Got the bodybugg...

I just got my bodybugg the other day and I'm not too sure if I like it. It was a real pain in the bottom to get set up because of the java function. I finally figured it out yesterday and I began to wear it last night. They want you to basically wear it for 23 hours a day to get a proper read. Today, I burned about 2291 calories and consumed about 1552 calories. Which is interesting because I remember seeing that in an average day, I need about 1452 calories to sustain my weight. At this point, I think that I wasted money on this product because I already have a heart rate monitor. I'll give it a chance to see if it works though.

It's super cold here. It's that type of cold where it freezes your nostrils when you step out in the air. Days like this remind me of my freshman year of college when I went to Central Michigan. It was in late January/early February where they shut the university down for 2 days because of the cold. I remember being on a fitness kick at that time and I walked from the freshman dorm to the SAC (Stundent Activities Center) which was about .75 mile only to find out that the center was closed. If only I would have stayed on that fitness kick!

The gym has been packed lately. Chris is getting so irritated about it so it looks like we may be moving to mornings for a while. Logistically, we'll have to figure this one out because there is a lot of prep work that goes into working out in the morning (showering, eating, organizing for the day, etc.). So we need to talk out how we are going to do this on the weekend. I purchased us 6 buddy training sessions with Ryan (our trainer) until the next Move It To Lose It class starts in mid-March. He kicked our butt last weekend so I'm expecting the same on Saturday when we have a training session with him.

I went out with my Curves friends on Wednesday night. It was great to see them. We wanted to get together before two of them left for Florida (lucky them!). I'm way too proud of myself because it was the first time I controlled myself at my favorite burrito joint. I thought ahead this time and looked at the menu. Instead of getting a burrito, loaded with meat, cheese, and sauce and a margarita. I opted for some fajitas minus the shells and water (I'd rather eat my calories than drink it). Nice! While we were at the restaurant, one of my friends told us how her work just recently let go of 450 co-workers. She noted that it was super stressful last week and she is happy to be working. She said that no one had a clue because the company has been doing extremely well so the cutbacks were puzzling. She said she spent the whole afternoon in shock, just waiting for her box. Luckily, it didn't arrive. That totally stinks. Hopefully this economy will turn around soon. Well that's it for me tonight, take care all-Kellie

I never have any luck with lentils or peas!

Last night I got the great idea that I wanted to make golden split pea soup so I threw the stuff together and had it cooking in the crock pot thinking that it would be ready but guess what? The peas were still hard! Even after initially cooking them and letting them set for an hour. I have the same luck with lentils, they just never come out! I just don't get it.

I got back in the pool yesterday and it felt terrific. I wore my heart monitor to see how much of a workout I got and I was surprised by the results. For 45 minutes, I burned 343 calories, my maxium heart rate was 142. Which was semi-surprising because I swam for 15 minutes straight twice so I thought my heart rate would be higher than it. On my regular cardio workouts, for 45 minutes of working out, I would have been around 520 calories. I'm going to treat swimming like a reward. I figure if I can get my bottom to the gym 5 times a week, I will treat myself on the 6th day with swimming.

I usually am not around to watch Oprah but I caught some of her show today about the weightloss issue and it looked good. It was sad to see how the Biggest Loser man weighs over 300 pounds and the woman who was on the show who wore bikini in 2003gained it back. It just goes back to how really easy it is to lose the weight but to maintain the loss is so much harder. Which is true. How many times has one's weight been a true yo-you situation. Mine sure has. It all started in 1985 after we moved after having the house fire. From then on, I've bounced somewhat. Like 5-10th grade I had weight issues, I was a normal weight from 11th grade until I was a college freshman, then total obesity from college junior until I was 26 then the weight slowly came back until I decided to do something about it. I've spent the majority of my life with having some extra pounds on my. Where I think I am stronger now more than before is that I no longer loathe myself or feel uncomfortable in my own skin. I remember when I was 20ish, I would spend nights, crying to sleep over my weight. This hasn't happened for since I was about 22. I like who I am. I think what I am doing now is only helping me for the long run. I pretty much new how to eat (well minus the dining out stuff and eating over 1500 calories) but the exercise stuff I never really got until the class. I feel like that is the missing link to my success. I love going to the gym and working out. It's like my "me time" and I make it a priority. Well, that's it for me tonight, take care all-Kellie

Doing a shout out!

Hey there...you know who you are. Chris gave me some crap for not being polite but heck, lets be for real here, to be fake isn't me and it's definitely not you. I'm happy you all are friends (really I am) and I'm glad that the wifey is nice to Chris but that's not me, never has. My beef her is the talking crap behind the back when you are supposed to be "friends" and with you is that you've been pulling a Mary Prickett for six months or more and that's semi-creepy but of course we did it to her but at least she didn't know. Unfortunately, I do.

He kicked our butts!

OMG, so the class has been over for 2 months now and being a part of the class we had one freebie personal training session. I decided last week that maybe it would be a good idea to hook up with Ryan again for some training. We scheduled it for yesterday and we got a killer work out especially core work. He's a kind person with a brutal workout. First up, he had us use the kettle ball and balance ball. We used our legs to swing up the kettle ball between our legs while the other exercises was just to sit on the balance ball with your knees to stabilize. We did 3 of those rounds. Those kettle balls are amazing. Then we used the bosu, freeweights, and a few free motion machines. All I can say is "Wow, this was an amazing workout". We have some new ideas to add into our routine. The most challenging for myself is that he had us on that ab standing up machine and we were to hold our legs up as long as we could. I lasted maybe 15 seconds so I'm going to challenge myself to work on that station in the future. After the session, I was like "aren't you glad we did this?" to Chris and he noted "At first I thought you were crazy to schedule so early with Ryan because I thought it was too soon but now I am glad you did because I really need to work on my core". We get an extra pay check at the end of the month so after thinking about Anji's suggestion, I think we are going to purchase 6 sessions from him until the graduate class starts in March. It's worth every penny and it's cheaper for two people instead of one.

After the gym, we had our one time a week eating out experience. We haven't been to this place since the summer and we missed it a ton. Usually we go there for breakfast but we opted for a lunch. It's a quaint little mom and pop place. The chefs/owner was originally at a five star restaurant in Grand Rapids but left and opened this place. It's located in the NW part of Grand Rapids and it is called The West Sider Cafe. Their menu changes up and the specials always change but they offer some killer Polish Food. We opted for a Polish Combination plate that had some rye bread, perogies, stuffed cabbage, sauerkraut, and a few pieces of Kielbasa. What a meal! When we go out we enjoy ourselves. I'm accountant able because I track the calories/points but I'm getting what I like instead of what is a more healthier choice. Funny thing is that yesterday at Weight Watchers we got the materials on dinning out. We didn't talk about it in the class but I read over the book and it noted "Don't cut eating out totally out of your plan. Just make sure you make wiser choices. The average person eats out 5.8 a week". I was one of those 5.8 times a week people. For the most part, I ate healthier options but I wasn't satisfied from the experiences because it was the norm. Now we are super picky on where we eat because that's all we have. Gone are the Qdoba Tuesdays and the Saturday meal at Noodles & Company, it's really not worth it for us and I know we can stick to this ideology.

We were wiped out yesterday when we got home. Totally lazy all day long. We were supposed to run errands but with the crappy weather we vegged out, which is good because we never do this, I'm always doing something in the house. We decided it was a pizza night so we made our own pizza. My favorite crust is the Jiffy Brand crust. You can find this at Meijer for 55 cents. It makes the best crust ever. We put our favorite toppings on it and it's better than any take out meal. Funny thing is that we had everything but the cheese. Luckily, we had some cheese sticks so Chris grated up the sticks and we sprinkled it on the pizza and it worked beautifully as you can see. I love pizza night!

Drum roll {please} I lost another .4 pounds so I'm down to 184.4...nice! I'm taking it nice and slow like usual but the pounds are coming off. I'm still eating between 1500-1700 calories per day. The workouts usually burn between 600 during cardio days (45 minutes) and 800 for strength/45 minute cardio days. I love it that the weight watchers scales measure in .2 increments so I see more progress that "just a pound".

I need to get my butt in gear today though. We have some errands to run, Christmas stuff should come down, and we got the gym later. Weekends go by so quick! Take care all-Kellie

Oh, the guilt when you break a resolution...

I have broke two resolutions so far and it's only January 9th! Yikes! The spending freeze got unfrozen. Chris splurged on some items for the WII (awesome deal) and then I bought the bodybugg. Argh! I feel totally guilty for this so I need to refocus on my financial goals. Maybe setting a goal will help with this process. Yes, we have a goal of what it is but we don't have a goal of the target fund. Maybe I need a financial goal of saving $1000 a month for house stuff and by June we should have $6000. Maybe that will get my attention and focus. The other resolution, well, I can't say what that is but my boss noted to me "Tell me how that works for ya" and it worked for a couple of days but BOOM! back into my same old behaviors. That goal wasn't realistic at all but I had good intentions! Really, I did!

