The stats

So, I always think that scale-obsessing is over-rated. I do watch the scale to be sure I don't climb close to that big awful number that I worked so hard to get under... and I'm doing pretty good, I must say. But there's this other measurement regarding if one is over-weight or not called the BMI.  I go back and forth on the credence would should give to the almighty BMI.  I mean, we really shouldn't base our success and failures on a number that simply represents a hight/weight ratio.  On the other hand, if we don't focus our goals SOMEWHERE relevant then we must not be serious about changing our body shapes....  Ugh I just don't know.

So this scan I took part in last week supposedly measured all these variables. The guy said the purpose of the scan was to get a baseline so that we can monitor progress. It's apparently a more thorough way to gauge success than just hopping on a scale and measuring the displacement of gravity (his words, not mine). I agree that total body composition is more important than just weight measured on a scale so I went along with it.  This guy says that we are going to weigh in (on a scale) every Friday and do a thorough body scan every month to measure success.  The person who loses the most body fat percentage in the 11 week challenge wins the jackpot (the challenge cost $5 to participate and those who miss a Friday weigh-in/seminar are required to pay $2 and those who gain a pound pay $1 per pound gained each week.. so the jackpot is kind of pretty and enticing).   He said that if someone loses a ton of weight according to the scale but their body fat percentage isn't down, they can't win.  Hmmm.. interesting enough.

So, I just know you're curious now.  What are those variables he measured?

Well, for what it's worth my current BMI is 28.0.  This is, thank GOD, drastically lower than what it was at this time last year. :)  However, according to the charts, it puts me in the "Obese" range... meaning I've got a lot to lose still to be considered "normal."  The normal range for a female my age is supposed to be 20.1-20.5.  (Again I have to ask... who defines normal? The "average" person is so arbitrary considering how many folks there are in this beautiful world. I digress..)  Whatever, a BMI in the 20's is a goal I can aim for.

My body fat percentage, according to this little body scan I did last week, is ... I'm not telling.  I guess I feel shame about it.  But it's really high and will decrease considerably as I meet my new goals in the next 11 weeks.  According to this paperwork that I was given by the body scan guy, the normal range for Body Fat percentage is 21.0-32.9 percent body fat.  Hmmm...  I have no choice but to believe that to be "average" or "normal" or whatever comforting descriptor I want because I don't have the education or knowledge or experience to say otherwise...

On the other hand, my Viceral Fat (the abdominal fat that protects my internal organs and all that important stuff inside my gut) is supposedly at a 6, which is within the normal range of 0-9.   This is, again, on the paperwork that was given me by this Herbalife body scan guy who is facilitating our new weight loss challenge at work.  I am such a skeptic and am disbelieving that these numbers he is pulling out have any real substance.

My skeletal muscle (the muscles that attach the to the skeleton and helps with daily living and posture and moving and breathing, etc.) is at a 26.8 percentage (percent of what? of total body fat? I don't really know).  According to this, the "normal" range for this type of muscle is from 24.3-30.0 percent for someone my age and sex.  So I'm golden there, too, right?  Whatevs!

I guess I just wanted to put these numbers down in my journal so I can compare them to body scans I have in the future.  My hope is that I will be learning more about this stuff as I meet my goals. To be honest, it's all very very boring to me. I don't find interest in any of it at all - so listening to a seminar or lecture about it all makes me want to take a nap.  But, I do want to know what defines NORMAL and why I'm so large. :)

Ahh that's better

Went to the Y for the first time in MONTHS for a good ole fashioned workout.  Met up with my friend there, who vowed to kick my butt.  I was determined to stay in it and I have to agree that I did a pretty good job. We did some treadmill intervals including 10% incline work.  Feels GREAT to be back in the health kick again.

Woke up this morning to a spinach smoothie.  Off to a great start. Going to do my part to finish off all the junk around here :)  My official weigh in is on Jan 6th and I'll be honest - I want to fluff myself up for it a bit so I can win the jackpot.

Cheers!

Really Bad Eating

That's what this blog is really about.  My terrible eating and how it's transforming into really good eating.

The holidays were HORRIBLE. (They were GREAT but on the eating side, they were horrible. The food was great, but you know what I mean.)

I ate so much junk that I think I've created a "sensitive teeth" problem for myself.

I think the horrible food choices I've made over the last week are directly related to the weight loss challenge that begins next week.  I'm psychologically compensating for the changes I'm about to make.  And those changes aren't all that drastic - they're the same eating habits I had at around this time last year when I started to lose all that fat. But, I had a bit of a "break" between that success and the one I'm about to begin so I indulged way too much.

