The 17 Day Diet Update #3

I do have to admit to a couple cheats over the week-end.  Had a couple glasses of wine, which aren't allowed and I have to admit, I stagnated for a couple days.  Got myself back on track yesterday.  Followed all the rules and got in a long walk (about 4 miles) with Krissy and the kids.  Today my weight loss is at 6.2 pounds.

My pants are too big this morning.  They keep sliding down to my hips.  Can I tell you how awesome this feels.

For the first time, in a long time...I recognize my old self when I look into the mirror.  It's hard to explain and I know I've been very, very lucky most of my life.  Things didn't start to change until my late 40's.  Slowly...over time, I've just been getting thicker and thicker around the middle with an explosive muffin-top creeping over all my pants.  I see picture of myself and I can't get over how much bigger I am. (yes..it is subjective)

Now I am no where near my old weight, which is OK.  I know I won't get there again as that was just crazy, but I'm closer to where I want to be.  I just want to feel comfortable...with only a teeny tiny muffin-top.

The 17 Day Diet Plan Update #2

Had a little road block where I was under the weather for a couple days.  So I was just holding steady, but back on track and I've lost 4.6 pounds as of this morning.

I will be honest, I'm getting real tired of chicken and fish.  I did roast up some turkey breast, which helped a bit.  I honestly ate brussel sprouts last night for dinner.  Not too bad.  We were out celebrating Stinky's 19th Birthday and I had broiled salmon and brussel sprouts.  It was very good and the entire restaurant joined in on singing Happy Birthday to Mike.

It was a good night.

Forgot to mention...I'm in a pair of jeans today that I could barely squeeze into a few weeks ago.  Today they fit perfect.  YEAH!!

The 17 Day Diet Update #1

Today is Day 5 on the new plan and I've managed to lose 3.8 pounds.  Considering I started on the last Thursday, the weight loss is amazing.  As of yesterday, Krissy was at 3 pounds as well, so it is working for both of us.

Easiest part of the diet plan...eating all the vegetables.  The girls and I had already begun the expansion of vegetables in our lives.  Roasted or grilled asparagus is probably top of the hit parade. 

We do have to credit "Cooks Illustrated" for a lot of help in this department.  I've been receiving the Cooks Illustrated magazine for years and we all have their "The New Best Recipes" cookbook (which we all highly recommend).  Besides all the other recipes, they have a collection of great ways to change up your veggies.

Hardest part of the diet plan...I miss bread.  I'd love a sandwich and I'm not even that big of a fan of a sandwich or a piece of toast....whole wheat would be just fine.

But it helps knowing I only have to do this phase for 17 days.  I can do anything for 17 days.

Back to Reality....which isn't all bad!

Mom and I had a great trip to Minnesota to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins.  We had so much fun talking, laughing, eating, bike riding (NOT).  We can't thank them enough for all their hospitality.  I shamefully did not take as many pictures as I should have.  I sometime get so caught up in the moment, that my camera is the last thing on my mind.

But, I did manage to snap a few.

Here is Lisa's new home.  It's just perfect. You got to love that porch...we sat out there for hours talking.

She and Mark are big into collecting art, but please don't ask me about St. Joe in the corner.  Every time I walked in the door, I nearly had a heart attack thinking there was someone else in the room.  She swears you get used to it...eventually.

We then headed up north to Linda and Patty's house on the lake.  This was the view from the deck.  Just amazing.  Best part was that it was big enough for all of us to be together for a few days.  So special.

Corky chillaxin' after a ridiculous bike ride.

Catching the last bit of the sunset.

We also went to downtown Nisswa (hope I got that right) and went to Rafferty's for pizza.  Honestly, it was the best pizza I ever had.  Just delicious.  Make sure you try the one with lingonberries on it.  I'm serious...it's incredible.

I also got to stay for a few days with my cousin Lori, who is also the originator of the name Mush Push (look to the left on my blog to see my sweet cousin at age 5).  Lori has been on The 17 Day Diet since February (I think that's what she said).  She has lost 18 pounds and is now in maintenance mode.   She looks so great and she highly recommended the plan.                                                                                                                        

As I have been on my own new eating regime for about 2 months and stuck at only 5 pounds, it seemed like a good suggestion. So, I bought The 17 Day Diet book and today is officially day 2.  I will share my experiences as I go.  (Krissy's joining me on this journey, so you might here some of her comments as well.)  

Thanks to my Minnesota Family...I love you all so much.

Until You've Walked in My Shoes....

Did I happen to tell you that last Thursday I wore two different shoes to work? On top of that, no one noticed. Heck, I didn't even notice until I took them off. I am either:

• Getting old and mentally losing it
• Under too much stress
• Way to distracted

Or my closet is so a complete, disorganized mess.

Maybe, it's all of the above. Ugh!

Lavender!

I love the smell of lavender. It's kind of an addiction. I used to grow it, but it attracts tons of bees and Krissy is deathly afraid of bees, so I don't grow it anymore. But I do love finding good sources for lavender products.

My sister brought me this wonderful lavender mist for Easter. I spray in on my pillow before bed and I just love it. I think I was in the middle of opening this gift and telling her she didn't need to bring me presents, until I saw what is was. I than told her she can bring me this...anytime.

If you love lavender too, here's the link for Hillhouse Naturals. Enjoy.

