Cruisin through a rainy diet day 5

As scary as it seems....it's almost been a no brainer morning....not much diet thinking or planning. Although I am still keeping my notebook/journal with day's meal replacements, snacks, drinks and planned dinner. I wish the struggle could be over in just 5 days but I don't think I can erase decades of bad eating habits in a week.

I used a shake packet today and made a chocolate slushy in the blender. I tried it yesterday and it was a bit grainy...today I mixed the water & mix in a shaker first then poured it over ice in the blender...much better. It will be really good when it's 80 degrees and sunny!

I talked to my mom today about keeping on the program when I'm not able to buy all the pre-made, pre packaged meals. We think it will be pretty easy. I was very worried about the soy protein foods...I didn't like it with the Nutri System program...those soy chips left the worst taste in my mouth..bluck....these Medifast bars, drinks are really good! I've ordered a few more to test taste...anxious to try more soups.

No fruit yet and probably won't be back on it until we have lost a substantial amount of weight, then it's introduced back in gradually.

Funny how much time and dedication I am putting into this now. I could have cared less a month ago. Just goes to show that you have to be ready in your heart and your head! Ok..REALITY CHECK...it's only been 5 days...not 5 months! I know I have some big challenges coming up!!! Mother's Day Banquet dessert buffet....I will be strong...I will be strong...I will be strong....I will win!!!

Diet Day 5....Calm early morning

I don't feel anxious at all this morning. I'm a little tired but I really think it's the weather. We are all ready for the rain and clouds to be over. The summer weather last week was so energizing!

I actually tucked in my earlybirds this morning and laid back down, which I haven't done all week. They are cleaning up their sleeping bags and turning on lights while I do a quick blog post.

Thawing ground turkey for dinner. We have never had ground turkey....hope it's good. Ordered salmon from Schwan...never had it either. Any suggestions on making salmon?

I have to call at 2 today to see if I report for Jury Duty tomorrow morning. Praying it's a NO!! I have so many things I want to do. Val leaves for Cincinnati on Saturday and the girls are staying here. Her race is Sunday morning. Hoping she makes it back for Mother's Day Banquet at church on Sunday evening.

A couple of challenges this weekend....granddaughters who love the DQ, Earls and cooking with Gma.....Banquet Dinner on Sunday (baked steak, potatoes, green beans and homemade dessert buffet). I'm glad I am a week into the program....feeling pretty strong.

Wishing you all a calm morning....

Orange....my favorite color!

The ORANGE roughy for dinner was fantastic. Small salad of spinich & 3 halved cherry tomatoes, and cauliflower & garlic cooked in a teas of olive oil. That fish tasted like it was cooked in butter and all I used was a short spray of Pam in my non stick pan....little salt and pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon at the end!!! I used to cook my food in a pool of oils, butter and sauces...seems like just 4 days ago...oh...it was just 4 days ago!!! lol

Funny how important that lean and green meal is in our daily routine. I can't wait for Mike's days off so we can have it a little earlier in the day.

Getting ready for Idol...sorry...NOT an Adam fan. He's too much of a performer. Like having a ready made star. I would prefer Danny, love his story or Chris or 16 year old rocker girl...more authentic. Adam will do it on his own.

Ate at 6 and still feeling full!! Enjoy your evening!

Diet Day 4....Lunch Challenge

I have a cute little threesome here today for daycare & they were very excited about the Ravioli scheduled for lunch! Me....not so much! I LOVE leftover ravioli!! (with lots of fresh cheese).

So the pan with the leftovers is still out there and their plates are still on the table. I BEGGED them to eat 2nd helpings....just a little more by the three of them would have finished it off. I had already filled their plates with extra big helpings today and little Aidon said "Miss Leslie, if I eat more Ravioli, I will be throwing up Ravioli." Well...lets not do that!

Talked to my health coach today....she is very encouraging. AND Mike called from work and said he sneaked another weigh-in too and hadn't lost anymore! THAT made me feel even better!!

Having a chocolate crunch bar in an hour...they are yummy!

Does anyone want leftover ravioli?

Diet Day 4.....cloudy morning...cloudy mood

Did great yesterday....enjoyed the chicken breast with just a tablespoon of Montgomery Inn Barbecue sauce brushed on. It was plenty.