So I'm a total sucker. I got enamored but the bodybugg that was shown on the Biggest Loser this week. Did some research on it and thought "Wow, this is awesome. I need this". Now what I should have done is go "Wow, that is awesome. I want that" so I then could think it over a little before purchasing it. On the chat boards, people are liking it but I still feel a tremendous amount of guilt for buying it, even though I found it for $100 off the going price because we were on a spending freeze. Okay, I officially need NOTHING now. Darn that show and their product placements! Take care all-Kellie

A little rest is good...

Planned rests are good for you from the gym. I was going to have a semi-late night so we opted to forgo the gym tonight. That's always healthy because when you get into a mode you want to go every day, you don't need to go every single day.

We're meeting up with Ryan on Saturday. He was one of our trainers from the class. We have two free personal training lessons so he's going to ramp things up for us. Chris is noticing that his heart rate is not getting up there as much and I'm worried that my routine is getting standard so we need to mix it up. I checked out the Shape Magazine workout book at the library and I liked it so much that Chris bought it for me. I'm looking forward to getting it in the mail so I can make notes in the book. I love the look of some of the core excercises.

The kitties have to go to the vet on Saturday. I'm not looking forward to that because Bolton has issues with transporting. I'm not ready for a *hitty kitty :) According to the vet, if we don't feed them the morning of, they shouldn't have any problems so hopefully it will go well. The last time we transported Bolton he went all over. All I can say is that cat poop is the worst. If I can take kitty poo, baby poo is nothing, right?

We're doing good about the shopping. We made it through Costco and only spent $29 but then when we were at the resgister we learned that our membership expired so we had to renew so there went another $50. We also avoided the Meijer Outlet this weekend so we can do it. As Chris said today "I don't want anything, I don't need anything" so this is good.

Well, I need some help. I have two new frames that I need lenses put in. I bought them at Costco a few weeks ago and I am now second guessing my picks so could you help me out here. Are these glasses lense worthy? I was thinking the darker pair could be my future sunglasses and the brown could be my everyday glasses. Any thoughts? Oh and yes, my tree is still up. I'm going to take it down on Saturday! Take care all-Kellie

The F-Bomb, really?

I was a witness to some bad gym behavior today that wasn't too cool. I was just telling Chris that I've never seen any bad behavior at the gym because Chris mentioned a friend had a ruin in with someone. I'm there using the freemotion machines and someone actually dropped the F-bomb and started to scream at a regular at the gym. Apparently, the regular went back to wipe off the machine and then a woman thought that she was going to jump on it and started to cuss at her. Wow, unbelievable, really. The women were both in their 40-50s too. Really, what a shame because this is not how the gym is. The thing is that you can actually feel the tension around the place though. The atmosphere has changed because it's busier, people are doing odd things that tick off the regulars like removing the spray bottle to spray off the machines (instead of taking the bottle, wetting the towel to wipe off the machine this is my pet peeve), not wiping off the machine when you have completely sweat over it, running in the walking lanes/walking in the running lanes, bumping into people, machine hogging where people are not finishing up sets in a respectful manner, etc. We were all newbies once so we can't forget about that but I can't wait until things slow down because it happens all the time. Heck, Chris and I were doing this two years in a row until we finally committed back in September. It's nice to know that we established the good patterns then so we got a good grove figured out.

The cool things about going regularly to the gym is that you get to notice the little things that motivate change in yourself. There is this one woman who started the other weightloss class the same time we did and she is looking great. About a month ago I went over to her and told her how great she was looking and found out that she lost 35 pounds. Every time I see her I smile and say "hi". Another neat thing is that you learn new tricks. I saw a woman doing a cool move with the weights so I went up to her yesterday and asked how I could modify it to my fitness level and she was more than happy to help me out. Another place that I saw change was Weight Watchers. I hadn't been back to my regular Weight Watchers meeting since last March when I fell off the wagon. Two of the ladies that started last year were at their goal weight so it was terrific to see how much weight they lost. That's motivating because I can get there if I want. I feel that losing the weight is the easy process because you know what to do to lose it. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is much more challenging because you are there at your goal but how do you keep it healthy. I'm hoping that the changes that I'm making now will help me later.

Oh, that dinner on Saturday was awesome! Restaurant.com had the gift certificate super cheap so we checked the place out. If you are from the Detroit area (or visited) the Mediterranean food was excellent in Dearborn. The owners of the restaurant came from Dearborn and the food was the best I've had in years. The only thing that would make this place better if they baked their own pita bread. The chicken was tender and moist and as much I planned on avoiding the garlic sauce, I did end up having some and they had it perfect. I think we will be regulars. The cool thing about Mediterranean food is that it is super healthy for you. This week it's my turn to pick so we may have to go back again!

Chris got after me a little about blogging. We never openly discuss the blog nor has he ever read it. He was like "why on earth do people blog and put things out there?". Humm, that's a good question. I started my journaling process almost 10 years ago and it's just been part of me. It captures who I am at that point in my life. When I started this process, I was 23, not married, not comfortable in my own skin, broke, in graduate school, in a miserable relationship, etc. Now, I'm 33, happily married, I'm pretty positive, have a cool home, great job, two of the most loving cats whom I adore, and I like who I am. The thing about blogging is that I never put out stuff that I'm not comfortable in sharing with my own worst "enemies". People stumble onto your blogs that know you or knew you so I don't put anything out there that I wouldn't be comfortable in sharing with others. I notice that when I blog more, I'm more accountable. Sometimes I like to look back at the pictures of myself and find it motivating. Any little help is good when you are trying to be healthy and you have a goal in mind. Take care all-Kellie

Saturday weigh in results!

Drum roll {please} I lost .4 pounds this week. So I am down to 184.8 pounds according to the weight watchers scale! For it being a holiday week, I handled myself pretty darn good. At the New Years party, I stayed away from the food and alcohol for the most part. I had a few shrimp and cheez it's but it's no where near what I would have eaten if I wasn't watching my weight.

I'm in the 24 point range of eating and I ate all my flex points plus 25 of my activity points. After looking at my journal, I actually earned 36 activity points last week (not the 34 I posted below). I chatted with the secretaries (leader was busy) and as long as I am "under the direction of a trainer and my doctor knows about it" (typical WW CYA) I can earn above the 28 points but I was told not to over do it though.

In the meeting, they discussed habits of success. It got me thinking, "Why haven't I been a lifer yet?" I know the program in and out but never made it to goal weight. Thinking about that, made me ask "Why haven't I?". Here's my thoughts. I never incorporated the exercise before. Yes, I was going to Curves but I didn't switch it up ever. I loved my Curves experience and it helped me lose the weight initially but the focus was on Cardio and not really incorporating strength. Another issue is the lack of planning so I'm on it. I'm too busy not be be organized so I always need to be in a planing mode like "What days are you going to the gym?" "What days are strength?" "What's a good crockpot meal?". Finally, not being as patient as I should be. I'm patient now, really. I ran into Carly my trainer and she noted that I'm so realistic when it comes to my goals. I really set my self up for success and not focus on the number of what I weigh. What I do is that I set my mind on how many workouts I'm going to get that week and the healthy habits fall into place naturally.

I love Saturdays. It's our errand day today so we're going to hit Costco and I have a list! We always love to have the pomengrate juice in the house, spinach, apples (or oranges depending on Chris's mood), Odwalla Mango Tango, pecans, and some feta cheese. The only potential impluse buy today is that I'm having a taste for some stuffed grape leaves so I might spring for some of those. Our dinner out tonight is going to be at a Mediterrean place. I got a coupon at restaurant.com that is $25 off for $2. Hopefully, they will have some good food because I'm craving some good chicken shawarma and hummus. I'm going to lay off the garlic sauce because I have no clue on what's in there. Last week, we were disappointed about our eating out place so hopefully this one will offer some good food.

I also need to get organized tomorrow. My house is a disaster. Since I am on oncall, I think I'm going to attack my closets and get out the clothes that I don't need anymore. I have so many items that I just don't wear that need to go. The Christmas stuff needs to come down, too. Humm, busy weekend!

First full week back on Weight Watchers

This week I integrated what I learned from the Move It To Lose It class into Weight Watchers and it went okay. I'm averaging about 32-34 points per day because I've earned 34 points for working out this week. There's some discrepancy on how many activity points one can earn during the week so I'm going to firm it up with my leader tomorrow. Needless to say, I'm not going to change anything because the program is working for me. I still track my calories on spark people but I've been using that "tiny" point journal to help me write things down at work or after meals so I can input it into the computer. I have weigh in tomorrow so I'll see how it goes. I'll see if I can get back into this weekly weighing thing.

Am I the only one who likes making resolutions?

