The Missouri 60 challenge!

(this pic was taken tonight at TOPS for the "before" pic of this challenge)

Let me state right up front (because I myself wondered when I first read about it) that this challenge has NOTHING to do with people who live in Missouri! It is named that because Missouri is the "show me" state and the originator of this challenge said that instead of just talking a good talk about progress, "show me!". You can read about it here:

http://theantijared.blogspot.com/2009/06/missouri-60.html

You take a pic of yourself today and post it and then another pic in 60 days for comparison. We can improve a lot in 60 days! Anyway, I'm excited about it. I hope you will join too. It sounds fun.

Where's Waldo?

Where's Waldo? eerr...I mean, Amy? I know I have been missing..sorry about that! The truth of the matter is that I really underestimated when I was doing our budget last payday and I am so broke I can't even pay attention. I'm having to eat whatever we have...spaghetti, cereal, grilled cheese, um......can goods, etc. I can eat this stuff without being a glutton. However, meal planning is pfftt until payday (Wednesday). And I just lack motivation to take a pic of a bowl of black eyed peas and say (in my best mudane Squidward voice) "Here's what I ate for breakfast".

So, I am taking a blogging vacation until Tuesday night or Wednesday. Just wanted to let you know. Don't take it personal. And don't worry, we aren't starving...we are just eating blah. The blah diet. LOL

~ that TOPS lady

Today's food consumption:

Breakfast=

pb crackers while rushing out the door this morning...120 cals

McD's ice cream while the kids were busy at the library....150 cals

Lunch= (while watching Freaky Friday)

1 cup tuna helper...250 cals

1 bacon sandwich...210 cals

2 puddings...120 cals

Afternoon:

pea salad...360 cals

Supper=

3/4 cup mac and cheese ( no butter ) ... 200 cals

1/2 pc. sirloin steak (and ketchup)...???cals

1 roll...100 cals

Bedtime:

2 frozen pudding cups....120 cals

Can of new potatoes with a slice of cheese on top..... ??? cals (I've already thrown away the can and I don't remember)

So I don't have an exact number, but I'd say I did okay foodwise. Definitely better than I was 6 months ago, at which time I would be sitting here eating pancakes with peanut butter and drinking chocolate milk.

As far as exercise, I sure got some this evening! I mowed the front AND back yard (2 lots) and I weedeated (until I broke the weedeater...good thing hubby is a mechanic!). I was out there exercise/working for 1 hour and 44 mins!

I'm off to read all of ya'lls posts. Thanks for reading! :)

One hour "to do" list challenge

Today's "to-do" list has been untouched. I need to work on it. I like to enjoy my evenings and be done with the list by the time hubby gets home from work. I have an hour. Here's the list. I'm going to start at the top and see how far down the list I can get in an hour. Wanna join me? On your mark, get set, go!

Get dressed to the shoes, including hair/face, brush teeth (I do the flylady thing and she stresses that this is important! www.flylady.com)
make bed
clean bathrooms (quickie clean)
empty dishwasher (aka the towel my dishes are drying on)
do one load of laundry
check my calendar
wash dishes for 7 mins
balance checkbook
pickup 27 stray things from the living room
figure out dinner (don't have to cook it yet, just make sure we have everything and set it out)
drink water!
spend 2 mins cleaning as if someone is about to come over
switch out the laundry
clean my bedroom for 15 mins
clean kitchen for 7 mins
put laundry away
deal with mail/bills
exercise


UPDATE at 5:00 p.m..... I completed everything except:
cleaning my room for 15 mins
putting laundry away
exercising

I plan to get those things done before the day is over. It's awesome what you can do in an hour when you put your mind to it. I usually procrastinate and let it take all day!

I think exercise tonight will be mowing the yard. I'm doing good on my cals so far.
Thanks for reading and ttyl!

"Bargain hunting" and "Recent deaths"

I am throwing 3 completely unrelated posts into one for convience sake. Sorry for the weirdness of it.

First of all, how much do you think I paid for the items in the above picture? Fifteen CENTS! whoo hoo!

Charmin shelf price was $2.15. I had a $1.00 charmin coupon, and homeland doubles coupons, making it $.15.

I also had a 50 cent mustard coupon and it doubled to a dollar, which is how much the mustard is on sale for, making it free!

On to walmart where I found these pantiliners for $1.00 per package and I had three $1.00 coupons for them, so they were free too!

I love this kind of shopping!

****(on to post #2 now)****

I have heard more than one person say "It's too bad that Michael Jackson died on the same day as Farrah Fawcett (sorry, probably spelled it wrong) because now she won't get the attention she deserves".

Hello?! DESERVES? Why does anyone think that one of them DESERVES any more attention than the other? Michael *may have been* a child molester (who knows) and maybe he wasn't. Farrah WAS a playboy pinup and I don't see that as a profession that deserves respect. So, I am not getting this theory that she "deserves" more respect than Michael Jackson did. Am I missing something? Maybe there's more to the story than I'm getting because right now I'm just not getting it. I think a soul is a soul and whether the its the president or a bum, they all have the same worth as a soul.

*****(on to post #3 now)*****

I woke up feeling sick. I already had my weekend planned in my mind (stinking thinking) "I am going to spend the weekend sleeping in bed, someone else will have to teach my sunday school class, I am sick and I choose to sleep through it."

However, it was movie morning at the library and we couldn't miss that! It is so great! You drop your kids off at the library and the children's library shows a rated G movie on a big screen and serves popcorn and drinks and she watches your kids and the moms can go run errands or whatever and come back 2 hours later! yay! free babysitter! alone time! and my kids like it. Too bad movie morning only comes around a couple of times each summer :(

I used the free time to go coupon shopping (and I drove through McD's for a cone...shhhh...don't tell the kids *wink, wink*)

We are all home now and between having the free time and getting a good deal, I am feeling better. I think my "sickness" was just a combo of "tired because I don't sleep well" and "burnt out on teaching sunday school and trying to find a way for a break".

