I can't believe this is over. I have had the most amazing time meeting new friends, learning new things, and moving my body! I still have a long way to go before I am in "shape", but I am glad to have a jump start on it. We went to the zoo on Saturday and it was nice that I didn't have to stop and rest too often, although going up hill behind the giraffe cage pushing the stroller did get me breathing heavy. It was an enjoyable day.
I am going to miss seeing my friends every day at the gym, but I hope every one will keep up the good work. This has been a real eye opener for me. I had gotten really good at justifying everything I ate or didn't do, ( I'll start tomorrow) but it is time to put that behind me and really start living again! Thanks to all who have helped me on this journey, I can never thank Catherine enough for the motivation and help she gave to me and Dennis. Thanks to the staff at the Wellness Center, and all those at the hospital that helped out.

Wow, I can't believe it is the last week, I have really learned a lot and have so much more to learn. I walked with my daughter last night in the dark, we had a viewing in Salt Lake and by the time we got back to was too late to hit the gym, so off we went with the little one in the stroller in the pitch black. It was fun to have a chance to get out with my girls and do something good for ourselves. Sunday we walked to the park to play on the swings. I don't think we have ever walked to the park until this year (we have lived here 9 years) It is just a little under a mile from our house and that used to feel like torture but now I enjoy the time out. This is great practice and I can see that I will need to continue the rest of my life. Three months ago I would have said that would be impossible but now I know it is very doable and I am looking forward to it. I stil think it is amazing how little effort it has taken (3 months isn't that long) to undo some of the damage I have done to my body. I have a long way to go but the progress I have seen makes it so much more possible. Good Luck to everyone, and keep going!

Well we didn't quite make it to the gym today, but we did finally get to the runners corner to find new shoes. When we got home we couldn't let them just sit there so we went on a 2 mile walk. At the not even half a mile mark, I realized this is where I used to quit and go back home but we kept going and it was really invigorating (cold). The sun was just setting and it was quiet and peaceful. I really enjoyed the time outside with my husband, and this is the farthest we have ever walked away from home. Who knows, next time we just may keep going, and now we could do it. We wouldn't run out of juice at the corner. See exercise is a good thing! When we got back the kids were still here, but the house was cleaned and they had a bonfire going in the back yard. I so glad to have enough energy to make it back down the stairs so I can enjoy the evening out with my family.

No, I didn't quit, I am just a huge slacker. I don't have any kind of a good excuse for not exercising, and eating healthy, so I am saving all of them for why I don't post very often! (insert whiny voice here) It's hard, I can't think of anything to write, Nothing new has happened, I don't have time, WAA WAA WAA. Man I sure have spent alot of time trying to get out of exercising, if I had just started sooner I wouldn't have gotten this out of control. I did finally resort to a belt today, I HATE belts. I have one I bought about 6 years ago when I had a very active job and couldn't keep my pants up. I didn't use it very long, I just grew into my pants, then out of them. I still hate belts, but this one felt good cause I need new holes! Not just one mind you but I think I could use two! It's just a dumb cheap one from Kmart (thanks Ali, I can admit that now that you did!) but I guess it is doing its job. I tryed on a pair of my daughters old pants from when she was heavier and I could get them on but they just felt wrong, the zipper was only about 2 inches long and I was sure I would need duct tape to keep them where they belong. Nice to see they fit, but I will never be wearing them out of the house!
One of the guys at my work brought in 2 boxes of the most delicious smelling doughnuts yesterday, I had a great time eating my grapes and giving everyone that came in the office a doughnut. The best part came when I got on the scale at the gym and was down 2 pounds! That was way better than any doughnut could ever taste, and believe me I have tried alot of doughnuts! Keep up the good work everyone, and thanks to Kathy and Lisa for talking me through the bike yesterday, even when you aren't sure if you can do it, there is always someone there to help you along, thanks guys.

