Scavenger Hunt - success, not as easy as I thought

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:13:59 EST

Okay, first the shells. These were easy, but I found some good ones in a gift shop.

Sea Horses, well, it seemed like I saw them all over the place, not so, I finally found this on a t-shirt.

Undaunted, I continued my quest and found these magnets.

LEAP Phase 2 update

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:18:10 EST

Each day I have added a new food, egg, cherry (for the tart cherry juice), corn (also as in popped), cabbage and grapefruit.

On to Phase 2, I will add bananas tomorrow so I can make a smoothie and spinach on the next day and have a salad.

I have kept on with my hypertension, thyroid and reflux medications and added in some vegetarian iron, the regular stuff was too irritation to my GI system.

I AM OFF ALL OTHER MEDICATIONS. This includes all supplements, multi...

LEAP, Phase 1 review and onto Phase 2

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 20:11:36 EST

My first ten days are done!
I made a lot of soups and stir fry.

It was tolerable.
The only seasoning I could use was salt. And lemon. But I had olives on my list so I just cut them up in about everything.

So, where am I after 10 days?
My dietician had me do a survey of symptoms a few months ago and then re-do it on Thursday. These included GI, body aches, sinus, all kinds of inflammatory symptoms. And my score dropped considerably. My tummy is better, ...

MY LEAP

Wed, 6 Mar 2013 12:50:06 EST

Picking up where I left off.....

My dietician sent me a kit, I took it to a lab while we were in Florida last month, had the blood drawn and sent it via Fedex. All of this was in the package I got and the lovely lady at the lab had Fedex on speed dial, they came and picked up my blood so I didn't have to run all over a strange city and find a drop off site.

A few days later, I got an email with all my food sensitivies listed, with a sliding scale of exactly how sensitiv...

Today's exercise challenge

Wed, 6 Mar 2013 08:25:59 EST

12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12
Well, I'll be turning 65 much later this year.
All my HS classmates are one by one hitting this status (so much older than I)
Sadly, many of my friends can't walk the six miles that I did yesterday.
Many are very sedentary with one to multiple joint replacements or really bad backs.
I personally have given up jumping j...

LEAP into 2013

Sat, 2 Mar 2013 11:28:38 EST

Not your conventional LEAP!

This LEAP stand for: Lifestyle Eating and Performance (LEAP) Program

Why do some diets work for me and not you?

Many medical professionals are learning that this may be do to food sensitivities.

And these food sensitivities can cause problems from fibromyalgia, to arthritis and IBS and many others.

When at the Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge in Utah in 2009, we had the opportunity to attend classes giv...

2012 is Gone

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:46:38 EST

I have to review this for myself because other than my DS's wedding in June, it was not a very good year.
I started with Plantar fasciitis in January, steroids, a boot, and unable to walk very far. Something in my system got screwy so in March and April I had two different infections, a sebaceous cyst on my neck and Paronychia on my finger. They had to open both and gave me three different antibiotics over the course of the two months. Which upset my female system and had a few rounds of...

When you come to a fork in the road

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:24:32 EST

Take it.

Good old Yogi Berra.

I have spent a few wonderful weeks at Kripalu yoga in Massachusetts.
One very bright instructor told us we had to make a decision regarding which hike we wanted to take, the beginner, the intermediate or the tough one. BUT, looking at our faces he admonished us that it really didn't matter which one we picked, so not to stress.
"You will be where you are supposed to be"

So, if I took the "other" fork any of those millio...

2013 Rotating 21 days - day 2

Wed, 2 Jan 2013 22:29:20 EST

249
#1: Drink 8 glasses of water each day. emoticon I am fine with this at home, but need to work on it while I am on the road. I pour them and find them hours later just sitting there.
248 ( just barely)
#2 ; Cardio 30 minutes 5 times per week.

#1 & #2 : Day Two: 248

I believe the commercials

Tue, 1 Jan 2013 13:37:01 EST

And the hype. I ate fish 492 sandwiches at McDonalds rather than hamburgers and french fries 489 486 for years, thinking "fish is healthier". I ate the taco salad 140 at Tacobell, who knew the bowl was deep fried and chock full of calories and fat? I looooved the bran muffins 475 at Dunkin' Donuts, I mean a muffin is better than a donut? 473 Right?

So, watching Biggest Loser, I bought the Subway food propaganda...

2013 - rotating 21 days.

Tue, 1 Jan 2013 09:37:45 EST

Okay, starting out a New Year, with hopes that I can write this blog next year and leave it blank!
i would like to lose 30+ pounds this year and maintain a consistent exercise habit.

