Sistahs of the Traveling Tee

{ Still here...honest }

2009-07-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hey ladies,

No I did not fall off the face of the Earth! Sorry. The last week of my 15 day challenge was a bust. With the last week of school and getting ready for camping...well you know how it goes. My Challenge was not a totally bust though. It did get me back onto the track I want to be on though. So starting yesterday I got back at it. My challenge for myself now? To workout 5-6 days a week. Through the summer it will be much easier for me to workout on a regular basis. I plan to workout first thing in the morning on the days that I am not working. The days that I work will be my off days unless I get the energy to workout in the evening. I am happy with that for sure! Hope everyone is doing well in their own journeys. I will be checkin' in hopefully daily...if not at least a few times a week. On a side note...I have a few pics from our camping trip posted on my blog if you are interested. I think I might post a few more too...

Hi Everybody!!!!

2009-06-28T18:16:00.001-07:00

Hi! My name is Anne. Thank you for the wonderful welcome, Jen!

I am 38, a SAH mother of 4 (ages 18, 16, 9 and 6). I am naturally slender and until about 10 years ago, I ate anything I wanted and banked on the fact that it would just magically disappear off my frame.

Then something happened. I dont know if it was my age or the third pregnancy... but I put on about 40 pounds one year... and kept it for another 9 years.

But last spring, the most magical thing happened... I got the flu AND an impacted tooth. Between the two, I didnt eat anything but pudding and mashed potatos for 10 days and dropped 10 pounds! Best diet ever, right?

Not really. But I was able to keep the weight off and lose another 8 pounds over the year.

So now I am about where I want to be. Why are you here, then, Anne????? Well, I jiggle. And not just my boobs and my butt, but my arms and my neck and my thighs! And my ankles are thick. And WHERE did this pouch on my stomach come from???

UGH!!!!!

So starting Monday, I will be changing my life! And it is going to be painful, too... I do not handle change well. First, no more cookies, Pepsi or late night snacking. Second, no more sleeping until NOON. and Third, exercise!

Sounds easy until you realize that up until this point I have used the term exercise to mean anyone but me. I do NOT exercise. I dont even walk around the block. I cant stand to set foot in a gym and I cant keep up with all the dancy videos. I dont just avoid exercise, but I am also a HUGE clutz with no rythm and no physical aptitude. You know me... I am the woman who sits half-way up the stairs at work, laughing because she just tripped UP the stairs yet again! You know me... I am the woman who only rearranges her furniture once every 4 years but still walks into things about 10 times a day.

So please join me in my struggle to get toned. I appreciate any support and assistance you can give me... because every comment is just one more little push to get me moving! Hold me to it! Dont let me quit.

Anne

Update from Adrian

2009-06-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ladies - you have inspired me! I have been in slackerville for way, way to long and it's time I got back with the program. I figure if I have to post everything I eat, maybe it will embarrass me enough to make some better choices. I don't do "diet food" per se, because it just horrifies me to eat all that stuff. But I can make some better choices - smaller portions, less high-fat food, and more fruits and veggies. Plus exercise is a must. In a typical day, I get no exercise at all, so even a few minutes a day is an improvement.

Today was my first good day in quite a while.

Breakfast - 1/2 cantelope and bowl of cereal
Lunch - Beef vegetable soup and a handfull of jelly beans
Snack - 2 BK Burger Bites (my son was supposed to eat one, but it had mustard so he wouldn't eat it so he ate my apple fries instead!)
Dinner - Some noodles with about an ounce of steak and some veggies

Got on my Wii Fit for the first time in 3 months and did a 20 minute workout. Yay me!

Update from Deborah

2009-06-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

It's so good to see all you ladies back and doing something. Every little bit helps and counts.

I want to eat super healthy but it's very difficult. I love my sweets and bad food too much. I just want to eat yummy all the time - especially because I am still feeding the baby. Hannah is almost 10 weeks now.

Anyway - today I am going to see how long I can go without milk and sugar again. Sugar is a poison ( ie very, very, very bad for you ), and even though I know it, I always want to add some to my cuppa's and cereals etc... So no more cuppa teas or coffee for me - so I might have a headache before the day is out. LOL.

Every little bit counts. :)

2009-06-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hey Ladies....

I've been power walking around my block the last couple of days. But I'm kinda messing up my crafting schedule. This happens all the time I try to add in a new "hobby"... ack.... anyways, good job Tracy, keep up the great work, welcome Anne and Welcome Back Maria - you can do it... we can do it....

~jen~

{ Day 8 & 9 }

2009-06-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Well Day 8 was a no go...I just felt too lousy. However, I am not gonna beat myself up about it. I was sick and that was that...onto day 9...