As crazy as it sounds, I like making resolutions. There is something about the new year that makes you feel like you are getting a fresh start in life again. Don't we all need that at certain points in our life?
So here are mine: 1. Take another Move it to Lose It course in the spring. Keep on getting in shape so that when I get pregnant I will be a healthy mom. 2. Make it to Colorado or Utah for a back packing trip 3. Balance healthy work hours so that we have family time 4. Have a spending freeze so we can have major $$$ in our savings 5. Replace the remaining windows in our home, thin some of the trees in the back yard so we can have a pergola on our hill (that is a picture of a possible one at Costco. 6. Maybe getting established in a church. 7. Reconnecting with old friends/Making new friends.

When you set goals, it's always good to look at the barriers. So here's the barriers to the above goals 1. None, I am going to be healthy. We've really changed our lifestyle for the better. We both look forward to going to the YMCA. 2. No foreseen barrier except that we might find another state to do the trip in. Regardless, we are going to take a major backpacking trip. 3. Anything can happen with work. I just have to keep a good balance there. I hate major late nights and need to keep them to a minimum. 4. One barrier, Meijer Outlet and Costco. Those stores tend to be my weakness. I should avoid those places for a while until I can curb my impulsive good deal shopping. 5. One barrier, money! Saving can help. 6. Chris and I are both on the fence about this one. We want to do it but it's somewhat anxiety provoking. We have faith but tend to shy away from the organized religion. I had great memories of the church as a young child/teenager but once adulthood hit, I recognized the back biting/petty behavior of others. Maybe a more open mind. There's two churches that we're going to check out in the coming months but we're still kind of wounded from the past. The idea of going back is that I think it's important to raise a child in a church atmosphere but we're more on the liberal side so we're not too sure what to do. I was raised Methodist. We like the Methodist Church downtown and there's a more radical liberal church in town too, so we just got to commit to getting our butts out of bed on a Sunday. 7. Time/fear is a major barrier. There's a few woman I've met this year that I would like to get to know better but it's difficult for me. Time is one barrier because it seems like I'm only available on the weekend. My shyness/being guarded is another. In my work, establishing relationships with clients, I can do rather quickly but in my own life, well, I'm closed almost completely. People burn me out because I tend to pick unhealthy relationships. I hate dealing with back biting, insecure people who have the need to tear down others. I'm a good friend but when someone violates trust, I'm done, I have no place in my life for them. Connecting with old friends is another. I need to make it down to KY to see Teresa some time. It's been over a year and a half. That sucks! I would love to see a few other friends from graduate school that I reconnected with on Facebook. Plus seeing our friends Ron and Jodi. We ended up going to their New Years Eve party and it was so good to see them again. The last time we saw them was a year ago. They are such good people who are sincere, honest, and giving. They would give you the shirt off their back and to neglect that relationship like we have, has been sad. We've got to do better.

So those are my resolutions...so what are yours? Where do you want to be in a year?

Happy New Year!

I'm ready for the year to be done with. Here's to 2009! Maybe things will be better this year for Michigan, the economy, and my John Hancock -24% 401K (yeah, that stinks) but at least Chris and I have our jobs. 2009 is going to look promising. We've got a lot to look forward to. Hopefully next year I can get pregnant if I'm at a decent weight so I can have a kido in 2010. I'm not ready for one next year....way to soon. 2010 is a great year to have a child. I can feel it.

Weight Watcher/Holiday Ramblings...

Chris and I woke up at 5:00 this morning. We were all set and ready to start our day but after discovering that we really couldn't do anything until later, we went back to bed only to wake up around 9am. I decided to hit the Weight Watchers 10 am meeting for the first time since March so I needed to get dressed quickly. On our way out the door, we hurt a big CRASH. Only to find outside that the ice that was on the roof slammed down on Chris's car and took off the passengers side mirror. Darn! because we'll have to turn that into the insurance company. He hates putting in claims but I don't want to think even how expensive it would be to pay out of pocket. Darn weather screws us again (in some fashion that is). So I get into the WW meeting and weigh in. I found out that I'm 2 pounds lighter than my last weigh in. I'm currently 185.2 on the WW scale. Not bad, er? I'll take that. When I first went to the move it to lose it class I was 193 so that's pretty darn good. I got the Weight Watchers new books for the Momentum Program and figured out that there is no way that I'm going to stick with the 26 points that is recommended for my daily target. I figured out that if I stick to 30-34 points a day that will keep in line with what I have been doing. I'm going to still use spark people to input my daily intake but I'll use the journal for writing it down when I eat so I can use it when I log in my food at night. The new program sounds like it is going back to the 2001/2002 program prior to the core program because there is no core plan now. They want you to stick with a target total point but then you are allowed to eat 35 extra points within the week. Nothing new there, really. I did notice that they are emphasizing working out more, which is good. They really never pushed it but the guides are noting that you should be moving at least for 30 minutes 6 days a week, which is true.

I handled the holiday okay eating wise. Sure, I could have made better choices on Christmas eve (Chris and I had some Asti) but we didn't do our usual fondue which is better for us health wise. I avoided the 190 calorie, 9g of fat crescent rolls at his mom's but had a few pieces of candy but I kept track of everything and it will even out in the long run. I definitely didn't gorge myself as usual, which is good. I have no idea what we are doing for New Years. We're invited to a party but I'm secretly hoping to do nothing but relax at home with the kitties because we would have to stay overnight and I just feel almost too old to be crashing at someone's house at my age...if that makes any sense. I just want to be in my bed, my PJ's, chilling out, oh, I'm so old but then we still have to work on Friday so that stinks. Another issues is that I know if we go to the party, I will be cramming food that I don't necessarily need into my mouth. My self control with appetizers is amazingly weak. Appetizers are my Achilles heal.

Chris and I got a $35 for Macy's so armed with our gift card today we went looking for some amazing deals. Needless to say, we came home empty handed. There is nothing that we want at Macy's. In fact, I really don't care for that store and if it wasn't for having a gift card, we wouldn't have gone in there. Here in Michigan, Hudsons was originally around but then it turned to Marshall Fields and then Macy's bought Marshall Fields about two or three years ago and since then I haven't shopped there. I could always find nice bargains at Hudsons but Macy's seems to be lower quality and the deals are not there. We looked and looked for something to pick up but after noticing the gift cards don't expire, why bother? It just firms up the fact that our major spending freeze is happening for a reason. We also hit Target and found nothing, Kmart well, I did spend $10 on gum drop garland but that's my weakness and it Martha Stewart 50%. We even managed to get out of Costco for $10, which is amazing. I think just in case if I get tempted to spend. I need to copy my dream backyard and put it in my purse and just in case if I get tempted to spend, I look at my goal to keep myself focused.

Christmas was a blur. I think it was because we both had to work on Friday, it just felt so rushed compared to usual. Chris and I had our usual Christmas Eve day where he sends me on my annual scavenger hunt. This began 3 years ago when he started doing this because he was afraid I would look for my gifts so he hid them and I had to find them by doing a puzzle, word find, caching clue, etc. It's an awesome tradition and I always love participating in it. He keeps me on my toes! That's why I love him. Great husband....well that's it for me today, take care all-Kellie

Very thankful that I have until Friday off!

The weather is utter crap here in Michigan. My parents spent the night last night and they are heading down to KY today. So my thoughts are with them during this time because that is going to be some trip. They were getting cabin fever up north and didn't want to wait until Christmas to leave. We are basically getting snow every day. Chris has to work this week so he's had a rough go these past few days. It kind of sucks that I have to work Friday but at least I have a job!

I'm enjoying my vacation. Nothing new going on. All the gifts are bought, just need to wrap them. We so went over budget this year so we're having a spending freeze for four months because we do not need anything at all! My plan is to avoid Big Lots, say no to Costco impulse buys because I cannot walk out of there without spending $100, and no to Meijer Outlet (Grand Rapids has an outlet and almost everything there is 50% - 90% off compared to the store). We have property taxes for our land in February, have to beef up the emergency fund, we have to pay city taxes, and save for our home improvement stuff (replace the rest of the windows, get a new kitchen door, and new french doors for the back). Plus we need to start putting money for a baby fund if we start to TTC next year (if the economy perks up).

I've been running my points on the Weight Watchers and I'm averaging about 26-30 points a day. There's no way in heck that I can eat 24 points a day. My typical work out earns me about 6-8 points a day, 5-6 times per week so that would be about 30-48 points that I'm earning in a weeks time. My calorie range is between 1500-1700 usually. Ever since the YMCA class I've changed my mindset about food and healthy living. I feel okay in the gym. I can use the free weights, the ball, the bands, and actually do lunges! I'm challenging myself on the cardio machines and not hesitating to work in my proper HRA range. I love my heart monitor. On the home front, we ONLY eat out 1 time per week. This mouth has not touched a Wendy's burger, french fries, Mc Donalds since September and I don't miss it. When we eat out, it's usually a local nice restaurant. Like this past Sunday, we decided that our eat out meal was going to be at this place called the Cherri Inn. They offer local fresh foods and they are known for their breakfast. It was a terrific meal and well worth it. About a month ago, our one eat out meal was Qdoba and we both felt, wow, was that worth it? Nope. So we're really putting thought into this. The one thing that I loved about the class is that they stressed that eating out is not worth it. People have been to dependent on going out for so long. The healthier way is to just use it as a treat. At first I thought it would be a "binge" meal but that's not the case. After doing this, I've found that I still stick within the proper calorie range.

