STOP The Insanity.....Please!

I almost SCREAMED at the TV a few minutes ago. I was watching the news while walking on my treadmill. The reporter said that some doctors are suggesting cholesterol screenings for children. Right now only kids with a family history of high cholesterol are screened. At first I thought wow that is a fabulous idea. Maybe parents will see what the shitty food they feed their kids is doing to them at such a young age. Then they can change their diets and get them on the right path for a lifetime of good health.

But......OH NO....that isn't the idea at all. They think that children with high cholesterol would benefit from cholesterol lowering DRUGS!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I could feel my heart start pounding and my blood pressure rising. When will this insanity end?

Yes, I am sure there are children that come from families where high cholesterol runs rampant despite healthy eating habits and exercise.....but come on....I would venture to guess....looking at the American diet these days, that most of the children that have high cholesterol DON'T have to have it!

Researchers say treating children with cholesterol lowering drugs might help prevent them from developing heart problems in middle age. So would healthy eating and getting some exercise in a lot of cases!

Thank goodness not all scientists agree. Some say there is not enough evidence cholesterol lowering medication for children is safe or effective....so at least there are still some sane scientists out there! What are they going to do....take Lipitor for their entire lives?

Sorry for the rant, but I feel like the drug companies are running low on adults to drug, so now they are going after our children. I remember seeing some unbelievable number a couple of years ago about how many new drugs are being developed every year that target children.

Now don't yell at me. I know there are a ton of illnesses for adults and children that benefit from medication....I really do get it......HOWEVER.....let's take a good look at what we all eat, drink and breathe and how many hours we spend in front of the TV or on the computer and try to correct that problem before we drug ourselves into oblivion.

End of rant....hope everyone had a super day today. :)

Osteo Update Time

For those of you that are new to my blog....I was diagnose with osteoporosis (sort of) in January. You can read about my experience here and here.

Just a little update on how things are going. When the new Holistic MD told me what he wanted me to eat and not eat, I was more than a little concerned. My diet was not nearly as bad as a lot of people, but not nearly as good as it should have been. He was asking a LOT for me to eat mostly whole foods as in fruits and vegetables, no wheat and no dairy. I need my Starbucks Chai Latte and pizza!

Then I needed to start walking 30 minutes a day. I was already walking a bit, but NOT 30 minutes every single day of the week! I don't have time for that.

Next I started seeing a Physical Therapist one day a week. She wanted me to do about 20-30 minutes of Pilates for osteoporosis at least 5 days a week. Where was that time going to come from?

Needless to say, it was a bit overwhelming. HOWEVER.....those of you that know me, know that I never say never. I dug in and guess what....the diet isn't really a big deal, the walking has become pretty enjoyable and the exercise is challenging and I love a challenge!!

I guess what I am trying to say is that things are going really, really well. I have no idea what it's all doing for my bone health, but I would think they would be staying the same or getting stronger rather than weaker and that is the goal.

The way I managed to sort it all out and not freak out was to look at it in smaller parts rather than as the big whole major life change that it was. It took me a while to figure out the diet and then to adjust to it.

I do my PT in the morning because that way it's done and there are no excuses when I get home from work. The walking....I am wearing a pedometer every minute of every day for a program we are doing at work. I have to walk 7000 steps every day. Most people walk about 3500 during the course of an average day and guess what......a 30 minute walk equals almost exactly 3500 steps! I get my 7000 easily every day. Some days I have 8000 and I've even hit 9000 a couple of times!

I was never trying to lose weight, but I have. My pants are all getting baggy and people are commenting on how skinny I am. I don't really want to be skinny...it's better for people with bone loss to have some meat and muscle on their bones.....but I will say that I feel awesome!

So, my words of wisdom....if someone like me can have words of wisdom is this....when you have to make a major lifestyle change....break it down into small sections and do it in baby steps. Success can be yours!

Physical Therapy

I had my first visit with my new Physical Therapist today. She was awesome! How lucky can I be? We sat and talked and went over my health history. We talked about osteoporosis and about exercise.

Then I learned a number of very simple exercises that will eventually be part of an exercise "routine" of sorts. The exercises take moves from Pilates and breathing from yoga to create a workout that is safe and affective for someone with osteoporosis or osteopenia. The routine will loosen areas where my muscles are tight, and tighten areas that are not.....all in an effort to get all of my muscles working equally no matter what I am doing. I will be seeing her once a week for now so she can watch my progress and add new exercises each week. She might even put me on some of the pilates equipment at some point. That would be cool.

It was a wonderful visit with lots of education. The PT is about my age and she has osteopenia. This is a physical fitness expert....and she has bone loss. It just goes to show you that it can happen to anyone. It isn't a problem for only tall, thin women, or older women, or people that don't get enough calcium, or people that don't exercise.....it happens to men and women, people that are young and people that are older, people that take calcium and those that don't, active people and couch potatoes....it doesn't matter....anyone can suffer bone loss. It has more to do with how your body is functioning and how it is or isn't absorbing calcium.

