Jumpstart!

That was a beautiful and tasty salad wasn't it? 2 MONTHS AGO, right? SORRY! This supermom got caught up in BEING Supermom though so I haven't blogged like I should. Nor have I worked out like I should, but I have been getting in exercise when I can and I'm maintaining my loss.

So, what have I been doing? Well I've been chasing pigs. That's right...pigs. My son raises a pig for the Duchesne County Fair each year and you've got to walk the pig every night for exercise and to get it ready to show. And you have to keep it moving and keep it out of the flowers, off the deck, out of the feed room, in the yard...that sort of thing. So, I chase pigs for exercise. Good times.

My 5 year old was videoing this, btw....


Next year I will NOT look like that as I chase hogs. I guarantee it.

Here is Hogzilla, by the way. A lovely near 300 lb bluebutt hog for the fair. Funny....I'm trying to get his weight up to where mine is now.



My 11 year old is raising a lamb as well this year. The lamb is hilarious. He is pesky and would love to come right in the house if I'd let him.

We've also gotten a new dog and we have to chase her around a bit as well, but mostly she just likes her boy:


I've also been mowing the lawn. It's rather large. My son and the lamb have helped quite a bit too though.




There has been a lot of baseball and softball. I coached my daughter's team and watched many of my boys' games.

That's my guy in the black t-shirt

My beautiful daughter was baptized


and there was a kid's rodeo where we gained several new pets....










I'm jump starting the whole Healthy Edge thing though so don't count me out! I have started a new regimen and eating plan so stay tuned to hear all about the new additions and deletions I'll be making. Busy mom here, trying to find the balance between family and work and not finding a whole lot of time for ME. But, I'm not going to let my lifestyle choices affect my children's busy, healthy, and active schedules. Stay tuned....

Less quantity...better quality!

I'm going to attribute my weight loss to making a few, simple dietary changes. I'm not overeating anymore. I have cut my portion sizes back considerably and I try to make healthier choices. For example, I have a salad everyday for lunch. And I LOVE them.

My friend, Kirsten, got me hooked on bleu cheese crumbles and craisins on my salads and I absolutely love that Wish Bone brand spray dressing...Asian Silk flavor. Yum. I really do enjoy eating a salad when I have all that and it's made a huge difference. I keep some grilled chicken cut up to add to my salads sometimes and/or I add a couple ounces of turkey or ham. I am not a snacker, but if I do need a little something I reach for crunchy veggies like carrots, celery or bell peppers.

Portion control is key to healthy eating habits though. 2-3 oz of meat is all I will allow myself at lunch and dinner. A 3 oz. portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. I have also added more veggies (my yummy salads) into my diet and an average portion size of a vegetable is about the size of a fist.

Now to just stick to it more than I have been....

Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

SO, I haven't worked out since February. I haven't really gotten back ON the wagon yet, but I haven't been eating horribly either. I haven't been on a scale since February either. I had to take my oldest son to the insta-care clinic today so just for the heck of it I thought I'd step on the scale.

WooHoo! I've lost 30 lbs! And I'm under 300 lbs. Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

Just think how much I'd have lost if I had really been trying though. At any rate....WOHOO...I'm excited and motivated again. Let's do this!

Picking up the pieces....

Ok...I'm trying not to be a downer, but I'm sitting here bawling as I read the comments people leave me on my blogs and I'm overwhelmed with emotion. People are good. They really are. There have been so many people who have called, brought food, came over, just said HEY, chatted with me about stuff, asked how my mom is doing, sent cards, flowers and/or money and listened to my little brother tell all his favorite stories about my dad for hours. Everyone is awesome, so THANK YOU. So much! From the bottom of my heart...Thanks.

You know, my dad was so proud of me for losing that first 20 lbs. He was. He handed me a 20 dollar bill as a prize and said, "Now go kick some weight-loss butt!". He knew I had alot of people pulling for me and he didn't want me to disappoint anyone. He saw how many blog followers I had and people commented to him in the community all the time about the contest and he didn't want me to let them down.

