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March 19 Two days in a row, will wonders ever ceaseTwice in one week.... leave it to me to get online more than once this week. Well, a short update. Pat will be down loading some more pictures, if I can bribe him  He is working out even as I type. I have started working out when I get home from work this seems to be working better in my schedule and I am not up half the night trying to wind down. I have been looking at other's spaces and some are just awesome! I know there are many who will continue the challenge until they meet their goal. I loaded a video where Jillian talks about failure... if you get a chance you should listen, she says some pretty insightful things. The weather has been so beautiful, but it is not uncommon for us to get snow in April. I feel pretty good today. I am still motivated and to a certain degree it is helping me in other aspects of my life. Work was getting to be stressful, but with the exercise, the proper eating, and a whole new perspective work has been ok. Well, I have a story I need to post about how food has a huge hold on my everyday life... but I need to get some other things done. So I will leave that for another blog, ha ha ha! Have a good night!March 18 A good week for the Morgans!!!It has been a good week for us! Pat got a year older... I think he got more grey hair, LOL. Just Kidding! I was down 1.4 pounds, which was good as I had stalled out due to losing motivation for two weeks. Pat is still kickin' butt! I wish I could say I was jealous, but I am VERY proud of his motivation. This past week we have been busy, working out, LOL. Most of my workouts are now at 90 minutes and averaging 4 days per week. I would like to try for at least 5 days this week and keep up that pace. I need to do more strength training, which I am working on. I just feel like cardio makes me sweat more so therefore in my own little mind I think I am burning more calories. The boys have finally realized how different our eating habits have become. We went to Applebee's, we all got burgers (big mistake). By the time we finished our meal, Pat and Trevor were feeling ill... I only had half of my burger and chose a salad. But, we were all pretty ill by the evening. Lesson learned... When you are not used to eating greasy, fat soaked food, go for the healthier option. You will be glad you did!!
Did you all watch the Biggest Loser tonight... the make-overs were fabulous! Kelly was barely recognizable!!!! They all looked superb! I am so glad Dan cut his hair... he looks so much younger and more "Rock Star" then he did!!! Sad to see Brittany go, but it was a no brainer considering she was up against the ENTIRE "non-existent" blue team! It is not that I don't like Jay, but he was a bigger threat to the game then Brittany. I do hope Brittany will be able to lose more now that she has gone home... she looked pretty good in the update! I am not at all surprised that Mark won the challenge but Ali made a pretty good showing!!!! I thought for sure she had it in the bag!!! I am also in LOVE with Ali's new cut... Well, I hope everyone is doing well and staying motivated!!! I know I don't get on but once a week, but I think about blogging more but time slips away! :o) My plan is to visit some sites this week to see how my "friends" are doing!!!! So... see ya later!!!! Good night!! March 11 Gone but not forgotten!Oh my goodness.... I cannot believe how long it has been... so much for trying to win the contest by keeping my site updated, LOL. Not like I had a chance to begin with, but it has been fun. The last 3 weeks has been busy! I have done ok, had a rough week, last week. I have not lost any in total but have been playing with the same 6 pounds... yes 6 pounds for the past two weeks. I got off kilter just a bit. I did not exercise and my thinking went from being focused on the goal to eating things and telling myself I can work it off. Which I did work off the poor choices I was making but with water weight (which it was mostly that because I could lose and gain 4 pounds in one day) I have struggled, up and down, my rings are fitting tight but my clothes do not feel different. This week I realized where I went wrong. I also decided that one meal out of the week would be something I really wanted to eat but in a smaller portion size. Pat and I can share an entree at almost any place we eat. So, that is a no brainer, we just have to find something we both want, LOL. I feel I am back on track. I am focused on eating like I was and not making excuses. Motivation is so difficult for me. i am wanting the weight to be gone now, but know that is not a possibilty. So, back to the drawing board. Back to focusing on what is going into my mouth and the amount and continue to get my exercise in. On a great note, Pat bought us a treadmill and a new weight contraption thing... LOL It has a smith machine, LOL, that is all I can remember. But it is nice. So, now we have the elliptical and the treadmill and the new weight set-up, it is so cool to go down and work out!!!!
