I think I'm done with our plateau.  Things are looking up.  My attitude is changing! :)

 

Whooo, we need to light a fire under ourselves!  Again no weight loss or gain!  Gerrrrr!

Okay, well we've both hit a lull in our progress, a plateau if you will.  But it's not that our bodies are resisting, it's that we've been lax in our efforts.  We haven't reverted back to our evil fast food, eat out, and bad foods, but we've not been really trying and our calorie intake has gone up, and our exercising has subsided a bit.  Never the less we haven't given up, we've just stalled.  Neither Gary or I have gained any weight, we just haven't lost either.  It's now that we have to make a concerted effort to refocus and not give up.  We will not fail in our efforts if we don't give up! 

Okay, having my mother-in-law in town was more difficult on the weight loss than I had been willing to admit.  So here it is!

 

 

 

So Gary's mother visited from Portland, Maine this past week.  We'll see how the trying to eat well went when we weigh in tomorrow.  We tried to make good choices, but it was definately difficult.  Gary has a soft spot for eating out and indulged.  But, we're still focused on good health and nutrition, and trying to set a good example for our son.  I feel that we have been making a new habit in our home and it's showing!  Slow, but it's showing.  So Gary and I will be going on a long walk this afternoon after his mother's flight has taken off.  We love our family and having them visit.  Now we'll get back to our routine.  :)

 

We're still going strong!

 

Just that much closer to our goals!  Yeah!

 

I have been having a great time learning more about food, nutrients, caloric values, and the effects on my body.  Then, at the same time, I've been very aware and drawn to learning about childhood obesity.  Not because I was an obese child, but because I want to make sure that I take good care of my son and teach him how to live a healthy life.  I am astonished at how off base some of the parents I've heard interviewed about their own childs weight problems.  They buy the food for the young ones, how is it not their fault?  Anyway, I rant.  So I'm inspired to go back to school.  I would like to study health and nutrition.  I'd like to be a dietician/nutritionist.  I feel a good change in myself, and I'd sure like to help others.

 

-Sara

A month and a half down!  Yahoo Mt Dew!

 

 

 

I can't hardly beleive we've stuck to this five whole weeks.  It's a new record for either of us.  Seems like I only last three weeks when I try to go on a diet.  I suppose the difference this time is our attitude and the resolve to make life long changes. 

 

Okay, eating during the daytime is pretty good.  If anything, I have to remember to eat so that I don't go too long without a small healthy snack.  However the evening is a different story.  I'm loving losing weight and I feel great, but I want so bad to eat something naughty in the evening, and I don't know why.  I want something fatty, oily, salty, and/or cheesy...but then, I imagine I would want something sweet after that.  That is how I became fat in the first place.  Our dinners have been a lean protien, small potato or rice and vegitables.  How do I fight the desire for food that isn't healthy?!?  I guess I've just got to keep on keep'n on, don't give up and I won't fail.

It was cold and we needed to get out of the house yesterday, so we went to the Lloyd Center mall last night to walk around, warm and dry.  We even brought snacks.  So I had Gary take a photo of me.  I have to say, I see the difference, but I certianly feel better than I look still.  The body will match my self image soon enough!

 

We're so pleased with our progress this year.  Of course, it'd be great to have the kind of results they have on campus.  I think we could, we're just trapped by our own struggles and fighting our way out of our weight oppression.  It's going to be a lifelong effort, and we're on the right path!

 

Okay, well maybe I do.  A gym membership is simply not in the family budget.  In other words, we can't afford the extra expense.  I'm sure others find themselves in the same situation.  You might say, we'll cut something else out.  There's nothing else to cut out.  We've already sacrificed so that I can stay home with our young son.  We don't eat out and I'm a pro at keeping the grocery bill down (less than $400 a month.)  We don't go see movies, we don't go out for drinks (we don't drink at home either, we don't drink), we make coffee in the mornings (no more latte's for us), and vacationing is staying with my mother along the Oregon coast, or family comes to visit.  So, we have to work out the old fashion way.  You know, get up and move.