Now I feel like I'm letting HIM down by not getting back on track so quickly. I'm not doing this for him, I'm still doing it for ME (and because I want to beat Michelle and Christine) and look good in jeans by next winter and ride horses with Michelle next summer, and...oh I could go on an on....lol. My point is though, I know my Dad is watching and cheering for me. He was always my biggest cheerleader and fan in life....never missed a game or event...and it's from him I get my competitive nature. I'm not going to let him down. I'm getting back to it.

This next 20's for you, Dad!

And then my daddy died....

My daddy died March 22nd. It really sucks. I've been a total flake since it happened, too. I'm trying to snap out of it, and plan on having a great week this week, but it's hard. I was in a fog for that first week and since then I've just been forgetful, unable to concentrate and store information and just generally flaky. My eating hasn't been great, but it hasn't been too bad either.

I haven't worked out for 2 months. I got pneumonia in February and had to get over that, then I got really busy and didn't get back in to workout routine mode. Then my dad died and everything has been on hold ever since.

It was an unexpected death, even though my dad hasn't had great health for 20 years. He had atherosclerosis, which is clogged and/or weakened arteries. He hadn't been getting enough blood flow to his stomach and bowels and those organs died. It made him very sick and he was in a great deal of pain. We discovered it too late in the game and there was no way we were going to make him live with a nutrition line and never be able to eat again, so we let him go. We told him he didn't have to fight it anymore. He died within hours of an exploratory surgery. We kept him comfortable and sedated and he died peacefully.

It still really, really sucks though. Here's a link to my other blog with pics and a tribute to my daddy, the greatest guy I ever knew. http://rookacre.blogspot.com/2009/03/goodbye-daddy.html

I'm Back!

Wohoo! I'm all better now. It's about time, too.

I was really pretty sick for about a week, but getting completely over it took forever. I was weak and got tired really easily and got winded. I did breathing treatments for 2 weeks and still felt like I could do them the 3rd week. It was a nasty bug!

I gave myself plenty of time to get over it though, nearly a month, and I'm ready to get back to working out. I've got to get back into a groove, find a workout that works for me timewise since I'm much more busy now that baseball is starting back up and we've got more 4-H hogs coming and it's time to walk the hogs daily. It's just my BUSY time of the year.

Another thing I've got to work out is my little guys and babysitters while I workout at the gym. Unless I just bag the gym and workout at home. I have a few people who will watch them, but it's not just a 30 min. time slot we're talking here. If I go to the gym while I'm in town, it's a 2-3 hour ordeal and #1- I'm just not willing to give up that much time just to workout in the gym and #2- I don't want to give up my time with my boys to workout. It's an inner struggle and I'll have to find the balance.

I love, love, love my time everyday with my 3 year old. It's just that lil' guy and me til' 2 pm every day and I love spending that time with him. He'll be going to Head Start next year and I won't have that anymore so I'm kinda being stingy with my time spent with him.

Also, having pneumonia and just slowing down to rest and not run, run, run has been NICE. I've loved it. My house is clean, my laundry is done and I'm HERE to take care of kid stuff at school. That's what I want to be. Their mom. Not a gym-runner mommy or gone all the time working.

Plus, I don't want anyone on my butt telling me what to eat or how to workout or any of that. I was starting to feel like my life wasn't mine anymore and I'm taking it back. It was my own fault for spreading myself too thin, thinking I could do it all, but I'm over it. I will find time to workout somehow and someway, but it may not be in the gym all the time anymore.

Hit Me Like a Freight Train

Well here's something fun. Pneumonia. What a treat. I have been way sick since last Thursday. Turns out it's pneumonia.

I started feeling heavy in my chest with congestion and just NOT good. I had to take care of a bunch of things (Valentine's, treats, a party at Head Start) and had a ton more to do (make more cookies and help with another party in 2nd grade, take kids to tumbling, coach basketball, play women's basketball, get my son to baseball....all kinds of stuff), but after I did the sweatiest Bunny Hop ever on record at Head Start, I came home and just crashed. And I do mean CRASHED. I've been down ever since.

I laid in my bed shivering and shaking under 5 blankets on Thursday and Friday as my fever raged on. My body ached terribly. I had a horrid headache and bad cough. Saturday I sweat it all out, had windows open, heat off, the works, and felt even more lousy. Pretty much the same scenario on Sunday.

I tried to feel better on Monday, I really did. I tried so hard to will myself better, but it just wasn't happening so I called my mommy and had her take me to the doctor.

