Happy Mother's Day!

WHY GOD MADE MOMS

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?

1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.

2. Mostly to clean the house..

3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

1. We're related.

2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?

1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.

2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.

2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?

3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.

2. She got too old to do anything else with him.

3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.

2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.

3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?

1.. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.

2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them..

3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.

4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don't do spare time.

2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.

2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.

2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.

3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

WHEN YOU STOP LAUGHING -- SEND THIS LINK ON TO OTHER MOTHERS, GRANDMOTHERS, AND AUNTS....and anyone else who has anything to do with kids or just needs a good laugh!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, FRIENDS!

With my son, Danny, ten years ago when he was 13 and I was...oh...nevermind! ; )

With my Mom and my son, Thanksgiving 2009 :)

I'm a MAY-niac!

Only one month 'til my birthday and I'm feeling so much better physically than I have in years and years due in no small part to my wonderful trainer at the YMCA of Boston (Waltham branch) Parker and the folks at Vtrim who have guided me toward a future where I control my food intake and it doesn't control me!


I am REALLY enjoying working out and exercising at the Y!  I can hardly believe I am saying that but it is true and I can see the results, slowly but surely, on my body.  There is some definition in my arms, I have collar bones again, my balance is much better!  Parker mentioned to me last week that I have come a long way and my progress in our workouts is a steady arrow UP the graph! : ) All good!


May is going to be MAY-niac month for me as I try to fit in as much exercise and walking as I can before my birthday at the beginning of June! I'm sooo thrilled that Vtrim has offered me 12 more weeks of their classes which I start tomorrow night! : )  Next week is the last online Vtrim class of my original 12 weeks and I cannot believe how much I've learned in that short amount of time.  These 12 weeks of classes have truly changed my life... why else would I be going around the office and my house singing... "I'm a MAY-niac" from Flashdance! 


As an ode to the YMCA, Vtrim, and Parker, my great trainer, below is my version of Flashdance "Maniac"! You may want to click on the YouTube video  at the bottom of this post before you begin to read so you can sing along while reading the new lyrics! *grin*

She's a May-niac

Just a Beantown girl on a Saturday night

Looking for her own healthy life

In the workout world no one knows her at all

They all say she’s lazy

Heart rate monitors the quick beat of her heart

Changing fat limbs into lean

She has lunged into the fitness zone

When the walker becomes the walk…

It can change your whole darn life

When the fitness fuels your fire

With a ball between the wall and crunch number three

She’s a MAY-niac, MAY-niac at the Y

And she’s working like she’s never worked before

She’s a MAY-niac, MAY-niac at the Y

And she’s sweating like she’s never sweat before!

Oh, the wobble board tests her sanity

It’s the balance most never see

Her trainer’s plans are a mystery

“Plank and now hold it!”

You complete your reps for that moment in time

Goal will come, not pass you by

In this push-up world, there is always that chance

That your hunger is staved for the night

There’s her iPod with its beat

Crunching, stretching, life is sweet!

Never stopping, with her core tucked in and held…

She’s a MAY-niac, MAY-niac at the Y

And she’s working like she’s never worked before

She’s a MAY-niac, MAY-niac at the Y

And she’s sweating like she’s never sweat before!

It can change your whole darn life

When the fitness fuels your fire

With a ball between the wall and crunch number three

She’s a MAY-niac, MAY-niac at the Y

And she’s working like she’s never worked before

She’s a MAY-niac, MAY-niac at the Y

And she’s sweating like she’s never sweat before!

PS: If this song gets stuck in your head, a tried and tested cure is 60 minutes on the treadmill with the incline UP! : )

I have a new LOVE in my life...

Let me introduce you to my new love: Vtrim!

Sometimes in a new relationship, it takes a little while to get used to the other person.  Sure, at first - in the blush of the new relationship - they seem incredible, witty, like no one you've ever known before...  you gush about them to friends, to co-workers, to anyone who will listen....

But then - after a while - your feelings start to fade a bit.  You begin to see them as they really are.  You make excuses not to get together as planned.  Maybe they're not as smart as they appeared, maybe they really don't offer all the answers you believed they did, maybe they're actually not who they presented themselves to be at all... and then that blissful euphoria you'd experienced comes crashing down and you feel deflated, dejected, deserted.  Alone.

But what happens when the euphoria lasts?!  When - after the initial courtship - the relationship just keeps building and gets stronger and stronger and better and better and you find yourself saying :

THIS WORKS!

