Week 8, Monday, a.m. snack and exercising with the football team

"morning" snack...which was at 1 pm, was a 100 cal bag of cookies and half an ounce of cheddar cheese. 155 cals

I decided to go to the track to walk a short while ago. I really wasn't thinking about the fact that the track is around the football field, which belongs to the school, which was in session. When I was on the fourth lap, the football team and their coach came out to run the track. How embarrassing! I walked 1 mile (24 minutes).

Week 8, Monday, breakfast

11 a.m....... mexican tv dinner, 9 chips and half an apple.......but then I left 2 of the chips and a few bites of the dinner on the plate. 450 cals.

I want to say hello to *K*, my new follower! You just don't know how much it helps to know that people are reading this! Also, thank you to *K* and Sean for the nice comments they left on my breakthrough post.

Plenty to do here....I'll check back in shortly.

a very busy Saturday and Sunday

I just wrote a very long post and it got lost in cyberspace!

So here is the condensed version:

Saturday: I attended TOPS fun day which was very motivating! I walked a mile (21 mins) even though I didn't have a minute to spare. It was a very busy day.

Sunday: I had almost 20 kids in Sunday School and I was the only teacher. It stressed me.
Early this morning I wore my gown and no bra outside to get something from the car, thinking "my neighbors will all be asleep this time of the morning", however, the neighbor man who happens to be a baptist pastor, saw me. oops. I walked half a mile today...would have been more, but daugher was with me and she needed to go poop. After that, it was time to go to church. We had car trouble on our way to church.

So, that is my weekend in a nutshell! Watch for a post very soon about a walk-a-thon I'm doing! whoo hoo!

Good night.........I'm tired........thanks for reading............you are great.
- Amy, aka that TOPS lady

I've been tagged.

I don't normally do tags, but I will do it just once I guess. Here goes.

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. Walking into ANY store and being able to pick up a skirt from the rack and it fit!
2. Having lots of energy
3. being more attractive
4. school being out for the summer
5. ladies retreat! (november)
6. getting a gym membership
7. buying an ipod
8. people noticing that I am losing weight without me having to mention it

8 things I did yesterday:
(I'm going to change this to "8 things I did today" because I've been so busy I don't even know if I can remember yesterday!)
1. took the kids to the library (books were due, or we would have waited)
2. taught both kids their lessons (we homeschool)
3. did about 1.5 hours of prep for sunday's lesson for church
4. got up at 5:30 and stayed up!
5. mopped the kitchen floor
6. walked/jogged a mile
7. ate at McDonalds
8. went to the dollar tree

8 things I wish I could do:
1. wake up with a skinny/healthy body and no desire to overeat! lol
2. not stress about so many things
3. play the piano by ear
4. never be embarrassed
5. please my husband completely.......that he would be so proud of me
6. make a lot of money with very little effort :)
7. say the right thing at the right time and lead someone to Jesus
8. keep a spotless home with only a few minutes work per day

8 shows I watch:
Well, our tv is just a monitor...it doesn't get channels.....we can watch videos on it...
1. Facing the Giants
2. Fireproof
3. Biggest Loser (I watched some of it on youtube...wish it would come out on dvd)
4. Twister (hubby and I watched this at the movies when we were dating)
5. anything on HGTV ....I watch it when we stay in a motel
6. hum........................I'm not good with this category..........next question please

8 favorite fruits:
1. apples
2. watermelon
those are the only 2 fruits I even like.

8 places that I'd like to travel to:
1. Embassy Suites in Tulsa, where marriage retreat was held...so relaxing
2. Branson
3. New York
4. California
5. Florida
6. Israel
7. Disney World
8. Home.......I actually like being home.

8 places I have lived:
1. Ash Avenue (somewhere in Oklahoma)
2. North I Street (somewhere in Okla)
3. Cypress Mill Road (somewhere in Alabama)
4. Fellowship hall of a church (somewhere in Alabama...and hope I never have to do that again)
5. Echo Ridge (Alabama)
6. Fox Trap Road (Alabama) (I know, what a weird name for a road)
7. Chickasaw Drive (Oklahoma)
8. I haven't lived anywhere else

goodnight. yawn.

Week 8, Friday................BREAKTHROUGH!

I'm finally getting around to eating supper at 10:26 p.m... I'll tell you, life has been hectic lately. Busy, busy. Supper is a hot dog and a fiber one bar. I had 6 calories left.