Pat is doing AMAZING!!!! He has an image issue that he is getting smaller...muscle-wise but what he does not realize is he will get smaller but he will get more defined. He is looking... fabulous (in my best Jim Carrey Grinch voice) I am so proud of him. His total loss is 25 pounds... yep I am jealous! But he is working HARD... twice a day workouts. Eating like a champ! Making me feel oh about 2 inches tall because he is driven to succeed. He has his bad days, but they are fewer than mine. He LOVES the new "gym" in our basement... we are looking into a new wall mount TV but I think that can wait. :o)
We are looking forward to continuing our weightloss journey and I plan on continuing to blog our progress, and other funny, strange stories of our lives... PLUS our take on the contest! Anyone who reads this please let us know so we can continue to check up on you also... and to those who are lurking....let us know you are there!!!! Have a good "Biggest Loser Night" We wish all continued success on your journey!!!! February 19 Uphill battleEmotinal Eater Coming Through. I think this will be the toughest thing to conquer. When I hit an emotinal low the low self esteem comes rushing back. I tell myself how worthless I am and how this battle with obesity will NEVER be won. This is the first time since the beginning of this journey that I have felt like giving up. Trying again when I have more time or less things on my plate (no pun intended). I look back at my entire life and see where I have failed due to my own detrimental thoughts. It is so frustrating to be so negative, yet I don't know any other way. Yet, another learning curve, something that will take time to master.
In my heart I am willing to learn how to react to these feelings in a more positive way. I truly only hurt myself when I get that defeatist attitude. I am proud of my accomplishment, so far. I am proud that my clothes are fitting loose and I have more energy. I need to remind my self of all the positives of this healthy lifestyle I am learning. This journey is one of hard work. I would not say it is a sacrifice to learn a better way to care for myself. It is time consuming in a good way. I have learned some really great habits. I was thinking today. before my pity party. about how easy it is to eat healthy, exercise, and make better choices. I am amazed at the fact that I now think before I go out to get something "quick and easy" aka fast food. I don't know why but now I feel like I get it... but to a certain degree, I do. I went to the store today and headed straight for the Hostess aisle... yum a lemon pie (calorie count something like 800) or a couple of Ding Dongs for the drive home to satisfy my hunger....I have to say I did not buy anything like that... headed straight to where I needed to go and then was out of the store. This is a victory, nothing less. Something I should be proud of! So, in all my ramblings I admit, I am an emotional eater. I am working on a different outlet to get past the lowest of lows so I can continue to have a positive self image and continue with more positive choices. I have things I want to be proud of, to some it may seem like my victories are VERY small, but to me they are another hurdle I have cleared. I don't want to back slide and gain weight. I like the idea of the scale is going down as my enthusiasm and drive are moving upward. Emotional Eater be gone... if only it were that simple! February 18 What a week!!!Down 3 more pounds!!!! I cannot believe it!!! So that makes a total loss of 12 pounds. Pat told me when I have lost 20 I can get my hair done... LOL. It needs it bad, but it is giving me some incentive to stay on track, only 8 more pounds! I took the weekend off from exercising, I really was not feeling well. It helped! I got some much needed rest and I am feeling better.
Today was a busy day and I still got in my 60+ minutes of cardio!!! I know I did not eat so well last week but I learned a good lesson. I like to eat what I want but there are repercussions to doing that too much. That is how I got to the weight I am. Slowly but surely it is coming off. I am feeling better due to the change in my eating habits. I intend on staying on track this week to see what happens with the scale! I don't know that I am going to lose another three, time will tell  I have not tried any new recipes lately. Pat made a really nice Valentine's meal. He did not get to enjoy it as he had to go to work but it really was good. Steak, red potatoes, scallps, salad.... it was yummy! I am thankful he is such a good cook... much better than I am, LOL. It is late I should get some rest!!! Keep working toward your goals!!!! February 10 Exercise, anyone????Today has been a better day for both Pat and I. We got up had our usual oatmeal. We then watched a movie, drank our first round of water, and decided who would start cardio first. I won, LOL. So, I did my hour of cardio then he got on the elliptical while I did my heavy ball strength training. I took Bob's advice from an earlier episode and did it while sitting on the big exercise ball, to work my core muscle group a bit harder. It was a GREAT work out! The elliptical says I burned 565 calories and I know I burned a bunch more with the strength training. I know that many will say how awful the theater popcorn is, but I honestly did not eat very much of it, any is too much. At any rate, I am sure the scale may reflect this as well as the high fat burger and fries I ingested but that is the reason to work out harder in the coming week. I don't want the scale to move in the wrong direction! So, all I can do is eat healthier and move more, and learn from the experience. If I gain then I will work harder to get it going in the right direction.
