A Dedication To My Daughter

First I would like to say happy Halloween. In the spirit of celebration, we visited a local pumpkin patch to pick the prettiest pumpkin for our princess. In addition to having a farmer’s market and corn mazes, they had all sorts of animals to feed. We saw ponies, and llamas, sheep, goats, and a turkey. Also among the barnyard bunch were pigs, rabbits, chickens, a peacock, an ostrich, and a dear. Amelia was so funny. She looked completely flabbergasted. It is amazing to get to see the world new again through your child’s eyes. It is such a gift and a blessing to be a mommy. I know we have our share of blah days now and then, but these awesome days are beyond compare. We found the perfect pumpkin and brought it home to carve. This was the first year that we attempted a Jack-o-lantern stencil, and it came out pretty good if I do say so myself. It is super spooktacular!

We were up until after midnight carving our fingers to the bone and enjoying the eve of our daughter’s first Halloween, and although I was sill sleepy when the alarm sounded at 6 am, I took some advice and “SUCKED IT UP BUTTERCUP” (I plan on using that term on a regular basis now). I donned my new sneakers, made a few adjustments to my work out play list on my I-pod, grabbed a box of yogurt raisins and a bottle of water to go, and we headed out the door. Did I mention what an amazing and supportive husband I have? He woke up with me at 6 am (on a Saturday none the less) and got the baby ready and packed the diaper bag. In the car on the way to the race, I popped open my box of raisins and took a mouthful. I quickly realized that they were covered in ants (note to self…we need ant baits for the kitchen pantry…yuck). I guess the added protein was OK on my meal plan, but I was completely nauseated about the fact that I had just eaten live ants, so we stopped and got a plain croissant. We finally arrived at the race site, and met up with Marilyn, her husband Craig, Sophie, and another girl in my boot camp named Morgan. We chatted until it was race time. The “GO” horn sounded before I knew it, and we were off. Marilyn walked/jogged with me for almost the first mile, and I saw Phil (the GMA producer) jogging while I was on my race route. He cheered and shouted for me. I also met Ann, a fellow blogger. She was super sweet. I finally made it to the turn around, and I chugged some water. I was on my way back to the finish line. Previous to the race, I set 2 goals for myself. I wanted to finish the race in under an hour, and I did not want to finish last. I was chugging along at a pretty good pace, on target with my goals when I realized that my right shoe was untied. I had a short debate within my head as to weather or not to stop and tie it. Of course, the mommy in me won, and I stopped to tie my shoe. I was disappointed that I fell behind, but I said a little prayer that God would give me continued strength and endurance, and I pressed on. I reached the last intersection before the finish line, and I began to pick up the pace. I was jogging along, and people in cars along the race route were honking and cheering from open windows. I saw the last turn on our route, and Marilyn was running toward me. She helped me push myself to the final turn where I saw my husband and daughter waiting. I realized I was on the home stretch, and we (Marilyn and I) did several sprints to the end. When I finally arrived at the finish line, I was met with people cheering and clapping. I had done it. I met my goals…both of them. My official time was 59:27 and I finished 2nd to last. I was overwhelmed with emotion, and tears began to stream down my face. I scoped up my baby girl and showered her with hugs and kisses. We commenced with more pictures and a light snack. I had about 2 bites of a slice of veggie pizza and a granny smith green apple. I soaked in the moment. I was on top of the world.

A bit fatigued, we headed for breakfast. I had 2 egg beaters, 3 turkey sausage links, a tomato slice, and ½ of a fruit and yogurt parfait. It was delicious, and the protein was just what I need to help my muscles feel fully recovered. When we got home, I responded to a few emails, and laid down for a nap. I am headed off for a shower in a bit and then the evening Halloween festivities begin. We are taking Amelia to my grandfather’s church for a fall festival and we are taking her to see some family while she is all dressed up as the cutest lady bug ever! That’s all for now. I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend and a Happy and Safe Halloween.

A Blah Kind Of Day

Today was just another day. Amelia was extra cranky today. I finally saw that illusive tooth that I have only been able to feel up until now. It is super cute! She has been a total mommy’s girl today, so I was not able to get much done around the house with the exception of some laundry during her nap.

A few things are going on that I wanted to tell you about. First, Saturday, In addition to being Amelia’s first Halloween, marks the date of my 1st ever 5K race. I am so excited. I am picking up my packet and some other information about the race tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it. A fellow blogger is also going to be there, so I hope to hook up with her at some point during or after the race.

The other important thing that is coming up is metabolic testing. This is a service that my personal trainer offers. She uses a rented hospital quality machine that tells you exactly how many calories you burn. This is not exclusive to her boot campers, so if you are local and would like to sign up, please fill out the form located on her website. The date is set for Nov 7th from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. Maybe I will see some of you there.

I didn’t do my regular walk tonight for a couple of reasons. 1; I switched it up a bit because I am trying to build my endurance and recovery time for Saturday, and 2; it was getting late, and I really wanted to catch the Yankee game. My workout tonight was amazing though. We have a loop of parking spaces near our house with a little field in the middle. The pace was to walk 1 loop, Jump rope 20 times, walk again, and then run. We did 3 sets and were panting and sweating our butts off. Eddie said that I need to quit hanging out with Sophie because I am turning into a drill sergeant too.

We just had a major meltdown here with a poopy, sleeping baby that I had to wake up to change because her dad didn’t have the foresight to do it before put her in bed and a cat with an injured foot, so that’s it for tonight…I am out!