So now I have all of the parts of my program and I am on my way. I will be eating the right foods, taking the supplements my body needs and exercising safely and in a way that will help my bones. I will also be going for a bone density test on Monday. That way I will know what my scores are right now as I start my bone building program.

Thanks so much for all of your wonderful and supportive comments. I'll let you know my test results when I get them....but that's it for the osteo talk for a while. Make it a great day and do something really, really nice for yourself today!

Beating Osteoporosis.....Day 1

Today is the first day of my new diet and supplement plan. I am so ready. I spent so much time this weekend figuring out things I can eat and what supplements I take when and when I want to drink this shake thing and so on and so on....

I spent a lot of time in the Osteoporosis forums chatting with people that have been doing this for years. I have learned a lot. One of the things I've learned is that just like with every other "hot" topic......you will get lots of different advice from people with lots of differing opinions.

I read many times....no yoga forward bends and no yoga twisting. Then my new doctor said....it's fine. Then some very knowledgeable people in the forums said....don't do it. Then someone else in the forums said.....I've been doing them for nine years. What it boils down to is that I have to do what is right for me. That yoga DVD has made me stronger, more flexible and improved my posture. I think I will keep doing it. The moves in yoga are slow and thought out. I don't think about it when I bend over to pick up something off the floor or twist to back my car out of the drive way. If my back is going to fracture....it's going to fracture.

I am going to see if I can make an appointment with a Physical Therapist that is trained in osteoporosis. I would like some professional help with my exercise program. I really need someone to tell me exactly what I should be doing each day. If I'm going to spend 30-60 minutes every day working out, I want to be sure that what I am doing is going to help. I'm not qualified to do that.

The hardest part of the new diet is the no sugar, no dairy and no gluten. That's a whole lot of no-no's. The no sugar means no Starbucks Chai Lattes. The no dairy means no pizza. The no gluten means no bread. I've done this before, I can do it again.

I just have to think about how awesome I am going to feel when I am not putting things into my body that it doesn't need or want....and when I am putting good things into my body that are going to help it function the way it should. It's all a matter of mind over matter and a good positive attitude.

Make it a great day and be sure to do something really nice for yourself today!

NO GO

I was walking along just minding my own business....walking....walking.....love my treadmill so much....walking.....

I reached for my little hand weights that I use when I walk, and oops....I pulled out the safety key. I've done that before. No big deal. I popped the key back in and punched in my speed, hit GO and uh oh....NO GO!

Hmmmm....must have done something wrong so I tried again....NO GO! Uh oh.

Yep, my brand new treadmill that I have only had for one month died on Monday morning! I got a hold of the company and they are sending out a tech to fix it, but I must say I am really, really not happy....but I am trying to take it in stride.

The biggest concern for me, besides the fact that a brand new treadmill should not be breaking down, is that I had not missed a single day of walking since I bought it. I was on such a roll...and this is the exact kind of thing that messes me up. If I miss one day, it becomes two days and then suddenly it's a week and then before you know it, I'm not walking any more.

Well in an effort to keep that from happening, I told Irv to kick my butt right out the door when I get home from work...even if it's raining. I am happy to report that on Tuesday he did just that. I was kind of debating if I really wanted to go outside and walk. It was drizzling and I didn't feel like walking outside. Irv said, "You are walking!" Since I always listen to Irv and do everything he tells me to do....I went out and walked. I also walked Wednesday and yesterday and in all honesty, it's been awesome. People are outside enjoying the warmer weather and the birds are chirping like crazy!

So, for the next week or so, I am going to have to walk outside, rain or shine....but I will do it!

Darn treadmill!!

Urgency, Planning and Success

Two people this week commented on how skinny I'm getting. When you are working hard at something and people recognize your effort...it's always a good feeling. I sat for a moment and wondered why I'm having success this time when I haven't in the past? How is it that I've been walking and working out since the first of the year...when normally I would have quit long ago? It didn't take long before the answer came to me. It was two parts....urgency and a plan.

For me to have success with anything, I need that sense of urgency. If I don't have that, I don't take what I am doing seriously. Previously, I just wanted to work out and get healthy because I should. This time I am in a race with my weakening bones and I want to win.

For me to have success with anything, I also need some kind of a plan. Previously, I would just work out a day here, maybe walk a day now and then...if I missed a day...oh well. I didn't have a plan. Now I have a plan. It's on paper...and I'm stickin' to it!

What I need to do now is bring that same sense of urgency to my etsy business, FourDogDay. That doesn't mean to be running around like a lunatic everyday...it means that I need to know when I want to retire. I need to know how much extra money FourDogDay would need to be bringing in each month in order for that to happen. Then I will "see" the urgency and I will get serious.

