I am obese

I have been in denial for quite some time now but this morning I am coming to terms with the facts. I am obese. That is a big word. It means that I have let myself go totally. My body is now up to 47% body fat and my weight is in the 140s. My sedentary lifestyle is going to kill me if I do not do something to change. I eat healthy, but until I change something else my body will continue to pack on fat and become more and more lethargic. Causing me to therefore become more tired and even less active.

I want to be energized and full of vigor again. I want to glow from inside. I feel like I've lost that part of myself and I want to get it back again. It doesn't matter if I have the body of a model, that is just not me. But I would like to be strong and lean again. I haven't been lean since I was 10. I'm sure my sweet tooth has much to do with that. I tend to eat sweets instead of healthy foods which only makes me energized for a moment and then tired and hungry again an hour later. I am going to make a dilligent effort to eat more healthful foods and replace all those emty calories with nutrients that will feed my body and turn it into fuel for a vibrant life.

Much easier said than done. I have been eating healthy (no sweets) for a week now. After the 3 day vacation we had I thought I'd come back thin with all the walking we were doing. I was VERY good and didn't have a single fast food item. At the rainforest cafe I had a bowl of soup and a salad when I could have had a million other calorie laden dishes. At the fair I ate very little and gave most of whatever I had to hubs or one of the kiddos. I've been drinking so much water that I feel like I could float a boat. Maybe I am retaining water and my body is going through a "what the heck" phase. It doesn't know when the next "meal" of chocolate will come so it is retaining everything I consume. Today I am not as "puffy" as I was yesterday. My wedding ring would hardly fit and was cutting through my skin.

I am going to start a journal of what I eat to track and take accountability for the amount I consume on a daily basis. Not so much to count calories but find out where I may be overdoing it. I have been eating more consistantly throughout the day instead of single serving meals, hoping to rev my metabolism and energy levels.

Aug 31
0530 cup of coffee
0745 cup of coffee w/milk
0750-0900 1 cup oatmeal prepared with milk, honey and ground flaxseed *ugh... could only eat half of it because it is quite filling

White Bread America

I will eventually catch up on my writing...hopefully before my brain dumps it all into the black hole of mental space. We had a really great vacation that seemed longer than just 3 days. We did a lot; the zoo, the waterpark (twice), the State Fair, and the Mall. We had a great time and we're all a bit exhausted still since it was non stop go, go, go for those 3 days. I will try to put together a video soon as I can.

I was even able to stay pretty on track on my newest diet. I've realized that my sedentary lifestyle and living in the North is a bad combination. I don't get ANY excercise and my thighs are exploding. I've gained a lot of weight in the last couple of months and finally when I couldn't hardly fit into my stretch jeans decided that maybe I needed to cut back on the daily routine of soda and a candy bar for every meal. I divulge in the office snack bar a bit too much it seems. I've made a pact with myself to get into a healthier routine. So far I am drinking a lot more water and no soda, and eating more fruit and less chocolate. The result...I've been totally bloated, and the last two days I've been exhausted and moody. Urgh! Besides that, I am always hungry...even when I am in the process of eating. Even when my stomach is FULL, I feel hungry. I just want a gigantic slab of chocolate cake and a tall glass of ice cold milk. Anyone got a recipe for a no calorie version?

It seems everywhere we go, everything GOOD to eat is full of fat and sugar. We went to the supermarket last night for some fish, veggies and yogurt. Healthy food is not cheap. On top of that, we had to go home and COOK it! No driveby the fast food junkies to get something quick anymore, we have to stick to this. Now why don't they make high fiber nutritional foods that are tasty and quick, affordable and readily available???

Our family vacation 2007

We are home sweet home at last after a very exciting adventure to Minneapolis. It was so much fun and we are all exhausted so I will try to do a play by play and post a few photos and video soon as we recoup. Since tommorrow is back to work again I must go prepare for my day.

Is it Friday yet?

Only one more day till our vacation!!! I am getting so excited I can hardly stand it!!!

Trash to Treasure

Today when I got home from work I noticed that my oldest son was about to throw out some blotchy bananas (after my shock wore off and I stopped mumbling "you gotta cook something with these") my youngest son suggested we make banana bread. (He loves to help me cook) We tried a new recipe since we only had 2 bananas. It turned out great...it's almost all gone already after just a few minutes out of the oven. Try it!

