Your Comments Not Coming To My Email

Hey everyone, thank you to all who have posted on my Anniversary post!


Your comments did not get to my email and so I cannot comment.  I do not know what is going on with blogger right now, I just wanted you to know I appreciate you all.


I will try to figure out, why this just suddenly happened.

One Year Anniversary of my Blog!

So today is the one year anniversary of my blog!  I cannot believe it has been one year since I began writing this blog.  So much has happened in my life with my band since then.


Some wonderful, some heart breaking, but the most important thing, is I have never given up!  I have kept moving along and am working to get to that place where my health is not just good but is great!


I have done some amazing work this past year.  I have also done it with Nichole which has made it that much more special, she has worked hard and has lost 70 pounds with out a band or surgery!


What have I done....you might wonder, to have this type of success.  I have revamped my reward system and concentrated on making good decisions, and logging my food choices each and every day.  I still live by my band rules.  I also have incorporated exercise 6 times a week into my life.


I lost my band in March of this year.  I was devastated and scared when this took place. I had fear and anxiety that was just awful.  I know many who have lost their bands now or are probably headed down that road as well.


I think the biggest thing I have learned through all of this, is that the band is not what makes us successful, and it is proven itself for me to be true.  I have continued to lose even without the band, and I contribute that to my resolve.


I made a point to heal what was wrong with me in my head!!  Please hear that, I fixed what was wrong in my head, that made me choose food as a reward, and use it as a comfort. I no longer do this. I have realized that years of eating like a garbage disposal just made me horribly sick.  Obesity is a disease, and it is something that we as a country and world need to really focus on.  We are raising children with these bad habits and eating disorders and now our children are obese.


I am proud to say that my almost 9 year old grandson is now conscious about what he puts into his mouth, and he chooses water over soda.  Watching his mother and I this past year is rubbing off.  He asks to go walking with me, or running even. He can walk 5.25 miles with ease.


I am not the same woman who found this blogging community a year ago.  I was a beaten down, and feeling as a total failure a year ago, because of me regain!


Finding all of you, turned my life around.  I found support, friendship, and most of all inspiration.  I found that others were struggling as well, and that together we could achieve our goals.


I made a point of getting to BOOBS 2.0 and it was the best time  and I felt so welcomed by these women.  I love them.  I feel a part of their lives and they a part of mine.


I look forward to the next year and what it hold for me.  I no longer have a time frame for when I must be a certain weight.  I know that doing this only puts undo pressure on myself.  I just plan on eating right and exercising regularly and letting my body find it balance and normal.


Yes, I am still a scale whore, once a scale whore always a scale whore for me  LOL.  I am happy to see each day what my body does or does not do.  The days that the water weight creeps on, can still be maddening, I just am better equipped now to handle those days.


I look forward to BOOBS 3.0 and to the next chapter in this journey!


I am thankful for the 86 people who chose to follow me and this blog and journey, who take time to comment on my craziness and to give me encouragement along the way.  You make my blog worth so much more.


Love you all,

Crazy busy....but working out and doing well!

I have been crazy busy with work, and working out and my family life, but I am doing well.  I cannot say the same for Nichole, Adam and Cole however.


They all three have been sick with a throat virus since last Tuesday and still are sick.  It is awful.  They said it can last up to two weeks.  Ugggghhhh I just want them all well again.


I cannot believe that in three days my blog will be a year old! That just seems crazy to me.  How time flies I guess.


I do not know where I thought I would be at this point, but I am thrilled with how I am feeling and even though I still have weight to lose, I am moving in the right direction.


I am still going to Body Pump three times a week, and Zumba three times a week, I have stopped running as it is too hot to run outside right now, and my schedule does not allow me to run early in the am or later at night.  So for now it is on the back burner damnit!


I am excited about the BOOBS 3.0 coming up and I am working hard to look my best  LOL!  Things are nuts in my life and I do not mean to be absent, just know that I am reading and I will try to blog more.