There are 21 days to start a new habit. I am going to add a new one every day, keep it on the list for 21 days, drop it off and add a new one. 387
I hope to create a streak with this blog....but then, I've tried that before. 2013 will be a success!

249 #1...

Merry Christmas

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 18:41:44 EST

446 445 446 445 446 445 446 445 446

We have had a busy two years, and I did not send a single card last year. I was playing nanny until my daughter decided on day care for our now 15 month old grandson.

So this year, I got creative.

Brides and grooms, weddings and babies, beaches an...

2013

Sat, 8 Dec 2012 15:22:57 EST

I have rewritten my introduction.
It ain't pretty.
After 5 years, I am the same weight, less active and bored.
I spend some time traveling, I babysit for my adorable little grandson. I fit in some volunteer work. But I spend altogether too many days doing nothing. Sounds great when you are young and there are not enough hours in the day. Work, school, kids, activities, 24 hours is not enough. And you say, someday.....I'll be able to just kick back and relax. Too much relaxing i...

Thursday morning at the library

Fri, 2 Nov 2012 09:44:27 EST

We have a local but syndicated columnist that I would like to introduce to you. Her name is Celia Rivenbark. And she is southern funny! As well as just plain funny!

Here is a link to her columns:

www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic
36

And a joke that she told yesterday!

Two bowling teams, one of all blondes and one of all brunettes, charter a double-decker bus for a weekend bowling tournament in Atlanta.

The brunette ...

Update on "I'm breaking rule #4"

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:54:40 EST

Here is the original blog:

www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_jo
urnal_individual.asp?blog_id=5094090

So how is it going.

The good news:

Well, when I do it it works. My GI track feels a lot better. The bloating is gone, the gas is gone, the chest and abdominal pain is gone.

I have lost 1.8 pounds since October 10th. Not bad, steady progress.

The bad news:
I am only following it about 80% of the...

A new diet, who saw this comig?

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 09:49:03 EST

This from my cousin in NY on her trip to Walmart today...
"So I'm at Wal-Mart buying a bag of Purina dog food for my dog. 338
While in the check-out line, a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. 200
Why else would I be buying dog food, RIGHT??? So on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog 338 , I was starting the Purina Diet again, and that I probably shouldn't because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds b...

I'm breaking rule #4

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:50:57 EST

This is how I got here:
I have long held with the diet concept that big volumes of low calorie foods are good.
I have tried counting points, carbs, fat grams, calories.
I have tried Clean Eating.
I have tried a few other things that I won't even mention because they were not healthy.
I gain and I lose and I end up back in the same place.

Now I have reflux and Barrett's esophagitis.
I have a list of "good" foods that won't upset the GI track, and a mes...

What happens in Italy

Sat, 6 Oct 2012 13:13:45 EST

Okay, one cannot sneak a knee brace home without an explanation.
Here goes: Flight from ATL to Rome, two hour tour of the city highlights. We checked into our hotel and grabbed a quick lunch and did some wandering. Dinner in the wonderful Plaza Navona. We walked over, took a longer route and decided to take a shorter route home. We ran into a busy street that had inadequate sidewalks so I decided to jump up two 2 1/2 foot boulders. Just like I did hiking in Utah. And I could! So I did. ...

Reflection

Sun, 8 Jul 2012 11:33:12 EST

“Growth can only be gradual. The seed that is sown today does not sprout into a tree the next day. It does so only in the course of time, at its own pace, and by its own order.” —Swami Kripalu

At first glance this makes sense. We need to realize that change is not overnight. That we must give it time.

BUT, the tree grows in a linear fashion. It starts a seed and it's change is gradual but steady. It does not grow up one day, and then down the next. It does not backslike,...

PDCA - #2 My reflux cure

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 11:38:38 EST

After the first set of Plans for BLC19, I was found to have some GI problems. I came up with this plan.

Change #1:I have been taking two ibuprofen in the morning and two at night since the plantar fasciitis flared up last fall. I had been taking two at night for years for mild work related joint pain. I have cut that to one a day since the procedure, at bedtime and am going to not take that starting tonight. So it's raisins in gin only.

*I am an achy 63 year old, but I h...

Review the plan - PDCA

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 11:06:36 EST

PDCA - Plan, do, check, act.

A BLC leader posted a blog, updating her plan at the start of this round. It reminded me of a hospital process we used at one facility where I worked.

Plan, Do, Check, Act, I and relate that to lots of things, weight loss included.

I posted most of this on our challenge message board but will edit for this blog:

Reviewing my goals:

...

Spinach for breakfast?

