Anthem

I know this post will get a big fat eye roll from a few of you.  {I saw that, Randi!}

But Britney has a song out that I absolutely LOVE.

Let's get serious.  I know this is a sassy club anthem for teens and wanna-be 21-year-olds (like myself).  HAVING SAID THAT, I think the message here is so incredibly true and so many people don't freaking get it.  I mean, it's not fancy.  She says it simply.

You wanna, you wanna

You want a hot body? You want a Bugatti?
You want a Maserati? You better work bitch
You want a Lamborghini? Sippin' martinis?
Look hot in a bikini? You better work bitch
You wanna live fancy? Live in a big mansion?
Party in France?
You better work bitch, you better work bitch
You better work bitch, you better work bitch
Now get to work bitch!
Now get to work bitch!

Bring it on, ring the alarm
Don't stop now, just be the champion
Work it hard, like it's your profession
Watch out now, cause here it comes
Here comes the smasher, here comes the master
Here comes the big beat, big beat disaster
No time to quit now, just time to get it now
Pick up what I'm putting down
Pick up what I'm putting down

You want a hot body? You want a Bugatti?
You want a Maserati? You better work bitch
You want a Lamborghini? Sippin' martinis?
Look hot in a bikini? You better work bitch
You wanna live fancy? Live in a big mansion?
Party in France?
You better work bitch, you better work bitch
You better work bitch, you better work bitch
Now get to work bitch!
Now get to work bitch!

Break it off, break it down
See me come and you can hear my sound
Tell somebody in your town
Spread the word, spread the word
Go call the police, go call the governor
I bring the treble, don't mean to trouble ya'
I make the governor, call me the governor
I am the bad bitch, the bitch that you'll never know

Hold your head high, fingers to the sky
They gonna try to try ya', but they can't deny ya'
Keep it moving higher, and higher
Keep it building higher, and higher
So hold your head high, fingers to the sky
Now they don't believe ya', but they gonna meet ya'
Keep it moving higher and higher
Keep it moving higher and higher and higher

Work, work, work, work
Work, work, work, work
Work, work, work, work
Work, work, work
Work it out, work it out, work it out, work it out
Work it out, work it out, work it out, work it out
Work it out, work it out, work it out, work it out
Work it out, work it out
You better work bitch
You better work bitch

You want a hot body? You better work, bitch.

If this song came on while at the gym, I would definitely kick it into 5th gear. It just fires me up!  It's New Years time and of course many of us are thinking about our body's shape and where we want to be.  This was me last year.  On Dec. 28 I signed up for FitOrbit.  I'm the cliche NY resolution.  But I am so damn proud that I am the real deal.  I can't express how satisfying it was to go to the gym today for Leg Day and bask in the victory of making it one year.  Last year I walked in feeling very fat and very out of shape.  This year I walked in feeling fabulous.  So, I will begin my New Year with this song in mind to remind me of the work that it takes.  Of course, if you people need an anthem, I encourage you to use mine.{!}

Back to Basics

How many of you just SQUEEd because I have a new blog post?!




One of you?





Jen?
Okay. Jen, this is for you!

Life got crazy in September.  This was the second-to-last time I blogged and the explanation can be found here.  I appreciate the patience.  I'm not sure what to write about any more.  I blogged because people wanted to know how I got fit.  However, recently, people keep asking me about my blog.  So, here's a treat for you.

To summarize in advance: Yes, I've maintained. (boom) Yes, I've gained. (whoops)  Yes, it's constant work.

I have been trying to maintain the weight that I reached in May 2012.  That number was 142.  Without going into the muscle vs. fat, how much does the scale matter debate, at 142, I was lean (enough) to wear a Size 4/Small without even trying anything on. I was comfortable in everything I wore. I felt toned.  I was perfectly happy with the bod.  Looking back, I can see that the last week of September was a turning point for me.  I developed some bad habits.

Me before I stuffed my face every day for 3 months.

Let me explain a little bit.