Day 9
36 min walk outside

Still feeling a bit lousy today, but managed the walk and feel good about it. I am dealing with a busy week this week...last week of school, MIL still very ill, heading out camping for two nights on the 28th and 29th and trying to get the house and trailer in order for that! I sure hope I can keep sane this week!!

onto day 10...

SparklePeople

2009-06-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Ladies. . .I joined SparklePeople last year but never used their tools. . .how about we all join SparklePeople and use their tools to keep track of our fitness and weight loss progress.

My profile name is "Cardinspired". LOL! Not very creative. I should start a new profile. . .nah, that's okay. . I'll just keep that profile name.

Let me know if you joined and I'll add you as a friend. I have no friends yet.

Anyway. . .if you care to join in: Click Here

Have a great Father's Day ladies!!

Maria's Week 1

2009-06-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

Today "mentally" is my official day of my weight loss journey.

The goal today was to prepare myself for the real day which is tomorrow. LOL! I went grocery shopping. . .bought a bag of turkey burger. One patty is only 110 calories. . .with bread and a tomato, together it'll be less than 250 calories. Not bad for lunch. I also bought salmon burgers. . again, 110 calories. I needed quick meals for lunch that don't require a lot of prep but still low in fat and calories.

I also bought a lot of veggies. . cauliflower and snow peas for my pork tofu dish which will be dinner for tomorrow. Cabbage and potatoes for my beef soup for Tuesday's dinner Wednesday's dinner will be chicken long rice.

I bought green tea for my drink. . a gallon worth for the week. I was suppose to buy the diet green tea but I picked up the wrong container. That's okay. . an 8oz serving is only 80 calories. I didn't buy any soft drinks. I'm cutting out soda from my diet.

I didn't buy any snacks. I'll cut down on my snacks. Instead I bought fruits . . apples, oranges, etc. The fruits will now substitute for my snacks.

No weigh ins for 1 month. I don't want to get discouraged.

Here are my goals for the week:

Diet:

Eat 6 small meals a day
Focus on healthier meals for dinner
Drink at least 4 glass of water to start off with and increase with time
Listen and read the "spiritual weight loss" program that I bought to help me deal with being on a weight loss program
Reduce my plate to 1/4 the size or reduce my plate portion to 1/4 of my normal size.

Exercise:

Walk for 1 mile 3x this week then increase with time

That's it for now! I'll update my goals next week! Wish me luck!

Maria

{ Day 7 }

2009-06-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

Day 7

Went for a walk outside with the family yesterday...not sure how far or how long...it was at least 20 mins, but not sure if it was 30. I started to not feel well Friday night and was not feeling great yesterday, but forced myself out for a bit of a walk at least. Not too sure if I will get in a walk today or not. I am feeling quite lousy today, but we will see how I feel after dinner...I will try and get myself on the treadmill, but maybe not...I won't be too disappointed in myself if I don't. I know they say you should not workout if you have a fever and I have felt one on and off all day...I will update one way or the other though.

I am very proud of myself to making it through a whole week of 30mins a day though...go me!! :0)

{ Day 6 }

2009-06-21T14:11:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the late post....

Day 6
31 mins walk outside
again not sure how far it was...

onto day 7

New Member: Anne Alagna

2009-06-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Aloha Ladies....

We have a new member - her name is Anne Alagna..... welcome Anne!!!

Starting Over Again

2009-06-20T10:34:00.001-07:00

Hiya Ladies! Okay. . .I've been resisting, avoiding, ignoring, denying. I actually bought a CD pack of this "spiritual weight loss" program a few weeks ago and I haven't opened it yet. Mentally, I could not get myself to take the leap into trying to lose weight again. I've been feeling "defeated" and sort of was heading in the direction of "just accepting" my chubbiness. I've tried so many times and failed. I'll lose a few pounds but then the effort is so mentally and physically draining that I start to lose my momentum and finally, just give up!

I think this will be my last effort. I know I sound negative but I can't always keep "trying" and never really accomplishing anything so either I do it 100% or just accept the fact that I'll be at this weight forever.

So. . .I'll start my weight loss journey tomorrow on Father's Day. It'll be a test for me. We will be eating at a yummy restaurant and I will eat a small portion of my meal and not go nuts! Time and time again. . .food is my "frenemy" and exercise is my true friend. Unfortunately, food is such a fun friend. . . .much more so than exercise. LOL!

Anwyay. . .wish me luck, ladies! Hopefully, this time around I will reach my goal!!

Hope you are all doing well! Keep up the great work, Ladies. I'll be here more often now that I've resolved my "issues" and am ready to work hard to reach my weight loss goals!

{ Day 5 }

2009-06-18T14:38:00.001-07:00

Day 5

44 min walk outside
not sure how far it was as my step counter is not all that reliable, but I know that I am pooped!