I was just reading Brittany's post about trainers, I couldn't have done this without one either. Its amazing how much harder I can push myself with someone there watching. We worked out today for an hour and even though I wasn't on as high a level as when Catherine is there I still felt like I was going to DIE, and I know I am capable of more.
We didn't make the class today because I went to the heart specialist with my Dad. He has had heart palpatations for quite some time, has a stent, had a PFO closure (hole in the heart) ((which by the way I have too and will some day need to have fixed)) and had an ablation done, his heart still isn't running right. I never really worried about mine before when he had problems but now I see how heredity plays a factor in this and I am so glad I am finally doing something to take better care of my heart. Being overweight wasn't a huge motivation (although it isn't fun), but knowing the trials one can go through with their heart it takes on a different light. I know this is hard and I am not trying to diminish anyones hard work, but this really isn't as hard as I made up my mind it would be (Impossible is the word I would have used). It does take a little more brain power when it comes to meal planning but I feel like I have a better handle on what I need to be doing. I keep my binder of information from Mindie's classes on my bar where I can refer to it at any time, and it has been a huge help. I hope I can keep up with all of these changes at the end of the 100 days, and now that I know, I CAN do it!

Big change for me!

Huge milestone this week, I ran out of Blood pressure meds on monday and couldn't get in to see Dr. til Wednesday. The nurse took my BP and then asked how long I had been without, I said two days and she smiled and said when people run out and go a few days without it is usually sky high but yours is 114 over 83! Dr. said it looks like you are now keeping it down with diet and exercise so keep up the good work and we WON'T refill the prescription! I still will need to keep an eye on it but after about 10 years I am so excited to be off. I had expected to be on this for the rest of my life. I had been feeling dizzy quite often and had cut them in half for about a week, but NO meds is sooooo much better! Every little victory counts, this should keep me going for at least a week!

I haven't blogged in a long while because I tend to spend too much time sitting at the computer so I have tried to stay away. It has been fun catching up on everyones posts. I kind of hit a wall this last few weeks. I had a rough weekend of eating too much bad stuff and my weight went up and it seems like it has been harder to get the momentum back and get the scale heading in the right direction. Our workouts have been a little more intense so I thought that would help make up the difference, maybe it is just the building of muscle. We have been practicing walking up hills on the treadmill and holy cow, that really gets the muscles hurting! I slept on the couch last night because I fell asleep watching a movie with my Granddaughter and couldn't get up to get to my bed. Tonight I will watch a movie in my room. Hopefully it will be nice today and we can get some gardening done. Lots of weeds popping up, time to grow something we can eat!

I have lots of thoughts circling my brain, but none of them want to show up on my screen. I have been trying to find ways to feed my family a healthier diet without breaking the bank. Like many of you I have a basement full of food storage and a side of beef in the freezer. I think my challenge is to use what I have and work more fruits, veggies, beans and whole grains etc. into the menu rotation. I have found that a lot of the "trendy" aka lowfat, heart healthy, multigrain, fat free and the like are also very pricey. Dennis and I have been shopping the perimeter of the store and that seems to help as well as reading labels. I still don't fully understand all the nutrition info, but it is easy to spot the variations in the labels, and make the better choice. I try to cook most of my meals from scratch to avoid the preservatives and because I am usually feeding an army (4-9 on the average)but I have found a few short cuts that I am willing to pay for such as matchstick carrots. these are already cut up small, julienned, and they are easy to add to salads, stir fry or soups and they cook fast too. Spray butter. I just can't say enough about this. A couple of sprays and you get the flavor but not the fat or calories. I am still amazed a how full I can feel on a smaller amount of good food than I ever did on tons of junk food.

Class was very informative this week. Sounds like we are all struggling with ideas for good healthy food. On facebook there is a challenge for Utah's heart healthiest recipes. Not too many submissions yet but they pick a winner once a week and they get a free Papa Murphy 's thin delite pizza, at the end there are other prizes. Find them at heart-healthiest 2010 then click on the discussions tab to see recipes. I saw this in the Spanish Fork Press and it is also sponsored by abc4.
I tried the sandwich thins and really liked them. I have tried the whole wheat tortillas, and the flatbread (flatout) and found them kind of icky, but these had a really good flavor and didn't leave me feeling like I missed out on something by substituting.
Still no substitute for Magleby's chocolate cake, but I am finding that the longer I stay away the longer I want to stay away! You know "if I went this long I can surely go longer!" I think this is going to be my new mantra, along with "I KNOW I can."