I lost the weight in May.  I spent all summer maintaining a "clean" lifestyle while having decadent meals on vacation, a cookie now and then, etc.  I also played with working out 3-4 times a week instead of 6.  I wanted to test the waters and see how relaxed I could be with the nutrition and/or fitness before my body started to change in any way.  Because really, who eats clean ALL THE TIME and works out SIX DAYS A WEEK?!?!  I mean, not me..... hopefully.  I love to work out, but I don't want it to be a chore.  Well, I ran my half marathon on October 6. And then I took a break from running.  I wanted to prance around the gym for about 30  minutes 3-4 times per week.  Some weeks it was 2-3 times per week. I wasn't necessarily burned out. I was just going through a lazy streak. I would come home really hungry sometimes. I would eat like 3 dinners.  Plus some grazing.  Granted, these were all "clean" dinners.  For example, a burrito followed by a Larabar followed by toast with Nuttzo and bananas.  I would graze and add on to my heart's desire.  Well, the pounds slowly crept onto the scale.  My skinny jeans became too snug for comfort.  I hit about 146 for a while.  (No biggie, right?)  The week after Christmas I hit 149.4.  AAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDDDD we're putting the cookie DoWn.  Isn't it funny how everything is all fun and games until you see a certain number? I've always been like that. I think it's normal not to stress about every little pound, but at some point, the gains are significant.

I knew what I was doing.  I was testing it.  I'll be damned if I have to "start over" ever again.  I also knew that I was eating things that were borderline legit. For example, I'd eat crackers with flax seeds and Nuttzo. I lost track of portions (Nuttzo) and my snacks included some processing (crackers).  I needed to get back to the basics.  I would also have 5 meals in mind, but I was grazing too much.  As Jen said in May, "Maintenance is going to look a lot like dieting."  Again, that's so true.  It took a lot of work to get to 149.  I thoroughly relaxed about food for a solid 3 months.  I enjoyed a Thanksgiving and a Christmas.  I truly feel like this is a part of the life change process.  I needed to see how far I could go without consequences.  Now I know.

So, on Dec. 29 I cleaned it up.
1. Body Fat
My goal is to get back to the 142 range.  Clothes need to fit better.
2. Work Out Schedule
I need to work out at the 5AM shift or the 3:30PM (right after work) time slot.  I got so lazy that I would come home, eat a lot of food, take a nap, and then head to the gym around 8-8:30.  I don't like that pattern.  It messed with my sleep and my appetite.
3. Nutrition
I need to get back to clean food. Like squeaky clean. And less bread.  Anyway, I want to basically not worry about recipes and I want to mostly eat meals and snacks that are basic.  Meat, veg, carb. Protein, carb. etc.  So, I plan to always have the following foods. I know how to make simple meals & combinations with all of these:
oatmeal
spinach
berries
tuna/chicken/salmon
nut butter (Jen, stop giggling.)
eggs
apples
sweet potatoes
bananas
tomatoes
brown rice
nuts

Seriously. That's it.

Here is a picture of the body in August.  This is maintenance mode done RIGHT.  I love it.

For the record, I've been back to business for 3 days and I'm already seeing 146 on my scale.  Hopefully I can get down to 142 in a couple of weeks so that I can relax a little bit more (but not as much as I did the first time).

Body Composition Analysis

When shopping around for a family physician in Topeka, I stumbled upon Tague Nutrition Center.  They give a free consultation that promised a body composition analysis. Oh, and it's 1 mile away from my house. Sign me up!

I went in today and stood on a machine that seemed like a scale but also had handles. The metal surfaces on my feet and on the handles sent small electric waves through my body. I hardly felt anything. Then, a paper printed out and the nurse discussed my results.

Total weight: 144.6
Lean body mass: 110.0
Total body water: 80.7

My composition was then explained in a percentage form.  100% is totally "normal." On total body weight, I was 105%. Lean body mass was 105%. Body fat mass was 110%.  My BMI is 22.2 (21.5 is totally normal).

I really liked my Impedance Index.  This is a breakdown of my lean body mass by extremity.

Right arm: 115% (more muscular than "normal")
Left art: 115%
Trunk 90% (less muscular than "normal")
Right leg: 115%
Left leg: 115%

Basal Metabolic Rate: 1450 cal

The entire appointment took me 30 minutes.