The past few days we have been hit with thunder storms and good down pours. So today it was sunny and I managed to get out for a walk. Although, the last 5 mins of my walk I was watching the lightning and hearing the thunder coming. It's on its way. My body is definitely feeling some wear and tear from this week. My hips are screaming at me. I bought some Tylenol for joint and muscle pain. It worked really well, but it was suppose to last 8 hours...not! Thinkin' I will be taking some more soon!

onto day 6...

Today I walked.. and a video to share....

2009-06-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ladies, today I didn't get a chance to do my Tahitian workout, but I did some power walking for 20 mins... but I think I could've gone a lot faster. LOL...

Anyways, here's a video to crack you all up, as it always has me cracking up - maybe we can each order one to lose weight?!

{ Day 4 }

2009-06-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

Day 4

30 mins treadmill
1.45 miles

Got home from work...ran upstairs...changed my clothes...went down to the basement to workout before the kids got home from school!

Onto day 5...

{ Day 3 }

2009-06-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

DAY 3

30 mins treadmill
1.44 miles

I am so glad that you are doing this with me Jen. On a day like today...it would have been soooooo easy to back out. I was feeling a bit tired today and my legs were acky, but I did it!

onto day 4!

6/16 Aerobics

2009-06-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, aerobics was started at 6:30 am for me. Great time since the kids are still asleep. This Tahitian Dance workout thing is hard. But I've got sooo much love handles, that I'm just going to stick to it, and hopefully see some changes around my waist.

For breakfast, I'm having a cup of fruits, with cool whip - LOL... not too much cool whip. Just a little to taste.

Have a wonderful Tuesday sisters....

Hugs,
Jen

{ Day 2 }

2009-06-15T21:36:00.001-07:00

30 mins treadmill
1.44 miles

Felt good tonight to workout. I thought I might be tired and stiff, but I felt really good!

Onto Day 3...

My 1st Day doing aerobics....

2009-06-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Tracy (and others),

I worked out and did aerobics this morning. Thank you for putting it out there for me to join. I did some Tahitian Aerobics. It's a DVD that teaches you Tahitian dancing at the same time, working out. (click on photo for $$$$ and ordering details). I tell ya what, my entire body hurts, and is soooo outtah shape!!! I think it was perfect timing to start this again too, because I went to my Dr this morning, and she gave me my blood test results. The statistics weren't bad, but they weren't that great either. My cholesterol level was at 173%mg, and ideally it should be below 200%mg. But apparently, my previous count was at 155%mg..... that's not good! LOL... anyways, time to get my butt into gear. I hope that the Tahitian work out is something fun that'll tone my opu (belly) and firm my butt. I also have to work on my eating habits. Food in Hawaii tastes toooo good to pass up... but I will have to get a hand on it.

I hope you are doing well and survived your aerobics today, Tracy. If anyone wanna join us... we are here!!!

Hugs,
Jen

{ If you are out there? I need ya! }

2009-06-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hey ladies,

Okay...so I stepped on the scale today...not sure why, but I am VERY disappointed in myself. I am not going to give you the numbers, but I will say that it was 50 lbs more than I was 5 years ago! I am so not happy with myself right now! So...instead of beating myself up...I have decided to give myself a challenge. I would really love it if someone would join me...I could really use the support!

I am challenging myself to 30mins of aerobic activity for each day of the rest of June. So that is 30mins a day for the next 15 days. I started tonight, but would love it if someone else would join me. If not, I hope no one minds that I post each day...to keep myself on track.

Day 1 - June 14
30mins Treadmill
1.44 miles

Checking In and Update

2009-05-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Ladies,

I have had Miss Hannah - 8pound 10, on the 16th April. So now I am hoping to lose the extra baby weight that I put on and a bit more. :) Not sure how long it will take though.

I only put on an extra 4 kilos with the pregnancy - so that shouldn't be too difficult to remove.

Hope you are all doing well.

Anyone else got an update?

Here is Hannah at 2 weeks.

It's Week 6, I think

2009-02-24T07:49:00.000-08:00

Hi Ladies!

Okay, I cannot keep track what week I'm on already. LOL! I think this week starts my 6th week. I have to confess, I slacked off last week but I did manage to lose 1 lb for a total loss of 10 lbs. Do I look 10 lbs lighter. . .not sure.

I'm actually back to where I was last year. I had gained 7 lbs since we started this blog. Sad. . .but I finally did lose it.

Do you know what the real motivator for me to lose weight? Well, when my family came down during the holidays. . .they had this "shocked" look and my aunt commented "you got big". LOL! Argggh. . .I KNEW they were going to comment on it because the last time we saw one another, I was 25 lbs lighter. On a short person like me, 25 lbs is like 50 lbs on a tall person.

