Long time no post

Well I know it's been a long time since I've been on here. With everything else going on in my life I felt it better to focus on one task at home instead of a million which is what it seemed like. I have recently found myself in a situation that is enabling a healthy life, which is good. But it also brings light to the fact that I haven't been keeping up nearly as much as I might pretend I have. I have been offered a challenge to either accept or deny. The challange is this: Prove that you are able to do what you say you can do and say you want to do! The other parts are not relevant to this blog at all ;)

Well I can say that I will be starting the Almased again this week. Most likely tomorrow since that's the first of the month - even if it is on a Tuesday! The other day I took the kids to the bookstore before heading to the Dr's. I was just trying to kill time. It was the most well behaved they've ever been there, which made it easier for me to go look around without worry. I found a book called Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. I had heard of this book before but never placed it or felt a desire to go through it. She offers "simple secrets to get your kids eating good food". Once I start making the recipes in there I will post the recipe, a picture and the verdict from the kids. If you've started reading this blog from the beginning than you know that I do have one picky eater and one very good eater. Maybe Ms. Picky will help make the food (minus her not knowing what the purees are)!

Today I weighed in for the start of the new Kate. Not as bad as when I initially started this journey last year. I weighed in today at about 155-1/2. I remember starting before around 167 which was disheartening looking back on it.
Today for breakfast I had 1-1/4 c of Blueberry cereal - Great Grains. It came in at 260 total calories. For Lunch it was a whole wheat tortilla, with a french onion babybell cheese spread, spinach and chicken with a side of cantelope. I just finished some Turbo Jam, as much as I could get done with kids right in front of me and not listening! But I'm sure that in a little bit I will be able to do some more.

I know that getting back into this will prove challenging but I hope I can manage to stick with something great because I do remember how great it felt to be in a place I was happy with, especially after having two kids. Right now I'm going to go read some more in the Tosca Reno Book I also got the day of the bookstore! She is the woman who contribute and is founder of Clean Eating! And you all know how much I love Clean Eating! I'm looking to embarking on this journey with you all for a second time and I hope that this time I don't have another major event to stop me in my tracks! LOL.

xoxox-
Kate

P.S - If any of you are big fans of dressings, etc there is a completely calorie free dressing company called Walden Farms! And these are amazing. I've tried a few of them! ;) Enjoy

Still heading toward my goal!

So it's been 8 days since I finished my fast and I've done a great job, I think, at maintaining my weight and measurements since I started eating more food in a day. I've cooked specialty meals every single day and John actually told me yesterday that he would rather eat the food I'm making than eating out! I feel like that was one of the nicest things he's ever said to me! I remember one time when I made dinner to perfection (or so I thought) and when I asked him how is dinner was all he could say was, "it's a little bland/dry". I couldn't believe it! I was horrified and I felt so bad that I stopped making him things. And in letting him fend for himself he turned to convenience which was unhealthy in his case. Then I decided to better things for us all and now I get that great compliment.

I've been working on walking with Ellie for the last 4 days. We got about 3.5-4 miles each day. And two days ago I started my Slim in 6 again because I want to get through the whole DVD, which I haven't done ever. I feel like doing the walking, taking care of what I put into my body and going the extra mile with doing SI6 that it's helping me maintain and even lose whatever extra weight I have to lose!

Ellie wanted to try to do the fast but I'm sure she's cheated everyday she's been on it and that's disappointing. It was really hard for me to go through the entire 14 days without being tempted and wanting to try things but I stuck to my guns because I know I have an inner "warrior" somewhere in there that could do it. So.....I hate that someone is using my extra cans that doesn't have the gumption to do what is suppose to be done! And maybe I shouldn't be so hung up in that part of things but I can't help but not want to walk with her if she isn't doing what she says she'll do.