I hope that all makes some sense.  She did say that my total body weight could be at 100% if I lost 1.3 pounds of pure fat.  I'm really close.  I love having this data. I'm sure I will do this analysis again. Maybe annually? I will be using the family practice that is right across the hall.  A great experience. I highly recommend that Topeka people get their body composition analyzed!

What Is Going On.

I feel like you deserve an explanation.

I am not a quitter.  When I commit to something, I do it. Blogtember seemed totally doable. Having said that, I was recently offered the opportunity to go to St. Louis for an NCAA Umpire Camp on Sept. 21 & 22.  When I accepted, I thought I would go an wing it with the skills I have developed in my 3 years of learning & working the game.  Oh boy, was I wrong.  In the past week, veteran umpires have told me: "Camps are not to learn. Camps are for strutting your stuff in front of Division 1 game assigners."  and "You need to study the 3-man system and know it by heart. Know the NCAA rule book by heart. If you don't, and you go to camp, it'll be immediately obvious to everyone that you did not study and you do not belong there. They will cross your name off the list."  and "If you study and know what you are doing, you could skip years of baby-step development and your career could be launched into some incredible territory immediately."

I'm an ambitious lady.  I also don't like to look stupid...especially in a highly critical context such as NCAA games.  So, needless to say, these past two weeks have taken a right turn.

I did get some sage advice that these are my priorities:
1. Family
2. Full time job
3. Umpiring

That means that I need to grade student tests tomorrow during work. I need to leave the school day tomorrow with Monday AND Tuesday lesson plans completely ready to go. I have a sub Friday. Those plans need to be completely ready to go.

Oh, and I'm in a graduate class.  I just got assigned a shit load of homework that is due Tuesday on top of existing literacy projects that are in the works.

Oh, and I'm training for a half marathon that is exactly one month from tomorrow.  I need to run 10 miles on Friday.

I can handle this, but the blog is not a place where I can go to play right now.  My apologies.  Please send me good vibes this weekend. Lots of pressure.  I swear this seems harder than being a student athlete. I'd rather be asked to hit a pinch hit home run (been there, done that) than study hundreds of pages worth of field mechanics and then maybe or maybe not be able to execute it in action.

Sept 13: A Self Portrait

How would I even begin to write this post????

athlete
wife
dog-lover
daughter
mom stepmom
reader
speaker
thinker
student
chef
planner
sister
friend
designer
budget keeper
umpire
opinionated
changing
shopper
improver
cleaner
soother
comforter
teacher
advisor
comedienne
smart ass.

Sept 12: Describe Ways Blogging Has Changed You

Blogging has helped me realize how connected we all are.  I just live life and go about my shit, but then I'll read blog posts where my friends are reflecting or expressing feelings and these just aren't conversations that we have every day.  I love it. It's the introvert in me.  I like to write and read.  Blogging is a great forum for that.

Sept 11: Fav Online Shops

I don't shop online as a normal routine. I have bought a favorite dress from Guess.  If one brand is my style, it's Guess.  I love everything. I also love Victoria's Secret swimsuits and clothes that, of course, they don't have in stores.

Sept 10: Describe a Distinct Moment When Your Life Took a Turn

When my life took a turn, I had no idea what it meant for a long time.  I was a senior at Pitt State...scheduled to graduate in May 2007.  I went to the September '06 job fair for teachers.  I met a rep from USD 437. I came to WRMS for an interview in October and signed paperwork in early December.

I was from Oklahoma City and my parents had moved to Jefferson City, MO my junior year of college.  So, I had no specific place to go.  I didn't like the BFE feeling of Pittsburg.  Get me back to a city!  Topeka seemed great.  Proximity to Kansas City was ideal.  So there it was.  Moved to Topeka and knew no one. I feel like I've written about this before, but I do feel that this is a pivotal moment.  Looking back on it, I'm proud of my fearlessness.  I didn't have a husband to go with me. I didn't have parents with me. A sister.  I was alone. And I built myself a nice little life.  If I could high five myself, I would.

Sept 9: Personality Test

I was told to take this test and reflect.  Are you sitting down? Are you calm? Because this might shock you:

I'm an introvert.
I'm intuitive.
I'm a thinker.
I'm a judger.

