Our 2nd RV Trip! With Lots of Pictures...

So after months of keeping our little Chalet in storage we were finally able to take it out again last week.  OK, so we took it to the same park as last time (20 miles away) just to relearn some things and we DID come back to town for a few hours on Friday afternoon (I had a haircut appointment.)  Eric checked on the kitties and we did 2 loads of laundry.

But we also did great with our packing of clothes and food.  We divided up cooking duties with Eric BBQing chicken on the electric BBQ while I sauteed veggies on the stove inside.  And we have become more adept at where to put things inside the RV, both our individual items and things we need in the kitchen and living area.

We relaxed indoors and outdoors, taking in the breathless view of the majestic Columbia River.  Sitting outside with a book or a beverage is the thing to do. A constant breeze blew through the park at all hours, which was really nice on those hotter days.

In the mornings we adapted to our surroundings by taking a 5 mile walk to get our 10,000 steps in before breakfast.  It was more of an adjustment for me because I go to the gym at Eric's work every morning while he walks around our neighborhood.  But Eric is not used to big rigs and other cars blazing their way past him while he's walking.  The road near the RV park dead ends by some farms and it is just about 5000 steps to the dead end and then another 5000 back to the park.

For meals we took the Nutribullet and tons of bananas and apples for our vitamin shakes in the morning.  Lunches were combos of fruit, chips and salsa, and other snacks.  Dinners were BBQed chicken with different veggies on the side.

On our first full day we took a drive and ended up near Merwin Dam and Reservoir.  There is a nice  park area there with a playground for the kids, lots of covered picnic seating, and decent restrooms.  The drive itself, 40 miles round-trip, was lovely, as we made our way through densely forested areas along the river.  As lunchtime neared, we ended up enjoying some great Mexican food at El Tapatio in Woodland.

Here are some pictures!  Most of them show the dramatic sunrise on our last morning.

To view them full-sized (which I highly recommend after going through and reading the captions,) click on the pictures.

All set up on Wednesday afternoon. We didn't get a spot right on the river this time, but it was nice to be so close to the showers.  Our Chalet has a little shower, but we wanted more space.

Eric making the chicken on night #1.  We bought some sea salt hickory rub from a stall at the lake during the Go Fourth! activities.  Eric experimented with it twice before we took the RV out.  It is very good!

My adorable husband showing off the finished product before we sat down to eat.  One night we had onions/mushrooms/broccoli on the side.  Another night we had zucchini.  The third night?  Well, Eric had Quiznos and I had eggs and an apple!  As you can see our set up inside is simple, but perfect for us.

Thursday at Merwin Reservoir.  There were only 2 families there, picnicking right on the sand.  The weather was just right and the view was gorgeous.  See that thing that looks like a string across the water?  That is as far as you are allowed to swim.  There was also a big salmon hatchery nearby for those who eat farmed salmon.  We only eat wild Sockeye. It's so much better! 

The sun sets a lot later in the Pacific Northwest during the summer!  This is 8pm on Friday night.  Look at those fancy rigs with their side-outs.  Most of the RVs at the park were huge Class As or 5th wheels.  The most interesting one was a Rockwood Pop Up A Frame trailer. 

The Rockwood A Frame:  Tiny and with no bathroom! We looked up the price and it is comparable to what we paid for our 2001 Winnebago.  Still, it sleeps 4 (snug,)has a fridge, microwave, stove, plus AC. 

One of the things I really like about the Riverfront RV Park is the extensive grassy area and trees.  If you want to be in the shade, you can.  If you want to be in the sun, you can.  I set up my chair partway between sun and shade and read my Kindle.  The breeze blew by as I watched fishermen, boats, ships, and even saw a tug boat pushing, not pulling, a barge down the river.

Friday's sunset, around 9:30pm. 

Time to walk!  Around 6am Saturday morning.  The sunrise put on quite a show. 

