And the Winners Are.....

Happy New Year, Holiday Health Challengers!

The final numbers are in.

Congratulations to everyone for being great to themselves over the holidays!!!

AND THE WINNERS ARE :
In 5th place – PHISH PHOOD – they lost a total of 3.33% weight together. Raquel lost 9odd% and Daniella over 3%. All the guys did their share and this team lost 27lbs.

In 4th place – CONQUERING THE BEAST BACK EAST – these five all ladies team provided an incredible support system to each other over the holidays.
They rocked it together at the Turkey Trot and then still used the discussion group to continue the motivation. They lost a total of 4.65%. Paige was a team member who lost just over 11% of her total body weight – this put her in 3rd place overall in total percentage of weight lost for an individual.
Well done, Guys!– not even the snow can keep you guys for making it all happen With-U!

In 3rd place – THE FINKS – they didn’t know each other. They only ever met online. David lost an incredible 12.85% of his total body weight. FANTASTIC!

In 2nd place – THE FURIOUS FIVE – Anthony put together this team of co-workers, and, boy, did he put them to work. They were incredibly supportive of
each other and lost an amazing 89lbs. Mike on this team lost just over 38lbs for the greatest total amount of weight lost! Darrel dropped a belt size by
shedding 20lbs. Wendy lost 7, Daniel 5, and their furious leader dropped 19! CRAZEE!!

Thanks to the generosity of Runners High, The Furious Five each won a $40 gift card to Runners High!

And the team that galloped away with the grand prizes was…

THE PINK PONIES – a father, daughter, brother, friend and boyfriend team (Mom was on another team!) kept each other motivated to stay the course
throughout the treacherous holiday season. Two of their team work at California Pizza Kitchen and navigated the temptations there together.
They did workouts together, planned meals together, counted calories together, and lost a total of 100.4lbs! Chris M lost 15.96% of his total weight
– the most of the challenge. Chris C lost 24lbs, Ryan dropped 10.62% of his total body weight, while Taylor and her dad Steve both lost over 4% of their total body weight.

And they did all this over the Holiday Season, so they can ring in the new year feeling a whole lot better about themselves!

The PINK PONIES gallop away with $1500!!

But wait there’s more!

THE FINAL POG WINNERS – Check them out On the With-U Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB8WLRpqdg0

Five Teams made it into the final drawing – several were just shy of the 80% cut off, including the Ponies who had 78.78% of their POG’s…

1. Conquering the Beast Back East
2. Less is More
3. Phish Phood
4. The Finks
5. The Fab Five

And the winner is #4 – The FINKS walk away with $500 to start their 2010!

What Next?
Remember that 90% of people will have broken their new years resolution by the end of January. Don’t let that happen to you!

Let With-U help you through 2010, and start with the 2010 With-U Wellness Challenge on January 16th. Sign up today for steep discounts!

All HHC members just need to send us an email to let us know if they would like to participate in the 2010 special – ALL four for $100 per person or just the STRIP With-U (Spare Tire Reduction Incentive Program) $40 per person.

See http://www.withu.org/ for more details, but you do NOT need to register online.

We will send you a link so that we can import all your existing information over to the new incentives.

Check out the Pink Ponies this morning as they learn they are the Winning Team.

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR GRAPHS OF THE TOP 20 INDIVIDUAL LOSERS!

http://wellnesswithu.blogspot.com/

Post on your facebooks, tweet and tell everyone your success – the more teams we have, the more the prize money will increase next year.

Finally, you all made a difference – everyone of you who maintained or lost weight were winners for your wellness. Although we didn’t quite hit the 500lb mark, With-U is donating 100lbs of food to the OC Foodbank in honor of the Ponies, who lost a whopping 100lbs!!

CONGRATS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
With-U WELLNESS TEAM

Holiday Health Challenge Winners Announced Tomorrow!

Winners of the With-U Holiday Health Challenge will be announced in an award ceremony at 7:30 a.m. TOMORROW, Thursday, December 31, at Tustin Sports Park, 12850 Robinson Drive. Please join us to congratulate them as they receive their $1,500 cash prize!

The With-U Holiday Health Challenge was a tremendous success. The 90 participants lost a total of 475 pounds over an eight-week period beginning on Halloween. The winning five-person team lost more than 100 pounds total, averaging 8.9 percent of total body weight per individual team member. The second-place team lost a cumulative 86 pounds, averaging 6.53 percent of total body weight per member.

Seventeen of the 19 five-member teams in the Holiday Health Challenge lost weight—at a time of year when many people put on the pounds—and 92 percent of all participants lost weight or stayed at same weight.

