Weight Loss

I started off the year with hopes of losing weight. I got off track and decided it is now time to get going. I began a new diet last Sunday. It is from a book by Dr. Mark Hyman. My mom did his weight loss plan and she was amazed at how great she fell. She has been after me to try it, so she sent me the book. There are several things that he suggests to cut out of your diet. Especially the first 6 weeks. No dairy, wheat products, sugar, soda, caffeine, or processed foods. I eat lots of veggies, fruit, organic brown rice, and lean meats. I am amazed at how good I felt just after one week. I have a lot more energy. The best part is that I lost 5 pounds. Now I have 45 more pounds to go! Ahhhh that sounds like so much, but I will do it. Last week I didn't include any exercising. This week I plan on starting back on Yoga. Yoga is a great form of exercise and it relieves alot of stress. My job is so stressful that I really need a good way to release that stress. Once spring comes and the weather is nice I will start walking again. I hope the snow in the mountains melts soon so I can start hiking. Hiking is my favorite form of exercise. Dave loves hiking too. So we plan on doing a lot of hiking this summer.

Adventures in Babysitting

On Saturday night Dave and I babysat Katya and Cali. (See Jethro and Staci's post). We had a great time and the girls are so fun. They are both walking all over the place and they are so cute. It came time to put the girls to bed. They both went down just fine. Katya kept getting out of bed. Everytime she came out into the kitchen, which is about how far she got, I would tell her to get back in bed. She would go and climb back in bed. Seconds later she would be back out again. After about 15 times of telling her to get back in bed, I decided I would close the door so she couldn't escape. Dave and I were watching TV for about 15 minutes and I commented on how quiet the girls were. I figured they were sound asleep. I thought my closing the door had done the trick. I told Dave I was going to go check on the little angels. This is what I found when I opened the door.

Katya was also nice enough to share with Cali. I found in Cali's crib several mini bottles of baby shampoo and lotion as well as some other miscellaneous items. Of course as soon as I discovered all of this Jethro and Staci came home. They just laughed and Staci said "Welcome to my world"

Disneyland

After we left San Diego we went to Disneyland for 3 days. We had a blast. It had been four years since Dave and I have been to Disneyland so we were both very excited. The first ride we went on was Indiana Jones. That is my favorite ride. My second favorite ride is Splash Mountain and Dave and I went on that after Indiana Jones. We on every ride in Disneyland and California Adventure. At least all the rides that were open. I do have to say by the third day we were all exhausted.

San Diego

Well I figure since I went to San Diego a couple of weeks ago, I should probably get around to blogging about it.

We went with Cameron, Shayna, Courtney, Derek,

and Jenny

Dave and I had a wonderful time the few days we were in San Diego. I was really excited to show him some of my favorite places that I used to go when I lived there. Our first stop was Coronado. It was great to drive over the bridge that spans across the ocean as you arrive on the island. We went there in the evening and even played in the water. The water was cold, but after your feet went numb it was fine.

This picture shows the city of San Diego across the bay from Coronado.

On Sunday we went to Sea World. Another one of my favorite places. Our first destination was the Dolphin exhibit. We wanted to be sure to feed the Dolphin's so we could have the opportunity to be up close to them and pet them. It was so cool because anyone who bought fish to feed the Dolphins got to go to a special area that was roped off from everyone else so we got special access.

The best part of the entire Sea World trip was the Shark Encounter. For those of you who don't know, Sharks are my favorite animal. Dave's favorite animal is also a shark so we were in 7th heaven. We found out that for an extra $10 you can go behind the scene's and get a chance to pet a shark. We will have to do that for sure next time we visit. Cool shark teeth in the background. I am sure they are fake, but it is such a great exhibit.
We were just walking down the path to go to another exhibit and we saw all these flamingo's just walking around out in the open. There were Seaworld employee's present and I think they were herding them to the flamingo exhibit.
We saw a lot of shows. I always like to see the animals and all of the neat tricks they can do. It is amazing how high the dolphins and killer whales can jump out of the water.

On Monday we went to Pt. Loma, Seaport Village, and another one of my favorite places La Jolla. I love La Jolla because of the cliffs and because you get to see seals on the beach and in the ocean. It felt so good to be back home in San Diego. I loved being back at the beach and became a little homesick. I was happy to be able to share this special part of my life with Dave. Dave fell in love with San Diego and wants to move there now. I wouldn't be opposed to that, but only time will tell.

