check out my new weight loss blog. =)

This is day two and I haven't worked out at all. Not because I don't want or that I don't have the desire. Quite the contrary, I do and I've tried, but I just don't have the physical strength or the energy to even lift arms up...let alone my legs. I couldn't hardly open my presents up yesterday. I'm a pathetic sight right now. I have some cold virus...not just some typical cold. My lungs are so tight that I can hardly breath because of all the mucus constraining them. My chest hurts because of all the coughing. I'm freezing when it's close to 90 something degrees in my room. Well, I'm going to go back to sleep for a few more hours then I have to actually leave the house to take my brother to the airport.

Happy Holidays Folks! I wasn't able to work out this evening because I am sick...I thought I could ween if off, but it has got the best of me. =(

Food For Thought:
People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas. ~Author Unknown

Also, I've been working on a new weight-loss blog. Not too sure, if I'm going to keep it or not because I've had this one for years. On the other hand, sometimes we need a change and a fresh start. It's called Losing It Once Again. =)

Sometimes if difficult being at home when you're trying to lose weight because of all the "goodies". I am finding that it is soo much easier to stay focused when I'm not at home because home is always a comfort place for me. On a positive note, I have been doing my daily workouts, but today I walked into the kitchen and had a slice of pizza instead of going for the fruit. Anyhow, I know I shouldn't beat myself up, but it always starts with one bite for me. I've decided that tomorrow I'll need to "cleanse" my system.

So six years ago today, I decided to make a difference in my life by losing weight the first time around. I walked around greenlake and did Taebo and watched my food in take. I was pretty successful then life happened and gain all plus some about 3 years. So here I am once again determined to lose it all again. So far so good...

I would like to see the following under the tree on Monday. =)

The results are in!!

So here's the good, the bad, and the ugly. I lost around 35 pounds! =) I was hoping to be at lest in the mid-290s, but no such luck this time around. As of 11 something this morning, I weighed 308. Not bad considering how much I weighed (a whopping 345 give or take a few pounds) just a few months ago. I was in denial big time!

So I saw a stand in for my regular doctor and she was nice, but I don't think she really understood my needs. She wants me to start taking another type of medication. Funny thing, as I was waiting for her to listen to my lungs...I read an article about this particular medication and how it actually can increase your chances of dying from an asthma attack. I said, No, thanks. One things that really bugs me about most medical doctors...they don't take the time to get to know you nor do they take the time to at least look through your charts. Anyhow, got my refill and I made an appointment with my regular doctor for next week because he for the most part makes an effort and remembers me.

I also saw my Naturopathic Doctor today. One reason why I like going to Bastyr so much is that they listen and look at the whole person. Since my wonderful health insurance plan doesn't cover seeing an ND, I had to pay for it out of pocket...not a big deal because it's my health we're talking about. She noticed that I had lost some weight and was very encouraging about it. I was in her office for over an hour. They are also going to see if I'm allergic to anything because asthma is caused by an allergic reaction to something.

Other than that, I did manage to get in a workout this morning. I didn't walk to the doctor's office (as originally planned) because weather here sucks, sucks, sucks right now. I've also decided that I am going to weigh myself once a month. My goal for January is to be in the 290s or so.

Well, I worked out on the 20th when I was Japan, but when I arrived in the states...I didn't work out. Instead, I spent most of my afternoon at the spa. It was great! Got a nice relaxing massage, body scrub, facial, etc...

Anyhow, tomorrow morning is the weigh in day. I'm kind of nervous because I've had six pieces of sushi yesterday at the airport, but I did walk around for about an hour. On the plane, I ate part of my dinner (didn't eat the dessert or the dinner roll...had a few bites of the salad and chicken) and for breakfest I ate most of it with exception to the half omelate. I didn't eat the snacks that they have us...give them to my saet partner. Tonight, I had a small, but "heavy" dinner...my mom went throught trouble of making dinner for "us kids". I'm really going to have to step it up with my eating habits. So tomorrow morning, I'm going to do TaeBo Advance and the mile walk. I am also going to walk to my doctor's office!

So today I had my "health risk pre-assessment" for the "Civilian Health Program" (basically it's a program that would allow for me to workout during "duty" hours). Anyhow, part of the assessment included stepping on the scale. I told our school nurse that she can weigh me, but she can't tell me the results because I told myself that I wouldn't step on a scale until the 21st. I had to explain to her that I wasn't in denial anymore about my weight, blab, blab, etc. Ok, I know it's a matter or two days, but I have made it this far without checking...so why give it. Anyhow, she told me that she wasn't going to weigh me since I had a doctor's appointment this week. I just have to fax all of my info to the Medic Clinic on base. It's funny because I had to talk to another nurse about my health history and she said that I was a "bit heavy". I told her thanks for being kind, but in reality I am morbidly obese. We talked about my struggles...we had a good talk. She gave me a hug before I left.