Absent and bruised!

I have been absent, I cannot believe it, I have been here reading, just not writing.  Wow, me, Kristin the woman never without something to say....LOL


I am going to recap the past week bullet style.


So I am into Body Pump big time and I now have two weeks and six classes under my muscles  LOL  It is hard shit, but I am loving it, I feel myself getting stronger every day.


Thursday was my day off, so the plan, take the boys swimming.  It is great exercise and it wears them out, and I get to spend quality time with both of them.  That morning was great, until I stopped at the DMV to renew Alan's car sticker and his Harley sticker....lol.  Coming back outside, my unstable self, stepped in a hole in the asphalt in the parking lot that I did not see, wearing flip flops.  Well you can imagine, this 200+ pound woman going down like a bull in a china shop.  I was wearing my swim suit and cover up, so not much.  I had a lot of skin showing to get road rash on,  needless to say my left knee and lower shin, took the brunt of the beating.  I also broke a prong on my engagement ring damnit and my diamond cut my hand pretty darn good.  I was sore and embarrassed.

It swelled like you would not believe, my whole leg did. 

It is healing, but it hurts like hell, and I cannot do my push ups or mountain climbers in Body Pump damnit!


Saturday took Adam to see Ice Age and it was so good.  What a cute story and funny movie.  I love those characters so much!  It was a great day!  Nichole went to Chicago with a friend and we kept the boys.


Sunday I had lunch with a girlfriend who used to work with me.  It was nice seeing her and catching up.  We went to my favorite resturaunt, Los Jimidaores.  Yummy, Yummy in my tummy.  LOL  Then Alan and I took the boys swimming.  It was the first time this summer he has been in the water with the boys.  It was great seeing them interact.  Alan used to teach swimming, he is an awesome swimmer.  Being 6'5" he is tall and thin and glides through the water much like Michael Phelps, and I know he would laugh if he knew I wrote that.


Yesterday was a very busy day for me at work, and I was unable to make it to ZUMBA because when I got home Alan was sick, and so I chose to stay home with the boys so he could go to bed.


I will definitely go to Body Pump tonight, and I am happy to report, that I put on a skirt that I have not worn since 2005 maybe!  It is one of my favorites, and I was pumped when I put it on!


I have had quite a few of those NSV's lately with clothes. I can tell my body is reshaping, even though the scale seems to be just sitting there at the moment.  I am not worried at all, I can feel and see the difference.


I have been reading all of your blogs, and I will do better I promise you.  BOOBS is coming and I am thrilled so thrilled I cannot wait to see you all!

BOOBS in 73 days!!!!! WOO HOO

I am so freaking excited that the planners are actually talking about BOOBS, because it has been on my mind.  So the first Challenge has been launched by Jen and Draz.  Go check it out, it begins today  BOOBS or BUST Challenge.

So, two Body Pump classes are now under my belt, and I will add a third this evening.  I have to tell you how strong I already feel.  YES, after just two classes I can tell a difference in my strength.  Isn't that incredible.  Who would have ever known. Yes, soreness is a part of it, but that is a good thing, because my muscles are working!  This means my metabolism is working and not dragging like a hog through a mud trough!  I love that I am pumping iron, I would never have believed that I would be able to clean and jerk anything.  Let alone do it for an hour. I am super proud of me!  I love getting healthy have I told you that lately?

I wanted to give you a quick update on Nichole, I am so freaking proud of her.  She is the incredible shrinking woman, no lie.  She has gone from 329 pounds in August of 2011 and today she is 274.8 pounds. Nichole is 5 feet 10.5 inches, so she is a tall woman, she looks fabulous!  She has done all the work, she is not banded.  She has changed her life, and in doing so her body is reshaping itself.  I love her zest for life right now it is infectious.  Her choices are fantastic, she gave up soda, she leaves the junk food alone, and even though on occasion will indulge with a glass of wine, or mixed drink, or piece of cake or pie, she is happy to eat clean in fact she will tell you she craves it!  I like how this happens to our bodies when we rid them of the crap!


