おはよう Hello Japan Readers!

Hello to my new Japanese readers,

Thank you for reading my blog! I hope you find it interesting. If you would like to comment, please do. English or Japanese is fine, because I can simply use a translation system if you write in your native tongue. I would love to hear your feedback. Perhaps you can share some healthy recipes.

再びありがとう

Good Idea from My Niece: Tap & Track

I got this note from my niece the other day and she said I could share it:

Hello Auntie Susan, I just wanted to say yay for your 40 lbs by Christmas goal! I am working losing weight too:):):) I was reading your blog and noticed you were thinking about tracking your calories. When I lost almost 60 pounds a couple years ago that is how I did it. That's what I'm doing again actually:) Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that the iPhone has an awesome app called Tap and Track. You enter your weight and height and weight loss goals and it tells you how many calories you can eat each day. Then you enter the food you eat and it tracks the calories. It has a giant database with a lot of food's nutrition info stored so you don't have to enter the nutrition info for all the food you eat. You can also record your weights and exercise you've done. It's pretty awesome if you do decide to track your calories. Good luck!

Love ya!

Andrea

Thank you, Andrea!  Big hug!

AND..... my Zumba instructor last night after class ended said, "OK, you all know you just burned 1,000 calories doing Zumba with me, right?"  WOW, ONE THOUSAND CALORIES, are you kidding me?  Since I wasn't able to keep up with this particular instructor, I'd have to say I burned a bit less. But still it was a sweat fest!

Privet! Oi! Come va? Grüß dich! Bonjour! Hello to all Readers!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog! It is so great to look at the stats and see you popping in from Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom and all over the United States. You are undoubtedly looking for something interesting. I hope I am able to deliver! :D I am also trying to write like I talk so you can get an idea of how an average person sounds in the USA.

Losing weight is not super easy. Why in the world did I think it might be easy enough? Hoo boy, it is also not really that difficult, but it IS nonstop thinking about what I put into my mouth. Life used to be so simple when I didn't have to plan what I was eating and I could just do life.  When I got hungry I could grab something handy and yummy to satisfy that hunger. Side thought: maybe that is why so many people in the USA are obese. Because the availability of fast food and junk food is literally at our fingertips.

So, today I am a little frustrated and a teensy bit discouraged that this is going to be a long haul project and I have to stick with a plan. My alternative is to go back to my non-plan way of living and most certainly an early grave.

Yesterday I met a wonderful couple from Lima, Peru who now live in the USA. They both enjoy going to the gym and the wife especially loves Zumba. And her husband goes to Zumba with her! ha! Now, that is a good sport right there! :D  We all know aerobic dance (Zumba) is very tricky for guys. ;D

This lady said that she used to hate exercise. She really loathed it. She would rather do anything than exercise. But one day her doctor told her that her cholesterol count was dangerously over 300 and that she would surely die if she didn't take action right away. She used to pass out and faint just because her cholesterol was so high!  Oh my gosh, that's cra-zy!

So, she started exercising and now she really loves it and looks forward to it. I don't know if it is the exercise rush or what, but they both had a very shiny countenance! They look like they feel great, and said that they do! That is inspiring.

Again thank you for reading! Please comment!  Grazie! Spasiba! Danke! Obrigada! XO! and Merci!

FIRST DAY OF WEIGHING IN

I probably should not expect too much yet, right? I mean, I had a slow start. It has been a week, but not a full week of exercise and eating perfectly at the beginning. But still, it has been an official week since I have started.

This morning I weighed in with a 3.8 pound loss. Not too bad. 36.2 pounds to go before Christmas. That is still doable. Christmas is what? Just shy of 12 weeks away? So, if I lose 3.8 pounds every week up until Christmas, I can easily make the goal. At my age, with the metabolism of molasses, I am really fortunate I am able to lose that much.

