go back.<br />
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Well that is all for now. Thanks for all the supportive comments. <br />
Take care and everyone have a healthy and happy one!<br />
Love Always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-70627378022950545792011-03-27T21:54:00.000-04:002011-03-27T21:54:48.398-04:00Day 13Well I'm still here at the hospital. They started me on a liquid diet yesterday and they may start me on food tomorrow. Once I have food they will monitor me for a few days and then send me home :o)<br />
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In the past 13 days I have had less than a cup of food. Besides getting better, the only other nice thing is that I know that I have definitely lost weight. For the next few weeks my diet needs to be liquids, soups, and very low fat foods. What a way to get me a head start lol.<br />
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Thanks for the comments<br />
I'll keep ya posted.<br />
Have a healthy and happy day!<br />
Love Always<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-75046021251955139842011-03-25T18:34:00.000-04:002011-03-25T18:34:52.532-04:00A really sick girl.Today marks 10 days........ Of being in the hospital. I went in to the ER for abdominal pain and I knew from past experience that I probably had pancreatitis. Sure enough, and that was the most painful night of my life. Any meds they were able to give me wasn't strong enough and didn't last long enough. I was so dehydrated that I thought I was going to die of thirst. They refused to give me anything except pain meds and an IV. They admitted me immediately and I was sent straight to the intensive care unit (ICU). I was pretty much only conscious when my pain meds wore off. They verified that it was my pancreas and that my blood work up showed that my triglycerides were over 7000. That's not a typo. according to the information I've researched these are triglycerides levels:<br />
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Normal - Less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)<br />
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Borderline high - 150 to 199 mg/dL<br />
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High - 200 to 499 mg/dL<br />
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Very high - 500 mg/dL or above<br />
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I was extremely dangerously high. In fact I think I shocked many of my doctors. Someone with that high of triglycerides normally means that have a problem with alcohol. That isn't me though. I may have an occasional drink (once a month) but nothing nearly to send my triglycerides high or off the charts as they are. <br />
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The doctors recommended that I go through with a procedure called Plasmapheresis. Basically it's just like dialysis, they filtered and cleaned my blood through a machine and put it back in my body. They redid my blood work and found my triglycerides had dropped to just above 300. <br />
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I've been in recovery and have had a bit of a set back. I was stomach pain again. My abdomen has a few liquids pockets, but there isn't anything they can do. They are going to continue watching me so that my pancreas doesn't relapse. <br />
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This is my third time in 4 years. I've been doing some mad research trying to find out how I got this way and how to prevent it from happening again. Diet and exercise of course, but I've already been doing those things. So more research to do.<br />
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Sorry that I haven't been around much. I'm still hanging in there though.<br />
Have a happy and healthy day!<br />
Love always<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-10968432199092564972011-01-27T01:15:00.000-05:002011-01-27T01:15:54.346-05:00Quick Update - more to comeTomorrow starts my '50 days of fitness' program!!!!! I'm really psyched. I have a gym buddy who is 100% committed..... In 2004 we lost some serious weight together. So tomorrow is the kick off rally and we are gonna sit down with a calendar and plan out our 50 days and stick to it as best we can. <br />
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I went for soccer practice last week and I was contemplating whether or not my ankle was ready to handle it. Against my passion for soccer, I decided that it would be best to sit this season out and let my ankle fully heal instead of injuring myself more. (I think this is the biggest grown up decision I've ever had to make) I'm still going to fully exercise and take care of my ankle (unless it hurts obviously) but I know that it can't take the aggression of soccer right now. Let's face it I need to lose a couple of pounds too. <br />
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Weight watchers - still truckin along. I didn't post my first week weight loss because I was so upset that I gained a pound...... Well this week has been a horrible week, I ate a few choice things and made a few bad decisions and it's that TOM...... And low and behold I loss 5 lbs! I don't completely understand it. (Note to self: don't make this a habit.... In a normal week you would have gained 5!!)<br />
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Love the MTV Show use to be Fat<br />
I'll post my schedule tomorrow<br />
Everyone have a healthy and happy one!<br />
Love Always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-75442647197295506642011-01-16T17:27:00.001-05:002011-01-16T19:28:40.484-05:00Onward with my goals... and a little inspiration!<div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 4 - so far so good! I'm starting to feel good. Feeling like I'm making better decisions. </span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well last night after I posted my blog ..... and was suppose to be sleeping..... I started reading a book about gardening.... how to make $10,000 a year from your own backyard. I've always had a passion of growing things. Now... I'm not talking on acres of acres of land and having the mules plow.... and having a sunburned neck all the time.... (like the redneck I was sorta brought up to be, but I digress) I'm talking about having a few small plants and watering them and nurturing them... and maybe even whipping up some kind of food concoction. Well well well.... I got a little bored of the book... and started looking at this magazine called <i>'Mother Earth News' </i>... I started subscribing to it last year when I wanted to first start this garden project. There was an article from the Fall 2010 - Guide to living on less and loving it that was titled 'Grow $700 of food in 100 square feet' DUDE.... this was my thing. Basically the woman had decided to take a 5 by 20 ft area (100 sq ft) out of her backyard and plant a few veggies that she likes. Two types of tomatoes, 6 types of bell peppers, 4 types of zucchinis, four