I have about 3 or 4 days of plateauing at the same weight and not going anywhere. It happened to me once during my fast and it happened to me last week when I started to eat two meals a day! I get discouraged when that happens but I think maybe I should be glad it didn't creep up? I'm doing what needs to be done for my family and my families health and I can't ask for more than that. I know that putting on all my problems took time and it wont go away immediately unless I cut if off - and in case you haven't noticed, I'm not that rich! I'm sure I've said this before but I want my kids to grow up knowing what it is to sit down to a meal that someone took time to prepare and really enjoy everyone's company and the meal they're eating. And I want my kids to come home from College after a long semester or year and ask me for their favorite meal because it's comforting to them as well as good for them! I want to be able to teach them what I've taught myself so they can be healthy on their own instead of just being like their friends who go to McDonald's!
I've never really cared up until now about how unhealthy I was or how inactive I was. And once I had my kids I knew that taking them to eat at certain places wasn't healthy I just never did anything about it because I was lazy and unhappy! But now I'm changing that. My daughter now knows that exercising is fun and she sees me doing it everyday. She helps me make snacks and meals. And my son is always the first to try and usually love anything that's been made! It's a nice feeling and it makes me want to do so much more or try more.

I think this is a great turn around. I, frankly, hope that everyone comes back to the "old ways" and start creating some family traditions because we're quickly becoming a nation of unhealthy kids and obese adults and everyone is consumed with watching tv or computing while they eat instead of taking the time to really get to know eachother. I had it when I was a child and I think as much as I hated it at the time (even though I didn't watch much tv as it was) I couldn't want something different now that I'm an adult and I sure wouldn't want to do my children the disadvantage of allowing them to be just like everyone else!

Things seem to be steady!

So I've been off the fast now for 6 days and I've had a hard time not snacking on what I'm denying myself. Yesterday, for example, Ray wanted to take everyone to Red Lobster. So I looked at the menu ahead of time, and figured out the calories for what I'd be ordering: Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail and a Garden Salad with Balsamic Vinegrette! I didn't use more than a quarter of the dressing on my salad so I let myself have a roll with it and I only ate 3 out of the 6 shrimp and just one dip of cocktail sauce. Overall I think I did a good job. Then I came home to workout, did about 32 minutes of various things and then drank my shake. Ellie wanted to go walking again so we did another 3.5 miles up to blackhawk and back! We plan on doing that walk any maybe farther everyday since she plans on starting the fast soon too.

I've been weighing myself daily because I use the wii and I enjoy getting up in the morning and seeing what my hardwork is doing. For the last two days (since I allowed myself to eat Indian Eggplant with Rotapratas) I've been staying at 147.9. I was down to 146.5 on the last day of the fast so I'm a little disappointed that I've crept up a pound and a half. I've been holding off eating lunch and dinner because yesterday was suppose to be my first day of lunch and dinner but because everyone was so full from lunch I made my dinner to eat for lunch today. I'll be making dinner again tonight. I'm not sure if all this means I should be working out more since I'm starting to eat again or what. I really wish I had someone who knew the specifics so they could just tell me, "yes workout more.", or "no stay where you are, you'll have to level out again."!

Almased - The Final Day

First off, let me start off by saying that when I think of someone who is obese I think of them needing to lose more than 45 pounds, someone who is overweight needing to lose between 20-44, and so on. I always thought I was just a normal mother of two. I thought that the baby weight I put on after each pregnancy wasn't that bad and that I would be able to lose it within their first year of life. Too bad for me, that wasn't reality. Like many other people, I never realized how much I really had to lose. There was a day when I was at the bookstore and something sparked inside of me that prompted me to look into this book called the Abs Diet Book. As I was reading I came across a series of equations to figure out different things like BMR, Boday Fat %, etc. In doing those equations, at first for fun, I found out that my ideal weight and healthy body fat % should be between 136-146 pounds. In figuring that out I thought to myself, "was I really in bad shape all through highschool? Was I really that unhealthy when I got married?" Both of those milestones were 5+ years ago so it isn't hard to belive that after two kids I was in the worst shape of my life.

When I started this Almased plan I weighed in at 160. Around 162 was my heaviest weight to date (not being pregnant). That doesn't sound that bad, right? That sounds "average" or at least it does to me. But then to figure out that I had nearly 20 pounds to lose!!! That's shocking. I guess I was just in denial about how far I needed to get. I never assumed I would be that person who was overweight and so unhealthy. I only thought we ate out a little too much. So being this Almased Turbo Protein Fast has really opened my eyes. While fasting I've read up on the best health magazine, CLEAN EATING, and have noticed a real mental turn around. I want to do better for myself, kids and husband. I want to make food that is good for them but that they also come home from college on the weekends and ask for a specific recipe that I've made so many times throughout their life!