My friend said she would buy my lunch if I lost 8 pounds total by next Tuesday. That is nice of my friend to be extra supportive! Or maybe she knows she is safe because the likelihood of that happening is slim! haha!  :D

Thanks again, friends, for your support and to those of you who have joined in! YOU ARE AWESOME!!!! haha!  It's true. :D  [that many exclamation points and I'm using a megaphone, right? ;) ]

ZUMBA!

Went to Zumba tonight and about 35 minutes into it, I started to wonder if they would be carrying me out on a stretcher. But because you guys are with me on this quest, I was determined to NOT give in. So, I drank lots of water and when I started to feel like it was too much, I just made my sexy moves a little less dramatic! haha! ;D "Booyah, Ba-by!"

Of course, since I don't know the steps I felt like a newbie, but I figured if I just kept moving it would count! And the steps are not all that difficult.

I saw on Twitter some comments about Zumba that were tweeted within minutes of my class ending. And I realized it is not that easy for anybody. Even my instructor was sweating!

On Twitter: @Devan_Salle said "#zumba kicked my boooty"  @nmpereira17 said "Just had a #zumba workout! Wow they are intense and tiring! But fun :D"   @Lesi_9314 said "#ZUMBA is some serious isshh"  haha! all good comments!  I asked a Men's Health Magazine on Twitter if men ever Zumba. We'll see what they say!

I will be doing ZUMBA twice, maybe three times a week!  If that and eating healthy doesn't take off 40 pounds by Christmas, I don't know what will! (On those other days, I will do other exercise!)

Listen, friends, if I die in this process, you will all know that I died trying to be healthy.  "/ 

ADDING EXERCISE and REPORTING BELOW!

Welcome to Christi, Just Jo, Mjnetty, Robin, and Debbie who commented that she is onboard! It is great to get your support and your suggestions, you beautiful women, you! 

Today I got on the scales and was happy to see a teensy success. I know it will increase as I add exercise, which is what I am wanting to report right now!

Last week Sandy told me in person that she is willing to commit to recording how much exercise she does every day. And I was so glad to hear it because now I feel more accountable, too!!! So, since I know that I will be reporting my exercising starting today, I already got over to the gym for 33 minutes. Yes, I know that is not much, but it is a start. And I will be bicycling for about 30 minutes on my break from work. Later, I will make a comment below and give you exact information.

So if you want to, feel free to comment below and let me know what you did today for exercise!  If I were more techy savvy, we could have like a list on the right over there -> that lists our names and our exercise for every day. BUT, you know what? We will work with what we have and we have room below for all your comments!  ;D   Also, if you didn't exercise today, just jump in when you can. . . . pressure and stress is exactly what we do not need!

Quick note on how it felt to be at the gym after a long time away from the gym: awesome! It was great to be there with everyone else who was covered in sweat. Also, we don't have television at home. We just watch shows and movies online. So, it was fun to see the news and the commercials. Commercials? I know, right? haha! 

OPEN INVITATION TO EXERCISE & RECORD IT

The past few days, I have added pacing and jiggling. I have gone for a couple of short bike rides. I have run up and down the stairs. I have parked far from the door of whatever building I plan to enter. So, I have increased movement a little. BUT. IS that enough? I submit to you, "NO, it is not enough!"  Haha, that sounds like I am shouting, huh? But I'm not. I am being more like a lawyer in a courtroom, pleaing the case. The case, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, for exercise. It is a critical part of any weight loss program.

Starting Monday, I am inviting you to report your exercise with me every day!  I am going to start a regular exercise program of committing to something every day Monday - Saturday.

Now, we don't all have to be as energetic as Amy, who rides her bicycle 12 miles a day to commute to work. Although it would be very beneficial to each of us to do that while we save our planet! (Once, I rode my bicycle 10 miles to work and home one day. I didn't die. It was amazing! Well, and surprising! haha!) 

