Something to think about

I was reading an article online in the Eat This, Not That franchise and came across this article. What really struck me about all the tips was #12. It really made me think. It also made me think, that if I can consciously focus on this it could be really beneficial to my health.
As a person who loves a 'deal', and always goes for the deal (sometimes even buying things or more of things just because there is a 'deal' going on) this really hit home with me. I love the 'deal' so much and it is so ingrained in my psyche that I will spend an extra 30 minutes in a store (which I don't have, and with whining kids no less) because the salesperson just told me that if I buy another shirt I'll get it for half off (even though I am done shopping, am at the checkout counter, and have already tried on everything in the store that even remotely caught my interest, and I didn't find another shirt.). But because its a 'deal' I'll now go spend time frantically trying on things again, or trying new things that really didn't interest me the first time, just to see if I can find that top, so I can get it for half off. Insane, right? Yes, sometimes I think it is. I'm ashamed to admit it, but yes, there are things in my closet that I really didn't need to buy. And even regret some of those purchases. Sooooo, you can see that to wrap my head around the following 'tip' is going to take alot of willpower, and 'inside my head conversations', like "no, remember I don't need the bigger popcorn, its just extra calories and I'll be full and over-satisfied after the first few handfuls anyway. Stay AWAY from the extra 50cents!".  LOL
So you are probably wondering by now what this 'tip' is, so here it is re-posted from Eat This, Not That...

12 Best Restaurant Weight Loss Tips

Weight Loss Tip #12

Start small

Here’s the good news: No one is going to stop you from ordering seconds. So be like any good businessperson, and start small. Here’s exactly how expensive it really is when you go for the “bargain”:

* 7-Eleven. Gulp to Double Gulp Coca-Cola Classic: 37 cents extra buys 450 more calories

* Cinnabon. Minibon to Classic Cinnabon: 48 more cents buys 370 more calories

* Movie theater. Small to medium unbuttered popcorn: 71 additional cents buys you 500 more calories

* Convenience store. Regular to “The Big One” Snickers: 33 more cents packs on 230 more calories

* McDonald’s. Quarter Pounder with Cheese to Medium Quarter Pounder with Cheese Extra Value Meal: An additional $1.41 gets you 660 more calories

* Subway. The 6- to 12-inch Tuna Sub: $1.53 more buys 420 more calories

* Wendy’s. Classic Double with Cheese to Classic Double with Cheese Old Fashioned Combo Meal: $1.57 extra buys you 600 more calories

* Baskin Robbins. Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Kids’ Scoop, to Double Scoop: For another $1.62, you’ve added 390 calories

The bottom line: For 8 bucks, you’ve bought yourself 3,620 calories. If you eat each of these foods once a week but go with the smaller size—again, your favorite foods, but more reasonable sizes—you’d save about $417 a year. That's enough to put you on a plane to the Bahamas, where you can show off your new body. After all, you’d also save 188,240 calories a year, or 54 pounds of belly fat! It's hard to imagine a better investment.

 

 

 

I always look at it in the 'here and now' version, of how much I'm saving financially right now "It's only $1.53 more for a foot long sub, than a 6" at Subway, so its a better 'deal' to buy the foot long". What I need to do is look more to the future, first of all, that all those 'little increases' DO add up to annual savings, and more importantly, that I don't need or want the extra calories of a larger item!

 

This article made an impact on me, hopefully it helps you too :)

amazing workout

I had an amazing workout today! I was so excited afterwards, because I felt that 'high', that sense of exhilaration when you know you have just had an amazing workout. It felt so great to feel that way again! I haven't felt that way in a long time. In fact, it reminded of me of how I used to feel after EVERY workout back in 2007 when I dropped 20pounds, and 20 inches, in 18 weeks. It felt good. If all my workouts start feeling like this again, I just might start kicking some butt again here in the near future :)
Not to mention I got to punch the punching bag today, and if I've never told you before, I LOVE punching that bag! I don't know what it is about it, but it pumps me up bigtime!
Anyway, just a quick note to say I hope I get some more workouts like this, because if so, this will be the kick I need to drop these 10 pounds I wouldn't mind dropping ;)

mother's Day

Happy Day Pink Mother's Day 5x7 folded card

Design personalized Mother's Day cards with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Little muscles?