Found a great salad dressing...Red Wine & Olive Oil. Love it!

Okay...this is why you DON'T WEIGH YOURSELF EVERYDAY....I couldn't resist this morning after seeing the scale go down 4 pounds yesterday...so I stepped on it again this morning. It's still at the minus 4 pound loss weight. Now I am fighting my gloom and doom mood. I told myself that it was ok...but honestly, I was not okay. I didn't even want to blog...I really wanted to eat the extra chicken breast I had ready to go in a salad in the frig!! That's my life...emotional eating!!!

I'm bringing myself out of it with a piece of watermelon sugarfree gum, prayer and now....hot cocoa. Decided to have orange roughy for dinner.

Looking forward to oatmeal around 9-10am. I might try the apple cinnamon.

One of my little guys is sick this morning. He's staying with his Grandma. Praying he will feel better soon. We will miss him today.

Valerie is preparing to run her Half Marathon in Cincinnati this weekend. It's called the Flying Pig Marathon and she thinks she will be carrying a chip so we can somehow track her 13+ mile race through Kentucky hills and Cincy. She sent me the website but I haven't gone to it yet.

I'm feeling better now.....thanks for the support. I will leave the extra chicken breast for the salad later in the week. :)

More Catching up....

Andrew with dancing sisters following the Elite Spectacular performance!


Madison and Grace at the "Q" in Cleveland. The Elite Cav's dance was AWESOME!!


Andrew counting down the days until his DRIVER'S PERMIT!

Christmas Play costumes...Angel Madison...Shining Star Grace.


Matt and Valerie went to Cancun for their 10th Wedding Anniversary in March!

A teeny tiny bit of anxiety...

I enjoyed all of today's meals. The pudding was very good and I love the chicken noodle soup. I felt a little snacky after the kids left so I grabbed some celery sticks. I started thinking about cream cheese and peanut butter! Old habits die hard!

I can't wait for barbecued chicken for dinner.

Mid Morning...All is Well!

Having the best day yet! Started with Hot Cocoa, which I LOVED. Just had Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal which I LOVED!!!

I tried cappuccino yesterday(yuck) and Peach Oatmeal (Blueberry Oatmeal on Day 1). The fruit oatmeals were okay...I actually might have nuked them too long..I will give them one more chance...but I really loved today's!

We are trying the products and finding the ones we really like....it's trial and error. I need to check with our Health Coach to see if we can return unused selections that we don't like.

So happy the rain is staying away until this afternoon. Taking the boys and Quinn outside after Learning Table and snacktime! Didn't think we would be going outside today according to yesterday's weather forecast.

Thankful this morning....

Diet Day 3....early morning

Mike just left for work with his 5 replacement meals, celery snack and 2 Momentum drinks....chicken is thawing for dinner.

The one thing I noticed this morning is I don't feel hungry which could mean I am in the "ketosis" state of fat burning now. Our Health Coach called last night to check in with us. She gave me a site that sends us daily "Tips" and encouragement. She will call again tonight.

I have to admit that I am already dwelling on the kid's lunch this afternoon. I planned to do a "breakfast for lunch" today of french toast and scrambled eggs. I wish I had planned something that I didn't like so much. I might change it to pbj...would that be terrible? I have lots of grapes leftover and I could make some pudding. I think I will do that instead of the french toast. I feel stronger today but not sure I'm that strong...I can literally smell the maple syrup!!

Mike and I couldn't help but weigh ourselves this morning....he has lost 7 pounds and I have lost 4 (we started on Sunday). No more weighing until Sunday...

I have 7 children today. I wish the weather was going to be nice. It was wonderful being outside for playtime yesterday. They are such great kids and they fill up alot of my time so I'm not thinking about food....that is a good thing! We have a couple of Mother's Day projects to start and we are still reviewing for the Kindergarten testing. I think we will read today...haven't done that in a while.

Well...6am now. I need to get dressed and ready for my first arrivals. It's going to be a great day! I feel more positive today. I have completed 2 full days without giving in to temptation....that is HUGE for me!! It really helps to have this blog as an outlet for my feelings. Pretty boring for YOU but great for ME!

This was on the Take Shape For Life website...
"The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want in the moment."

God bless you.....(ok...I now feel like crying...tears are flowing....what is this about?) Deeeeeep breath.....Day 3 here I come!