Slow And Steady Wins The Race.

I feel as if I need to refocus on my goal. I would first like to say thanks to everyone for your continued support and encouragement. For those of you that have just joined my blog, the objective is to loose 100 pounds in 1 year. I have lost 17 pounds in the past 8 weeks and 2 days (58 days). Suffice to say, I am right on target for my goal. I have lost an average of 2 pounds a week thus far, and I plan to continue modifying my food and exercise regimen on a continuous and gradual basis. I am definitely more than 100 pounds overweight, but that is my intermediate goal. My short term goal is an average of 2 pounds per week. I want to gradually ease into my new lifestyle as I have tried “diets” in the past with varied levels of success. The one thing that these diets had in common was that they all ended in failure. In the past, I tried strict meal plans with large amounts of exercise, and I quickly burned out (usually within the 1st 3 months). I felt deprived and unhappy with my diets and threw in the towel. I realize that some changes still need to be made in my current meal plan, but for now, I am happy with my progress. I am working closely with my trainer and she is aware of my choices. While she does not endorse every morsel that I place in my mouth, she is also happy with my progress so far. I have already drastically overhauled my eating habits and more changes are yet to come. I have also done a complete 180 when it comes to exercise. In fact, today during boot camp, we ran and walked in intervals, and Marilyn had to speed up to catch me when I was running. She said “Wow, look at you go, I can’t believe how fast you are running!” That was a huge boost to my ego, and the added confidence that I needed headed into the 5K on Saturday. I would like to say publicly (as I have said everything else I suppose) I welcome suggestions with open arms, and encourage those of you who are willing, to email your daily meals for the following week. This will help me to know what is working for people that have already achieved success. I am not an expert obviously, or I wouldn’t be in the predicament of weighing 396 pounds. I am still learning, just as many of you are. I would also like to say that I am going to reach my goal, and while I do want to loose 100 pounds in a year, my main focus is getting healthy. I feel that if I make the changes necessary to live a healthy lifestyle, the weight loss will be a natural bi-product.

The Yankees are on, and I am missing an already disappointing game. Although I am probably not missing much by the sounds of my husband’s angry tone, I am excited that the they are finally back in the World Series and want to catch the game incase their place in this post season is short lived. I hope everyone is well. Only 2 more days to the weekend. Have a great rest of the week.

Weight, Say That Again...

I apologize for not blogging last night, but we were having some technical difficulties. I am so glad that my husband knows a thing or two about computers. It is like having a mechanic in the house J. I did weigh yesterday, and that darn scale almost met her demise. She said that I gained a pound!! I refused to take that for an answer, so I got on the scale again this morning, and I was back down to 396. That’s more like it! I didn’t lose any this week, but I didn’t gain either. After the weekend I had, I am pretty happy with that.

My Oblique muscles are killing me. We did some crazy exercise using a resistance band that, I’m sure, Marilyn dreamed up while trying to figure out new and unique ways to torture us. The way you do it is hold the handle of one (or both) sides of the resistance band while stepping with one foot in the middle of the band (if you can picture it. It is so hard to explain exercise in type, so I will make sure that we do this one on the video) The foot that is stepping on the band is back slightly further than your other foot, Then while holding the handle(s) you move your arms (without bending your elbows of course) from hip level on the side that you are stepping on the band and you twist using your oblique muscles to bring your arms to shoulder level on the other side. It sounds complicated, but it’s actually pretty easy until you do about 10 of them, and then you are hoping the end is near. I still feel it 2 days later. It hurts (in a good way) to laugh. We have a potential date to shoot the exercise video. It will be November 14th, so give me about a week to get it uploaded after that.

I did really well on eating yesterday.
Breakfast: 2 packets of apple cinnamon oatmeal
Snack: Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: Healthy Choice chicken and pasta in pesto sauce, broccoli and carrots, and cherry crisp
Snack: Cup of yogurt
Dinner: Grilled chicken salad with ranch dressing and a biscuit

I have boot camp again tonight, so I guess that means 2 posts today!! The Yankees are playing tonight also, so it might be a late post. This is a monumental occasion. They are finally back in the World Series for the first time in 6 years! I will post more later. Let’s Go Yankees!!

Might As Well Jump!

Well, today was awesome (if I had to choose 1 word to describe it). I met my mom for a late lunch at Bob Evans (for those of you that don’t know it, suffice to say that their buttermilk biscuits are heavenly). I avoided the biscuits and stuck with a side salad. Marilyn (my personal trainer) taught me a cool trick about salad dressing. If you dip your fork in the dressing before each bite instead of pouring it directly on the salad, you use way less, and it is totally satisfying. My mom has jumped on the wagon with me and has lost somewhere near 16 pounds. She is doing great. She experimented with a recipe for flourless brownies that she brought for me to sample. They weren’t half bad. Once we perfect it, I will be sure to pass it along. It was perfect with the exception of the sweetness level. It could have been a lot sweeter, so we have to work on that. She said that it didn’t take any time to make, so I am looking forward to the next batch.