INTJ

Double duh.

These personality test results don't mean that I'm an extreme anything.  In certain situations {cough, cough--MY JOB}, I'm an extrovert. It doesn't mean that I can't empathize or sympathize. I just lean in these directions.  I don't need to say much more because you people know me.  (I'm certain no strangers read this blog.)  But before I go, I must recommend a book called Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.  It helped me realize why I want to fake extroversion all day and then come home and be QUIET!!!

A Great Book

I just read a great book--Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones.

I follow author Jennifer Weiner on Twitter and she is quite vocal on many literary topics. I love it when she recommends good books. I always save the titles on Goodreads.  She tweeted about Silver Sparrow on September 8 and I immediately picked it up at the library.

It.
Is.
So.
Good.

The first line is "My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist."  The setting is 1980s Atlanta, GA. Dana is James's daughter...one of the two.  The one that is a secret.  The first half of the novel is told through Dana's 15-year-old perspective.  The entire novel bounces from flashback to present time that builds a complex history of how this "family" has come to be.  I was heartbroken on Pages 6-10 when 5-year-old Dana drew James, her mom, and herself as her family in art class.  The teacher was confused because as everyone knew, Dana didn't have a daddy.  So, James explained to Dana that night that he loves her SO MUCH, but she can't be calling him her daddy because he has another family and another little girl.  Dana says, "Your wife and your other girl is a secret?" and James replies, "No. You've got it the wrong way around. Dana, you are the one that's a secret."

Ugh!

So, we see this girl, Dana, and her mother, Gwen survive this arrangement where James comes over on Wednesdays for dinner.  He provides for her financially and loves her, but his primary place is at his other home with Chaurisse and her mother, Laverne.  Tensions build for Dana and Gwen when the point of view switches to Chaurisse's.  I won't say too much, but if you want a very layered, complex book about how life can shake up all of your expectations, you need to read this.  It's wonderful.

Sept 6: A Story About a Time When I Was Very Afraid

Haunted house tours scare the SHIT out of me. My dad took me when I was 10. To downtown OKC. Not appropriate. Colby & I went a couple of years ago in downtown KC. They make me very jumpy, uncomfortable, and irrationally afraid.

I recognize the prompt calks for a "story." I don't have time to make this into a story. 

Sept 5: Pass On Some Useful Advice or Information

Work harder than the next guy. I don't know which coach taught me that. I can't pinpoint the moment. But I have never been the best. Ever.

Average. Above average-ish. That's my game.

I made it to college level softball because I worked at it. Period. I studied the game. I showed up an hour early to hitting practice. I always said yes to catching extra pitching lessons. I didn't drink the night before workouts. I ran in the summers. I found a way to be successful. That's the real reason I made it. 

Similarly, I had a job by October of my senior year at Pitt State because I did two practicum instead of one. I did "Honors" projects so that my degree would say "With Honors."

Not trying to toot my own horn. I know it will read that way to some people. I don't care. It's kind of like when I lose weight and people tell me "Good job." Do I feel like I should be proud? Yep. Same with the aforementioned. I worked my ass off and I'm proud of it. I'm not ashamed of it.  I don't even feel like I'm the "hardest" worker. I always feel like someone is outworking me. That pushes me. 

Work harder than the next guy. 

Sept 4: If I Could Take 3 Months Off...

I took 24 hours to think about this one. Obviously traveling is where it's at.  However, I would really get a lot of joy out of going out into the great big world and becoming a dingleberry.

What.?

I just want time with my family and friends.  Like in their life.  I would like to spend a week at my mom and dad's house.  Just reading and cleaning and cooking for them. Or running errands.  Same for my sister. Same for Jen. Same for many, many other friends.  I feel like we all just need an extra set of hands or an extra adult to help with this and that.  I also miss these people so much because we are all just living our lives.

Of course, when I'm done with that, I would love to take Colby and Alex and travel.  I don't know where.  It almost doesn't even matter. I need to travel with lots of "me" time built in. Lots of reading time.  I just need time and money not to be an object.  If you would like to see SOME of the places I would like to visit, see my Pinterest board.

Well, it's a dream.