Next door to the park was a field with this lone, beautiful horse.  I would say hello to him (or her) every time I walked past.

The morning view while walking against traffic. As you can see, not really conducive to pedestrians, so we walked in single file and stepped to the side when a car was coming.  To the left was a long slough that the farms on the right use for irrigation. In the middle of the slough is a long island, and on the other side is the river.

Crossing the slough is an old railway bridge.

Down the road is the house below, with its own little lake behind it with a canoe, a trampoline, guesthouse, 2 playhouses and some other outbuildings.  There is also a barn and silo.

The main house.  Pretty drool-worthy!  Anyone familiar with the Woodland area know who lives there?

The barn and silo to the left of the house.

Mother Nature was not to be outdone.This was the photo I got as the morning walk continued.  The sunrise coming over the hills on the right made for some dramatic lighting. 

Eric likes this picture.  The stream of the sprinkler matches the shape of the mist by the hills in the background.

Almost at the end of the road was a field with lots of cows.  Most ignored me, but a few were fascinated.  That little guy on the left with the white face stared at me the entire time I walked past and back again.  I waved. 

With a little help editing in the Afterlight app, this photo got a bit of a boost.  I like pictures with layers of sky, trees, water, and ground.

Yes, city girls like me get entertained by seeing a tractor in the middle of a field.

I like the tire tracks left behind.  It just reminded me of the importance of staying on the right path.

Walking on the return trip to the RV park I had to take one more picture of this property and its surrounding area.  It's like an oasis.

We had a great time on our little 3 night/4 day trip.  We met some nice people and enjoyed the weather and scenery.  The RV lifestyle is still pretty new for us, but despite the amount of work that goes into packing and unloading everything (if you want it, you have to take it!) it is cool to be able to be in your own space.

Like I said, we do things simply in many way compared to some of the "mansions on wheels" we saw at the park.  Just sleeping bags and blankets for us.  But we did bring our gotta-have-it necessities, like the Nutribullet, the Soda Stream, and we watched a movie on Eric's laptop. A River Runs Through It--perfect movie for those surroundings. We also set up speakers with the iPod so we could listen to our favorite tunes.

We are hoping, fingers crossed, to be able to take the RV out again next week.  Hopefully to Gig Harbor, WA, which I've always wanted to see, and which will be a little further than 20 miles away (more like 140.)  That's the great thing, is that you take your little turtle shell full of your own things anywhere you want.  It may not be fancy, but we're happy with it.

Happy 4th!

Hey everyone, we hope you had a great 4th of July!

Our last few days have been spent walking around the stalls at the nearby lake and looking at the myriad of doodads they sell.  A lot of it is *pretty* junky, but I did find a cute jewelry set that I'm looking forward to wearing to church on Sunday and Eric bought some sea salt rub for BBQing. He found a table top electric BBQ grill, which will be great for the RV, and has cooked chicken the past 2 days using the hickory rub he bought.  Wow, is it good!  Hubby's got skills.

I met my weight goal a week ago today...WOOHOO!!!!!  And now I'm working on staying within that little 5lb window, but we did indulge on some of the food during the Go Fourth event.  Who can say no to a Pioneer Burger made by the local Lions Club?  Apparently not me, because on Friday I had 2!  (Not at the same time.)  With working out every day and eating right the rest of the time it didn't make a big impact on my weight.  After all, 4th of July only rolls around once a year, right?  Those burgers are amazing and ...dare I say it?  Maybe even better than a Double Double from In n Out.  Yes, I said it.

If you are interested in reading more about my weight loss and my current maintenance goals you can visit my other blog HERE.  And here's a scary before and after photo.  No more yo-yo dieting for this lady! Two words:  Size 8.  OK, one more word:  FITBIT. My tool for success.

