EVER HAVE ONE OF THOSE MONDAYS THAT JUST DOES NOT QUIT???

WELLLLL..  IT is just one of those weeks... if it can go wrong it has gone wrong... ... My week started off crappy and it gone from crappy to why did I bother getting out of bed... its not major stuff its stupid stuff.. Our internet connection.. ( hence why I was not here last night) then the remotes to our directv decide to only work when the lights are one..  our tech who has been working on things for us... lost his neice today so he is out of town until Monday.. so but he texted me what to do in the mean while... Our phone company is trying hard to fix our speed on our DSL.. a new tech came today and reset set everything and gave me his cell number plus his supervisors number so I do not have to call the help deskwhich  can be as far away as California ... or where ever... this way these folks are local... and are aware of all our issues.. like I said crazy  stupid annoying stuff... 

My eating has been OP .. and this morning after being so annoyed I was just daring the scale to annoy me more...  sure enough it did not let me down .. I am up the 1/4th a pound I lost... granted I weighed Monday too.. So I vowed not to get on the scale until Monday and maybe I will see some kind of action.. something good I hope... So I have proved to myself that even  with all the annoying  things of life I can hold on and do the right thing... as far as eating goes so that is a plus.... Hoping for a better week.. but am sure more insanity is  headed my way.... 

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE ELIMINATE THE NEGATIVE

   A SONG FOR THE DAY:

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE 

Gather 'round me, everybody
Gather 'round me while I'm preachin'
Feel a sermon comin' on me
The topic will be sin and that's what I'm ag'in'
If you wanna hear my story
Then settle back and just sit tight
While I start reviewin'
The attitude of doin' right



You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do just when everything looked so dark?

(Man, they said "We'd better accentuate the positive")
("Eliminate the negative")
("And latch on to the affirmative")
Don't mess with Mister In-Between (No!)
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

(Ya got to spread joy up to the maximum) 
(Bring gloom down to the minimum) 
(Have faith or pandemonium's)
(Liable to walk upon the scene)

You got to ac (yes, yes) -cent-tchu-ate the positive
Eliminate (yes, yes) the negative
And latch (yes, yes) on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, don't mess with Mister In-Between

PATIENCE NOT A VIRTUE OF MINE

PATIENCE IS NOT A VIRTUE OF MINE

I wish I could say it was but it is not....  Patience and I .. do not see eye to eye often..

Hence my less than thrilled reaction when I stepped on the scale  (twice)  only to see a 3/4th of a pound drop... 

Then I started thinking... On June 8th I weighed in at 205.8     On July 8th  ( when I started TSFL)  I weighed in at 200.8     On July 29th I weighed in at  192.4  = 13.4 pounds .. gone off my body..

As I said I started TSFL  on July 8th.. August 8th will be one Month... maybe another pound or so before then... and for two months... that's really not too shabby... I should be proud.. the numbers add up.. 

SO NOTE TO SELF>>>>  THE NUMBERS ADD UP...  small steps  = BIG STEPS...

SO today I swam for 25 minutes.. water jogged  then got in the hot tub for 5 minutes.. and cleaned up and started my work day...  going to try and get in the pool 3 days a weeks  and do Leslie Sansone walk away the pounds at home ( 1 mile walk)  or ride the recumbent bike at the gym for 20 minutes.. the days I do not swim.. just to start moving this body of mine.. My coach said watch my exercise and not over do it.. so that's my plan..

Quiche for one

Made in a 7 ounce Pyrex dish ...Yep it's huge and massively filling...

KISMET

Things happen sometimes...that are just suppose to fall in a certain way...you get to meet people that are sent to you.. Yesterday was one of those days for me... 

Are tv receiver had been acting up for a year.. Last week it was storming..and every lightning strike the screen would tin off but th sound would work... I finally called the home theatre guy and he came yesterday with a new receiver and rebuilt our whole system ...the guy who was suppose to come not so the owner of the company came....as the day wore on we were chatting...and the conversation turned to consignment shops ...and then he started saying how he just lost 85 pounds.. And is on Medifast. His wife is too...they go to the clinic instead of doing tsfl... He also explained how much more expensive the clinic is too... It was so cool to talk to him .. He has a little bit more he wants to lose so he is still on his journey and like all of us still on the 5 & 1 he is concerned about transition and maintenance .....

That was a ment to be moment in my life .. It made me feel so fired up .. And good ..sure I am climbing the hill now ..and that's okay.. There will be peaks and valleys and I will survive it all!! And in the end be a Stronger..Better me..  

Cookie Girl

COOKIE is my Aussie Chocolate Lab mix... and she my oldest baby.. we found her in a old playpen at a flea market this boy was told he had to get rid of the puppys that day... she was 8 weeks old.. my husband picked her .. I had picked her and the runt and could not make up my mind ( to this day I wish I had gotten both)... she was free then but cost about 800.00 in vet bills to get her healthier.. that was August of 2004 .. Cookie is approaching her senior years now... 

Today was a great day .. she was playful and happy....  she did not eat this morning which is not unusual for her.. sometimes she just does not eat..  Shayna our lab german sheperd mix was not hungry either so I did not think much about it.. later Shayna went in and cleaned her bowl as well as Cookies..