We had Subway today for lunch, it was really good. I made some sf/ff pistachio pudding with some coolwhip free... it was yummy. In fact I liked it better than the blizzard I had yesterday!!! Now that says something, if only I had thought of it prior to eating the Blizzard. If you feel a sweet craving coming on... try this one, it is worth the five minutes to make it, LOL AND with the cool whip free in it, it is like a mousse and VERY creamy. For supper, we are grilling some chicken breast (boneless/skinless) marinated with some lemon pepper, franks red hot, and worchestire (spelled wrong) with that we will make some veggies and some potatoes with some dry ranch and olive oil cooked in the oven. So, today is not a bad day... plus I have my workout in early...so I can relax for the rest of the day!!!!! Well, night, LOL. All in all it has been a good day... may the good days keep coming  Another week down ...Down another 1.8 pounds! Yeah me! This is really good considering we went to Olive Garden! I did not choose the best meal that would help with my better eating habits but I also did not really enjoy my meal, so I only ate half of it, at most, which as we all know is PLENTY! The good thing was there was not an opportunity to take any home as we were not in town. This past week, I worked out harder than I have been because of the overnight trip and not eating too healthy for a few days. I did take into consideration the extra calories and knew there was NO WAY I was going to gain this week!!! I am soooo glad I have learned at least that much. It has been so cold that I just want to come home from work or class and go to bed, but my drive has gotten me to make it down the stairs to the elliptical and catch up on some shows that I have missed due to our busy schedule. Thank heavens for DVR, LOL. Every day is a struggle for me to eat healthier and most days I accomplish that goal. Today was a "free" day for Pat and I. BAD, BAD, BAD.... we went to the movie had some popcorn and diet coke...our sons went with us and when I said not butter on the popcorn my son said, "No butter?" So, I gave in and got butter. Another hour on the elliptical will not kill me, right???? Well, it gets worse from here, we decided on greasy burgers, fries AND a BLIZZARD....can you say I think I gained 2 pounds???? Yep, more time lifting weights and cardio. But you all know the saying, "You play, you pay" I will be paying for this "free" day for the next week. The positive side... at least I know what I have to do to get these calories off, before I would have just said, "oh well." Learning from experience is a valuable lesson, if you learn at least something. The further we get in this journey the more positive choices we make, THIS IS A HUGE PLUS! We were talking about my sisters wedding tentatively scheduled for August. Imagine how much weight we could lose by then... really impress not only ourselves, but the family too. Bonus!!!! Well, it is late and I am getting sleepy. I will no doubt be dreaming of the elliptical and weight training with Pat... I really think he is just as persistent as Bob and Jillian! Oh, hope you all got to watch the entire episode this past week. We missed it due to the Super Tuesday coverage and only got to see the 2 minute recap. I am pretty sure that the Blue team is slowly unravelling, Jackie looks GREAT!!!!! I am so glad she is doing something productive with the children in her community. Childhood obesity is such a HUGE problem in America! I hate to say it, but I think they made a big mistake by making Dan angry. He has put up some big numbers and will probably continue that trend. I do believe he is IN IT TO WIN IT!!!!
Well, good night! Keep up the good work toward your goals and I promise, I will try to be better at blogging the Biggest Loser saga from the Morgan Household!!!! February 02 ProgressTime flies. I have, however, lost 7.2 pounds. It seems like I have lost more inches this time around. I wish I had, had the foresight to have measured myself at the beginning so I could compare them now. But when we decided to do this I was not enthusiastic about putting any pictures up, thus the baggy sweatshirt and sweat pants, let alone having numbers to connect to body parts. Now, don't get me wrong. I am still not brave enough to let anyone take a picture of me with bike shorts and a sports bra on. I am however going to get some new pics up of me in more fitting clothing. Nothing helps motivate a person then having to look at themselves to view what others see. I know I am my biggest critic, but I am also my biggest fan.