As you know, Today was boot camp, and it was also the last day of week 8 on my new program. My endurance has gone through the roof (the credit goes to Marilyn I’m sure). In class today, I shocked everyone. I jumped rope. I didn’t skip rope. I full on (Rocky VI) jumped rope. I lasted for a while too. For those of you that don’t think you can do it, I am living proof. Some people just stopped their own exercise and stared. I am sure it was a sight. Although I’m sure I didn’t look it, I felt like a star athlete training for the Olympics (I hope you all enjoy these fantasies I dream up in my head). I giggled like a giddy school girl on the inside. The truth is. I was so proud of myself! Phil (the produce for GMA that came to my house to set up for the live interview) just happened by the park where we workout. I am sure that was a total coincidence. I bet he is a super double agent sent by ABC to spy on me, and he was shocked to see me there. I was dripping sweat, with a big smile on my face (as if to say, Ha, I told you I would be here). I hope he comes on Wednesday too; I will make him jump rope with me!

My food today consisted of the following:
Breakfast: Peanut butter sandwich on Wheat
Lunch: Healthy Choice Penne Pasta with tomato basil sauce and a side salad with ranch dressing
Dinner: Chicken Caesar Sandwich on 3 cheese bread
I went grocery shopping after boot camp, and was too tired to make dinner, so we stopped at Panera.

Tomorrow is day 1 of week 9, and it is also my weigh day. Aunt Flo has been visiting this week, so I am hoping to at least hold steady at 396…we shall see. If she knows what’s good for her, she will be just as sweet as she was last week! I am going to go for now, I had some workout tonight, and I have a headache from the weight of my sports bra on my shoulder ( I hope I loose some weight in my boobs soon) I am going to take some Advil and call it a night. I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I will talk to you tomorrow!

PS. The Yankees made it to the World Series…it’s about time!

Confection Affection!!

My crazy confection weekend has finally come to a close. I must say, I did pretty well considering my love for cake, cookies and treats of all kinds. The first party was on Saturday, and I ate 2 hot dogs…1 was turkey, and 1 was all beef topped with organic condiments. There were 2 cakes at this party. 1 was chocolate with chocolate frosting, and 1 was marble with butter cream frosting. It is amazing that I know this without having tasted either of these cakes. I am like a wine connoisseur that can tell the flavors of the wine just by the smell. I can tell the contents of a cake just by the sight…sad, I know! I resisted the temptation and steered clear of the cake…both of them. I was so proud of me. After the party, we had a late lunch with a friend at Ruby Tuesday’s. I ate a spinach and mushroom quiche with broccoli and a salad…I was starved, so I ate a little more than I should have I suspect, but I tried to make some decent choices. That was it for Saturday. Sadly, the Yankees got rained out, so nothing major happened for the rest of the day.

Sunday dawned, and my day started with a shower, and then it was off to church. The message today was about God’s promise and I was so blessed by the word. After church, we headed to the 2nd birthday party of the weekend. I was famished as all I had eaten was a turkey and cheddar luchable. I really have to work on this no breakfast thing, I know. I was in a hurry to get to church OK! I did end up having a couple of bites of cake…like 3 or 4 small bites, and Eddie ate the rest. I was almost glad I did, because I was able to prove to myself that I do have self control, and food is not my master. For lunch, I ate a buffalo chicken sandwich from Subway with sun chips and water. When we got home from the party, we were all beat, so all three of us piled in the bed and took a nap. It was just what I needed after a long and exhausting weekend.

I do have a confession to make. I did not walk on Friday. My daughter has been so miserable with her teeth, and she fell asleep. I just didn’t have the heart to wake her up. I didn’t get in any real exercise this weekend either, so I am really looking forward to getting back to boot camp tomorrow. I hope everyone has a great week. I will post more soon. Goodnight and sleep tight!

Let Them Eat Cake...

I am sorry that I didn’t post last night. Here is my official excuse: The dog ate my keyboard! Amelia is teething, and I can feel that the tops of her bottom front teeth have broken through her gums. She is completely miserable and so am I. She looks so pitiful. I have tried Baby Ora-gel, and she hates it. I have tried Tylenol, and that doesn’t seem to help. The only thing that has provided any temporary relief is Luigi’s Italian Ice. Wow, imagine that, a popsicle makes her feel better…what am I going to do with this kid?

Other than the teething trouble, things are good. We are finally getting caught up on some bills (thanks to the help of my amazing grandfather), My eye Dr. gave me a new pair of trial contact lenses…thank goodness, and I received an awesome new pair of sneakers from the New Balance Store in Carollwood off of Dale Mabry (shameless plug). I am a total convert. I used to be a hardcore Nike fan, but my new RUNNING shoes are super comfy and supportive. Did you notice I said RUNNING shoes? OK, I just wanted to be sure!

Well, it is finally Friday, and the weekend is upon us. I have church and 2 birthday parties this weekend. There is no rest for the weary. I am tired just thinking about it. I am curious how I am going to cope with all of that birthday cake. Cake is like a drug to me. I might consider buying it on the black market if it were ever outlawed, so you see my dilemma. I am not an emotional wreck. I don’t eat my feelings (although I know people who do, and it a serious problem) I just like cake…and pizza and ice cream for that matter. I just had to get that off of my chest. I have been getting some emails from people that seem to think that I have some deep seeded psychological issues, and I just wanted to assure everyone that is not the case. If I did, trust me, I would seek professional help.

I am going for another walk tonight. I went for one last night too. This is just a public service announcement…I am not going to get into the details, just take my word for it. DO NOT….and I repeat DO NOT run, walk, or do exercise of any kind on a full stomach! I am sure you already knew that, but me, being the person I am, had to find out the hard way. Suffice to say, I am having dinner AFTER my walk tonight.