WE  are sitting in the office early afternoon and I hear that noise that noise that tells me.. Someone is going to be really sick .. before I could Get Cookie outside she was vomiting all over the house.. in the 9 years I have had her I have never seen her do that...  she has thrown up before but not like that... it was like the Exorcist and what was kinda funny was  right after she  was like ... lets go play..... it was bizzare... we took her to the vet right away and  found out we caught her in the early stages of Colitis .. which is just a common bowl irritation.. so we made her rice and chicken and gave her her meds amd now she is snoozing in a chair.. hopefully she will be okay.... the vet said since we caught it early we should be fine ... he also gave me meds for Shayna and case she breaks with it too... it can be contagious between the two but not as bad as a upper resporatory infection... glad my girl is okay.. she is one of my loves... and I hate the idea she does not feel well... her tummy area is very tender the vet said but he also said with the meds he gave us it should clear up quickly... love my girls... and want them healthy.

..Was not expecting this adventure today...so glad we have the best vet arund too..  was waiting on the phone guy to get here.. now that will happen tuesday morning...  

I am just pooped...   dinner will be soon and I see a early bedtime in my future..

NO SCALE DANCING TODAY

 Nothing toOOOOO nuts.. other than the usual...

Speed issues with our connections and modem.. not to bore anyone... Our phone company is coming out today with a new modem /router combo.. hoping it works.. we just got a new netgear router so that kinda sucks.. but hope this will help with our computer and connection issues... then having other work done on the house tomorrow.. boo.. would love to go play a little.. maybe when all is finally SAID and DONE...  otherwise just riding the tide..

Weigh day is Monday....

no scale dancing today...

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy weekend~

ANGER AND WALKING

 

So I  had a rough day.. I got on the scale.. and I was square at 193 .. twice... I was hoping for movement on the scale after 3 days ... Monday is the official weigh in so hopefully I will lose something between now and then.. I decided to do a leslie sansone  walk.. did a mile this morning first real exercise I have done OP.. I am still planning on going back to the pool too... I want this so much..

I was also rattled a little .. my doc called me at 730 .. the holter monitor results came in and  showed nothing major at all... however to complete the study they are doing a echo and nuclear stress test.. the doctor feels confident we will put this all to bed after these tests.. and not have to worry ... he thinks  things are fine but wants to really check the structure of my heart..  so I am a little on edge about that..

After I did the walk today I cried.. because I am just so mad at myself... mad that I allowed myself to do this to me ... mad that my body suffers because of my weaknesses.. mad  that my ankles are messed up.. mad mad mad... there I am MAD... SOO I guess the next step is to take the MAD the ANGER and turn it into POSITIVE ENERGY TO WORK MY WAY TO MORE SUCCESS... I know I am in no danger of a binge or anything.. I just am letting myself be mad.. and its waning back.. and its okay... to be MAD.

I can not change the past only create the future...

Dinner

THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY: DOING WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE AND EXPECTING A DIFFERENT OUTCOME!

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO?  

It is a question we have to ask ourselves   not based on anyone's opinion but our own..

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO?

IT is not easy to say  I need to make  big changes NOW!

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO?

I  am willing to try ~

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO?

I am willing to try~

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO?

No matter how long it takes I am willing to  invest in myself to create a better me , a stronger me, a healthier me.

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO?

I am willing to  say goodbye to the foods that littered my life along the way.. not that I might not indulge occasionally but it will be for the right reasons.. not for comfort.. not too hide..

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO?

To take one step at a time to build a better , healthier and stronger me

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO?

To give up this notion: THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY: DOING WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE AND EXPECTING A DIFFERENT OUTCOME!

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO?

SUCCEED~

4 SECONDS / 4 BITES

SO we all have a choice its called the 4 seconds..

So there you are faced with something beyond tempting...  
You are in the weight loss phase of your program...   
its time for you to think..

Think about 4 seconds..
You will only hold that food in your mouth for 4 seconds or less... then it is gone.. 
Think...
IS your Life more valuable then those 4 seconds...??

Is this change you are working so hard to create ... less important than a bite of whatever... 

You are at the end of your journey.. but not really... You have lost your weight.. but it will always be a constant fluid situation.. something you will have to think about...  and you are in the final phase learning how to eat whole and healthy  ... do you take an indulgence.???.. well you are human... if you want.. take it.. but  now think about 4 bites...  
4 small  bites..the first bite is amazing... the second and third a repeat of the first.. and now the  last bite..  no finishing the whole thing...  pass it on .. share it with a friend..  and you are satisfied..  

4 Bites  take a lot of self control... but 4 bites lives in a the real world...  but then again..

Maybe you think about 4 seconds...  and decide on the fresh fruit instead..  or you simply decide you are full..  

4 seconds... 4 bites... 

A nutritionist told me about the 4 bites method...  to only be used  once you are  settled in your goal weight....  

4 seconds is my idea..

THE SCALE DANCE

I have this rotten little habit...I get on the scale 2 or 3 times until it says the same thing at least twice...then I go with that weight today was one of theses dances .. The very first reading was 192.6 ... The second and third was 193.2 so I opted for 193 since originally I had the lower reading...it's crazy ...I should get on one time and that be it Poof! Buttttt nooooooooooo ?. I must learn to be a one time stepper..and not do the two step or three...

Compulsion to do something is a tricky little monster...I also have been known to do the scale dance on Wednesday or Thursday too.. My weigh in day is Monday! 

These numbers that we frame our lives by can make you feel ill if they are off and exuberant if they are going the way you want them to go.. It is so frustrating....The power of the scale is so mood inducing... Good readings great mood ..not what you hoped for ..disappointing moods.. And no loss or a gain.. The floodgates open and you are baffled and mad....Of course if you have eaten off program well then the scale is only bearing witness to your choices.....