However, we have to decide how many minutes per day and what type of exercise we will do each day. Perhaps you are at the level of being so out of shape that you need to start by walking out to get the mail. Hey, that is super ok!  We all have to start somewhere. You don't need someone to tell you what to do, do you? You already know that. You just need to do it.

So, how about if you do it with us?

On Monday, I will tell you exactly what I did and how much time I spent exercising. Then, in the comment section below, you will add your comment of what you did and how long. You can also add anything else you want to. Maybe you would like to share how you were feeling when you did this!

WHO IS WITH ME?  Anyone? Anyone?  :)  Any thin people who want to join in this segment....?

Pacing and Jiggling

The whole name of the game is burning calories, right? Over the past couple of years I have noticed that the people who are very thin and stay that way without any real exercise plan do something that I used to find kind of annoying. They jiggle and move a lot. They simply cannot stay still. So, I have learned from that. They are burning calories like nobody's business. (Didn't that sound like Tina Fey? Well, ok, just a little? I felt like Tina Fey when I said it.)

So, I have added jiggling and pacing to my lifestyle. Whenever I have an opportunity, I think, "ok, move!" It's hilarious, right? haha!

Well, when I am talking on my cell phone, I can pace. When I am waiting for something or someone I can flex muscles even if I am not ambulating. And jiggling - ugh - I can intentionally jiggle sometimes, too. (No, I'm not talking about the running-fat-jiggle! haha!)

Having said all this, if you take me to the symphony I will sit still. Ok, well, I might do buttocks squeezes. But you will never notice. ;D

Grouchy People Drain My Happyness

Man! Have you ever been around someone who is grouchy or unhappy? Do you let it affect your day? And here is the million dollar question: Do you let it affect your eating habits?

So, today I was around someone unhappy and I really wanted to go get some gooey chocolate something or another. But, luckily I recognized that it wasn't my problem. So, why am I going to let someone else's attitude affect my attitude? I can still be positive and upbeat. And why have I let people affect my eating habits in the past? I could just kick myself in the butt! 

Yes, it used to be that when I was around negativity, I would find something sweet to eat. That is probably a borderline eating disorder. At least I knew that I wasn't fixing the problem, but I was just making myself feel a little better. I didn't have to eat a lot, but I did want a little something sweet.

Now, I am going to tell myself something different: If someone near me is grouchy. Leave. Maybe not physically, but mentally at least. Their unhappiness is not my unhappy! And surely, if I want something sweet, I can always have a small portion of diet soda and gum. If necessary, for a strong sweet tooth I remember Marie Osmond said she would have a teaspoon of honey. I would gag, but if you like honey it might be worth a try!

And please join me in being happy in spite of all the negativity in the world around us! We can be happy even without an 800 calorie dessert. ;D

Now on Twitter

Hello again,

You can now find me on Twitter, too. http://twitter.com/#!/Lose40pounds

Heading into a Day of Success!

This morning I went shopping and picked up all the foods I think will help me stick with my eating plan that I outlined earlier. (see EATING PLAN post)

I bought some frozen blueberries, yogurt without high fructose syrup, mushrooms, lettuce, salad dressing that I really like, lowfat cheese sticks, crackers, spray "butter", diet soda-one cup every three days since it is not good for my fine-looking body ;D, and the best thing for curbing an appetite - stick pretzels! I will probably eat stick pretzels with nuts - something like 20 pretzels to 10 nuts and that will be a complete snack and together they create protein! Best part is that those stick pretzels are only about 100 calories for 53 pretzels.

So, this sounds like a mixed bag of food. But, I already have fresh vegetables and fruits and some lean meat at home. This was mostly snack items. And note to self: DRINK WATER!!!

Today will be successful! OH! And my husband fixed my bicycle, so when it warms up, I can go for a ride! Thank you, handsome.

AND HERE'S A SURPRISE: Even though I have not been following a plan closely, I have been moving more and eating less, so I have dropped 1.2 pounds so far already! Nice.