My meals today consisted of the following:
No breakfast (I know, shame on me)
Lunch: Michelina's Lean Gourmet Chicken Cheese and Rice, 4 oz pineapple in pineapple juice, 1 cup sugar free Jell-o
Snack: Sliced Apple with peanut butter
Dinner: Wheat pasta with 96% lean ground beef, and Heart Smart Traditional Prego Pasta Sauce.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I am going to be super busy, so if you don’t hear from me on Saturday or Sunday, don’t panic. I will back with a full report on Monday. I know I sound like a broken record, but don’t forget about kickball. That’s all for now XOXOXO

Sleepless in South Florida

I was up at 6:30 am to take my husband to work. We only have 1 vehicle, so I have to take him to work on the days that I go to boot camp. I HATE getting up early, but I am determined to whatever it takes at this point. My little pumpkin woke up smiling, so that made the morning a little better. When I got home, I answered some emails and chatted with a few people, paid some bills, and fed the baby. I had a pretty laid back morning.

I took a break from the computer in the afternoon…my husband thinks I’m an addict, but I can quit any time I want…I swear. I snuggled up with my daughter and took a much needed nap. It was some nice quite time with the otherwise quite energetic rug rat. She is all over the place now, and she is starting to try and climb…let the stress and worry begin. Who am I kidding, the worry started from the 1st day I found out I was pregnant!

My day started to fall apart from there, I got Amelia ready, and I got myself ready to go pick Eddie up from work and head to boot camp. Sounds pretty simple right…WRONG! I was in the bathroom when the nightmare began. I was trying to get my contacts in. they were stuck to the inside of the lid, and wouldn’t you know it…I dropped the stupid lid. I have still not been able to find my contacts…they must have vanished into thin air. By the time I gave up the search party, Amelia was screaming for a bottle, and I was running 15 min late. I made a bottle and headed out the door. I was happy to be on the road until I looked down at the dash and realized I was on E. I was on the verge of throwing in the towel. I stopped to get gas (10 dollars used to fill my tank. What happened to those days?), and finally made it to Eddie’s work…15 min late. He had a frustrating day dealing with Sallie Mae about his student loans, so he was none too happy to be stranded at work for an additional 15 min. I made it to boot camp. Amazingly, I was only about 5 min late. I rushed to join the class, but I don’t think I pushed myself as hard as I could have because I was still peeved from the chaos of getting there, and I hate working out in my glasses.

Although I was aggravated, I must have still gotten a pretty good workout because I am completely aware of my abs tonight. I wouldn’t say I am sore, but it feels like I had a work out. After boot camp, I was talking to Marilyn (my trainer) because some of you have reached out and have been asking what kind of exercises I do. Marilyn has offered to do a series of short exercise videos with me that I will upload to you tube and post a link were you can download them at no charge. I will keep you updated with the details. It may take a few weeks, but I thought that would be better than trying to explain it in writing.

My meals today consisted of the following:
Breakfast: Peanut butter sandwich on wheat
Lunch: Chicken and Broccoli Fettuccini (Michelina’s lean gourmet) ½ cup 2% cottage cheese, 4 oz pineapple chunks (in pineapple juice) and a cup of sugar free jello
Dinner: 12” tuna sub from subway on Honey Oat bread
I know I did not get enough calories in today because I took a nap, Se La Vi…tomorrow is another day.

Please don’t forget to send me an email (Stacypie3279@aol.com) if you would like to join us for kick ball. Once we have enough people, we will nail down a time and place. All fitness levels are welcome. It is 1 am here, so I am going to hit the sack. Goodnight and sweet dreams!

Where Do I Begin...

I guess at the beginning would be good…Today was my weigh day. I grumbled as I made my way to the bathroom. I peed before I stepped on the scale. Everyone knows that you always weigh on an empty bladder, and never with wet hair. Ever ounce counts! My little sweet scale told me that I weigh 396 pounds. I was shocked. That means I have lost 3 pounds this week and 17 in total. I’m not going to read too much into it though because I have a feeling that she is just buttering me up for the holidays.

My GMA interview aired a little after 8 am today. I was a bit nervous being live, but I made it through. How did I do? We had oatmeal for breakfast and leftovers for lunch. I made a strawberry chicken salad (the ingredients can be found on a previous post). I answered a bunch of emails today, and I made almost 200 new friends on Facebook and Myspace. I feel so blessed to have so much support and encouragement. I read every single comment, and was touched by so many of you. One email in particular was from a 15 year old girl. She also has a blog, and she blogged about me today. I was stunned by her talent and maturity. I hope she is representative of the future of our country.

We are all in this together. We have a tough road ahead of us, but we can do it. We will do it. I have no doubt. For those of you not on a weight loss journey, I am sure you are on some kind of journey. We all meet challenges at some point, but the principals are all the same…Stay Focused, Stay Positive, and Never Give Up.

Grilled chicken and broccoli was on the menu for dinner. It was delish. I like broccoli for a couple of reasons. I like the taste of it steamed, and you can have it in larger portions with little negative impact. I am all about more bang for your buck. I am a mom on a budget after all. I will be going for a walk tonight, but first, the Yankees. We are in game 4 of the ALCS against the Los Angeles Angels. The yanks lead by 1 game, but to win they need the best of 7. Speaking of games, I am still taking names for kickball. I really want to get something nailed down, so please let me know if you are interested. I hope there are no extra innings tonight. I didn’t get much sleep last night because Amelia was up with a fever from her shots yesterday, and I was anxious about today. I hope everyone is having a great week. Tomorrow is boot camp, so I will post more soon. Good night for now.