For me the past week was a good week...week 2 is  battened down...

 On to week 3 .. Let the games begin...

RIDING OUT THE PAIN and MOVED MY LEAN AND GREEN

Well.. I had a choice today give in  to the pain... or just deal with it... It was a stormy day here... and consiquently my fibro decided to host a party in my body.... I meanwhile Changed the sheets on our bed.. did 5 loads of laundry all but 1 is put up.. Emptied the dishwaher.. 
I decided there was no giving in.. just living with it.. when it got at its worst.. I rested on the bed and watched a little tv... it was a good time to get some water in.. and chill.. 

I switched my Lean and Green around today..instead of having it for dinner i did it for lunch... made a big omelet ..  I am just curious if it has any affect on anything.. or the scale..
Tommorow is weigh day... 
I am currently enjoying a frozen shake.. that was such a wonderful idea... it has taken me over 30 minutes to eat.. Love it... 
So contrary to popular belief I am still doing great .. and hanging in there.. Exercise comes soon.. going to start back to the pool and maybe do some other thngs... that will all be based on how my ankles hold out.. seems the right one has decided to have a flair up...  

Random thoughts :
Neither my weight nor my fibro define who am ... they are part of me.. parts that I really did not choose... I doubt one would choose to be an obese  person with fibromyalgia... 
I know you are wagging your  finger at me saying AHHH but you choose to be fat... quit yer belly aching... IF you did not eat like you ate you would not be obese..  and as far as that fibro goes.. thats probably all bullshit too...  
Well my answer to you would be... A) you have point, if I had made better choices in eating I would not have this issue... however I have had this issue all my life.. and never learned to manage it properly and that is what I am trying to do now... Will I succeed .. Who the fuck  knows... its my plan to succeed . its my plan to win... its my plan to be strong... even if God laughs and makes other plans for me... 
B) As far as the Fibro goes.. well  I won't even bother trying to teach you about this syndrome.  Because you are the NEGATIVE BEAST that has haunted me my entire life... and its time to either ignore you.. or let you go.. that is one of my goals during this journey to strive towards finding the postive no matter what the situation... To Battle the Negatives and find a way to turn them into postives.. to try and simply change... thats a goal too.. 

I AM NOT WHINING REALLY.... I AM NOT.. IT'S JUST REALITY ..

IN THE PAST . I know that I have  done great at the losing game... but along the way after I have done that part I forgot that I had to be on top of it... that I could not eat whatever I wanted...  So I am sure people  that know me have plenty of ammo to use against me  as being a failure in KEEPING weight off...  I am going to change that ..

 This is the point where the commitment is made to myself.. will I have have anything sweet or something rich ever again... in reality probably but here is what is changing... as I keep down this path... that I am on.. I am learning that that matters less and less... that the bites. the tastes.. are not near as important as the way I feel... and slowly I am coming out of the second week blues feeling better .

. I actually had the energy to wash one monster dog  and help with the second.. in this horrible southern heat..  I also know that in the end it does not matter what anyone thinks of me... or what I achieve what matters is that achieve all this for me... 

I have a lot of challanges...  I am around food 24/7  in our business I can pretty much handle that..  The Food shows can be hard. but I am planning  for them.. 

The out of town ones we will be traveling via car .. so I can load up my food.. ( a little worried about my water but how hard can water be to find where ever you are at ya know) .. and the in town ones I am going to load a cooler with what I can eat...

 All around me will be massive amounts of temptations.. from fried  chicken ( could be in the booth right facing me.. I mean an arms length away from me.. or could be a pizza vendor there... I hope its the coke lady I love her... water and diet coke at will baby.. lol.. plus her booth will hide everything from my line of sight.. sigh.. that never happens though... you name it .. it will be there.. in our booth alone there will be samplings of pies and  cakes and cookies , breads, muffins danishes and more... Every where you walk there will be something ... there... So I planned to come armed with what I can eat and make sure I get plenty of protein and my lean and green meal.. I have ideas what to do.. 

I helped package cookies for a sampling yesterday I had my hands on all kinds of cookies... a new portion of one of our lines... it was terribly hard to do as I was full from breakfast and had also recently had a snack... there were no bites are tasting... Its business...  

I think it also helps me to have a  husband who was diagnosed diabetic back in September.. He has lost about 25 pounds now and is usually very  deligent about what he eats... He is also uber supportive of me... and looks for ways to help me prepare my lean and green meal and keep it not boring... by substituting low salt diabetic approved rubs on meat and chicken.. as opposed to sweet bbq sauce.. I came up with a great cucumber salad...  chopped cucumbers,  tomatos and radishes with lemon juice  and a little balsamic vinegar..  laced with chopped fresh mint .. its wonderful... and an alternative to a simple salad..  My husband just found a Medifast recipe for lettuce wraps too... its good .. no its great to have this type of support... One week, One day ... One moment at a time... Monday is weigh day ... hope its good..

Naysayers and Food

Soo for the few people I have told that I am on this journey.. Most have been negative..." So and so lost 20 pounds on medifast but gained it back..."  You won't be able to stick with it... You won't keep the weight off....only my support time is positive...

What in the Hell is up with people?? How about a simple good luck.. Or that's great!!  