Have a great afternoon!

Quiet.

Have you ever just been in a quiet mood? I'm in one tonight.

I just want to sit here and chill and eat my sugar free pudding and read all the news on the net.

I will be honest and say that I have had all of my calories and that I am going over by eating this 60 calorie pudding, but I don't think that will kill me.

I walked for 35 mins, 1.3 miles.

*yawn* I just don't feel like blogging tonight, please forgive me.

ttyl

My husband rocks.

I have a blogger friends who does a weekly "my husband rocks" post but she is taking a reprieve (is that a word?) from it today so *I* am going to take up the slack and tell about why MY husband rocks. (and for those of you who think I kind of dress like those polygamist mormon women in Texas, may I add that my blogger friend and I do NOT have the same hubby! LOL Just to be clear. )

My hubby rocks because:

He just came home from working in 100 degree weather all day and decided to put a coat of Old English on the wood trim in our home. He also went to get some Tarter Sauce to go with his supper (I'd have sent my spouse, if I had been in the heat all day).

He works EVERY day no matter what (unless he is having surgery or something....he did have his gallbladder removed a couple of years ago, but I doubt that procedure was done as an excuse to miss work Ha!) He does everything in his power to provide for his family. On top of that, he doesn't want me to work. (yay!) He wants me to cook his supper, wash his clothes, clean his house, teach his children, etc. We are old fashioned, but we like it this way.

He watches the kids and lets me go on ONE HOUR long walks in the evenings.

He complains rarely. He is easy to please.

He supports my efforts to lose weight and my involvement with TOPS.

He listens to me gripe (I gripe quite a bit...not about him...but about other things and other people)

He loves God. He does the right thing. He works for the church (just whatever needs to be done).

In the picture at the top of this post, we in the car after he had worked all day in the heat, driving 2 hours away to take a car key to our pastor who was at youth camp, almost 2 hours away. Oh, and that is not a cigarrette in his mouth ...its a sucker.

etc, etc, etc......I could go on...but I'll save some for another time. :)

Week 15, Wednesday, ending of the day

Here's supper and bedtime snack calories combined (since we have church on Wed. nights, those two things usually get squished together).

It is 650 cals worth of lasagna, corn, toast and pudding. And yes, it is on a zoopals (kiddie) paper plate. Anything to keep from washing dishes tonight!

And so I end my night here at 11 p.m., having exercised, consumed 44 oz of water, and stayed on track with my eating. Success!!!!

Tonight's sermon was "the mindset of the conquerer". It fit everything in life, spiritual and natural...even dieting! It was similar to the power of positive thinking. You've got to get your mind wrapped around it before you can do it.

*yawn* Goodnight......I'm planning to stay up after 5:30 prayer and get some housework done...so I should head to bed.

:) that TOPS lady

Lunch update

Lunch was a cup of mac and cheese (made without butter), a can of green beans, one sugar free pudding, and pb crackers= 500 cals.

Afternoon snack will be 100 cal pack of cookies and half cup cheerios.

I did a 33 minute Richard Simmons workout. woot!

ttyl!

Week 15 I'm planning to "go under!"

No, not under the knife ....under 300 pounds! I weighed 304 last night. Wouldn't it be awesome to be UNDER 300 next Tuesday? In the 2's! :) Ah yes, that would be great!

BUT that would require at least a 4.25 pound loss this week, which I *can* do, (I have done it before) but I can *ONLY* do if I (A) not go over my calories even once and (B) not skip a day of exercise no matter what.

So..............how bad do I want it? My actions this week will prove how bad I do. Right now I am highly motivated! Let's hope it stays that way! *thinking motivating thoughts!*

I'm about to sit down and eat this 500 cal breakfast pictured above (egg sandwich made with 2 eggs, one boiled egg, one stick of cheese and half of a small apple). Two hours from now I will have 1.5 cups of multigrain cheerios for a 150 cal snack.

I got the invitation to our next area TOPS fun day (which will be July 25th) and I'm going to read it while I eat. I am excited about going to that. It is a quarterly awards and game day for all of the TOPS chapters in our area. I *know* I will be getting some awards!

Have a chipper day everyone!!!!!!!!!!! :)

~That TOPS lady

Week 14 weigh in and A Day at the Beach

I had a 2.5 pound loss this week! That was suprising! But I'll take it! Yay! I am 23.25 pounds lighter than I was 14 weeks ago. I'm looking forward to week 15. This is good. :)

After TOPS, we went to the lake. We had fun. I had dad watch the kids for a short while and I swam like crazy, which I am counting as my exercise, because it sure wore me out.

Here's the thing about Oklahoma....at least my rural part of Oklahoma (please, Oklahomans, take no offense)...you can be you and still fit in.

I swim in my clothes. And I never wear pants or shorts. So, I was the tall, heavy lady who was swimming in a long skirt and t-shirt. My kids swim in their clothes too. (hubby doesn't swim, or even go to the lake..he hates it...never went as a kid...yada yada....but we were raised at the lake, so it's in my blood..........anyway......)

Our local "beach" aka less mossy part of the lake with a little sand, is very ...um.....well, I can't find the word.. Let me explain it like this: There were 3 skinny girls in bikinis who knew they looked good but other than them, I fit in perfectly! Skirt swimming and all! I'd say 80% of the women there had worse figures than I do and many of them were in bathing suits which left not much to the imagination. One very hefty lady with VERY large and VERY white legs was at a table near us. She was in her black one piece swimming suit. I quietly told my mom and dad "that is what I look like under these clothes" and they burst out laughing. Anyway....the lady didn't know we were laughing at her....and really, I wasn't making fun of her, because she basically has the same body that I do.

The past two paragraphs were the long version of me trying to say "There were a bunch of nice, fat people at the lake and I didn't feel intimidated." LOL but true!

The kids fell fast asleep after we got home (thank goodness!) and I am headed that way soon.

Thanks for reading!

The mystery dessert is..............

Congrats to both Jo and Sean, who both got 2 out of 4 ingredients correct!