I recall late last summer in the pool one workout day with her, and we were talking about my band.  I told her I wanted her to check into getting it.  I have to say I am so proud of her for proving to herself that she had what it took inside of her to follow the road to being more healthful.  She used to tell me that she could not run, well she is.  We are both signed up to do our first 5k in Chicago 10 days before BOOBS! She is also coming to BOOBS with me, so you all will get to meet her!


So for the nay Sayer's, and the people who say "I can't do that", or  "that doesn't work for me", or "how did you do it"!  The only way I see that weight becomes a non issue in your life after a lifelong battle with it, is to not give it control any longer.




If you are wondering how to do this.....well you have to incorporate not only clean living and eating, but you have to become more active than you ever have in your life.  Instead of coming home exhausted from work, I now come home and head to the gym, or outside to run or walk, or play with the boys.  It is so rare to find me sitting anymore.  I no longer have excuses for NOT doing it!  That is just plain and simple...no excuse!  If someone is not dying or dead already, I will no longer let it take precedence over my working out.


So I welcome the challenge for BOOBS 3.0 with both arms open wide.  I love to challenge myself, and this is a huge one.  


I am getting closer to my goal each and every day, and more importantly, I feel like a million bucks!  Yep, I am still 38 pounds away from my original goal, and yet I am thrilled to be where I am.  This morning I put on a size XL skirt that is an A-Line.  I have had this skirt for years, I love it!  I have not had it on my body in 10 years!  I kept my clothes that I loved, because one day I hoped to wear them again, this skirt is black, so it never goes out of style.  I feel amazing today!


It does not matter how quickly you finish, it matters that YOU FINISH!!  Never give up the fight!

4th of July is gone....was hotter than a 2 peckered goat!

Yes the holiday is passed, and I am down another 2 pounds this morning.  Can you say holy damn!!!!  I am thrilled.


I have to tell you of my new found fun!!  BODY PUMP....oh yeah!  I am loving it...although I cuss Joe the instructor up one side and down another, like a sailor in May!


Nichole and I went to our first class yesterday morning at 7:00am.  First of all, do you know that even a year ago, I would never have wanted to go pump weights.  I would have rather have been flogged.


I have to say, it is not as horrible as you imagine.  I liked it a lot and I will be doing it at least a couple of times a week.


I am so sore this morning, but it is a good kind of sore ya know.  I thought I would die doing the squats, in fact I thought I had....LOL!


I felt muscles I did not know we even had on our bodies.  I think mine were in hibernation for the past 40 years or so.


I look forward to the changes that will be coming with this new class, and how my body will like me pumping it up!


It was a quiet 4th at my house.  The boys gone and it was 100+ degrees outside, left me with not much desire to be outside, I thought about heading to the pool and even that did not sound like so much fun.


So I stayed in, and just did odd jobs around the house.  Went to bed early and headed into work this morning at 5am.


Looking forward to my next Body Pump class!

"They Always Ask"..........is that on your diet?"

I am sure you all have been asked this burning question at some point along the way.  Perhaps it was a family member, co-worker or friend.  "Is that on your diet?"


I am on a life journey.  On this journey I have to carefully plan my caloric intake and exercise to maintain my momentum.  While I try to make my calories consumed count by eating (lean proteins, fresh vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy products and of course fruits) I know that I must spend some of my calorie budget on a treat now and again so that I do not feel deprived while I am learning to live my plan.  You see I build my treat into my calories.  If I eat a 150 calorie ice cream bar, it is because I have allotted for it in my daily food plan.  This is why logging food is so effective, when you know exactly how much you are consuming, you know how much you can give for a treat or not.