Yesterday I taught Relief Society at church, something I enjoy doing and only get to do a couple of times a year now as a member of the presidency.  My topic was Loving Ourselves as God Loves Us, something I feel very strongly about, especially as I've been doing a lot of self-analysis these past few months with my weight loss journey.  As I explained yesterday during my lesson, I don't think I was being as kind to myself as I thought, which was clearly exhibited in some of my previous habits.

So, what's on the horizon?  

Finally, finally, we've made some plans to take our RV out.  Between the weather and Eric's schedule, the poor thing has been pretty neglected.  That's about to change.

And I've made my plans for Utah next month.  I'm heading back to Education Week 2014 on the BYU campus for another year in a row.  No doggie companion this year and my mom has opted not to go, but I'll still have a fun time with our friend, Darla, in Orem, and enjoying the huge variety of classes offered on campus.  Ticket is bought, hotel plans are made, and I've even checked into local gyms where I can work out in the mornings.  I'm excited!

The weather is beautiful, we've got camping plans, and Utah plans, and Eric has most of the month off from work.  Things are good!

A Brief Update on Life!

Me and my hubby last month in Vegas.  Isn't he cute?

Time is getting away from me!  And I'm finding that managing 3 blogs means that 2 are usually getting neglected.  Can't have that!

We are still on a high from that great Vegas trip, even as Life resumes back to normal.

I've adjusted more and more to not having a doggie, but I still miss my Bailey a lot.  (For weeks I still expected to hear his tail thump-thump-thumping when I'd come in the front door.)  At this point I do not see us having another doggie in the near future.  I think it would upset our 2 remaining kitties too much.  Then again...never say never, right?

Eric and I are still plugging along with our weight loss journey and he has nearly caught up with me!  I'm down nearly 38 pounds and he isn't far behind. Both of us are dealing with annoying plateaus right now, but the important thing is to keep on keepin' on!  I've learned so much about myself and my habits. These days I'm hitting the gym more than doing the Jillian Michaels video, simply because I can burn more calories in less time.  700 calories on the treadmill, or on the treadmill and elliptical combined, is my daily goal.  I'm so ready to move beyond this plateau!  Only 8.5 pounds to go until I hit my goal! (With another 5 to create a nice "cushion.")

On the homefront we are the proud owners of a new vacuum and a new dishwasher (which hasn't been delivered yet.) The vacuum was a planned purchase, but the dishwasher wasn't.  Things usually happen that way, don't they?  But our 34 year old dishwasher was at the end of its life.  It would've been nice if it waited a few more months, though!

We also just hosted my mom up here for a week.  I gave her a perm (which I've been doing since I was 12,) we went outlet shopping, ate sushi, and spent a lot of time exploring Fred Meyer (which doesn't exist in her CA area.)  Yesterday she flew home and today Eric and I are back to living by his 4 on/4 off work schedule.

Lastly, the weather this week has been beautiful!  The Pacific Northwest at its finest!  We are really looking forward to taking our RV out soon.  Must get some use out of our little Winnebago Chalet while the weather's good!

And that's what's been happening!  Summer is just around the corner.  I'm making plans to attend BYU Education Week again in August and soon we'll have the 4th of July festivities at the lake near our house and the best weather of the year.  There's always something to look forward to!

Our Osmond Weekend!

Eric and I are still on a high from our amazing 5 days in Vegas!  After much preparation, we flew in last Thursday with tickets in hand to see the Osmond Brothers (Merrill, Jay, and Jimmy) during their 3-night run at The Orleans Hotel.  What we didn't plan on was a series of fortuitous events that made this trip even more incredible.

Throughout our stay we kept running into the brothers--Merrill and Jay at different times in the elevator, Jimmy asking for directions to the movie theater and at the pool. Their big brother, Alan, was even at the show on the first night.  We got some wonderful pictures and even more great memories.

We also had the good fortune to be the only 2 last minute guests at a post-show reception on Saturday night, where we sat at Table 1, which made us the first table to get to take some photo booth pictures with the brothers.  I got to be first of everyone in the room!