ABC...Easy As 123...

I just realized that I never told you when my segment on Good Morning America is going to run. That was a pretty big oversight on my part. I am really sorry. It will run in the 8 o’clock hour tomorrow, October 20th. I am really looking forward to the interview. In addition to the footage that has already been filmed, I am going live via satellite on the show tomorrow. ABC has also sent me a video camera to film a video diary of my progress that will be aired on a periodic basis. I am sure that I will find out more details about that as time goes on. I had a jam packed day today. Amelia had 2 doctor’s appointments today (she had to get shots again...yuck). She had her regular check up and her first eye exam. She read the eye chart perfectly…lol. I also had an eye exam, and then went to Boot Camp this evening. While I was running up a hill, I twisted my ankle a bit. I shook it off and sat for a while. While my ankle was resting, I did some bicep curls with 12 pound weights. We ran some crazy obstacle course today, and my suspicions were confirmed. Marilyn’s daughter, Sophie is a drill sergeant! She worked out with me today, and when it was time to climb the hill for the second time, she said…and I quote “Let’s try to do it 4 times this time since we did it 3 last times.” My first reaction was to say “Where is the camera? Am I getting punked?” I quickly found out that there was no practical joke involved, and ran my butt up the hill…4 times. It was easy for Sophie; she is 10, and probably weighs about as much as my right leg! I could not disappoint her though (she is a total doll) so I sucked it up and hiked my butt up and down that hill. I am in the midst of cooking diner (Strawberry Chicken Salad), and the Yankees lost tonight. Suffice to say, my husband is in a less than desirable mood. I swear that the world could stop spinning, and it wouldn’t matter as long as the Yankees were winning! I am going to hit the road for tonight, because I have to finish dinner and make my house presentable for ABC for the 2nd time this week. I hope I get an offer for a maid out of this deal…here’s hoping. Have a good evening.

Crisp Fall Air…Spring In My Step!

Thursday was a lot of fun, but it was such a long day. The camera crew was here for 9 hours. From 9 am until 6pm. I was completely wrecked after they left. I am totally dumbfounded as to how families can endure making reality shows. It was like a TV set in my living room. Furniture was rearranged and there was camera equipment everywhere. It was complete chaos! Friday was not much better. I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a train. I think because I stood a lot for the interview, and there was very little time for rest. Amelia slept, well, like a baby. She took 2 naps while the camera guys were here. It was business as usual for her. I guess she is accustomed to the camera, because her dad and I always have the camera in her face like the paparazzi. We did have to run a few errands yesterday, and Eddie had a doctor’s appointment, so while we were out, we took Amelia to the Yankee gift shop at Legends Field for the first time. We have been going there for the past 10 years for birthday and Christmas gifts. Marie is the lady that runs the store, and we have known her since we have been going there. She has seen us go from dating to engaged to married to pregnant. Just our luck, yesterday was her day off…we will try and see her again soon. I woke up feeling much better today, and the weather was perfect! The high was 74 degrees. That is my kind of weather! We went for a walk this evening, and it was 66 degrees. As most of you already know, I am going to participate in The Great West Chase on Oct 31st, so I have tried to kick it up a notch. We walked along Bayshore, and there are light posts about every 50 yards, so my pace was to walk 2 light posts and run 1. By the time it was time to turn around and head back, I had gone .2 miles farther than normal. On the way back to the car, something truly amazing happened. When it came time for me to run, I sprinted. Eddie said that it looked like I was running for my life away from a pack of wild dogs! It was an out of body experience. I felt like my body was inhabited by Carl Lewis! I think I might have been able to take him at that moment. My husband, almost a full 200 pounds lighter than me, had to run to catch up with me! When he finally reached me, he was cheering and clapping. He said that seeing that made him believe that anything is possible. He just kept telling me that I am amazing. Truthfully, I feel amazing. When I put the pedal to the medal and I was running as fast as I could, I felt totally free! I felt like I was out running the fat! I felt unstoppable! The hubs sacrificed half of the Yankee game in order to walk with me (and that’s something because they finally made it to the ALCS), so I am going to go and watch the end of the game with him. I will post more soon. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Good Morning America...

Good morning...well afternoon I guess. I am so sorry that I didn't have a chance to update my blog yesterday. I was busy getting my house clean for the interview. It is going very well by the way. I was so nervous, but I was assured by the camera crew that "the camera loves me"! I had boot camp last night, and we played Marilyn's version of a "game" It was like dodge ball without the throwing. Basically we had to start at a middle point, squat to pick up a ball, and run back to our base and squat to place the ball on the ground. Once all the balls were gone from the middle, we had to run to the other team’s base and steal balls from them. I have a pretty competitive spirit, so I really pushed myself. I got really tired, and I got a stitch in my side. I had a really good workout despite the fact my first instinct was skip boot camp yesterday to get ready for the interview. I shook that thought out of me head, tied up my sneakers, and hit the bricks. It was a little warm yesterday for outdoor activity. I just can’t wait for some cooler weather to come upon us. Winter will be bitter sweet because I will get some relief from the heat, but that means no water aerobics for a few months. I will increase my walking at that point, and I am sure that Marilyn has some big things in store for me now that my blog is going national...again bitter sweet!! I have a few more hours of shooting, so I am going to say goodbye for now. I will post more soon. Please don't forget to email me about your interest in kickball if you haven't already.