THIS IS WONDERFUL!

THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!

Now you understand how I feel about the Vtrim Online program that I have been following for the past nine weeks!  And here's the best part... in those nine weeks I have lost nearly TWENTY pounds and am more fit than I have been in the last ten plus years! I continue to lose weight each week and am working hard at getting my fitness mojo back every day. : )

Let me tell you about what I have come to understand about my new love, Vtrim Online:

1.  It is a program based on eighteen years of University research!

2.  Vtrim is NON-PROFIT!  They're not trying to 'sell you something' to make a buck or devise a way to keep you coming back.

3.  It all makes sense.  They teach you basics, i.e., how many calories make up one pound. 3,500. And after the basics, they teach you the techniques to change your behavior.  It is behavior modification that keeps the weight off so Vtrim teaches you tricks they've researched that WORK.  Their program is proven by research to work if you work at it.

4.  You journal every day and write down everything you eat as well as your exercise and your feelings.  This gives you a way to look back and see how you're doing - when you did well  - when you backslid a bit (if you were to) - and most importantly - shows you the triggers that cause you to overeat.  They're right there in your journal.  Bad day at work?  Oh, maybe that is why you went over your calorie budget by 400 calories.  Kids stressing you out in the morning - and look! At 2pm you ate 3 cups of ice cream after you'd eaten a full lunch when they went down for naps...

5.  Exercise is key! The Vtrim Online program starts you off very slowly with the exercise and very gradually increases the expected level.  Within a few short weeks you are doing more than you expected that you could do and beginning to love it as the weight falls off and you're eating great, healthy foods, not feeling hungry and loving the level of fitness you're achieving. 

6. They don't expect you to "get it" all at once.  The 12 weeks of Vtrim online classes (I'm in week 9) that I've been attending for an hour every week lay it all out for you - one week after another - in a very organized and clear way.  They don't jump you ahead... they let you absorb what you're learning, practice it, come back and ask questions, and then they give you the next step, then the next... and it all makes perfect sense. And if it doesn't make sense for you - there is a person you can reach any day to talk with who is your online class 'facilitator'.  My facilitator is a great guy named Stuart who gave me the "sometimes it takes headstrong determination to get the job done" quote the first week when I was feeling a bit freaked out, worried I may fail. ; )

I am not failing at all, though!!  I am cooking at home again and loving it and I'm able to eat out and understand what it is I should be eating at restaurants and I'm no longer counting meaningless points! 

Friends, my new love and I are going to be together for a very long time and I'm hoping you'll meet Vtrim, too, and fall in love as I have.

Some big news!

I'm happy to report that to celebrate my birthday the first week of June, the guest bloggers that week will be friends from the Vtrim Online program.  Woohoooo!  They'll answer any and all questions you may come up with about losing weight, recommendations for exercise, behavioral approach to weight loss and the Vtirm program.  They'll be glad to field any and all questions from you here on the blog and all will be posted the first week of June.

Send your Vtrim questions either through comments to this post or to me directly at: healthylosergal@yahoo.com  If you don't want your name displayed on the blog, just let me know and your question can be anonymous.  But please do ask any questions you have because the Vtrim facilitators are so incredibly knowledgeable and they're excited to be guest bloggers and share their information with us all! : )

I really do want to tell the world about Vtrim! LOL  I would become their spokesperson if I could - I'm that convinced that THIS is the right, proven plan for losing weight and keeping it off!  It's exciting to achieve goals that I've set for myself and see myself getting fitter.  I'm turning 52 and Fab-oo in June! ;)

Here's to our health, my friends!  Can't wait to read your questions! : )

Facing the Music and Measuring for Success: Inches Equal Miles!

On March 22nd of last year, I bit the proverbial bullet at the beginning of this weight loss journey I was embarking upon and posted my measurements in all of their "glory" on the Healthy Loser Gal blog. At that time they were:

 46" Breasts (no pulling in... just 'as they hang'...good heavens!)

44" Waist

48" Backside (this one surprised me, somehow thought it was going to be smaller #)

17" Neck (at base)
28" Upper Thigh (pfft... cottage cheese thighs... just gross! but I'm working on it...)
19 1/2" Calf

This morning, encouraged by feeling better and knowing I'm fitting into smaller and smaller sizes of clothing, I grabbed the dreaded measuring tape and faced the music again!  And while the music is certainly no symphony yet, it does have an overture of success! : )

Today's measurements:

40" Chest vs 46"

38" Waist vs 44"

40" Hips/Backside vs 48"

15 1/2" Neck vs 17"

24" Upper Thigh vs 28"

17 1/2" Calf  vs. 19 1/2"

7 1/4" wrist vs 8"

= 28 total inches lost here 'n there in one year!