This past week has had it's ups and downs. We had three birthdays this past week in the office... oh my, you would think they could have combined them , but no, we had cake, ice cream, bagels.... The bagels were easy to say no to but when one of my co-workers brought me a small piece of cake
 with some ice cream I threw caution to the wind and dug in!!! Bad Bad Vangie, as Pat would put it! I was not impressed by the cake (I did eat it, though) but the ice cream was delicious!!! I am not a huge fan of ice cream, but this was really good. So, of course I worked out a bit harder that night and felt the pains of guilt. The rest of the week was pretty good. I stayed away from things that I knew would trigger a distructive path, more ice cream, for example  Was I angry with myself for "falling down"? YES! Did I learn something? I want to think I did, only time will tell. I exercised at least 5 times for 60 mins/day. I will update my workout log, I still need to do more strength training, hopefully this week will prove to be the week I incorporate more into my workouts. This week has been crazy!I am feeling better about myself and just wanted to say that I can actually touch my toes again!!!!!! You can laugh, it makes me chuckle. For the longest time I could not bend and get my hands past my knees, HONESTLY! But the other day I got up and leaned over and there I was touching my toes... my back did not hurt, my muscles did not pull. Hey this working out thing has it's advantages! Well, besides making me sweat... So, my defining moments this week were: I am now down 7.2 pounds AND I can, once again, touch my toes! At 40 years old that has got to mean something. January 27 While Pat's away, Vangie will play???Has anyone ever fought the everyone's gone and it would be sooooo easy to eat something not so healthy. I say not so healthy because there are things that when eaten in excess are bad for you. It has been over a month since my last visit to Runza, my favorite fast food burger place. My son also happens to work there... that could be why I like to go there :o) Well, today Pat went back to work, he will be gone at least 36 hours....plenty of time for me to stray! I found myself today looking for something to satisfy my need to eat... I was bouncing between a blizzard, going to get a "value" meal at Runza, or baking something.... my passion... anything baked!!! YUMMY Well, after looking, searching, and then feeling guilty for even thinking of doing something detrimental to my weight loss, I chose a better option, a sugar free hot cocoa. It hit the spot! It did not increase my calorie intake and in the end while I was sipping on it and watching a movie I felt as though I had won a battle. One in many to come, mind you, but a battle none the less. So, I had to blog about it.... kind of patting myself on the back. Yeah me! It seems when Pat goes off to work, my mind starts wandering to unhealthy habits, a true fight within myself to not give in. I am not saying I will not go out to eat at a fast food place, ever again. I am saying that if I choose to do that I will have to plan for it. Since I had (not so good ) Mexican food yesterday, it is probably not a good idea to over indulge again this week. My elliptical said yesterday that I burned over 650 calories during my workout.... AMAZING. I know I cannot count on the bike to be accurate but something about getting that number higher with each workout. It is a motivational thing. Well, back to my hot cocoa, movie, and homework! January 26 Long time, no blogIt has been a week since I posted, Pat has been online filling in our workouts... updating the site! Thank heavens he keeps everyone informed! Well, I left off with Trevor's birthday supper. In all honesty, I felt I did pretty good! I stayed away from the bread, had a healthy burger with all the fixins and fat free cheese, it was pretty darn good! I had one scoop sugar free ice cream, which was actually REALLY good! I also had a small piece of cake. Before I would have had a huge bowl of ice cream with a huge piece of cake, so slowly but surely I am learning! I kind of waned on working out this past week. I took Sunday off, decided I was too tired on Monday night after working all day and class, so I decided I would wake up early Tuesday morning to get the workout done early rather than later! I like working out in the morning but some days I would prefer to sleep in, LOL. I got up Wednesday and did 60 minutes on the elliptical, had planned on working out after class with Pat doing some strength training, I was extremely tired so I did nothing that night. Are you getting the picture that I am making excuses????? Thursday decided what was the point and I would work out in the evening... which I didn't do. Heck... I am not doing well, LOL. So, last night my husband was my motivator. He told me at 9pm that I did not workout so I had to get at least 30 mins of cardio... so he pulled me off the bed and down to the