I also need a plan to get me where I need to be at that time. I need it on paper...so I have something to follow...a plan I can stick to. I have had plans before but I lacked the urgency. If I don't have both parts, it just doesn't work for me.

For me...this doesn't only apply to my health and FourDogDay...it applies to anything I really want to accomplish. No urgency, no plan, no do. Take my basement for example. I swore I would get it dejunked before summer. There was no reason I had to have it done by then, I just wanted to. So, no real true urgency, no plan....it isn't getting done. Now if I wanted to put my house on the market this spring....THERE would be the urgency. You can be sure it would be getting done!

How are you with major things you want to accomplish? Do you need urgency? Do you need a written plan or are you disciplined enough to do it without? I would love to hear how you accomplish things either in your business or in your life....

Just Do It!

Have you ever tried Yoga? I have always been intrigued with it. It just looked so calming...the way they went from pose to pose...it just flowed so smoothly. I started doing a little Yoga many years ago. Then I quit which is what I usually do. Then I bought two more Yoga DVDs, did one of them for a little while and then quit again.

I am happy to say that I have been doing Yoga regularly for two full months now and I feel awesome. I know it is the perfect workout for me. That and walking on the treadmill. I know some people hate treadmill walking, but I love it!

My sister loves her recumbent bike. She rides about five miles a day on it.

I know people that love going to the gym.

There are some women in my office that are doing Weight Watchers right now. They were talking about how much weight they have lost yesterday and they were so excited. I was so happy for them.

I think it's important when we decide to take charge of our health, that we find the program that works the best for us. If we find something we really enjoy doing, I think we are more apt to stick with it.

What kind of program do you like best? Healthy eating? Exercise? What type of exercise do you like?

The Breakup

A tear was hanging there in the corner of my eye and then slowly it tricked down my right cheek. I looked longingly at the building as I drove by on my way to work yesterday. I even thought I smelled a familiar aroma....but alas....I didn't. It was just my imagination playing tricks on me.

As I walked in to the office, I clutched the small Starbucks Chai Latte in my hand. I put down my tote bags and started to remove my food for the day....Total cereal, blueberries, strawberries, soy milk, leftover quinoa pasta with zucchini and spinach pasta sauce, raisins, celery and peanut butter. I placed the cold things in the fridge, left the rest in the bag and sat down at my desk. As I took a sip of my chai latte.....I smiled.

YOU DID IT KATHY!!! YOU REALLY DID IT!!!! It's Friday and you did NOT stop at Dunkin' Donuts, and you are NOT eating a fattening, salty, cholesterol filled egg and cheese croissant that is going to turn the pH of your blood upside down and make your body steal calcium from your precious little bones!!! Chee Hoo!!!!

Friends even though I feel like I broke up with the love of my life...if I can say NO to that egg and cheese croissant, I can say NO to most anything...and today that included cookies, candy and cake that filled our lunch table. I didn't have a single bite.

On the serious side...this change in diet is not easy. I feel hungry a lot. Before if I was hungry, I knew that I could reach in my tote bag for some chips or crackers. They would fill me up. They would make me happy.

Now when I am hungry and I reach in my bag, I find things like dried apricots. If I go to the fridge, I find things like carrots. Those things do NOT fill me up, nor do they make me happy.

After eating like I did my entire life, I think it just becomes a habit. I think you learn to love the taste of certain foods as well as that feeling of being just perfectly full. It has to be an emotional thing.

Now I am in the process of "unlearning" those habits and creating new ones. I have discovered that I can live without the sweets except for my chai and that's okay for now. What I am really missing are the salty, filling snacks. I love things like cheese, crackers, pita chips and corn chips. It's funny because I don't like my food salty. I even buy salt free soup and put in a little dash of my own salt....but salty snacks were my "thing".

Salt is bad, bad, bad for our bones, so I am trying to avoid it. That isn't to say I will never have another salty snack, because I will...just not every day like I was.

I really did an awesome job this week, but it was tough. So much thought has to go into what I'm buying and eating right now that I find it more like work. I am keeping up with my pilates and my yoga and my new treadmill is a dream come true. I am on that thing for 30 minutes every morning before work and I actually like it! I find it challenging and I love a challenge.

I hope that all of you are getting up and doing some walking or some kind of exercise. Making some small changes now might keep you from having to make major changes later.....besides your bones will love you for it!

Make it an awesome day for yourself!

City Kitties

Sunday morning Irv and I were out the door at 7:00 and headed to Chicago. It's about an hour drive without traffic. We had to stop for gas and I decided to treat myself to a chai latte at Starbucks. I wanted to try it made with soy milk which would be a better option for me with my new bone building diet plan. The first few sips were yucka....the middle sips were acceptable....and the last sips were disgusting. I don't think that is going to be an option for me. Bummers!

