More Pics....or my life in 75 pounds!

Okay - I'm having a hard time getting the white borders from around my scanned pics so bear with me. (Thanks for offering to help Diana - but I think it needed to be done while they were scanned (my scanner is the worst!) If you clikc on them - they will enlarge.

I cannot find many shots of me as a kid. My dad always took slides. So we've jumped from age 3 to age 17!

First one is me at the party after my senior prom.

The next is at age 20 - when I started dating my late husband.

Third is me at age 22. I was puppy sitting for my sister...helped myself to a Pina Colada while I was there!

Next is on my wedding day in 1981.

The retro pic wasn't really taken in the 60's! We hosted a 60's party and this was my get up. This was after I lost the baby weight from daughter number 2.

Following that is Easter - in the early 90's I believe. The pudge was starting to creep back on. (I remember being afraid to breathe in that dress!)

The next is in the late 90's. I had gained and lost about 25 pounds between those pics (notice the booty that always hung on!)

From then on it was all down hill. The next is a shot of me and my sisters on a Cruise in 2003. Oink.

The last is a shot from the Oprah website.

So you can see - I wasn't always heavy. (Though I thought I was at the time.) So in theory this shouldn't be difficult for me (with my prior history of yo-yo dieting.) BUT IT IS!!!!!

I presently weigh 75 more pounds than I did in that first pic!

Baby Face....

In response to several blogs (Diana aka Scale Junkie and Felicia) requesting pics of ourselves....back in the day....here's one of me when I was about 3 years old.

I'm still trying to figure out this scanning process so I'll post more when I've got it down.

Saturday Moring Coffee and a Good Walk!

This morning my sister met me at the new house and after a quick tour of our building progress thus far - we took off for a 5 mile hike along the Erie canal. (We were the only two shows this morning.) The weather was primo! Sunny skies - a nice breeze - couldn't ask for more! We stopped in the little port town half way and got a cup of coffee (we met at 8:30 - needed one more cup of joe to get moving!) I got an english muffin and she got some toast. (We hadn't eaten breakfast yet.)

It was good to sit across the table from her with a cup of coffee and chat. The years have drifted us apart from the joined at the hip duo we once were when the kids were little. Both stay at home moms, we talked on the phone every day. We took the kids to the park - worked out at jazzercize while they were in pre-school - sat in our cars and drank coffee while we waited for them at their dance lessons - and spent many, many days sipping coffee and talking while the kids did whatever it is cousins do when they get together!

Our husbands were best friends before they met either one of us. I actually introduced her to hers - and she to mine. So we did vacations together, went camping all the time and got together almost every Sunday to just hang out.

Then mom & dad died. A month apart. And my sister found her self drowning in a deep depression. She left her husband and things got tense between us. She broke up the fearsome foursome and I was angry. Then my husband died and things were never quite the same. We have both since remarried and while our new husbands get along fine - it's not the same as it once was. But slowly we have mended the rift and things are getting back to normal. As normal as they can be anyway. It will never be the same - those days are long gone. The kids have grown, we both work now and the 10 minute drive between us has lengthened to 30 minutes.

So this morning felt good. Real good.

My foot is feeling almost normal again and tomorrow I will commence my couch to 5k once again. I'm taking Running Nan's advice and looking for a quality pair of sneakers to wear. I'm sure that will help a lot! I'm also listening to all of you and saying "Who cares how I look!" I'm going to consider my daily trek as my gift of laughter to the neighborhood!

I've also done very well with my weights! Lifting every other day and really feeling the strength in my upper arms come to the challenge as I carry wood, push wheelbarrows and shovel mulch - as we try to get this house in shape to sell!

Right now the rain has finally arrived and thunder is rolling in the very near distance so I'd be best to cut off the power to my PC till it passes. Hope y'all have a great Saturday! get out there and move!

Oh and Hanlie ....I'm still looking for the perfect postcard!

On Monday I started the couch to 5k with my sister and niece. I surprised myself. it's been a while since I jogged and I didn't get winded! But I did notice that it's a whole lot harder than it used to be with all these extra pounds! I really felt the strain on my feet.

After our 5 mile hike on Sunday my right foot is hurting a lot too. I'm thinking I unconsciously favored my right leg because of my smashed up knee and that did it. Running Monday didn't help. So I took a rest yesterday and will continue with the Cto5k today.