Mid-Life Musings

As some of you may know, I am a 50-something mom and grandma (otherwise know as Muma and Oma). This new age bracket has brought many joys (RJ and Baby Aus) as well as many challenges. I could write buckets about the challenges associated with this time of my life. The hot flashes, the joint stiffness, the moodiness, the inability to get a decent nights sleep....see I could go on and on. But, since the point of this blog is to highlight the best of things, I'm not going to focus on that. (I do know I'm not supposed to start a sentence with the word but. Twelve years of Catholic School, weren't entirely in vain. It's just easier to write, the way I talk.) Instead I am going to focus on the good things that have come from being in my 50s.

So, here are some of my favorite things about being in my 50s:

1. More time - With my kids, mostly out of the house (Stinky is about to turn 17...and other then his general messiness, traffic tickets and occasional attitude issue, he's pretty easy to deal with.) I finally have time to do and think about other things then being a MOM.
   


2. A Burst of Creativity - Honestly, don't know where this came from. Never really had it before. My guess is that I was just too busy creating children that everything else got lost. Suddenly, I'm making cards, invitations, Christmas ornaments, cooking, baking and now blogging. I do think this is a natural part of the aging process. I have a very dear friend who after years of neutral tones, painted every room of her house in a different, brilliant color. I think it was her way to express her new and changing inner self. (And so you know, it looks amazing.)
   


3. Relaxed Attitude - I find that I just don't care as much about what people think about me. By this point, the people in my life are there because they like or love me and that's all that really matters to me.
   


4. Wonderful Girlfriends - I have remarkable and fantastic girlfriends whom I cherish now more than ever. I think I first realized this at Caity's bridal shower. We invited a group of my girlfriends, who are all from different parts of my life, but I have been able to cross-pollenate them, so that they now all know and enjoy each other. Sitting at the table surrounded by these wonderful friends, filled me with such joy and happiness. I realized at that moment how lucky I am to have these women care about me. I'm also lucky enough to still be in touch with a group of girlfriends from High School. How cool is that! Later this month we are having a get together at Miller's (a bar in Dearborn with great hamburgers) to plan out our 35th High School Reunion. Truly amazing and enpowering.
   


5. Sage Advice - At this age you find yourself being much more retrospective. I so wish I could talk to my younger self. There's so much I would like to tell her. Mostly, just relax and enjoy the moments. Don't be in such a hurry to have the kids grow up. There will be time to do all the things you want to do. And to all you younger women out there, please cherish all those hormones surging through your body. Revel in them. Be proud of them. Cause you won't believe how much you will miss them when they start leaving you.
   

Now, if you sat down for a few minutes with my 80-something Mom, I'm sure she'd have different points on her list. Which only means, I'm still not done learning and I'm still not done evolving into my better me.

I Love My Massages!

I had my regular monthly massage last night and I loved it. It is probably one of the best gifts I've ever given myself. This got me thinking about some of the changes I've made in my life in recent years. You see, something happens around the time that you turn 50. Your body starts sending little signals that make you unequivocally aware that your body is a machine built around planned obsolescence. At first you are in complete denial, but eventually you come around to the idea that you've got to make some lifestyle changes to keep the wolves at bay. So here is a list of my lifestyle changes:

1. Gave up Coke during the week - This is perhaps, my biggest challenge. You see, I love me some Coka-Cola, but at this time in my life all it adds is extra pounds. I don't always make it all the way through the week, but I keep trying. I do get to have it on week-ends, especially if we go to the movies.
2. Monthly Massage - This actually started several years ago when I kept having stiff necks and pain between my shoulder blades. I carry all my stress...right there, right at the base of my neck. Every month Kathryn kneeds away the knots and sets me off on my cheerful way. Best part of this is that I got my mom started on these as well. She now comes up monthly for her little bit of heaven and then we get to have lunch together. How cool is that!
3. An Apple or Orange a day - I'm not a big fruit eater. Never have been, but I know how important it is for my body. So, I bring an apple or orange to work with me every day. Around 3ish, when the mid-day doldrums hit, I slice up my fruit and munch away.
4. Eat more vegetables - To do this, I am trying to make two vegetables for dinner and if I'm still hungry I have seconds of vegetables. It's not a big change...but at least it's something. To help keep it interesting, the girls and I have started to explore more vegetable recipes. We've got some great green bean and broccoli recipes and grilled asparagus is delicious. (I'll post my current favorite green bean recipe next week.)
5. Exercise more - OK...this is really the most challenging change in my life, especially during the long months of winter. To help, I've found that I enjoy exercise more if it is actually sport based. The girls and I took tennis lessons last summer and had a great time pretending to play after that. I'm also a golf nut and play weekly on a walking course. Add in one day at the gym and one long walk on Sunday....and I've just exercised four days during the week. See how much easier that is then 4 days at the gym.
6. Water..water..water - I drink more water then every before. I carry a bottle around with me at work and keep a bottle next to my bed. The more water I drink, the more I want. All around a good thing.
7. Weigh myself every day - I went out and bought myself a scale and I weigh myself every morning. Long gone are the days when my mom made me an after school milkshake in order to try and put weight on my skinny little body. So, now I monitor my weight. It helps me to keep my food proportions managed. I'm not obsessed, just aware.

That's it. Those are the little things I've done to help me stay healthy, but I have to admit, I sure miss those milkshakes!