Since the kick-off weigh-in on Oct. 31, the Health Challenge competitors have completed a cumulative total of more than 4,000 health- and nutrition-focused POGs.

In addition to the $1,500 grand prize award, each team completing at least 80 percent of its weekly assignments was entered into a drawing for an additional $500 cash prize.

Because the Holiday Health Challenges in both 2008 and this year were so popular and successful, With-U will be holding four similar eight-week Health Challenges during 2010. The kick-off weigh-in for the first quarterly challenge of 2010, “STRIP With-U” (for Spare Tire Reduction Incentive Program) will be held Jan. 16 at Runner’s High in Irvine, with participants competing for $2,000 total cash prizes.

For more information or to register, visit www.withu.org, or call us at 714-832-8590.

P.S. Check out the fabulous feature in today's Orange County Register, focusing on 2008 Holiday Health Challenge participant Cindy Speer, with lots of great photos of the Rough-Fit folks. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/healthy-226197-year-resolution.html

Holiday Health Challengers drop over 300 lbs in 4 weeks!

The Holiday Health Challenge began October 31st and was designed to help participants navigate the temptations that arrive with the holiday season.

Participants weighed in on October 31st and returned for weigh in's every two weeks. They receive weekly newsletters and are challenged with a weekly plan of goals(POG's). Prizes are awarded to top weight losers and a drawing has been held each week for participants who complete at least 80% of their POG's.

The results thus far:
* Over 300lbs lost
* 70% of POG's are completed overall
* 8 teams are completing 80% or higher of their POG's
But the most important:Participants say it keeps them focused and on track during a time when the average person stacks on a few extra pounds.

Well done to all the participants and we look forward to continued success over the next few weeks.

Holiday Health Challengers drop over 300lbs in 4 weeks

The Holiday Health Challenge began October 31st and was designed to help participants navigate the temptations that arrive with the holiday season.

Participants weighed in on October 31st and returned for weigh in's every two weeks. They receive weekly newsletters and are challenged with a weekly plan of goals(POG's). Prizes are awarded to top weight losers and a drawing has been held each week for participants who complete at least 80% of their POG's.

The results thus far:
* Over 300lbs lost
* 70% of POG's are completed overall
* 8 teams are completing 80% or higher of their POG's
But the most important:
Participants say it keeps them focused and on track during a time when the average person stacks on a few extra pounds.

Well done to all the participants and we look forward to continued success over the next few weeks.

The Proof is in the Pudding

Last week I had my first physical done. I was suppose to have one when I turned 40 last year but somehow that fell off my radar and it was never done. It has been on my mental to-do-list for over a year now and I was getting tired of thinking of it so I actually got off my rear and went and got it done. It was rather painless, just took some time out of my schedule. An hour appointment at the most, some questions and some blood drawn. They did have to take the blood from the back of my hand. I’m quite use to this as I’m told each time I have blood drawn I have very small veins. Funny how that is one of the smallest things on me. Veins? Go figure…so all in all besides a few needle attempts it was an easy appointment that was long overdue.

Today I received my results. The proof truly is in the pudding. I am completely healthy and actually below the “normal” ranges. My LDL’s, HDL’s and Triglycerides are all within and below normal ranges!! My kidney function, electrolytes and blood sugar all normal too!

I know that the past year of exercising regularly and watching my diet and nutrition has played a huge part in these numbers. I’m very proud. I’ve worked hard to achieve those results. And Lindsey is right (as usual) it’s not just about the number on the scale!

I’m thankful to have a resource like RF in my life! I’m thankful for good health!

I'm baaaccckk!!!

Okay so I know you are thinking what the heck happened to Andrea?? Or maybe you were just thinking, yea, we finally got rid of her!! Or maybe you were thinking I fell off the wagon and I’m stuck somewhere with a box of Twinkies in my lap and everything I’ve been practicing has gone to hell in hand basket?

Well, don’t be so quick to judge my friends. I’m not a total lost cause. I promised this blog would be about no stories so I’m not going to bore you with the details of the last two weeks and why I haven’t blogged, I’m not going to give a bunch of excuses and start whining about how CRAZY my life is right now, I’m really not…I promised you!

What I can tell you is this; I didn’t fall completely off the wagon. I did have a few setbacks. However, not all is in vain. I did practice what I preach and I am still consciously trying (through all the madness) to remember all of things I practiced and was so successful with last month. For instance, I continue to repeat my daily affirmation, which I’m happy to share with you, it goes something like this, “I am worth it and I deserve this, I can do this!”. It truly does help me make better choices, especially on weeks like the past two that I wasn’t able to do the best planning or able to do my POGS. I’ve barely drank for the last two months. I think I’ve had drinks on maybe 3 nights out of 8 weeks. The first month I drank nothing at all. Okay, now don’t be thinking I’m a lush, contrary to what you think, I’m not really a big drinker anyway so this one isn’t hard for me. I’ve continued to research calories of restaurants that I’m dining in prior to going. And I’ve continued to cut down on my diet soda intake and drink more water and tea.