I was such dork on Monday too. So embarrassed at what people might think when they saw me run for 60 seconds then walk for 90.... Like "wow - she must be out of shape if she has to stop jogging after one minute!" Oh course - DUH! Like they couldn't tell I was out of shape by just looking at me! if a car was going past I would keep running even if the time was up. Like the stranger in the car really gave a hoot about the old fat broad running down the street! I'm sure it was on his mind all day!

Which brings me to why I hesitate going to the gym. For fear I'll look like a dork. When I used to go (back in the day) it would tick me off that women actually got dressed up to work out! Make up - the hair - the leg warmers (told you it was back in the day). I'd show up in sweats - hair dirty - why wash it if I was going to have to shower right afterwards? And this was an all-women's gym too! No one to impress but each other! And it was even worse when I went to the gym with guys! (then I did make sure my hair was clean...)

The video above is pretty reminiscent of my gym days!

I guess I just have to bite the bullet and not care what people think as I run my Cto5k. I'm doing this for me!

Another Good Day for Walking!

Well the girls and I walked 5 miles today! The weather was perfect and we did a route along the Erie Canal near my sister's neck of the woods. The only not so good thing....when we got half way through our walk (at the turn around point) there was an Abbott's Custard shop! Abbott's is the famous ice cream place in our area. It started out at the beach near us and then opened up branches in various towns nearby. The custard is to die for! So my sis says "Let's get an Abbott's." And I said okay. No fight put up at all on my part. That's the bad part about working out with my sisters! When we're together we either all stand up or all fall down!

Anyway - we each ordered a kiddie cone. And as we're eating them and bemoaning that we were just negating all the hard work we did - sis says "Naah. Normally we'd have driven here to do this an ordered the big cones! This time we walked 2' 1/2 miles to get a kiddie cone and we're walking 2 1/2 miles back home when we're done."

She was right. And even though it sabotaged my eating plan somewhat today - I don't feel all that bad. Actually - I feel quite sore! But in a good way! And as of right now I've logged 12,6000 steps on my pedometer! Yay!

Tomorrow, spring break will be behind me and I already have 3 sub jobs lined up next week. Back to packed lunches, no snack temptations and getting up early.

On another entirely different note - Linda, over at Pointing The Way has bestowed upon me my first ever blog award! The "Good Chat Award" (see side bar). I believe that I am now to bestow this upon 6 other deserving bloggers. So here you go:

First to Sharron aka Cactus Freak ~ because she makes me laugh with her funny stories and humorous take on life!

Next to Diana aka Scale Junkie because she is just awesome the way she has rallied us all together for the Healthy you Challenge (!) and for the wonderful way she inspires us with her posts!

Next to The Grumpy Chair Dieter (who's name I don't even know!) because she is so much fun to read with her dry wit (and I love the nicknames she has for her family!)

And then there's Pattie at Attitude Changes Everything. She is my co-hort here - the one I feel a real kinship with since we're both at the top of that proverbial hill right now...lookin' down the other side together!

And I can't forget CCC from CCC's Journey to less of Me. Because she doesn't post enough (hint!) and I love her posts when she does!

Lastly Hanlie at Fertile healthy. Her adventures in South Africa are amazing to read and She's doing this really neat post card swap that you all should check out!

There you have it! There are actually SO many more of you that I read every day - you ALL deserve the Good Chat Award!

Happy Sunday All!

Back to Reality...

I'm back from the lake. What glorious weather! Even though it's only April - it felt like summer! It was pretty quiet - there are only a handful of year-rounders that live there and I only saw two other seasonal cottages with any people stirring.

We raked up the fallen twigs and pine cones from the winter and put out all the lawn & deck furniture. There was no evidence of mice (yay!) Hubby spent the better part of his time there on the dock - dangling a fishing pole in the water. I took my first walk of the year around the lake solo. I couldn't find my pedometer in the morning so I couldn't measure the steps! When I got back from my walk I spied it under the table on the deck. It must've have fallen off me the night before.

We got home around 5:00 yesterday and then went over to the other house to have a campfire with hubby's sister and her husband. I am in such a different frame of mind when the summer weather arrives! I hate all the snow and cold and sunless days these Upstate New York winters bring. Of course this unseasonal warmth right now is certainly just a teaser and the temperatures will dip back to normal in a few days. But for right now - I'm lovin' it!