It was fun, relaxing, musical, and exciting.  We spent part of Friday at the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas, most of Saturday was spent by the pool (we even rented a cabana for the day,) and on Sunday I got the best 80 minute massage ever.

Ready for some pictures?  Here we go! (Click on them to see full-sized versions.)

Friday morning we were on our way to the Mob Museum when who walks through the hotel door? Jimmy Osmond.  I asked if we could get a picture with him and he was happy to oblige.  His 12 year old daughter took the photos.  

I definitely recommend the Mob Museum as an interesting place to visit at least once.  Probably not for kids under 15, since there are some graphic pictures.  But it is very well done with exhibits on 3 floors of the old courthouse and lots of interactive presentations.

Friday afternoon--I'm upstairs resting when Eric calls me to let me know that Merrill and Jay Osmond are right downstairs by the gift shop.  I swooped down there as fast as I could, but Jay had already gone.  Merrill, however, was on his way up to his room.  Eric asked him if we could ride up with him and, luckily, no one else got on during the entire trip.  We had a good chat, and Merrill even asked Eric,"How do you keep your beard so neat?" An incredibly nice, soft-spoken man.

Still Friday, and brother Alan Osmond, who suffers from MS, was in the audience.  The brothers invited Alan down for a quick song and everyone was thrilled to see him.  His motto is "I may have MS, but MS does not have me."

After the show we went and talked with Alan and Eric got a 3rd Osmond photo for the day!

We hung around the theater "just in case" we could round out our record for the day and, sure enough, Jay Osmond came out and we were able to stop him for a picture.

Saturday, finally we get to enjoy the sunshine at the pool! 

Eric in his Mob Museum t-shirt.  He even rented a cabana for us for the day, which was really nice.

My cute hubby. :-)

View from our cabana on Saturday.  Our room was somewhere on the 19th floor on the left.  A gorgeous day!

Saturday night, waiting for the show to begin.  We were in the 2nd row, center, for Friday and Saturday, and the 1st row off to the right on Sunday night. All of our seats were pretty great!

My 2 best shots in the photo booth at the post show reception.  Those guys are troopers!  They had to sit in that thing for 2 hours and take 3 pictures with each of the 130 people.  They were true gentlemen.  A lot of modern entertainers could take some cues from these guys.

A little silly and a little serious, and a lot of fun.

OK, so some of the pictures didn't turn out so great, because we had to push the button in the photo booth ourselves.  It a took a while for us to get it.  At least the big photos turned out good!

Once the brothers left for the evening, the photo booth was available for anyone who wanted to use it, so we did!

I love my hubby! We have so much fun together.

Sunday was a little more low-key.  More pool time, my massage, and some rest.  We made use of the hotel gym each morning too.  The Sunday night show was, again, superb and just tons of fun.

There were things we planned for the trip and tons of lucky events that we didn't plan, and we can't wait to go back and do it again next year!

Tomorrow: Not a day I'm looking forward to...

Tomorrow is the day I say goodbye to my sweet doggie of over 12 years.  What a sad decision to have to make, even though he's already outlived his cancer diagnosis nearly 3 months longer than expected.  I keep going over in my mind how I want the day to go, but there is no way to logically prepare for grief.  I purposefully planned this on a day when everyone I know will be busy with other things, including Hubby who will be in Portland, so I can deal with it alone.  And, even though I feel that this is the right time, I will miss my Bailey terribly. I love my puppy.

My Bailey.  I love him so much.

Busy is the New Happy

I love that saying!

I don't know if it is because we are finally getting some consecutive days of sunshine or because I'm on this new health quest, but the past few weeks have been happy, busy, and productive.

My normal routine these days involves getting up around 7am, attending to the pets, working out in the family room or walking the lake, downing a bottle of Vitamin Water, jotting some thoughts down on my other blog, taking a shower, and then doing whatever else needs to be done. 