Tresa and Chris are going to be putting their condo up for sale as soon as they make some minor improvements. They needed Irv's opinion on some things, so they asked us to come in. They treated us to a wonderful breakfast at a cute little cafe. I was wondering if it would be difficult to find something that fit in with my new diet....not at all! I had a wonderful egg white omelet with spinach, goat cheese and tomatoes! Man was it good!

We headed over to their condo and got to meet their newest kitty, Harley. They are always telling us what a bad, bad boy Harley is....and I think they are full of it. He is the cutest and sweetest little guy you would ever want to meet. He is charming and playful and just as happy as can be.

Their other kitty, Casey is such a pretty little Princess. She loves to just lay around, and only moves when she wants to move. She has a pretty normal kitty personality. :)

They have huge windows all along three sides of the condo and the view is awesome!

Irv went over a number of things with them and made some suggestions. They plan to purchase some things and we will head in again to give them a hand. Then it was back to the "country".

I managed to still find time to take the dogs for a nice little walk, do my yoga and walk for 25 minutes on the treadmill. I enjoy walking outside, but man was it nice to throw on some workout clothes, turn on some golf on the TV and walk! I think I am going to really enjoy it.

It was a busy day, but I had decided this morning that this would be one more day off from my etsy shop, FourDogDay. Instead of getting rattled because I didn't work in my shop all week, I told myself that I took a much deserved week off....that way there was no guilt, no stress and let me tell you....I had an awesome day today! Tomorrow I will be back in my workshop and I am so ready to start creating again!

Oh, and on a little side note...Michael and Bernadette have set March 6th for our next family get together. Michael said we are going bungee jumping...I wonder what we will REALLY be doing?

A Million Thanks

I want to thank each and every one of you for all of the kind words and the encouragement this past week. I feel so lucky to have all of you as my friends. You are the best.

This was a huge week for me. With the Osteoporosis diagnosis, finding out it's Osteopenia, thinking I was going to have to take drugs I didn't want to take, having a wonderful book recommended to me by a super blog friend, learning about my disease, learning about treatment options, having a mini meltdown and getting started on some major lifestyle changes...it was one heck of a week! Whew!

Today I filled my fridge with all kinds of good things to eat. I went to the store with a list and knew what I was going to buy.

I will be making things like vegetable soup, fruit smoothies, ratatouille, roasted vegetables with tofu and salads.

I will be walking on my brand new treadmill too! Michael came over to help Irv get the treadmill downstairs. Those things are HUGE and there was no room for it upstairs in my tiny house. Maggie helped them as much as she could and before you know it....it was all together! Thanks Irv and Michael!

We don't have an awesome finished basement, so Irv said he is going to go downstairs tomorrow and fix up a nice spot for me to do my "walking". How sweet is that? He's already looking in the catalogs for seeds to see what other kinds of great veggies he can grow for me this summer!

The more I think about this whole week...the more I realize how very lucky I am to have found out about my bone loss now when I can still possibly make the changes I need to in order to live a long healthy life....with nice strong bones.

Thanks again everyone. You truly are amazing!

Building Bone 101

I promised you some information from the book I'm reading so I will start today. I definitely can't fit it all in one post, but this will be a start.

The book I'm reading, Building Bone Vitality, states that, "Bone contains three calcium compounds: calcium carbonate, phosphate, and hydroxide. When the blood's pH falls below normal, the body must restore it as quickly as possible. It does this by pulling calcium compounds into the blood to neutralize excess acids. The body obtains these acid-neutralizing calcium compounds from the reservoir that contains 99 percent of the body's calcium store....bone."

That paragraph is basically what the entire book is about. It tells you ways to keep that "robbing of the bone" from happening. pH stands for "potential of hydrogen". Basically it means how acid or alkaline the blood is. Our bodies are pretty picky and when something isn't quite right, our bodies will try to find a way to repair it....at all cost.

We all know that fruits and vegetables should comprise a large part of our daily diet, but do they? I don't know about your house, but they don't in my house. I was also under the assumption that protein is the key to good health. Most people get their protein from meat. I happen to be a vegetarian so I turned to dairy. I thought I was doing great things for my bones. I wasn't.

I am not a very science minded person, but I do understand this. Most foods contain protein and protein introduces amino acids into the bloodstream, which in turn increases it's acidity and in turn the acidity of urine. My body will do what it needs to do to balance my blood...and in order to do that, it will pull calcium out of my bone.

Thinking I was helping my bones, I kept upping the amount of calcium I was consuming by way of food and supplements. I was consuming as much dairy as I could because I thought I needed that protein. For the past seven years I have eaten 10 hard boiled egg whites per week, about 2-3 egg yolks plus whole eggs on Friday and more if we made them for breakfast on the weekends. What I wasn't doing was upping my consumption of fruits and vegetables to provide the alkaline to keep things in balance.