My pants are fitting a heck of a lot better. Down below is a pair of pants that I would like to fit in better before April. Right now they are tight in certain areas so it would be great to see me fit into them by the spring time. Plus it will remind me of old times when I used to do this on a weekly basis. It's not the best picture of me, nor is the outfit a favorite...it's just for demonstration purposes only :) That's it for me today, take care all-Kellie

Oh, the weather out there...

The weather is definitely not good out there. Yesterday, we got slammed by another storm. It was so bad that Chris's work in Kalamazoo was delayed opening for 5 hours so he opted out of going to work yesterday because the roads were so bad and it would probably have taken him two hours to get there instead of one. I had yesterday off anyways because it was the beginning of my vacation. It took Chris about two hours to snow blow (but he helped some of our neighbor's out too). Thank God we bought a snow blower in September. I love that thing. So far this year our snow totals for the season already has reached 30.7", which is scary because this is only January.

Despite the snow, we were able to have some company last night, which was awesome. We had our neighbor David over. He just lost his partner of 15 years so that's said. His partner had a stroke a year ago (he was just 59) and it was not good. So we thought that with everything going on in his life, we should have him over a few times. It was nice to have the company. We had lamb on the grill, potatoes, veggies, and baby spinach. We learned some cool things about him. He's a comedian with puppets and he puts on shows. His puppets are awesome looking so we'll have to catch his show some time. We were talking about our houses and we might be an owner of a Sears Roebuck Catalog home! That's exciting so I'm trying to scour the net looking for our old house.

Christmas is coming and it just doesn't feel like it's that time of year yet. Almost all the gifts are bought for everyone. We just have a few loose ends for Chris's family. My family, we just drew one persons name which is nice. We are supposed to celebrate with them tomorrow but I doubt that because we're supposed to get another storm. Chris has got to work Christmas eve day so we're going out to church when he gets home then have a dinner and open gifts. On Christmas, we're at Chris's parents bright and early. Funny thing is that they stress to us the up most importance of getting there early. 95% of the time, everyone is still in their PJs. Now that Chris's sister who spends the whole week there kids are getting bigger, it makes me wonder when are they going to have Christmas at their own home because they never had one in their own home. Chris went over budget for Christmas then that prompted me to go over. I like what I bought him and hopefully we'll get the chance to use it. I couldn't beat the deals because I shopped at Moosejaw (a Michigan company) and EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports). I got 30% off of all the items so I couldn't pass that option up, especially with some of the items I bought him because some of the items never go on sale. The bad thing that I did though while shopping is picking me up something. I saw this Patagonia Jacket and I got $50 off of it so I got it. I have this thing about jackets, I have a ton of them.

The gym is going well. I need to work out Sat/Sun since I opted out of working out on Thurs/Friday. This was the first time in a long time that I didn't log my food every day. I missed 3 times last week so this needs to stop. This is a sign of my slacking behavior because I haven't missed a day of logging since September. Especially this time of year so I need to get back on it. No slacking.

Anji and Jan, can you pass me your email addresses please? Feel free to email me at misskellie@hotmail.com so I can send you the recipe book online :)

Snow day!

I got a snow day today! I live in the green area on the map but the work place is in the pink area so they closed the office today. My boss called me at 6:30 to let me know that I didn't need to go in today. This is my first official snow day of the year and you know what? It's terrific. After Chris left for work, I crawled back into bed until 9:00. That felt particularly good because I was a tad tired this morning. I could have been very productive today but I chose to be lazy. My only outing of the day so far was to see my hairdresser Erin. I go to her home and she hooks me up with perfect cut so another super hair cut! I have to met Chris at the gym tonight so that's my day today :) I guess if I get super motivated I can wrap up Chris's presents but I don't know if I am that motivated (shame on me).


One thing that I have found lately with the going to the gym is preparing for it. I noticed that when I was not preparing dinner ahead of time last week in the crock pot or part of cooking Sunday, I felt rushed. I feel a ton better when I'm working out knowing that when we get home, dinner is ready. I just felt so unprepared last week when I neglected to plan. A couple of years ago, I got a WW friendly crock pot recipe book on the computer and it has a ton of healthy recipes. I haven't been disappointed yet. My latest tasty dish was a spaghetti sauce marinara sauce. I love that cookbook. I passed it to our trainers at the Y and they even thought it was good. If you are interested in a copy, drop me a line in the guestbook and I will ship it your way.

Living in Michigan is kind of sad right now. According to NPR, Muskegon, had a 22% unemployment rate and Detroit has a 21% unemployment rate. It's like wow, when is this going to end? I remember in college when I was changing my majors left and right, I thank God that I ended up being a social worker. At one point, I was going to go into business. That's funny, I cannot picture that. After looking at all my poor grades with my only one A in sociology I thought about being a therapist. At first I wanted to be a marriage therapist (that is also very funny) but after talking to a professor named Lori Ryan (who unfortunately died from breast cancer in her early 30s), I decided to become a social worker. Thanks Lori for inspiring me and giving me a sound solid career advice. I feel somewhat secure in my job but can anyone feel that secure in this day in time? I just hope that things turn around because it's so sad to see all these businesses closing, which impacts everyone. If I was in my 20s, graduating from college, as much as I like Michigan, I would be out of here. Now that is sad. I thank God for my job everyday. Take care all-Kellie

This is why I am glad I bought a home with character...

I love my house, especially at Christmas time. New homes just don't do it for me. I especially love the fact that the first owner stayed in the home for 65 years. We're the 3rd owner of the home and I just feel the love that my home has. It gives off a very good vibe. So when I get to decorate for Christmas, my house kind of feels like it is singing. Last night it was so cozy because we had the fireplace going, the stockings were hung, and the kitties were chilling :) I love my life sometimes, it was pure happiness. Now only if I could bottle that feeling!

Life is good, working out is good. I have no idea how much weight I am down to. I wore my smaller jeans to work yesterday and they looked terrific. My stomach is getting flatter and the muffin tops are GONE! Yeah! I hear weight watchers is switching up their program this weekend. I might try to hit a meeting soon since I'm still a paying member. I haven't been to WW in eons. Partially due to the fact that I feel what I am doing now is better for me. I've never really emphasized eating better, just tracking my points. Now I am really eating better which includes vegetables, fruits, and other healthy foods. I actually eat a handful of nuts as a snack and I'm not afraid to (I was always afraid on ww to do this because of the point value). I've been doing the sparkpeople.com site with calories. I eat about 1500-1700 calories per day. I burn between 500-720 calories per work out. One meal a week, we splurge and go out. I no longer eat out more than once per week which really helps the budget. I no longer get that extreme hunger feeling or get that crashing feeling like my sugar is dropping. I feel terrific. I have a ton of energy! We've been at this for almost 3 months now and I'm proud of us. It's nice to have a spouse on board. Chris is looking terrific. His belly is going doing. The challenge for him has to get his calorie intake because that can get difficult. He was initially eating not enough so now his intake is better but it's hard to find extra healthy foods to add into his day. We no longer buy lunch meat for him because we take some chicken or turkey and cook it up for him where he throws it on some bread. Plus it's a heck of a lot cheaper. I get chicken for $1.89 a pound at my meat market and we usually get turkey for 59 cents a pound. Eating better has definitely helped our budget. Take care all-Kellie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving all! I have a lot to be thankful this Thanksgiving. I have a terrific husband, 2 great cats, a roof over my head, we have our jobs, both of our parents are still healthy (mine more than his), and we have our health.

Chris is going to make the turkey today and were going to take it down to his folks. He makes the turkey on the Webber Grill (charcoal) and it super yummy. Maybe I will try to get some pictures of him doing this. The turkey comes out pretty than a Martha Stewart Magazine. Really and the taste is amazing. It's our year at his folks so hopefully things will go well. I'm okay with his folks and feel comfortable around them but I have my usual uneasiness about his sister. Then we never know if his crazy aunt from Delaware is going to fly in so that's even worse. She's like SIL but 10x worse. Anxiety is high. I'm hoping that Chris is going to have a chat with his sister today about gift giving at Christmas where he notes "how about you don't buy for us and we will not buy for you" since brother in law is unemployed thanks to GM. Plus, I'm tired of getting all of the regifts. For our last birthday she gave us a spoiled bottle of wine that the cork was rotted out and it tasted like vinegar and for Christmas she gave us a salsa mix that expired in 2002. I know it's the thought but I'm struggling to find thought in those!