The mystery dessert is.............

A chocolate chip flavored fiber one bar

covered in almond bark (I make a lot of chocolate covered pretzels and stuff at Thanksgiving, however, I knew I would eat the bark before Thanksgiving, so I threw it away last night)

With Ranch dressing poured on top

With BBQ sauce on top of that.

And know you know the rest of the story. ;)

Week 14, Monday in review

It is 9:08 p.m. and my to-do is still quite long AND I plan to be in bed by 10:30, so I'm boogie-ing trying to get it all done. zoom zoom!

Breakfast: 500 cals of bran flakes with 1% milk

Snack: stick of cheese and popsickle

Lunch: Turkey sandwich, 1 svg chips, pudding

Snack: fiber one bar

Supper: french fries, toast, gravy, salad (which I didn't eat because I didn't like that spray on dressing stuff)...........ate someone's leftover toast and french fries and THEN I went on to eat a few bites of the mystery dessert.

I probably went over by around 400 cals.

I drank approx 60 oz of water.

I walked a 5K!!!!(3.1 miles) in 96 degree weather (whew!). It took me one hour and 10 mins.

After that, I went to Sonic and got a Route 44 size cherry diet coke...so....if I get the munchies later, I can drink that and not feel too deprived. ;)

.............and I'm off!...................bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks for reading!

Can you name this food?

Can you name this food? Seriously, try.... this will be so fun. Here are the hints:

This food is composed of 4 ingredients.

One ingredient is a prepackaged food that I snack on ALL of the time (include what flavor you think it is).

One ingredient is something I had in

my freezer, saving it for Thanksgiving.

Two ingredients are things I added to it to insure that I would NOT eat it. (you see, I had already eaten all I should eat when this bad thought came to mind "if you took this and added this to it, it would taste really good!" so I made it and then I ate 3 bites and then the little angel on my right shoulder started argueing with the little devil on my left shoulder.....so...I set the timer for 5 mins and washed dishes while I decided whether or not I would eat it.

I was thinking about the fact that if I finished eating it, and I was honest, I would tell about it in tonight's blog....and that's not something I would be proud of. And if I didn't tell about it, it would be kind of like telling a lie. Plus tomorrow is weigh day and, well, my sins will find me out. So don't "sin" silly Amy!!!! That is so simple.

Anyway....I put some stuff on it to insure that I wouldn't eat it...and it is in the trash now. I am leaving for my ONE HOUR walk after I throw some laundry in the washer. I will reveal the ingredients in tomorrow's post. I will,of course, be posting tonight before bed.

Thanks for reading! Time for me to head out into this heat. *ug*

Sunday zzz is a zzz day of zzz rest..zzzz

....and thank goodness it is.......because I am zzzzzzzz sleepy. As soon as Sunday School is over, I am going home to reheat taco meat and feed us all and then zzzzzzzz. *YAWN*

I hope you have a great Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

40 mins of Sweating to the oldies

...and now it is almost 1 a.m...........but I am SO glad I did it! whew! Now I need a shower.....and........sleep!!!!!!!!!!!! goodnight good buddies :)

So glad you could join me for supper. ;)

It is 11:18 p.m. and I am eating supper at the moment-- glad you could join me! Buying groceries took a LOT longer than I had expected. We got home after 9 p.m... I made sure son got his hair washed, fed the rest of the family some Tony's pizza (hubby wanted to save the crunchy tacos for tomorrow), and I put the kids to bed.

Breakfast...tuna and stuff (I told about it in previous post)

Snack...yikes...I don't even remember what it was now,...but it was 150 cals or less, I know.

Lunch...turkey sandwich, root beer, green apple

Snack I ate at town...1.5 cups of multigrain cheerios in a baggie

Snack.....1 pc ham, 1 sugar free pudding, 1 fudgesickle

Supper....2 manwiches

I didn't go over my cals. I had about 50 oz of water today.

Hubby is watching Lonesome Dove. I told him I would be in there in about 2 hours ....because I was going to eat some manwich (which I LOVE, love, LOVE), catch up with blogs, and do at least 40 mins of Sweating to the Oldies. I *was* going to walk the track this evening, but it was too dark. So, on to plan B.-- the oldies.

It's ok. I'm gonna do it. It would be easier to say "well, it was a long day and it is late and I am tired and we have church tomorrow, blah blah blah" BUT I am concerned about the fact that I have had a gain the past 2 weeks. It is less than a pound total, but still, the scales need to go DOWN and I know what it takes. It takes Sweating to the oldies at 11:20 p.m. if all else fails.

Ok...I'm going to read and eat....I will update after I exercise.

Week 14, Saturday, Breakfast

You can really eat a lot if you eat wisely. Look at this breakfast! Tuna salad (can of tuna in water, 1 boiled egg, miracle whip, relish), a small apple, 2 pc toast, almost a full cup of multi-grain cheerios. That is a ton of food! And it is is 500 calories.

I have my wise "hat" on this morning. LOL. I am trying to think ahead and make wise choices. I have to buy groceries today. I am matching sale ads with coupons, so I will be going to several stores. It will take quite a while.

I've decided that it would NOT be a good thing for me to be at town when it is time for me to eat lunch. I am just now eating breakfast at 12:30 (aahhh...loved sleeping in). I will have a snack at 2:30. I will do things that need to be done around the house. I will eat lunch, here at home, at 4:30. THEN, as soon as lunch is over, I will start my grocery shopping. I will have a 150 cal snack with me to eat at 6:30 because I know I will not be home yet. Before I head out on my shopping trip, I will cook the meat for tonight's cruncy tacos, so when I come home late and tired, a PLANNED supper will not be much work. After supper, I can go to the track and walk for an hour.

Ah yes, I am planning a great healthy day.