The book suggests lots of fruits and vegetables, some nuts and legumes, modest amounts of bread, pasta and cereal and not much if any meat, poultry, fish, dairy and eggs. I can do that....I might not love it....but I can do it.

I already figured out that a Starbucks Chai with soy milk would be okay and that instead of an egg and cheese croissant, I can get the egg and cheese on a wheat bagel and have it with some fruit!

Did you know that Vitamin D increases the body's ability to absorb calcium. I didn't. Guess who was Vitamin D deficient? Yep. Me. I had Melanoma in 1998 and for many years didn't allow the sun to come anywhere near me. We need sun. We need 15-20 minutes on our upper bodies each and every day! I got none for years. I started on Vitamin D supplements and it is finally back to normal.

What about exercise? Well, everything I have looked at says 30-60 minutes of walking per day....every day. That is crucial. I will be getting a treadmill today.

The book did say that the Osteoporosis drugs do work reasonably well, but they are not a cure. The drug companies always exaggerate the effectiveness of their products and the advertising makes them all seem so wonderful. I'm just not ready to go that route yet. I may have to some day....but not today.

I will continue to read and learn about my disease and treatment options. I will share anything I find that sounds worthwhile.

I am headed to the grocery store right now. You will find me in the produce aisle! Make it an awesome day today and hey....do something nice for yourself today. I plan to!

The Meltdown

I had a mini meltdown Wednesday evening. Yep, I did. I admit it. Irv asked me if I was doing okay with all of this Osteoporosis stuff and that was all it took. The tears had been lying in wait for a while, and just the attempt to say, "Yep, I'm good," turned on the faucet. It actually felt good. I had to quickly turn the faucet off because Tresa called, and by the time I was done talking to her..."it" had passed.

(Photo by Miriam Pike)

I don't need sympathy....it isn't necessary, but I am always open to information or suggestions of any kind. The meltdown was two days ago and I am long past it. In fact, I feel really good. I know that I can do this my way and if for some reason my way doesn't work....there is always the alternative....medication. Not my first choice, but it's there if I choose to take it.

I remember when I was diagnosed with Melanoma in 1998. I was terrified. I didn't even want to do my homework on the subject because I didn't want to know. What I did know was that my days of enjoying the sun were gone and that I would live forever with this uneasy feeling. I was wrong. It did take years until I was comfortable stepping out of the house and allowing the sun to shine on my skin, but I have learned to live with it and it no longer affects me or my life negatively. I use my sunscreen and cover up if I'm going to be out for a long time. I love the feel of the sun on my skin and I see my dermatologist regularly. Yes, my life changed drastically that day, but I now look at that day as my life saver. It was my little warning sign to pay attention to what I was doing.

When I was told I had osteoporosis/osteopenia last Saturday, I already knew what it was but I didn't know a lot about it. I started reading and reading and reading. I talked to people about it. I asked about the meds and diet and exercise and everything else I needed to know. I crammed so much into my head in a few short days that I thought it would explode! I wasn't working on anything for my etsy shop, FourDogDay. I wasn't working on anything for the upcoming show. I wasn't keeping up with all of my favorite blogs. I just didn't feel like "me". I think Wednesday night I just became overwhelmed with all of the data and all of the change in my normal routine. I wasn't exactly sure how to sort it all out, get back on track and turn it all into my new way of life.

I laid in bed that night and made two columns on a sheet of paper....one said GOOD and one said BAD. I started writing down every food I read about. When I was done, I looked at the columns and realized I COULD do this. It wasn't that I could no longer have an egg, but I had to eat it with fruit or a vegetable. I could have cottage cheese...as long as I had some fruit with it. It's all a matter of balancing the acidic with the alkaline and I can do that. I'm not quite ready to explain the whole thing to you yet, but I promise I will as soon as I know I am giving you the right information and I'm not quite there yet.

I know how very, very, very lucky I am. There are so many worse things, but in all honesty....I'm lazy when it comes to my diet and exercise....and this is all about diet and exercise! I am a vegetarian that doesn't eat enough vegetables and almost no fruit. I live on rice and beans and pasta and cheese and eggs....at least I did. I start eating healthy and then I stop. I exercise and then I don't feel like doing it any more. I'm just not good with this stuff and now I feel backed into a corner because now I don't have a choice. I take that back....we always have a choice, but if I don't want my bones to crumble down the road....I only have one choice.

It's another warning. That's how I am looking at this. I have been given a chance to do it right...and I will. It just takes me a little bit to gather my thoughts and figure things out and then I'm ready to go. Irv e-mailed me at work the day after the mini meltdown to see if I was okay. I told him that I had my little boo hoo and I was raring to get going.