Sat, 9 Jun 2012 10:23:37 EST

My healthy recipe for the day:

One piece Trader Joe's sprouted rye bread
One pat butter
One soft boiled egg
One cup fresh spinach, wilted
1 tsp grated parmesan

I toasted the bread, spread a little butter on it while boiling the egg and wilting the spinach.
Layer toast, spinach, egg and grate a little parmesan over the top.

Yum!

Link to recipe:
recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detai
l.asp?recipe=2136642&ff=1

Thought for Today and Forever

Wed, 6 Jun 2012 11:03:16 EST

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

Tue, 29 May 2012 17:51:30 EST

I saw this on Facebook today.

This is perfect for the "no excuses challenge".

Ulcers, who knew??!! New rules!!

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:41:34 EST

Okay, moderate indigestion, no night time problems and he tells me I have an ulcer in my stomach and one in my esophagus, Barrett's esophagitis. 12 days later I am still trying to wrap my head around that. I had gas for pity's sake. Or so I thought. There are some things that a high pain threshold is not good for.

So, I have spent hours at the library, online researching all this.

One, drop some pounds. Why is that the answer to so many things. And drop those pounds ar...

It's been a busy month, on top of a busy year and I am showing wear and tear

Wed, 23 May 2012 21:42:18 EST

As you all know, my DD got married last spring and then had our first grandchild in the fall. This after a whirlwind courtship. And DS got engaged in the fall and will be married in 3 1/2 weeks. You would think that if I had my kids 12 years apart they would have spaced the festivities a little better.

So, I am in Detroit about 5 weeks ago for my future DIL's shower and my neck feels funny. I reach up and the teeny sebaceous cyst that the dermatologist says is nothing and leave it...

BLC 19 - The plan

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:59:43 EST

I had labwork last week and my annual physical today, so wanted to include the results in this challenge plan.
All good. Blood pressure good, cholesterol under 200, HDL a little down (travel and family stuff=not as much exercise these last few months), LDL a lot down, good healthy diet. My very thin sister is trying to diet away pre-diabetes, a family female affliction, my A1C was the lowest it's been in years! Woo Hoo! Daughter's B12 low, mine is soaring. Vitamin D is normal, but low no...

100 Days of Weight Loss - Day 11 - 2 purposes of food

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:51:22 EST

Emotional eating is anything that does not fall in these two categories:

1) To fuel my body
2) To appreciate flavors

Last week, this book discussed keeping it between the white lines. This week, we're talking about food as fuel.

So this is one of the arguments against exercising on an empty stomach, would I expect to go an a trip with an empty fuel tank? No, for sure. So, also, does my body need fuel. And I want high test, not some gummy old fuel.
...

Day 10 - Appreciate Good support

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:51:05 EST

I am so over this support chapter, thankfully this is the last day.

It basically says to appreciate a compliment, and this has been discussed by my Spies. Learn to say thanks when someone notices your weight loss. Come up with a phrase. Mine is "thank you very much for noticing, it makes me feel good", instead, of Oh, I guess it's okay, i have along way to go.

And don't ask if these pants make my butt look big. Cause you won't like the answer.

And I'm not sure...

MAGGIE, this one's for you!

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:26:27 EST

This is the only place I can put a picture, so in honor of your planks in the last challenge, I offer this up for you perusal.

Day 9 - Here's what I want

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:56:15 EST

This is part two of yesterday's blog and assignment.

The premise is how can I ask for support and encouragement if I don't know what I want.

The text includes a quiz.

Here are my answers.

If you see me eating something NOT on my plan:
Ignore it entirely - because YOU don't know what is on MY Plan. I may be counting calories, points, watching carbs today or having a treat day. You don't know that. I do.

When you notice m losing ...

Day 8 - Help me, please

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:09:59 EST

The message here is to speak up, that is to say, tell those around you what you need from them. This means family, friends, co-workers, anyone who may impact your weight loss journey.

The recommendation of the day is to write in my journal (here) what I want from all those people. Do I want them to rip cookies of out of my hands, stop sending me candy for holidays, offer seconds when I visit?

So here is my list:
Tell me when you think I am looking thin, don't mentio...

Day 7: I can do it

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:16:53 EST

Week one over, 7 days down, 93 to go.
Today's recommendation is positive reinforcement, mantras, post-it on mirrors. Plus using successful people as a positive example.

Okay, I'll try it. Sparkpeople makes this a bit easier. I can come here and find people who have lost a bunch of weight and kept it off. I have people on my friend's page who have done just that. I will read their pages and follow their blogs. My status can be where I post my positive messages to me.

...