Terrible Debacle "GIT RIGHT BACK UP ON IT"

Ok, all of you good folks who are pulling for me. Today was a complete failure. My bicycle had a flat tire this morning. And I did not make it to the store to get the "eating plan" goods and ended up eating what I had around. And then I got sucked into research until 6:00 p.m. when I finally pulled myself away. Do not give up on me. I'm not giving up on me! I'll get to the store in the morning and get on track! If I were a cowboy, I could say I will "git right back up on it and ride that tired old horse 'til she becomes glue".  haha! ew.

EATING PLAN

Ok, I came up with an eating plan that should work for the first week or so as a transition. If there is a steady amount of weight lost, then this will be fine. If there is not enough weight being lost, then I will re-visit this plan and make adjustments.

I'm open to suggestions and recipes. :D

EATING PLAN

Three days and then repeat.  Boredom is a factor to reduced eating. Research shows that if you are bored with your food, you will not overeat. I have found that to be true, too. But I try to build in a nice treat every day like yogurt or a square of chocolate so I don’t feel deprived. Also, a small frozen yogurt can be substituted occasionally.  Of course, I will avoid the chocolate syrup and the junky toppings!

Day 1

Breakfast:
½ cup granola
½ cup milk
½ cup blueberries

Mid-morning:

1 piece of fruit

Lunch:

Salad, a little bit of lite dressing
1 serving  lean meat or fish

Mid-afternoon:

2-3 crackers
10-12 almonds (preferably raw)

Dinner:

Homemade soup with clear broth, small serving

Before bed snack:

1 small container of yogurt without high fructose syrup in it!
Multi-vitamin  (the kind that will dissolve in a glass of water within a few minutes)

Day 2

Breakfast:
1 egg
1 pc of dry toast
½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice

Mid-morning:

1 piece of fruit

Lunch:

Salad with drizzle of light dressing
1 serving lean meat or fish

Mid-afternoon:

2-3 crackers
1 tsp. peanut butter
Diet soda

Dinner:

Boiled or steamed veggies with salt

Before bed snack:

1 small container of yogurt with no high fructose syrup
Multi-vitamin
1 cracker

Day 3

Breakfast:
1 serving of oatmeal
1 tsp peanut butter
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup skim milk

Mid-morning:

1 fruit

Lunch:

Salad with light dressing
1 serving lean meat or fish

Mid-afternoon:

2-3 crackers
4 Brazilian nuts

Dinner:

Baked Potato
Topped with a drizzle of olive oil or spray butter, salt, grilled veggies (in Pam)

Before bed snack:

1 small square of dark chocolate
Multi-vitamin
Herbal tea (optional)

OTHER SNACKS that can take the place of a snack:

Hard boiled egg

3-5 olives

1 cheese stick (no, not fried!!!) haha :D

1 cup of skim milk with a little Hershey’s chocolate syrup

The idea is to keep the snack  to around 100 calories or less. And the purpose is to curb my appetite so I don’t ever get hungry.  If there is hunger after the first couple of days, maybe a smoothie made with fruits and veggies will bring the nutrition up to speed so that hunger will go away.

I tried eating a donut one morning. After I finished the donut, I was still as hungry as before I ate it. Anything healthy, that gives us nutrition, will not leave us feeling so hungry. Nutrition is key.

So, why would I want to eat one little cookie when I could have a whole orange or apple for the same calorie count. A piece of fruit, even though our brain says "yawwwn, borrring" is much more satisfying for hunger than a cookie!

Yay! Members! And My First Day

Yay! Welcome to Alyssa, Ashley and Kim!  Thanks for your support!  And Sandy, thank you for your note and joining me in this quest!  We can do this thing!!!

