Snuggling with Killer and coffee

Enjoying day 1 of vacation. I love it!

Not so Healthy

Bacon wrapped figs

Accomplishments of 2011

I wanted to focus on some Non Scale Victories for the past year.

1.) I can bench press 20lbs more than in March

2.) I increased my sit and reach by 1.5 inches and I HATE stretching

3.) I lost 7 inches from my waist

4.) I lost 3 inches from my hips

5.) I lost 5% body fat

6.) I am no longer obese or overweight

7.) My heart rate after a 3 minute step test is 60 beats per minute less than in March

8.) I can do 7 men's style push ups which I haven't been able to do since elementary school, I couldn't do any in March

9.) I feel MUCH more confident!

10.) I enjoy shopping for clothes and can buy clothes in any store (ok I still have to search for talls)


11.) I look forward to trying new things with much less anxiety

12.) I have much less back, leg, and foot pain

13.) I have tried lots of new healthy food items (there will be a post on this soon)


14.) I have tried to be a positive role model for those close to me, hopefully I have or will inspire someone to better their life

15.) My relationship with others, especially my husband has improved with my increased confidence and more positive outlook on life


16.) I feel more rested (most of the time, I do work night shift and keep crazy hours and still crash on the porch sometimes)


17.) Oh, and did I mention that I am wearing the smallest size I have ever worn since being an adult. What? Yes you heard me right!

Be Thankful!

My view for last hour and a half, not moving at all. Came upon a bad accident on way to work. Everyone be careful on your travels, tell those you care about how much you love them, and never take anything for granted!

My face is on HTP!!!

Just wanted to say hello to everyone landing over in my neck of the woods thanks to Caitlin's January Joiners piece. I found her blog back in March of 2011. I had started going to the gym in January and had hit a plateau and needed some new ideas and somehow landed on her blog. I had never been a runner before but as I read her posts I thought I might give it a try. Little by little I started pushing myself but I learned the right ways to increase speed and distance without hurting myself. I completed my first half marathon in November. My goal was to finish in less than 3 hours, I was AMAZED when I crossed the finish line in 2 hours 33 minutes!!!

A little more about me: I started losing weight after a major 70lb gain during nursing school. After I got out of school and started working the weight just started coming off. I was on my feet 5 days a week for at least 12 hours. Then I hit a plateau and my poor eating habits caught up with me. I am a major stress eater, so I was eating all the time and all the wrong foods. Through blogs like Caitlin's and others that I have listed on my page that I read almost daily I learned that other REAL, and NORMAL people got their lives in shape, ran races, and ate healthy.
It is something that has to be done day by day, and sometimes you fall off the wagon, you just cannot make that the excuse to stay off the wagon forever, just hop back on.
I am down approximately 75 pounds in 4 years, 35 of which I lost this year, not to mention becoming much stronger and much more cardiovascularly fit. This is a change anyone can make and if you are thinking of being a January joiner, be proud that you want to change your life. Keep yourself honest and take it one day at a time, things will not change overnight.

I made the granola bars last night and I really like them. I don't think that the husband cared for them too much. My only complaint is that they were REALLY messy. If I make them again I will probably decrease the amount of cocoa powder and add a dash of orange extract instead, but I am not a big chocolate person.

• 2 large overripe bananas
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup crunchy cereal I used cheap honey nut cheerios
  
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup(or any other sweetener you use) I used 1 tbsp brown rice syrup and 1 tbsp splenda
  
• 2 tbsp peanut butter or other nut or seed butter I used sunflower butter
  
• 2 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips I used carob chips
  
• 2 tbsp dried cranberries or other fruit I used raisins
  
• 2 – 4 tsp cocoa powder I used 2 tbsp and I still thought it was too chocolatey

No bake granola bar

Trying a new recipe tonight that I found on pinterest. Hope it is good. Sitting down after an intense leg workout and elliptical session to enjoy some Terra Nova with the husband. Back to the work grind tomorrow. I am even doing a day shift this week. That will require lots of coffee and will be very interesting.

Source: fooddoodles.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

In Christmas news:

Chico liked his antlers.

Killer was not sure about her antlers.

Then she decided that she did not like them.

Killer just wanted snacks.

In outdoor news: Alvin climbed the tree. Lazy day at the house!