Diet Day 2 DONE!

The fish(talapia) was fantastic and we felt really full after that meal! Yeah! Chewing some Extra sugarfree gum this evening to curb the desire for a tv snack!(recommended by Biggest Loser trainers too)

Tomorrow our bodies should be adjusting to this new food routine.

I'm so happy that I have had no headache. I haven't even had coffee which we are allowed.

Talking about getting our exercise bike to get in some carb burning although this program doesn't recommend exercise until 3rd week.

So proud of us! I'm really feeling pretty calm tonight...no real craving.

Looking forward to tackling Day 3! Thawing chicken for our lean & green meal tomorrow!

Sleep well!

Leslie...1 Bolognia Sandwich...0 Leslie wins!

Okay....so, I made a Momentum drink (strawberry lemonade). It's comparable to a cup of coffee in caffeine count. You add it to a 16 oz bottle of water (similar to Crystal Light packets)! Yummy! And I ate a celery stick before I started fixing the boys their lunch.

It was a battle to the end! That was the softest loaf of white bread (I love sandwiches on soft white bread) and those grapes were yelling my name! Don't even want to talk about the Ruffles and Doritoes....God help me!!!

I did it...didn't even try one grape or one tiny chip of Dorito that had fallen onto the table.
Another small victory in my diet war!! (Had to fight the urge to stick my hand in the Cheerio box this morning)

Boys are watching Power Rangers now. I'm planning to fix my chicken noodle soup around 2. Wasn't crazy about the cappucinno at noon. It smelled great...maybe it will grow on me!!

Feeling good about my lunch victory. Mike called from work and said he did good this morning. He says he knows this is going to work for both of us!! AAhhh....such a wonderful supporter!! He has it really rough in there because some of those guys are great cooks and they love to fix big meals for everyone. They have soup beans/ham and cornbread. Last week they had a Banana Split buffet!! He raves about the spaghetti they make!! I would hope they wouldn't sabotage his effort. That might be why he doesn't want them to know much about it! He is such a ravenous eater (anyone who knows him will attest to this fact)....they are certainly going to notice before his committed 2 weeks is over! Mike's big problem is portion size...actually it might be both of our problems but he really piles it on!

15 minutes until soup. Hope it's good and satisfying! Thanks for letting me share my lunch victory! I sure am looking forward to that "lean & green" meal of fish later!!

Lunch, diet day 2

I just brought my daycare boys in from outside playtime and I will be fixing them sandwiches, grapes and chips today. I am already feeling a little weak and thinking how great a bolognia sandwich, with mustard on soft white bread would be!

I am going to fix myself an energy drink(I feel a little tired) and have some water before fixing the boy's lunch. Hope that will help. Looking forward to the fish for dinner!

Trying to think of something funny to lighten the moment but really....I can't think of anything!

Heading to the kitchen!!! I'll be back...either in shame or in celebration!!!

Diet blog

It's morning, day 2 of our Medifast program. Yesterday was a pretty good day! We did all our required meal replacements and ate 5oz filets, small spinich salad & asparagus for dinner. Had some soy crackers for evening snack and a replacement drink.

This morning I woke up a little anxious. Kept busy with morning chores until 9. I ate oatmeal and will have a cup of cappaccino at 11. Drinking lots of water. Planning soup for lunch and fish for dinner...might just have lettuce, tomato, cucumber salad with it.

Night time is the worst.

I bought several books to read and still have closets and cupboards to clean for projects. Important to stay busy!

I bought a little tablet to write feelings, meal plans, etc. I felt a need to blog it...writing wasn't enough. Mike really wants to keep this whole thing quiet so don't tell him I blogged it!! And NO BEER for him for 2 weeks! He committed to 2 weeks with me!!

Information says first few days are the roughest.

I've been such a FAILURE at diets. And I always swear I will not do them again! A friend of ours, who did not need to lose weight, lost 11 pounds in 2 weeks. I liked the idea of prepared meal replacements and only preparing one meal a day....sounded very do-able. My Health Advisor is a Christian, an RN and so kind and understanding....wonderful support person.