How are you when you are confronted with a total lifestyle change....when it's no longer if you want to do it, but it's that you have to. Does it take you a while to digest it all or are you able to dig right in?

Good Morning World!

Sorry for this short post....but like I said yesterday, I usually write my blog after work. Yesterday after work I ended up on the phone with Dish Network because they seemed to think we wanted them to bill our credit card every month for our service! Yikes! No way man. Once I got that straightened out it was off for a walk with the dogs. I did a mile with the dogs and then brought them home and did a mile on my own so I could concentrate on me and not them.

I checked my blog and e-mails, had some dinner, worked a little bit and then my new book was calling my name. I have to figure out my new diet so I know what to buy at the store this weekend.
I am learning so much from this book and all of the articles I have printed off the internet. I will post about all of it tomorrow....and even if you don't have Osteopenia or Osteoporosis now....it would be wise to pay attention to your diet so you don't get it. I will fill you all in...very interesting stuff. My healthy diet wasn't so healthy after all!!

So, it's time to do my yoga and then get ready for work. Make it the best day ever today and you make sure that you do something really nice for yourself today.

Mish Mosh

I made a trip to the chiro yesterday and did not work out. :( It's the first day I've missed. Maggie and Wrigley road with us. Sparky doesn't like the car.

I have a real messed up spine and one of my shoulder blades sticks out more than the other. When I do arm and shoulder exercises it starts to get very uncomfortable as it did on Friday. On top of that, I took one of those quick little "oops" slips on some ice Friday. I didn't fall, but it was just enough to cause my muscles to all tighten up on me. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up where I left off some time today. I am tweaking the yoga and pilates exercise plan to include some leg exercises. I am really enjoying the workouts right now.

My healthy eating is going pretty well also. I'm just watching what I eat and trying to make better choices where my snacks are concerned. I'm also making sure that one dinner a week is a nice big salad like this one I had last week so I'm getting some greens. Yes, that whole thing was for me and I ate every last bit of it!

I have my shopping list and coupons ready and we are about to head to the store. Hopefully we will come back with a few dollars left so we can get our favorite Friday night carry out!

I snapped this shot of our icicles right before Irv went out to knock them all down. If you leave them they can actually cause your roof to leak. I think they are so pretty though.

One last thing.....do you have cable TV or dish? We pay a ton for our basic cable and are considering taking one of the special offers for Dish Network to save some money. We have always had cable. Your thoughts?

Week One of the Makeover

Happy Monday everyone! I just wanted to give you an update today on how my working out and our grocery shopping on a budget went. It went REALLY, REALLY WELL!!!! Chee Hoo!

I did make a change in my workout schedule and decided to make Friday my day off. Friday is my eat whatever I want day....so if I'm eating high calorie, high fat foods....why work out? It's easier to find the time on the weekend anyway, so I think that will be better.

So including Sunday I did Pilates three times, Yoga three times, walked four times, stretched twice and worked my arms twice! I have passed on the walking for three days because the wind chill has been brutal. It's suppose to warm up this week, so hopefully I will get lots of walking in. Yesterday it was 4 degrees with a -15 below wind chill. I won't walk in that. It hurts. :(

I have a couple of other little changes I plan to make to my program because I want to do some specific leg work, so I'll need to figure that out as well. If I'm consistent with the yoga, I won't need the extra stretching either.

I ate pretty good all week and really didn't have much junk and that is a positive for me as well. I am also trying to increase my iron since it was too low to donate blood again, and that really bothers me. Irv and I donate regularly and it's important to me to be able to do that.

Ah....the grocery store. I spent time during the week planning my meals and then I made my shopping list. Next, I went online and found some coupons I could use for a few things. I'm going to spend a little more time on that this week to see if I can find more. With our $3.50 in coupons we ended up spending $116.96 for the week! I paid very close attention to the prices of things to see if I could find cheaper items than what I usually buy...sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't. It was kind of a pain, but the end result was worth it. Now we have money left for our carry out on Friday night.

We have a couple of things to tweak in our budget....like why do I have to use my spending money on Starbucks if I want it, and Irv used grocery money on a 6 pack of O'Doules? That doesn't seem quite fair to me. I think we are going to have to work on that one! Isn't that right Irvie? ;-}

I gave Irv all of his money for the week and I have mine. We will see how we do. No using the debit card at all! I really am psyched about this. Hope we see a difference in our bank account and can use the extra money to start really paying down our debt.

I hope your Monday is just as awesome as it can possibly be! Don't forget to do something really nice for yourself today.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

I started walking every day after work this week, in accordance with my "plan" and Mother Nature has NOT been very cooperative. The first three days of the week were frigid. I mean cold enough where any exposed skin hurts like hell when you are out there...and I was out there all three days. Then Thursday it was a tad warmer, but it was snowing.

