Success Along the Weigh

Yesterday was one of the rare times I had the Dr. Oz show on in the background and there was a woman who engaged in "fat talk."  Always thinking negatively about herself, cutting down on herself in front of her friends, etc. (Sound familiar?  *raising hand*) I don't do that nearly as much as I used to but sometimes it still slips. Some lady came on and asked the woman to describe herself with five positive non-weight related adjectives.  I thought this was a good practice to remind ourselves that we are more than the weight we tend to focus on. So here are mine: 1. Thoughtful 2. Sentimental 3. Funny 4. Direct 5. Creative Now it's your turn! Describe yourself using five non-weight related adjectives ==================== Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter )

Yesterday was one of those days that was just chock full from beginning to end.  I have a lot of holiday projects that are kicking into full gear and I had to get started on those.  Then I had all kinds of food stuff I had to do.  Chili was on the menu for dinner last night and leftovers for tonight so that means I had to hydrate the beans which heated up the joint.  My mom asked me like 3 weeks ago to do cake balls for her and I'm gonna tell her that's the last batch I'm doing for someone else.  I did a cake ball class for her and my aunt this time last year so I wouldn't have to make them for either of them ever again and yet I said yes by reflex when she caught me off guard.  Grr...why do I do that knowing it was going to be a busy time!?  The Mr is dropping them off to her tomorrow and they'll come with a note..."enjoy...I'm never making them again."  :-)   She said on the phone she didn't want to "mess with them."  Well, guess wh...

We're doing stuff a little different this Monday recap.   I'm here to share this weekend's "things." Most irritating thing :  Drivers swerving into my lane/cutting people off at the last minute.  This is how 90% of people are driving now and it just makes me want to move to an atoll and learn to spear fish and get Castaway thin.  I know now why the prayer I say for the Mr every morning is necessary. Cutest thing :  My grandpa had a spreadsheet full of dudes names for some lunch they have every month where they live.  Some people have died, new guys have moved in so the printed spreadsheet was looking rather ragged.  He asked if I could re-type it on my typewriter.  I told him I could do it on the computer.  When I came over to get the list, he had gotten a ruler and re-drew the blank spreadsheet on a piece of paper for me to "type" in on the computer.  ;-) Newest thing :  A new grocery store opened (kind of Trader Joe-ish) ...

This week has been good to get back to the grind.  I can't believe we've only been back for a week...it feels like it's been three.  Why do vacation vibes seem to drain so quickly?  I'm glad we've gotten back to the exercising; especially strength.  I did miss doing that while we were gone and my muscles always feel like they've atrophied like Bugs Bunny trying to flex. But enough of that schtuff...let's get to 22 Kick Ass Kettlebell Exercises Airlines Are Purposely Shrinking Seats to Make You Miserable   (Probably) Five Fit Celebs Who Live to Eat the 80/20 Rule   (Props!) Never Shop in October and Other Secrets from a Retail Guru Online Smart Shopping Tips:  Five Things to Do Before You Check Out   (I do most but in case you don't.) The Best (and Worst) Foods for Healthy Teeth Silly Things People Have Said to Me When I Tell Them I'm Not Having Kids   (I couldn't stop laughing at her comebacks.  SO...

Oh you're in for a treat today, y'all. You get a break from my sorry ass and get to listen to the Mr spout off!  Buckle up buttercups! First of all I'd like to thank the Mrs for asking me to share a post with everyone today.  This all stems from something that happened to me this week and we both felt it was something that perhaps everyone could appreciate.  I suppose I should introduce myself a little first.  I am married to your trusted blog-mistress, and have been through this weight loss journey along with her.  At my heaviest I weighed 455 lbs and am around (not counting any recently acquired vacation weight) 265 lbs. During my weight loss journey, I had a lot of co-workers who would all notice the differences in my weight at various times.  It's funny how some people can be oblivious for much longer than others but that is how it is. Eventually, however, the weight loss became so noticeable that virtually everyone in my immediate work area n...