I went to see Dr. Kent Smith and when he walked in I said, "Hey, I need you to approve my new weight loss plan. It's the "get real sick and don't eat for days" plan. Is that ok?" Apparently it wasn't because he made the nurse give me a breathing treatment and a shot in the butt (of which he said he wasn't fond of so he stepped out of the room while I got one....wimp!) and then loaded me up with antibiotics, breathing treatments and a nebulizer to take home. Thanks, Doc Smith!

So far I'm not feeling well yet, but I am breathing more easily. I've never been sick much in my life. But this hit me like a freight train, knocked the wind out of me (literally), and ran me under a few more times.

I'll be back to working out eventually, I'm sure. But for now, I'm going back to bed.

How Much Have I Lost?

I hopped on the scale today at Kody's Gym and it said I'd lost 18 lbs. WOHOO! Yay me!

I can't really tell yet. Well, scratch that. My jeans aren't tight anymore and my boobs are shrinking. Yeah...not what I want to shrink. Why can't it be my butt? Or my gut? Nope...the DDD's are now DD's and my bras don't fit right at all. I'd even like it if the side fat were gone, under my pits, but NOOOOO...gotta be right from the fleshy part that makes cleavage.

Oh well! I'll live. It's 18 lbs down! WOHOO!!!

It's Contagious!

Working out is contagious.

It IS!

Seriously.

You start up a workout regimen and the next thing you know your husband and kids have the bug too and everyone wants to go to the gym. We got my husband a membership and he's working out now and I've gotta say I love it. I really like working out with him. We end up doing different cardio workouts, but I like to lift with him. And the boy could stand to lose a few pounds too so this is good for him. He says he wants to get back down to his college weight, but I think if he drops 50 lbs he'll be happy and feel so much better. I kinda like him no matter what weight he is, so that's not a factor at all, I just want us to be healthy and be able to keep up with our kids and keep them healthy.

I have a 10 year old son who also likes to workout alongside me as well. He doesn't come with me to the gym often, but when he does I let him do some cardio and then push-ups and pull ups. No lifting for his growing body just yet.

My daughter is nearly 8 and she would love to come to the gym and workout, but that's a no. My little boys just want to come and play in the playroom and watch people play raquetball but I leave them home or with my mother. I love em', but I don't love dealing with them when I'm trying to workout.

Anyway, this is one bug I don't mind spreading through the entire family. It's a GOOD kind of bug!

Famous

Well, I guess we're famous. Ok, so maybe not famous, but we're definitely becoming more well known for doing this contest. The Edge Magazine had a booth in the Women's Day Out Expo in Vernal today and we talked to alot of people. Many of them recognized us from our pictures and others had heard about our competition. And the feedback was positive.

Alot of people are inspired by what we're doing. Others are shocked to see our fat pictures in the magazine and on our blogs. Some people can't believe we're doing it and others are amazed that we're so brave and are proud of us for putting it all out there. We get alot of "I admire you girls for what you're doing" comments. People can't believe we've told our actual weight either (my weight is over 300 lbs...that's GOT to be someone's best kept secret, right?).

But, I'm ok with it all. I'm OK with putting it all out there. If anything it's a great motivator. I can't back out, see? Plus, I'm not going to look like this in a year so I don't mind. And, if I can inspire others and help anyone else out, it's all worth it. Not alot of people want to join us in our quest to lose the weight because they're afraid they'll have to put their pictures up and list their weight for all to see. Not true though. Michelle, Christine and I will take the heat there, but we would love for others to blog, jog, and slog through this with. We'll set you up with a blog if you want or you can just use it as a support group (PUT THE CANDY BAR DOWN NOW!) for tips, tricks and advice.

More than anything we want to build a community support group to help maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle. We want to get people moving and help with nutrition and proper eating habits.

So join in the fun. Stay tuned to the blogs and the magazine for tips, tricks, and guides on losing the weight and staying fit.

I'm comfy, ok??!

You know what my favorite part of working out is? The clothes. I love workout clothes. And I don't even have any fancy or really cute ones, but I love to wear my comfy workout gear. Everywhere.