Hey! I know I'm no Gil Elvgren pin-up beauty yet... but I'm heading in the right direction! : )

What's for lunch?

I'm starting to experiment with new foods since really learning about what is nutritious and right for my body while on the online Vtrim program.  And I'm having a ball concocting new recipes! I'd forgotten how much I really enjoy cooking and preparing my own food - even when I'm the only one home eating it!  But - hey! I'm worth the effort and the food is delicious (if I do say so myself!)... and - a bonus - I can bring it with me to the office!

The black bean salad (or salsa) above is incredibly simple and really healthy! The recipe makes about four cups (4 servings) and lasts for two or three days in the frig before the avocado gets a little gooey! I'm not into gooey avocado so tend to make it and eat it in a couple of days! It is great as a salad with chicken or fish. My son put it on his hamburger!  For lunch at the office I put 1/2 cup (1/2 serving) on top of a baked potato with 2 tablespoons of fat free sour cream and ohhhhhhh man is that good! :) 

Recipe:

1 can of black beans - rinsed and drained

1 small can of corn - drained

1 tomato diced

1/2 medium red onion diced

1 Tbsp of cilantro powder or 1/8 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 ripe Avocado - cubed

4 Tbsp Newman's Own Lighten Up Italian dressing (this isn't really needed but I like the taste... if you don't include it, you can cut out 60 calories and 6 grams of fat PER serving!!)

Nutrition:  193.25 calories & 10.2 grams of fat per cup/serving

I would love to know your lunch time favorites, too!  Remember, we're all in this together and DAMN we're feeling great and looking fine!  : )

What's for breakfast?

I have drastically changed my eating habits in the last couple of months and it has proven a wise decision! I've now lost 11+ pounds in 8 weeks since following the online Vtrim plan & exercising.  I'm conscious that this will be a lifelong change for me and am really experimenting with foods that I like and also find easy to make for mornings when I'm running out the door to work or evenings when I'm running in from (can't believe I'm going to say this and it will be true) working out at the gym!  I never really thought about fat grams before, either, and now try to keep my daily fat gram total at or below 25% of my usual calorie intake which is right about 1250-1400 daily. 

So this morning's breakfast is pictured above!  One cup of Dannon Yogurt, Light & Fit Nonfat Vanilla (110 calories and 0 grams of fat); raspberries (10 calories & .10 grams of fat); 3/4 cup of Kashi GoLean: Crunch (145 calories and 2.25 grams of fat).  DELICIOUS!  Oh, and - of course - my ever-present water bottle is in the photo!

Do you guys have favorite meals that are easy and delicious and healthy that you could share?  Feel free to post in Comments! Thanks! : )

Have a great day!

HLG / Jan

Exhausted and SORE and Loving It!

I left the YMCA in Waltham in tears this afternoon... the good kind of tears that come along every once in a while when you realize you're attaining a goal you'd set for yourself.  My legs were shaking, my arms hurt... my face was as red as a ripe tomato and all I could think of was how truly grateful I am to the folks at the YMCA in Boston and the University of Vermont's VTrim Program for changing my life DRAMATICALLY in the last seven weeks.

My trainer, Parker, (see my 1st Parker post here) is wonderful. We've gotten past the first few weeks and things are harder and more challenging now for me... and I can't believe I'm saying that because I thought I would DIE during the 1st week of training.  But I didn't die... I just had great difficulty getting out of bed and walking up or down stairs for a few days! My muscles were yelling to me in no uncertain terms "Hey! We're here... do you feel us!?" LOL  The picture above is me on March 27th doing wall squats with the ball.  Can we say "yeowch"!?  You're probably thinking the camera makes me look red, huh? No! That is the hue of my face and my arms and chest at the end of an hour of training!

Parker's encouragement to me during training to keep going and his positive reinforcement when I feel like I really don't honestly have that last ounce of strength to pull up that curl or push down on that weight machine cord is an amazing thing for me to experience.  I have NEVER ever trained with anyone.  I've trained in a group setting in high school and college but never one-on-one like this.  People told me there would be days when I might hate him pushing me... I feel just the opposite. 