I hope you are having a great day too! Have a plan for when the obstacles pop up! They will come! They always do.

~~~~~~~~~~~that TOPS lady~~~~~~~~~~~~~, future queen ;)

Week 14, Friday, "tastes great, less filling"

Ah ha! You think I am talking about beer, right? Well, I'm not. I'm talking sweets. I found myself in the spot tonight where I had to eat supper from the gas station and I only had 400 cals to spend. (AND not much money). I ended up eating pb crackers, which I thought was a pretty good choice and a bag of skittles, which I was really craving. Well, the skittles did nothing for me. They taste great, but are less filling. Kind of like that banana pudding I had earlier. *sigh* I think I let the sugar bug bite me today. Not tomorrow, NO no. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

Tonight our pastor's family was near Oklahoma City (almost 2 hours from my house) and they lost their van keys. We drove up there and brought them their spare key. That is why supper came from the gas station.

And now, look at the time... one minute past midnight. I got up at 5:30 this morning which is SO RARE for me (ok, I get up at that time with hubby, but I usually go back to bed for a few more hours after he goes to work) We have only been home about 15 mins. We are ready to crash. Look out... look out...get out of my way..( you really don't want me to fall on you).....I'm crashing.........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

talk to ya tomorrow ;) zzz

Sugar low or just plain sleepy.

It is 2:13 p.m. I have been up since 5:30 a.m. and it now feels like bedtime LOL. *yawn*

I have been whittling away at my "to-do" list and I don't have much left other than some sewing and laundry.

I made a banana pudding, by hubby's request. I ate a bowl full.......it will count as both my afternoon and evening snack. All I have left is 400 cals for supper. But I can make it work.

Anyway, about 30 mins after eating the pudding, I got SOOOOOOOOO SLEEEEEEEPY. I laid down on the couch and set the timer for an hour. But then the phone rang. I did get about 30 mins in.

Either my sugar rose and then dropped too much, too fast OR I am just sleepy from getting up at 5:30 (went to sleep around midnight).

I can't sleep any more because I feel guilty and lazy for sleeping during the day. *yawn* I guess I will go sew a while.

I hope you are having a good day! ;)

Motivating thoughts.

I'm going to sit here for 5 mins and think of as many motivating thoughs as possible and have them here to refer back to when I need them.

The above picture--- I think this is what I will look like at my goal weight.

Running.....I think I would enjoy it as an exercise, and when I am at my goal weight, I will be able to do more of it.

Sign team-- I just might join the sign team at church when I get to the point that I can move and jump without jiggling so much.

Just tall, not big and tall.

Fitting in booths better at restuarants.

My behind not hanging over the sides of chairs.

FITTING in all chairs that have arms on them.

Not worrying about whether or not the chair will break. (as you can tell, I've had some seating issues! LOL)

My hair will look better on me. (I have noticed that when people lose weight, even their hair looks better, because it "fits" them better)

Walking into any store and being able to buy an outfit.

Confidence.

Being a healthy example for my kids.

Feeling prettier than I ever have in my life.

No longer having the sleep apnea that I'm pretty sure I have right now.

Feeling better and being happier because of it.

A wonderful good day and Modesty issues.

(note: snacks are not pictured, only the meals)

Breakfast: bran flakes

Snack: pringles

Lunch: junior chicken strip sandwich from Sonic

Snack: mini chocolate peanut butter cups (4)

Supper: 1.5 chicken enchiladas

Snack: mini chocolate peanut butter cups (1.5)

Tonight I declare that today was a success. I did NOT go over my calories even though I have peanut butter cups in my cabinet. I stopped when I had used my last calorie....even throwing away half of a pb cup. Silly me for even buying them (they are such a temptation) but they were on clearance for $.63 per bag! I thought I'd buy them for hubby's lunch, and I did pack him some, but I keep wanting to dip in to his lunch stuff! I bought 2 bags. One bag I threw in the freezer. (surely I won't eat them if they are frozen!) I need to get the rest of the unfrozen bag out of the house. I think I will put them ALL in hubby's lunch tomorrow. LOL but serious. I just can't keep sweets in the house.

Exercise today was mowing the yard. I mowed it on speed #4 (really fast!) and got quite a workout. I mowed for 50 mins.

I enjoyed the slower pace of today. I had my phone off almost all day. I read books to the kids. We watched Freaky Friday (the original one...old movie). It was good. It was a wonderful good day. :)

Now, on to this subject of modesty. I look forward to reading your opinion on this subject. I believe I dress modestly. (don't I, sister? I think my sister would say that I dress a bit TOO modestly...but anyway) I became a Christian in a church that taught a strict modesty standard. I believe it is important. I believe a woman should dress in a neat and attractive manner, but not in a manner that will cause "those kind of thoughts" to jump into a man's mind. *clears throat* ...........anyway.......................

At TOPS the other night this topic was brought up. Not necessarily the modesty issue, but what happens to a lady when she loses weight and has a better figure. We have one man in our TOPS group and a lot of what he said (not directly to me, but to the entire group) made me blush but also helped me to see the issue from another angle.

We were discussing the fact that we know women who were large and then after they lost the weight, they left their husbands. We were picking our brains as to why that happens. Is it because of a new found self confidence?

My hubby actually asked me that question the other day. He said "After you get skinny, you aren't going to divorce me, are you?" That was such an absurd question. He said it in fun because we actually do know a lady who was "in church" and kind of resembled me when she was heavy. She lost a lot of weight, quit church, and left her husband. She is living with some other man now.