I don't wear sweats and I won't wear sweats out of the house, because that is worse than wearing pajamas out of the house, but I do have some yoga pants and capris that I always wear to workout in and I love wearing them everyday all the time (even when it's 10 degrees out!), with a sweatshirt. I love sweatshirt weather! They're comfy and cozy clothes
! The first thing I do when I get home (besides kick off my shoes) is put on my comfy yoga or athletic pants or capris and an old, baggy t-shirt and warm socks (usually only in winter). Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...

Now, normally I wouldn't leave the house in such clothing, but if I'm going to workout it's acceptable (in my mind, ok?). If I can say to someone, "Oh, I'm going to workout." then it excuses the shabby attire. Nevermind that I may not be going to workout for hours, but "I'm going to the gym." so it's ok. People give an understand nod or agreeing headshake and usually say, "Oh really? Well good for you!".

That's right, good for me. Yay workout clothes!

Hello Diet Coke!

So, I talked with the dietitian over at Ashley Valley Regional the other day. I think she's my new best friend. Her name is Joyce Buhler and I've known her forever. She's a great lady. But I think she's even GREATER now.

She said diet sodas are no big deal in regards to weight gain/loss. Yay! I knew it! She said if you're not getting results, maybe you should cut diet soda out and see if it makes a difference. But if you're seeing results and still drinking it, don't sweat it so much.

So, if I want one, I'll have one. BUT...I am cutting it out. For other reasons, but I want to see if it makes a difference in my loss factor.

BTW....I suck. I haven't lost much in the past month. I really need to eat better. I'm not eating horribly, but the cheating here and there is definitely getting out of hand. I have GOT to get back to the discipline I had when we first started. I will. I vow to do so. From here on out, I'm not cheating. (as much) ;-) Just kidding!

Fa lala lalala ....close to you.....

There isn't a much sweeter sound, besides 3 year old giggles, than a 3 year old singing away while he plays.

We got the new Open Season 2 DVD last week and my two youngest boys have watched it about 12 times since. It's a cute movie and has a little cartoon sing-along at the end to The Carpenter's song "Close to You". That's what my 3 year old is singing.

"Fa la la lalalaaaaaahhhhh....close to you....."

And, boy, is it CUTE. I love being a Stay At Home Mom. I love being here to hear that kind of stuff all day as my 3 year old amuses himself while his 3 siblings are at school. I like hanging out with my kids when they get home and I'm happy to volunteer in their classrooms as well.

I do work during the day on the computer while I'm at home, but I keep myself busy doing 10,000 other things. I still find some down time, but sometimes I'd rather stop, look around and listen to that sweet, little 3 year old sing. And so I do. And I don't feel guilty about it. Not one bit.

What I'm saying is: family time is family time. Sure I can find time in my busy schedule to get in a workout, but it doesn't happen every single day. And that's ok. Will I still lose weight? I'm sure I will. Is it going to come off as fast as it would if I kicked butt on my cardio every day? No, it's not. But, that's the way it has to be. I have to find the balance between my needs and everybody else's needs.

And this is my last 3 year old ever. I'm going to play farm and Gator Golf and tractors and listen to him sing as much as I can. So there.

Knocking out my cardio!

Yay! The February issue has been sent off to the printer and we can relax for a day or two. Ahhhhhhhh! It's always hectic around deadline time and things pop up that Christine, Michelle and I all three need to take care of, not to mention taking care of and chasing 10 kids between the three of us, so Carl was put on the back burner a few times in the past two weeks.

Carl does not like this.

Ditching out on him makes Carl an unhappy camper.

So, he's glad we're back at it. Well, at least *I* was today anyway. I did nothing all day at home and I hadn't slept well last night either so I was dragging. I was worried that I'd drag all through my workout and I really, honestly was dreading the thought of going to the gym and walking on the stupid treadmill. I was looking for excuses and I almost even let Kai, my 4 year old, stay home from tumbling so I could take a nap instead of working out. But, I'd never let my kid skip a practice or activity so I could indulge myself, so I took him to tumbling and off to the gym I went.

I don't have a whole lot of time on Wednesdays since he's only in tumbling for an hour, so I hustled in and got busy. I couldn't see Carl anywhere (he was working with another client at the time...he was there though) and there were four men on the treadmills and nobody on the bike so I hopped on a bike and went for it.