Sept 3: Where I'm From

Kind of neato: I teach a poetry unit to start the year of 7th grade language arts.  As part of their final assessment, they have to write a free verse poem that is a collection of metaphors for where they are from.  I'll write my own here!

Where I'm From

I am from the red dirt of
dry, hot Oklahoma.
From an afternoon in July
and two hearts that still beat together.
I'm from popsicles and daycare.
I'm from mac 'n cheese and Diet Coke.
A kitty named Socks and
sweet, sweet Mable.
I'm from a talker and a worker.
I'm from pizza when Mom
is doing it all alone. Tired.
I'm from puzzles that stay on the kitchen table.
I'm from swim team and
'90s bangs. Full House and Saved by the Bell.
I'm from music videos and Faith Hill.
Jeans, a white tank, and Jagged
Little Pill.
I'm from 8th grade depression that got fed with
graham crackers
Oreos
and jars of peanut butter.
From Britney Spears, Tim McGraw and
Seventeen Magazine.
I'm from my sister's terrible 'tude
and her undying devotion.
I'm from constant academic
challenges.
From basketball shoes and
the dirt-leather-sweat of
the diamond.
I'm from a series of best friends
a brief moment of sisterhood
that I will never forget.
Christine. Shelby.
Kayla. Marcelina.
I'm from Sonic Drive-in.
Polos & visors.
Two pairs of jeans in my closet.
Paying my own way.
I'm from pre-prom
at Bricktown.
7-Elevens and football games.
I'm from knowing I want to leave home
and never come back.
Not because of misery.
But because of a gut feeling
and a desire to move on.

Blog Challenge: Blogtember!

My former colleague, Meaghan, over at Savoring the Sweet Stuff is participating in another blog challenge! Many of my blogger friends and I participated in the Blog Every Day in May challenge this past May.  It was fun to have topics to write on that I didn't come up with myself.  However, it was also a challenge because sometimes the topic is a bit forced, too personal, etc.  So there were a few posts when I said, "Nope, not discussing."  Having said that, I REALLY enjoyed reading my friends' musings.  So, I'm committing.  I'm working full time (duh), taking a college class (oh my), and traveling to St. Louis for umpire training mid-September (good gracious).  But I'm still committing.  Oh, and I have a husband, step-daughter, and two fur babies.  OH, AND I WORK OUT!  Yes, that's right. I'm guilt tripping all of you.  Join me!! Choose a few topics or all.  Don't let me be alone. Cheers to a month of posts.  The blog is back!

Pinterest & The Food Obsession

I should have written this post ages ago...Pinterest is like the miracle of all miracles.  An idea database.  If it wasn't so long, I would rename it "How To Be Good at Life." When it comes to food, I used to pin all kind of yummy stuff.  Of course, it was 2012 and I had no health focus. My focus was Will Colby like this? Will Alex eat this? Would this be fun to serve at Bunco? Can I take this into a work potluck?  Well, in 2013, my focus obviously changed.  I started to pin healthy recipes.  I was on the rigid meal plan of FitOrbit and I SO LOOKED FORWARD TO MAINTENANCE! Is was like the pot of gold at the end.  So, my pin board basically looked like I was confused in life.  It went from tons of pins for unhealthy comfort food & sweets to major health nut stuff.  Ultimately, I looked at that and thought, I want this pin board to reflect only positive choices.  Why would I hold on to shitty, greasy recipes?  So, in an epiphany of how dumb it is to live in food Limbo, I deleted ALL UNHEALTHY PINS.  This wasn't to provide myself self control; it was to clarify my thoughts.  An analogy: if you are trying to get over a huge breakup, why keep memories of the relationship all around? It's mental clutter. Clean it out and move on.  That's what I did with my pin board.  Of course, the plan isn't to never make anything "fun" again.  If I really want lasagna or a Valentine's dessert, all I have to do is search Pinterest. But there really is no need to keep pins on hand for all possible occasions.  Speaking of holiday food, I also have separate boards for all things Christmas, all things Halloween, all things Thanksgiving, and so on. Of course, I had pinned holiday-themed food to each.  I went and deleted all unhealthy food options.  Again, if I really want to be decadent, all I have to do is search for it later.  I did keep healthy options like rainbow fruit skewers for St. Patty's day, Americana fruit parfait for Fourth of July, etc.  So, I feel like it's important for Pinterest to reflect my current outlook on food and its purpose in life--to give ideas for daily healthful living.  If I need other uses, I can look it up at that time.