elliptical I went. Instead of 30 minutes I did 60 mins on Level 7, which I had not EVER done. I was glad when it was over, but proud that I had been motivated to get it done!!!! Pat told me I would appreciate the push when I weighed in today at Weight Watchers and I did appreciate it!! I was down another pound. I felt like had I exercised all my days I would have done better on the scale, but 1 pound is definitely moving in the right direction. The problem with weight loss is it is so slow  I find myself wondering if I will ever make it to a healthy weight. Is that a pity party or what? I know the work it is going to take to get to my goal is an amazing amount of self control, motivation, and perseverance! Pat is strong when I want to be weak and though we talk about eating bad food we are working on making the smarter choice, though I have to admit, lunch today was not a healthy choice (Mexican food) and after we ate I felt over full and it was not actually worth the extra fat and calories! So, now I am definitely working out a little extra for that choice! I know we are not supposed to deny ourselves things we like, but I think my tastes are changing... I would prefer to eat a huge salad instead of a high fat meal. I know I have not lost a lot of weight but my clothes are fitting MUCH better. So, even though the scale does not say I am lighter my clothes tell me that I must be doing something right!  I was completely bummed that the pink team had to go home, but have to say they looked FABULOUS!!! I am not sure I agree with throwing a weigh in but in the end it is all a game, right? Someone has to win that money, right? I am at a loss at who I am going to root for now, I am sure by the end of the next show I will have a team chosen. I am rooting for the PINK team to win the second prize at the finale, which I would love to attend but since Pat and I are not web designers, it may just be a fantasy... but a good one to have, a good motivator to continue on the weight loss journey (just in case). Well, I was thinking it does not matter if we win or lose because in the end we are winners even if we are not Biggest Losers! I think this contest is long enough to get some good habits formed, make life changes not just short term changes. I am going to continue to blog even after the contest is done, if for nothing else to hear myself think and type, LOL Well, I have some work to do and a workout to get done with... I will try to be more diligent in blogging... let anyone who reads this know the ups and downs of not just the scale (which changes daily! Pat has banned me from daily weight checks) but of my habits, good and bad! On a side note, Pat is doing REALLY well, he is working out even when he is sick! I don't know if he will workout today, he is really not feeling very well... but he always feels like good or bad he should at least try. My feelings on this are if you are sick, let your body heal and then worry about the workout! Perhaps this is why I have failed at the weight loss game, no?January 24 personel thoughts01/24/08 I wonder if when we all lose all this weight and learn how to eat healthy what McDonald's will do hmmmmmmm
01/26/08 I wish with all my little chubby heart that Bob would come up with a krispy kream diet..........
January 23 WORKOUTS01/23/08
Vangie 60 min. cardio in the am. Pat 60 min cardio am shoulder and 30 min cardio in the pm
01/24
vangie's off day. Pat 34 min cardio with heavy bag workout. and hour and half of basketball (god I'm old) and arms
01/25
Vangie 60 min cardio in the pm. Pat 1:10 cardio and abs
01/26
vangie did 60 min cardio. Pat did 20 min cardio some heavy bag work then 40 min cardio
1/28
Vangie did 40 mins of cardio, level 7
1/29
Vangie did 60 mins of cardio, level 7
1/30
Vangie was lazy and tired and did nothing after her night class but go to sleep.
1/31
Vangie did 60 mins of cardio, level 7
2/1
Vangie did 70 mins of cardio, level 7
January 18 My anchor....WOW, what a compliment from my wonderful husband. He is amazing in himself. We have been married for 6 years, he has helped me raise three children, taken them as his own when he adopted them shortly after we were married. He gives of himself to make me happy and puts up with my multiple moods, LOL. He works long hours on a train and then gets to his away from home terminal and works out, sleeps for a little bit and then gets up and works out again. He gets back on his train and comes home to do the same thing here! There have been times when I was extremely jealous of his motivation. With this challenge we have joined I have noticed that my motivation is right on track. I may say I don't want to workout but in the end I get it done. I can only be accountable to myself and Pat, we are a team. Pat is my rock, without his guidance I can tell you I would not be able to get on my elliptical or do the strength training he puts me through. So, in essence, he is my Rock, the one I can't wait to see every morning.