Day 6 - Protect your program

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:49:47 EST

Part 1 - This is MY diet, eating plan, food plan, whatever you want to call it. I buy insurance to protect my house and car, I put locks on my door to keep us safe. I wear seatbelts and drive within the speed limits. Yet I often let someone convince me to eat something I have decided not to eat. And, truth be told, there is often not a lot of arm twisting. I let it happen.

But I will now protect my program. I will not allow outside influences to alter my plan.

Part 2 -...

Day 5 Magic Notebook

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:22:14 EST

203 To journal or not to journal, that is the question. 203

This is a frequent topic here on SP. Some folks seem to just pour out their thoughts, feelings and eating habits. Others, not so much (Yep, oh Captain, I am referring to you).

I was not a fan of English, math and science were my forte. I put papers off until the last minute and pulled an all nighter. I did rewrite both policy and procedure manuals in one job I had, but I kind of remember it...

Day 4: curly hair, a cliff and a two lane road

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:55:05 EST

Day 4: Boundaries, not diets.
I have curly hair. And I was somewhat of a handful as a child. When I was a little girl, my mom would recite the poem, "there was a little girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead. And when she was good, she was very, very good. And when she was bad......she was horrid.
Diets are like that. You get up one morning, buckets of resolve oozing out of your pores. And you are so good, you track and you weigh and you measure and then a...

Do it anyway

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 20:32:43 EST

This is the mantra of Day 3. Nike used it, as did Martina McBride
"You could chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway"

After a while, hitting goal weight may seem so out of reach, two steps forward and one back and then one step forward and two back.

But do it anyway.

I am on vacation, well, I'm retired, so technically, I am always on vacation, LOL.

But we walked the w...

100 days of weight loss - day 2

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 22:17:40 EST

Interested or committed.
“There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”

How to accomplish!

Do it every day, no matter what. Easy to say! But I will do one thing every day to meet this goal.

It is 10PM and I am 1 point under my WWP+ for today.

And as they say in AA - "Take Life One...

Who's on First, 2012 version

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 14:14:43 EST

Speaking of computers:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBO...

Tom Brady goes to heaven - someday far in the future

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 08:56:46 EST

I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE THIS IS FUNNY!

Tom Brady, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded Patriots flag in the window. "This house is yours for eternity, Tom," said God. "This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here." Tom felt special indeed and walked up to his house. On his way up to the porch he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a 3-story mansion with a Blue ...

100 Days of weight loss - Day One

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:40:47 EST

I came upon a book by Linda Spangle, something to get me over the lulls I seem to keep plunging into. 100 Days of Weight Loss, and I signed up for 90 days of Weight Watchers so by mid May I hope to have made progress in this world of consistency that seems to elude me.

I used to be that way, but now I'm different. This time I'll make more effort to track and exercise and interact instead of retreating to my little shell.

But I need help. That's why I am blogging, not ...

Transformation

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:06:46 EST

I had it, I was this close....it was all working.

First, we retired, and DH had cancer #'s 2 and 3. One just before and one just after. Bummer. He had some minor complications and the nurse in me had to kick in. Stress. He was in bed for longer than we thought but was finally up and about. But our house did not sell. More stress. For almost a year and a half we were paying on two houses, and leaving the empty one behind three hours away where anything could happen.

Then...

The Snopes Queen of Urban Legends

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:11:22 EST

285 285 285 285 285 285

Full disclosure, soap box coming.

I have since its inception, HATED crap on the internet. It just blows my mind that there are people out there are making this stuff up. Who said what, sadly missing or injured or very sick children who don't exist, "holiday trees" at the White House, Andy Rooney's misquotes, charging for Facebook, winning a (insert your favorite here, choose from gift ca...

Slowest Loser - MY WAY update

Sat, 1 Oct 2011 10:54:46 EST

Well, the best laid plans of...........

Here is what happened in September! Weight loss was the furthest thing from my mind, but I came .2 pound from my goal of losing 3 pounds during the month. Go figure.

Early on the morning of September 1, we received a phone call no parent or grandparent looks forward to. My DD42, 38 weeks pregnant had an elevated BP and the baby was deeply asleep because of it. His heart rate and everything else was fine. Okay. So they decide to ad...

Slowest Loser - MY WAY

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:09:07 EST

I have been following The Slowest Loser, Bruce Corwin, who set a goal of losing one half pound per week over 70 weeks = 35 pounds lost. He had really good weeks, and really bad weeks, but in the end accomplished his goal in 65 weeks.

www.dailyspark.com/blog_topics.asp?t
opic=the_slowest_loser

I am going to try that with a slightly different approach. I am going to attempt to lose 3 pounds per month over the next 10 months = 30 pounds.

I am...

SANDLADY48's SparkPeople Blog

Diva's Half marathon - as a volunteer this time