It's been very humbling too.. Lets face it .. I wouldn't be  in the TSFL universe if I had ever been a raging success.. I have however been a raging failure when it comes to keeping off weight..note I did not say losing weight I am fairly good at that. .. But this time I want to go all the way... By that I mean reaching and keeping my goal... I know only time will tell .. So that's where I am at to help myself and along the way prove the naysayers wrong..

Food:

Banana Pudding ..not feeling it.. Will save for later to try again... 

I got a great tip for the ready made shakes..freeze 'em.. Eats like a frosty if thawed a bit or if eaten frozen lasts a long time.. Gonna freeze some today...

Lemon Meringue crunch bar.. Not a fav but will keep around and try again.

Thought for the day:     

 “Now is the operative word. Everything you put in your way is just a method of putting off the hour when you could actually be doing your dream. You don’t need endless time and perfect conditions. Do it now. Do it today. Do it for twenty minutes and watch your heart start beating.”

Barbara Sher

Survived Dinner

Well I did survive ate my little pretzels and I was fine.. So today I tried the lemon meringue bar it's ok not a fav.. I like the cinnamon roll bar.. The chocolate chip soft bake is good too.. So far to

Me there are very few things that are not at the very least tolerable... I lived my Mac and cheese had that for lunch. Made omelets tonite for dinner very

Good!

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT~

So tonight is the first time we go out for dinner... Dreamland BBQ  -DREAMLAND BBQ BIRMINGHAM MENU-  NO CHOICES HERE FOR ME..  I guess I could have a plain house salad with some light dressing on the side.. but why bother.. My coach said take two meals with me... eat one.. and if I need the other eat it too...  I will just stick to a bar.. my favorite Peanut Butter Crunch.. and a Diet Coke... at 3 or  4 I am going to have some cold chicken and  salad..  dinner is at 5...
when I come home I can still have another supplement and even an icepop if I want it... so I think I will be fine... Its the socializing that's important.. and the best thing is that I am not a huge rib fan any ways... Italian.. that's another story .. :-) ...  well wish me luck I am sure I will do fine... I am looking forward to good news on the scale Monday... I got on the scale for a preview today .. ( I know I am suppose to weigh just once a week) ... it said 193.6   so.. that's a good feeling... but we shall see what Mistress Monday has planned for me.... I plan for myself to keep on doing what I am doing :-)  I found this cute little App I found for my Iphone.. its called HAPPY SCALES... you enter your weight every time you get on the scale and it will cheer for you or send you a positive note.. it gives you a happy face for each loss and a sad face for a gain... I am playing with it...seeing if I like it.. I like all that motivational crap hahaha...

Chocolate Chip Pancakes!

 I  really enjoy my one big pancake .. You can do 3 small ones I

Just do a large one.. Below are the photos .. Easy to do and tasty too..

 

JUST ANOTHER DAY

Turned in Monitor... and waiting to hear from doctor..  tried a  new recipe that so did not work .. it was slimey lol...  going to work on that some.. it was a medifast recipe for adding egg white to  the Mac and Cheese.. .. My First Challange tomorrow night.. Dreamland BBQ... I decide for lunch I will have a lean and green .. and for Dinner I will bring a bar.. I can have a diet coke. I do  not think there are choices there for me.. I might be able to do a house salad with a light dressing on the side.. .but I think I might just play it safe.. and not even  go here ..
 i Guess the way I see it is that life is full of challenges this is just one more to get over..

Monday

IWell I have been connected to

The monitor since 1030 this morning and it comes off at 1030 tomorrow have recorded multiple episodes so I guess that's good want to try and see what's going on with theses PCVs .. Sitting outside and waiting on the chicken and chops to

Grill .. My HUSBAND is a grill master.. We have a great grill by traeger .. 

It's electric uses an auger

To

Push wood pellets through .. You can smoke or

Just grill on it..  Well food has been great and I feel okay ..hoping each day gets stronger .. 

5 years ago today we lost my mom she died on the operating table having an AVR replacement it was her second one  the doctors did not realize that her scar tissue from the first surgery had adhered to her breast bone . When they went to

Open her up the old aortic valve disintegrated .. And that was that..the last words my mom said to us was I love and please take care of your heart... Ironic I am

Attached to this monitor right now on this date .. Miss and love you mom ... Working on taking care of my heart!!

RELAXING SUNDAY

Still doing good.. Have had a issue going on that I am going to call the doctor on .. For 3  days I have had a rapid heart beat or possibly PVCs not sure.. on and off through out the day .. Not sure what this is about...Monday is weigh day so we shall see week ones results ..hope it's good..

A little miffed with the Trayvon Martin George Zimmerman mess.. I think Zimmerman should have gotten something...not just get to walk away like that.. Fact is there were only 2 witnesses that horrible night and one of them is dead now..

You have to wonder if Trayvon was white and Zimmerman was black would it have turned out the same... Oh well simply sad...

LIKES AND NOT SO MUCH LIKE

SOOO yesterday was just a draining day and I did not get to blog like I had hoped...   the new things on the menu were the BBQ bites and the PB soft serve... both are keepers..  today I tried the fruit and nut bar... mehhh not feeling the love... I gave it to my husband to eat... and he said it was ok... I ended up with a Smores crunch bar... kept me happy until lunch...  I have finally mastered the Mac and Cheese... after you follow packet directions... baking it in the oven  or toaster oven at 350 for 10 minutes really help with the consistency issue...  I pour the Mac and Cheese into a small ramekin and pop it in the toaster oven.... that is my go to lunch meal so far..
Well.. the weekend is knocking... and  I am pretty planned out and prepared.. my second order of food is on its way.. and I will dive into that as I run low with what I have already... ordered some new things to try too..