Now I have this psychological battle ahead regarding the leftover sweets that still haunt my house.  The candy from the stockings. The leftover cookie-making ingredients.  I want to eat it all to make it all disappear so that it can't taunt me daily but on the other hand, I want to leave it all out so I can walk by and not eat it and feel successful for passing it up.

I'm ready for the battle of my WILL to succeed.  I'm ready to hit the gym again. I'm ready to fix my stupid mouth!  Bring it on!!! :)

Body Scan :: Weightloss Challenge 2012

I'm starting a new weight loss challenge in 2012, which was the biggest influence for having this blog. I need a place where I can publicly report my failures and successes. I guess I just do better with that kind of accountability.

Today, I completed a "body scan" at a place called Midwest Nutrition.  While I don't agree with everything (most things) they do there at MW, I did appreciate having some hard facts to launch from with this new challenge.  I'll be honest and admit that the number on the scale motivates me. I've come so far since my first weightloss journey began one year ago. But, this challenge is about body fat percentage, which should be a nice change for goal setting..

I'll share some of the stats and facts another time because I don't have them in front of me at the moment. The new challenge is through my work and begins January 6th.  We'll weigh in every Friday during a 45 minute "class" (more like a presentation, I'd say) and those who gain will pay dollar penalties while those who lose are hoping to win the jackpot at the end of 9 weeks.

My goal is simple: to win the jackpot! I'm motivated by the money and feel like I have a pretty good chance at winning since I'm already making leaps and bounds with my health now-a-days. I just needed that extra little incentive to get those last 15 lbs or so off.  The jackpot might be as much as $150.   That'll be a nice new outfit or two for my new slender'er body!

100 Things I'm Grateful For

Originally posted WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2010

100 blessings in my life

In no particular order, 100 blessings that are in my life:

1. my children
2. my husband
3. my father and his wife
4. my relatively new relationship with my brother
5. my grandmother is still alive and well
6. my husband's entire family
7. my dog
8. living in this small town in KS
9. the Foth family
10. the Sanders family
11. the Dehn family
12. fall weather
13. beautiful house
14. full closet
15. full pantry
16. working husband
17. memories of summer vacation
18. getting off work early on a (random) friday
19. our big fish in our big fish tank
20. the van in our garage
21. the vehicle in the driveway
22. the bikes in the garage
23. my strong body that can walk, run, move
24. my laptop
25. iTunes, CDs, music in general
26. my fancy cell phone
27. allergy medicine
28. books in the house
29. the local library
30. parks in this town
31. fuzzy warm socks
32. my neighbors
33. the BBF volunteers
34. sponsors
35. businesses that contribute paper, ink, printing to the BBF
36. USD 231
37. Preschool teacher from last year
38. Kindergarten teacher from this year
39. Sunday school teachers
40. having multiple bibles in our household
41. Julia excited about having her own bible
42. warm showers
43. people at church
44. small group
45. sweet treats
46. soldiers who fight for my freedom
47. antibiotics
48. easy crafts
49. board games with friends
50. potluck lunches after church
51. my comfy bed
52. clean sheets
53. reading to my kids
54. taking the dog for walks while husby puts the kids to bed
55. the smell of my kids' shampoo after a bath
56. referrals from clients
57. handwritten letters/notes
58. child-made bookmarks
59. conversations at Chick-fil-A (among adults, while my kids are having a great time playing)
60. fish filters so I don't have to clean the tank every week
61. toilet cleaners that are flushable
62. yankee candles
63. pre-planned menus for the month (or even week!)
64. successful BBF fundraisers
65. chemo and other drugs that make people better
66. pain medicine
67. oxygen
68. water
69. in-laws that spend time with my kids
70. my neighbors who love me and look out ofr me
71. good tv shows
72. General health and well being
73. Companies like Austins, Schwans, and Chick-fil-A who believe in the BBF
74. my Pastor and his entire family
75. Other pastors in the area, and the relationship I've built with some of them
76. Matthew West, his music, and his example
77. Pictures kids draw for me while they are away (they are thinking of me when I'm not there?!)
78. weekends
79. DVD player in the van
80. family in another state (excuse to travel!)
81. family in another state (time away makes the heart grow tender sometimes)
82. 5K runs and friends that run them, thus motivating me
83. diapers, toilet paper, napkins, and other hygiene luxuries
84. Sun, Rain, Clouds, Snow, Wind - the Seasons nature creates
85. DeeJo Miller
86. Brent and Sarah Bays and their boys
87. the ACS RFL events/opportunities/experiences
88. pooper scoopers with long handles :)
89. neighbor/friends that walk my J to/from school safely every day
90. Children's church volunteers & leaders that love on my kids on Sunday mornings while I attend service
91. new pants that fit right
92. my new laptop battery that husby got for me without me even asking him to
93. official business cards that were designed/ordered/paid for/delivered by someone from church for the BBF (I didn't even ask her to do this!)
94. online sermons
95. margaritas with girlfriends
96. margaritas and movies or wii games with husby on weekends (a rare treat, but a treat indeed!)
97. chips & salsa
98. Conversations about God with my daddy
99. texts on Thursdays from my Auntie (S.H.I.T. = So Happy Its Thursday)
100. large children's movie collection