I have a nosey neighbor who lives across the street from me. He watches us. He has since the day we moved in. My mom works at the dollar store and one day he went through her line and said "Why did your son-in-law not go to work today?" Like that is any of his business. And I thought it was creepy that he even noticed. He notices when my hubby drives my car to work instead of his. I feel like he watches our every move. But he never says anything to me or my family. He just watches us. So, today when I mowed the yard, I was searching for something cool to wear in the hot weather and ended up wearing a t-shirt that was a bit snug. But I thought "I'm just in my yard....who is even going to see?". And then I felt really funny as I was mowing because the neighbor's blinds were open and I thought "I bet he is watching me mow". And there I was, not dressed as I should have been. He came outside and worked in his yard a few minutes later. Now, I'm a long way from a skinny woman, and if he was watching me, I doubt that the t-shirt made him think anything other than "that lady is too fat for her clothes" BUT the day will come that he will watch me mow and if I am not dressed properly, he will think something else. So I made a mental note to myself today to make sure I am not "too tight, to short, to low necked, too whatever"...even when I am just in my own yard. You never know who might be watching.

The guy from TOPS pointed out that when a woman loses weight and has a better figure, that the men are going to notice and they are going to compliment. A lot of women's primary love language is words of affirmation. Maybe they don't actually fall in love with the other man, but they fall in love with the compliments, which they may not be getting from their husband.

Which brings me back to modesty. I think it is important (and I am reminding myself) that as we lose weight and become more physically attractive, that we remember to keep our bodies covered in a way that God would be pleased with. Even more important than that, is that we guard our hearts and have modesty in our spirit.

I'm just curious. What are your views on this?

Thankful Thursday

Ten random things I am thankful for today, in no particular order.

1. A beautiful house....the best house I have lived in ever.

2. That people believe in me. Sometimes some people are 100% positive that I can do such-and-such, and do it well, when I'm not so sure about it myself.

3. That my husband has a good job.

4. That I get to homeschool my kids. ( I LOVE teaching my kids...it's just about my fav thing)

5. That I have such an odd sense of humor. LOL Weird things make me laugh. I have a sensitive funny bone.

6. For my kids.

7. For the laidbackness (if that is a word) of my husband.

8. For the weight I've lost and the obstacles I've overcome.

9. A big, flat yard.

10. Late at night, when everyone else is asleep, I love to listen to the silence.

Simplify.

Prioritize. Simplify. Slow down. Smell the roses.

Those are all phrases that I looked up while searching for a pic to go with tonight's post.

My life has been just WAY TOO CRAZY BUSY for the past few days. Good grief, it's summer! I don't have my "day job" aka teaching the kids their schoolwork and yet I don't have a minute to breathe! It seems like everyone thinks "Well, Amy is at home all day (ha!) with nothing to do, I bet she can do such-and-such for me". (In case my sister is reading this, I'm NOT just talking about helping you move... I didn't mind helping...I'm talking about other things..and other people) ANYWAY...............................today was yet another crazy day. I STILL did not plan my meals out or have healthy snacks on hand and I STILL did not abide by the "eat something every 2-3 hour plan" and boy oh boy....a few minutes ago I sat down and figured up what I ate....it was just "grab and go" all day long.

Tomorrow could VERY easily turn into another of those days. Tomorrow's plan looked like this: make menu, make grocery list, go to walmart and buy groceries for the next two weeks (that will take a while), balance checkbook and pay bills, take daughter to the park, maybe take the kids swimming at the lake, go by homeland and get the stuff they have on sale there. Ok now, look at that huge list! That does not look like a peaceful day in the works. So, I decided to change it to: go to our little local grocery store and buy enough groceries to last until Saturday (I will do the walmart and homeland stuff on Saturday), do some housework, start on meal plans and grocery list, watch a movie, take daughter to local park, one hour walk in the evening. Doesn't that sound better? I just may turn my ringer off tomorrow so no one calls and volunteers me for anything. I feel so selfish in doing that, but I am tired and like I have said many times before, tiredness is my number one enemy to healthy living. And with that, I am going to read my favorite blogs, get hubby's uniform from the dryer and go to bed. I need some rest. Rest is so important. I love simplicity. But simplicity is slippery... you think you've got a hold of it and then you look down into your hands and it has slithered away and chaos is in its place. Tomorrow I will pursue simplicity. I even thought about paining a little sign that says "simplify" and hanging it above my door in the living room (like in the picture) to remind myself to slow down. Good night, dear friends. I hope you rest well and have a "simply" wonderful day tomorrow! Thanks for your support.

:) Amy...aka that TOPS lady

Unlucky (week) 13 is over!

I don't believe in "luck" but I do believe that week 13 (which ends tonight) was one of the hardest I've had, diet wise, and I am glad to see it come to a end. I hated those 4 days of whatever-that-was but I did make a breakthrough and all is well that ends well.

TOPS weigh in put me at 306.5, which is a .25 pound gain. I was really expecting a bigger gain.

Today was yet another busy day. (it didn't help that I slept the first half of it away). Tomorrow is payday and I had "planned" on taking the kids to Taco Mayo and then going grocery shopping and to the library BUT considering the fact that tomorrow is church AND I don't have my meal plans ready or a shopping list AND I am tired, I am thinking of postponing it til Thursday.

Ok....on to food:

Breakfast was 2 corn dogs (my brand is only 180 cals each if you cook them in the oven)

Lunch was a package of candied peanuts and pb crackers. (not really my first choice, but I was at the gas station and didn't have time to go anywhere else to get anything....I really didn't have my day very well organized)

Supper was spaghetti, a roll and corn.

Snacks were a fiber one bar, some leftover spaghetti and 2 ice cream cones.

That sounds like a bunch of junk food, but somehow I did okay calorie wise.

Thank you for reading!

Monday's recap