The heat and humidity of summer just sucks to me so much..  and I think my puppies agree... Shayna is sacked out by the air condition vent  and Cookie is my chair with the ceiling fan blowing on her..
I am drinking all my water ... it seems to help keep my core cool.  I am hoping the over all tired feeling will start to lift soon... 
Otherwise its all good.. 

THIS MIGHT JUST WORK

SO  today though I have been hungry I have not been as hungry nor thinking so much about food... which is kinda weird but weird good...  breakfast was cereal,  water,   had a bar mid morning, chocolate mint very tasty ... Mac and cheese for lunch with a small cucumber and tomato salad... maybe about 3 ounces if that much... it was tiny... I figured out a way to make the Mac and cheese taste better I took just a tiny bit of parmesean powder and added it to the mac and cheese after the first cook in the microwave... then I finished in the microwave and then  poured it into a ramkin and then put that in the toaster over at 350 for about 10 minutes... FINALLY the mac and cheese was not SOUPY .. it was nice and thick and filling... Snack today was Cheese pizza bites and I am loving them... going to make sure they are on my next order... great great treat... still have not tried the BBQ ones and several of the bars.. having the oatmeal bar for a snack tonight  and another if I need it... my coach told me I could.. hopefully I wont need it but its nice to know its there if I am hungry....  My dinner tonight will mashed cauliflower and tilapia... using the rest of my healthy fats for the cauliflower...
Day 3 .. feeling better .. still tired and a little iritable but otherwise Happy...ohh and have no issue with getting my water in too... life is indeed good... now if someone could teach me again how to make a slideshow on my mac of our colorado trip and burn it on disk... sigh....

POSITIVE THAT TOOLS CAN HELP

I really slept late today was so tired.. I guess our trip finally caught up with me.. and combined with TSFL it made me really tired... Soo here we are in day two... I started my day off with this..

Amazingly tasty and filling Brown Sugar and Cinnamon cereal sorta like a Cheerios type .. I also like the Berry one its is kinda like Fruit loops in a way.. it does have a bit of a vitamin taste to it but nothing really bad... The cereals really fill me up and I drink my water too so I am sure that helps..

This was my morning snack :

CHOCOLATE PUDDING :Filling and tasty will work with this to make it more fluffy ..

This will be lunch with a mini salad

MAC AND CHEESE : working on making my mac more like this instead of so creamy as happened yesterday the first time I tried it.. wish it were a bit more filling hence I am adding a little salad with it.. and I do mean little..

 

This will be my afternoon snack

BROWNIE:  that looks pretty good have not tried it yet...

Dinner is going to be a omelet  made with 2 cups of Egg Substitute plus chopped veggies and a Babybel wedge of light cheese. plus a mini salad.
my evening snack will be a sugar free 15 calorie fruit flavored popsicle by Popsicle brand and probably this:

 PARMESEAN PUFFS: this looks good too have not tried them yet either..

I just wanted to give an idea as to what the program offers food wise.. there are many more choices and I am working on trying those as you know.. these are stock photos.. the foods look pretty close to this.. so no real false advertising.. the food that has to be prepped does not look as perfect as these photos but I have a feeling as I work with them they will..

Day two is progressing nicely not as tired or ill filling... drinking my water... and eating roughly every 2 and a half to 3 hours ... 
In about 4 weeks I will start swimming again once my body has adapted to this lighter and leaner way of eating to get the weight off..
 I want to make something extremely clear... this is not a way of life.. the weight loss portion... this is an means to an end... getting the pounds off... once I am at my goal... I move to transition which  adds less of the packaged foods and more whole foods into my menu... then I slowly merge into maintenance eating mostly whole foods and if I want using some of the TSFL products to help along the way...   I like the plan... I also know eventually my foods will consist of Whole and Healthy choices... and because I am realistic a treat here or there... Its pretty simple in that .. that is how healthy people eat.... I hesitate to say normal.. because I am pretty sure there is no such thing as normal  . We each have to develop our own sense of normal.. anyways that's a ways off..
Right now.. I am creating my choices for a healthier life.. and using TSFL and the tools it offers to help get me there. ..
 You can say I see nothing lean and green here .. its all processed sugary looking foods or salty looking foods.. WHAT IS IT TEACHING YOU... well.. this part of the program is the weight loss end and TSFL/MEDIFAST wants it to be tolerable at the very least for you.. so they try to make desirable foods to make the first part of the journey smoother... that's just my thoughts...

You might say... Honi, Don't you think Weight Watchers would have been better or South Beach or whatever program you favor ... ??  and I would have to say .. No... WW works for a lot of people. its a great program so are other programs.. and I tried them over and over and over...... and I often had great starts.. and sloppy finishes.. by sloppy finishes I mean I gave up... got bored.. I dunno.. no excuses though..  it just did not work for me..
I did enter this with a lot of anxiety and trepidation  .. wondering if  I was setting myself up for failure.. but after thinking about...  I feel and hope I am on a good road.. a bit strict but in the long run.. I think this will be the  right adventure for me to a healthier self..not to mention I have a fabulous support system in my wonderful husband primarily and trust me for him to have faith in me yet again.. is so motivating for me.. I am so glad he knows this is what I want to do.. and supports me fully ..... and for the few friends that know outside of anyone who reads my blog which I doubt I have any readers any more.. lol I feel good ..

Now to the fun Tools:

Got all this today to help me on my way..