 

We're doing okay, but not great.  Our goal was vigorous exercise.  I don't think it's been very vigorous yet.  We do move more and we're not as sedentary.  It's a start and we can try harder.  Just do it!  My favorite exercises are dancing and playing outside. Pre-baby, I loved to go to the clubs, now the club is my living room. I also still like to go down to the local schoolyard and shoot some hoops or step outside for a long walk through the different Portland neighborhoods. Another favorite is a walk through the zoo, which is a family favorite.

 

We are glad there was a loss at all!  Woohoo!  Gary's dad and wife flew up from Texas for a visit, and we ate out every meal on the road touring the Oregon coast.  So here it is:

 

I think preparation is key for me.  Last night, I really didn't want to do anything, certianly not cook or prepare food.  Thank goodness there was left over chicken and yams in the fridge.  I made a salad and heated up the rest (and left my poor hungry husband to fend for himself...awe)  It was a yummy, fulfilling dinner, but it would have been so easy to have run out for drive-thru, or order a pizza.  So...preparation is key for me.  If I have to work to hard when I don't feel like cooking, I may be bound be make a unhealthy mistake. 

 

So, I think I sorta knew this, but last night was a good reminder and realization.  So, with this in mind, I also need to leave the house with some healthy snacks for me, just like I do for my toddler to keep us all happy.  :)  I was just thinking about his and thought I should write it down and put it to my mind for later recollection. 

 

 

 

I feel great about this week, my husband, on the other hand, doesn't.  He's a bit discouraged this morning, but not swayed from our mission.  We reviewed our food journals and talked about what may have made the difference.  He ate out twice during the week and though he made better decisions than he typically would, he could have done better.  For instance, his egg scramble had bacon in it, which he could have avoided and he could have asked for egg whites.  That's going to be a huge change for him to special order food.  I don't mind because I've always been a picky eater.  I'm a plain cheeseburger girl, who doesn't like mushrooms, pickles, mayo, ketchup, mustard, and so on.  It'll take some getting used to for him to ask for better prepared meals when I'm not there to help.  Also, he added teriyaki sauce to his chicken and rice last night, which is laden in salt.  I'm sure that didn't help matters. 

 

Okay, we're still both excited to working on our health and totally in it to be our best biggest losers!

 

I’m so proud of my husband.  He has really embraced this mission and has been tremendously supportive.  He has been packing his lunch everyday with lots of fruits and vegetables and chicken or fish.  He’s even been giving me items to add to the grocery list of, like raisons for his oatmeal.  Oatmeal!  Everyday, he eats oatmeal now instead of toast and fried potatoes with his eggs.  He’s still eating eggs, but only one yoke and two whites.  This is fantastic!  He used to be the guy that would make country gravy on a regular basis. 

 

Also, he’s been working out on his own too.  He goes to the garage to work (he does custom framing, furniture pieces, and sketches for his muralist clients) and he ends up lifting weights while he’s out there.  It’s so nice both be dedicated to health and fitness at the same time and work together as a team.  Again, I’m so proud of my husband!

 

Our children learn from watching us and they want to eat what we eat.  Alexander wants to eat off our plates (even when he doesn’t like it, he wants to try it.)  I was surprised to see him walking around with a green bell pepper slice in his mouth yesterday that Gary had given him.  He chewed it for a few minutes and ultimately spit it out, but he tried it!  I felt so good about that.  I don’t feed my son hot dogs and macaroni & cheese, because we don’t eat it.  However, Alex wanted pizza and ice cream and fat laden nachos.  See where I’m going with this, what a difference a week has made. 

 

I’m so excited to be on this journey and have life lessons reminded to me daily.  We ultimately just want to be healthy and happy and we’re on the right path.  It feels good!

 

Okay, Gary and I weighed last Saturday, December 30, 2007 and started eating better.  So instead of giving ourselves extra days before we record our weight loss, we decided that we'd continue to have our weigh in's on Saturdays to keep to just 7 days.  

 

Here are our results!

 

 

Since we love both Bob and Jillian, we're the purple team!  (Red and Blue make Purple.)