I feel like today was a major day in this journey to health. I think I will remember today and will look back on it often. Today was the day I shed tears and broke. I finally hit that wall. I finally came to that crossroads and had to decide for sure and for certain - "are you really going to do this? or is this some little game you've been playing? Is it for real this time?" You see, I am EXHAUSTED and I see no let up in the hecticness of my life until Monday (at least that is not too long from now). My hubby will NOT let me go to the track or even walk the neighborhood after dark. I was still running ragged and super busy when I realized "its going to be dark in 30 minutes and I have not done my exercise" I was busy finishing cooking hubby's supper and he was tired from mowing the yard and was ready to eat. But I need to walk! So, I am cooking SUPER FAST and trying to get it thrown together. He was not in the best of moods, so I didn't want to say "I'm going for a walk; you can eat after I get back" oh no, I wouldn't dare put off his meal after the long exhausting day HE had. THEN I realized that we were out of soda AND tea. He would expect me to go to the dollar store to get soda. But if I do that, it will be dark and I won't get to walk!eerrr...by this point I am stressing out...because I had vowed to myself at the beginning of this week that I would walk EVERY day. I saw that my daughter had a bottle of rootbeer in the fridge. I bought it from her for a dollar. LOL I put it on the table by hubby's plate and went out to tell him that his food was ready and that I was going to walk "real quick" before it got dark. He said "Well, its almost dark now and I'm about to leave to go to the store to get some oil for this thing (whatever it was he was working on)". eeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. The kids were already in their bed clothes (mind you, it is 20 minutes before their bedtime) I couldn't exactly take them with me....it would have been completely pitch dark by the time I would be able to get them dressed..that wasn't an option. I said "well,........I'll walk fast....and you just lock the door and go ahead and go to the store....and I'll call the kids on my cell phone from the track to make sure they are okay....babe, I wouldn't make such a big deal about it if it wasn't so important to me, but it is VERY important to me and I vowed that I would walk everyday". He was just like "whatever". Now, I must clarify that I *am* under subjection to my husband and if he would have flat said "no, you can't go" then I wouldn't have gone. And I wouldn't have had an attitude about it either. God wouldn't have blessed a bad attitude. So I get to the track and I had so many obstacles just getting here that it is VERY close to dark. The track is not lit well and no one is around. Not only will hubby be aggrivated at me if I get home after complete darkness, I would also be scared! So, as I was walking around that track, that is when I broke. It started with me just praying "Lord, You know I've had such a crazy day, but I am trying so hard to do it right this time...ect" Darkness was quickly creeping in. I realized that I was NOT going to get a mile in before complete darkness. That's when my eyes teared up and I hit the wall. (mentally) I power walked. I punched my fists out as I walked as if I were boxing...as I did, I said stuff like " I AM an overcomer"...." I will NOT let the enemy defeat me"......etc............... when I got beside the bleachers, I said "Lord, jog with me, help me to jog, help my feet to move, help me, help me to do this" and I cried, and I broke on the inside....... and I JOGGED the track the length of the bleachers....then I returned to a walk....you wouldn't believe how out of breath I was! But when I got back around the circle and got back to the bleacher, I voiced the same thing "jog with me, help my feet to keep moving", etc........and I jogged it again............ 3 times I jogged it.... and I completed my mile in 19 minutes. A mile usually takes me about 30 minutes. Major victory tonight. This time it is for real. This is not another yo-yo diet. This is the change of my lifetime. It only gets better from here. This is it. (Let me add, that hubby did NOT leave the kids at home...he answered the phone when I called to check on them...and he was still home when I got back)

That picture of that lady in the field at the top of this entry is what I think I will look like at my ending weight.

(Running points balance is now: negative 340)

Week 8, Friday, lunch and snack all in one

Today is being another busy day at town...this time buying things for Sunday School and taking the kiddos to the library. We landed at McDonalds. I really wanted a 2 cheeseburger meal AND large chocolate milkshake, but ouch that would have been a very unwise choice. Instead, I had 2 cheeseburgers, HALF of a medium fries, and an ice cream cone. It was a borderline unwise choice, but I made it work. It was 940 calories. Plan A, had I gone with it, would have been 1,750! ok...so with my mickey d lunch AND my breakfast and morning snack I had earlier AND 100 cals for the few hersheys kisses I ate, I still have 346 cals for supper. I can do it. It is already almost 7 p.m. ......I'll just go to bed when I run out of cals! Sounds like a plan to me! :)

Oh....my batteries went dead at McD's, so that's why there is no pic.

Week 8, Friday, morning snack

4 ritz pb crackers...134 cals....12:39 p.m.

It is so hot and humid today. drip drip.

Week 8, Friday, breakfast

1.5 cups bran flakes with 1 cup 1%milk= 320 cals.......10:45 a.m.

Week 8, Friday, good morning

I'm up early (at least, for me) and getting some stuff done! I don't feel like eating just yet, but I had a 110 cal cup of hot cocoa. I hope you are having a wonderful day! Thanks for reading!