I wrote the folks a letter and they claimed that they never got my second message. Okay, I will take that but it appears that things are hammered out now. They noted that I "over reacted" but in this family, you never know. I think this all stems back to the issues over the holidays. My family has the tendency to do this, myself included. I don't know where it came from but the holidays were a stressful time when I was kid. It was not very happy around the home at Christmas especially when I was a teenager. I heard that Christmas is for little kids, etc. I remember going to church just being generally withdrawn and sad at Christmas while being a teenager. Maybe it stems back to my parents financial situation when I was a kid or maybe even their own upbringing because my dad was a foster child in the 30s-50s and my mom grew up in poverty in the hills of West Virginia. I don't necessarily remember them noting positive stories about Christmas time, just sad memories when they do come out because it's not spoken usually at all. For instance, at one foster home my dad was in, he thought he was getting a bike because he saw it. So he noted this to the foster mom and she noted "no you are not getting a bike" my dad noted that "I saw the bike" and when Christmas arrived no bike or anything else. He had no presents at that Christmas or hardly any at other Christmas's. That is sad. So maybe this is where my family gets all wacky about Christmas from the past. Those old feelings get churned up. My thing is that I am aware of this. I do tend to get unbalanced around the holidays with stress. Chris and I have been starting our holiday time so hopefully the stress will end. We have a nice Christmas Eve, have dinner, go to church, and come home to open gifts. I also notice that I get overstimulated at Chris's parents home when we go down there for Christmas. The materialism is over the top and it's hard for me. I noticed that I get grumpy and sullen. I don't mean to but I do. Another thing that is drilled into me is being practical. I was talking to Chris about this. I'm so practical that it's not even funny. For example, my boss's husband died last month and for a gift back, I suggested gift cards while my other team members thought of a cute bear for her son with the dads picture on it and another keepsake for my boss. Why is it in my mind, that I couldn't come up with something like that...like automatically? Humm...self awareness is good but I need to work on this stuff.

Body wise...I'm looking better. The class ended last week and I'm officially down 5 pounds, lost 7 inches, my flexibility has tripled, and my cardiovascular has increased greatly. The class was so worth it. My goal is to rejoin the class in the spring. Eating wise and exercise wise, we are still doing the same stuff. I get a combined 40-50 minues on the elliptical, bike, and arc trainer. The arc trainer is AMAZING! It's a true calorie burner. I burn about 11 calories a minute on this thing. At first, it was uncomfortable to go on this thing and now I am up to 20 minutes. About 5 weeks ago, I got my Polar Heart Monitor and I love it. I have to say that the machine readouts on calorie burn is not correct at all. My watch will tell me the exact number of calories and what my heart rate is. I'm usually exercising in about my 75% heart range which is good. I also pay close attention to my heart rate so that I'm not going over the max heart rate. I especially love the weekly summaries because it lets me know if I am on target.

Well, I hope you all have or had a terrific Thanksgiving! Take care all-Kellie

I put on a pair of pants that...

Well, I know the YMCA program is working because I put a pair of LL Bean Jeans that have not touched my thighs in 2 years on and they fit! Yippy! Our last class is on Wednesday so I'm sad to see it end. Chris and I have been working out 4-5 days a week doing 45 minutes of intense cardio (75% max heart rate) and doing 3 days of full body strength. Tuesday I get to do my health assessment post test so I'm looking forward to seeing the results. I feel absolutely terrific, lots of energy, and I can sprint up the 3 flights of stairs at the YMCA (something I was never able to do!).

One thing I find helpful when I work out is not paying attention to all of the TVs around in the gym. I take my little shuffle and listen to some tunes. My range of music is quite odd. Here's some examples: Biggie Smalls-Hypnotize, Butthole Surfers-Pepper, Cake-Going the distance, Chris Cornell-Scream, Coldplay-Speed of Sound, Commordores-Brick House, Death Cab for Cutie-Soul Meets Body, Rick James-Super Freak, House of Pain-Jump Around, MC Hammer-Can't Touch This, Tone Loc, Pink-So What, Poe-Angry Johnny & Hey Pretty, Porno for Pyros-Pets, Ramstein-Angel, Radiohead-All I need, Rupert Holmes-Escape, Shiney Toy Guns-Ricochet & Le Disko, Nine Inch Nails-Hurt. I find this to be a pretty good mix of music. Do any of you have any favorites? I swear when I hear Escape from Rupert Holmes, I want to burst out and sing it, no matter what.

Speaking of music, I've always loved music. I had my first radio at 5. When I was little, I always thought that I should be a music video director...oh, that is so funny. I've cut down on going to concerts in my old age (I'm joking). I have the "Prince Rule". You see, I have this rule that if I really, really, really like a band, I don't see them in fear of being utterly disappointed. You see, I went to see Price about 7 years ago after being a huge fan, only to be so disappointed that I no longer can listen to his songs in the same manner as before. For instance, Nine Inch Nails is playing tomorrow night. I loved that music a ton, but in fear of the Prince rule, I'm opting out of going. It's better to just still love the music instead of not.

Thanks for all the support about the family issues. Nothing has changed, haven't heard from them. That's their choice. The sad thing is that you really don't realize how messed up your extended family is until events like these happen. Please tell me that this is not the norm for people because this totally sucks. I'm refusing to dwell on it like I did my sister but it's frustrating because I'm just feeling like a sitting duck here. The holidays are right around the corner...that is a major bummer. One of my co-workers discussed her relationship with her mom. she noted that she doesn't have the typical mother:daughter relationship and she described the normal relationship as having lunch together, going shopping, etc. I guess I never had this either. I can't recall the last time I went shopping with my mom alone, just to browse, or even get a bite to eat alone. I question if it ever has happened during my adult life. I can recall the last lunch I had with my dad alone was 4 years ago. We just don't do that kind of stuff. Funny thing is that I have found with people that I know, the ones who really really really want to have daughters of their own, are usually messed up in some fashion...so does this repeat the cycle of dysfunction? God, let me have boys then because I wouldn't want to put my future kidos through this crap.

Chris and I are going to Chicago tomorrow so I'm looking forward to that. It's supposed to be rather chilly so we better bundle up! It will be nice to get out of town. We plan on hitting the art institute and window shopping at some shops. We had the opportunity to take a bus down there for $12 so we couldn't pass that up. Food wise, I'm encouraging him to make some healthy choices because initially he was dying for some deep dish pizza. I suggested some sashimi and thai food so it looks like we will be doing that because I want to finish strong on Wednesday. Have a great weekend all! Kellie

I think there's a storm brewing...

I think there's a storm brewing and I'm not ready for it. This storm is an emotional storm and I just don't want to deal with it. Things are going funky with my parents and my sister. Which totally ticks me off because I'm tired of the family drama. It happened last with my sister which lasted over two years and now it's happening again with me. It all started a little over a month ago when Chris and I went to Mackinac Island. My mom was pressing me to come visit her when we were coming home. For some reason, she thought we were driving near her home, which we were not. I explained how we were not even going to be close but I still felt pressured to attempt to see them and explained how it was 45 minutes out of our way but she wouldn't listen and noted that she would be very upset if we didn't stop. So that Sunday, I was hurt physically front the day before. My foot was strained from all the walking and I was tired. We left the island at 12:30 pm and then I called my dad and noted that we would still try to visit them (even though I was hurt/tired and it would be a fast hi/bye). My leg was hurting and I was upset in general so I talked it over with Chris so we decided not to make the trip over to see them. I called, told them why, etc. So that next weekend was the weekend when we capped the fireplace. Chris's parents volunteered to come up to help us get on the roof and cap it. When I talked to my mom that week, she was like "Oh, YOU'RE always seeing Chris's folks. They are a priority". I explained that they were purely coming up to help us out. I knew stuff was brewing then and we discussed it and thought, why not have them come down with Chris's parents here. We were having turkey on the girl and we could all visit. They declined. So we went up the next weekend. I got an earful about how we should have visited them the Mackinac weekend and how if we really wanted to see them, we could have left the Island earlier, how they never see us, and Chris's parents is the priority. I noted to them, it was not good to see them that weekend because we were not going by their house but was 45 miles out of the way, I was injured, etc. Chris's parents will come to help out with the house and visit us but that is their choice. I noted to them that they could have come down to visit but they noted that they felt like they were imposing. So after a few of my tears (because of hearing what I don't do is painful) and continuing to press on with my point I thought we came to a consensus. Chris felt that I held my ground with her but her felt that she did not feel the satisfaction of winning so I would probably get more crap in the future, he was right. Then comes my sister issue, my nephew's birthday is on Sunday. We will not be home on Sunday because Chris's dad is having a get together and it is custom to stay the whole weekend when it's a parents birthday because they are the priority. Well, it's my sisters son's birthday (nephew) and we wouldn't be around so I called her to see if we could get together so I could drop off some gifts and see them since we were not going to be around on his birthday. Left a message, no calls, nothing (it's two weeks later so I sent the gifts in the mail). I told my mom this. She noted "Well, Carrie isn't going to move the birthday" "I wasn't asking her to, I just wanted to drop the gifts off" I replied "Well, I guess Chris's parents are the priority?" she asked "Yes, it is his dads birthday and he is the priority because it's his dad. You wouldn't want me to chose Chris's nephew/niece over your birthday, would you?" I asked. So there was a dig from her. Then of course the next time we chatted, mom was nice finally, no digs. Then the next call, I called them on election night and noted that I was going to call them back but I fell asleep then called Wednesday to apologize then nothing. No calls, nothing. I know I am in for it now. Not only with my parents but again Carrie. I'm tired of this family crap. The last time this happened I basically cried for a year about Carrie. It was never resolved but I moved on. Now it's happening all over again, hell no I'm not going to put myself through that again. It was awful and I will never have that relationship with my sister. I've accepted it and now with my parents because they are feeling slighted over Chris's parents? It makes me feel emotionally tired and sad. Nothing is ever good enough on my parent.