Last night we got in an at home circuit to kick some strength and cardio butt.  I feel like things are getting back on track but I can't wait to feel 100% again on the workout front.  I pee'd a LOT yesterday (sorry) so I know my bod is trying to let go of some of that sodium so that's a step in the right direction. Last night was an exciting double feature movie night.  Oh yeah baby!  October has actually been a good renting month after a really dry summer.  Last week we rented The Heat   (affiliate link)   (which if you know of my disdain for Melissa what's her face it will come as no surprise that we hated it) and The Croods (affiliate link)  and we really liked it!  It was kind of a joke that we rented it because when we were in Traverse City, the State Theater was playing it on the weekend and I remembered we said it looked good in previews but the Mr denied it.  So every time we walked past it, I would look at the movie poste...

Wow...last night's workout sucked.   Despite walking 38 miles last week which might not be much for runners but for at home dvd'ers like us, it was quite a feat.  Every day we were sore and our hips hurt or my leg muscles were giving me a little grief but I was cool with it because walking just isn't something I do much. It also gave us a false sense that we were doing cardio and honestly except for a few times, it wasn't heart pumping. So you know, why bother using the resistance bands we brought or doing any extra cardio?  The end result? Sluggy McSluggerson. We ate an embarrassing amount of food.  That whole mentality of hitting the places we loved before, trying places we missed then being pissed that the places we tried sucked and that sense of entitlement of something better.  Ugh.  We both are so friggin' bloated.  The hollower places like my thighs, the weird dents in my gut and my calves are all puffed up but do you think some of th...

Howdy do all? Well, if you follow me on Instagram , you know my secret...we snuck away to Traverse City, Michigan last week for a vacay.  It was much needed and we had a nice time.  When we went last year, we had six rainy days and one sunny one which happened to thankfully fall on the Mr's birthday.  This year we had five sunny days and two less than ideal but were still able to do stuff.  We stayed downtown this time so we could walk most places to eat and shop.  We got in 38 miles of walking averaging 5.43 miles per day.  I think that's a new record for us beating Chicago by about 1/2 mile.  However, I don't think it put a dent in the damage we did food wise but that's another post. In the meantime, here's a few shots from our getaway... No vacation is complete without a trip to the local Humane Society It's pretty sad when 6 samples this size give us both flaming headaches.  Definitely not drinkers but the spiced cherry win...

I know this is going to sound like an infomercial but bear with me.  I'm only sharing this because I love this service and use it all the time...okay that and I forgot to bookmark the few things I read this week because I'm absentminded like that.  Wah wahhh. Am I the only one who is just over half done with my Christmas shopping?  I am?  Oh...then I won't tell you that I have the Mr's already wrapped. *ducking objects being thrown* I do pretty much all of my Christmas shopping through Amazon.  I have ever since it was a novelty and especially now that it's a mainstay.  I'm also pretty impatient.  Standard shipping is fine but it's 3-5 days from the time it ships.  If you get Amazon Prime, you get upgraded to 2 day shipping on qualifying items which are most things they sell.  For us this is well worth the annual fee ($79) because we use Amazon all year long when we need something or are buying birthday presents and don't want to spe...

We're on the move today, which means long hours in the car.  It seems every time a bigger road trip is in the works, we stumble upon this... via Pinterest He always excitedly asks me "remember auto bingo!?"  I give him a blank stare and say "for the 400th time, no.  I never had it!"  It's almost like his brain will just not comprehend you could road trip as a kid without it. When I was a kid, we didn't go on road trips that were too long or required too much to keep me occupied.  I was more than content to look out the window and take it all in.  I don't remember asking "are we there yet?" to a degree that would exercise my parents "vacation elbow."  I think the only form of entertainment I had was "dancing" to the beat of the raised asphalt lines every few feet on the freeway.  I would use the "beat" of the sound of the tires going over them to see if I could tell if they were spaced the same distanc...

I'm a big proponent of getting rid of your "fat clothes" as you size down out of them.  I've always felt that hanging on to them kind of gives you that excuse to not see your goal through or have clothes to fall back on if your commitment wanes.  This way, gaining weight will cost you some money and that might be just enough incentive for some.  We have probably donated well over 10-12 bags of clothes over our weight loss up to this point.  But what about those other clothes?  The ones we call the "almost there" clothes in our parts. These are clothes that, in our cases, fit well up top but are snug and/or short on the bottom but another 10-20 lbs off could make all the difference in how they fit.  That's great but here's the problem, especially when dealing with a shirt that is too short...unless your torso shortens, it's never going to fit!  I know your gut can go down and not push the shirt out as far but we're talking shirts that by the...