There is nothing more frustrating than to have carefully calculated my calories to allow for a special food or even a meal, and then have someone ask "Is that on your diet?"  First, I am NOT on a diet. Second, yes I have planned for this food.


Now some people are truly trying to help.  They think you are  "blowing your plan" which might be true if I just ordered the large Georgia Mud Fudge blizzard at Dairy Queen for 1450 calories, but it might not be true if I ordered the kid size cone at McDonalds for 45 calories.


So how do you deal with these "helpers"?  I suggest that you tell them that you plan your food budget and live within it including the food that you are now currently enjoying.  Use the opportunity to educate.


Yes, I have lost 160+ pounds.  Have I eaten a steady diet of broccoli and watercress?  NO.  I have had a well-balanced approach to my nutrition.  I make the MAJORITY of my calories be high quality, nutrient dense foods, but I have had treats.  I eat out every week.  This is how you succeed in changing from a DIET mentality to LIFESTYLE CHANGE.  You have to learn to live on a BUDGET.  Just like we do with our finances.  If you want that high calorie meal with friends at the end of the week, then you better work it off in the GYM before hand, and watch the other calories during the week. Every time I eat ice cream, my scale sees a drop the next morning.  This has been the truth for the past five years.  Why?  I think when you are limiting your foods to healthy the majority of the time that a fat laden meal or treat causes our bodies to let go of fat.  It is the only way that I can explain why that happens for me.


So next time someone sees you eating the Hershey Almond chocolate bar (210 Calories) and thinks that you have fallen of the wagon don't get upset, just explain to them about your "plan".  They most likely will be impressed on how you have learned how to include those occasional treats and still managed to lose weight.


Life's lessons!

A week flew by

I cannot believe it has been a week since I posted on my blog.  I was pretty sick last week with the stomach flu for four days. I missed work, and did not go back until Friday.  


My desk was a nightmare!  I had a mile high stack of work that was waiting for me.


I was really glad it was one day, and I got a reprieve for the weekend.  


Yesterday Nichole graduated from College, and it was an amazing ceremony.  I really enjoyed the speaker and the message.  So proud of her, and the boys with her, seeing her was so special and I cried, and cried. I will post pictures later.


Neal sat next to me and he rubbed my shoulders.  What a great guy he is and best friend to her.


I had the most amazing NSV yesterday morning as I was getting ready to head to the Conference Center.  I could not decide on the dress I wanted to wear.  I looked through my closet and kept saying No, No.....till my hands were on my little Size M dress that I had bought last August as my GOAL dress.  I loved it and I wanted to one day be able to wear it.


Well I decided to put it on, and it slipped right on and actually fit.  Alan said I looked very nice, Nichole was already gone so I could not get her opinion.  She is always so honest with me about such things.  Alan is too.  So I felt confident in my dress.
  
It made the whole day worth it.  I know I have come a long way, but that was just icing on my cake.


Beth Ann my goddaughter's birthday was Friday.  We had made plans months ago to do dinner, and go see Magic Mike. She was so excited and we have known since almost day one of production that this movie was coming out.  Nichole, she and I love the men in this movie.  So it was only right we go and pay homage.  We had dinner, and wet to the Theater only to find all shows sold out, so we left and went to the other Theater in town and yeap SOLD OUT!  We bought tickets for the matinee showing yesterday afternoon, after graduation.


I have to tell you the eye candy was awesome, but the movie sucked!  It was sooo slow, I ended up texting during it.  I never do that!!!!  So ladies beware if you haven't seen it. I could have waited for DVD for this one.


So that was my week.  I am down 5 pounds this week.  I will take that any day.  I did not work out once, being sick kept me from it.  Back to ZUMBA tomorrow night with Jose~ it will kick my ass.


I have signed up to do my first 5k in Chicago a week and a half before BOOBS!  It is for Make A Wish and that is a huge charity close to my heart because of Adam.  I have to get my ass in gear and start training for it.