What I can also tell you is that while I didn’t do the best job the last two weeks, I didn’t do the worst and I’m not going to beat myself into a pulp about it. I’m going to continue this work and move forward trying to make everyday count. I can also tell you the key to my success is to plan, plan, plan. Which I look forward to resuming wholeheartedly.

On a side note, I’ve been wanting for weeks to blog about The Biggest Loser. I love that show and find inspiration in it. Last week while watching it I actually took notes with the intention of blogging about the episode. That didn’t happen, however I want to leave you with some quotes that I took from that show. These made an impression on me. I hope they do you too.
“The biggest failure is not trying”
“You have nothing left to lose, just take the risk”
“Have you ever been good enough?”
“Have you ever been excellent?”
And my personal fav:“The only thing that had to change to be successful is me – my attitude”

Ta Da!

As some of you may know Friday was my weigh-in day. I came home from RF, went directly into the bathroom, stripped down to my birthday suit, closed my eyes, got on the scale and took a deep breath…I slowly opened one eye, then the other and then…Ta Da! I was down 7lbs since September 1st!

I’m quite happy with my results. I feel less puffy and my clothes are fitting less snuggly. I keep walking by the bathroom mirror and checking out my new, flatter tummy. I even stood in front of the mirror this weekend and took a good look at this bod of mine. Most days I close my eyes as I go by the mirror or I turn my head. This weekend I actually had the impulse to take a look, a close look. It wasn’t so bad. I mean it kinda inspired me to continue, I saw a vision! I also had two people this weekend tell me I looked thinner. That made me feel great that people are noticing. It may not even be the actual pounds they are noticing, maybe it’s the swagger!?

I’m inspired. I’m motivated! I want to lose another 7lbs by the end of October. Stay tuned and let’s see what happens!

Let Freedom Ring!!!

This morning I dropped off my daughter at preschool. This is her third day at her school BUT today she gets to go to the extended day program. That means, instead of me picking her up after 2.5 hours I get to pick her up after 5 hours!!! Yes, I said it, FIVE glorious hours!!! Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my kids and LOVE being with them. However, as some as you may know, they tend to suck the life right outta you! I get up at 5:30am most days to go to RF and my day continues until about 9pm. No joke! It is non-stop madness. Errands, meal preparation, grocery shopping, banking, cleaning, laundry, pick-up, drop-offs, play dates, etc., etc., until the clock hits 8pm and that is when my kids go nite nite. After bedtime stories and kisses is when I get to work on me, and sometimes it still dosen’t really end there because someone needs some water or someone else is scared and can’t sleep or someone else needs to be fed (like the dog, who is sometimes forgotten about) or someone else is needing some attention. Wink wink, you know who you are! So to say after bedtime it’s my time is kinda an understatement. Typically I don’t relax until around 9:30ish and then I’m falling asleep from pure exhaustion. I have nothing else to give.

Today is such a special day for me! I’ve waited seven years! Yes seven years for both my kids to be gone at school and for me to get some ME time! Whooo Hoooo!!!! Can you hear me shouting that loud and clear!! I could do a dance right now I’m so thrilled!!! ME time!!! Wow, imagine that!

Okay, I am embellishing a little. I have tons of things I could be working on. My new children’s clothing line. My PTA coordinator position, Room Mom responsibilities, banking, cleaning, laundry, you name it, there is a ton of things on my “to do“ list. However, last night I made a conscious effort that this morning after I dropped Carly off I would come home and do something for me, something good for me!

So here I sit blogging. I was happy to hurry home and sit quietly at my computer without any interruptions and be able to blog to my content! No one tugging at my side asking for more apple juice, no one interrupting my thoughts asking me to play catch with them. Nope it’s just me and the dog sitting here as I type. (Thank goodness she is 12 years old and doesn’t seem to need a thing right now!) Yippee for me!! Next item of importance is to plan out my lunch and dinner. I’m actually going to pursue through my cookbooks and write a plan for this weeks dinners. I’m thrilled to think I will be able to accomplish that task more efficiently than ever before!

I’m so excited for my new found freedom. I’m promise myself to each week do something good for myself with this time. Today I even thought about exercising again. Take a walk...imagine that! Me exercising two times in day! It actually sounds good to me!

