Take Responsibility

So one of my biggest pet peeves are people that shift blame on other people. It doesn't matter what it is. They are in too much debt, they don't spend enough time with their kids, their house isn't organized, they don't like their job, they don't get enough sleep, they are fat, etc....then they like to tell you why these problems are someone else's fault. I seriously hate this!!!!

If there is something about your life that you don't like, guess what?? You have the power to change it. Sitting around complaining about it is not going to help anything. Quit the EXCUSES!

I seriously could blog all the time about something that could of held me back from my goals. It was really hard to get my bachelor's degree while I worked graveyard shifts at Denny's restaurant. It has been hard dealing with family problems during my childhood; not ever meeting my own father. It was hard being on the stage at my dance recital only to see that my mom hadn't showed up even though she promised. A family business deal that didn't go as planned.

I don't want to hear anyone's pity parties. It seriously drives me crazy when people tell me all the reasons that they can't do something or blame their problems on other people. We all have things that get in the way or sometimes life throws us some real crap but you know what, we have the chance to change everyday. I can pontificate for hours about the underlying issues that caused me to gain weight and there are literally hundreds of reasons I could come up with but the fact of the matter is that I DID IT. I made myself this way and only I can change it. My parents didn't make me this way, Travis didn't make me this way, my kids haven't made me this way...I have. I take full responsibility. I am not proud of it but it is the truth. What is the one thing that has really held you back?

Honestly for years I could not figure it out. I could do all of these things...anything in the past I put my mind to, I stared at it, ran to it and got it as fast as I could. I moved out at 17, never got a cent from my parents and never looked back. Got married at 18 and will be celebrating our 13 year anniversary this year. Went to school while working full time for both my bachelors and masters. Bought a home at 20. Wanted a child at 28 and 30...had one 7 days before my 28th birthday and the other at 30. Became the President of a professional organization, joined the church choir, started my own business. The list goes on.

I am not telling you these things to pat my own back...I am telling you because I honestly couldn't figure out why if I wanted to be skinny I couldn't do it. Here is the reason.....ARE YOU READY?

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BECAUSE IT WASN'T IMPORTANT TO ME. All those other things must have been. I made time and effort to achieve those things but didn't put importance in my weight. To be honest I actually think achieving some of those things made it even worse. I had the attitude like, "it doesn't matter how I look I can do anything". All while doing those things though I let the most important things leave. My own identity, my health and self worth. So, if you have something in your life that you aren't happy with and you have a thousand excuses as to why it is that way, or a hundred people to blame, let me give you a clue...it probably isn't that important to you. I know this is hard pill to swallow but for me it is the truth. Is it for you? Take responsibility for yourself! If you want something to change than make it your priority and put your time, money and effort into it.

Shred It

The other night I wanted to watch Biggest Loser and the plan was to watch it while walking on the treadmill. However, it was not online to be downloaded on the apple TV and now that we don't have TIVO I couldn't get it except on the laptop. I hated to just sit on my ass for 85 minutes and watch it. As I was scrolling through the apple TV I noticed that you could buy Jillian Michaels workout videos for immediate download. I have had several people tell me that they are great and read several Facebook updates including ones from previous Biggest Losers about her "30 day Shred" videos.

So, I bought it and did it so that after I was done I would have no guilt about sitting on the couch with my laptop watching the season premier of Biggest Loser. The one that I got has 3 workout levels, you are to do level 1 for 10 days, level 2 for 10 days and level 3 for 10 days. Never missing any days. It incorporates weight lifting (3-5 pound dumbbells), cardio and abs. I did level 1 that night and it was fairly hard. I am going to commit to doing the 30 days and then taking some new measurements. I am also committing to working out with my trainer 2 days a week instead of 1 for the next 12 weeks. I will do the Jillian Michaels video on all the days that I am not working out with Tammye so it will take me more like 40 days. There is no way that I could do the video and Tammye on the same day. It would be impossible.