Week 8, Thursday, going over a little bit

Well, I went over ..... while watching a movie, I ate another half of an enchilada and a cup of ice cream........I am way beyond full now. I should have passed on it. But I didn't. And what is done is done. At least it wasn't a "binge" ....I gave myself permission to eat it...even though it wasn't a wise choice. I didn't eat my pudding. Everytime lately when I overeat, I get diarreah (sp?)...don't you just love knowing that? lol Anyway.................I need to adjust my running points balance---- to negative 446.

Week 8, Thursday, bedtime snack

I have 59 cals left to spare. I am going to eat a 70 cal pudding, and adjust it in my running points balance. I'm now off to try AGAIN to watch "lonesome dove".....I fell asleep before I got to see it the other night.

Thanks for reading!

Running points balance is now: negative 98

Week 8, Thursday, snack,supper and exercise

Afternoon snack was a 100 cal bag of cookies and half of an apple...140 cals

Supper is 2 yummy homemade chicken enchiladas and half of a burrito ...713 cals......

I mowed and mowed and mowed the yard today... I'm counting it as 45 minutes and 1 mile walked.

Week 8, Thursday, lunch

4:30 p.m....1.5 cups mac and cheese (made with NO milk and half the margarine) and a can of green beans. 500 cals...yum!

We just watched a movie--right in the middle of the day!--I am glad to not have a hectic day for a change.

Week 8, Thursday, breakfast and first snack

Wow..I had a really late breakfast. It was noon before I ate. One and a half egg salad sandwiches and 2 pb crackers. 448 cals

I'm eating my first snack of the day now, at 2 p.m.... a fiber one bar...140 cals.

Week 8, Wednesday "bedtime" snack and supper and exercise

When it was time to eat again, and it was supposed to be "supper", I was riding in the car on my way to church. So, I switched supper and bedtime snack around. In the car I had this little 100 cal pack of cookies that I found at save-a-lot (see box in photo). Church got out late and I am up washing hubby's uniform and FINALLY eating supper......salad...a big one...yum!

As crazy busy as my day way, I saw that the day was getting by with no time to exercise. I DASHED out the door right before getting dressed for church and did a QUICK walk through our subdivision. I walked .8 mile in 17 minutes.

I'm ending my day with 13 cals leftover. :)

Running points balance is: negative 187...I'm digging my way out!

Goodnight. I'm pooped. I'm thinking of staying in my gown all day tomorrow if possible. I am so tired. I know you are too. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Get some rest now.

Week 8, Wednesday, afternoon snack

5 p.m....STILL at town... how about another 150 cal cone? ;) That's what I did.

Week 8, Wednesday, lunch

3 p.m. ....lunch was a sonic grilled chicken sandwich with NO MAYO and a mcdonald's ice cream and a fiber one bar....I was at town running errands. 565 cals

Week 8, Wednesday, morning snack

4 ritz peanut butter crackers...134 cals.....1:06 p.m.

Son is finished with his schoolwork, but daughter isn't finished. I need to get going to the store soon. Daughter is crying right now because she can't find her favorite music cd. I have looked everywhere..>I can't find it either... Ahhhh...7 year old drama going on in this house.

Week 8, Wednesday, breakfast

Today is payday and the cupboards are just about bare, so I will have to grocery shop today. I had 3 cruncy tacos for breakfast (3 cruncy shells, lean meat, ketchup, 1 slice cheese)...500 cals.....11 a.m. (it was so stormy during the night I was up with daughter a lot...so I slept in this morning!)

Week 7, Tuesday, weigh in, recap, exercise and bedtime!

Weigh in--- tonight I weighed 315.5...so that is a loss of THREE POUNDS this week....a total of TWELVE pounds lost in the past 7 weeks! I'll take that. I was the best loser at TOPS tonight.

Recap-after I eat this sugar free pudding for my bedtime snack (in just a few minutes from now----look! its alreading on my bedside table waiting for me.) I will have eaten 1,950 cals for today...bulls eye! :) That is what I had planned! I'm loving this eating every 2 hour thing....it really helps...and even though my portions are smaller and I WANT to keep eating when I am supposed to be done, I have found that 30 minutes later I realize "hey, I'm not hungry now"....like it just takes a while for "full" to register with me.

Exercise- I walked TWO MILES again today! whoo hoo! It was in 2 sessions, but that is ok. Total minutes was 58.

Bedtime! It is now 10:07 p.m. I am going to take a really really quick shower, snuggle with hubby for a few minutes and then sit in bed and eat my pudding and watch another hour and a half episode of "Lonesome Dove". Last night's episode ended with someone falling into the river and being bitten by snakes..yikes!

I am feeling good.......and it feels good to feel good. LOL

Goodnight and thanks for reading!

:)that TOPS lady