This list took me almost a week to complete.  About 1/3 of the way through it, I came down with bronchitis (and possibly pneumonia as well).  Still, the blessings are abundant. I could have kept going....  I'm incredibly blessed and I hope to take for granted as FEW of my blessings as possible!  I thank God for those blessings I am able to take for granted!! 

Book Review: Education of a Street Cop

Originally posted on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2010

Book Review

The book my dad wrote is called "Education of a Street Cop" and it's autobiographical of his life over the span of about four years.  He chronicles stories and introduces relationships that are key to the development of his sense of self, as well as his sense of an ethical, well functioning society that is protected by its uniformed police force.  The chronicles within this book offer readers a detailed look at what life was like as an officer working the graveyard shift in a middle class suburban county.  But, not only does it offer a glimpse into the kind of adrenaline-racing calls that a police officer faces, it teaches the historical and philosophical evolution that affect the moral and ethics development within the structure of a police department at the time.  The talented writer shapes each story (and even each relationship) into something that is important and meaningful to our understanding of what life is like as a rookie street cop is "educated."

I believe my dad needed to write this book.  Not only are the stories captivating and engaging, but they each provide a specific and important "lesson" that is outlined so that we readers may better understand how the true stories within the book directly attribute to the morals and ethics my father hold, even today.  The lessons are relational to the main character as he matures as a street cop.  But, the author also matures as a man with strong moral values and in turn, he unwillingly develops a contempt for modern day interferences that come with government structure and systems.  The main character so strongly desires to do his job the way he was taught: to be an agent of protection in the department he serves. But, his daily struggles to bring peace to the community are thwarted by his superiors time and again - and as we read through to the last page, we understand how this happens.  As his audience, we find ourselves rooting for the author and the other main character in the story who exemplify simplicity and authenticity.

The book is written with each "lesson" or story providing an outline for the bigger picture, which involves a main character by the name of Giapappa.  Giapappa is a man of mystery, much like the author.  While reading, you can't help but root for these two men of honor, while hoping that their relationship will reveal itself to be one of hope and triumph.   In the end, the reader is not disappointed; though the outcome is a far cry from triumph over the scandalous broken system of government oversight and regulation.

This book was dedicated to me and my brother. I first learned that my dad authored it on Christmas morning.   I opened it as my kids opened their Christmas gifts under the warmth of the lit up tree.  When I read the dedication, I found myself speechless and I quickly was overcome with emotion.  This book is an amazing gift; it illustrates  what kind of work my dad was doing while my brother and I were safe and warm in our beds at night and into the early mornings.  The setting of this book occurs when I was about 2 years old, my brother four or five.  While the vulgar language within the book will likely catch many of its readers off guard, I can admit that the filthy words were commonly overheard as I tried to get to know my father when I was a little girl.  The vulgarity is not meant to be offensive to you or me, it is exemplary of the writer's authenticity and of the scrupulous nature of the graveyard shift at the time.  I honestly admire my father's candidacy and transparency as he writes these true stories which portray his innocence and ignorance and later his wisdom and experience, despite the unavoidable upsets of alcohol, management, and untrustworthy relationships.

My Bucket List

Originally Posted on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

Bucket List

Shamlessly stolen from one of the various blogs I creep upon while working surfing the net.  100 Things I would like to do before I kick the bucket:
 (in no particular order)