basils, and 18 lettuces mostly all romaine lettuce. Here is a picture of what it looked like when she got it planted. She also had added a few flowers for looks. </span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TTNuGxjjJbI/AAAAAAAAAFw/ewQKXCl14Oo/s1600/creasy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TTNuGxjjJbI/AAAAAAAAAFw/ewQKXCl14Oo/s320/creasy1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In one summer she counted and weighed all her harvest and compared prices at the grocery store and she estimated her garden to have produced over $700 and it was all organic! It was 77.5 lbs worth of food (15.5 pounds of bell peppers, 14.3 pounds of lettuce, 2.5 pounds of basil, and 126 zucchinis!). The article also mentioned if that 84 millions US households had a garden in 2009, and if just have of them planted this 100ft garden that would be a national savings on groceries of $14.35 billion! She also brought to light that in one month she harvested 230 servings of salad! This is the picture after:</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TTNuJ6LLqzI/AAAAAAAAAF0/moiLXWV39pw/s1600/creasy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TTNuJ6LLqzI/AAAAAAAAAF0/moiLXWV39pw/s320/creasy2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now..... I'm no farmer BROWNE (my last name) but I love my salad.... and I decided that I wanted to plant a garden this year and this article just put it into action. I know for some having a garden isn't an option.... or they may not want to get down and dirty.... but I can spare a few hours outside enjoying the beauty, soaking up some vitamin D the natural way, and harvesting food so that my grocery bill is lower. Love it! Do you know what I could do with an extra $700.. and that was only one season!<br />
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The article was out of Mother Earth News Fall 2010. It was by a woman named Rosalind Creasy who has a website (<a href="http://www.rosalindcreasy.com/" target="_blank">http://www.rosalindcreasy.com/</a>) and she's also published a book (which is next on my list to get) called Edible Landscaping. </span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was so excited last night I think I made a list of about 20 things I'd like to grow... now I know me... and I know that I put way too much on my plate for my own good.... (yes yes... even with food....) so I know that my list will have to shrink a little. We shall see, you never know. </span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I also forgot to mention that I have 3 lime trees and 1 orange tree on my property that is already producing fruit.... SCORE... I just need to properly prune it this year (yikes) and fertilize it. I will be sure to post pictures of my progress! I gotta start planning now.... I'd like to have all my stuff in by march... and I need to figure out if I want to just plant in the ground... or do a raised bed. </span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm feeling good... I feel like I got some motivation... and I've been struggling for the longest time. More to come</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hope you are having a healthy and happy sunday!</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Love Always,</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Amberly</span></div>Amberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-86207452255352112792011-01-16T01:20:00.000-05:002011-01-16T01:20:06.940-05:00Well..... I am in horrible shape..... Well was until I went to soccer tryouts today. I am in better shape than when I went lol. Actually I was huffing and puffing in the first 5 minutes...... And all we did was a small scrimmage. Normally we play full field. We played only about a 1/4th or less and ughhhhh. But as y'all know I've been working my exercise groove sooooooo.... I feel good things coming. Our first unofficial game is February 1st and the season starts feb 8th. I've got a few weeks to shape up a little. <br />
<br />
A girl tried out today who was super fight, super fast, and is better than me at my own position. In fact she was bossing me around on the field and I'm like..... Who the heck are you?......... She's friends with the team captain and a definite shoe-in for the team. I need to work harder. <br />
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My ankle...... Woould you believe that in the last 10 minutes a girl hammered a ball right into the side of my ankle?!?!?!?! There was a shooting pain from my ankle all the way to my knee....... Good news it's not swollen and I can walk...... Bad news I started second guessing myself today. I don't want to bring the team down by being on the team. I started questioning if I was ready to take on this aggressive sport.... Let's face it last fall I sprained the ankle at the unofficial game..... And was out all but 3 games of the season..... And now I'm still having problems. I need the exercise and love the exercise but am I doing more harm than good in the long run. Oh and a new thing the coach said which I really like..... Practices are for techniques only..... Not fitness.... We need to work on our own conditioning on our own. A few of the practices last year were an hour and a half of conditioning and maybe 30 minutes of play. The girls even started skipping out on practices because we didn't get to do any ball work. My verdict..... Stick it out and keep working hard...... And lay off the pride.... We are a team for goodness sake.<br />
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Weight watchers day 3 accomplished. However even with the soccer I don't feel like I'm losing anything. I'm waiting to weigh-in on Wednesday. In fact I weighed in last Wednesday at home and I was 218 which is good I didn't gain, then I got to WW and the scale said 223.... I hate that but what can you do? So I am boycotting my own scale for a while and trusting in WW abilities to weigh me in. <br />
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Today I had an omelet for breakfast.... And then a Linner since soccer practice was all afternoon. I had sushi. I got my pointsplus values for it all and with the earned exercise points it made it great. However I was really hungry like an hour later...MSG anyone? I had a banana with a little peanut butter and the capped me about 5 hours ago. Still not hungry (should be sleeping). But Im not feeling any changes .... I know I know it's only been three days. Oh another thing I think I like is treating myself to my favorites on the weekend..... Within my daily allotted points of course. Yesterday I had Mexican and I had to make a whole lot of changes to what I normally eat. But all in all I'm really liking this so far. <br />
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Well Im gonna get some shut eye<br />
Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Holiday weekend for some (like me)<br />