You guys know I like my at home DVD's.  It's how we've lost 99% of our weight.  I also don't always have money to spend on adding new blood to the rotation and who doesn't like to get something awesome for free? Here are a list of some cool, free websites I keep bookmarked when I need new workout injected into the routine. Workout Labs   (Customize your own workouts, get them in PDF form and take 'em on the go!) Do Yoga With Me  (We use this quite a bit.  There are some great sessions for all levels of yogi's) Fitness Blender  (A great source for at home workout videos for all fitness levels) Fitness Magazine (They have some really good instructional videos.  Mixing and matching can help you customize your own workout) Blogilates (Cassey Ho is super cute but VERY peppy.  I need to be in the mood for it (or mute) but you go ahead and dive on in!) Tone It Up (These ladies have some great workout moves that I like to incor...

Sorry if anyone came here thinking we were talking about the board game ,  (affiliate link)   which is awesome in its own right but I'm talking about real apples baby! I eat apples every day.  Fall is my favorite time of year because my two favorite apples ever are in their peak form...Honeycrisps and Pink Ladies.  I'm always amazed when people say they've never heard of or tasted either of them.  Scandalous!  I found out all kinds of interesting info about both kinds so if you've never had them and are curious (or you just want to learn something new today), read on! We have Western Australia to thank for Pink Ladies.  In 1973, they hybridized the Golden Delicious and Lady Williams apples but didn't make their way to the States until the late 1980's.  They're grown mostly on the west coast.  They used to have a much shorter in store season in our part of the woods but I've noticed the past few years I've been able to find t...

I am looking forward to a little relax-say-she-awn.  (Or relaxation for those without the ability to decipher what the hell I was saying in the previous sentence.) It's been a hectic few weeks and now that holiday stuff is getting ready to gear up for the year, our weekends are going to get jam packed.  The Mr has a huge work project coming up that will undoubtedly make an already stressful time even more so for him.  So this weekend we're just focusing on doing what we want.  (I know, this doesn't really differ much from any other weekend but the focus is going to be on being chill.)  We'll be doing one of many birthday celebrations for the Mr but this one will just be us which I'm looking forward to.  I'm going to forego a weekend recap Monday because I just want the weekend to be ours this time and not have to worry about taking blog worthy pics.  I know you guys understand because you're cool like dat!  I've got a mega hectic week next we...

My morning oatmeal isn't your typical bland bowl of oats.  Most times I like to fancy it up a bit.  I always add bananas but sometimes I'll add Biscoff spread or mini chocolate chips or if I'm feeling sassy, both. These babies were inspired by the sassy days... Morning Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (Makes 34) 3/4 cup all purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 cups oats (regular or quick cook) 1 medium ripe banana, mashed (no lumps) 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup Trader Joe's organic maple sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 stick Blue Bonnet margarine, softened 6 tbsp Biscoff Crunchy Spread 1/2 cup Nestle mini chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350, grease cookie sheets with cooking spray or use silpats. Combine butter and sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla, banana, Biscoff spread and chips. Blend until combined. Add flour, baking soda and oats and mix well. Chill dough for 15 minutes. Drop by rounded tabl...

For the first time in a long time, I had to skip a workout due to a migraine.  I've worked out through migraines before (to the point of almost passing out) but that along with a knee that was feeling the pain told me listening to my body was the better choice.  This one was a stress induced one and there's not a whole lot I can do for it once it kicks over.  So the Mr gave me a deep massage until his fingers almost snapped off and once I realized working out wasn't in the cards, I went upstairs to run a detox bath.  Of course the damn drain decided to start not holding water so I had to yell for the Mr to come fix it.  It ALWAYS works for his salt baths but not when IIIII need it. *kicks pebble* He got it working for me and I grabbed the MP3 player and put it on .5 because that's about as loud as I could tolerate it.  I got my potions ready for the double, double toil and trouble.  Here's what I use for my detox bath... Aztec Secret Indian Heali...