I fell asleep last night before posting...and I slept for about TWELVE hours!! I was sooo tired. Here's Monday's recap:

Breakfast: 2 cups of ravioli

Snack: fiber one bar

Later snack: fiber one bar

Supper: 1.5 corndogs and ice cream

I still had a little over 100 cals left. I was SO busy...you may notice that there was no lunch. I was helping my sister move (exercise!). I had 44 oz of water. It was a good day, healthwise.

And now, Tuesday 3:07 p.m., I am about to iron, shower, fix daughter's hair and be out of the door by 4 to go to my TOPS meeting. I really don't know what to expect. Week 13 was a different week---had that 4 day wall and then that good breakthrough...I just don't know what the scales will say. But I am not going to give too much power to the scales. I am going to mentally prepare myself for a gain. I'm going to mentally tell myself that I may weigh up to 310. (I was 306 point something last week). And if that is the case, I will not be discouraged but will view it as a scar from the battle I had this week. But since I won the battle, I will be victorious even if it shows a gain. I'll let you know in a bit how it goes. :)

Sunday is a day of rest.

Enjoy your nap! I'd better get on the couch and enjoy mine before nap time is OVER! Have a good day!

Week 13, Saturday

Ahhhhh *taking a deep breath of fresh air*.... 'twas a good day. :)

Breakfast was 1 taco (azteca flour tortilla, 1.5 cup lean ground beef, salsa, 100 cal stick of cheese) 2 pb crackers, half of a red delicious apple and half of a green apple, lemon= 493 cals

Snack=fiber one bar= 140 cals

Lunch= .75 cup cheese soup, salsa, 14 chips, 1 pc toast and jelly= 494 cals

Snack= McD's ice cream cone (yummy yummy!)

Supper= 1 svg chicken pot pie, fiber one bar, 1 pb cracker= 496 cals

Snack= 1 pc toast and jelly, 1 small apple= 150 cals

I'm writing this at 9:44 p.m... It is storming, so I couldn't walk the track. Temptation pulled up next to me a few mins ago in his ugly VW bus van and said "Well, you don't have to exercise today. It is already after 9. And you need to iron. And you haven't had much time to day to do what YOU wanted to do---so why don't you just go ahead and eat your snack and serf the web until bed?" Well, I laughed in his face! Silly guy that he is. So now I am off to my bedroom to do the Sweating to the Oldies 2 dvd... and THEN I will serf the net if I wish and THEN I will eat my bedtime snack. ha!

UPDATE at 11:03 p.m.....well, I just finished the Richard Simmons workout and I feel good. I think I enjoy walking more, but this dvd is a good plan B. I am now sitting here eating my bedtime snack (apples and jelly toast). I tried a new kind of bread (wheat of all things! who knew I would like it!) with less calories and I'm glad I like it. I'll save 20 cals any time I can!

Mentally, I'm back. (whooooooopppiiieeee!!!!) I overcame that brick wall. It was a thick wall-- it lasted 4 days-- but it is behind me now and I am a stronger climber now for having defeated it. The next time a wall comes before me, I will be able to climb it with less strain. It will still be hard, sure... all walls are hard.... but as the number of walls behind us increases, so does the strength of our inner selves. This IS the time. We really are doing it this time. Wow. :)

Rest well, dear friends.

~ Amy aka that TOPS lady

Update

I have a few minutes here and thought I would update about how my day is going.

Well, I'm hungry.......but I'm doing well and have had nothing but water today. The rest of the family haven't noticed that I'm fasting and I'm not planning to tell them. It may come out at supper time. I think I will cook for them and then say "yall go ahead and eat--I need to jump in the shower" and leave it at that. I know it is silly to announce it to the cyber world and then keep it from your own family, but it is different. Somehow. You all aren't "real" *wink, wink* You all are little motivating cyber thingys that live in my computer. LOL

I have tried to stay BUSY and out of the house today.

I took the kids to eat lunch at the school. Daughter liked it. Son hated it. I was neutral. I thought the food looked good. LOL. They served chili dogs, corn, chips, cookies and milk. Son only drank the milk. Daughter ate her food.
A lady came over and introduced herself to me. She was the assistant principal. She was nice.
I have to tell this story: My son is big. He is 10 and weighs way too much for his age. Part of the problem is his thyroid, which he is on meds for and part of it is genetics and part of it is just eating unhealthy (my fault). Anyway, he is big. As we were leaving, some kids were walking out too and another big boy said "Hey, how much do you weigh? Do you weigh 200 pounds?" We just kept walking and ignored him. I'm pretty sure that he was talking to my son, but I convinced my son that the questions had been aimed at ME, not him. It brought back memories of my school days. My son would have similar problems that I had there. That's sad. We were only there for 20 mins or so and yet in that time I saw how ugly kids can be to each other. On the other hand, my daughter is skinny and pretty and confindent and wouldn't have any trouble in public school.

We went to the library but forgot the library card, so we couldn't check out any books. The library is doing some fun stuff for the summer--- movies and concerts and the like. Son signed up for a boy's book reading club for ages 10-17. He has a 30 chapter book he has to read, a big workbook to complete and THEN he goes sometime next month for the party. They will discuss the book, play games and eat pizza. The book is about a boy who doesn't fit in at school and is called names and how to deal with that kind of stuff. I thought that was so neat since we just dealt with that. I kind of know the two men who will be teaching this thing and they will do good.

ok....the plan is...........clean the house for 45 mins, mow the front yard (I mow the front, hubby mows the back), cook supper, take my shower, check messages again...and then go to bed.

Thank you for being here. :)

Fasting, fighting and the funk

Ya know, I am kind of stressed out about this "funk" I am in (coming out of). This is the first funk I've been in in the past THIRTEEN weeks. This kind of funk is also what KILLED every diet I've ever been on in my life. I can NOT let this funk kill it this time. I have come too far. This time has to be different. I have to overcome it this time.

So...(dare I say it?)....what do you do when you are in this spot? In the past I would have said "well, I tried" and then binge. But NO. I'm just putting my foot down- NO! no no NO no No nO. no.