Love always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-65428299459307836792011-01-14T22:00:00.000-05:002011-01-14T22:00:16.080-05:00WWCan't believe that's it's almost been a week since my last post. My laptop is messed up... I think the screen is burnt out... I'm not quite sure. I got an ipad from my brother a few weeks ago... that my husband seems to deem as his own.... so whenever I want to get online and blog.... I have to do it the old fashion way and go to my desktop... lol.<br />
<br />
Well I joined WW (Weight Watchers) this week. I think this is like my 4th or 5th time joining. The first time I was 17... and lets face it I didn't want to change my ways... in fact if I still had my old journals around you'd see that I would factor in Dr. Pepper, candy, and we went out to lunch everyday. I remember I would get a Taco Salad from Wendy's and it was 9 points (without the corn chips).... however that was a decade ago.... (apparently I'm getting older?!?!?!?!) The other times I joined WW I was seriously thinking that just by joining it was the magic I needed.... Obviously not.... <br />
<br />
So here I am. It's the end of day 2... and I'm doing well. This evening though I had mexican food... and my stomach isn't feeling very well. I had to make a bunch of alterations to what I use to eat. What I use to eat was like 44 Points... and then the appetizer (26 points) and chips, salsa and Guac!!!!(12 points) Holy Moley..... I'm a little ashamed..... but that is why I decided to join WW. I know I have a huge problem with portion control.... and I really like the support system that they have in place. Also... they are constantly improving so that they can help the vast majority.... which means there stuff is just gonna get better and better. Okay, okay.... they aren't paying me to say this...... but it would be nice lol.<br />
<br />
Moving on.... TOMORROW..... Soccer tryouts. Since I was on the team last season.... I automatically was asked back this season.... but between me and you (all of you)... I don't think that I would be making tryouts tomorrow. Last season was a bummer because I sprained my ankle and was out for nearly the whole season. I've been doing some stuff to help strengthen my ankle (which has been helpful) but I didn't lose any weight... and I feel as though I am more fat than I was... as if my muscle that I had..... turned into fat :o(<br />
Plus I feel really out of shape. On the flip side.... our first game is in the first week of Feb... so that gives me time.... and it will also force me to improve because I am not gonna wanna be seen as the 'biggest girl on the team' or I don't want the team to feel as though I'm bringing them down. <br />
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Last season there was a game in which the coach put me into a different postion along with another girl... and they kept taking us out of the game every 5 or 10 minutes because it was like we couldn't keep up.... I was so embarassed. Then the next game... I was put into a position that I played almost the entire game... and I was helping the team... not hindering them. Point of the matter..... I know I will step up my game and work on conditioning until the season starts. <br />
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I hope everyone has a good week. I am gonna go catch up on my blog reading. <br />
Stay tuned to see how soccer goes tomorrow... (at least it won't be hot..... with this stinken cold front)<br />
Have a healthy and happy weekend!<br />
Love Always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-24640555004619747322011-01-08T18:26:00.000-05:002011-01-08T18:26:34.797-05:00Getting in GearWell I'm trying to find the motivation to get into gear. I have to admit... I've been so lazy! I've been doing some treadmill work like every other day. I don't know what's wrong with me. I've got goals... I've got daily expectations.... but I'm not living up to them now. Arugula!<br />
<br />
Okay I promised I would post some pictures of my herbs in containers. There is rosemary, thyme, parsley, chives, oregano, spearmint and another one that is not coming to my mind. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TSjyQPOMJZI/AAAAAAAAAFo/0hNpOvr3eDQ/s1600/herbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TSjyQPOMJZI/AAAAAAAAAFo/0hNpOvr3eDQ/s320/herbs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TSjyUTOboNI/AAAAAAAAAFs/sSDkpfieZ7M/s1600/flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TSjyUTOboNI/AAAAAAAAAFs/sSDkpfieZ7M/s320/flowers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
My goals are underway... but I'm having a bit of a problem with eating... I'm eating way too much... and it's because I'm hungry (not mindless eating). I've been thinking about it for a while and I'm considering joining weight watchers. I know that it is a successful program... and I'm thinking it can help assist me with portion control. I've been on Weight watchers before and haven't done so well.... but that's because I wasn't 100% on board with it either. I could see myself looking all nice like Jennifer Hudson in those commercials lol.... I am planning on attending a meeting this Wednesday. The leader of the meeting has been a leader since at least 2001 when I first joined when I was 16 or 17 I believe. She's been there all this time, and she really is a great leader... very inspirational.<br />
<br />
I like the idea that you can eat anything, as long as you record it and it's within your daily goal. I was on a diet in 2009... and I was doing awesome on it... it was supervised by the doctor... but it cut out nearly all carbs.... letmetellyou..... you lose tons of weight... but it just comes right back on. If I would've followed the program through... then when I reached my goal weight the doctor would start introducing the healthy whole grain carbs back into my diet.... but I did not. I had a few friends that did it and lost tons of weight, look great and everything.... but I was having problems following through and being strict. I really, as I'm writing this, feel like a fool for not continuing that while it was working for me. But another thing is... when my friends got down to their goal weights... they didn't support me and I felt alone in it. Which is another reason that weight watchers just sounds really great this time... I need to build a support system. I have people in my life that are for me losing weight and being healthy.... but their actions don't help me. I really need to find some people that are on the journey with me.... that can help with accountability.<br />
<br />
Well those are my thoughts. I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.<br />
Take care and stay healthy!<br />
Love Always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-31787552944746703682011-01-04T00:19:00.000-05:002011-01-04T00:19:17.588-05:00Goals and Rewards.I hope everyone had a great 'first Monday of the new year' Unfortunately I did not end up feeling very well. My stomach was/has been/ is upset. Today was a pretty productive day anyhow.<br />