TODAY:
Ok, when I start the day out not prepared, it doesn't turn out so well. I mean, I did alright. I grabbed some peanuts for breakfast on the way out the door to a meeting. Then at the meeting they were serving up some really rich sauces and pasta with some chicken, salad and the best looking breadsticks you ever want to see. Also, some luxurious desserts! So, here is what I did. I took a lot of lettuce and tomatoes on my plate (it was buffet style) and loaded up on grilled veggies. I added about 5 bites of chicken. I passed on the breadsticks, pasta, sauces and dessert. And I did give in to a diet Coke, even though generally I know diet soda is not good for us.

Not too bad so far, right?

Then for a midafternoon snack, I had some raw nuts and one fresh pear. I got a bit of a tummy ache, so I drank 1/2 cup of kefir for the extra help on the digestion. It did seem to ease the discomfort and my stomach ache did not return.

Then for dinner I was on my way to babysit, running late, and grabbed a salad at Costa Vida. I opted for the vegetarian salad and only used a teensy bit of my vinagrette dressing. I drank water with this meal and left most of the tortilla in the bowl. I will try to post a picture of what I left, but not sure if I can figure it out.

I had one bite of the Creme Brulee ice cream that is still calling my name from my freezer. If I were smart, I would just throw it away, but it was a gift and that would be downright rude!  ;D

Today I am still craving sweets and I have had a headache for a good part of the afternoon. The only thing I can think of is that all the sugar from the previous few days is finding it's way out of my system.

NOW. That is not too bad, right? Ummm, it is ok. It is barely ok. I have no idea how many calories I have eaten. The upside is that everything I ate (except the coke and the bite of ice cream) has some good nutritional value.

As far as exercise? The only exercise I got was walking from the door of the car into the various places I went today. Probably a total of 800 steps if that much. We cannot really count a few times up and down the stairs and dancing in the shower!

If I were to measure calories in versus calories out, I most probably took in more than I burned. I cannot reach a goal that way, so what do I have to do?  PLAN!  More tomorrow with an actual plan!

Here is what I left for dinner, but this is usually the best part to eat!  :(   It will pay off in the end!

Tummy Ache!

Does anyone else ever have a stomach ache when you start eating all healthy foods?  My stomach started hurting after a pear and some nuts. So, I just drank 1/2 cup of kefir, think the probiotics will help with digestion... hopefully that will work!

Saw this "AWESOME" link on Facebook - Girls of all ages, it's for you!

http://blog.pigtailpals.com/2011/08/waking-up-full-of-awesome/


Let us always remember that we are divine by nature. Why in the world do we let media define what beautiful is? Did media write the Bible or the Koran or anything that elevates beauty and glorifies God?

Things to think about!

p.s. I made it through half a day. Didn't get up early enough to exercise so I ran up and down stairs at my house and danced like a cross between Shakira and Kevin James (in the movie Hitch) in the shower!  Maybe I'll get a walk or bike ride later! So far I have done ok on food choices. Really craving ice cream, though. Maybe a small frozen yogurt without junk on top will suffice...?

Thinking About Eating

I do like to eat. It's pretty obvious. I will post pictures here soon.

But the truth is, I like to wait until I am really hungry and then eat some really yummy food kind of fast. It is so fun to me. Perhaps I am a dork for this....? It is way more fun if I can talk with some friends and laugh and eat all at the same time. We can say "Oh, this is so good!" or "Have you ever tasted anything this yum?" and talk and laugh. Did I mention talking and laughing?  LOL. So fun!

Ok, but now I am going to change some of this. Instead of waiting until I am very hungry, I am going to eat a little something every couple of hours. It will not be AS fun, but it will still be fun in a different way. Instead of waiting until I am famished, I can taste things along the way. In fact, all day long I can taste different things.

And since I have been eating unhealthy treats for so long, I am going to have to re-train my mind to remember fruits, nuts, veggies, and grains. I don't like meat all that much anyway, so I won't miss it much.

Instead of thinking about food a lot, I am going to re-train my mind to enjoy thinking of other things that I have long forgotten because I have been so consumed with thinking about food and eating with friends. I will have to re-discover new fun things and then also, discover some new things.