Diet Update

I have improved my eating habits by about 50%. Not quite the 100% goal that I was going for, but every little bit counts. I have cut way back on the fast food which is a big help. I haven't exercised, which I think is the biggest key to weight loss. With being sick and having a lingering cough it has been hard to even talk without coughing. So the extra breathing it takes to work out would really do me in. ( Yes I know it is another excuse) The good thing is that I am going on vacation this Friday and we are going to Disneyland and Seaworld. We will be doing a lot of walking around. So I will be getting my exercise in. I won't be taking my protein shakes with me because I don't have a lot of room in my suitcase, so eating and sticking to my diet will be a challenge. I will try and do the best I can. I just hope this cough goes away by the time we leave. I am just excited to be back in Southern California. It will be like going home. I really miss San Diego and am really anxious to get back to the beach.

Have a Snack

Here's a quick diet tip from me: ALWAYS HAVE A SNACK HANDY

I think one of the biggest reason's people have a hard time with diet's is that they are hungry. They starve themselves trying to cut back on calories and fat and before you know it... the hunger pains take control and you give up and binge. To avoid this, I like to always have a snack available. My favorite snack is cashew's. They are high in protein, so a small handful will satisfy me for a while. My hardest time of the day is late afternoon. For some reason I find myself starving after lunch. I can eat breakfast at 6:00 a.m. and go until noon no problem. I feel no need to eat, I'm not hungry, and I probably wouldn't even think about eating except that is when my scheduled lunch is at work. But, if I eat the exact same thing for lunch that I had for breakfast, or even something different, it really doesn't matter, I am starving within two hours. It drives me crazy!! So by the time I take my 3:00 break, guess what is calling???? The break room and all the vending machines. Well, having a baggie full of yummy cashews at my desk that I can pop in my mouth when needed helps crave the hunger urge. Followed by a cold 32 ounces of water and I am set until dinner. I also like to carry around a baggie of cashews in my purse. Never know when you are going to be stuck in traffic, held up in school, stuck in a long line at the grocery store, or whatever. Of course it doesn't have to be cashew's, it can be any healthy snack that is right for you and the eating plan you are on. Nuts just happen to fit perfectly into my eating plan.

There are those out there that point their fingers and say not to snack, stick to your meals, and don't graze. I say graze all day, as long as it is the right type of food. Of course if you graze on a bag of chips all day you are going to gain weight, everything needs to be in moderation, but you get what I mean. Have a good day!

DAY 1 - Excuses Are For Wimps

Okay, so here is the report of my first day of my weight loss goal.

I actually did pretty good, but I have a few excuses, so I guess I am calling myself a wimp. I did have some soda because I still have a sore throat and cough. My job requires me to be on the phone 10 hours a day, therefore, the carbonation was needed. I did do "diet soda" so that was good. One other excuse to give, is I didn't work out today. I get up at 5:00 a.m. to get ready for work. If I come straight home after work (which I rarely do) I don't get home until about 6:30. Well tonight was one of those nights where Dave and I had to make a couple of stops on the way home and we didn't get home until after 8:00. I was hungry, tired, and most of all my throat was so sore from talking on the phone for 10 hours while trying to get over this virus that I have. So there are my excuses for the Soda and not working out.

Here are some great things I accomplished on Day 1 of my diet:

I drank about 150 ounces of water, which is excellent. It is important to drink plenty of water, especially when you are trying to lose weight. Both my Doctor and Personal Trainer have recommended this formula:

Your Current Weight Divided by 2 = # of ounces of water you should be drinking daily.

For example, if you weigh 150 lbs, you should drink 75 ounces of water a day.

I drink way more than is suggested just because I have seen the benefits of drinking water and how it has helped me with my overall health, especially my weight loss. At first it may seem overwhelming to you to drink so much water. But after about a week (and many trips to the bathroom) your body will adjust and you will notice the difference.

Here are just a few benefits:

-Weight Loss (A full Tummy of H2O means you will not eat as much)

-Hydration (For Example -Your skin - Look Younger)

-Flush Toxins

-Healthy Skin

-Burn More Fat and Build More Muscle

-Keeps you brain healthy (Our brain tissue is 85% water, we want to keep our bodies hydrated so our brain can function properly)

- Boosts Energy Levels

So my challenge for each of you is to increase your intake of water. See what a difference it can make!

It is a little after midnight, so I technically didn't get this post in on "DAY 1" of my diet. I am up way to late and should be sleeping like a baby right now. More on that in a future post. Sweet Dreams....