I've needed someone to push me - to make me believe I have that ONE MORE within me - for years and years.  And here he is - putting me (today) on a balance wheel to engage every single muscle I had in my body while I tried to find my center and balance... while he tells me that in a few weeks I'll be standing on that balance wheel while doing curls.  (I looked NOTHING like the girl in the photo on the wobble balance board, by the way!)  Within minutes of being on this balance apparatus I had to laugh because I was dripping with sweat just trying to BALANCE... but - because I'm now a few weeks into this and can tell that the things that once I could barely do at all, I am actually improving at, I have to believe him... I'll be balanced and doing curls.  ME! Who'd a thunk it?

When I decided to go for the training at the YMCA I made a pact with myself that I wasn't going to do it half-way.  If I was going to put in the hour at the Y with a trainer, I was going to 'go for it' and I try to do that every week.

Parker called me a "superstar" today and that made me smile, I can tell you, because I just let all my inhibitions go and go for it there.  I make exhausted grunting noises and have my hair soaked with sweat and am red in the face and chest and can barely stand sometimes my legs are shaking so badly after floor exercises but I can look at myself in the mirror and know in my heart that I did give it everything I had.  And, friends, let me tell you - this ain't no walk in the park for me! LOL  I've got my eyes squeezed shut sometimes trying to remember to keep my core tight and my belly button pulled in and my hips square and my glutes squeezed and I'm in mental and physical agony... but I'M DOING IT!!!  And, darnitall, when I had to take Parker's offered hand today to get up off the mat, I wasn't ashamed to need the help getting up, I knew I'd given it everything I could.

If you don't think you can go to a gym and exercise or do one-on-one training, I'm here to tell you - YOU CAN!  If I can do it - as out of shape and overweight as I have been - YOU CAN DO THIS, TOO!  I am sooo thankful that I have Parker as my trainer and that he is pushing me but not intimidating me - everything is explained and I don't feel stupid to say to him (which I did...) "Parker, I'm not sure what my glutes even are!".  *grin*  You need to step out of your comfort zone, find a trainer you feel comfortable with, and step into a place where you put yourself first... where you don't care who is there watching or what you look like or how many push-ups you can do.  You walk in to that gym - tell yourself (and mean it!) that you're going to DO YOUR BEST and that will be enough.  And you will be so darn proud of yourself that you've taken those first steps.  I'm proud of myself... really proud.  I had set a goal and I'm achieving it.

A separate component of my training with Parker is that the YMCA Waltham facility has great equipment, including LifeFitness equipment where you can go online to the site's Virtual Trainer and set-up a personal training experience for yourself, download that training program to a USB stick and then bring it to the YMCA, plug it into the machine and your workout is recorded.  I have the program keep my heart rate at a certain level while walking which means that the Virtual Trainer adjusts the incline as well as the rate of my walk to keep my heart rate at the exact place it is supposed to be.  I think that is all very cool - especially because I can then download my workouts to the LifeFitness site and then Parker can look at what I'm doing during the week on my own.  It's ALL good!

Paying it forward...

One final thing about training today that really just made me so happy! Parker mentioned that one of the Healthy Loser Gal blog readers contacted him to train one-on-one because of my post about training with him. I am overjoyed by that! That is kind of a 'pay it forward' moment for me because I feel so very grateful to the YMCA for giving me this opportunity, I'm really so glad that someone else will now benefit from training one-on-one with Parker, too! :) How totally awesome is that?

Thanks for all your support, my friends! There are days when I don't feel like going out to walk or heading to the gym, but then I remember something one of you may have said here in Comments or Tweeted to me, and I'm on my way.  Your faith in me means so much - and I'm so grateful for your friendship!

We're doing this! I'm more than halfway to my goal weight and am finally getting myself fit! :)  Woohooo!

My Best Days Are Ahead of Me!