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I also want to thank everyone for the comments. It is so nice to have such a wonderful support. I hope that you find my comments in your blogs just as (if not even more) supportive.<br />
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So today I was busy running errands, working, house cleaning, figuring out the budget and setting up the finances for the year. I'm happy to say that this year my husband and I should be completely out of debt. We've been working it off now for 2 years so by the end of this year we will be out of the red!!!! (Thanks Dave Ramsey)<br />
Of course, the one thing I didn't do today was exercise. I wanted to do some treadmill work, but my stomach is just not agreeing with anything. In fact, I'm going to make some tea right now to help try to settle it.<br />
<br />
So I am finally unpacked from my Vegas trip and I've started on the mountain of laundry that I have been avoiding. I've also started on all the chores that also desperately needed to get done.... It turns out wishing/praying for them to go away doesn't really work.<br />
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I also set up my fiances for the year... fun stuff.... Basically I file all the old year, and get the filing system ready for the new year. I print out all these free calendars for the new year, and post them in a spiral bound notebook, along with what we owe, the monthly breakdown of payments, and the weekly breakdown of the funds. I have to admit.... I'm a geek/nerd.... though I do have a free spirit side..... but I just love putting it all down on speadsheets and analyzing how we can save here.... and pay more there..... However I would hate being an accountant. I'm a walking oxymoron I tell ya.<br />
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There is a lot that I mentioned that I am planning on posting today. I'm posting my goals, my rewards... and the breakdown of what I need to do daily to lose weight.<br />
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My goals for 2011 (so far)<br />
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1) Always eat breakfast - I am ashamed to say that after all this time... this is still one of my problems. In fact... I didn't even eat breakfast this morning (sick stomach) Arugula!<br />
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2) Eat at home more - I plan on all my breakfasts always at home. The actual problem here lies in the business of my schedule that I always just grab something for lunch and then on the way home grab dinner. And since I am journaling my food..... this is seeming very realistic.<br />
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3) Normal Sleep Schedule - I use to work at 10:30am everyday, until about a year ago my office hours changed to 1pm (sometimes 2pm) I get off about 5pm. While those are great office hours.... I am not a morning person.... I am a night owl.... Which means I find myself falling asleep around 3,4,5am and sleeping until 11am or even noon. I want to put a stop to this... I know that it is affecting my ability to lose weight, and the insomnia is utterly annoying.... but more than that it's really affecting my husband. He goes to sleep around 11 or 12 and wakes up at 5 or 6am..... different schedules almost entirely.<br />
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4) Plant a Garden - I've been working on this.... but this year I would like to plant some vegetables in the back yard and eat what I sow! Pictures of course to come. I already have planted my herbs in containers on the back patio.<br />
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5) Keep track of all my expenses - Obviously with the past two years of getting out of debt.... we have been, for the most part, tracking expenses.... But I'm going to break it down more and figure out just how much I'm spending on eating out. The money I will save in just that category alone will probably be a great starter fund towards a new wardrobe when I lose all this weight at the end of the year (see below for the breakdown)<br />
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So far this is what I have for goals that I really want to accomplish. Along with Get out of debt.<br />
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Reward System:<br />
This is subject to change obviously... But I at this present moment I couldn't think of things that I may possibly want for rewards. This is what I got so far:<br />
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215 - Manicure and Pedicure<br />
210 - Massage<br />
199 - Iphone<br />
195 - Manicure & Pedicure<br />
190 - Massage<br />
185 - Guitar Lessons<br />
180 - Shopping for some new Jeans<br />
175 - Manicure and Pedicure<br />
170 - Massage<br />
165 - Facial / New Clothing<br />
160 - Manicure and Pedicure<br />
155 - Massage<br />
150 - GOAL - New Wardrobe!!!<br />
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I love manicure and pedicures (can you tell?) and I figured it to where I would be getting a massage every 3 months or so.... and I have a membership at a spa place that I get them for $40 per massage... (jealous much).... I've also always wanted to have guitar lessons. So... so far this is what I've got.<br />
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Breakdown for weight loss this year:<br />
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I've been listening to Zig Ziglar's ' How to get what you want' and he speaks of when he needed to lose weight he broke it down to what he needed to be doing daily. I decided that it would be interesting to do the same thing.<br />
So I have 68 lbs to lose.<br />
68 lbs divided by 12 months = 6 lbs per month. (doable) (It's actually 5.7 but I rounded up)<br />
6 lbs divided by 4 (weeks in a month) = 1.4 lbs per week (very doable)<br />
1.4 lbs divided by 7 (days in a week) = .2 (I gotta lose .2 lbs a day to reach my goal at the end of the year)<br />
So what is .2 calorie wise?<br />
To lose 1.4 lbs a week I would need to burn 4900 extra calories a week.<br />
Which would be 700 calories a day.<br />
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This has put a whole new perspective on this for me. For instance it will help me think twice or even thrice before I put something into my mouth. I will know that I will have to work EXTRA EXTRA harder to burn off something. And.... I'm only aiming to lose .2 a day.... it seems simple. I know that it isn't lol.... I also know that you can't predict what the body will or won't do..... but I'll come darn close!!! <br />
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This has turned out to be and extra longer post than I intended. I haven't completely figured out my workout schedule for the week.... and I will get on that and let you know tomorrow.<br />
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Hope that everyone had a great Monday!!! Now I'm off to force myself into some shut eye!!<br />