A Stay Of Execution...For Now!

Today was a good day. It started with my appointment with my scale. As you know, we haven’t been on the greatest terms lately. I think that she sensed that she was pushing her luck, so she told me I weighed 399 pounds. I lost 1 pound, but after last week, I will take it. Losing a pound is better than gaining a pound any day (unless you are Paris Hilton, that girl needs to eat a sandwich)! I am so happy that I am finally going in the right direction on the scale. I did a 45 min water aerobic routine this evening. They FINALLY got the pool cleaned. I was worried that that pool would be frozen over before I had a chance to get back in it! It was a terrific workout. I swam for a while, did some ab work, leg work, and I worked on my arms using these really cool under water dumb bells. They are light as a feather out of the water, but once you get them under the water, they work like a charm. I have some pretty exciting news. I got a call this morning from ABC Action News - Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts. It seems that since my story was featured in the St. Pete Times, it has been picked up on the news wire. I am doing an interview on Thursday. I’m not sure when the story is going to run, but I will keep you updated. I was completely dumbfounded. I can’t believe that this has become so news worthy. I am a mom and a wife and I am trying to get to a healthy weight for my family. I am so amazed that my little blog has stirred up so much attention. My main motivation for starting a blog was to gain accountability, and, well, I guess there is no turning back now. I am so excited to share my story. I hope that I am able to inspire more people to get fit and healthy. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity, and I appreciate all of you that have already joined me on this journey. I always look forward to your emails and comments. I am still collecting names for kickball, so if you are interested please email me at Stacypie3279@aol.com. I have boot camp tomorrow, so I will be sure to post an update tomorrow evening. I told Marilyn about my interview, and she said that means that we have to bump up the exercise (Note to self…don’t tell Marilyn about any more interviews) I need to give my daughter a bath, so I am going to bid you all a good night.

Fe Fi Fo Fired...I Am So Stinkin' Tired

I reluctantly went to boot camp today. I was searching for an excuse not to go (I had some pretty convincing ones all planned out) because I am so tired, but I received some awesome and encouraging emails today from some of my email subscribers, so I got off my butt and went. I am so glad I did, because I had a terrific work out. I ran a lot today. I do it now just because I can. I am not sure how it looks to everyone else, but it feels amazing to me, and I guess that's all that matters. I did these really cool one-legged squats today where I was on my tip toe on one leg and flat footed on the other leg. The tip toe leg supported 20% of my weight, and the flat foot leg supported the other 80%...That's 320 pounds...I just realized how unbelievable that is. Anyway, it was a great exercise and took so much pressure off of my knees. I also did 100 crunches holding an 8 pound ball for leverage. I feel like I ate a jar of Vick's Vapor Rub after I work out. I feel like I can breathe so much easier, and my recovery time after exercise is getting so much better. The best is yet to come, and it will only get better from here. I would like to take a moment to say hello to all of my new email subscribers and say thank you for joining me on my journey. It really helps me stay focused when I feel like all of you are counting on me. I don't want to let you guys down. Thanks so much for keeping me accountable. I am determined to reach my goals, but I am human and I do get distracted or feel unmotivated sometimes, and I am so glad that I can rely on you guys to keep me on track. Please check out the videos in my video bar. I have some stuff on there of my daughter, Amelia, and a video from a vacation in NY in 2004. It is pretty sad that I needed a video of the Hershey store in Time's Square. I guess I should have realized there was a problem way back then. My weigh day is tomorrow. Please cross your fingers and say a prayer for me. I need to see some results this week...and the scale better take me seriously. If she doesn’t tell me what I want to here, she is going to be sleeping with the fishes! I am going to call it a night for now, but I will give you an update regarding the outcome of my date with the scale tomorrow. I hope everyone is having a good week so far. Nighty Night.

Walk This Way...

I went for a walk this morning and quickly remembered why I usually wait to walk after the sun goes down. I started at 10:30, and I didn’t make it back to my car until 12:30. Of course, me being me, it could not be just a normal, simple, little walk. It was 95 degrees outside, and the sun was blaring, so my brilliant idea was to cut down a “nature trail”. I use this term loosely because the only nature I encountered was trees and mud and mosquitoes the size of pterodactyls. I was hot and sweaty, and by the time we emerged from “nature”, we still had about 2 more miles to go. I felt like I was on Survivor Island. I began to imagine oases and mirages. I was completely out of water when an angel from God appeared in a TECO truck. He stopped, and cool air wafted out of his open window. He asked “Do yall’ need anything?” I replied “Do you have any water?” He said “no”, but pointed to this giant blue pipe sticking out of the ground “That pipe has drinking water. I can open it up for you.” He offered, and I gratefully accepted. My face felt swollen, and I began to see spots in front of my eyes, so I knew I had to get cool and fast. When he opened the valve to flush the system, it looked like someone opened a fire hydrant on a NY city street. I waited for a few moments to get rid of the stagnate water. He then lowered the pressure and I filled my cup and I got myself wet. It was a shock to the system because the water was so cool, but it was just what I needed to make it back to my car. I wiped off the baby with a cool, wet cloth and made sure she had plenty of water. She drank 8 oz during the course of our walk. I was worried that was too much, so I gave her some Pedialyte when we got home. She was no worse for ware! I finally made it back home to the air conditioning and my comfy couch. I was toast for the rest of the day. I slept through most of the Yankee game…which was awesome by the way. I am super tired so I am going to hit the sack! I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Don't Call It A Come Back...