APPETIZER SIZE PLATES

APPETIZER SIZE FORKS

APPETIZER SIZE SPOONS

MINI WHISKS

MINI SPATULAS

 

In other news... boy did I pull a ~I can not believe I really did that ~moment...  In my haze of  this new program and being exhausted from my trip I was doing laundry last night ... and emptied the suitcase into the wash.. Much to my chagrin .. My camera charger (canon) and my Ipad adapter to load photos on my Ipad and my small camera battery charger and my canon battery were in a little  neoprene case wrapped in a pair of jeans... YEP I washed them...  had to get new battery and canon charger oddly the Fuji charger seems fine... and will need to get new adapter I think eventually too.. sigh... .oh well... not much I can do about but shake my head.. and sigh..

That's it for now..

TAKE SHAPE FOR LIFE

SOOOOO Day 1 has come to a close... and I survived.... 
I do not know why I thought this was going to be a bit easier than it was today.... I found myself hungry through out the day and headachy to... Also my thoughts were not in the right place... very hard to think... but I survived.. and I am ready to face day two...  I still have a TON to learn... and I am finding which foods I like and which are tolerable...  for me.  I am a big fan of the cereal .. and oddly I like the pancake ... it was very small and VERY FILLING.. which in my mind simply does not go together... the smores bar is very tasty... The Mac and Cheese I am going to have to work with to build the constency I like.... I  got all my water in.. enjoyed a couple diet sodas.. had a great lean and green meal for dinner.. big salad and 6 ounces of baked chicken... Tomorrow night its a veggie omelete for my lean and green meal... TSFL my coach's page..    Please feel free to visit my Coach's page.   I have had several people tell me they think its a bad idea for me to be doing this program and that even if I lose weight... I will gain it back ( thanks for the positive vibe there )    I  guess people do not realize that   I know that if I follow the program , go through transition and maintainence I will have better skills to cope and manage my life better... A lot of folks lose their sticktoitiveness and give up... ... In fact those are most of the stories I have heard.... wellllll at 50 I have learned a powerful lesson... YOU CAN NOT KEEP DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND EXPECT DIFFEENT RESULTS... Getting ready for day two... IN ORDER TO HAVE CHANGE YOU MUST CREATE IT.. AND STICK WITH IT.. FIND YOUR PATH SO TO SPEAK...   thats what I am working on.. finding my path...  see you in a few hours day two...

ALL NEW ADVENTURES BEGIN SOMEWHERE

AND SO ... starts mine... today I begin TAKE SHAPE FOR LIFE...  a MEDIFAST fueled program..
I have never been for a program like this until recently when I decided... to make a big change... I have never tried this before... and wanted to approach my life long battle with new ammunition .... so today I start... today begins the journey of  a better me...  I am on my way ...

 I have decided to regularly post about  this adventure... so... lets saddle up... and get busy  here we go...

A GLORIOUS ADVENTURE CONQUERED

   Sometimes the road to finding something beautiful is filled with challenges... as both Steve and I learned .. We left Birmingham over 8 days ago.. in the worst weather possible towing our Goldwing on a clunky u haul trailer... we dealt with soaring temperatures, monsoon style rain, hail,  high winds, ratchet straps that kept coming unhitched,  some of the worst roads we have ever ridden on... to get to this beautiful place...far away from Alabama...   after a quick rest... first stop...Trail Ridge Road in Colorado in Estes Park was just the beginning of seeing some of the most amazing sights in our country. Close to 13000 feet... the soaring snow capped mountains where simply breathing taking.. ( not to mention the thinner air )  , We saw  magnificent canyons, that words can not describe ... the rewards of the endless twisting and somewhat tricky roads provided some of the most simple beauty I have ever seen...  I will do my very best below... minus the photos this time ( I will provide a link at a later date to my flickr account  so you can view the roughly 500 photos of this adventure) ...to describe to you what we went through and witnessed...
One sometimes,  has to really seek beauty through challenging times... I would say that line really describes our trip... As I mentioned above our trip started out in the worst most threatening weather . Really though our adventure began years ago when my insanely delightful husband decided it would be his mission to take me on a Colorado adventure... Something  he had experienced twice before.... the first time  about 13 years ago...nearly cost him his life when he crashed on his way home via motorcycle  near Hays Kansas.....  the second time with friends.. and to  prove to himself that he could take this adventure via motorcycle across the country and return home  safe and sound.. which he did about 5 years ago.. He knew I needed to take this adventure  and somehow he was going to make it happen... and true to his inspiring tenacity  HE MADE IT HAPPEN....He had carefully mapped out our journey over the last  2 years.. Altering things.. and coming up with the best way to get to Colorado ... He decided that towing our bike there would be the best choice rather than riding the whole route via motorcycle... We were both unaware that this decision would bring its own set of obstacles to over come.. 
The day finally came to pick up the trailer... with a little frustration the task of getting  the bike on the trailer and back home was accomplished by my ever resourceful husband...  The next morning we would head out to make our GREAT COLORADO adventure...