Some of our icicles

I don't own any good boots so I put on my hiking boots and headed out. It was pretty slippery....but I walked.

The start of my walk

I took my camera with so I could take a few pictures for you, but as you can see, it was still snowing and since I have no clue how to really use a camera....we have big white blobs all over the pictures....but it's okay, you'll get the idea.

Our neighbor's evergreen....so pretty covered in snow

One of the neighbors was shoveling when I walked by and asked me if I have had enough snow yet. "Not yet", I said. "If I have to have winter, then I'll take the snow." That wasn't the answer he was looking for. He wanted someone to commiserate with him.

Little lights peeking out of the snow

Big beautiful evergreens

I'm glad Irv puts my car in the garage every night for me.
I wouldn't want to get up to this in the morning.
Our Christmas tree waiting at the curb for the recycling truck
My empty squirrel feeders
My lilac bushIt was a nice walk and now I can cross that off my list for today.

Organizing

I am pretty darn pleased with myself right now. A few of the things that I really wanted to get done, are done. Now, all I have to do is follow through with my plan and all will be well in my world!

Here is my little work out calendar. Notice how I only wrote down one week worth of exercise? That is just in case I am being a bit over-zealous and my plan needs tweaking after week one. I am really worried about finding this much time for working out and walking, but we shall see.

Next, I took a planner that we got in the mail with something and I turned it into my meal planner. I recorded what I plan to have for dinner next week. It's all written in pencil because I know that one of those nights Irv will make a yummy frozen pizza and then I will have to move things around. The neat thing with this is that I can write things in ahead of time if I think of something I want to make for the following week and then I can use that to help me make my shopping list for that week. I can also jot other things we need in the little note section.

Last is the shoe box with my envelopes for our new budget....they are just waiting for payday on Friday and then we will get started. We get paid every other week, so I have envelopes for week one and for week two....for things like food, gas, dog food and spending...the things that we normally use a debit card for, but won't be anymore, therefore keeping us from overspending. At least that is the plan!

It feels good to have some plans in place. I am anxious to get started. The first test will be when we go grocery shopping this morning. This will be our dress rehearsal. I am anxious to see how we do. My goal is to only spend about $120 today, so we have money left for carry out on the weekend. :)

Subject change....I listed my cute new little Sun, Moon and Stars tote bag yesterday and popped it on Facebook. My sister in SC saw it and immediately bought it! I finished this one yesterday and I will get it listed some time today. I hope it sells as fast! I love the little plastic "buckle" thingy. I thought it was such a fun thing to use to keep the top of the tote closed.

Well, we are off to the store. I'll let you know how we do. Make it an awesome day for yourself!

Count 'em Up Kathy

As I packed up my bag yesterday morning with my lunch and snacks , I started to wonder how many calories I was loading into that bag for the day. I really already knew the answer and it was TOO MUCH!

Even though I tend to eat fairly healthy, I also tend to eat way too much. Add that to the fact that yesterday was the first day in ages that I walked the dog, and add to that the fact that I am stopping at Starbucks every day again.....it's no wonder that the pants I put on that morning were a bit on the t-i-g-h-t side.

There is such a simple solution to this issue, I don't know why I don't do it. On Sundays I use to pack up daily snacks in the proper serving size for the week. That way when I packed up my lunch I could just grab what I need. I would make a couple of small salads and put them in containers ready to grab.

Another easy thing to do is when I put leftovers away that I know will end up being a lunch for me during the week, I really should divide them and put them in a couple of small containers instead of one big container. Like yesterday, the one container held WAY MORE than one serving of pasta and low fat Alfredo...making it an unhealthy, fattening lunch.

I also like Greek yogurt for a snack....that would be an awesome snack, but I also like to add some fruit and granola to it making it not so low cal. I am thinking about making that my breakfast a couple of days a week instead of a snack.

I wouldn't even mind the Starbucks every day if I could get the rest of my eating under control. Even healthy low calorie snacks becomes unhealthy when you eat more than the proper serving size or when you consume 3-4 snacks a day rather than two.

So, today I will do better. I packed my lunch and snacks last night, and paid close attention to the serving size. I am only taking two snacks with me...one for the morning and one for the afternoon. I will walk the dog when I get home from work before I even turn on the computer, because once I turn that computer on....neither the dog nor myself will get the exercise we both so desperately need.

I am going to try to get up when the alarm goes off and get back to my yoga and pilates in the morning. I can't believe how limber I feel when I am doing those things regularly. I stand straighter and just walk taller. It's pretty awesome and I need it.

Truly, no matter how many times you have tried to exercise and eat healthy and fallen off the wagon....it's okay. When you can, just get back on and try again. Even eating healthy for a while now and then is better than never eating healthy at all. Same goes for working out and walking.

Well, now that I have myself so totally psyched....I think I will go grab a snack...all that talk about food has made me hungry! Just kidding!