Maybe.............just maybe.................... well, what do YOU think it is? Why now? After 13 weeks? Why is this such a battle now when a week ago it was so easy? I think I know and you are going to say Oooooooookayyyyyy with a weird look on your face but I think I know what it is.

I think it is spiritual warfare.

I said it.

Quit rolling your eyes. I'm serious.

What about people who are addicted to drugs? When they surrender to Jesus and are trying to get clean, do you think the devil wants to let them go? No. He fights. Same thing goes with any other addiction that is bad for us. So, why not gluttony? I believe this obesity thing is just as bad and as wrong as cigarettes or (some) drugs or alcoholism. So, why isn't it labeled as sin like the other things are? Maybe, in God's eyes, it is.

I believe there are spiritual wars that go on that affect our lives and that we can feel oppression from those wars. God, Satan and myself ALL know that I was overcoming some lifelong addictions and that I was on my way to being freed from some chains that hinder me from becoming what I am meant to be. So, I think the devil is fighting. And the only way I know of to fight back is to fast and pray. So, I won't be having anything except water until I wake on Saturday morning. I'm not fasting to save calories. I'm fasting to overcome. I will.

I will. I will. I will. I will.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

I'd appreciate your prayers.

~that TOPS lady

Feeling better

I am not back 100%, but doing better. I'm coming out of that weird thing.

I walked (slowly) 2 miles today....it took 50 mins.

I had 44 oz of water.

Breakfast= cheerios and milk......500 cals

Lunch=2 cups spaghetti noodles with tomato sauce, corn....500 cals

Supper= sirloin, 1 pc toast, salad....500 cals

Snacks total= 3 puddings, one fiber one bar, one pb cracker.......360 cals

Total 1,860 (better than I thought!)

Tomorrow we are having lunch at our local public school, which is very weird because we have never been in that building. We homeschool. But the school is giving free breakfast and lunch to every kid in town for the next month. The kids think it is neat. I think it is thrifty. I called to make sure we were allowed, and we are...so....we will see how that goes.

Tomorrow we also plan to go to the library to see what they have planned for the kids for the summer. They usually have lots of fun activities. We used to go to the library about once a week but we haven't been in about a month because I LOST a book and still haven't found it. I guess I will have to buy it if I haven't found it by payday.

Okie dokie.......going to go say hi to hubby, clean some house, fix his lunch for tomorrow, and have a goal of getting to bed by midnight. (yep, those week 13 goals flew out the window very quickly...I am just too much of a night person to be in bed by 10:30)

This week has been in a slump, but I am slowly working my way out of it. Thank you for all of the nice comments. They are very encouragaing. :)

May I be excused?

May I be excused from blogging today? I'm just having a bad day. I hope to be back to my chipper self tomorrow.
((((hugs))))
~that TOPS lady

P.S. To the one reader that I know in real life, please don't call mom and say that I'm having a bad day. I really don't want to discuss it. I've just got the blah's.

Week 13's plan/goals.

Eat every 2.5 hours.... three 500 cal meals and two 150 cal snacks, for a daily total of 1,800 cals.

Since tiredness is a trigger, I will be IN BED by 10:30 every night.

I will exercise EVERY day except Sunday. I will either do the ENTIRE Richard Simmons tape or walk at least 2 miles as exercise. I will do at least two 5Ks before the week is over.

Since I must be overestimating, I will make a goal this week of not eating ANYTHING that I do not know the exact calorie count of.

I WILL count calories this Sunday, even though I usually take that day "off". Maybe I am doing more damage on these off Sundays than I realize.

I will strive to drink 88 oz of water each day, but if I don't make that, I will drink at least 44 oz of water per day, minimum.

ok......................that's my plan...........I'm sticking to it.

Week 12, *sigh*

Right this moment, as I type, I am struggling with the blahs, frustration, extreme tiredness, the urge to eat a lot of something high cal, and just *sigh*. I'm going to be honest- I have 3 of those frozen pancakes in the microwave heating right now. I need to shake this. Its silly how such small things can throw me into this. It came upon me simply because I only lost a half of a pound this week. I weighed 306.25. Or is that a fourth of a pound from last week? Either a half or a fourth. I'd have to look.

Anyway, I am going to eat my pancakes and I *should* just go to bed. I'm waiting for my parents to drop my kids off.

*sigh*

It'll be alright in the morning. Just not feeling chipper right now and I know that eating will only make it worse, not better, and yet........................................................

Update at 8:50 p.m.... the kids are on their way over. We will all be in bed within 30 mins hopefully. I ate pancakes, a fiber one bar and a sugar free pudding. I wish I hadn't have. Tomorrow is a new day. I am going to bump things up this week and see some weight loss. This little measly half a pound per week isn't going to cut it. Other than tonight, I have not been "binge" eating. I apparently have been guesstimating incorrectly on some things. Plus I have not been working out every day. I probably need to lower my calories too. New week starts tomorrow (not literally, but it will be day one of week 13 of me blogging). I will have a great plan and a great week. I. know. I. will.

Week 12, Who was I trying to kid?

Who was I trying to kid? I, the night owl that I am, trying to post every morning before the kids wake instead of at night after they are in bed (which is an easier time for me to post). ha!

We went to the night service at UPC junior youth camp tonight. It was a 1.5 hour drive. We got home at 11 p.m. *sigh* Thankful that I CAN sleep in tomorrow and that I DID sleep in today!

Next year, my baby will be old enough for youth camp. That doesn't seem possible!

Ok....on to what I ate today:

1:08 p.m....breakfast (I TOLD you I slept in!!! I slept til 11).....3 eggs, precooked bacon, 2 toast and jelly= 500 cals

3:08 p.m...snack....fiber one bar...140 cals

5:15 p.m....lunch....1 cup lasagna, 1 cup corn, 1 toast, fiber one bar = 490 cals

7:00 p.m....snack...pb crackers=120 cals

11:50 p.m....supper and snack combo......scraps from dd's plate, tuna, boiled egg, miracle whip, relish, 2 toast, small apple= 630 cals