Not sure where the girls and I will walk tomorrow. Still trying to round the crew up. My sister and her daughter are going to do the couch to 5K regime (or something similar) and I'm going to join them. Just hope my knee can take it. It doesn't hurt when I walk but if I bump it (even slightly) the pain is wicked! I don't know much about knee injuries. I'm thinking I just bruised it pretty good in the tumble I took last week. I'll try running and if it hurts I'll just do a very fast walk!

Enjoy the weekend and stay healthy (eat healthy!)

Gone Fishin'

I'm off to the lake in a few hours. It's 75 degrees and hubby and I decided that it would be a good day to go and check how things fared over the winter. We're only spending one night and as always - it will be so very hard to force ourselves to go home tomorrow.


Last year my youngest daughter and her hubby lived there from April through August. They were in the middle of a move between two cities in Massachusetts and spent the summer at the lake. So when we came down Memorial day weekend - everything was all ready and waiting for us! Cupboards stocked...floors swept....beds made...lawn furniture out.... It was pretty nice!


Not so this year. Everything's still battened down from the winter. Hopefully the mice have not set up residence while we were gone. Usually we're mouse-proof but last time I was there I found one. Somewhere there's a breach in security!


I'm also anxious to take a walk around the lake and see how many steps my pedometer musters up!


I always love going to the lake. It's the one place that hasn't changed much over the years. Memories always meet me at the door and envelope me in a warm fuzzy haze that takes me back to simpler times. In my minds eye I can see the kids sunning on the dock...I see wet towels strung along the clothesline that connect the cottage to a big old hemlock tree. I smell suntan lotion and pine trees and hot dogs cooking. I hear laughter and locusts and birds...and always Benny Goodman crooning from the radio.


And the nice thing about the cottage is...there is always room for new memories to be made!


I'll be back tomorrow....in the meantime I leave you with profound (at least to me it was profound!) quote I read in the newspaper yesterday....

Am I eating this because it has the vitamins and mineral my body needs....or am I just entertaining my mouth?

Life Is What Happens When You're Busy Making Other Plans...

Yesterday as I was taking a shower I started to think about my life. (One does that a lot on the "other" side of the hill.) I wondered...if I was allowed to live just one day over again - which day would I pick. I tend to get philosophical in the shower sometimes...

It was kind of an "Our Town" moment. Has anyone read that book or seen the movie? It was originally a play and I have to say it is one of my all time favorites. It's about a girl that has died and is given the chance to go back and relive just one day in her life. I'll reveal more later.

So as I'm sudsing up my armpits, I'm thinking about which day I'd pick. Would it be just an ordinary day? Or maybe a Christmas Eve at my Grandparents. Yeah...that would be good. Or no. Maybe my wedding day. Or the day my first daughter was born. No...as good as that was...there was a lot of pain involved.... The panoramic screen in my mind played out day after day and I just couldn't decide.

Want to know the wierd thing though? There were days that I skipped right over - that at the time they were happening I thought were the most important days to ever occur! I'm thinking like...old boyfriend days... Like when the guy I was totally enamored with finally asked me out in high school. At the time nothing else in the whole world mattered. But would I relive that day? Not in a heart beat. Or the day my new living room furniture arrived. I'd never had brand new furniture and was excited all week waiting for it. Would I pick that day? It wasn't even in the running. Or how about the day I reached my goal at weight watchers (way back when.) Nope. As good as that was - it wasn't a contender.

I guess my point is - that sometimes the things we pin our hopes on and devote so much energy to - aren't really all that grand in the scheme of life. The days I was torn over repeating were the days I was with people I loved. People who loved me. Ordinary days. Days that life was happening and I didn't even know it. Didn't even appreciate it.

Which brings me back to "Our Town." The main character realizes as she is given privy to observing herself in an ordinary day - how much she missed. The little nuances of life that slip past us when we're not looking. Or maybe looking - but not seeing.

My point to all of this is (and I've repeated this theme so very many times in this blog) is that life is such a gift and we need to keep our focus on what really matters. And yes it matters to me that I lose the extra weight. It's not good for me. But lately I feel as if I've devoted every waking minute to it and I'm not appreciating everything else!