The Master Plan

As I continue on this “no stories” journey I am constantly reminded of how I need to plan. I mean, that is really the culprit of my success or demise! At each and every turn, each thought and each day and night, I am reminded that I need a plan. I’m not sure why this has been difficult some days for me. Some days are not as difficult as others. However, it really should be easy to have a master plan to a person like me.

I’m a total planner. I plan everything! Ask my husband. I calendar everything, I use the calendar in Outlook. It is always the first thing that opens on my computer, it is also the one program that is always open all day and night, until I turn my computer off at the end of the day. It is sometimes minimized but always right there so I can see “the plan”. I send my hubby “status plan update emails”. He gets these emails from me about once a month so he is in “the know” about “the plan”. I’m the one Mom out of my friends that calls the babysitter ahead of time (and I mean much ahead) if we plan an evening out. I’m the friend that is planning the evening out. I’m the friend that is always “rallying” the troupes and devising “a social plan” of when we can all get together and play. I’m the Mom that “plans” many play dates and schedules them for my kids and puts it on the calendar, color coded for each kid and all! I’m the Mom that is planning her kid’s birthday party three months in advance. Right now I’m planning our annual neighborhood Halloween party…get it? I am THE planner!!

I have a plan for almost everything in my life. I know that sounds probably boring to you. It probably sounds so mundane and so not spontaneous. Don’t worry, I’m flexible too, you can throw a curve ball in my plan and I’ll “plan” around it!

Today my plan is to continue to work on “my personal plan”. It may not be perfect each day so my plan is to continue to plan. My meals, day by day, week by week. My plan is to continue to “plan” how many days I will work out in a week. My plan is to continue to move forward on this journey, even if some days I get sidetracked, my plan is to get back on course as soon as I can. My plan is to continue to work on me and stay motivated and focused. My plan is to continue to break down my main goal to mini-goals to make it more manageable. My plan is to take small steps to move me towards “My Master Plan”.

What is your plan? Small behavioral and lifestyles changes can help you reach “your plan”! Try it!

Status Update

It’s been a week exactly since my last post. It was such a crazy week for me that I was definitely derailed in my posting on this blog. I did however each day in my mind think of something I wanted to say to you all, I just got sideswiped by life so to speak. I’m not going to go into a “story, I mean this is the blog about NO stories, right? However I will say I stayed committed to my goal even though I was extremely busy and somewhat distracted.

So let’s rewind a week ago…it was my 13th anniversary and my wonderful hubby and I were going out to dinner. I had a great plan for the day of eating low calories and exercising with my friend Jen in the morning. That would enable me to still go out for the evening and enjoy the night. We started out in Laguna Beach at Rooftop. It was very impromptu to go there. If you haven’t ever been its one of the most scenic spots on the Gold Coast! It is a bar/lounge on top of an old hotel on the ocean side of PCH. After walking up a couple flights of stairs you enter out through a door and from as far left as you can see is beautiful Blue Ocean and then as far right as you can see is beautiful Blue Ocean! It truly is a sight to see. It is one of the best spots to watch the sun set! We actually got lucky and found a table to sit at. It can be a very crowded bar most nights. As soon as we sat a server appeared asking what we’d like to drink. Wally ordered vodka on the rocks and I….drum roll please! I ordered a Pellegrino with lime. Yep, I did! I know hard to believe for some of you. I know you are thinking “that crazy girl in class didn’t order a drink?” Nope, no cocktails for me, remember? I publically vowed. We watched all the “beautiful people” (as I like to refer to them) drink all of their amazing looking drinks. I sipped my sparkling water as I watched the most amazing sunset I’ve seen in long time! I was asked by a few friends, how was that negative a cocktail? Even Wally asked me. Truthfully it wasn’t hard at all. I was (and am committed) but more than that I think it was easy because it wasn’t really about the drinks (or food) it was about the company I was with and also the beautiful view.

After Rooftop we went to dine at Sorrento Grille in Laguna Beach. A very good restaurant with a really cozy, quaint feel. Again I stayed committed to my plan. No cocktails, Pellegrino on the rocks, no bread, the server never even brought the bread basket to our table. Now normally I would summon over the server if each and every other table had amazing bread and butter and I didn’t, however on this night I didn’t. I never asked the server, I didn’t want that temptation and that is one of my biggest triggers! I mean one piece leads to another and then another and then I usually order a glass of red wine because who can eat bread and butter without wine?? And then before I know it the basket is empty! Side note: When I eat bread and butter the people I dine with usually ask me if I need some bread with my butter. I know some of you are saying YUCK but to me it’s delish!!! See what I mean, huge trigger! We shared some oysters on the half shell and then moved on to a salad that we shared, all very good and actually the kind of portions you are suppose to eat, you know, like airline food. We ordered Halibut and shared that too. And even though I know the entrée was made with probably more fat and calories that I would want or have making it at home, I really didn’t feel that guilty considering I was sharing and my portions were in proportion. The finale was we ordered Crème Brule. My plan was to take three bites and push it away. One delicious bite, two, then the last one…and viola, I stuck to my plan and pushed it away. Wally finished it and that was fine by me!