I rode hard for 30 minutes. I kept my heart rate up above 120 (which is where I need to be to burn calories) and my rpm's above 95 (which is how to keep my heart rate above 120) and I tried to maintain my 95 rpm's even when I was on hills (electronic resistance, but you can "see" the hill you're on on the display panel). It was a good push a time or two, but I just counted out my cadence, kept pedaling and got through it. I really like working out on the bike. I like the bike's workout program with the hills. It's a challenge, throws my heart rate up a bit more and also makes the riding go by faster when I can "see" what is coming up, what the next challenge is, and how the program lays out.

I had about 10 minutes left in my bike ride when two young girls got on bikes on either side of me. I helped the one girl get started, told her to keep her rpm's up in the 90's (or just go home...LOL) and kept pushing. I wanted to ride really hard for my last 10 minutes and I did. One of the girls beside me looked at me when I had about 3 minutes left and said, "Wow. You're doing alot better than I ever could!" lol My rpms were up around 120 at this point.

Carl checked back in when I had about 30 seconds left in my ride and told me he wanted me to do at least 5 minutes on the elliptical. I was feeling pretty good, actually, so I told him I'd go for it. I caught my breath, got a drink and climbed on the elliptical. I put it on 21 level resistance, 5 incline and went for it. I went HARD for that whole 5 minutes. I even impressed Carl. He knew I had it in me and was in much better shape though. So, of course he took credit...thought he was quite a superstar personal trainer.

Hey man! I did all the work here! LOL

And, the best part is, I honestly felt GOOD after that workout. I guess there is such a thing as workout endorphins. I didn't think it existed, but I really felt something today. And, I didn't come home and die on the couch afterwards. I didn't almost collapse at the gym as I climbed off the elliptical, and I really didn't take 30 minutes to catch my breath. I'm in SO MUCH BETTER SHAPE than I was a month and a half ago. It's such a good feeling too. I even noticed it when I played basketball last week. Normally I'm DEAD and can't go on after 2 minutes running up and down the court, but last week I was not. I could've played alot longer than I did. Now THAT is a great feeling as well.

Yay me and *cough* *cough* thanks carl *cough

Deadline Week!

EEEK! It's deadline week. I'm sure Christine is downing the Diet Coke and burning the midnight oil. I know I am. But, I'm excited. I've just written one of the best articles of my life. Ok, maybe that's a stretch, but it's really good and I can't wait for the February issue of the magazine to come out. You can read an excerpt from my article on The Edge blog -------->.

We just got our January issue out a couple of weeks ago and we're already putting February to bed, but it's just so exciting. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy putting it together because it really is a fun job. There is nothing greater than finding all the positive, upbeat and uplifting things we can about the area we live in and putting it all in print.

Keep reading, commenting, and supporting us. It's been one year and we're so happy to still be here and proud to be going so strong.

Or is it....

In it to LOSE it??

Whichever...I'm going to do it.

In It To Win It

That's right peeps! I'm in it to WIN IT!

The holidays are over, my 6 week hump has come and gone, I'm committed, I've lost 11 lbs so far and I'm going full force now.

WOOHOO! Let's Rock this thing!

Why a Personal Trainer?

Even though I'm a brat and don't always want to do what Carl says, I do like working out with a personal trainer. Especially Carl. He's just good at what he does. He is knowledgeable and he's fun. He describes himself as "humbly ferocious" and he pretty much is. He will push and get his point across, but then he's so damn nice and just...Carl...that I want to do what he asks just so he'll be happy.

But I still hate the elliptical machine. I'd rather bike. I workout hard, too. I get breathing hard, push myself, and work up a major sweat (even without a stupid sweatshirt or long sleeve shirt on) and I know I'm getting my heart rate up and getting a good cardio workout in. But Carl wants me to try other things besides the bike. So..I do at least TRY what he wants me to do. In the end I do what I want, but I do try. Just cuz I want to work hard for Carl. And for me, but I don't want to let Carl down.

And honestly, I don't give Carl too much crap. If he really had to deal with all I can dish out, he'd quit and just say this whole thing just isn't WORTH putting up with me, but he is so patient and tries hard to connect and support. He's just a great guy and an awesome personal trainer.