We woke up the morning of June 27th around 4 30... much to our chagrin... the weather did not look promising as we left.  As you know from previous posts we had some ratchet strap issues... and some uninvited weather issues as well... let me tell you about the monsoon through  a part of Kansas... even though the rain was not welcomed at least for us ( but for thirsty lands it was much needed) when it came to a end... Steve happened to glance out of his side mirror and saw a BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW.. to me .. sort of God's quiet gift ...
  We journeyed  on... and as you already know came through a roaring hail storm and finally landed at Steve's brother's place in Lyons Colorado... we rested up for 2 days... which actually means with his brother and his wife we toured parts of Boulder , went to a museum went to a concert  and really did not do much resting .. :-) ... but it was all entertaining and fun.   WE left Lyons and went up to Estes Park... this must be on your bucket list.. seeing this beautiful place with unforgiving roads... be brave~ traverse it ... and see the top of the world... ( at least to me) .  Even in the misty sky it was beautiful a grey blue blanket of mist and clouds clung to the mountain tops unveiling in places  remnants of the last snow fall... Honestly ... only  your own eyes can really take in what we saw... .. while we both were a bit breathy and as you know I got a little ill ... it was all worth it..   I won't lie to you and say I loved the ride up to the top.. frankly I was scared beyond belief... the roads twist with in themselves .. going up and up and up.. few guard rails greet you on the outer rim... and there is little room for error either... I gripped my side bars and held on with my entire body that whole journey.. Steve knew I was scared .. but he also knew I needed to do this... to prove to myself I could conquer anything ... no matter how big or small... or even with great fear .. I could accomplish this.. ( as I type this I have tears in my eyes) and frankly what choice did I have?   I was on the back of a motorcycle .. we got to the top and we would get to the bottom as well..
  We took a break after that and chatted with a ranger volunteer  who talked to us about human behavior on these great mountain peaks... only a portion of the great rolling Rockies...He talked about the recklessness of people who try to approach the wild animals.. UHMMM HELLO ... WILD ANIMALS... where does common sense go.. ??? I often wonder... He also  ( as previously mentioned ) told us about Rangers having to drive people down from the over 13000 feet peaks because they were to frightened to drive themselves down...   here is a link from Wikipedia about Trail Ridge Road in Estes Park... TRAIL RIDGE ROAD Both Steve and I traveled on with a certain amount of pride for safely accomplishing  another challenge...
We journeyed on... and headed Towards Eagle Colorado... found a place to stay..  and woke up to a new and beautiful day ....

Sometimes unless you chat with the locals.. you might never discover hidden treasures .. so we dug a bit into some conversation when we stopped for lunch... a couple of ladies told Steve about a great 68 mile byway that would provide some awe inspiring scenery... THE BLACK CANYON.... getting there.. was a challenge as we would soon discover before each destination that whether it be the rural roads or high winds .. though we might be met with a challenge or two along the way ... the rewards were well worth the effort...  This lightly traveled road.. was a journey ... too... high winds bouncing off the prairie had me gripping my helmet with one hand and trying to take pictures and hold on at the same time  ... again.. we were on the outer rim of these twisting with in themselves by ways... very few guard rails if any were there... and my skillful husband mastered these roads that he had never been on quiet well.. with high temperatures and high winds... we were gifted with rolling hills that gave way to rocky peaks.. folding in and among itself..   68 miles later  we came off the winding roads to meet more twists and turns leading us into Gunnison a sweet little mtn town in the high plains desert . ( I have to say we only saw one tumble weed roll across the road and that was not even in Colorado but in Kansas :-) )  it was comfortable warm.. low 80s... with a breeze and little humidity .. we relaxed and woke up to  47 degree outside .. and gorgeous hot air balloons on their own destinations...... we packed up.. and headed out to Beauna Vista ... stopping for Coffee... and to adjust our travel plans a bit.. rolling dry dessert plains greeted us on this  journey..it really is amazing scenery when you think that just the day before we were up in higher elevations and saw snow... here we saw very thirsty dry land blanketed by sage ... surprisingly their was some pasture land though sparse ... we did see horses and cows grazing in the distance.. These places I have been describing to you  are simply really so hard to describe unless you to take it in and develop your perspective.... You could tell for the folks that lived out in these areas .. though sparsely seen .. you knew it looked like a hard life... but  you also knew it was a life chosen by them... to work the land.. make a living... raise cattle... or whatever..   We left   that area  traversed some more  curvy scenery... and  pulled into a windy Leadville for the evening... that was back up at over 10,000 feet... we found a lodge and toured the charming little town... Leadville was getting ready for its annual fourth of July activities from fire works to races to hamburger and hotdog lunches...  
We woke up to 37 degree temperature.. packed up and bundled up .. and journeyed down the mountain...  Endless winding roads greeted us ... deep switch backs and curve after curve popped out a new view of this country side.. we found ourselves in this funky little town that housed a concentrated amount of casinos in one area ... and a cute little coffee shop in another... We made our way back to Steve's brothers place  ... navigating the by ways and each new curve....  