Interspersed with those things are grocery shopping, church calling responsibilities, lunches with friends, plowing through whatever current book I'm reading, and spending time with Hubby.

As one of those people who was always very unmotivated to workout because "I don't have time" or "I don't have the energy to do that and everything else," I say to my former self...."Yes, you have an hour."  And "Yes, it will give you the energy to accomplish everything else." And "Yes, you will feel so much better and accomplished."

So, Life is Good, and keeping a good balance between the physical, intellectual and spiritual is always my goal.

New Blog for Those Fitbit & Health Posts!

It was bound to happen.

Instead of letting the posts on my weight loss crusade dominate this blog, I decided to start a separate one.  It focuses solely on my journey to live a healthier life and I'm pretty excited about it.

Behold:  Health, Happiness & Almond Milk.  (Also known as happyalmondblog.wordpress.com.)

See you there!

And yes, Keeping Up With Kristie is still alive and well and isn't going anywhere.

More Fitbit: Take THAT, Pesky Poundage! (And some Smoothie Thoughts)

Woo hoo!  Who was down an entire pound this morning?  Me, that who!

Of course this is after doing the Jillian video yesterday, having a simple smoothie for breakfast, that beautiful sushi lunch and another smoothie for dinner.

Smoothie #1 was 2 bananas, 16oz of almond milk, 1oz of blueberries

Smoothie #2 was just 1 banana and 16oz of almond milk.

Sometimes I hear people talking about their smoothies and they wonder why they are not losing weight when the smoothie might have yogurt, a packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast, cow's milk, and other heavy ingredients.  I assure you that smoothies with simple ingredients are filling--and if weight loss is your goal, they will help you with that much faster.

It is the same with eating.  I mentioned this a few posts back.

Someone asked me recently, "I can really tell you're losing weight!  What are you doing?"

My answer, "I'm not eating the tablecloth!"  :-)  In other words, I'm cutting back, stopping when I'm full, and not eating everything in sight.  But also keeping it simple, eating real food most of the time.

The only non-real food I'm eating are Progresso soups for lunch once in a while, my Cafe Viennas when I need a warm beverage that isn't herbal tea, a Quiznos turkey/ranch/swiss when I can afford the calories, and Vitamin Water Zero (1-2 day.)  But real fast food, chocolate, soda?  I haven't had those in weeks.  Sob.  Just kidding.

Anyway, back to the victory on the scale this morning...I'm so happy!  Just like that other post I wrote called "Progress Keeps You Motivated," seeing this morning's progress got me motivated.

We're back on track.  Let's keep movin' and losing.

More Fitbit: The Unforgiving Body Likes Sushi

The Unforgiving Body.  That is my blessing and my curse.  OK, maybe just a curse.  But it really does not allow me to slack or cheat.  Up another 0.2lb this morning, despite eating really well yesterday.  So all week I've been bouncing between 1_8.0 and 1_8.8.

This morning I got up early and saw that 0.2lb increase and was frustrated.  I'll admit it.  A bad word nearly escaped.  It was 6am and I ran downstairs to the family room, got on those workout clothes, and sweated with the Jillian Michaels video for the first time in 6 days.  My health isn't 100%, but I was able to do it.

At 8:45am, Hubby and I piled into the car and drove across the WA/OR border to go finalize paperwork for our CCL permits.  It was raining buckets all 25 miles there and 25 miles back.  We arrived back in town tired from standing in line and braving the rain when Hubby suggested sushi.

I can say no to a lot of things, but sushi isn't one of them.

Behold:

Would you say no to a lunch like this?  Didn't think so.

Add on miso soup and a little bowl of the best cucumber salad ever and that was lunch.  I counted the soup and the rice the best I could on the Fitbit site.  Sashimi is not listed in a very comprehensive way, so I used the one type of fish it had to estimate.  When in doubt I round UP.  But it was a late meal and probably the main meal of the day.

So, it is back to the Jillian video.  Tomorrow, the next day, the day after that, etc, until I get unstuck.  Time to sweat.