I feel like we make about 85% of the effort when it comes to my family. I do 95% of the phone calls because I hear, "We never know when you are home" from my mom. I noted that "it's nice to see the attempt". They have only been to my home a few times since moving here because it's too far. My parents will come into town or near where I live and not stop. When we go up, it is expected to stay the full weekend but they don't stay here, etc. It feels like how much am I expected to give, give, give. Sometimes I feel that's all I do in my life is give but when it comes to myself, am I receiving...no because I'm the giver and that is my role. I remember in the past, it was always me to run to them. Going back to college, they never came up because it was "too far and we're working" so I used the Greyhound a few times, in grad school I always went to them, when I was dating Sluggy, I ran to them, now I still run to them but it's healthier now. The common thing I hear "it's too far". Yup...this is going to suck because I know what is coming and heck, I don't deserve this one. Argh...need hug...and not ruminate on it. I keep on telling myself I'm doing the best that I can. I guess that's all I can do.

I may not be dropping the pounds but...

I may not be dropping the pounds but I sure am losing the inches. Oh my goodness, I have to say this working out is awesome. My pants are fitting better and my legs are really firming up. I can even run up 3 flights of stairs now without getting winded! I'm really impressed by the class because it made Chris and I recommit to our life style changes. It will be sad when the class ends because I love the support and the attention. They are offering another class but with our commutes in the winter, it would be impossible not to be late so we'll hook up with them again in the spring. I'm just uber impressed with all of our changes that we have made behaviorally wise. We eat better, feel better, and heck, we are looking better. If only I had taken a before and after picture...darn me for not doing that.

Ah, the election is only 1 week away. So here is what I believe: the social security especially the disability part needs a whole overhaul and welfare needs to be re-evaluated. I believe in government health care and I am willing to contribute my share for my fellow American because people should not go bankrupt due to medical bills or get denied for care that they need. Okay, don't hate me for it. I'm a social worker which usually = Democrat because Republican social workers are few and far between and the ones I've encountered are super scary. Michigan is hurting bad. For example, the local paper only had 2 pages of employment listings and half were in the medical field. Homes are being foreclosed left and right, every week a business goes out in my area, there are no jobs, and it's scary. I had a conversation with my mom and she's worried that if Chrysler gets bought out by GM, they would lose their hx. My mom is 57 years old and it will be 8 years before she gets medicare. What happens if my mom does not have any insurance in the future? On their fixed income, it would be a huge stretch to buy insurance. That scares the crap out of me. Listening to NPR today and hearing about how devastating it would be to lose one of the big 3 makes me sick to my stomach. I remember when my dad was laid off in the 70s/early 80s, I spent my childhood in the unemployment lines. My dad would work 2 jobs, one being a painter, the other doing factory work that drove scraps of metal into his skin, mom worked jobs that she hated but they did what they could to make ends meet. I never knew about it because they did the right thing and not transfer that stress onto my sister and I. My parents were smart though and they taught me some hard core values such as live below your means, do a budget, and pretend you are poor. I really do these things. Chris and I are doing things right (hopefully), we bought a 1 income home, we budget, save money where we can, and I rarely buy new clothes for myself (Goodwill and Salvation Army have always been a my best friend). We do spend on the house for home improvements (windows will be installed soon and Chris layed some insulation for the house) and travel but beyond that, we live simple. We have no debt besides the house and for me, that is an amazing thing. I like simple non-materialistic living and I could care less what other people think about me. I don't need the best, new greatest thing, nor do I need a brand new top to make myself feel good because I get that same feeling when I find a treasure at a thrift shop because after you wash a top, it's used anyways.

This time of year, I always think about the guys who I dated who were Republican...which were many because I'm a Democrat but somehow always date Republicans...thank Goodness Chris is a fellow Democrat. Anyways, the election time always makes me think about my first boyfriend David. I swore to others that I would kiss him in front of others (my first time) if Bush Sr. would win over Dukais. Funny thing is that he did but I freaked out and didn't kiss him at that time...that came later at a school dance :) Then Sluggy was a staunch Republican and he made me pissed off the whole election time. I still wonder if those two are still Republicans after Bush being in office. I remember telling him when GB got into office, his job would be gone, and it totally was. But if that wouldn't have happened. I might have ended up with him because we moved in with each other due to financial reasons and after that hell, I dumped his @ss! Yeah! Go me, Go me...then I met Chris :) So everything happens for a reason. Whom ever gets in, we'll survive...we've done it the last 8. Just go out and vote and hope for the best because it will eventually get better. It always does.

I worked a what!?

I, Kellie Louise [last name], used a chain saw to chop down 9 Black Walnut trees in our back yard today. I never thought in a million years that I would have done this but you know what? Using a chain saw is awesome! BZZZ BZZZ! I'm thinking of that hair band chain saw song now :) Chris and I have been wanting to drop those trees since buying the home and today was a perfect day to do it. It was a crisp 50 degree day and we spent from 11 am until 5pm chopping the trees and putting the brush in a pile that will go to the yard waste facility next weekend. It really opened up the back yard. I also clipped about 20 choke cherry trees at the top of our hill. Our plan is to develop the hill and have some type of pagoda at the top of the hill next year with some outdoor furniture and our fire pit. And yes, we live in the city! (Above is the back yard this past spring, I'll try to post picks of what we did this weekend sometime this week). Our lot is pretty funky because it goes about 160 back and part of that is up a hill. With all the work, I'm completely sore now so I will sleep good tonight.

The workouts with the move it to lose it are going extremely well. I'm feeling better and not getting so winded when I walk up the 3 flights of stairs at the YMCA. Chris and I are doing 4 days of cardio for 45 minutes plus stretch and then 3 days of stretch. The Y just got this cool machines called "Freemotion" where the machine uses your body and they are so cool. Much better than the typical machine. I'm down a pound but I'm actually fitting my clothes better, which is good. Chris and I went to a health fair yesterday when we visited my folks yesterday and our cholesterol looks a whole lot better. I had always hovered around 200 and it was 174 (non-fasting). I was pretty happy about this. I think the program has done a good job at changing my eating behaviors because I'm more mindful about eating fruits and vegetables. We just need to stay on this track! Well, that's it for me tonight, take care all-Kellie

Life...

Today wasn't the best day. I learned that my boss (who is absolutely the best boss in the whole entire world) husband passed away on Saturday from Crohn's Disease. He was only 49. They have a child who is 7. I really feel for her and her family right now. So send some positive thoughts her way.

Things like this make me think about losing Chris. I don't know what life would look like without Chris nor do I want to think about it. Things like this really make you appreciate significant others. I absolutely love my husband with all my heart. It's the healthiest relationship that I have ever been it. It's a balanced, whole hearted life. It's funny but I have never felt this way with anyone. I guess that's why I married him. I love our life, our relationship, our home, and our cats. It makes me think about how fortunate I am in life to have such a blessed life. This Thursday is our anniversary...4 years really go by quick!

I started thinking last week that I needed to work on living in the moment more. There are times that I am so future orientated or past, that I'm not grounded in the present. While it is great to have these wonderful future goals, it's also important to be grounded in the present so life is not passing you by. I definitely need to work on that. Just looking at life on a daily basis, not the weekly where you are just so focused on making to the weekend.

The workout program is still amazing. Chris and I hit the Y 4 times last week. 45 minutes of cardio with one strength training. They want us to bump it up now to 45 minutes 4x a week and 3 x a week of strength...argh, that's a lot but we love it. I didn't see a loss today but my clothes are fitting better. I'll take that.

Oktoberfest in Amana, Iowa

Another killer weekend!