It's easy to get trapped into the "life will be better when I'm thinner" mode. Because truthfully... some things will be better. But that's no excuse to put today - or this week - or this month - or even this year on hold until we're at goal. Because frankly - there's a whole lot happening right now that we won't get back again. Ever. People die. Relationships end. Kids grow up. And in between all that - life happens.

Often times when I watch old family videos - I see things that I never noticed before. Things I should have at the time. They were right before my eyes! And I missed them! And so it is with life.

So my challenge for all of you this day is - don't start waiting to live your life for that day when the weight is gone. Live it now! The weight will come off. In the meantime...yes.... we will blog about our efforts and encourage one another and glory in our triumphs. But don't forget that somewhere in between all of that - your clock is ticking. We are all allotted only so many minutes you know.... so make the most of each one!

The Little Plate Club....

The knee is much better and I only have a hint of a black eye - so all is well.

Yesterday the goyls were supposed to take this 4 1/2 mile guided hike and everybody bailed out. I was even going to go with my injured knee! I think my sisters are fizzling out on the weight loss efforts. Which makes my mojo in short demand too. Luckily my niece, the bride to be - is all over this and it looks like the two of us may be the last ones standing.

To rub salt in the wound - my pedometer bit the dust...and it's brand new! Got it when I joined AARP *gasp!* I actually am old enough to join AARP! When did this happen? So today I'm off to the store to buy another. I can't testify enough about the merit of clipping this little monitoring wonder to my waistband every morning. When ever I'm tempted to take the easy route (you know...make about 4 loops in the parking lot to find the absolute closest spot to park) I remember that I need those extra steps to reach 10,000. And don't I feel so proud as I saunter in past all the chubettes still making loops! not that I'm not a chubette - but at least I'm walking!

So yesterday I was feeling like things were moving too slow and decided I would kick start this thing and go for some quick weight loss. I decided to do a no-carb day and then ease into a 2 week lo-carb regime. It lasted till about 4 PM. (My haunting hour every single darn day!) What is it about me and late afternoons?

Anyway - I'm sitting there last night watching the final segment of "I Can Make You Thin" and I realized that I had been incorporating the small plate thing - and eating slowly and consciously for a whole month! And it was becoming...drumroll here....a habit!

So why the heck was I throwing that all away and tempted to go backwards and try this unrealistic, restrictive diet technique (aka LO-CARB) and toss my efforts to the wind? I'm going to stick with Paul McKenna's method for the long haul because it's honestly the first thing I've ever done that I feel I can live with (in the real world!)

To recap:

Eat only when you're hungry.

Eat whatever you want.

Eat CONSCIOUSLY (enjoy the food - no distractions...tv...newspaper... -fork down between each bite)

Stop when you think you're full.

When you eat slow - and you savor each bite - you truly are satisfied much quicker than normal. And I know that the main reason I go for seconds or fill my plate to overflowing - is because I'm not satisfied when I'm done. It has nothing to do with fullness. I ate the food so fast that it didn't register with my taste buds.

I know that eventually when my mind (yes...it's all in the mind) is used to eating smaller amounts - that I'll be able to progress to a normal sized plate and not look like an odd ball. But for now - my little plate is here to stay.

And you now what? My pants are fitting better too!

Ouch!

So just as I'm really getting into this walking thing I go and mess up my knee! I swear... sometimes I can't win!

Last night I was at the other house - stopped by to visit hubby and see what progress he's made and remembered all of a sudden that I'd told my daughter I'd pick my grandson up from day care for her because she had to work late. I flew like the wind through the back yard and just as I approached the house I tripped and smacked my knee on the cement steps and then proceeded to smack my face against the side of the house. I felt my nose go smoosh and before I could stand up there was blood pouring out of it. I was so concerned about that as I yelled for hubby who was still out back - and being late to get my grandson - that I didn't even notice my knee. Not to worry. It let me know loud and clear about10 minutes later as the swelling kicked in.

Poor hubby didn't know what the heck happened. He came running only to find me with my face in my hands catching blood. Suffice to say my nose doesn't appear broken (it's straight at least!) and I am able to walk much better today than last night. I have quite a lump over my eyebrow that has been giving me more pain than my nose actually.

