Exercise and Rest

The haze is from a near by wildfire

And again I forgot to make my oats last night. I feel like I am back sliding a little. I would like to think that I need to adjust some things, but I think this is the way it is supposed to be. We are supposed to feel uncomforted and struggle. If weight loss were easy, we would all be healthy. So this morning it’s Greek yogurt again.


After a few failed attempts at getting out the door for my hike, I decided that I needed to take a day off. It will give my poor feet and throat a day to heal too. Between my fasciitis and the smokey air from wild fires, hiking is almost impossible. I do feel guilty for not going, so I decided to educate myself on the topic of rest.


Shape.com says, “If you are starting out with a new exercise program or are a beginner exerciser, rest every third day (that is, exercise two consecutive days and rest the third).”


Dailyburn.com talks about the “5 Signs Your Body Needs a Rest Day” I am able to relate to more than one of these five. The over soreness and the irritability are the 2 top ones.


In the long run, it was good that I took today off. I didn’t sit around all day either, we went to 6 yard sales and I stuck to my meal plan as best I could with out oats.


I plan on getting back on track again tomorrow! Time to go make up my oats. Don’t forget to follow me!

Wednesday was a Full Day

Wednesday was a very full day and I was not able to post my July 19th’s progression that day. But that's ok, there will probably be more days like Wednesday again. If I let every full day stop me, I would never reach any of my goals.

Wednesday was also was auction day. On top of my hike, I walked from locker to locker at a storage facility for an auction. Everyone always asks me if it’s really like what you see on tv. The rules and everything are the same. The dramatic music and the arguments are not there. The facilities, auctioneers, and the bidders are all very professional and nice. When you go to auction as much as we do, you start to recognize faces.

I am proud to say that I had stayed on track with my meal plan. This morning, not so much. While I haven't eaten anything today outside my plan, I did forget to make up my over night oats last night. So what do you do when you need an alternative for something like that. While I could make the oatmeal on the stove, it’s the middle of summer and I rather prefer my hot oats when it’s a bit colder. This morning a bowl of Greek yogurt and some honey drizzled on top will have to be a substitute the lack of oats. Had a salad at lunch and then Kyle’s modified taco bake for dinner. 

I am not going to lie, it takes a bit of self-motivation to keep going on a weight loss journey. But you have to remember your goals and stay on track as best as possible.

A Plantar Fasciitis Flare Up

This morning I have an appointment so I will have to hit the trail a little later than what I like. Fortunately, it hasn’t been as hot as it could be so I am not worried about heat stroke. The only thing holding me back or giving me pause to go is a plantar fasciitis flare up from yesterday’s walking. It isn't the hike alone that makes painful to walk, it’s all of the necessary walkings I do on a daily basis with the hike added in. I believe this condition is what is really holding me back from losing weight. Who wants to do anything when they are in this much pain. It gets depressing!

For those who are not familiar with plantar fasciitis or are looking for more information, here are a few very informative links.

Kaiser Permanente

Heel That Pain

Everday Health

I made cinnamon raisin over night oats. I love a good oatmeal cookie even in oatmeal form. But this was far from it. For one thing, I need to use a lot less cinnamon. I know I can do a better job than what I made last night. Maybe strawberry for tomorrow, I kind of ODed on cinnamon.

Today’s salad was good. It had raisins, chicken, tomatoes, and my favorite yogurt based ranch dressing. I am glad I now like salads. It is easy to substitute ingredients making it hard to burn out on the meal. It turns out to be a really big salad. I load up on the roman and carefully measure out all of my other ingredients in order to keep the calorie count down.

Now that it is over, I feel like it was another good day. Made my step goal, pushed to hike, ate less than 1800 calories. I cut out 20 ounces of soda but only increased my water intake a little. I feel like I am making progress in the right direction

Thanks for joining me again today! Don't forget to follow my feed!

This is Going to Sound Crazy...

This is going to sound crazy, but the fat girl in me is very loud this morning. Lots of “I don’t want to” and “maybe you are not ready for heavy exercise.” I never realized how loud that “voice” could be.

One of this week’s goal is to get back on the Gold Bug Park trail. The park gates open at 8 AM. Today I am hiking the Vulture Claim Trail starting with the stairs leading up to Priest Mine. There are about a billion steps that I have to climb to get to the top. The trail isn’t very long, only about a half a mile, but its a half of a mile up and then down a huge hill. I loved the climb a few years ago when I would go every day.

Fortunately, I am not as out of shape as I had thought. I climbed those steps like a champ and continued on to the top and back down the back side of the trail.

My meal plan went over really well. My Blackberry Overnight oats recipe needs a little work. It’s good and very filling, but it’s lacking something. The low-fat Tzatziki sauce I made went well with my chicken at lunch. And for dinner, Kyle made my favorite turkey-loaf. I am working on adding the recipes.

That's enough for today. Goodnight everyone! Don't forget to follow me!

One Year Away

We are about one year away from my wedding. And like all brides, I really want to look and feel my best. Because of time, I know I probably will not reach my goal of 175. But I can try to get as close to my goal as possible. I am finding as I lose, I feel more and more like the person I was before I put this fat suit on. I know people say I should love myself for who I am and not care about what I look like on the outside. Even though I appreciate those words, I remember what it is like to not carry around so much extra weight. I remember being able to do a cartwheel and I want to do that again.

Well, I am back on track and down to 318.4 pounds! Eating right and increasing my activity did the trick, but it’s starting to get hard again and it’s time to really put in the effort that is necessary to feel good and live a healthy lifestyle.

This week’s goal is to head out to Gold Bug Park and get back on the trail that pushes me to my limits. I also think that a meal plan would really help keep me from grazing. Finally, to increase my water intake and decrease my diet soda intake. I am currently drinking about 32 oz of water and about 80 ounces of diet soda and my body is feeling it.

Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

This has been my go-to smoothie when I need a sweet snack. It's only 350 calories for over 20 ounces! If you wanted to make it a meal, add a scoop of protein powder and another half cup of almond milk. You will have to adjust the calories acourdingly.

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (30 calories)
1 cup Dannon Oikos Triple Zero (170 Calories)
3 TBL spoons Chocolate Ovaltine (60 calories)
1 Cup Dark Frozen Cherries (90 Calories)

Combine all ingredients starting with liquids and ending with cherries. Pour into your favorite glass and enjoy.

Week 5

It has been brought to my attention by my Dr. that my cholesterol is up and I need to start taking medication for it. I was told it is not out of control so the pills are not a permanent thing if I change my diet and increase my exercise. I would rather work toward not having to take the medication at all if I can help it. I have done some research and I have found that in order to lower my cholesterol, I have to increase my fiber intake to 25 - 35 grams a day, eat a low-fat diet, and exercise. Being on this journey makes it easier for me to make adjustments to my diet. I have already learned that my vanilla protein powder contains a whopping 37mg of cholesterol. That’s too bad. I had just discovered protein powder and how it thickens up my smoothies perfectly. Natural eating is better anyway without any artificial powders so I am back to using frozen bananas. I lost 4 pounds this last week trying to figure out what I should and should not eat. I always have a hard time adjusting to any new changes to my diet. I found myself thinking "I just might have to starve to death" when I realized most of my favorite dairy products are out. Week 4: 334.4 lbs Week 5: 230.6 lbs Because I am still catching up to my last progress picture, I want to wait to post a new one. I really do not need to remind myself of my backslide. I know how hard I am having to work to get to the weight I had been. If I continue to eat right and continue exercising, I will post a picture at the beginning of February. Thanks for joining me this week. I will continue to post my progress as I can.