When Danny Gokey was on American Idol last season, I actually called in and voted for him for the first time I'd voted for anyone.  I liked his voice, his persona.  So when I heard him on country music radio (yes, I listen to all music - including country!), I was excited to hear him and realize he'd finally come out with his own album.  The first song released is "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" and really is great... but when I watched the video (I've posted the link here) and looked at the post-it notes and what is written on the posters throughtout the video, I liked Danny Gokey and this song all the more!  I hope you'll find it as inspirational as I do.   Remember, "Life is too short to be anything but happy!" :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqus079lUz8





My Best Days are Ahead of Me Lyrics

Blowing out the candles
On another birthday cake
Old enough to look back and laugh at my mistakes
Young enough to look at the future and like what I see
My best days are ahead of me

Life hasn't always been a party
But mostly it's been good
There's only one or two things that I'd change if I could
I dont get lost in the past or get stuck in some sad memory yah
My best days are ahead of me

Age is nothing but a number
Sometimes I have to wonder
What does it really mean
But hey im still putting it together
I keep getting better
if I keep getting better
I can be whatever I want to be
My best days are ahead of me

Age is nothing but a number
Sometimes I have to wonder
What does it really mean
But hey im still putting it together
I keep getting better
if I keep getting better
I can be whatever I want to be
My best days are ahead of me

I've got sunsets to witness
dreams to dance with
beaches to walk on
and lovers to kiss
there's a whole lot of world out there
that I can't wait to see
My best days are ahead of me
My best days are ahead of me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Easter! Spring Strawberry Salad Recipe

I first had this salad in Nashville, Tennessee when I lived there in the early 1980s (I know, some of you weren't born then!! lol) and worked with the Grand Ole Opry.  This is a recipe that was made with all sugar and lots of fat but - over the years - I've pared it down to make it very healthy and low calories with hardly a trace of fat.  The wonderful thing is, it is just as delicious!  This congealed salad goes great with the traditional Easter ham, too! :)

Strawberry Spring Salad

 Ingredients:

•  2 large packages of sugar free mixed berry Jell-o  
• 1 quart of hulled fresh strawberries or one large package of frozen strawberries (set aside four or five great looking strawberries for decoration)
• 3 firm (not green) bananas, peeled
• 1 small can/tin of water packed crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 large container of fat free sour cream

Directions:

• Prepare Jell-o per directions and set aside on counter.
• Wash and chop strawberries and bananas together into small pieces and mix with pineapple into gelatin.
• Pour ½ of the mixture into glass oblong dish and refrigerate until firm, leaving other ½ on counter covered.
• Once firm, remove from refrigerator and carefully spread the sour cream over top of the mixture making certain to evenly spread along corners and side.
• Gently pour the remaining mixture of Jell-o and fruit atop the sour cream layer and refrigerate 3-4 hours. When firm, decorate with fresh strawberries in center.
• Cut into squares to serve, using spatula to remove from dish.
• Can be made a day ahead and covered with cling wrap to seal.

Low cal, low fat & delicious spring festive dish!

Happy Easter, friends!

What Are You Waiting For?

I heard this song for the first time during The Biggest Loser show last week. I looked up the lyrics online and found a link on YouTube to the music by a young Christian artist, Britt Nicole.


The lyrics so speak to where I am in my life and where many of us are... taking those first steps to becoming a new and better version of ourselves. We step out in faith... knowing we've failed before and going ahead anyways... putting that fear behind us and jumping out... trusting in ourselves... because we know - deep down - that we CAN do this!

So what are you waiting for?

WALK ON WATER LYRICS:

You look around
It's staring back at you
Another wave of doubt
Will it pull you under
You wonder

What if I'm overtaken
What if I never make it
What if no one's there?
Will you hear my prayer?

When you take that first step
Into the unknown
You know that He won't let you go

 So what are you waiting for?
What do you have to lose?
Your insecurities try to halt you
 You know you're made for more
So don't be afraid to move
Your faith is all
It takes and you can
Walk on the water too

 So get out
And let
Your fear fall to the ground
No time to waste
Don't wait
Don't you turn around and miss out
Everything you were made for
I know you're not sure
So you play it safe
Try to run away

 If you take that first step
Into the unknown
He won't let you go

 (chorus)


Bridge:
(step out)
Even when a storm hits
(step out)
Even when you're broken
(step out)
Even when your heart is telling you telling you to give up
(step out)
When your hope is stolen
(step out)
You can't see where you're going
You don't have to be afraid

 So what are you waiting,
What are you waiting for?

 So what are you waiting for?
What do you have to lose?
Your insecurities try to halt you

 You know you're made for more
So don't be afraid to move
Your faith is all
It takes and you can
Walk on the water...
Walk on the water too.

All the news that's pit to frint...