The 5 Ds

This post is at the request of my mom.  When I played competitive softball, my coaches came up with our team's focus. They called it "The 5 Ds." I don't remember where they got it from. I want to say they took the idea from a Division 1 team like Arizona or someone else who was hot at the time.  They said that if you prepare and play according to these 5 D words, you will always be successful.  I can still recite them without looking: Dedication, Determination, Desire, Discipline, and Defense.  To prove it, we had it on our pin for the '98 season. (I was 14.)

Mom came across my old pin bag in her basement.  Side note: many teams produced a pin for their team and at major tournaments/nationals, teams would exchange pins.  Then, you them in a pin bag as a collection.  So, Mom found my pin bag, found this pin, and called me requesting a blog post because she believes that I am still trying to live by these 5 Ds...especially Discipline.

Well, it's true.  Getting fit takes more discipline that you can imagine.  Think about it. How many people bitch and complain about not being the weight or size that they want to be?!  OR how many people never say a word, but you know that they aren't happy inside their own skin?  Millions.  In our own lives, we could all probably name 20 people. At least.  There are even people who have been thin all their lives for whatever reason and they still don't have discipline.  I have a fitness instructor who talked to me a couple of weeks ago.  She has never had to lose weight before.  Now, she needs to lose 10 pounds and is beyond frustrated.  She has no idea how to do it.  The only people who truly know how hard it is are the people who have done it.

I will admit that there is a lot of misinformation about "health" and weight loss strategies.  Especially when it comes to our food supply.  However, once you figure out the true way to lose weight, it just comes down to discipline.  The thing about softball is I always thought discipline referred to not chasing the high pitch.  I also thought it was about not attempting to pick off a runner at third when we are only up by one. Or it's about reading a pass ball and making a good decision before attempting to take the next base.  Basically, put some brain power behind your actions when you only have a split second to even think.  That is what discipline meant in softball.  In fitness, it is much the same.  What people don't understand is that being disciplined nutritionally and losing 35 pounds in 4 months is made up of a million split second moments.

They are all getting Starbucks.. Should I?
There are brownies in the office.  Can I have one?
Generic cheese crackers are cheaper than organic cheddar crackers. Should I buy them?
My family is having cupcakes for my nephew's birthday. Should I have one?
My family won't eat chicken, sweet potato, and broccoli for dinner. Should I just give up and have what they want?
The scale barely moved this week. Am I doing the right thing?
I want a pop so badly. Can I afford to get a small one?
My kid was given 2 suckers and he offered me one (how sweet!). Should I take it?

Seriously. A million split second moments.  It takes an insane amount of discipline in a world obsessed with food.  Bad food, at that.  In the "diet" world, it's called will power.  I think sports and dieting translate well.  How does a 5-year-old become a top athlete by the age of 18? It's made up of a million moments in which he had to learn to be disciplined.  How does someone lose 20% body fat in 4 months? It doesn't just happen.  They don't just eat whatever they want in front of others and the go to the gym to work it off.  It takes discipline. Period. It's simple.

Meal Planning App

The clouds have parted and the angels are singing.  I have found my meal planning solution.

I'm in Phase 2 of FitOrbit.  The goal is to train for a half marathon (October) and get from 143 to 135.  The meals are legit. They will work and I will lose weight.  However, some times they are very monotonous.  Let's face it. I only have 8 pounds to lose and I don't plan to eat stuff I don't want to for 11 weeks.  I should have some flexibility at this point.  So, I started to take the FitOrbit meal plans, pick out the meals/snacks that I like, and replace the rest with Clean Eating magazine suggestions.  I don't recommend this to people needing to lose major weight.  This is advance shit.  Sorry, but it's true.  I know what I'm doing.

The point is, I want a place where I can keep FitOrbit recipes in my back pocket (for life). I also want a place to keep Clean Eating recipes in my back pocket (for life). As well as other smoothie, snack, and meal recipes that I find on Pinterest, blogs, and other places.  Enter Food on the Table.