All in all, it was a very nice Anniversary. Nice to spend time with my hubby, nice to stay committed to something AND really nice to not have to unbutton my jeans at the end of the night!

I promise to blog more this coming week. I need to keep my eye on the ball! See ya in class on Monday!

Let's Dish

So this morning I woke up feeling “less puffy”. What? Could it be true? All of my efforts this week are possibly paying off? I think so! Feeling “LP” has inspired me to keep at it. It feels good to be LP. I feel my inner-thinner me emerging…or at least trying to break through a layer!

Today I have started to peruse through many of my cookbooks/magazines. I’m starting to get a meal plan together for my week ahead. The last time I lost a significant amount of weight was prior to my wedding (13 years ago). I lost 18lbs on Weight Watchers. Much of that success was due to planning. A much easier task to do when I didn’t have to deal with two children vying for my time. Much simpler to do when I didn’t have to think of kid friendly menus. However, I do have to say my children are wonderful eaters so that really is a “story”. I mean kids who eat fish, clams, almost any kind of vegetable and fruit are not to be considered when meal planning right? I have two children that eat exactly what I serve for meals. (Remember I’m a.k.a. Kitchen Nazi) No short order cooking in my house and they don’t have to dip it all in Ranch or Ketchup. So therefore this shouldn’t be so cumbersome.

I’ve decided to plan a few meals with new recipes I have not tried and then also plan a couple meals of “old faithfuls”. I’m also going to incorporate meal planning into my lunches since I often derail there and wind up grabbing the quickest and easiest thing in my reach, which we all know is probably the worst nutritional choice. I’ll let you know how it goes. If I come up with any great new recipes or ideas, I will be sure to share.

Speaking of my wedding, my anniversary is tomorrow. 13 wonderful, blissful years! I swear I’m not being sarcastic! I love my hubby dearly! He is the most genuine and supportive man I know. He is truly authentic. Someone once described him as the following: “Wally bleeds integrity”. I totally admire this man in so many ways. Okay, okay, enough about him… so the hubby and I are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate. I’m planning for this event.

Today I will stay on target and choose very wisely as I know even when making the best choices at a restaurant they are still possibly laden with extra fats and calories. My plan is the following: No bread basket at my table (I’m a total carb lover). I will eat a salad before my entrée and be sure it is only filled with the right ingredients, vegetables and only vegetables. I’ll choose my dressing wisely too, probably oil and vinegar. I will more than likely share an entrée with my hubby. We do this quite often. It’s fine with me because I can’t stand that feeling of being so full you want to puke the $30 dinner up that you just consumed an hour ago. I will not be drinking alcohol this evening. And if we order a dessert, and yes, it would be one to share, I’m vowing to only have three bites and then my hubby can finish it or have the server take it away.

That is my plan! Happy Anniversary to me! Happy Planning to me!

Kitchen Nazi

I’m guilty! I don’t practice what I preach. I’m a total hypocrite.

Each meal I make my kids sit at the kitchen table to eat. They are not allowed to watch TV while they eat (even though we have a small under-counter one in the kitchen) and they are not allowed to play with toys at the table either. (I will allow an occasional book, because I’m a total advocate of reading) but most times I don’t even allow that. I’m the Kitchen Nazi! I’m constantly telling them sit still, pay attention to your food, don’t play with the placemat, focus on your food, less on other things. Yadda, yadda, yadda! I mean they so must NOT enjoy meal times because I’m so strict! In my mind mealtime is for eating and talking with each other. Mealtime is for enjoying the food on our table and being grateful it is there. Mealtime is a time to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

YA Right! Then why is Mommy allowed to pick up the phone when it rings at dinner? Why is Mommy allowed to play on the computer while eating lunch? Why does Mommy get to get up and stray to another project while chewing her food? Why does Mommy not have to focus and be grateful? Why does Mommy not have to relax and enjoy her meal? I’ll tell you why… the truth is I must not believe I’m as valuable as my children. I must not believe I deserve that same treatment (or what my kids would say are “rules”). Isn’t it funny how I can love and cherish my family so much and want the best for them but I am constantly leaving myself in the dust! I know it’s a Mommy problem for us all but I do know I have a choice.