I have a couple of updates to let you all know about… first of all, the Healthy Loser Gal blog has received a few neat awards recently! I’m always grinning ear-to-ear when I see someone has thought enough of the blog to bestow a blog award. Thank you!! I’m like a little kid when it comes to winning things or being give presents, I nearly burst with glee!

Thanks to my Canadian friend at Finding My Weigh who awarded me with not one, but two blog awards.  She’s a great writer and looking to lose weight before going back to work after her maternity leave! (Boy, do I remember THAT feeling!)


For the "One Lovely Blog Award" you need to:
* Thank & link to the person that gave you the award.
* Pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers you’ve recently discovered.
* Contact said Blogs and let them know they’ve won

For the "Beautiful Blogger" award you need to:

* Thank & link to the person that gave you the award.

* Pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers you’ve recently discovered.
* Contact said Blogs and let them know they’ve won.
* State 7 things about yourself.

I am taking the easy way out on the stating seven things about myself and linking back to TEN THINGS about me from a previous post! :)


I'm also the happy recipient of the "Creative Writer" Blogger Award, thanks to Michelle at A Healthier Me.

The rules of the "Creative Writer" Blogger Award are:

1. Thank the person who gave this to you.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you.
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth.
5. Nominate seven "Creative Writers" who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Six Outrageous Lies & One Outrageous Truth about Me:

1. I had breast implants when I was a freshman in college.

2. President Jimmy Carter and my father went deep sea fishing together.

3. While visiting Finland, I met the then-President of Russia, Mikhail Gorbachev.

4. I once swam the width of an Adirondack mountain lake.

5. My teeth were knocked out in a field hockey accident & I have worn dentures since.

6. I raised chinchillas to earn extra money to help support my son & myself.

7. I am a sharp shooter at the local pistol range & own three small caliber hand guns.

Seven nominated bloggers for the "Creative Writing" Blogger Award:

1. Shannon at Superwoman Spirit : http://www.superwomanspiritblog.com/
2. Fiona at Becoming the Best Me: http://fiona-becomingthebestme.blogspot.com/
3. My pal, Kyra, at A Foodie Gets Fit:  http://kyratx-afoodiegetsfit.blogspot.com/
4. Lil Miss D at 105 in 365:  http://105in365.blogspot.com/
5. Kat at Kat's Adventures in Dietland: http://katdoesdiets.blogspot.com/
6. Patty at A Work in Progress: http://awip.blogspot.com/
7. Bubbly & Fun Diz at Death By Calories: http://mybattlewithbulge.blogspot.com/

How SMART are your goals?

So my vacation is over and I had a great time visiting my sister in Florida.  We hadn't seen one another in a year and a half so it was long overdue.  I'm proud to say I stayed completely on plan - even counted calories on St. Patrick's Day for Guinness (I don't like it but feel obligated to drink it on St. Patrick's Day as I am, afterall, of Irish descent!) and corn beef & cabbage & bangers & mash.  I made wise, thought-out choices of airport food and even made certain I was online on Tuesday night for my Vtrim class.  And I'm soooo glad I made time for the class as it was all about one of my favorite things in the world this past year:  Making Goals!

Not just any goals...

Sure, my goal a year ago was to lose 100 lbs. but - in all honesty - that wasn't a very realistic goal as I had no idea how I was going to do it nor was I a contestant on The Biggest Loser! *grin*  Losing 60 pounds in a year was much more attainable for me but I would have been happy with 50 pounds,  honestly, as in June I was stagnant at 35!  It was only then that I started breaking down my goal(s) into 5 pounds lost at a time... THEN it began to work! Then I was making smart goals!

Now, with the help of the Vtrim classes and exercising at the YMCA, I'm learning what is a SMART goal for me now.  This week coming up, for instance, I committed to myself and my fellow classmates that I would have the following goal:

I will walk (specific) for a mile (measurable & achievable) on Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday (time limited) and then try something new for exercise that I haven't done before for 30 mins on Thursday (realistic). 

Now, for many of you, that goal may seem easy-peasy, huh?  But - for me - it is achievable and just enough out of my comfort zone to make it a true goal.  I'm not setting myself up for failure.  I've already walked the Saturday and Sunday portion of the goal and know I can get to the YMCA at lunch hour on Tuesday.  The Thursday part I'm not sure of what I'll do... but I'm going to do it!  

I learned in the online class that we need to ask ourselves "what hurdles do I need to overcome to lose weight?” and then use the smart guidelines to set 1-2 goals a week to help get over those weightloss hurdles. It makes such sense when it is pared down into smaller, achievable goals and I, personally, like writing the goals on my calendar and checking them off when they're completed!!