One thing I have already re-discovered is archery. I haven't shot an arrow since high school, but there is a place about 5 miles from my house that will provide all the equipment and all I have to do is show up and give them a couple of bucks to shoot arrows for as long as I like! 

So, eating will no longer be my only hobby. Although, I am looking forward to cooking some healthy recipes if anyone wants to share some!

Anyway, just wanted to share that thought about thinking. Talk more tomorrow! 

Last Chance to Eat Like a Pig

I told you on my first post that today is my last day to eat whatever I want. So, tonight while we were out getting our dog some dog food at PetSmart, my husband offered me ice cream as my last chance and I said "oh yeah"!  :D  So, I had a small ice cream at Maggie Moo's. I was going to tell you what flavor, but if you are eating healthy as you read this, believe me, you really do not want to hear it! Before I go to sleep I may have a couple bites of Creme Brulee by Haagen Das (it was a birthday gift - thank you!) Shouldn't I be getting a commission or something from these companies that I am naming? haha!

Ok, so here's the plan. I am planning ahead for tomorrow. It is about 9:30 pm and I have a plan for tomorrow morning. It is just in my mind, I haven't gone to the store yet, so I will have to make do with whatever we have here.

First, within a half an hour of waking up, I will eat breakfast. It will be small because I want to eat again about two hours later. So, all I need to do is curb my appetite and get my metabolism going. I will most likely have a half of a cup of granola with a little bit of milk. If I have some frozen blueberries, I will put about 10 of those on top, but I may be out. . .  And right after waking up I will be drinking a full glass of water as I do every morning to take my meds for the hypothyroidism that I mentioned in my first post.

Then in a couple of hours, I will eat again during the mid-morning. I don't know what I will eat at that time yet. I do know it will be between 100-200 calories*. I will definitely keep you posted, though!

I have already read The End Game Diet by Bryan R. Daybell (available on Amazon.com) and I am going to be following the Freshetarian blog, which is brand new.  Both of these talk about eating often. And I am all about eating, so that should work out well!  I just need to gauge what I eat, so I don't take in more energy than I care to burn. Yes, I do not like to exercise that much! How did you guess? ;D  (By the way, The End Game Diet is a quick read and comes with an audio CD. It really motivates me to do well!)

*100-200 calorie ideas: couple of crackers and a couple of nuts, or 1/2 glass keifer, or two small pieces of fruit, or one small container of yogurt (without high fructose syrup if possible), or one piece of dry wheat toast with one egg over medium, or a banana. NOT two cookies or 1/2 donut!!! ;D  And if I want to have integrity, I should tell you that I will probably splurge anytime I have wheat toast and put a teensy bit of butter - about 1/2 tablespoon (50 calories, so if you can skip it, do!)

TODAY IS THE DAY BEFORE I BEGIN

Last Monday was my birthday and we have been celebrating all week long!  I have gained 5 pounds and have had a great time eating a lot of whatever I wanted. But let's face it, it was the dark chocolate Costco cake that weighs about 10 pounds that I ate plenty of!  Once a year on my birthday, I think is ok. But every day during the week seems like a bit over the top, don't you think? haha!  Next year I will have to limit it to one day!

I seriously need to lose 40 pounds by Christmas. Once I get to that point, I will probably want to lose 20 more, but no need to worry about that now.

Since turning really old on my birthday, I know that my metabolism is very very slow. Slow as molasses, in fact. If I eat over 1300 calories a day, I will actually gain weight! Plus I have hypothyroidism which should be under control now with meds. Hey, if you are overweight and you have never had your thyroid tested, you really should do that! Having extra weight is not the only problem with hypothyroidism, and you could feel a lot better if you get on meds if you need them.

SO. Today I finished off all I wanted of the chocolate cake and tossed the rest. Because tomorrow I start my quest to lose 40 pounds by Christmas. If you want to join me, let me know!  Each day I will blog how I am doing it!