Speaking of Tammye...she almost killed me Thursday night. It was brutal. My upper body and back are so sore and so is my butt! My legs are actually okay today; I am sure they will be hurting tomorrow. There are a few ladies in my group that are now reading my blog. They were encouraging at class and it is nice to know that people are following. Thanks for the support...I need all I can get. Tammye has me lifting some pretty heavy weight. She swears that this is where the transformation happens. Most of the time I think she is crazy but somehow I can usually make it through the workout. The best part is that now I have Travis doing the same circuit at home as well as one of my friends who is doing a modified version of it. It is great fun watching other people experience your pain. Now I know why Tammye's job must be so satisfying for her.

So the plan for now.....workout with Tammye on Mondays and Thursday and do the 30 day shred in between. Will start tomorrow! New measurements coming in 40 days!

30 Days of Dinners

So, I posted about my little notepad that I bought that helps you plan meals. I have loved this little thing and have already planned all of our dinners for the whole month of January. It has been nice because it has made me think about all the recipes I make and let me go through them and pick out a variety for each week. A variety of meats, casseroles, soups, etc. it has also made grocery shopping much easier and has helped me avoid the things that I don't need. Speaking of grocery shopping....one thing that I have done recently is the switch to organic milk. I have read lots of reasons to drink organic milk and most of them don't really matter to me..however...the expiration on organic is like twice as long. I bought milk last week and it is good until 2/21. Amazing! I used to throw milk away all the time because it would go bad before we would drink it all; even with my kids. I never throw it away anymore. So while it is more expensive, for my family there is less cost because of the lack of waste and it is healthier for you too! Just a tip.

I thought I would share some of the meals that we have ate recently or plan to eat for dinner. All of these are recipes I make quite often and I have modified them slightly to be less caloric in value. If you are interested in any of these recipes, let me know and I will try to post. Not going to promise that I will post them all but I might to a 30 days of eating soon. A picture, recipe and review of what we had for dinner for 30 days. What do you think? It will be a little work but if you guys want it, I will do it. Let me know. Kind of like a mini Julie & Julia. Hee hee :)

1) Southwestern Chicken & Rice

2) Hamburgers and baked french fries

3) Egg Noodle chicken & Veggie casserole

4) Pizza with Salad

5) Enchiladas

6) Chicken Stir Fry

7) Spaghetti w/meatballs

8) Potato Soup

9) Fish Tacos

10) Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole

11) Tortelini Alfredo

12) Maple Salmon w/veggies

13) 12 Bean Soup

14) Chicken Sophia

15) Salsa Pork Chops

16) Tilapia Veracruz

17) Baked Ziti

18) Meatloaf w/ Sweet Potato

19) Stove Top Chicken Casserole

20) Black Bean Burritos

21) Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

22) Beef w/Broccoli & Rice

23) Chili (Taco Soup)

24) Zippy Chicken

25) Tostadas

26) Fettucini Alfredo w/Shrimp

27)White Bean Chili

28) Sloppy Joes

29) Beef Tacos w/spanish rice

30)Split Pea Soup

The best part about this all...when you look at those dinners...they don't sound like diet food. The one thing I have learned is that you can't go depriving yourself every day or live off lean cuisines. I eat the things I love. Modify the recipes to make them lower calorie and then practice portion control. Eating egg whites is not a life and you will not stick to it if that is what you have to do. But eating all of the delicious food above can be fun, easy, healthy and good for the whole family. Also, none of these recipes are hard, they can all be made relatively quickly, especially with a little preparation. Let me know if you want the recipes and detail.

Happy eating!!

Blog Award

This month's blog award goes to my friend Kim Norton! She is one of the reasons for my success. When I very first started my journey I told her about my blog and she immediately responded with support and told me about her own journey. She had joined weight watchers and began exercising and was losing regularly. It was such an inspiration to talk to her and I decided that if she could do it...I could!