Between Friday and today, I have walked six miles.  SIX MILES!  That is a record for me over a weekend except when I did the five mile walk back in the fall, but that was with a few stops along the way.  This was really power waking (well... a 17-20 minute mile is power walking for this gal!) and I walked with a determined gait!  I built my first ever play list for my iPod and hit the pavement and LOVED IT!  And I felt incredible... empowered... thankful... full of LIFE! :)

This morning I got up (sore as sore can be because of my second meeting with my trainer yesterday- this week we did not continue assessing!!) and got on the scale and I am at the lowest weight I have been in about 8 years!  I pushed the scale around the bathroom floor... and every place I stepped on it, I was at the same weight.  It wasn't a fluke... I'm DOING this! :)

BRING IT ON WORLD, YEAR TWO OF MY JOURNEY HAS JUST STARTED & I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER!

More tomorrow night on my first real encounter with personal training!  Parker (my trainer at the YMCA) said "remember this day, Jan, because in a month you will look back and see how very far you've come". 

One year later... look at the difference!

One year ago I blogged that it was time for me to 'become accountable to myself'! Exactly a year ago I wrote:

"I am worth the effort" I say to myself over and over inside my mind. "I am worth it... I can do this... I *WILL* do this...", I repeat in mantra-like reply. But I haven't been 'doing this' and I continue to start and then stop... self-sabotaging. I mean, what the heck AM I doing? I am closer to 300 lbs. than 200 lbs. And I should not even be near to 200 lbs. But here I am. That's the reality.

That's no longer my reality.  I've gone through a full year of working toward being the Healthy Loser Gal I want to become... and I'm soooo much healthier now than I was a year ago when even walking up a flight of stairs would have winded me.  I'll write much more later tonight but - for now - I wanted to post a few photos of "Then" and "Now" (not Before and After... kind of Before and Half-way There...). 

Thank you, my friends, for all your encouragement!  I am so grateful for your friendly tweets - your honesty in your own ups & downs so I could be honest in return when I felt awful and fell off my plan in a big, bad, dramatic way. lol I *know* I would not be 60+ pounds lighter today if I hadn't connected with all of you here while I've poured out my heart (along with pouring the Pepsi down the drain!) and accomplished what I have.  Thank you!!

And... you know what?  Damn, I'm proud of myself today! *grin* And here's the really cool thing - if *I* can do this... YOU can do this!

Dream.

Believe.

Work.

Achieve.

Big hugs from me to you~
HealthyLoserGal / Jan

I Have Great Knees.

I have great knees.  My trainer told me so. *grin*  You read that right - my "trainer"... as in "exercise trainer" as in... I'm exercising!  (Did I just hear someone faint out there? lol)  My trainer (LOVE saying that!), Parker, is pictured here at the YMCA on Saturday with me when he was doing my assessment (note the clipboard!).  The knee comment was in relation to getting up and down about a dozen times from a seated position without having my knees wobble in or outward.  "Great knees", he said.  I looked at him puzzled... "What?" and then he explained about the non-wobble of my knees.  Hey! It's something good about my out-of-shape body - I'm taking it! :)  More about Parker and my first visit to the YMCA (that was more than swimming) in a moment...

I am really, REALLY enjoying the Vtrim classes I am in every Tuesday night online and the amount of information I am learning that I never, ever knew is just amazing to me!  How could I be more than 30 years old *insert sweet smile here, please* and not know simple things like 3500 calories = 1 lb.  So, if you want to lose one pound, you need to rid your diet of 3500 calories in one way or another - through less calories or more exercise.  How could I live this long and not have known that whether you're walking a mile or running a mile, you're going to lose the same amount of calories... 100.  I always assumed walking faster meant burning more calories... it doesn't!  You just get to that mile marker faster.  Have you guys all known this and I'm the only one who didn't? lol

So the first week with Vtrim was really just learning how to journal.  You write down everything you eat and how you're feeling... I'm good at journaling having been on Weight Watchers.  But the AMAZING thing with Vtrim is that I'm not just counting "points" blindly, the Vtrim journal counts up the calories and the FAT GRAMS!  No wonder I was stalled losing... you should see the regular fat intake I was downing daily.  I was horrified!  Here on the left is an example of my journal on Vtrim which shows the exercise on Saturday.  Did you know that statistics prove that if you journal you're more likely to lose weight and keep it off?  True.  I think it is all about 'consciously eating' vs 'mindless eating' which I did for years.  I also called it 'grazing'.  "Oh, that looks good... ... and so does that... ... well, I can't get this everyday, I should eat this while I have the opportunity!"  Hello?  Can you see why I started this journey with 100 pounds to lose?