Love Always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-9160052721430178552011-01-03T03:12:00.001-05:002011-01-03T03:14:46.740-05:00Feeling a little lostIt's about 3am...... And as already stated....I'm feeling a little lost. I had pizza tonight and I feel terrible. Literally my body feels terrible I want to get it out of my system. Why is it I always forget what I feel like afterward when I'm trying to figure out heat to eat? Seriously ..... I did it on Thursday too.... I had a great day and I got Taco Bell. Not quite sure why but it made sense in my mind at that moment and I ended up feeling horrible. Why is itIneverlearn my lessons. This makes me feel like I'm not being responsible and I'm not taking care of myself.<br />
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I need to pit together a schedule to stick to. I'm a planner I love schedules.....what happened? I find myself shying away and being lackadaisical. I'm in a bit of a rut. I use to be on top of everything and now I just feel burnt out. I need to find some motivation somewhere. <br />
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Tomorrow I want to start my insanity workout as well as to a bit of treadmill work. My ankle is still a little sore if I over work it so I'm gonna be careful as to not to injure it but to strengthen it. Tomorrow also starts my food journaling. I must admit I am horrible about it, I also know that that is probably ultimate reason I continually fall off the wagon. <br />
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I have written out some rewards that are not food related. I will share those with you soon. I am also going to write out a schedule of what I want from my weekly workouts. I've got a lot to do. I need this to be planned. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" Its so true.<br />
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I hope everyone is having a happy and healthy day! (at least when you're awake!)<br />
Love Always <br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-83772413967140413312010-12-28T13:53:00.000-05:002010-12-28T13:53:12.213-05:00Where I'm atWell I just got back yesterday from a 5 Day vacation in Las Vegas. Very enjoyable getaway, the snow peaked mountains are gorgeous... (even more so especially since Florida is the land of flatness) I got see some shows and spend some time with my brother. And the cherry topping..... I lost weight while I was on vacation!!!! How is that possible... well I was mindful of what I was eating, and decided not to eat crap food. Plus they have so many delicious salads to try....<br />
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So today I stand (write) before you weighing 218.2. Almost two pounds lighter that when my last post was. Not bad.... let's bring it on down.<br />
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This is the time of year when everyone begins to think about their new years resolutions. I like to call them goals. Some how 'new years resolutions' just doesn't work for me. I dunno. Anyhow I started this blog last January with the intent on changing. I have to admit..... I took some long breaks, and I am not where I want to be, but I would rather reestablish my goals and focus more.<br />
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Something that is really awesome is a program called '50 Days of Fitness' beginning Jan. 15 and ending.... 50 days later... Basically for $25 I have access to all the gyms in my county, unlimited use! It's great because there are 2 gyms that I love.... but they cost about $60 a month!.... so now I get to enjoy the heck out of them. I joined with my old gym buddy. We were gym buddies back in 2005 and we have a 4 month dedicated routine. We were serious! So now.... we are back on again! We are going to make a schedule to work with. I'll post it once we figure it out.<br />
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Soccer season is also beginning. I started doing some work on the treadmill.... but got a little busy before I went to Las Vegas. I'm going to start that up again today. Back at it!<br />
Well that's all for now, more lata<br />
Hope everyone is having a healthy and happy day!<br />
<br />
Love Always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-70663632578695078422010-12-08T20:57:00.000-05:002010-12-08T20:57:15.594-05:00C25K Week 1, Day 1 MasteredWell so it begins..... in fact it should have already begun... but let's not dwell on the past now.<br />
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I was watching Biggest Loser last night and I was moved. If anyone else is following the show you'll know that Elizabeth has made it to the final 4. She has been passed from week to week, and truthfully.... I don't think that she would've kept it up if she had gone home. She was in the elimination room every week except once! When she got home (in this last episode) she wasn't doing so hot... she was having problems adjusting. Granted I could see that there would be an adjustment period going from Biggest Loser Campus 24/7 to real life..... but she was home a month and still nothing. Jillian made a visit with her and was able to talk a little sense into her. Then 2 weeks later they had the Biggest Loser marathon.... which from what I could tell SHE RAN THE WHOLE THING!!!<br />
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At that moment... I was like 'Okay if she could do it.... what's the matter with me?' I've got the heart! I'm lacking the motivation. Then of course I saw this really awesome commercial for GoDaddy.com with Jillian Michaels... and I thought... there is my motivation, I wanna look like her!!! Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukgGVdbMRkU">Here</a> to see the video on youtube.<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukgGVdbMRkU"><br />
</a><br />
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I also purchased an audio cd called 'How to get what you want' by Zig Ziglar. It was pretty motivating also. I've been listening to that the last 2 days. Zig talks about how he lost weight... and It got me motivated. Now, I gotta keep me motivated!<br />
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I just finished my first C25K session (Couch to 5K) and I feel amazing. And, I'm not in that bad of shape for not exercising in a <strike>month</strike> 6 weeks. Can't believe it's been that long. But again... we aren't focusing on the past now are we? (That's really not a question, it's a statement...) So here is what it entailed:<br />
<br />
Today's workout consisted of:<br />
<div class="mts uiAttachmentDesc">Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Five-minute cooldown walk.</div><div class="mts uiAttachmentDesc"> </div><div class="mts uiAttachmentDesc">I actually altered it to do 60 seconds speed walk, 60 seconds jogging. I was doing great until about 2/3 of the way... I realized I didn't wrap my ankle... and I had pain shooting up from my ankle almost to my knee. So I walked for 2 minutes, and then I jogged the last 3!!! I did a 20 minute cool down. All while watching biggest loser (again). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TQA3S3KhrlI/AAAAAAAAAFY/ZWyWY7MOz24/s1600/my+treadmill+with+jillian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TQA3S3KhrlI/AAAAAAAAAFY/ZWyWY7MOz24/s320/my+treadmill+with+jillian.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="mts uiAttachmentDesc"><br />