Well, despite the fact I was disappointed about that stupid, annoying pound, I dragged my butt to boot camp tonight. I am so glad I did. I used this minor setback to fuel the fire of determination that is burning inside of me. I decided that I was going to dig in and push hard. What I found when I got to that point was surprising. I found a fountain of strength and energy that was buried under the fat way, deep down inside, and I RAN. I actually ran. It felt awesome. I could only run for about 25 seconds at a time, but the important thing here is that I ran. I was tired and hot and sweaty and gross, but I felt amazing. Also, my husband bought me a “you’re doing great” gift. I was so surprised. When he came to pick me up from boot camp, he presented me with an awesome nail kit with lotion and oil and a buffing block (the Dead Sea stuff that they sell in the kiosk in the middle of the mall). He is the greatest. He always knows just how to make me feel better. I am so excited about this week. I am going to follow my meal plan more closely and make sure I am getting enough meals in the day (no more skipping breakfast) to keep my metabolism going. I am in hopes that will be enough to finally get the scale moving in the right direction! I hope everyone has had a good week so far…only 2 more days to the weekend. Please don't forget to let me know if you are interested in kick ball so that we can get something set into stone. The Yankees are in the playoffs and the game is on TV, so I am going to go watch them dominate the Twins...Let's go Yankees!

This Was Not Part Of The Plan.

I anxiously stepped on the scale this morning. My scale talks in a female robotic voice. I waited with baited breath, a moment passed, and she blurted out "your weight is 400 pounds." It was if she was mocking me. My first reaction was to open my bedroom window and toss the lying Jezebel into the pond behind my house. I had a feeling that sneaky little pound was stalking me, but I vow to get rid of him, plus a couple of his annoying little friends this week. In addition, I plan on filing a restraing order so that they can't come back. I didn't walk tonight because I have a very early morning tomorrow. I have boot camp tomorrow afternoon though, so I am sort of grateful for the rest. I plan on walking my normal 3 miles on Thurs and Friday at the least. Well, that's it for tonight. I am going to bed after a frustrating day!

Working Hard...

I went to boot camp today, and Marilyn is kicking it up a notch. I guess that's why she calls it Kick It Up Boot Camp. The first 2 weeks she was so sweet and gentle. I guess that is your grace period. I didn't hear "Stacy, you may not want to do this" or "Stacy, you may want to modify this exercise this way" once today! Today, I met the full on, in your face, get your butt moving and don't look back Marilyn, and I kind of like her. I need a kick in the butt once in a while. Let's face facts, I am 399 pounds. Obviously, something went awry with my self motivation techniques at some point. I work very well under pressure, and I truly believe that I can do anything. I have no mental blocks to hold me back. In my opinion, that is the hardest part of the battle...getting mentally tough. I heard a saying once that pain is just weakness leaving the body. Well, I got rid of a lot of weakness today. The workout today focused mainly on arms and abs. According to Marilyn, everything should be a ab workout...Yippee!! The most consistent thing that I hear during my hour long sessions is "Keep your abs tight and your shoulders back". I feel like I'm in charm school. She might as well walk around with a wooden ruler and whack people while reciting the phrase "No Slouching"!! I am kidding of course, Marilyn is the best, and she has been a tremendous help. I have learned so much in the 3 short weeks that I have been attending her classes. I am looking forward to seeing what she has in store for me as I begin to shed the pounds. As I become more agile and flexible, I am looking forward to more difficulty. One of my long term goals is to be able to run. I am not talking a cute little trophy wife jog. I am talking a full out, pedal to the metal, hide and go seek (not it) kind of run. I know that sounds insane, but whoever said I was completely normal? Another thing I want to be able to do at some point is a military style push up (not some girly, sissy, knees bent, I might break a nail kind of push up). I would like to request something from my faithful readers. I don't know how possible it would be, but I would like to organize a kickball or softball game (Kickball requires less equipment), and I would like for you to participate. Please email me if you are interested at Stacypie3279@aol.com so that we can figure out a date, time, and location. I am going to call it a night for now. I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I don't want to hear about anybody with a "case of the Monday's" Good night for now...sleep tight!

Life...

It is so hard to stay focused when life is happening all around you. I didn't walk yesterday or today because we have been busy trying to get the house clean and back in order. We spent all day cleaning yesterday, but I did manage to make a delicious dinner. I cooked chicken, a bag of frozen mixed veggies, celery, carrots, chopped garlic, and onion in the crock pot. Once the chicken was cooked through, I took the chicken and vegetables out of the crock pot and cooked some brown rice in the stock. Once the rice was tender, I put the chicken and veggies back in. It was so good, and it was just the ticket after a long day of work. Of course, laundry spilled over into today. Laundry in never completely done with an infant in the house. I just had to get out of the house today, so we did some grocery shopping and went to the mall to pick up my daughter's Halloween costume. She is going to be a lady bug...too cute. I got a deal on her costume at Children's Place in Brandon Mall. The Halloween gear was 30% off, so I was happy about that. We had another great dinner tonight. I made a strawberry, chicken salad with balsamic vinaigrette. I used a bag of spring mix salad greens; I added some chopped Romaine hearts, sliced strawberries, chopped walnuts, grilled chicken breast, and gorgonzola cheese. I made the vinaigrette with 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 3/4 cup EVOO, 1/2 Tbs salt, 1/2 Tbs pepper, and 2 Tbs Splenda. I whisked that all together until the salt and Splenda were dissolved, and then drizzled the mixture over the salad. It was literally the 1st salad that I have ever made at home that I actually enjoyed. I even have enough for lunch tomorrow...I am looking forward to it! I have boot camp tomorrow, and it is the beginning of a new class. I am really excited about that, and I hope to see some of you there. I think I am going to call it a night. I will post more soon. Sweet dreams!