Anyway....I am truly a klutz. On the first day of school several years ago I fell and tore my thumb ligament from the bone and ended up having surgery and wearing a cast for 9 weeks. 'Twas truly interesting since I was teaching Ceramics and Sculpture that semester!

So - I'm hoping that all mends quickly because I really want to go on that hike Sunday with my sisters and nieces! Yesterday I racked up 7,800 steps which was pretty good considering from 6 PM on, I was on the couch with ice on my knee.

Today I braved it and went to school. I hobbled a tad but it wasn't bad. I've done 5014 steps so far. I won't be taking my walk though. Rest is best at this point until the swelling goes down.

Last summer when I really got into the walking routine I broke my toe! Oh well - I'm not going to let this stop me. The pedometer has me consciously taking MANY more steps than I normally would. Like getting the mail. I'd always pull my car up to the mailbox on my way home from work. Not now! I pull into the driveway - park and walk to the box. Hey - that's about 100 steps! ANd I truly DO look for parking spaces that are farther away!

I guess I'm realizing how basically (ahem) lazy I can be. And the guy on "I Can Make You Thin" was right. If you measure it - you will do it.

Okay...off to start a fire in the wood stove. It's damp and chilly in here!

Happy Friday!

I am NOT pushing this book!

Wow! This pedometer thing has merit! I am so conscious of moving now! After yesterday's post, I took my grandson for a walk in his stroller. LOTS of steps! And did it ever pay off! When I took my pedometer off before I got ready for bed I had logged in 12,804 steps! I estimate I got about 6000 steps in my walk. Not sure..I'll check before I start next time.

Today I didn't do a whole lot of walking at school so As I was watching Dr. Phil today I ran in place between my weight lifting reps. I'm still only at 3002. I'm going to take a walk as soon as my daughter gets here so that should get me to my quota before bedtime.

The really neat thing about this - is that I can just run in place and log on another 100 steps whenever I want. It feels like I'm cheating! but I'm NOT! A step is a step and when I run in place - I'M MOVING! Why didn't I do this a long , long time ago!

On to another topic - totally off course here....

As I'm typing I have Oprah on in the background. She is doing a special program to "alleviate" fears that the new book she's pushing (A New Earth) is not a religion. There has been a lot of talk lately that the book embraces the New Age theology/religion and is blatantly opposed to the tenets of Biblical Christianity. Well...it does...and it is!

After I appeared on the Oprah show I read the book that Marianne Williams gave me. At first I liked it. It seemed to embrace the Bible....God....but between the lines very subtly, there was an aroma of New age theology that I couldn't shake. So I did a little homework on Marianne and what she truly believes. Bingo. My suspicions were right on. She believes there is no such thing as sin....no need of a saviour...we are all part of God.....yada yada yada.

And then I did some searching on this Eckhart Tolle book (A new Earth) which Oprah told me I must read - and was shocked! My apologies in advance to those I may be offending....I'm addressing this to those of my readers that are Christians.... Eckhart Tolle is a fruit cake and is downright scary. And Oprah has bought into his brand of Mystical Religiosity. And she is using her platform to reach 22 million people with this crap. And yes - it all sounds so well and good. Just remember that the enemy is a deceiver. I will say no more.

And I know I've lost some of you here. What the heck has Lora been smoking these days?? Just beware my friends.

This clip may help you understand where I'm coming from. And this was sent to me after I made the assumptions about Ekhart Tolle, Marianne Williams and Oprah.

Ironic isn't it? You'd think after being a guest on her show I'd be worshipping at the shrine of Oprah for the rest of my days. Nope.

Hope I haven't opened up a can of worms here. But for those of you who claim to be Christians...this is scary stuff.

Well my muscles finally realized what I did to them on Saturday and they are not real happy. But I'm pushing through it and counting each ache as a positive thing. I've also clipped a pedometer to my waist.

Those of you you who caught "I Can Make You Thin" Sunday night will understand why. (a small disclaimer here...I think the guy on that show is pretty hokey...and some of his ideas are...well...out there - but he does have a few good thoughts that I've Incorporated into my life these past few weeks that are making a difference.) And I believe the pedometer tip will be one of them. He said (and I'm paraphrasing because I can remember his exact words) "If you measure it ~ it will get done." And he's right! Since I clipped that little baby onto my pants -Ive made a conscious effort to walk more steps. I didn't do so well yesterday (the first day...) which was a real eye opener as to how few steps I actually take. And as to WHY taking a daily 30 minute walk is needed if I want to make 10,000 steps each day!