After thoughts :
Much thanks to Dianne and Stuart Gottlieb for showing us a wonderful time when we were not exploring Colorado on our own...
Stuart  thank you so much for helping Steve off load and load the motorcycle on that trailer... We enjoyed all our experiences while staying with you guys...  from the concert to the farmers market ... absolutely  great!
Much Thanks to Jaki and Jimmy Goodwin for taking care of Shayna and Cookie and keeping the home fires burning...  Jimmy thanks so much for helping Steve off load the bike we so appreciate that.. 
While we did tow the motorcycle to Colorado the  type of riding we did;  switchbacks, dog legs, endless twisting by ways, no guard rails on outer rims of high twisting mountain wrapping roads... not to mention the changing weather...was pretty much equivalent to 600 mile days via motorcycle just based on effort alone.
We spent most of our  time via motorcycle at an angle rather than straight up in order to follow the byways we traveled.
Colorado is one of the cleanest states I have ever seen , no litter on the road sides
The Boulder area offers some of the best farmers markets with unique food choices.
People are very active  and mostly in good shape ( at least from those I saw)
Weather is a gamble there... From areas of Colorado desperate for rainfall to some being doused each afternoon.  Rolling high winds are common place.
The infrastructure of our country is shameful the roads are in pieces.. you can call it weather damage or whatever you want... but it still seems thought provoking that we can build roadways in other countries.. and can not find the man power to keep up the bridges and roadways of our own country.. Can you imagine how many people could be employed to fix these areas so desperately in need of repair.... From Colorado, to Kansas to Oklahoma to  Arkansas, to Tennessee to Mississippi to Alabama.. seriously some dangerous rickety roads...
Back to the Midwest/West...  WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU PEOPLE.. ON MOTORCYCLES...  HELMETS SAVE LIVES..  yeah I know its a choice.. but really .. ??? folks .... common sense dictates protect your head .. well apparently the health aware and healthiest state in our country ( Colorado ) does not think so.. Crazy if you ask me...

NOW...time for the next adventure ....

Hummingbirds and Scenery

Back at Home Base

We arrived safely this afternoon in Lyons..cleaned up and just are chilling for a bit..what a ride and an adventure glad to be Back though.. Now to pack up and homeward bound...

The Ride So Far...,

We left Birmingham Thursday week.. The sky was a frightening black as if we were entering some deep dark abyss.. We caught  the tail end of a ferocious thunderstorm...questioning our sanity at this point for towing the motorcycle across the country to explore Colorado...between the clanking u hual trailer and the bizarre weather we moseyed  on.. We eventually found ourselves in Henrietta Oklahoma ...getting gas.. It was sweltering out...Steve did a bike check and much to his chagrin  a clip that holds the ratchet straps in place broke.. Lets just say ..U Haul was less than helpful.. They wanted Steve to go find a lowes and buy a new clip and repair the broken one.. Steve was non to thrilled with this news.. Then they said they could have someone to us around 10 pm... ( this was 4 pm in the afternoon...) Steve basically said he would rig something that we would not wait 6 hours for them to show up...so we are finally on our way to just south of Oklahoma City .. We get checked in to a Hampton inn.. And the mother of all storms was headed squarely our way... The wind was scary... We both wondered if the bike would be there in the morning,..lucky for us the storm though threatening missed our area and we kept heading west.. Things were flat through Kansas.. i did find the windmills interesting..

 We made our way through intense heat through Denver and heavy threatening clouds.. We are approaching lyons and BAM a storm exploded with white blinding rain and hail.. Pounding the  Cx9 , the trailer and the bike we pulled into Lyons .. Where a surprised little town surveyed the damage from the hail storm..From dented cars to trees stripped of green leaves and other assorted Debris..

Eventually we made our way To Steve' s Brother's place..that was a whole other journey up that road pulling a thousand pounds of motorcycle..... We got settled and Bam another Hail storm.. No damage thank heavens .. A nice dinner and off to bed.. Trying to start acclimating to a higher altitude..We spent two days getting ready for Monday.. The Journey was just beginning..

Up bright and early Monday ..heading out to Estes Park...the day was beautiful not a cloud in the sky..,.yet...... The roads twisted and curved and curved and twisted as we carefully climbed up the mountain traversing a part of the Rockies..traffic was heavy .. On the upside ....we also noticed the wind getting stiffer and lo and behold big fat splattering rain drops...we pulled over at a scenic outlook walked down a bit to take some photos.    

Yes this is July 1 and still snow capped mountains... About at this point the altitude was leaving me a bit breathless...but we kept going up . 13,500 feet high.. I was feeling it.. Steve was doing great.. It was tough for me ..not to mention the apprehension of just this challenging ride.. We were above the tree line....I felt better on our descent .. I later came to find out I was in the early stages of altitude sickness...we chatted with a volunteer at the visitors center who told us stories of rangers who had to go to the top and drive folks down who were so frightened of the height they could not handle it...so overall I did okay ... We did see some elk but it was to crowded to stop and look for long ..we headed on to Eagle Colorado and relaxed for the night.. I have to say its daunting when the speed limit is 75 and you are on two wheels., if you are on a straight thorough fair.. It's okay but remember  this is Colorado...even the interstate had sweepers and steep deep curves so riding at an angle that fast is a little wild...

 We continued on Tuesday morning... I tell you from the high mountains the high desert country is bizarre soooo it's like another planet.. How can I describe this....??? Tuesday we explored the high plains desert ... From sage covered buttes to ridges with small trees ... It went from chilly to HOT! We had lunch in the little town of Hotchkiss and talked to locals who sent us on a 65 mile adventure around the Black Canyon riding on the outer rim of a mountain  with out guard rails can not be described...

We decided to stay in Gunnison for the night.. ..a nice pleasant evening and a brisk start for Wednesday.. We Wound our way through more of the high plains desert...it occurred to me that the majority of our trip has been poised on the outer rim of mountain passes at a angle as we followed switch back after switch back  with little or no gard rails and on the outer rim...deep curves that pushed you through mountain passes such as Monarch Pass at an elevation of 11,835 feet .. Once again I was short of breath..but took some rocking photos still..

We wound our way down the pass through Buena Vista ..had some coffee and headed to  Leadville camping out at a lodge at 10,200 feet  to relax... More to come as the journey continues ...