</div><div class="mts uiAttachmentDesc">Feeling good. I'm going to take a new set of measurements, write up my food log for the day, and make an awesome salad for dinner. I'm also going to write up my rewards system.... I found something I really want! It's the new Zumba game for PS3.... It looks like to much fun... and a great workout while we are at it! I think I will set that for my goal when I reach 199! More on that tomorrow!</div><div class="mts uiAttachmentDesc"><br />
</div><div class="mts uiAttachmentDesc">Hope everyone is having a happy and healthy one!</div><div class="mts uiAttachmentDesc">Stay warm for all the my friends out in the cold!</div><div class="mts uiAttachmentDesc">Love Always,</div><div class="mts uiAttachmentDesc">Amberly</div>Amberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-44098230911278436462010-12-01T03:16:00.002-05:002010-12-01T03:26:17.670-05:00I have missed you!Seriously, I missed blogging. I went on my trip to Arkansas to visit my family and I don't have internet out there (we don't spend enough time at the house to turn it on). I went out a few times to my brothers and used his internet.... but It was a bit slower... and I gave up after the 2nd day. It wasn't until I was on the plane ride home that it suddenly dawned on me that I could write on my iphone and post it.... (yes even though I'd like to think I'm on top of all this technology.... there are times when I flash back to the 20th century....) So on the plane I pulled out my iphone and wrote down my thoughts....<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">And it goes something like this:<br />
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<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Well I'm sitting on the plane mid flight on my way back to Florida and I'm just so motivated to get home and get started back into a routine. I didn't get the chance to write this week while I was away due to the fact that I have to go to my brothers or to Starbucks or somewhere with free wifi.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've been thinking a lot though. I have an aunt that is 300 maybe pushing 350. And as we all have she always says that she has tried everything and nothing will work. She has been approved for the gastric weight loss surgery and will probably go through the procedure in the next couple of months. It amazes me to no end, don't get me wrong I love this women, but I can't stand her habits. See we come from a family that really appreciates buffets.... Now of course it's because there is variety for everyone..... And it is also kinder on the ole pocket when it comes to dishing out the moola. However it has never been a good decision because of the quantity of food. My family eats. And let me tell you it doesn't matter if they are skinny or heavy set.... They can pack it in. In the past year since I've been making over my eating habits I go to these places and I'm amazed at what I use to eat. It's glutenous I tell ya.Well today we ate at a buffet before we left town and I'm just watching my aunt packing it in. And as I said before it really amazes me to no end that she is the way she is. I know people that have gone through the gastric bypass surgery lost an amazing amount of weight..... And then they are on their way back up!! I'm not dissing the surgery, it's a personal decision for everyone. One of the things I dislike about it is that although it is helpful and life changing, I'm seeing more and more people using it as a quick fix and not changing their behaviors. Therefore people never truly treat the real problem and go back to their old life styles. They begin to eat sugar again and eating more than the certain amount of ounces allotted..... Stretching out their already smaller stomach. I'm afraid for her. She's asked me in the past my opinion and I've told her all this, however I'm not sure that it ever sank in. Almost like a kid begging for a new puppy "I promise I'll clean up after it and walk it everyday" .... A month or so later you'll see that the parents have gained new responsibilities. I want the best for my aunt but I hope that she sees the work it's gonna take to keep herself healthy.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">My father keeps calling me by her name on accident. I'm really starting to find it offensive. They weren't ever that close.... And so I feel that he does it because he looks at me and sees me fat and he looks at her and sees fat also. It bothers me so much. This has gone on for about a year now. I was thinking the other day "hmm I wonder who he'll confuse me with when I lose more weight, jillian michaels lol"</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I've been reading this magazine called 'off the couch' it's an Oxygen Magazine collectors issue. They publish it once a year. This thing has got me motivated. I'm going to write about stuff in it over the next few weeks. I like to keep my posts short and sweet..... Not like a book."</span></span></div><tt><tt><tt><tt><br />
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Well... that's where I finished because we were landing. I wanted to post this because it had a lot of deep thoughts. I am really excited and motivated. I will be posting more and more each day out of the magazine... it has inspired deeper thinking and hopefully it will have you, my reader, becoming inspired and motivated as well. <br />
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Other news.... I got sick over the past week and I checked my blood glucose level and it was higher than I would like it to be. Good news.... it dropped from 300 to 170 in a matter of a 6 hours... I'm going to check it again in the morning. I know that being sick, and other monthly pains can cause it to spike.... but I also know that having 1 1/2 cups of rice the night before didn't help either (rice is a 'sugar spiker' for me).<br />
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Last thing for the night: My mom and I got to see Dave Ramsey Live (Debt Guru). He came to Orlando at the beginning of November. It was a real treat. So she mastered a plan to go a whole month without shopping (with the exception of grocery shopping... strictly food only.... in fact she usually shops at Target... and she is going to another grocery store that has just groceries so she doesn't have any temptation to buy anything non-food). She was thinking of also cutting out going to restaurants for the whole month. So..... starting tomorrow (Dec 1)... that is what I'm going to do. I think this will help me kick-start my healthy eating and get me on the road to where I need to be. It will also sock my system a bit, and help me focus on the right foods... before I go into the restaurants. In fact.... I eat out way too much. I usually grab lunch and dinner on the run. It's sad I know, and it's something that I have realized is a problem... and it needs to change.<br />