Success...

My daughter slept in her own bed all night last night and for her nap this afternoon. Here’s hoping for another successful night tonight. I took the night off because I am feeling a little worn out. It has been a rough few nights and it is going to take a really good night's sleep for me to be all caught up. I will be back at it tomorrow. My poll has ended, and the popular vote for chucking the weight loss program in the past is lack of motivation. I have totally been there. When I was younger, I was defiant about losing weight. I didn't feel it was necessary for me to conform to society's standards. As I got older, that translated into lack of motivation because I was just so used to being lazy and fat! I really started to be concerned about my weight when I got engaged. I had a vision of myself walking down the aisle looking like the Michelin Man, so I joined a gym and got my bohunkus on the tread mill. I was on a low carb diet as well, and that seemed to work, because with the combination of diet and exercise I lost 50 pounds. Once the honeymoon was over, however, I quickly gained back all the weight I lost plus a few. I got comfortable again, and life kind of got in the way and I just gave up. I was complacent in this holding pattern until my husband and I started talking about having a baby, so when we stared trying, I got back on the wagon. I chose a low fat and low calorie diet because I realized that low carb could not be a lifestyle change for me. I just can't live without bread or pasta forever. Once I got pregnant, the "diet" and exercise was out the window again because I miscarried previous to getting pregnant with my daughter and I was terrified that it was because of something I did, so I sat with my feet up for the first 6 months. By the time I felt comfortable enough to go for walks again I was 7 months pregnant. For those of you that have ever been pregnant, walking is the last thing on your mind in the last trimester. I waddled like a duck, and my bladder was the size of a flattened penny, so walking was out. I had this sensational idea that I would get out and walk with the baby once she was born, but when she got here I found out that things didn’t fit in neat little boxes of time anymore. I felt like my entire day was consumed by just trying to keep her fed. I was having trouble breast feeding so the schedule was as follows: offer her the breast, give her bottle, try to pump. By the time I finished, it was time to sterilize the breast pump and start all over. I was an emotional wreck because I had my heart set on breast feeding, and that just didn't happen. I was physically and emotionally exhausted for the first 3 months of her life. People kept telling me that things would get easier, but the light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be the headlamp of an oncoming train. We finally got over the hump of 2 am and 4 am feedings and the colic...oh the colic, and by the time she was 4 1/2 months old, I decided to get my life back in order. I was terrified the first time I stepped on the scale. I swore to myself that I would never be back to 400, but low and behold...413. I weighed 1 pound less than I did before we started trying to conceive. I was back to square 1. That was a huge blow to my morale, but I came to the conclusion that nobody could change my life except for me, and I had a brand new reason to stick to it this time. So, here I am, well on my way to getting healthy. I guess my whole point to this long and drawn out story is that you have to find your own source for motivation. It helps me to see my daughter while I am eating and working out. She is a constant reminder why I am doing what I am doing. Thanks for listening to my story. I hope everyone has a terrific weekend! I will post more soon, but until then, I bid you good night.

Sleepless in New Tampa

Exhaustion has reached a new level! We are in the process of transitioning my 5 1/2 month old daughter from our bed to her crib. It has only been 3 days, but I am tired. She has done pretty well getting to sleep in her crib, but by 2 am she is screaming her head off. I thought the sleep depravation was over when we got through the colic stage, but I guess it was just beginning. I went to boot camp yesterday, and boy did I get a workout. I climbed up and down a hill 8 times and when I say hill, I don't mean a slight incline, Think San Francisco! I did 100 sit-ups, jump rope, 50 crunches and some arm and leg work. Not to mention, we played tag twice. I had so much fun. I felt like a kid at recess!! I will be hanging from the monkey bars with my munchkin in no time, so if you see me at the playground, I am won't be hanging there because I have some mental instability, it will simply because I CAN!! We went for another 3 mile walk today. I made it in 72 min. I know that wasn't as good as my previous time, but we had a cranky baby on our hands, and I had a serious chaffing situation (let's just say that I found out that I had a hole in my pants about 20 min too late). One of my friends on Facebook posted some info on the Inaugural Florida Half-a-thon and 5k Race at Fort Desoto on March 21, 2010. I think I am going to register, and I will do my best to be in running shape by then (well, at least jogging shape). Marilyn told me about another 5k in Westchase on the morning on 10/31/09. I think I am going to register for that as well just because I have never participated in a 5k, and I want to get some practice in. I found out that a 5k in not the same as 5 miles. I’m sure that you all probably already knew that, but I didn't, and when I found out that it was only 3.1 miles, I breathed a sigh of relief. If I had to go much further than 3 miles at this point, I think my ankles would go on strike! It has been a long couple of days, so I am going to see if I can finally get some sleep. Nighty Night!