Motivation: I hated my Easter pictures. I left that morning feeling so cute and, even thinner, in my bright orange top and white capri pants! Ack!!! God must have given me one of those "magic mirrors!" The pictures did NOT show the person I saw in the mirror!! I know...I know...I'm beautiful inside..yea, yea!! And I know that I am a child of God and thus perfect in His eyes. But I am going up in my weight AGAIN!!! Food is powerful! I thought my battle with cancer would cure my overeatting and encourage me to exercise...nope...not even cancer was enough to change my bad habits! Wow! I'm ashamed that I have allowed myself to be so controled by food.

I am smart! I KNOW what I need to do! I KNOW what I have done wrong in the past! I know our portions are way too much! I KNOW I am an emotional eater! I KNOW I have to eat less calories than I burn! I know! I know!

So....please follow me. Please pray for me. Please encourage me.

I LOVE food....do I love it more than I love myself, my family, my friends, my life? No. I really want to overcome it this time.

Granddogs......Ripley & Libby

Our newest granddog....Ripley. She is a Frenchton (French bulldog & Boston Terrier). She lives in Cary, NC with our son, Chad. We can't wait to meet her. She is almost 5 months old. (I think)

Libby is one year old. She is a chocolate lab who lives in Coshocton with Matt, Val, Andrew, Madison & Grace!

Elite Dance Team...Time to Brag!

Team picture! We had both granddaughters on the team this year!

Fan section at the Elite Spectacular...a local performance for family & friends to see the competition dances. Back...Gpa Mike, me, Brother Andrew, Proud Dad Matt, Gpa Tom, Gma Sally. Front..Gma Yvonne, Cousin Tayler, Aunt Ida, Gma Mona, Aunt Debbie

The girls were SO EXCITED to have Tayler at the Spectacular!


The girls brought home many first place awards this year! Gpa Mike really liked this trophy!

Madison in her prisoner costume from their production dance JAILBREAK!

Grace is one of the prison guards in JAILBREAK!

This dance...5 6 7 8....placed high in every competition! Sooooo Cute!

Grace had a fantastic first year on the Elite Dance Team!

Madison's costume in "LET'S PARTY!"

One of my favorites...a great line tap routine called "BIG TIME."

Big finish of JAILBREAK...

A highlight in the 5-6-7-8 dance that always got the crowd cheering!!! This is the cutest song...I'd never heard it before!

Kickline in BIG TIME!


Madison and Grace just completed their Elite Dance Team competition season and it was a fantastic year for them!! All their dances either won or scored high in every competition! I made it to all competitions except for the last one in Akron!

The girls will be performing a few more times including at Coshocton's FIRST FRIDAY downtown Coshocton this Friday, May 1st! Dance recitals on June 6th and 7th at Coshocton HS.

We highly recommend Miss Jennifer's Dance Studio located at Kid's America in Coshocton! She is an awesome teacher!

Christmas 2008

View of our family room from my rocking chair! That tree is the one the children decorated! It was beautiful!

My parents preparing to light the advent candles on Christmas Eve. They were wonderful and we were all very proud!

Cookie kitty hanging out in the big tree! Chloe didn't even try to climb this year! She is too big to get herself up!

Chad was home for a few days before Christmas....just in time to ice the sugar cookies! Oh my...some of those cookies were VERY INTERESTING!!!

It was really COLD this night...maybe 3 degrees above zero. Their hair turned to ice! They had on Christmas lights and Christmas music was playing on the outside speakers! It was very festive!

Heading to their Christmas Eve Service at Roscoe United Methodist Church
It's been a LONG time since I blogged! I've been sharing pictures on Kodak Gallery and started a homepage on facebook but they really aren't the same as blogging!

Christmas was wonderful! Chad made it home a few days before Christmas then headed back to North Carolina. He enjoyed some time in the holiday hottub with Christmas lights and holiday music! My parents did the Advent reading at the candlelight service. Mike and I were home Christmas morning then headed to Coshocton as soon as presents were opened and we got the "Merry Christmas" phone call from the grandchildren! It was a fun and blessed day!!

During the holiday, I was sitting in the rocker with the camera on the table beside me. I picked it up and took a few pictures from my seat....the family room through the old french doors and the staircase. They turned out so pretty! I included the one of the family room. The house is so old with wallpaper that needs replaced and woodwork that need stripped and refinished but at Christmas it comes to life!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.....