 He is my soulmate the love of my life.... you all get the picture.Well, today was a good day! Day number 5 of consecutive workouts, all days consisted of cardio and two of the days strength training. I have been pretty proud of how we are doing. We may not win the challenge to go to the Finale, our website building ability seems to be lacking when we look at other sites. But in the end we intend to continue this lifestyle. I am so glad it is Friday.... Another week of healthier eating and feeling really good about how we are progressing. Tonight we made some ff/sf butterscotch pudding....that is our treat. I can honestly say I am not hungry so I will not be partaking..... maybe tomorrow Oh, before I forget our youngest is going to be 15 on Monday... we are celebrating tomorrow.... we gave him the choice what he wants to eat, he wants burgers, hotdogs, tatertots, chocolate peanutbutter cake, and vanilla ice cream. OH MY!!! So here is the plan for Pat and I. We got extra lean ground sirloin and some extra lean ground turkey breast to make the burgers and whole wheat heart healthy buns, lettuce tomatoe and all the fixins. Hot dogs and buns and tatertots. The cake is a homemade cake and from experience I can tell you it is YUMMY!and not exactly the healthiest thing; butter, sour cream, sugar... you get the picture!!!!!! So, we have tried to lighten it as much as we can and we bought no sugar ice cream. Both Pat and I are in agreement that if we keep our bad carb intake (bread and tater tots) down then we can have a small piece of cake and a scoop of ice cream to help celebrate. I think we have a good plan, I will let you know how well we did tomorrow. Well, it is off to finish the movie with the "boys." Talk to ya tomorrow! VangieMy WifeI am so proud of my wife she works and goes to school online so she is so very busy, yet since we started to match up she has worked in workouts and has not complained (well much). She is doing really well nine hours work, three hours at class and an hour of cardio that to me is amazing. I have been working out for better than 13 years at weight training and on N 0ff cardio (guess I should have tried working on my diet lol) and is still have a tough time keeping up with her. So it doesn't matter to me who wins because I have discovered my new HERO, my wife. January 17 Talking about Biggest Loser Million Pound Match-up
Quote Well we are like three weeks in and I have only lost eight pounds. It looks so much easier on T.V. Of course if we all have trainers it would be easier any way I started at 282 and now weigh 274 so i would probley fall below the yellow line. Biggest Loser Million Pound Match-up My how time flies!!!!I have been so busy this week. Between my online class that I am taking to finish my degree I also signed up for a class at the local community college two nights a week 3 hours per night. For most, or at least some, this would not be a problem. Add some additional stressors... full time job, exercising, eating "right," boys basketball games, and sleeping sometime, it can get a little frustrating trying to complete all tasks in the day, LOL. Well, on this path that we have chosen to take I have learned that I need to prioritize my time better on the two nights I have class. So, here is the rundown. I wake up, get ready for work, at work during my lunch break I go to my online class (30 minutes), after work I go home... quick bite to eat (no fast food stops for me) Since Pat has been on vacation he has been a Godsend!!!! He has supper done, I sit down eat something, pretty much get my coat back on and it is off to class. Sit in class thinking, more like obssessing, about what I have to do when I get home, work out. So I get home, change into my workoutgear, head downstairs to hop on the elliptical for 45-60 mins. I am really trying hard to do at least 60 mins of cardio per day. Then I get done with that and head to bed. On my "off' days, from my local class I have a less intensive schedule but still a busy one! I have to say my motivation is still there just as are my cravings for some horribly fattening high fat food. Everytime I think about just going and getting something at the drive thru I reconsider. I am so happy with the changes in our habits thus far. We plan for dessert, we try to make healthier choices when it comes to going out to eat. Which we do not do as