Kim and I actually met taking a dance class in Knoxville. For those of you that have known me a long time, most of you know that I took dance for over 10 years. I took dance in college and have always enjoyed it. I always feel silly telling someone that has only known me for a few years that I used to be a dancer. They always give me a puzzled look. It is because I definitely don't look like a dancer anymore. However, at one time I was dancing 5 days a week. I have danced at Disneyland, for Royal Caribbean Cruise line, and in several competitive arenas. At one time, my team held the national champion title for one of the largest competitions in the nation. So while I may not look like a dancer anymore...I have the heart of a dancer still. It kind of breaks my heart. While I am sure I was never going to have a career in dance, it always makes me sad that I quit dancing and let my body become what it was.

When I first moved to TN, I was trying to think of the ways I used to exercise...since I love dance I looked for an adult dance class. Kim also had dance experience and was a color guard coach at one of the local schools. We were by far the best dancers in the class. :) Most of the other people had no experience at all. We immediately became friends. We have had fun getting together for dinners and game nights and Travis and I have both enjoyed her and her husband's company. Sadly, they moved to the Atlanta, GA area a few years ago but at least there is still Facebook and blogs to keep us in touch.

Kim has been very supportive and I look forward to us supporting each other this year. I appreciate all of her blog comments and her phone calls. It has been nice having a team mate during this journey. Good luck Kim! I know you can do it too. I actually just saw an ad for a class called "tap and burn". It is a tap dancing aerobics class. Sounds like fun, I may have to try it.

Jan 1

So, I am not happy with my weigh in. Pissed that I gained 2 pounds but excited to see the progress of 2011. January 1, I started hard core. Back to watching portions, calories, writing it down, working out, etc. Looking forward to my Biggest Loser competition among friends. I feel really positive about it. I can't wait to see the 170s..in the realm of things, it really isn't that far away. Did you notice I painted my toes for y'all?

One thing I have really been excited about is my little note pad I bought at a fun little store called "Anthropology" in Nashville. It has made meal planning so easy. I went through my recipes have already planned all our January meals. Majority of the stuff I have, if there is one weird ingredient I can add it to the list. It is nice cause it gives us a variety. I am going to be posting the recipes soon as I will have to make some modifications to them to make them healthier. The goal is to eat at home for dinner six nights a week and out once a week. Since I have been home I have been having a lot of fun cooking dinners and have cooked every night. Travis is really enjoying the left overs in his lunch.

Speaking of Travis, I am also really excited that he is going to start working out with me. We have a fairly decent home gym. It is nothing exotic but has everything we need. We have a treadmill, a bench and an assortment of dumbbells and barbell weights. We also have a stability ball, bosu ball and medicine ball. I workout with a trainer every Thursday night. It is circuit training with about 12 exercises. The plan is for Travis and I to mimic the same workout that we do on Thursday night, two nights a week at home. Trav doesn't struggle with weight at all. He has actually went on weight gaining diets before. I know...it's sick! However, he sits at a desk job every day and doesn't get a lot of physical activity. We have both pledged to each other to workout at home 4x per week.

I am also helping one of my friends work out. It is really motivating. I have heard that you learn:

10 percent of what we read;

20 percent of what we hear;

30 percent of what we both see and hear;

50 percent of what we discussed with others;

80 percent of what we experience personally;

95 percent of what we teach to someone else.

So I am excited to teach her some new things and at the same time keep myself motivated and learn more too!

Biggest Loser starts tomorrow! I am so excited for the new season! I can't watch tomorrow night since I am teaching CPR but will watch on Wed while on the treadmill. :) I can't wait. I hope it is better than last season. I have loved the show but for some reason the last season just didn't click with me. I didn't love any of the contestants. Looking forward to the motivation for the next 12-16 weeks. Sad that it is Jillian Michael's last season. I love her.

That is all for now! I'll be posting more often for the next 12 weeks so stay tuned!