We went to Amana, Iowa this past weekend for Oktoberfest and it was awesome! I love Iowa. The people are terrific. I've always heard that the south takes the cake for hospitality but they cannot beat the people in Iowa. Everyone is so nice. I think Iowa gets a bad reputation but it's a gorgeous state and worth a visit. This was our second year in a row to visit the Amana Colonies and it was terrific. Funny thing is that Dateline NBC was taping while we were there. They were doing a story on unclaimed money. So we might be on TV. Another huge surprise that we had is that we were upgraded twice, once on the rental car and another on the room. We usually rent a car when we go 3 hours out to keep the mileage off our own car. So I reserved an intermediate car from Budget. When they got there, they didn't have any on the lot so they gave us a Seabring with XM radio...nice. Then we go to check into our room and they noted that they had an issue with the room so they upgraded us to a 1 bedroom suite condo. It was brand new with a flat screen, full kitchen, couch, chair, table, and deck! It usually went for $180ish a night and we got it for $90...unbelievable. I made some better food choices this year compared to last but I could have done a tad better eating wise. I did have a cherry turnover and one brat but last year I ate bad all weekend long and this wasn't the case this weekend. Being in the condo helped us cook a healthy breakfast too. I whopped up some scrambled eggs with minimal yoke, spinach, chicken sausage, and a dash of cheese. Plus we tracked our food so that was an amazing feat anyways.

The one thing that I am happy about is that we exercised this weekend...something we didn't do the year before. My foot was finally back to 95% so we took a 90 minute walk. It feels great to have back my proper mobility because I was limping for the majority of the week. I have to remember that I'm not that young anymore where if I push myself so hard, it will be forgiven the next day. It's like it will be forgiven the next week. It didn't help when we were at Mackinaw, I heated the foot instead of icing it. Argh, I learned my lesson there. Looking back, I definitely would have taken our bikes or rented them on Saturday because I over did it so much, I didn't get to enjoy the hotel like I should have. Which is a total bummer because there's a ton of things there but because I chose to over do it, I paid the price.

So after my 4lb gain last week, I am down to 192 :) It was a good week. The trainers are bumping the workout up. They are encouraging us to workout 4 times a week for 45 minutes high intensity. This is awesome but Chris and I need to make some time for the two extra days that we need to get. There's just never enough time...which stinks. We're already getting home late plus doing this 4 times a week is challenging but of course worth it. We just need to commit. Unfortunately, nothing ever comes easy.

Oh, hey anon...you are right that Chris has gained some weight. When we first met, he was about 172 and unfortunately our relationship, his microbrew drinking, lack of excercise, and change of career made him gain the weight and hit the scales at 235. Thus, he is the only male in our move it to lose it class. I keep on hearing from the ladies in the group how awesome it is to have my husband in the group because theirs would never come. What a shame!

Wow, what a weekend!

What a weekend!

It was a terrific weekend. It was my turn to plan the anniversary weekend so I booked us a room at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. We stayed in Mackinaw City on Friday night and then left for the Island at 8:30 am. We arrived there and we hit the trail. We walked all over that island and found nearly 50 caches, on foot. We then hit the hotel around 5:30 and I was totally beat from the hike. So we rested a bit and then hit dinner. At the Grand, you have to be in a suit and dress so it was fun to dress up. The service was amazing and everyone was so nice. The hotel exceded my expectations. So here are some pics from the weekend.
The one thing that I have learned from the weekend though is pacing yourself. I needed to really work up to that 15 miles because I am paying the price now. My left foot is killing me and I think I strained it. It also reminded my on why I am working on losing weight. Chris and I have the passion for exploring/hiking but we don't have the bodies for it right now. Let me rephrase that, maybe I don't have the body. Chris is doing okay, I'm the one that needs to be strengthened. The class was really good tonight. Our trainer Carly gave us the food wheel. I have no idea on where she got it but it's really awesome. It breaks down what you should be eating based on Carbs, Protein, and Fats. It describes what are excellent, good, fair, poor food choices and how to spend your calories wisely. As I looked at the wheel, I started to think of how I need to set myself up for more success. My freezer is looking okay but my refrigerator needs to be stocked better with some wiser choices. That just takes time and how do you properly weed out your old foods without wasting? Any ideas? I have some pantry stuff that I could donate but the foods in the refrigerator/freezer, I worry about.

I have the body age of what?

Part of the "move it to lose it" is a body assessment. I got mine done today and there were no real surprising results except, I am out of shape. My body age is 44 and I'm only 33! My flexibility is very poor and I need to strengthen it, cardio needs to be increased, as well as strength. My percentage of body fat is like a big mac...39.2% yikes....not so kind. I have to say that this program is the best program I have ever been a part of. Chris and I are digging it. The program is part of the YMCA and we are hoping that my basic flex will cover the cost of the class but it was well worth the $500 that we are paying. (Anji...I don't have your email so please pass it too me. Miss you!). The insight from the trainers is amazing and so far, it's not boring, and accountability is high. They want us to work out about 4 times per week at a medium intensity level. Chris and I noticed that it is easier to get to the Y when we plan ahead.

The interesting thing that I learned tonight is that I haven't been eating enough. The trainer Carly noted that my 1250 average is too low and she would like to see me increase my daily intake to about 1500-1600. Chris is also running too low so his calories need to increase also. The strange thing about calories, it is actually hard to increase them in a healthy manner. I can increase them in a not so positive way but to do it in a healthy manner is hard. I'll work on that.

Things are going well here. The fall is my favorite time of year. I'm planning a surprise getaway for Chris and I so I'm looking forward to that. Eating wise, we definitely need to think about making healthy options because there are some major temptations were we are going. I'm hoping that the activity level will offset it. We just need to think smart. I can do that!

Funniest switch-a-roo...

Chris and I had our first class tonight for the Move it to Lose it program and we had a good laugh about it. So I get there and Chris is already there where we were supposed to be. When I talked to the trainer he noted that he would be over by chairs on the 3rd floor. So there were tons of people there and the trainer walks over and introduces himself and we sign in. He then notes "okay, just walk around the track for 15 minutes to get your heart rate up" so we do that. We rejoin the group and he breaks us into 3's. One group being the cardio, then core, and finally strength. I went to the core and Chris went to the cardio. The trainer was amazing. I did some crunches on the ball and it was awesome, along with a plank exercise, and then a movement with the legs for the abs. The second round was 10 minutes on the treadmill with the goal to burn 60-80 calories. When I was on the treadmill, the woman asked when did I start the product. I noted that I just started and she just went "oh". I ran for 4 minutes, this in itself is a feat. After the working out, we go into the instruction. We follow the others up and Chris gets there and notes that the guy accross from me lost 58 pounds! Wow, then the lady kitty corner lost 65 in 20 weeks. I'm thinking amazing...this move it to lose it program is utterly impressive. So as we move around the room, everyone is sharing their success. Chris and I are dumbfounded. Then it's my turn to introduce myself and I explained why I am there. To eat healthier, lose weight so I can have a healthier pregnancy for when I do get pregnant, etc. She then noted "what is your diagnosis?" I noted, "well, according to the FIT, I am obese". Then she asked Chris what he was doing there and he stated "to get back into working out". Then she asked, "well your not our typical people. You two look really good". Then the woman kitty corner to us notes "Wait, you're supposed to be in that other program". I asked, "What program, the move it to lose it?" "Yeah, I saw the trainer take them away when everyone was out at the chairs. There were so many people. You're in the Victory Weightloss Group right now". So we got our groups mixed up. We laughed about it and they said that we could stay into the group. We learned about weightloss myths and I got a 98% on the test. They were a great group of people. Too bad we don't get to stick with them. They were super motivating. We talked to the YMCA people and we're hooking up with our proper group on Wednesday...Chris and I never laughed so hard about the mix up. Good communication goes a long way.

A rainy Saturday...

I sometimes love a rainy Saturday. Our typical Saturdays lately have consisted of running errands, going to the relatives boat, socializing, cleaning the home, working outside, etc. I'm usually up by 7:00 but when it's raining out I sleep in. It was so nice this morning to just relax and not have the need to get up and moving. I fully took advantage of it. I made my usual Saturday breakfast of biscuits, eggs (beaters for me), and a piece of bacon. I was proud of my over easy for eggs for Chris but after discussing it, he always thought that overeasy meant sunny side up. Opps! We don't have too much going on this weekend. Later today we are going to a suprise birthday party. Never been to one before so that's going to be interesting. Our healthy eating plan is that we are going to eat before going rather than sit there and gooble up all the party food. Party food is a weekness so hopefully this will work. Other than that...we get to relax.