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Okay guys.... I will check in tomorrow!<br />
Hope everyone has a healthy and happy Dec 1st!!!<br />
Love Always,<br />
Amberly<br />
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</tt></tt></pre><pre style="font-size: 9pt;"></pre>Amberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-31889514528996335412010-11-19T03:03:00.000-05:002010-11-19T03:03:49.639-05:00Quite the ConundrumWhy is it that when you are doing well and on the right track.... all of a sudden you are faced with a delima.... Like you wake up and go to fix your breakfast and BAM there is a box of doughnuts.... that would NEVER be there if you weren't on the right track.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Well this morning I woke up to this.....</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TOYsYAnuv9I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/yRjqZ9fQCbY/s1600/chicken.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TOYsYAnuv9I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/yRjqZ9fQCbY/s320/chicken.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Okay yes this does LOOK healthy.... but my husband just loves to submerge his chicken in sugary bbq sauces. And then I also say this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TOYss2LuIjI/AAAAAAAAAFU/AekC0XwUsjE/s1600/macaroni+pie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TOYss2LuIjI/AAAAAAAAAFU/AekC0XwUsjE/s320/macaroni+pie.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">This is my husbands traditional Macaroni Pie.... in a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.... Can anyone guess how many calories are in this? </div><br />
Truth: I woke up to a clean house... and he cooked himself all this food in which he'll eat for the next few days while I'm gone..... It wasn't for me.... but it was really tempting. I'd be lying if I say that I avoided it.... but I ate small portions. But I'm sure that you have all been faced with this type of conundrum.... what do you do... Its just funny.... (But at least I've got a husbands that cooks... and very well might I add)<br />
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I feel smaller today.... which is always good. AND I got my treadmill. It's awesome. I did just a little bit on it to make sure it was in working condition. It's in my living room now... I wanted to put it in my bedroom but I over estimated the size of the machine and it just won't work out. (I spend a lot of time in the bedroom) So noe... I'm gonna have to spend time in the living room. I can go for a run while entertaining right?!?!?! LOL<br />
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Tomorrow I have to do about a million things to get ready for my trip... fun stuff.... But I'm definitely gonna do a little running :o)<br />
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Hope everyone had a happy and healthy day!<br />
Love Always,<br />
AmberAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-74436893133657042392010-11-17T22:45:00.000-05:002010-11-17T22:45:28.998-05:00It's Treadmill buying Season!So I was wasting some time and looking at all the new gifts at a few stores today when I saw a treadmill. I've been really thinking about buying one because I want to have the ability to run whenever I want... not just during gym hours... and I don't like running at night. So I started searching on craigslist and I couldn't believe how many treadmills were listed... and most peoples ad read something like "Like brand new, bought 8, 9 0r 10 months ago... in great condition hardly used... selling cheap because we need the money for xmas". TOTALLY LOVE IT!!!! So basically these people bought brand new treadmills around January..... (New years resolution time) and probably used them as an expensive coat/clothing rack... and now they can sell them and get some fast money.... and someone like me can get a great bargain.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TOSbKMCOlQI/AAAAAAAAAFM/SGP08G9wQJs/s1600/GS1050T_Hero_MD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EGS_gHpBEhs/TOSbKMCOlQI/AAAAAAAAAFM/SGP08G9wQJs/s1600/GS1050T_Hero_MD.jpg" /> I'</a></div><br />
So as of tomorrow I will be the proud owner of a cool looking treadmill. It's got a lot of great features... including Ipod hook up with surround sound speakers!!!! Do you think that it can make healthy snacks too?<br />
The other thing that is the coolest feature.... is I can sit it right in front of my TV and watch all my shows... while simultaneously burning calories... NO more watching biggest loser while eating a pint of ice cream lol!! I'm thrilled.<br />
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I'm leaving in a couple days to go visit family for a week. I'm really excited.... and I've planned out my exercise regime. I'm also cooking over the next week so I can control ingredients and calories. I'm psyched... lol... that's been my word lately. I've decided that I want to keep working hard and weigh in when I get back. Which will be Monday morning Nov 29th.<br />
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I hope everyone is making so great plans for this holiday season. Remember... it's about family not about the food... put food in it's proper position and remember to eat to fuel your body. I always try to remember this... that way when I'm about to make a bad decision.... it really affects me when I ask 'What is this food really doing to my body... helping it or harming it'.<br />
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I was watching an episode of Biggest Loser last season and the contestants were visiting the Olympic (village?)... an area where the Olympic athletes were training and they were showing the different foods that the athletes eat. They explained that the different events called for completely different meal plans.... obviously higher calorie meals for athletes that needed more fuel. Then this women athlete start describing her food.... I eat chicken because it's protein and I need it to help repair my muscles after training, and...... she explained everything on her plate.<br />
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That had a big impact on me. I eat, not for any rhyme or reason..... I eat because I'm hungry and I usually find whatever I can... or whatever I want. Of course I watch my portions and should be keeping a count on my calories.... but I never thought about it as 'Food is for fuel'..... and your should 'fuel your body'. Breaking it down even further... if you think about putting gas in your car tank when it is low.... you don't stop and ask the car 'What do you feel like having today' ... no... it's simple. Well I want this to be simple without my emotions getting involved. Believe me though... I love food... and taste is such as awesome thing...... But for me these things along with my poor judgement, my need to fill my cravings immediately, and my sometimes failing will power..... has gotten me in this mess. I really do get the meaning of BALANCE now. It's a very tricky thing. So now.... I have started being 'present' when I'm eating or 'conscious' .... I really don't want to eat a meal and think to myself that it must have been about 500 calories.... when it's really 3000..... I want to be responsible and know what I'm doing.... not act like a victim and wonder how I got to be like this.<br />