1. Publish a children's book.
2. Go to the taping of a funny sitcom in NY or CA
3. Watch the launch of a spacecraft
4. Sing karaoke in a public place without a care
5. Canoe or Kayak somewhere (anywhere?) -   During California Trip for our 10 Year Anniversary in June 2011. <3
6. Take a hot air balloon ride
7. Ride in a helicopter
8. Snorkle in the ocean  - During our "honeymoon" in Mexico - one year anniversary, Cabo San Lucas
9. Tour New York City
10. Be a missionary in an underdeveloped country
11. Go parasailing in Hawaii
12. Run a 10K - Lawrence, KS in 2010
13. Walk (or run?) a marathon
14. Learn American Sign Language
15. Go on a cruise
16. Teach Kindergarten
17. Pay off the house
18. Manage a healthy weight under xxx pounds. (nonofyourbusiness) - Goal Reached in September 2011!!!!  Held strong through Dec 2011! (I'll try to keep this updated, LOL - not that I have little faith or anything..)
19. Try a new fruit or veggie every day for one month.
20. Start a non-profit organization for a good cause.
21. Have/Make a friend that will sit with me on the front porch when I'm really old and senile.
22. Swim with dolphins
23. Learn to draw
24. Finish a scrapbook
25. Print pictures of the kids/events/milestones/vacations and file them chronologically
26. Help the BBF raise a million dollars (or more!) to give away
27. Own a preschool business (in a commercial building, not in my home, hehe!)
28. Ride a ferry  - Ferry to San Diego from Coronado Island in June 2011.
29. See a blimp up close
30. See Stonehedge
31. Renew marriage vows in Tahoe (maybe for 50th?)
32. Sleep by campfire without a tent/shelter (maybe on a hammock!?)
33. Place first, second or even third in a 5K
34. Memorize the books of the bible in order
35. Attend a Jewish wedding
36. Be a guest at a traditional Jewish Hannukah dinner on Passover
37. Provide respite care for a cancer patient or family member
38. Volunteer at a high school consistently
39. Design a state of the art playpark in a low income neighborhood
40. Revisit the area of San Isabel National Forest, where we got lost in the woods in August 2000.
41. Visit Bishop's Castle with my dad
42. Go sledding with the family in a secluded, perfect area
43. Make a quilt
44. Make a better quilt
45. Archive the lyrics to all the children's songs I know
46. Perform in a skit for a church/cause
47. Go to an opera
48. Go to a broadway play on Broadway
49. See the bar from Cheers on display in Los Angeles.
50. Take the kids ice skating on a lake
51. Have a garden on my property
52. Grow all my own veggies (cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.)
53. Hike up Pikes Peak
54. Ride a train to (or from?) a vacation destination
55. Leave a $100+ tip at a diner/restaurant
56. Pay someone eles's mortgage for a year
57. Help build a house for habitat for humanity
58. Provide Christmas for a family in need (dinner, presents, clothes, a ride to church)
59. Teach a parenting class
60. Volunteer in a hospital (oncology if needed)
61. Have coffee/lunch with Matthew West
62. Spend 24 hours in pajamas as an adult and not care :)
63. Write an inspirational song
64. Babysit for single moms free of charge 
65. Buy groceries for the person in line behind me at the grocery store
66. Buy lunch for the person behind me in a drive thru  - Frequently!
67. Ride along with a police officer on a night shift
68. Visit ground zero in NY
69. Collect the 50 quarters from all 50 states
70. Live a simple life with very few possessions
71. Witness a medically necessary surgery
72. Make a really good bottle of wine
73. Try a ropes course with husby
74. Drive a golf cart for golfers I know (or famous people!)
75. Write a bucket list!
76. Go white water rafting in the Rockies (again)
77. See my children grow up to be well rounded, responsible, successful adults
78. Go on a women's spiritual retreat
79. Lead a bible study
80. Do a touristy zip line in a rainforest or somewhere
81. Learn to ski
82. Get a masters degree in something unconventional (underwater basket weaving?)
83. Learn to knit a scarf for someone
84. Have a clutter free home (even before number 70 is achieved)
85. Complete a big jigsaw puzzle
86. Learn how to change the oil in my own vehicle (and become good at it)
87. Get pedicures with both my daughters
88. Give all homemade presents for Christmas one year
89. Write down something I'm thankful for every single day and then put them in a time capsule to open in 10 years.
90. Go tubing down a stream in the mountains (again - haven't done that one since early 90's!)
91. Donate my hair to Locks of Love
92. Speak Pig Latin with my kids in public 
93. Make a snow igloo in the backyard.
94. Learn to cook meals for other people (Frozen Stouffers Lasagna just isn't very ....heartwarming anymore)
95. Save Princess Peach (again) :)  - can never do that too many times!
96. Write a book filled with word plays. (I like throwing knives! I like throwing - knives.) I'madork
97. Keep a prayer journal
98. Fly a really cool/big kite with my kids at a park
99. Come up with two more things for this bucket list
100.   
101. 
     

My Stupid Mouth

The title of this blog has been inspired by John Mayer.

I have, in the past, had other blogs. They are no longer available to the public (it's not just you)!

I will likely be re-posting some blog posts I've had up in other places in the past. I miss those and want to have access to them as I chronicle my stupid mouth. :)

Thanks, Enjoy (I know I will!)