P.S.  Happy 600th post to me!!!

More Fitbit: Another Pesky Plateau

So true, so true.

The annoying thing is when you are working and not seeing the expected results.  That's what's been happening with me this week on the weight loss journey.  Granted, I've been sick, but I'm still doing what I can.

Above is yesterday's end-of-day Dashboard.  Everything looks really good, and yet I was up .4lb this morning.  Grr.  Even after eating an early dinner and only having a bottle of water when Hubby and I went to the movies last night.  It is the first time since using the Fitbit and calculating so carefully that I've gone up.

After recovering from my frustration I then asked...why?  These are my theories:
Theory 1:  I haven't sweated with Jillian Michaels since last weekend because of being sick.
Theory 2:  Maybe I miscalculated some calories somewhere.
Theory 3:  When I look at the red parts of the day when I was inactive, I was really inactive.
Theory 4  My body, now sick for 5 days, is trying to rediscover its equilibrium somewhere and my weight has suffered because of it.

So today I am being extra careful, and feeling better.  I did the Jane Fonda Walkout--50 minutes, this morning.  Breakfast was a smoothie with 2 bananas, 2 oz of blueberries, and 16 oz of homemade almond milk.  Lunch was 4 ounces of smoked turkey lunch meat, an apple, and a Cafe Vienna warm drink.  I've already had 52 ounces of water too.

I have had some wonderful responses from people on Facebook and in person about my new regimen and blog posts.  To those people, I encourage you to eat real food.  Yes, my cooking has become less creative and my Crock Pot is gathering cobwebs, but I am not eating "diet" food.  (Except Vitamin Water Zero.)  No diet bars, diet soda, low-cal ice cream, diet this and diet that.  And definitely no diet pre-made microwave meals.  Just real fruits, real veggies fresh off the organic counter, and a lot of chicken and fish.  (A bummer because our store isn't going to carry fresh, wild Sockeye Salmon for several weeks--Hubby's and my favorite.)

So I am not going to let this week bring me down as far as progress.  It's a healing week.  And I'm only logging my weight on the Fitbit site when I'm losing.  Some may disagree with that, but I only want to see progress.  I'll know what those horizontal lines mean with no dates entered in.  No need to document further than that.

Plateaus happen.  They are common.  My hope is that this one doesn't last 2 weeks like 8lbs ago (a pre-Fitbit plateau.) 

I would love to hear your theories and suggestions for overcoming plateaus.  Here's to health.  :-)

More Fitbit: A Sick Person's Dashboard

Ugh, being sick is so annoying!  And I'm rarely sick now that I am out of the classroom.

Above is yesterday's Dashboard by the end of the day.  Didn't reach my 2,329 calorie burn goal, didn't reach my 10,000 step goal, didn't reach my 5 mile distance goal.

Mostly I spent the day in bed sucking on cough drops and drinking herbal tea.  Eggs for breakfast and dinner, chicken soup for lunch.  Nothing really tasted good.

Why am I telling you this?  Because even when we are sick there are things we can still do.  I still aimed to drink my 64 ounces of water and to log my calories.  But the body has weird craving when we're sick.  On Tuesday I was extra hungry and went 200 calories over (it showed up in +0.8lb yesterday.) And yesterday I wasn't hungry at all (which showed up in -0.2lb today.)

Like I said, I am one of those people where every bite sticks to me.

There are no regrets about giving up yesterday as a healing day (that 2 hour nap in the middle of the day was awesome.)  And, even though I did go walking this morning (6,600 steps already by 9:15am) I plan to take it easy for the rest of the day.  My body is telling me to do this and I want to listen.

More Fitbit: Weekly Stats and the Sickies

Stats!  More charts and numbers!

This morning I received an email that included the chart above.  Pretty darn cool.  (I blotted out weight numbers and friends' names and their steps for privacy.  I'm a little disappointed that I didn't quite make it to 50 miles again this last week, but I still think these numbers look pretty good. 