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I'm inspired.... can't you tell?<br />
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Well I hope everyone is having a happy and healthy day!<br />
I will check in with the news of my purchase tomorrow!<br />
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Love Always,<br />
AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-91343087354885869152010-11-10T02:00:00.001-05:002010-11-10T02:01:09.420-05:00Proud MomentsI am just extremely pysched!!!! It's is Tuesday night (Wednesday early AM). I feel great.... I had to write.<br />
Today I had a soccer game. It was playoffs and unfortunately we lost so we were knocked out. That's it for our season. I hadn't been to the past two games... and I will admit something (between me and you)... I didn't workout an ounce!!! I kind of fell into a deep depression. In fact for some reason I always fall into this depression around October and February. This time though it started when I sprained my ankle.... I tried to stay positive and think to myself that if I continued eating the right way.... then I would be in good shape. Well... I didn't.... I'm tired of talking about me failing. I almost feel like that I always have good intentions... but don't follow through. I hate that. I hate feeling like I'm whining about my problems... and poor me can't lose it. But I'm just tired of it... tired of excuses and reasons.<br />
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Okay... that turned a little negative (although true) but that is not the reason that I wanted to write today. So back to the game. I haven't been working out... I'm not in shape... (I couldn't even run 2 laps around the soccer field for warm ups... pathetic) however... the coach put me in a new position and I was continually running... and doing pretty well!!! Of course had I been in better shape I could've done more and been more on my toes.... but out of a 90 minute game I played all but 20 minutes. I felt really good.<br />
All day long I have been eating well. I didn't eat enough... but I ate very well. On the way home from the game I wanted some soup... so I stopped to get some. I really wanted chocolate covered almonds. So I picked some up... and if I would've ate the whole package it would've been 400 calories and 32grams of fat. Now I don't know if any of you have experienced this... but say you have a package of M&Ms .... you can't just eat half of it.... It will bother me until I finish it... I don't know why.... but seriously and when I finish the bag then I'm satisfied and I don't give another thought to it. In fact I've been trying to figure out how to 'trick myself' into thinking that the whole bag is done when really there is only half..... Hasn't worked yet. Well tonight... I ate a few bites so that I had the taste... and I was done!!!!!! For real!!! I put the rest in the fridge. I think that when I looked at the label and actually THOUGHT about what I was eating.... and the fact that I had just exercised.... that's what helped me. Okay that's it for thinking about it because I don't want to end up running to eat it in a few hours. <br />
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I'm starting my exercise regime. I really want to be in shape for tryouts. Now, since I'm on the team I will most likely still hold a position on the team however there is no guarantee... and lets just face it..... I want to be in shape and have no one to have cause for concern when we start up again. I'm going to start working out tomorrow. I just need to figure out when. I have to take my car in the morning, then work... hopefully I find sometime in the morning... other wise it's the afternoon/evening baby.<br />
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Alright, that's all I got in me for now. I hope everyone is having a healthy and happy one.<br />
Take care of yourselves and try not to get sick this cold season!Amberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612469481831182582.post-26855654705043370172010-11-03T01:48:00.000-04:002010-11-03T01:48:22.074-04:00Back (again)Well... Vegas was such a success that I stayed there and just got back.... okay maybe that's a lie.<br />
Let's see... After I got back from Vegas I was feeling pretty on top of the world. I tried out for a club soccer team and when I got back I immediately started practicing with them. We had our first pre-season game the following week. I was pretty proud of myself.... and then about 20 minutes into the game.... I twisted my ankle, heard the cracks.... so I came out of the game for a little while.. Well after about 20 minutes I didn't have any pain and it wasn't swelling so I went back in. A little history, I sprained my ankles so many times it's not even worth the time to count. I've always had week ankles (because I've always been bigger, although I'd like to think it's because I'm a really good aggressive player). So after the game..... we where sitting down taking off our gear and chatting about our game when my ankle started swelling up....Badly.<br />
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That weekend I went away with my hubby on a beach retreat weekend and couldn't do a single thing. So I got upset and depressed.... and started eating....<br />
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I thought I would only be benched for a week or so.... 7 weeks later I'm able to play in my first game. I was so upset because I was in horrible shape. Some of these girls didn't even know I was on the team, and I came to every game to support the team :o(<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">So now I am here. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">All 220 pounds of me. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I didn't gain much weight... (good thing) ..... but I started filling out... and I feel bloated. </div><br />
My soccer team has a few more games this season and then they start back in January. I have decided that I need some desperate workout and training. So I am going to work on running a 5K. I'm going to do a couch 2 5K workout plan.<br />
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With that I shall leave you and go and read up on all my inspiring friends and see how everyone else's journey is going. I will weigh in tomorrow morning and update my info... and report on my efforts. <br />
Have a healthy and happy day!<br />
~AmberlyAmberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04694161264778940554noreply@blogger.com2