often as we did. I can honestly say that I have done very well, eating better. I pack veggies in my lunch and have started taking a snack for morning and afternoon. My afternoon snack has been working well in my schedule! I usually eat some cottage cheese and no sugar added fruit, it is filling and staves off the munchies I have when I don't do it, LOL  Pat and I really have not found any new recipes but the other night we had some meatloaf made with low fat ground turkey.... it was delicious. In fact that was Tuesday night.... Did you all get to see the Biggest Loser? It was sooooooo goood! An emotional rollercoaster for Ali and her mom Betty Sue (LET"S GO PINK!!!!) but it seemed to me the entire episode was emotionally charged. I do wonder what the next surprise is for the contestants is going to be. I am also glad the purple team is still there!!!! Well, I did weigh again on Wednesday.... down to 250.2.... so, that is 5.8 pounds.....since I go to Weight Watchers on Saturday... hoping for more to be gone, I will update again on Saturday. I am also going to spend some time customizing our page, I have been lurking on others and they are sooooo coool!!!! So, I will have to add that to the list of duties for this weekend! Talk to ya all soon!January 13 Are you sure I can't eat that LARGE piece of chocolate cake?Oh MY Goodness.... How sinfully good it would be to just go out to have a HUGE dessert! At one point in time this would be a no brainer, go out eat the darn thing and enjoy it, worry about the ramifications later skip a few meals and that will make up for it, LOL
 ! Now, I stop and think about the ramifications of my poor eating habits! Granted I am still in a learning curve. I think how wonderful it would be to eat from fast food or something sweet and fattening but then I come to my senses and realize this is exactly how I became a yo-yo dieter and obese. I also think about how much it could possibly set me back. I jumped on the scale yesterday morning to find that to a certain degree all my hard work is paying off. I was down another 2.8 pounds for the grand total of 4.8 pounds. Of course, my regular weigh in is on Wednesday morning but I had to at least peek to see how I was doing. Sometimes I think what I do is not enough. The scale is telling me differently. I feel good about the loss and I feel good we are not destroying all of our hard work for the high fat foods. Now, don't get me wrong, I still want to have the quick meal, at some quick food place however I know they can not match what wonderful cooks my husband and I are!!! I was telling Pat how once I am done with cardio I always feel like I can do more, though during the 60 minutes of cardio I feel as if my feet might just fall off for the good of all. LOL. I am amazed at my motivation, I have a new class starting on Monday and Wednesday night from 6-9 pm... yes, that is the time I work out and to homework for my online class, LOL. I am so nervous about not being able to fit a workout in. I think I have figured out that I can do 30 minutes of cardio in the morning, if not more and then finish up later in the evening. Another concern is how am I going to eat????? I think this is why they invented crockpots, LOL, that or there is a Subway close to work, I can stop and get a salad if I am running late to class. Pat and I have re-discovered Subway.... it is the safest place for us to get something really yummy, satisfying, and not blow all the hard work not to mention our motivation. Realizing you have an entire small person to lose to be healthy puts perspective on your life, if you let it. My resolve since the start of this challenge has been pretty good. My faith in myself, at this point, is pretty strong with completing the challenge and continuing to work toward my goal after the challenge is done. On a different note, we have invited many people to be our friends for support, but no one has accepted our invitation, LOL, we both find that funny. Oh well, we have a support system with our kids and each other. In the end, the only person who is responsible for our weight loss is us. We will just have to live vicariously through those who have joined the challenge and we don't know and through The Biggest Loser Series!!! LET'S GO PAT AND VANGIE.... WE CAN DO IT!!!! Well, to any lurkers out there...feel free to post, we'd love to hear from ya!