I guess I've always been trying to strike a pose and show my bicep muscles...
its just a shame they never seem to want to come out and be seen  ha ha ha.

Found this picture of my brother and I from 1975 when I was 5 years old and he was 10, on a shoreline in Michigan. How cute is that?

p.s. I told you I was always a 'tow-head', see why I want to keep dying my hair blond? I'm trying to keep my youth lol ;0

Bodyfat% and BMI...oh my!

I thought that title kinda of rhymed, didn't it?  :0

Well, I am still at 150 (so 5 pounds less than when I posted my weight survey). I haven't been doing anything spectacular. Just typical workouts at the gym (which have changed due to new instructors), and my treadmill and/or AMT work every morning. I've been on the 'running' program I told you about earlier where I may not run 5 miles STRAIGHT, but I do cover 5 miles with bursts of running and walking. That being said, I've been doing good... I've been doing between 4-8miles everyday.
The thing I haven't changed much is my eating.
We still have been eating out 4 nights a week (and no matter how much you try to order the best thing on the menu, home cooked food I think is always going to be less calories and fat). So even though our whole family likes eating out, myself included, I don't know that its the best thing for us.
I'm not gorging myself on m&m's or chips, but I'm not eating 100% healthy snacks either. (Side note: I am happy to say I have NOT bought Easter candy, and am planning not to. I already have goodies like t-shirts and books and toys for their baskets, so I'm really hoping not to succumb to the pressure of the Easter candy aisle and buy that stuff. Because if its in our house, I will eat it.)
My plan of attack right now is to begin a more conscious focus on what I'm eating. I KNOW from past experience that this is where my downfall (weight gain) comes from. Now don't forget, I am still HAPPY. But I still want to reach my goals. My goal is to get back to 140 so all my clothes fit baggier (I like baggy clothes). I know I can't do a restrictive 'diet' though to attain this. That always backfires for me. I wind up craving and then go right back up , ever hear the term yo-yo?
So I am trying to just redirect my choices and that even means not ALWAYS having to go out to eat EVERY Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sunday. In fact, last night was Thursday and I cooked a really healthy 400 calorie meal for me and the girls (Dan would not have liked it-he hates frozen fish, but he was golfing, so instead of taking that as a night to eat pizza or other junky stuff with the girls-like I normally do-I took it as a night to make something healthy that isn't his favorite. Good choice I think). Tonight is Friday, and we should be going out, but I have a pork loin already thawed that we didn't use this week because we ended up eating one night at his parent's house, so we are staying home and having that instead. Now I know we'll go out Saturday and Sunday, but at least every little bit helps and I think it really did. I have been consistently 150 for about a month now, even sometimes hovering above 150, like the needle is on the '0' heading towards 151. But today it was actually hovering in the other direction, so with a few more days of better choices I bet that will start heading towards 149... and that will be really good, because you know any time you see some progress it always motivates you to do more (at least that is how it works with me).

Well, I know you are reading this because of the title, so I will continue. One of the instructors at the gym mentioned that they can do free fat test percentages so I signed right up. I KNOW the number isn't going to be great, but I wanted to get the NUMBER so that I have something to compare to when I reach my goal, then ideally it will be a really cool 'fact' of progress.

So here goes, my BMI (body mass index) is 22.8
My percentage of body fat right now at 150 pounds is 26.9%

18.5-24.9 is normal BMI range, so I am pretty much in the middle, just a tad over. Seems pretty fine.

On http://www.healthchecksystems.com/ it says that athletes are 14-20%, a fitness level for a woman is 21-24%, and  acceptable is 25-31%. So I'm falling into the 'acceptable' range. However, following their little demonstration, it looks like if I lose 10 pounds and get to 140, that I should be at 21.6% which would put me into the 'fitness' level.
My plan is to take this test again when I reach 140 to see what it is for comparison purposes, but I guess I can also see if it will match the results of the formula I just used too.

Either, I need to acheive this goal in one month, or I will have a "where I am now" number as well on May 1st, because my instructor said we are doing it again in one month to track progress. I told I just want the final results, but she was like 'no,no,no, we are going to monitor it!" ha ha. So anyway, I'll either have a final update or a 'on the way there' update to post about on May 1st.
Hopefully it will be good. Really its just one more tool to make sure I'm not getting lazy or getting crazy lol