Because I anticipated their surprise and comments, I didn't feel bad but I was a little embarrassed that it looked like I had "let go" of myself. My cousin standing next to me looked like a twig. Seriously. Age has not affected her metabolism. They felt that because I wasn't working, I had gained weight and I didn't like the fact that SAHM sort of gives off this misconception that we sit around on our butt, watch soap operas, and munch on snacks all day.

It could be true but not in my case. I am a lot more sedentary than I was when I was working. As an RN. . .I could not even sit for a minute. I was basically on my feet walking the unit all day so yeah, comparatively. . I am a lot more sedentary but I don't believe that being a SAHM is the cause.

Personally, it's the sense of being comfortable of who I am is the cause. . .when I was working, I didn't want to look unhealthy. . .it's hard to be convincing to patients to be healthy, to eat right, to exercise (especially because I worked in a women and children's hospital) and telling diabetic patients the importance of a healthy lifestyle if I looked like "I" needed the advise. LOL!

When I became a SAHM, I could be whoever I wanted to be so my appearance sort of took backdoor to everything else. Well, I'm thinking of returning to work this year and well, I now have to think about my ability to be hired and appearance has become somewhat important again. Argghh.

So. . .for this reason, I have to be able to at least lose some weight so I can look okay on interviews. It's weird that our appearance plays an important role in our ability to be hired . . .shouldn't it be based on your qualifications? Unfortunately, the world is what it is and I got to accept that so. . .I'm back on my quest or journey to healthy living. . .actually, journey to skinnyville! LOL!

Anyway. . sorry for the life story. I'll be back next week with my progress!

I walked.... snicker

2009-02-23T17:45:00.000-08:00

Ladies, I finally got my big tush off my computer chair n' walked around the block. I did it twice today. Took me 25 minutes (entirely). I didn't feel any strain at all... lol. It's a start... Cy was being pushed on the stroller - we went around twice because after the 1st time around, he asked, "can we go around again?!"... I said, "what?!"... he goes, "I'm not tired, please?!". So around the block we went again. I hope I can do this (again) on a daily schedule.

Hugs,
Jen

Lost 3 lbs from Last Week

2009-02-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

Hey Ladies! I have stinkin' awesome news!! I lost 3 lbs from last week! OMG! I weighed myself today and I couldn't believe it! I had to step on the scale like 3 times before I was positive it was correct. . .so in one month, I lost 9 lbs!

The funny thing is the only thing I've really done was exercise 3x a week. . .approximately a mile each time and reduced my serving size by 1/4. I had read that way back in the 50s, the plate size was almost 1/3 to 1/2 the size of what our plate size is today. The article said a great way to lose weight is to just use a smaller plate so that you put less food on your plate but still appears that you are eating a lot. That's what I've been doing. I also stopped going for seconds and when we eat out, I don't eat an appetizer, soup/salad, my main entree, and dessert. What I've done is if I have appetizers, I don't have soup or salad or vice versa. I also "share" my dessert with my husband or daughter. I don't order my own dessert.

I have not stopped eating food that I like. . .just reduced the amount I eat. If I'm using a big plate, I just reduce the serving size by 1/4 of what I normally would eat. It's not hard to reduce the serving size because I'm still eating foods I love.

When I've exercised, I always try to meet my goal or go a little further but not too much. I've been slowly increasing the distance or the time by a few minutes and I'm now walking for about 28 minutes to 30 minutes. I started off at the beginning of my 4 weeks at 20 minutes.

I'll see if I can keep the weight off but I won't beat myself up if I gain a lb or two. I'm just glad that I've been progressively losing weight and that is all I can ask for!!

Hope you all are doing well! Hey, Tracy. . .how are you doing? I hope you are doing well and Ellie, hope you are doing well too! As for the others, hope you'll stop by here soon!!

Maria

You don't want to know! ... lol

2009-02-03T18:56:00.001-08:00

HELLO GALS (((HUGS)) and Happy New Year to all.. OH my gosh so much going on with me..job cutting hrs (my DH), germs, and weight gain,, ahhh what a way to start the new year huh? lol Needless to say weight loss has been the last on my list right now. The weight that I lost.... gained it all back again.. Have I even tried to go back and get into my grove not at alll and here in NY the weather is BLLLLLLLLLLLLAHHH which makes me feel just like that.. Then all my kids have been sick back to back to back needless to say Chocolate and fast food has been my friend and I am sooooooo ready for Spring so I can start to see green instead of everything covered in white! lol.. and that my friends is what is going on w/me in a Nut Shell! LOL>. I know my post isn't too chipper sorry about that hopefully soon enough I shall post a happy post saying SPRING has finally Sprung so I can start on the road again! :)

-Ellie