This weekend was...interesting. We got an early start for a long road trip and as seems to be our usual over the past few months another Saturday sunrise on four wheels. I had to take a pic of this cute, simple flower arrangement for Fall that was at a roadside pumpkin stand.  Isn't it gourd-geous?  Wah wahh. Of course, antiquing was on the schedule and because I have a 9 year old boy trapped inside me, seeing this made me giggle enough to whip out the phone. I was flabbergasted to see the Western Barbie I had as a kid.  The box has never been opened so even her little stamp pad is in it's original plastic and the hair brush and stuff is all still in its connective plastic at the bottom.  I still have mine but I don't think she looks quite this good anymore. These freaked me the hell out so if they haunt my dreams, they have to haunt yours.  The Mr said it's like the Headless Horseman had children. This is where I would've put a pi...

It's Friday y'all...can I get an Halleluyer? I need a vacation.  Seriously.  I'm so tired of dealing with irritating people who won't proverbially shit or get off the pot, situations out of our control and decisions being made that basically are akin to Indy throwing the sand over the invisible bridge and taking a step on faith.  I would like to just be able to take a breath please and not have some kind of bullcrap to worry about for a week or so. Yesterday was hairy beast day.  My hair turned this weird ass orangey color from the sun in Kauai.  I mean I had brown roots and red hair with no dye involved.  I HATED it!  It reminded me of my cringeworthy Sun In days.  Ever since then, my hair tends to get this brassy red in the summer.  So I grabbed some John Frieda foam hair coloring.  I'd never tried it before and I wasn't sure how foam would work but it seems to be just fine.  The color is nice and dark again with only slight h...

After last night's workout, which wasn't a hard one at all, I was ravenous.  I fixed a pork chop and brussels for dinner and about 30 minutes after we ate, I was hungry again.  I have my calories planned out meticulously for the week and there was no room for feeding the beast an extra snack after our evening nosh of sugar free pudding....an old favorite but now rare treat. I desperately wanted some light kettle corn.  110 calories, full of fiber and not so far over the edge that it couldn't be worked in. No.  Must stay strong. I will not think of the buy one, get one free ice cream cone offer I have printed out for the weekend or the fact it's buy one get one free sundae day.  Mmm...ice cream. No.  Stop thinking. La, la, la.   We have 2 extra apples.  Nutritious, delicious, need to be eaten.  Another 100 calories. *defeated sigh* Green tea.  3 calories, filling, warm in the tummy. So proud of our decision not to eat ...

I'm feeling pretty random today so bear with me. It's pretty evident that my hormones are starting to shift for the month.  Little does Aunt Flo know there's going to be a road closed sign when she tries to pull up the street this month so...sorry!  See ya in November!  But since my body doesn't know that yet, I've been feelin' the bitchy gene kicking up. One instance was this stupid package our new car company sent us.  One of the things in this little package is a travel journal.  While this would be a good idea, the thing would need to be half it's current size to fit in the already too small and cramped glove compartment.  Do you have any idea how irritating it is to go from a glove compartment that you had to let the driver know to send out a search party if you're not out in 10 minutes to one that barely holds the registration, insurance card, mandatory ibuprofen and a nail file?!  On the inside cover, it asks for more information than I'm ...

This one's for the lunch crowd.  I'm not the kind of person who is going to cut starchy carbs from my diet.  If this is going to work long term for me/us, we've got to include the things we love.  But I do try to cut back on them where I can and when I want to lighten up my chicken salad, I grab my little gem lettuce or endive and I make these bad boys... Quick Chicken Salad Cups 2-3 leaves of little gem, endive or bib lettuce 2.5 oz Trader Joe's chicken breast* 2 tbsp Miracle Whip Light 1 oz wedge honeycrisp apple 1 scallion, diced Grab your lettuce leaves for action Boil two Trader Joe's chicken tenderloins and shred. I eat an apple every day.  I took one wedge of a honeycrisp apple and diced it down into small chunks and diced one scallion. Add those to the bowl of chicken along with 2 tbsp of Miracle Whip Light. Give it all a mix and add any salt free spices like thyme, basil, oregano, etc. Divide it up and add it to yo...