Candice introduced me to this app a couple of years ago because it has a recipe database where you can search by protein or flavors and it will generate a list of suggestions.  If you select a meal, you can put it on the "Meal Plan" and it will automatically generate a grocery list.  Even better... you can program in your local grocery store and the app will detect current sales on items that appear on your list.  You can compare Dillon's and HyVee prices within the app if you program both in.  Amazing.  I used it for a while and then stopped for a reason I can't remember.

Anyway, I am faced with the dilemma mentioned above about meal planning.  I had forgotten all about Food on the Table.  I searched "meal planning" in the App Store.  Food on the Table popped up.  Alright, let's see.  I discovered I can enter in my own recipes.  I discovered I can schedule multiple meals per day.  It all immediately enters into a grocery list.  It streamlines everything I have been going in my head and on scratch pieces of paper for MONTHS. Perfect. Done.

But wait.

I entered in 7 meals and then an error message popped up.  I must upgrade to plan more than 7 meals per week.  Enter the problem with American food.  We only plan for dinner?!  What about a variety of breakfasts? What about lunches? Don't even get me started on the need for snacks.  So, this isn't working for me.  I emailed support at Food on the Table and they said that if I pay for premium, I can enter an unlimited number of recipes and plan an unlimited number of meals per week.

So I researched it.  If I pay $70 per year ($5.83 per month), I can have my ideal meal planning software.  For me, this really is worth it.  Meal planning is a huge part of my new life and if I can save time and energy via an app that costs $6 per month, I'm going to buy it.

So, I use Food on the Table.  Do you guys have an app or website that you use?

Phase 2 Update

I just finished Week 2. At the end of Week 1, I hit 140 on the scale.  And I hadn't been taking my nutrition that seriously.  The monotony of the meals was killer.  I was happy with the pounds lost.

This week has been dumb.  I have been taking my meal plans as a guideline and not a rule.  This does not equal success.  I am aware. I need to get focused.  My workouts have been 1.5-2 hours long.  Jaqui has me doing half marathon training plus a ridiculously crazy weights workout for amazon women.  I messaged her that I can't deal.  I'm not trying to be Barbie.  I'm just trying to be toned and get my run on. The plan she sent me for Week 3 looks better.  I'm in and out in an hour.

Oh, and my left knee hurts.  It's swollen. It pops. It's painful. I can run, but it's on the cusp of a strain.  I'm treating it very carefully.  I'm terrified of injury, but I want to work out! Ugh.

SO.................... I just weighed in and the scale said 137.8.  The moral of that story? I'm still eating clean and I'm a professional, so I just naturally know how much to eat and still lose weight even though I'm not counting calories.  Expert. Level. :)

How-To: Vacation Itinerary

I finally perfected the vacation planning art.  As you know, we went to Colorado Springs in July.  I had to figure out the logistics of puppy care, driving, hotel reservations, and activities as well as meals and workouts. Oh, and I had a budget in mind.  Also, I had a 12-year-old who likes "in the know," so I usually get a few hundred questions about what we are doing and what the plan is.  In anticipation of all of this, I decided to make an itinerary.  And yes, I planned make a vacation binder. I opened Microsoft Word and made a cover page and a template for each day with times and budget.

You can see it here. I used different fonts, so the formatting is a little bit off, but you get the idea.  I printed each page and put it in a plastic sheet protector. Then I put the sheets into a 1/2 inch binder.  I also put any other printouts or special instructions (for rafting) into the binder pockets.  We took a pen and wrote down "actual" costs of activities and meals.  This was great let Alex see the money flow and planning versus actual.  Of course, our plans changed. Saturday night we went to an outlet mall rather than explore Denver. Oh, another key to the Colorado trip was to plug in travel times to Google maps because just driving from place to place was going to take a certain amount of time and we had to factor that in.

I did the same type of document for our trip to New Orleans.  However, that trip was less activity based, so I could condense it to flight and hotel info as well as a foodie list of suggested restaurants and a list of recommended places to go see.

Do you have a vacation planning technique? Do share!