Unfortunately, my cold has decided to get worse before it gets better.  Monday's sore throat added on sniffles and sneezes yesterday, and a croaky voice plus feeling pretty blah today.

I did 10 minutes of yoga this morning and my body said, "That's enough."

So I dragged myself to the store and stocked up on chicken soup, Sudafed, cough drops, and Vitamin C.  I think I pushed myself too much these last 2 days and yesterday turned into a very busy day.  I even planned out and typed an entire church lesson I have to give on Sunday.

Today will be a day of rest and healing.  Fitness goals are not a priority.  Getting well is job #1.

I didn't listen to my body on Monday when this cold began and now I'm paying the price.  OK, I'm listening!  Time for a hot shower and then back to bed. 

More Fitbit: Firsts

How true that quote is!

Actually, it comes straight out of the workout video I often do, and I can tell you exactly when she says it:  right before "mountain climbers" on the mat.  Those things make me sweat!

This morning was Day 2 with a sore throat.  It is drizzly outside--yesterday was probably the week's best weather--but I rolled out of bed and put on my workout clothes and running shoes.  I went to the lake, walked a little at the beginning and then began jogging.  It felt so good I almost thought someone was pushing me!  Half an hour later I jogged up the front steps of our house feeling just awesome.

And the "firsts" began.

First time really jogging in about 12 years.

First time jogging in drizzly, 50 degree weather. (I'm still something of a weather wimp.)

First time using 5 lb hand weights.  (I did the Strength section--15 min--of Jane Fonda's AM PM yoga when I got home. My arms felt the challenge, but it was doable. I began in January with 2lbs, then quickly progressed to 3lbs.  I've been "visiting" the 5lb weights at the store for weeks and finally felt ready to buy them yesterday.)

And, recently with the Jillian video:

First time doing real jumping jacks since I was a kid!

First time doing the "walking ab hold" propped up on my toes, not my knees.  

First time doing 120 knee crunches!  (2 sets of 30 x 2 circuits)

First time doing a cardio blast for so many minutes at a time!

With the Fitbit:

First time drinking 64 ounces of water per day.

First time I've been really dedicated about counting calories.

First time getting in a minimum of 10,000 steps per day.

First time exercising (in some way) 7 days a week.  

First time losing weight consistently each day!  No plateaus!  (Even .2 lbs is progress!)

With my eating:

First time staying away from cow's milk and other dairy (except eggs.)

First time eating several servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

First time resisting fast food.

First time eliminating *almost* all processed foods. 

First time not drinking soda. (It's been about 5 weeks now.)

First time staying away from candy, chocolate and desserts. (How? Fruit and progress!)


Wow, as I was brainstorming these things I realized that this is a lot of firsts.  Yay!  There is a scared part of my brain that hopes I do not fall into bad habits again once I reach my goal weight, but I'm trying not to let that negativity creep in.

The point is, if I can do it, anyone can do it.  As I go through this list I see things I never imagined doing.  Doing them gradually is definitely the key, and having a great support system is wonderfully helpful.  Hubby has been AWESOME throughout all of this.  Never has he said, "I hope you can keep this up."  It is always "You'll do it."  "You'll get there."  Definitive, positive statements are very helpful to hear!

These firsts might seem a little drastic to someone else (5 months ago, they would've seemed drastic to me,) but, like I said, I've worked up to this.  The real changes in the quality of my eating only began about 6 weeks ago.

Getting fit enough to even consider doing the Jillian video also took several weeks. That's why I started out with the Jane Fonda videos, working out with ladies 20 years older than me! There is no shame in that.  You want to push yourself, but not to the point where you're so miserable that you'll quit.

What's that quote?  "It's a marathon, not a sprint." 

This is my marathon and I'm going to keep on keepin' on.  18.6 pounds gone as of this morning!