But I Don't Want To!

I don't sleep as well as I did even six months ago. For me it has everything to do with what I am eating and my emotional state. Some nights my brain refuses to shut off and I can't fall asleep. Then I wake up in the middle of the night and my brain picks up right where it left off when I did finally fall asleep. I ask the voices to stop...but they don't listen. Chatter, chatter, chatter!

This morning I woke up right before the alarm went off like I usually do, and I lay there for a moment thinking....."Did I wake up during the night?" Hmmmm...don't think so. I didn't even remember falling asleep! Wow! That's awesome!

I was so happy and felt so content and peaceful that I didn't want to get up...getting up meant twenty minutes of pilates, a one mile walk/jog with the dog, making some kind of healthy lunch, a shower and heading to work.

I lay there for what seemed to be a minute, but was actually about ten. "Oh, I wish I was off today."

I dragged myself to my workshop, turned on the computer and started checking e-mails and my etsy shops...still not entirely awake, but knowing full well that if I didn't get going I would never get in my pilates or my walk.

Ah, was that it? Was my alter ego trying to sabotage my "Healthy Eating and Workout Plan" during week three? Week three is when I usually fizzle out.....

By now I was twenty minutes behind schedule. Refusing to fall prey to my lazy, junk food eating alter ego, I quickly threw on my work out clothes, grabbed my mat and headed to the living room. I did my pilates under the watchful and very annoying eye of the dog.....who obviously knew we were twenty minutes late for her walk.

Threw on a little jacket, my hat, grabbed two little doggie treats for the walk, a bag for poop (just in case), my keys, my phone and out the door we went. "Maybe we better only do 1/2 mile because it's so late!" I thought.

Walk, jog, walk, jog....1/2 mile done. Look at the time on my phone.....it's late. Crap! No excuses...let's go! Jog, walk, jog, walk.....one mile done!

Make my lunch...
Hit the shower...
Make up on...
Hair done....
Clothes on....

"Be good girls!" and out the door and off to work!

I didn't want to get up this morning...but I did.
I didn't want to exercise this morning...but I did.
I didn't want to walk a mile this morning...but I did.
I didn't want to go to work this morning...but I did.

All I can say is CHEE HOO! I am so proud of me....

I did want an extra Starbucks Chai Latte this morning...and I did...and it was oh so good!!

Off the Wagon AGAIN

Okay, so I fell of the wagon AGAIN! I cannot stop eating crappy food. I know how bad it is for me. I know how many calories it all has in it. I know the fat content of what I eat. I know it's clogging my arteries. I know it's going to make me gain weight. I know. I know. I know!

But I can't seem to stop. I am out of control.

I have had a chai latte from Starbucks 10 times in the past 2 weeks. Not only is that a lot of calories I don't need, at $3.22 each, that is way too much money to be spending on junk food!

Every Friday, in fact last week it was Thursday AND Friday, and this week it was Friday AND today......it's an egg and cheese croissant from Dunkin' Donuts.

Last night it was a mushroom swiss black bean burger from Chilis and of course I had to get the Paradise Pie for dessert. That Paradise Pie is on the top ten list of the worst things you can eat. Doesn't it look just awesome though....and you should taste it...oh my word!!!!


What on earth is up? I never use to eat like this. I am just craving crap food right now, and have been for quite a while. This just isn't me and it isn't who I want to be.

So, here it is. I need to make a change....and I plan to start on Monday. No point in trying to start today. I still have 1/2 of my Paradise Pie left to eat, and I know I will eat it, and then tomorrow we are going to Michael and Bern's for the afternoon. I know I will eat whatever is put in front of me. Monday will be better. It's just me and the food with no outside influences....sort of.

I am going to try to go cold turkey with the chai lattes. I think that is the only way. To cut down won't help because I live for that chai every morning. If I have it one day....I will have it every day...guaranteed.

I will only bring good food to work...and that isn't hard to do and I usually do that. It's the cake and cookies and crap that other people bring to "share" that I can't keep my hands off of. I will try.

The weekends are sheer hell. I just eat whatever looks good and that has to stop. So, it will.

I am walking the dog one mile every morning...it's hard to do that at 5:30 a.m., but I can do it, and I said I was going to start doing my yoga and pilates after work. I really have to do that, but it is so darn hard to use that precious time for that when I have a million other things to do.

I once followed this awesome plan where you ate good all week and then you had one day where you could seriously eat anything you wanted. It was great and I did so well on it. I might give that a try again rather than deprive myself of every nasty food I love. The funny thing is that when that eat whatever you want day rolls around, you can only eat so much crap without feeling sick so you really don't eat all that much!

So, how do you do it? Do you eat good and exercise? Are you motivated? Do you stick with it or do you start and quit over and over and over again like I do? I am open to any and all suggestions......help?