She's Killin' me!... but in a good way

I thought I was going to die right there on the bike! One more hill she says, just one more hill. Okay, I did do it but just barely. This week the bike is my enemy, but I'll get over it. I have really been enjoying my afternoon walks with my husband, There are two parks with walking tracks within about two miles of our house and even though it sounds silly to drive down to take a walk, we have been doing just that. The big dogs are penned up and there are three little yappy dogs that sound tough but they run when you get close. We also don't have to worry about getting run over by a tractor or a screamin' fourwheeler. It really is peaceful to get out and walk, and after I have said everything I can think of, we just walk in silence. It gives me a lot of time to ponder on things, and enjoy the peace.

I think I haven't been eating enough. I know I eat too much when it comes to sugars and fats, but now that I see how much I should be eating if I cut out all the sugars and fats there isn't much left. I guess I have to relearn how to choose my foods. My son commented at the dinner table today "I have never seen so many vegetables in my life!" Maybe a slight exaggeration, but I definitely have room for improvement. My father in law grows a fantastic garden and I am really looking forward to the bounty that he is so willing to share. At my house we have a green pinky finger, but it doesn't take long for it to wear off and we don't have much come out of our garden. We definitely need better dirt! This year I look forward to planning a little better and really getting some use out of our little garden.

Well, this didn't seem like a very productive week for me. I spent a lot of time running around making sure everyone else was taken care of and as usual put myself last. I hope this week will be better. Dennis is doing much better (thanks to those who asked!). He came home on Sunday and we are both looking forward to a fresh start tomorrow. As I have been trying to keep track of what I eat I am starting to recognize some of the food traps that I let myself get into, a huge trap for me is eating in the car. I realized that as I eat in the car I really shove the food in fast cause I need my hands to drive. I don't taste anything and when its gone, I don't feel full and I have barely even tasted what ever it was. Another trap is fast food. I can try to keep telling myself it isn't very often, but when I see all the receipts in my wallet I can see it is way too often. Eating anywhere but the kitchen table. If I am doing something else I don't pay attention to how fast the food goes in and there again I don't notice until its too late how much I have really eaten. I also keep eating just cause I am still at the table. Sundays are the worst for that, my Dad comes over and after the kids leave the table and it gets quiet we can talk a little. I also notice that I tend to finish up a little of the potatoes, or the meat, or anything just cause I hate to waste and there really isn't enough to save. I am definitely going to have to make some changes there, for my health as well as his. Well, those aren't all of my bad habits but its a good start. I hope by recognizing them I work on changing them. Good luck to everyone this week.

I can't believe it has been a whole week, I think I was stressing over nothing, or maybe its just going to get harder! I met with Catherine and Tracy on Tuesday at the gym and had a good workout, then I met Catherine on Thursday and had another good workout. I am really feeling it in my legs. I have been trying to take the stairs as much as possible and have discovered that I can beat the elevator to the second floor in the wellness center so it isn't a time saver like I have been telling myself! I have been trying to eat lower fat foods and also limit my portion sizes and I haven't died yet!

Time to get started!

I can't procrastinate any more. It's time to get started on a good diet and exercise program. I wanted to do this 100 day heart challenge because I know I need to take better care of my self. I also have a hard time starting anything on my own, and having accountability will make a big difference in how I do. It was a huge surprise to hear my husband say lets get up and go to the gym on the morning. That almost gave me a heart attack! We rode the bikes for 20 minutes and then there was a guy there that showed us a little on some of the machines, he has been coming for a year since he had his knee replaced and says he loves it. And he has lost 45 pounds! I am excited for Tuesday when we meet with our trainer and get to figure out a plan for us. I bought the book that was recommended, Intuitive eating, I wanted to get a little start on what it is all about, and I never miss a trip to the bookstore. I tried to eat a low fat lunch and we bought lots of fruits and veggies at the grocery store. Dennis said we should mark all of our food so the kids don't eat it all. I told him he could mark the grapes. I'm glad to have a partner to do this with and couldn't ask for a better one!