The past few days I’ve been choosing to focus on sitting at the table with my family and not being distracted. I’ve been eating with my kids and listening to their stories, not jumping to answer the phone at the first ring. It can wait, the person will leave a message right? I’ve been staying away from my desk and computer while eating my lunch. I don’t need to answer those e-mails. This is a hard one for me because I think I’m multitasking but truthfully I’m not even tasting my food. Then not even an hour later I have my head in the pantry looking for a snack!
The past few days I’ve sat with my kids and really tasted and enjoyed my food. Food I worked hard to buy and then make for them. Food for our family, which includes ME! The past few days I’ve been grateful to have the opportunity to do this. The past few days I’ve put value in ME and MY meals.

Now go sit down and enjoy your meal. Focus on it. Put the phone down, they’ll call back, stop reading this (it’s really not that interesting), step back from the computer, your e-mails will still be there when you’re finished. You’ll be glad you did, I promise! Now doesn’t that taste better??

PS-Research states that people that focus on their food and meals typically weigh less than those who don’t. Now that’s food for thought!

Boom Boom Pow!

Do you ever have a song that keeps playing in your head all day? Day after day? It’s so catchy you think of it while you are brushing your teeth, driving in the car and while falling asleep. It’s constantly on your mind. It keeps playing over and over again.

I sure have! Unfortunately it’s not been a fun, new song from the radio. It’s been a really ugly one that I made up myself and it’s been playing in my head for a long, long time. Probably months, even years. Sometimes the chorus changes, but most times the verses stay the same. I have to admit, I’m so sick and tired of it! I’m so sick of that damn song!! I constantly hear it. It plays over and over and over again. It comes into my head so many times a day I’ve lost count. Whatever project or task I’m working on it’s there, in the background. Whatever clothes I’m putting on and whatever meal I’m making, that same horrible verse fills my head. I hear it in the house, in the car, sometimes even in my fricken sleep!

Well, today I’m breaking that record! Literally! It’s outta here! I’ve had enough! I can’t stand to hear it one more time! This morning I’ve decided on an affirmation and I’ve been repeating it in my head. It’s only 10:40am and I’ve already said it at least three times. I also wrote it out with a big black sharpie and stuck it to my bulletin board for me and everyone else to see! I’m looking at it right now as I type this! Now, I know you are all saying that is so corny…it’s probably some corny affirmation that some corny “self-help guru” made up. Nope, it’s all mine! I’m not going to tell you what it is, but truthfully, it is all mine. I thought of it on my own and I'm owning it all day! I believe it too! It just makes sense to me! It’s kind and respectful and positive! It’s not that crap you hear on the radio. It’s not a song that you can’t make out the words or don’t even know what it truly means. It’s loud and clear to me today! And I love this song! I deserve that right? I mean, who deserves to listen to the same broken record every day all day? Nobody!

So tell me, what song is in your head today??

NO Stories!

A couple weeks ago I received an e-mail from Lindsey asking me if I would like to blog for Rough-Fit. She stated that it would be a great way to track my challenges and progress of moving closer towards my goal…a goal I’ve had since I started RF over a year ago. You know - that goal of me losing 20lbs and being Fabulous and Forty. Well Forty came and went, I’m actually 41 now. However I can’t say I’m as fabulous as I want to be because I’m still trying to lose those same 20lbs! I readily and excitedly accepted Lindsey’s offer to blog. What a great way to discover why I haven’t reached my goal. What exactly is stopping me? Why can I not seem to get my act in gear to get these darn lbs off for good!? I immediately started thinking of stories I wanted to share of my struggles and tribulations of my weight loss journey or lack thereof.

I had so many stories, they were flooding my head! I would drive in the car and think of one, I would be lying in bed at night and think of another, I would be in the shower and another would come to mind. Stories of what diets I had tried, fitness routines I had started, journals I had abandoned, books I had purchased, foods I had bought, vitamins I had bought, weight loss pills I had bought…you get the picture…I had so many stories!!

Then Lindsey asked me last week if we could meet on Monday after class to discuss my blogging. I told her absolutely we could and that I was already thinking of so many stories to blog about! When we met, Lindsey told me she laughed when she read my e-mail that I had all these stories. She said she was laughing because this blog is going to be a blog about NO stories! What??? Hold the press, or should I say keyboard! How could I tell NO stories? How could I write about nothing? How I could I entertain anyone? Why would anyone tune in to a blog that was about nothing? Then she further explained and it dawned on me - she’s right! (Okay, we all know 98% of the time she is right! Damn!) Why would anyone want to read or listen to me complain and whine about all of my half-ass attempts to lose weight and get fit? I mean you all hear it from me firsthand at 6am every morning. All the whining, complaining and excuses that early in the morning. If you can’t tolerate me at class why the hell would you take even a few minutes out of your busy day to come read a load of my crap!? I mean how could that inspire anyone? How could that help anyone? How would anyone find that remotely entertaining? How foolish I was to think I had so much good material! LOL!