He also said that the difference between a heavy person and a thin person is about 2000 daily steps. That sounds hard to believe...but it makes sense. So I'm striving to add more and more steps each day until I reach 10,000 and keep it up consistently. And that means I MUST incorporate a walk every day!

Right now it's 4:00 pm and I've logged 4577 so far. Much better than yesterday (you'd have to visit the other blog to see the actual steps) in my menopausal haze I've completely forgotten but I know it was less than today!

So I'm eating slower....on a smaller plate...wearing a pedometer and making an effort to be more active. Hence the hike next Sunday. I think this one is about 4 1/2 miles. Sharron asked how long it took us for the 7 1/ mile one last Saturday. And you know..I haven't a clue! We never really looked at our watches before we left. And we never stopped yakking the whole walk! Which is why it didn't seem so long! (I really hate walking alone....boring!)

So I hope you guys are all doing well. Finding your mojo and hanging in there. Tonight I WILL NOT miss the Biggest Loser again! Happy Tuesday and don't forget to check into the Healthy You Challenge!

Sunshine and Walks!

It is a wonderful Spring day here! Finally!

I met up with the crew this morning for our first group walk. We met up at my sister-in-law's house and then drove a car to the little port village near us on the Erie Canal. It was 11:oo so we had a quick bite to eat (bad me had skipped breakfast because I was in a hurry). I ate a veggie wrap and a glass of water. Had the waitress hold the chips.

We walked along the tow path on canal - back to my sister-in-law's which totaled 7 1/2 miles. It was bright and sunny and went by quickly! The crocuses are starting to bloom and we even spied some tulips pushing their way up trough the muddy ground.

One niece never showed up....had a late night last night we found out later. My youngest sister bailed out early this morning. She had a headache. I told her that was fine...we would be saving the pig nose for her (!) So it was just my 2 nieces, sister-in-law and me. We gloated over the fact that we did it and plan to hold it over the heads of the others next week! The only one with a good excuse was my oldest daughter who was going with her fiancee to pick up her engagement ring. Did I mention she got engaged the night before Easter? Ahh...another wedding to plan and I just finally got over the stress of the last one(s). Both younger daughters tied a double knot in June of '06. A 2 for 1 deal. It was wonderful! And now my last one is taking the plunge as well. Luckily the merriment isn't supposed to occur until August of '09 so I have some breathing room here to plan (and find a job!)

The job I've been waiting to hear about...well....they promised to call within 2 weeks - said we WON"T keep you hanging...and I haven't heard a thing. In spite of my calls (left several messages - wrote an e-mail....) So I've stopped counting on that one. Several positions for Art Teachers have opened up in the past few days so I've applied for all four of them. Fingers crossed...lots of prayers...(the latter being where I'm pinning my hopes).

Happy weekend to you all!

Anyone up for a Game of Tag?

It's Spring and what better time for a game of tag! I've been tagged by Patti from Attitude Changes Everything. I'm to sum up my life in six words. Hmmm. How does one do THAT?

I could fill six books with the story of my life! (not that it's all that interesting....) but hey...I've covered a lot of ground in these 50 some years.

So after much thought - here I go:

God isn't finished with me yet.

I know...not very original. But it's the truth in a nutshell. Throughout my whole entire life - just when I thought I had it figured out and knew what was coming in the next chapter of this wild and crazy life of mine - God goes and re-writes it. And it always seems to be different than the one I had penned in my mind.

Never thought I'd be a widow at 45. Never thought I'd change my last name yet a third time. Never thought after all those years as a stay at home mom - I'd go off and become a teacher in my 40's. Never thought I'd be tripping over toys again after all these years and raising a grandson. But God had other ideas and I just try to go with the flow as much as I can and trust that He has a plan (and that in spite of the obstacles) it's much better than mine.

Not that I don't doubt some days. And not that I'm not often wistful for days gone by - or grieving for those that will never be. (I'm human...remember?) But in the scope of all I know about the God I serve....He doesn't make mistakes. So I'm a work in progress.... How about you?

Okay - so now it's my turn to be "It" and tag some people. I'm tagging Sharon, Heather, Felicia , Kathy and Happy Blog Chick.