Last night we redeemed our free dinner coupons at Noodles & Company and Coldstone. They have birthday clubs so they send you a free offer on your birthday. I love Noodles & Company. I'm additcted to the Chicken Penne Rosa and Chris loves the Chicken Pad Thai. Then we headed over to Coldstone. The one thing I have to say about Coldstone is that I only go there once a year for my birthday ice cream. It's totally unhealthy and the prices are insane. In this day in age, I cannot rationalize paying $4.20+ for a Love It Size Creation. If I do have the craving for ice cream, it's much better to scoot my bottom down to the store and picky up some Edy's light. The one good thing is that I don't crave sweets...the downfall is that I like salty crunchy things like potato chips so I need to keep those out of the house. My two lowfat chip loves are Flat Earth chips and Kettle Bakes (from Costco, oh so good! 3g Fat and 2g Fiber per serving).

I'm ready for my brain to return. I feel like the last few months have been a fog because I've been involved with learning a therapy technique for the past year and it's getting to the end now. I'm just so focused on this therapy, it's not even funny how much it has taken over the brain. I've spent 124 hours classroom time, over 60 hours of supervision, and that's just the beggining of what I have done. It's funny when I was going into the training I heard the trainers noted that the majority of your brain space will be taken over by this, I thought they were joking. Well, they were not. It's been an amazing learning experience and I've become a much better therapist but I am so looking forward to getting my certification so things can return to normal where all of this space in my brain can go towards other things.

Speaking of other things, Chris and I are officially signed up for the move to lose it program. Our first meeting is next week. We're both looking forward to it. I think it will be a lot of fun and you can't beat working out with some personal trainers. At least it will get us into a routine. Now I just have to figure out what we'll do for dinner because we have to be there at 6pm (that's usually when we get home). Maybe leftovers? We'll see.

It's my birthday!

I'm the big 33 today! I look damn good, no makeup or hair dye needed yet. I took the day off because I never work on my birthdays. Birthday's are almost like a new years for me because it brings about a resolution to change. I have a few resolutions so I'm looking forward to an excellent year.

Today is a really good day. I saw my folks, they took me out to lunch and we had a terrific time. That was an awesome birthday present just to see them. The window guy came over and we're getting our four windows in the front replaced. They will be here in about 7 weeks. I am so looking forward to getting the windows, it's not even funny. See how bad they are? I think the only thing holding them is the putty. So by Halloween, we will have four new windows. The only bad thing about getting them in late fall is that the kitties will not be able to lay in the open windows, it will be too cold for them. I have to say that I love my cats. I never thought that I would love a cat as much as I do, but they are terrific. They make me smile every day.


In making healthy choices, Chris and I opted to stay in for our birthdays (his was yesterday). I made him a mean Mahattan Clam Chowder last night. It tasted great. Tonight, we're just going to have some left overs. Yeah, we could spend some money to go out but I much prefer staying in and eating a terrific meal. The one thing about the wii fit is that it really tracks your weight. We've noticed that M-F we eat very well but on the weekends, we tend to gain because we are off schedule. I've signed us up for the "Move it to Lose it" program at the local Y. It starts next week and we're really looking forward to it. Chris would like to lose about 30-40 pounds and I would like to lose about 20. Heck, I will take 10 pounds at this time. I like my body but I need to eat and be healthier for the future. We're doing good on the hiking. On Saturday, I didn't meet up with the group because we had a million errands to run but we did hit a local park and did some hiking for about 2 hours. I love hiking in September...it's such a great time of year.

Funny thing we were discussing over lunch is that I realized I'm a picky eater. I never really considered myself a picky eater but after chatting with my mom, it was like, "oh, yeah, I guess I am". I guess I always condsidered picky eaters are people who are not willing to try things. I like a full range of foods but there some of the foods that I should eat but don't. I like fresh fruits from the farmers markets but not from the grocery store because it doesn't have that great taste. Chris can eat a ton of fruit. I always like the odd things like asparagus, brocolli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, squash. I hate mellon, sweat potatoes, and tomatoes. For chicken, it's got to be the breast only. Humm, I guess I am picky. I'll have to do something about the fruit thing.

It's never a good idea to google...

I found this realization...it's never really a good idea to google people you used to know. I was curious about the my elementary school friends to see if they were on the net and I found two of them. The two turned out simply amazing. One is an environmental lawyer who graduated at the top of her class at George Washington University. The other is high ranking official at the peace corps. Amazing!

Then I got thinking why in the heck did my parents move me from that school district? I remember them stressing out about how difficult the high school was and how they needed to move out to the country. Funny thing is that my early years of school were challenging at times but wonderful. It was like this little safe haven that was created in a progressive town outside of Detroit. It was idealic where the community raised the child. We had computers in the school in 1980. I learnd math on an Apple Computer. When we moved out to the country in 1986, the schools were "rich" but they lacked what my former schools had. The new country school was rough, the 5th graders were boy crazy and wearing makeup. The 6th grade was even worse. I remember moving into the country school in the middle of 5th grade and it being absolutely painful. I went from a small child to being a very large child in six months. That's when the weight settled in. Looking back, hell, I must have been depressed. Having the house burn down at the end of fourth grade, then moving mid year to a hick school in fifth grade, argh. What really made me think about it is what I want my future to look like. I'm pretty mindful that I don't ever want to move during my child's education. I know it worked very well for the folks but it didn't work as nicely for me emotionally. I never felt like I had a true home after leaving the Detroit area. It wasn't until we bought that house that I felt settled. It also made me think about the school for the future kidos. The school district that I live in is known for having strong elementeries and middle school programs but the high school is rough. Is that the same idea that my parents thought? I cringe at thinking of sending my future offspring to a rough school but looking at my former classmates, well, they did well. Then it got me thinking about my life for a few moments of "wow, look what I've done" (in a blah tone) but then looking at Chris, my home, my cats (yeah my cats) I felt like I did okay. It's funny how googling can make you rethink your life for a few moments and the "what if's"

Wow, the mojo...it's been...

The mojo is back...it's feeling terrific. This excitement about being healthy is definitely what I have been missing. Chris actually helped me get my butt back in gear with the help of the Wii Fit. We got the system back in July after hearing about Chris's cousin raving about the fit for hours and it really had us intrigued so when we got back, I was able to find it online. When we got it, we just used the fit a few times but about three weeks ago, Chris got hooked and he's been doing the fit for a half an hour every night. I would do it here and there but I've been doing consistently for the past week and so far, it's terrific. Now, I know it's not to supplement a real work out but it definitely helps. I'm officially not obese anymore! I'm just overweight. My BMI was a 29.90. I'll take that.

We went hiking for a solid 3 hours the other day at a cool park down the road. This weekend we're planning on hooking up with my hiking group that I joined back in May for a hike this weekend. Plus we'll do some additional hiking because we're going to do some caching. We're also joining a 10 week class at the Y in a few weeks so we are going to be looking fab soon. There's something about fall that usually motivates me, so it's nice to get back into the grove of things.

My newest obsession is making my own whole wheat pasta. Last Friday, I found the Kitchen Aid mixer pasta attachments for 60% off at the Meijer outlet. I have been desiring this set for ages but for $180, I said "pass". But when I say it at the outlet, I sprung into action. I even got another $10 off because I asked the manager for a discount and he went for it. Last night was my first attempt. I took a cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of egg beaters and it came out pretty good for my first attempt. The noodles were thick so I'll have to work on making them thinner. At least now I have a use for the six pound bag of whole wheat flour I bought at the amish store. It's been sitting in my cabinet for months and I had no clue on using it because the recipe that I originally bought it for tanked.

The birthdays are next week. Chris and I are a day apart. He's turning 36 and I'm turning 33. I'm okay with the 33. Initially the thought of turning 33 was a tad bit scary but I'm up for it. I think it's going to be a good year. Take care all-Kellie

Hi, my name is Kellie and I have...

Hello, my name is Kellie and somewhere along the way, I lost my mojo. Can you help me find it? Oh, please, can you?

The last few months have been a blur. Not a bad blur but just a blur, like time is passing by so quickly that it scares me. I'm turning 33 next month, 33. I think it started to freak me out a few weeks ago that I am turning this age. It was fine to hit 30, heck, I was looking forward to it. But this 33 is freaking me out. I think I've been doing some inward self inspection. There are things that I need to change, but don't want to. I, Kellie, have been lazy all summer, I haven't counted points since March, and I feel...well, terrible about it. I say I want to commit to myself but then, the choices I make, well, they suck. It's not like I am going out and eating with all abadonment, but it's lost little tiny choices that I make everyday that add up to were I am now. I'm up to 188. The heaviest that I have been in years. This is because my laziness and lack of trying, I know that. I am accountable to it. I keep asking myself where is my motivation? Where's that mojo of mine? I need to change, but how? I have a couple of solutions but I need to make the changes. It's me...and I hate this feeling. People that have been here in this spot, understand where I am at. I have two options, give in, not care (which I have been doing for years, really) or put up a fight, start on the right track. I want to fight but my choices have been the lazy route.

So that's where I am at. Looking for motivation, finding some inner strength to get my "poop in a group". I want to do it again, but I find myself asking, how can I?

Thanks for listening...