So there you go…now you know why this is a blog about NO stories! It’s going to be a blog about nothing…nothing that is going to stand in my way this month of achieving my goals. Nothing that is going to get in my way of making myself a priority. No matter what the outcome is at the end of the month, no matter how many lbs actually fall off of me, this will be a blog about nothing standing in my way of me working on me! I hope you will stay tuned for the next 30 days (c’mon on now, you know how I love an audience!). I truly think I’ll even inspire a few of you…Yep, me, inspire! Imagine that, Princess with all the stories has nothing to talk about, except what I’m actually doing to achieve my goals!
See you in the morning!

P.S. You’re wondering what I did today? I logged my calories and stayed under 1400. I had no bites and licks and I attended class. Also, I am publically vowing to not drink any alcohol for the next two weeks. So there ya go!!

No Stories

This month I've asked Andrea to blog for the next 31 days. Why Andrea? Because she has is one of the funniest, creative story tellers I know. Because of that she is very adept at creating a logical, reasonable and perfectly acceptable story to justify her status quo.

This blog however, is the No Stories blog. For the next 30 days Andrea will blog the "Seinfeld way" - about nothing! Nothing is going to get in the way of her daily POG challenge.

Sit back and get ready to read a blog about nothing, no stories! Boy, I can't wait!

Final 3 D Review

A big thank you to the 3D's who blogged their way through the last 3 months. Dee (my sister) is unable to finish up her last post because she's getting the electrical path of her heart "rewired". Only she could "re-program" her heart to do something other than it was supposed to. We hope that with this new pathway, she will avoid the hospital stays that have become routine the last few months.

All three were brave enough to share their challenges and this required self relfection which at times can be difficult to acknowledge. A few clients this week actually logged their cals and were stunned to see how much they had been consuming. Remember the old saying, "knowledge is power!"

Our blogger for the next 30 days will be Anndrea. I encourage you to share in her blog with her. Remember that I read every posting but this is your platform to post.

Thanks again to the 3D's for sharing for 90 days!!!

Diligent

Well Ladies we are about to come to the end of our time together! Hard to believe it has been three months. But it makes me realize that time just keeps moving forward, faster and faster. That makes it even more important that we take care of ourselves everyday. Tomorrow becomes today then it is yesterday, last week, last week, last month, last year, etc. While I have lost 14 pounds during this three months, it is not close to my goal. I am embarassed that I did not do better, and feel I have let Lindsey down. Here is what I have learned: Not to quit, to write down my food, and to move every day. Every day we have a choice, our goal is to choose ourselves and our health first. Thanks Lindsey you mean so much to each of us.

Determined

Hello Ladies,

I keep forgetting we are supposed to be writing "D" stuff! So today I picked Determined. I am so lucky to have Lindsey to keep me focused. Man does she have her hands full. We were walking and talking last week, and I felt like a big whiner given the current health crisis with her friend. We all get so caught up in our stuff that we forget how lucky we are, each day. This year I have had one ache pain, injury, issue after another. But nothing serious, and for this I am thankful. So I am Determined to quit making excuses and put my health and fitness first. You know it must be a frustrating job to be a trainer/coach like Lindsey and the others and watch people choose not to put themselves first. I get frustrated in my own job when clients won't listen to me, I know it must be even more difficult when poor health is the issue. Why is it we don't choose health and fitness first? What is it that keeps us from reaching our goals? I am Determined to find these answers for myself, and hope you do too!

D is for Dancing!!

.............so, I am just going to blog and apologize for being so scarce. I am first going to walk though before this blog becomes a reason for it not to happen! Be back in an hour.
OK, so my first walk since my orthopediac surgeon put a ban on walking. Not bad, except I forgot the "blanket" for my mouth and so I wheezed my way through the walk because the weather is still cold and induces asthma - and my goal is to be so organized I spend the night before choosing the right music like my hero Lindsey, and can't even remember the mouth blankie and the inhaler!