Want to play along? Here are the rules, from Patti:

Write your own six word memoir· Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want· Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere· Tag at least five more blogs with links; and· Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play. That simple!

The pic is me on my Gazelle!)

Dang!! I missed Biggest Loser last night! I was so dog tired that I forgot all about it. Can anyone fill me in? That show so motivates me! Not because of the huge weight loss so fast (although wouldn't that be a slice of heaven on earth) but because of the way the contestants seem to morph into these new bodies. It smacks me over the head each week about the importance of exercise!

I tried out my Gazelle yesterday and it was fun. It seemed a little too easy though. I was able to carry on a conversation with no problem with my daughter the whole 32 minutes I was on it. Hubby says you need to lean forward more to get a more intense work out. I tried that and almost fell on my flabby fanny. I'm going to go hop on it right after I hit "post" here and experiment a little.

I am still doing the little plate method and it's incredible how much less I eat and am able to be satisfied! I guess it's true - we fatties really do eat with our eyes. I'm also enjoying my food so much more. you know, we think about what we're going to eat all day and then when it comes time to actually do it - we inhale it so fast and never truly enjoy it. Funny thing too - since I've been taking my time eating - I'm wanting fruits more. Today there wasn't a fruit in sight to pack in my lunch and I was truly bummed. A week ago I was making myself stick a fruit in my lunch bag.

I taught music lessons all day today. That was interesting...the art teacher who couldn't sing her way out of a paper bag was teaching little kids how to play the flute, clarinet and oboe. Twas truly worth watching! Anyway...there was a full length mirror in the tiny little music room so when the kids were'nt there - I checked myself out. The mirror was not all that kind. It was one of those wavy ones (you know...the real cheap kind that seem to shorten you up) and I looked blobby. Well...I AM blobby - but it was reality check all the same - whether it was the mirror distorting my image - or me with a distorted image. (my spell check just told me thre's no such word as blobby...well...looking at me - there most certainly is!)

I have so far to go but I am trying my darnedest not to get all caught up in the end product. I'm focusing on little victories. I made it into the 180's. So I'm happy about that. Next stop - 170's. I've got a few pair of pant that have been hanging in the closet for a loooong time now. I'm also vying to get back into them in a few weeks.With spring coming I'm feeling renewed. The contest with my family is helping too!

Hope you're all hanging in there and making strides! I still keep checking to see your home bases...who cares if they're a mess. Did you look closely at mine??

Something I Need to Say....

Okay....after I just posted my last blurb about visiting our family website...I want to post a disclaimer. There are lots of pictures of overweight women. I don't want to offend anyone here!

The pic of us on the website was in our better days....we all can stand to lose a LOT of weight now (not the nieces....but they have our genes and it's scaring the pants of them!)

It's too easy to let a few pounds slip into a 50 or 60 and then some! I know. I've been there. i AM there! The pics - while humorous in their content (trying to zip up the genes...etc.) are also a wake up call to us.

Just wanted to say that. I treasure all of you and would never ever want to make anyone uncomfortable.

There's a Gazelle in my living room!

Last night hubby came home with a little present. For both of us. A gazelle! No - not the animal (goodness knows we have enough of them living on the farm next door...the guy had emus at one time!) No...this is that gizmo that long haired guy does late night infomercials about.

I'm skeptical. Because it's in really good condition (he bought it used) and the owner was willing to part with it for only $30 bucks. I forgot to ask hubby if she was in shape.

So I tried it briefly when I got home from school today and it was kind of fun. And I started to break a sweat rather quickly! And I'm pretty sure it wasn't a hot flash.... So I'm going to make it a point to get on that baby every single darn day. Today I was going to walk for sure after school (it got up to 64 here this afternoon!) but by the time I got home the temperature was dropping quickly and it was windy as all get out. So I'm going on the gazelle tonight. No excuses.

Has anyone had experience with one? Are they worth the effort? Please tell me yes!!

Also - the weight loss contest with the women folk in my family is yielding results! If

you stop by the other blog to visit (do so incognito). They think we're alone. *smile* I've never given them access to this blog. I was afraid it would make me feel inhibited and not able to share my struggles as openly as I do. (God forbid they found out I was human) but you all know what I mean, right? Anyway - feel free to comment about it HERE. Not there. wink ;-)