I found one of the several notebooks I used to keep back in the day, I used to keep a notebook of all my workouts, daily weigh ins, and just notes about my day with monthly (and sometimes weekly) goals. Mostly, I wanted to keep track of my workouts to see if I was making any progress. It was interesting to go back and see what my life used to be like. Now, I've been writing everything down on a calendar and I do keep a personal journal with goals, expectations and just how I am feeling...stuff that I'm not ready to share here. Maybe I should start because I'm sure I am not the only one out there who sometimes equates their self-worth with what they look like. Seriously, when I started gaining weight again...myself esteem plummented and I was depressed even though I still put on that "everything is so grand" face. Granted somethings were great at times.

I am soo proud of myself right now. I promised the kiddies that I would make cupcakes for them for our holiday celebration and fundraiser. So the past two nights I've been baking cupcakes in my convection oven (because I don't have a traditional oven in my house...just a stove top). I believe that I made well over 100 cupcakes, plus banana bread...AND I didn't have the desire to to put one to my mouth. Usually, I'll have one or two and many times three. I didn't even lick the frosting. In the past, I would have finished off what was left in the container. This is a major milestone for me!

I need to work on doing sit-ups and push-ups because I have a fitness assessment in about a month. It's been sooo long since I've done a proper sit-up let along a push-up. lol

I'm taking a friend out to lunch for her belated birthday celebration next month and we're going to go to this really good and cool reasturant called Cicada. Basically for 2700 yen ($23) you'll get a three course meal. Last time we had lunch there, I told them that I was going to get in shape this year and like always I ate everything on my plate: salmon (or chicken or lamb), hummas w/ bread, dessert, a salad of sorts, and a drink. Thank goodness Japanese serving sizes are small. =) Anyhow, I've already decided that I'm just going to order their tomatoe and green salad or their lemon greens and that's it. It'll be filling for me. No main course, no apple fennel w/ cream cake (which is sooo sooo good esp. when it's nice and warm), and no blood orange juice...just a nice salad and good ol H20. I know I should go and have a good time and not worry, but I just don't want to "go back". Maybe later on this year, I'll entertain eating a full course meal. Or better yet, maybe I'll make sure I drink a bottle of water before eating; therefore, I'll be "full" and can only eat the salad.

Since I am getting on a plane in about 42 hours, I really need to make sure I get in a good workout tomorrow since I won't be able to do much on the 8-10 hour flight. I have to call United tomorrow to request a "low-sodium" special meal because I don't want to eat what they usually serve in Ecomony...processed chicken stir-fry or something. I may even treat myself to a few bites of sushi before my departure; therefore, I can decline dinner. Well, it's getting late for me and I've rambled on for too long. Good Night All!

This is going to sound really lame, but I'm thinking about getting a Play Station 2 to do DDR and other types of "physical activity" games. I used to give my students such a hard time for spending hours doing Dance, Dance Revolution, but it's just another cardio alternative that will increase my coordination skills and another fun way to work out. Also, they have a cool game called "Eye Toy Kinetic" which is a kickboxing workout program. I do like playing video games from time to time. After all I am a Super Mario girl. =)

This morning I was able to get into a pair of grouch pants I ordered last year, but they had always been WAY WAY TOO TIGHT in a really not so flattering way. They look nice on this morning. I may wear them on my flight back home because they are comfy. It feels really good to be able to wear certain clothes again. I have a whole closet of clothes waiting for me to wear again. It may take me a year to get into some of my old clothes, but I can wait.

I also noticed that I have a really nice overall shape (minus the mounds of fat getting in the way). Overall, I have an hour glass pear shape figure. I've always been heavy on my lower half, but I have a rather small waist and my chest is not so big. I've always have had a difficult time shopping for clothes (even at Lane Bryant) because they specialize in clothing for most folks who are top heavy. Anyhow, I was just noticing that about myself this morning. I guess it's a good thing because I am actually looking at myself in the mirror and not avoiding.

I went to the Army Ball last night and didn't eat much. You can read about it here. I did Billy Blanks' Lower Body Boot Camp this morning and it kicked my BUTT! It was one tough workout because he incorporated strength training with the bands. I don't have issues with holding weights and/or wearing anckle weights when I do TaeBo, but I've always struggled when I've worked out with the bands because of all the resistance. I think I'll rotating in the Boot Camp tapes in Feb because that's when I want to start weight training so that my body doesn't used to the same workouts...in order to prevent a plateau.