I'm proud to report these changes:
Almased - Final Day
23.11 BMR 147.3 Weight
Bust: 36.5in (1.5in)
Ribs: 30in (3in)
Waist: 28.5 (3.5in)
BB: 32in (4.5in)
Hips: 37 in (2in)
Butt: 39 in (2in)
L Thigh: 22in (2in)
R Thigh: 22in (1in)

That's a total of 19.5 total inches and 13 pounds. I shattered my goal that I set on the Wii and had to reset another goal. That's great and I feel it's a great start. This Thursday is a Zumba class at the Rush I plan on going to. I know that getting out and doing different things will really bring a smile to my face and give me the motivation I need to get the job done. Like I said, this is a great jump start and I'm proud of the fact that I was able to do the whole program. I will probably repeat the fast in 3 or 4 months to get another jump on where I want to be. Today for lunch was suppoe to be Bruschetta Eggplant. I didn't know about soaking your eggplant before use so it ended up being cooked just like it went in and it tasted aweful! So instead I had to improvise - thank goodness this house always has some boiled chicken breasts in the fridge - and I had Chicken Cheese Wrap that consisted of shredded chicken breast, onion slivers, cheese spread and a dollop of ketchup all rolled in a whole wheat wrap. It was alright. I also had one orange slice just for variety. I also want to continue fasting because at least I know that's working. I almost don't feel ready for food again but I know that's just my nerves getting the best of me. Today I'm going to go take the kids out for a walk in the wagon. I'm sure the sunshine and fresh air will help my mood and my nerves and I'm sure the cardio will do wonders too! Not to mention these hills are killer!

Thanks so much for all the support and encouragement given throught this two weeks. I will be blogging pictures and things of the meals I eat in the upcoming days. Also on Thursday I will be posting a weight update just so we can see how much water and weight were retained while eating on Wednesday! I look forward to keeping you updated.

Just a tiny update!

So much has been happening lately that I've only been focusing on my health and weightloss. It's nice to force myself to make time to just do what needs to be done. I realized the other day that I misinformed everyone with the blog when I said I would be doing my final weigh-in and measurement on Tuesday. Technically I have to finish out all of Tuesday before my 14 days is over so I will be giving you all the final run down on Wednesday morning.

I recently got a new workout DVD that my mom bought me. It's the Jillian Michael's Burn Fat Boost Metabolism DVD. I have been a little nervous to try it because I watched two workouts that are on the DVD and it seems really intense. I will probably try it sometime this week. On Thursday I'm going to the Zumba Class at the Rush. The kids love the play place there so I'm sure I will be able to finish the class without any interruptions.

I'm excited about Wednesday. It's the first day I get to start eating again and I've already gotten the food and planned out what we will be eating for the next 2 weeks. I still have a few more items to get for later when everyone is eating with me but that can wait until payday. I'll be posting pictures of what I have for lunch for the first 4 days and also on Thursday I will be posting an update on how much weight I put on after the fast just from eating that one meal. I'm really excited. I'm happy with the results I've gotten so far and I can't wait to see where I end up after tomorrow!

Almased - Half Way Point

These last few days have been a struggle for me. When I hit day 5 of this program I noticed that I was more acidy feeling than the first 4 days and I seemed to be getting more hungry during the day. I was also struggling with the fact that the goals I wanted to accomplish weren't showing in the mirror, or at least not to me. I've never been one to really care about the number on the scale but I have always cared about the physical goals I want to reach. I've always wanted to have a flat belly. The last time I had said belly was when I was in middle school (about 10 years agoish). I know that it isn't realistic to be a grown woman and wish for the body I had before highschool. Sometimes I feel like the only way I'll ever reach my goal of a flat belly is to just go get a tummy tuck and sow things up.

I've been working out for the last 4 days. I took the kids to the gym's place while I got an hour workout in. I've also been alternating days between the 30 Day Shred and just doing some stuff on the Wii. I plan on going to a class or two at the gym during the week and once it gets warmer the kids and I will be going for walks. I'm sure the hills will do wonders not to mention being able to get outside the house.