I even had 70 cals left! ta da!

ok....now on to read some blogs while I eat and wait for hubby's work uniform to dry.

Thanks for reading!!!!!

(tomorrow is TOPS weigh day....send good vibes my way!)

Week 12, Sunday

Reporting about Sunday:

Sundays are my rest days. I do not go hog wild, but I also do not count calories. I went to church, ate supper, slept ALL afternoon, went to church again, ate again, and went to bed. Typical Sunday for me. Not much to report on.

Today is Monday. Busy. We may attend night services at youth camp tonight...or we may not. I really want life to slow down.

Tomorrow morning I will report on how I do today. :) Thanks for reading and keep up the healthy living!

Week 12, Saturday night/Sunday morning

I'm writing this at 10:39 p.m. on Saturday night (while yelling endless answers about the weather across the house to my daughter who is having trouble going to sleep)...but I will probably set this to post on Sunday, thus fulfilling my "one post per day" challenge. Ha!


I didn't overeat at the family reunion...yay me! I had 1.5 enchiladas and a donut there at 1:30 for lunch. Then I had the same again at 4:20 for supper! I was going to have a busy night after the reunion, so I packed a fiber one bar and a pack of pb crackers so I would have a couple of sensible snacks with me and not be tempted to drive thru somewhere. Today's calories had a lot of guesstimating to it.......so I don't have an exact count....but I think I did pretty good. I drank approx 44 oz of water. Unfortunately, I didn't get any exercise is. Hum....I guess I could do 30 mins of sweating to the oldies before bed.........I mean, I've always hung on the the excuse of "don't exercise before bed or you won't be able to sleep".......hey! excuses are easy to find! But then I read Sean's blog and he's like "Well, it's 11:30 and I've been really busy, but I'm going to the track to do a 10K"............ and Sean has lost 170 pounds and I have lost 24....so....let's do the math....which plan works better? Ok.....putting my shoes on so I can dance with Richard......oh...and I need to tell hubby (who is sitting on the bed watching a Lonesome Dove sequel)..."Babe, I will be in bed in a little while, I'm going to exercise to the Richard Simmons tape before I go to bed". He's going to think I'm nuts. Oh well. ta ta for now!



Update at 11:53 p.m.......I just finished the Richard Simmons video (minus one song--jailhouse rock--for time's sake) It took 48 mins.... yay for me! I will sleep with a clear conscience! (sp?)

Week 12, Cooking for reunion

If I learned anything from Friday, it is this: "Don't cook foods to give to others that are major calorie killers and that you love".

Today is the first family reunion in about 17 years. Yesterday I started cooking for it. I'm bringing chicken enchiladas (I can make them for around 250 cals each!) and chocolate almond bark with pecans (TONS of calories).

I had no intentions of sampling any of the chocolate, but who was I kidding? That's like asking a recovering alcoholic to be the bartender. Bad decision!

Anyway, I ate some, I wrote it down, I adjusted the rest of my day and I STILL ended up having 43 cals leftover, so I count that as a VICTORY!!!!

Here's my Friday, foodwise:

11:30 a.m....breakfast....2 egg burritos (homemade)..500 cals

2:00 p.m....snack....4 pc chocolate pecan candy and a stick of cheese....233 (too much for a snack)

4:40 p.m....lunch...McD's small hamburger and a vanilla cone....400 cals (I was suprised at how full I got with this...and it was just 400 cals!)

6:45 p.m.....snack....fiber one bar...140 cals

9:30 p.m....supper...salad and a can of potatoes....500 cals

10:00 p.m...snack...1 pc chocolate pecan candy and a 100 cal pack of shortbread cookies....134 cals

Water: 88 oz.

Exercise: 3.1 miles walked! (took 1 hour and 6 minutes)

:) That TOPS lady

Week 12, The Tilt-a-whirl Hurl and 8 hours is too long

I took these pics while ON the tilt-a-whirl at kiddieland last night (Thursday). We rode it twice. It was probably the last time I will ride it. I have apparently gotten to old for it. It used to not bother me at all. Last night it made me sick!!! After I got off, I propped myself up against the fence (smile) and watched the kids finish spending their tickets.... around and AROUND on the horses (not a pleasant thing to watch when you are dizzy, but what kind of mama doesn't watch her kids on the horses?) I was still dizzy when I went to bed.

Below you will see what I ate Thursday. I did just fine until (*sigh*) I went for 8 hours without eating. (I drank a sno cone between there, but no food) Then, at 10 p.m., when I was supposed to have a 500 cal supper, I was dizzy and tired and HUNGRY and I ate a 1,080 cal supper! shame. What amazed me was the cal content of 3 tacos, the fact that I easily could have eaten 3 more, and that I ate that all the time before.

Thursday:

8 a.m... 3 eggs, 4 bacon (precooked kind, good cals), 1 plain toast, 1 jelly toast, 1 sugar free pudding= 500 cals

11 a.m....snack...fiber one bar...140 cals

1:40 p.m..lunch....grill cheese, turkey sandwich, fiber one bar= 500 cals

1:50 p.m. ...snack...(yep, I just ate lunch and here I am again...feeling tired= hungry) pudding times 2= 150 cals

8 p.m.....junior size sno cone...150 cals

10 p.m....3 tacos, 2 fiber one bars....1,080 cals

So, it wasn't the best effort day. I went over by 530 cals.

I drank 44 oz water and exercise was mowing the yard (30 mins)

Today is a new day and tomorrow's report WILL be better!

Week 12, Time management

I am seriously having to re-evaluate how I spend my time. I just can't get everything done in a day with the previous system. *sigh* How frustrating! So.........here's one babystep of trying to be a better time manager: Only blogging once per day, in the mornings before the kids are up. We will try it and see.

Here's yesterday's numbers:

Wednesday:

10:45 a.m. Breakfast= 2 cups corn and 1.5 pc Tony's pizza= 495 cals

1:00 Snack= pb crackers & half a small apple= 150 cals

3:25 p.m. Lunch= 1 cup spaghetti, 1 pc plain toast, 1 pc jelly toast=500 cals

3:53 p.m. Snack (I was very tired at this moment and was feeling a binge come on, but instead, I overcame that...I ate my snack early and went to bed for a nap) fiber one bar=140 cals

5:50 p.m. Supper=1 BBQ Sandwich, chips, fiber one bar=480 cals

10:00 p.m.= pb crackers and half a small apple= 150 cals

I had 35 cals leftover.

I drank 64 oz water.

I exercised to Richard Simmons' Sweating to the Oldies 2 for 50 mins (the entire tape)

Thank you for reading!

:) That TOPS lady