The next week's lesson with the online Vtrim class (an hour class once a week) was on "Energy In: Calories".  The facilitator for my class, Stuart, gave us the formula to figure our how many calories we need on a daily basis to maintain our weight (ack!) and how many we need if we want to lose just one pound a week.  Remember the one pound = 3500 calories so divided that by seven days and you need to cut out 500 calories from your diet if you plan to get no exercise.  I was so intrigued by all of this... why hadn't I heard it before?  No offense against Weight Watchers, but they never taught these simple basics in meetings & really ought to be. One check in favor of Vtrim! : )

Last night's class was about "Energy Out: Exercise" and taught me the info about whether you're walking or running, you're still going to burn 100 calories in one mile!  I was thrilled to learn, too, that getting an hour's worth of exercise in over the course of the day is just as effective as getting it all at once.  I can really easily accomplish three 20 minute walks in one day... one 60 minute walk is much more difficult.  I know other friends who are in the same boat.  This coming week - even though I'll be on vacation in Florida for the week - I'll be walking 2 and a half miles.  I'll probably be doing much more than that - but my assigned walking for the week is certainly attainable!  All good!

I don't know why but I was kind of dreading and anxiously excited about my first training class at the Y! I lucked out on a trainer - Parker is so kind and so non-judgmental and encouraging.  I said to him at one point when I couldn't do an exercise easily "I'm sorry!".  He stopped us, looked squarely at me and said "Why are you sorry?!"  I wanted to blurt out "for being fat and out of shape" but before I could he added, "You have nothing to be sorry for... you're doing GREAT!".  *beam*  (And I'm teared up writing this as this is SUCH a huge obstacle for me to overcome.)  When we first met and were beginning the assessment, Parker was asking me all kinds of questions about my background... "Did you participate in any sports in college?".  I blinked.  It seemed like a million years ago but the answer was 'yes'.  I had a scholarship for Field Hockey.  I was an athlete!  How did I get to who I am today where I can't even remember that?

My heart rate is quirky - even though I've never had heart problems.  What we found out on Saturday is that it spikes upward easily... so I'm only allowed to exercise right now while I'm wearing a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) or have the program that Parker customized for me on a usb drive plugged into the treadmill at the Y.  This way I'm staying in my target heart rate (all new to me!!) and I'm accountable and he can keep an eye on me when he's not with me - very tricky! lol

Nine days from today is my year anniversary of beginning this journey.  I leave on Saturday to visit my sister in Florida and am going to be going to my see my Red Sox in a spring training game - I'm so psyched!!! :)  I'll celebrate St. Pat's in Florida with my sister and then will fly back.  I plan to spend the day of the 19th celebrating my one year anniversary either outside if it is nice or inside at the YMCA if it isn't.

Soon to be overheard at the YMCA:

    "Who's that exercising over there?" 

    "Oh, that's just Healthy Loser Gal... she's here all the time!"

*grin*  Thanks for your support friends - I know I wouldn't be this far along this journey without you!!

Headstrong Determination!

I don't know about for you, but for ME, the saying above really hit home!  I do have HEADSTRONG determination when I put my mind to it.

Some people in my past have criticized me for being 'headstrong' and 'stubborn'... well, guess what?  I think I've finally found a reason to be proud of it!  It is going to help me lose the next 50 lbs. and get my backside to the YMCA and begin exercising.  My Vtrim facilitator, Stuart, wrote those words to me in an email this week... "Some times it just takes some headstrong determination and I know you can do this!"  He had no idea how much those words would impact me. (I've since told him.)  They changed me... pushed me to the front of the crowd...

I *am* going to do this!
I *am* going to rock the next 11 weeks with Vtrim and the Y!
I *am* going to reach my goal weight this summer and...
I *am* going to be a healthier, better version of myself.

Negative thinking, fear of failure, old 'tapes' in my head... do you think you can stop me!? Just try! You're going to be hugely disappointed.

Yeah, baby... it's Watch Out World multiplied by Irish will and German stubborness. 

Bring it on! :)