Retirement

I am afriad that due to the increasing demands of my Masters program combined with the daily demands of life...I will no longer be actively maintaining this blog. I would like to thank all my readers for all of their support, and rest assured that while I may not be authoring anymore blogs I will definitely find the time to visit yours!! Good luck....and God Bless!

January Weigh In

Well, it's the last day in January, and as such it is my weigh day. I began the month weighing in at 192 lbs, and now.........************drum roll*********** the results are in!! 186 lbs! And the crowd goes wild!!!!!!!!!!! I'm very pleased with my results, I lost a grand total of 6 lbs...that 2 more pounds than I hoped for. So, with January out of the way-I'm looking to lose at least another 4 pounds in February.

Anyway, life is going okay for me and my hubby, but I have found I've been a bit down lately. TTC isn't going as easy as I thought it would...which is why I stopped blogging about that. But that's not the main thing that has me feeling so blahhhhh. I'm unhappy because of work. My team and I are just under rated and under appreciated. What worse is that I'm a go getter--Like many of my team mates----but every time we decide to think out side the box...we get slapped down...it really sucks...I was informed that my position is like a revolving door. Over the past 2 years at 5 people have stepped up to the plate, and struck out. Now, it's my turn...the two guy hired on with me already have one foot out the door! One with a better job oppurtunity and the other (due to medical reasons) may be forced into retirement. Lord knows if I had a better prospect lined up, I'd jump on it....But I don't...So, until then...I just have to make the best of things. Meanwhile, I'm still plucking away at my MBA program...three more classes to go!

Well, that's all for now! I hope that y'all are doing good, and I'm happy that some of you are feeling better. I think I'm going to treat myself tonite to a nice and lovely bubble bath!

Progress

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted...progress has been slow and steady. While, I weighed in at 192 on New year's day, I am now 188...prior to MLK Day I was 186lbs..so I gained a few...but at least I am still down four pounds from 192lbs. This last holiday weekend though threw me off track....it was a long weekend without any kind of routine to be followed. I find that going to work and being set on regular regime keeps me on track...at home it's just too easy to let things slide. I feel a little OCD at the thought: "If I vary from my regular routine...the whole day is wasted!" I know it's silly, and really just denotes how little self control I really have, but hey it could be worse! I am determined to get back on track again, and today I'm dragging my butt to the gym after work. I've been feeling down lately, and I know it's because of PMS---which make me feel even more down, becuase I was hoping to conceive this month...But I have snapped out of it, and am determined to try try try again! Well, That's all I got for now...I hope you all have faired better!

SparkPeople.Com

My sister told me about wonderful new health and fitness site the other day. ... but as it turned out it is more than just that...it is a community of people all striving for the same thing: a healthier and fuller life style. SPARKPEOPLE.com is totally awesome!! I love, love, love it!!! For any of you that were on the Alli program, you know that the website was a wonderful to help you stay on track....well spark people is 100 times better. I absolutely love this website. The site provides so many wonderful resouces. My favorite tool is the spark people recipe calculator. So if you are like me and don't always want to eat pre-packaged foods, you can enter in you favorite homemade recipes, and the calculator determines all the nutritional content for you! I can't tell how awesome this is for me. It just makes my life so much easier...no more guessing how many calories were in the sandwich I made for lunch! Anywho, along with the recipe calculator, it provides a nutrition tracker and a fitness tracker...and loads more stuff like instructional videos and what not.

Anywho, I'm finally back on track: I'm exercising 5 times a week, and eating right. I feel absolutely wonderful. My husband has also noticed the change and is loving it! He even wants to get involved! I have agreed to let him be my weight training coach. I don't know if it's getting back on the fitness wagon, or the fact that we are TTC, but I have just been in the best of spirits lately. I wish you guys all the best and Good luck!!!

Number Crunching

So I was standing in line the other day at the super market waiting to check out, and on the magazine rack there was this one little mini magazine that caught my eye. It was a prevention magazine featuring on the cover a Biggest Loser contestant. So, being the fan that I am, I snatched it up and took it home. Inside I discovered secrets of the Biggest Loser program…that which I am now following. The first revelation was how they calculated the necessary amount of calories needed to be consumed in order to lose weight to be your current weight multiplied by 7. So that puts me at 1344 calories (at least when I weighed in at 192) The second revelation was that those contestants get put through the ringer…so unless I quit my job…there’s no way I could put the amount of time needed in order to drop the drastic pounds the contestants do in merely a week.

But let's go back to the calorie thing…I have to reevaluate every week?? Like as of this morning, I weighed in at 189.6 lbs (an indicator that this really does work) I now only consume 1327 calories as 189 x 7 = 1327!!! It's great that this helps in lossing weight but it just doesn’t give you a lot to look forward to in terms of rewards for your sacrifice. I’m going to try it their way for now…as I have already started to see results…granted I’ve only lost 2.6lbs…but that’s a whole lotta butter!

If you want more info on the diet...here's an interesting link I found:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21979545/

A Blurb About Bananas!

After reading Wicked Ways blog...I thought this might be a bit interesting...as I too love bananas:

Bananas: The Wonder Fruit

Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6,B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine,"eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

http://preventdisease.com/home/weeklywellness214.shtml

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy New Year!! It is 2008 and thing are looking great!! I've got wonderful news! My hubby and I have decided to actively trying for a baby!! Yeah! I'm so excited!! I even created a new blog focusing on that journey, and I've named it Expecting to be expecting. I'm soo excited! This does not mean I have ended my quest to lose the weight...on the contrary...seeing as how I'm weghing in, as of this morning, at 192 lbs...it would only be in my best interest to get down to a reasonable weight....which according to many doctors and scientists is said to be between 115-150 lbs. I'm shooting for the latter end of the spectrum.

In an effort to actually meet these goals, my husband and I have decided that we need some home fitness equipment. He's decided he wants a Blow Flex, and I'm going for an eliptical machine. Of course, I still plan on working out at the gym with my new found girlfriend...but now I can't cop out any day of the week. I'm am super stoked!!!

When I weighed in this morning I realized that I had indeed become a statistic....I like millions of americans gained an average of 10 lbs during the holidays: from Octorber to now....I knew it would happen every step of the way....and I kind of enjoyed it!!! BUT just like so many times before I'm putting the fork down and stepping away from the snack machine once again!!! :) I'm in such good spirits for it too!

The new Season of the Biggest loser has started and I'm ready to rock and roll!! I've opened up a new Fit Day (free) account to monitor my food intake....I found that when I was doing the Alli thing that more than the pill it was the food journal that really helped me lose the weight that I lost on the program....to be honest I was terrible about remembering to take that dang pill....but I recorded everything thing I put in my mouth in that food log. So I think that is a major key in my weight loss journey. Oh, I hope you all had wonderful Holidays. I can't tell how optimistic I feel about this year...not just for myself, but for everyone...as always, good luck to you all!!