Banana Bread (Preheat oven to 375)
1/2 c. Butter (1 stick) melted
1 c. sugar
Cream butter and sugar

Add 2 eggs, 2 cups mashed bananas, 1 tsp lemon juice
Blend Well.

Sift together 2 c flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch of salt
Add to mixture and beat well. Bake in a small well greased loaf pan for about 50 - 60 min. (I could only wait for about 48 min and the top was just a bit too mushy still so modify this to your own taste)

It smells so good and tastes so yummy. Hope you enjoy!

Heat wave???

Do I live on another planet??? I just turned up the HEAT in our house this morning before grabbing my morning coffee (the temps are hovering around 50) and then sit down and read the news that "Heat wave kills 37 in South and Midwest" What is going on???? The few days of summer here have only been in the 90s and yesterday there was quite a little nip in the air. It felt like fall. Since we JUST started getting summerish temps I am not ready for fall. This means winter is one its way. Winter is bad juju for me. I don't do the cold. If I seem mentally unstable now, I don't know what I'll be like this winter. Is there a drug that makes one feel like they are in a tropical paradise? I need that one. Yeah, I know I need a reality check.

I don't understand how someone can get too hot unless they are working outside and not keeping hydrated. I would much rather get down to my skivies and take a dip in a pool, river or lake than to feel chilled and have to put on a sweater. I am starting to hate my winter clothes already. Actually, I had every intention of getting rid of every stitch of winter clothing that I owned once we left Germany. Hmmmm...I think I should stop thinking. Or start thinking about ice since every thought I have seems to go the reverse route in my reality.

Anway, I hope wherever in the world you are today that you are having a good day. It's FRIDAY!!!! Time to have some fun.

Family Vacation!!!!

Thanks to Expedia.com, We are going to the Waterpark of America for our family vacation this year! 3 nights in Minneapolis! It will be our first family vacation since??? hmmmm Paris? Dec 05? That has been a while and didn't turn out quite as planned. Our trip to Disney Paris ended in a blizzard and an 8 hour drive home in blinding snow. Hopefully the weather cooperates this time. The waterpark is indoors so even if it is cold we can still have fun. I would like to go to the zoo but that will depend upon the weather. On Saturday (Aug 25) our neice will be singing in the Minnesota state fair so we will be there to see her performance live.

So the iteneary so far is:
Fri - Shop at Mall of America or go to the zoo (weather permitting)
Sat - State Fair
Sun - Waterpark or zoo
Mon - Zoo, Waterpark or whatever we didn't do Fri, Sat and Sunday then come home (6 hour drive)

Chat with me

Coming up for air
Is anyone there?
do you want to talk about it?
Sure I care
What are you doing?
I am all alone
wish you were here
We could laugh
or cry
Where are you going?
me too
want to go together?
I'd love to
I just want to be
with my friend

where did the time go???

Scott Bao is 45....Corey HAIM just turned 35! Wow! Where did the baby faced heart throbs of yesterday go??? I watched the show "The two Coreys" the other day....it's weird that I had a disturbing thought just days before hearing that their show was coming out. I was wondering what Haim looked like as an adult (it's hard to picture him without the baby face) and if Feldman ever turned into a vampire...he actually turned into the clean one. Poor Haim is having a rough life. Ah the perils of child fame. Too much too soon and then it's all gone.

I still love the 80s. I saw the 80s trivia game at Target the other day...I soooo want it!!! My favorite heart throb was...John Stamos! He had the best hair!!!

Long hours, too little pay...

Why would anyone want to join the military??? I am wondering why we should stay. Scott has 21 years in service and 2 more to go before he can retire and each day seem to become an eternity. Last weekend he got called in because of a DUI...the whole entire squadron has to suffer while some drunk sleeps it off somewhere without a care. Who pays the price? The innocent. I am so sick of this life and all it's "benefits". Serving in today's world takes a whole different caliber of individual. Not sure what it is that they want but it is not the good guy that works hard and doesn't complain about anything. Or maybe they do, but those guys are getting wise and going to go another direction before too much longer. There is life outside of the force. A much better life than that of today's soldier. This week, they have been on 12 hour shifts, through the entire weekend. A whole weekend shot because someone wants to play games. And not the fun kind. It's annoying, discouraging and down right demoralizing. I admire our soldiers, they are the worlds finest indeed. But I do not agree that our nation's higher authorities should poop all over them relentlessly.

My gang