I didn't post this the first post I had but here are my stats starting off:
25.05 BMI 159.6lbs
Bust: 38in
Ribs: 33in
Waist: 32in
BellyButton: 36-1/2in
Hips: 39in
Butt: 41in
L Thigh: 24in
R Thigh: 23in

Then today at the half way point here are my stats:
23.91 BMI 152.3lbs
Bust: 37in (-1in)
Ribs: 31-1/4in (-1.75in)
Waist: 29-3/4in (-2.25in)
BellyButton: 32in (-4.5in)
Hips: 37-1/2in (-1.5in)
Butt: 40-1/2in (-.5in)
L Thigh: 22-1/4in (-1.75in)
R Thigh: 22-1/2in (-.5in)

So all in all I have been getting to my goal slowly but surely. I think I have this thinking that since I started this I should just drop all the fat I've put on in the last 6 years overnight. I know that isn't realistic. I called my dad while I was on the treadmill at the gym just to get some encouragement and he said to me, "Your ultimate goal is to have no belly. If it doesn't happen completely gone within these 14 days than you know you've made a huge leap to reaching your goal and you just carry on until you've hit the target!" I can always count on him to make sense of my nonsense!

So over all I'm thrilled and surprised that in 7 days I've gotten so far. I'm a little nervous what the days after the fast will hold. I'm anxious to see how much will come back once I start eatting and how much more I will workout to maintain an inches loss. I've recently found some new cooking magazines that I love. My favorite is Clean Eating. It comes with shopping lists and meals to make from the lists, every recipe includes calorie information which is helpful in making sure I reach my daily intake goals, and all the meals look incredible! They even have pizzas you can make that look like real pizzas you would get from pizzahut!

That's all for now. My last post will be next Tuesday and it will tell you all my final results for this 14 Day Fast! I'm excited to see where I will end up. Wish me luck and I'm so glad to be sharing this journey with you!

Almased Fast - Day 1.

So let me start with a back story: I was reading an issue of Southern Living that my mother-in-law got in the mail. I don't really read many articles or anything but I ran across this two page spread about Almased. It looked interesting so I went online to look it up. I found sites with reviews, the actual site and a buying site that has the cheapest prices. I sent a copy of it to my good girlfriend to have her look over it and tell me if it sounded stupid to try or if it sounded legit. She gave me the go-ahead and I had also discussed it with my mom. For those of you who don't know what Almased is, it's a protein suppliment that's been around since 1985 (it's older than me), founded by the Germans to help maintain or lose weight. It isn't said to be a miracle worker and the makers don't say that once you stop taking the suppliment that you'll remain where you were while on it. It provides Protein, vitamins and minerals to meet your daily needs. It was originally used in Germany as a 14 day fast and the program now allows diversity by using differnt levels to acheive weight goals.

I received my Almased after I ordered from iherb.com last week. I was going to wait until Monday to start my fast because I feel like if I start on a certain day I will feel better about it. Well I tried one drink and it tasted aweful. I honestly didn't think I could do it. My parents where here and we were discussing everything about it when finally I realized that I just needed a way to sweeten it up. I got some sweetner like equal and then didn't drink any more yesterday. I started today again on the fast and this time didn't worry about the taste, although the sweetner helped.

I feel like this would be so much easier if I didn't have two kids to feed throughout the day. I made the veggie stock with our random vegetables so that I could have something other than water and the Almased. The program allows for vegetable broth to be used like a snack. I was thinking today as I drank my second shake, that I might not want to continue on the whole 14 days but then I figured I was doing this for a reason and that 14 days isn't that long.

So on Monday I measured myself and did my Wii weigh in. I was amazed at how not working out for two weeks after hurting my knee skiing I could gain back inches as well as pounds! I hate it. It wouldn't be a problem if I were thinner, to gain an inch or so around certain areas would be considered bloat. I feel so disgusting that I can't wait to see how much visible change I get doing this 14 day fast. I will do a weigh in next Monday and then on the end day just so I can get an idea where I am. I will also do a measurement on the weigh in days. Wish me luck! I'll keep you posted.