Vangie January 09 Vacation: We have had worse!I have to laugh at the post Pat made. Yes, vacation is bad, generally speaking, being out of our comfort zone and relying on others cooking for us or going out to eat can make it extremely difficult to make "healthier" choices. I was actually pretty pleased with our 5 days out of town. We had made a plan prior to leaving home. While we were gone we would make sure to make it to the Rec center (similar to a YMCA) to get our workout in. Since we were going to be gone over the weekend that meant we would make sure to workout the day we left (which I did, Pat had to work), Saturday, take Sunday off and then again on Monday. We were as careful as we could be with eating. My mother is a HUGE fan of lard and butter, yes, LARD AND BUTTER! That alone is a factor we would have to contend with! But overall, we did really well on Saturday. We ate breakfast, worked out for about 1 1/2; 30 minutes of cardio and then about an hour if not more on weights :o) We did not get lunch as we had a late breakfast, we went to the store and purchased some Rotisserie chicken, a wild rice/cranberry stuffing, some twice baked potatoes and a veggie tray for supper. We were very careful with the potatoes and split one between my mom, and us. It was a good meal, and we thought it was a better choice than the local taco place (which we love) or a fast food place. We were doing REALLY well... we were invited that night to my niece's 17th birthday party where, you guessed it, there would be EVERY dessert she loves! Cookies, cake, cheesecake, FRESH fruit, fruit dip and turtle brownies.... talk about temptation! I was happy with both Pat and I! I had some fruit, only, though my loving brother brought me down the WONDERFUL smelling chocolate cake. Pat had a piece of cake... said it was really good... then as the night went on I broke down and got half of a cookie and a took one bit of the brownie..... I am famous for making myself feel really guilty... but in all honesty, I felt pretty good that I did not pig out and eat cookies, a couple of pieces of cake, a few brownies, drink a few sodas and so on. Well, Sunday came, it was our day off from the gym, but Pat being the type of person he is decided to go to the gym to work out. We had planned on cooking supper for the family.... all 20 of them... I would have to say our eating habits are changing slowly but surely. We had been good all week... this was one meal we would enjoy but not really overdo it. We did taste everything on the menu, some healthy choices some not, but all in all it was a good meal! Afterwards we went over to my niece and nephew's house and played poker, drank a few drinks, and had a piece of pizza.... oh oh.... we really blew it!! What were we thinking? Apparently we were not thinking, you can blame the alcohol, but again, that is just an excuse!!!! Well, live and learn, we did ok on Monday...Pat did go work out, but I was tired and you know how you tend to latch onto that as an excuse so I stayed at my mom's and visited. On Tuesday we headed back home, what I can now call our Sanctuary, we were so glad to be home. I was still tired so I took a LONG nap. when Biggest Loser came on both my youngest and my husband were there waking me up to see if I wanted to watch the program of course I used the I am tired and not feeling good excuse... but after I thought about it I got up, put on my workout gear and went down to elliptical for 45 mins! Good thing we DVR the show so I could watch! I was amazed at how little everyone actually lost but this helped me realize there will be good weeks and bad weeks..... if it could only be so easy as to make up your mind to lose weight and it come off quickly :o) When things seem like an uphill battle, they generally are.... but as humans we tend to make those mountains out of mole hills.... that is so cliche-ish... but when you come to think of it... how true it is. So, in closing, my two pound weight loss is WONDERFUL!!!! It was not a gain and I did not stay even! I am now down to 254 and am acutally excited to get home and workout! Today is cardio and strength training!!!! Full steam ahead for the next week!!!!! Wish us luck!!!! :o) Oh, and by the way, Pat may beat himself up for how he ate this weekend but I am really proud he is doing as well as he is and being as supportive of this endeavor! There have been times when I have called him "Bob" when we are working out, he can be such a task master!!!!! I am sure before all is said and done I will call him "Jillian" too, LOL January 08 hmmmm vacations is bad badI really hate vacation I worked my butt off and still didn't lose much January 02 Biggest Loser Million Pound Match-upPat and I have decided to get fit and healthy once and for all!!! We are your typical yo-yo dieters. We do really well eating healthy and exercising and then we get to a point where we start to "cheat." Then we get lazy and don’t make it a priority to exercise and choose healthier options. We plan on being cheerleaders for each other but will also ask our family and friends to help us out by motivating us! We feel that prioritizing is essential to our success and making lifestyle changes. Meal planning and daily activity is essential to our success. We can have family time at the YMCA instead of in front of the TV, eating take out, and watching a movie. This is not something we can do and then go back to our "old" ways. Both of us have wanted to try out for the Biggest Loser, but were not able to take that amount of time off from work, so this is our next best option. Our health is important to us as we want to be able to enjoy our "golden" years when we get there! Our children are another motivation, we are constantly telling them not to get out of shape and gain weight but we want to be good role models for our teenagers! We feel we should win this contest because we are willing to go the extra mile! We are done being unhealthy! It is easy to say these things but I am certain those reading will be able to understand and see the work it takes to change the way a family changes to live healthier! This, honestly, is something we both want and are committed to accomplishing our goal to live a better life in 2008 and beyond!
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