Well, it is folk dancing season here in SA, traditionally called – toyi-toyi-ing. Everyone wants more, so there are protests and strikes from every region, every job type, every union, and I call it rolling mass action, because they are considerate enough to do it one at a time and so every week it is a different group. At least we don't go without water, power, sanitation, taxis and telephones all at once! Out in the streets our people are doing the Pony, the Watusi and the Mashed Potato. They’re whirling like dervishes and shimmying up a storm as they kick over garbage bins and, in a brilliant spectacle of colour and passion, toss the contents high into the air like streamers in a symbolic search for the relics of the national fowl, the one deep-fried in a batter containing 11 secret herbs and spices.

Recently, the doctors and medical staffers at state hospitals toyi-toyied with the best of them, but then they had access to God knows what in the muti (medicine) department.

What about the rest of us? It is all kept a safe distance from the sanitized suburbs where we need a substantial amount of fine malt in us to even consider the possibility of a midday shuffle. I am thinking that all the middle class people who have had to cut gym memberships due to the recession, may very well like to boogie in the streets collectively at lunchtime. Zumba has always appealed to me - in fact I once saw the most amazing thing in Caracas - this huge central park where hundreds and hundreds of people gathered on Sundays - some were playing group games like, running red rover, others looked like versions of twist - but lots of team sports and then this massive area where every conceivable shape, age, colour and creed were neatly lined up and doing zumba to some hypnotic Latino rythyms. It was honestly the most magical moment to see such lack of reserve, such uninhibited fun, uncontrived and spontaneous and just family and friends having fun in it's purest form. So, as much as I love walking, I can't say it is FUN - I like it very much, I clear my mind, I think of possibilities and solutions for pressure points but I am going to find something fun .... and cheap..... to do this week on a consistent basis. I had a temporary lapse of sanity and had a momentary flashback of "rock-hopping" in the river in my youth and was going to ask my 23 yr old Ashar if I could join him in Parkour or free running. Well, not now anyway - maybe - a year's time?
I am falling and getting up and falling and getting up, and am up at the moment, so am setting goals to keep me up , since I have neglected to do so for many months. POGS here I come!
Take care and thanks for the insights and magnificent pics of healthy food - very inspiring!
d

DUM DUM DUM (just some exciting news)

Here it is folks. A copy of my French visa good for 1 year. Oh la la! It took 2 trips so that's why I was not in class yesterday & today (I would have gotten them all yesterday if not for the fact that they did not like the health insurance letter that I brought from Kaiser so I had to run amok, get a more precise one, and bring it in with the 3 kids today). Now that was fun - especially since once we were allowed inside the "visa" section of the French Embassy (off the 405 fwy past LAX & the 10 fwy....in the major traffic zone thank you very much) they had to be really quiet (French people do not really care for loud & boisterous kids in public). Even in the Metro everyone kinda whispers. And yeah my photo kinda looks like a mug shot. Damn.

So not really a "d" related, calorie reducing item but it's darned delightful!

Debbie

See? I can prove living & cooking simpler is healthier. This is our lunch today - we made a potato salad which is basically russet potatoes (boiled till firm/tender) in a dressing of olive oil, chopped parsley, lemon, minced garlic & green onions. Presented on a decorative bed of lettuce & adorned with cucumbers, grape tomatoes & radishes. This is the last you will see of Sophie at my house because Bob Barker called & she will soon be appearing on the Price is Right! Sorry Vanna but The Wheel of Fortune called a day too late!

Here's our fresh fruit salad (or what's left of it) - nectarines, blueberries, blackberries & raspberries. Make this (add other fruit too - grapes, apples, citrus, cut cherries, etc.) & add orange juice (fresh or from the refrigerated section but not from concentrate). Let sit for about an hour in the fridge. Your kids (and you) will LOVE IT. Sometimes my kids only drink the juice. Only good for about 1 day (best on day prepared) or fruit gets mushy. Great idea for snack or dessert. Are you feeling my simplicity here? I can hear some of you saying "Yeah Deb, you're simpleminded for sure!"

In case you were wondering "Gee Deb, what the hell is a Persian cucumber?" here they are. I keep these cut up in the fridge & my kids will eat them with a meal or as a snack. Plus they make cute adornments & are firmer/less seedy than "american" cucumber.

Deb's Food Blog for Tuesday 07/28/2009

First, does anyone have any comments on eating before or after boot camp? I don't really want to eat before hand & always heard to exercise on an empty stomach so not sure of your thoughts on this one.

My abbreviations:

Ca=calories
Fa=fat grams
Cb=carb grams
Pr=protein
Fi=fiber
Su=sugar

Snack - 1 medium banana

Breakfast - 1 cup GoLean cereal Ca=140/Fa=10/Cb=30/Pr=13/Fi=10/Su=6

Breakfast - 1 cup lofat milk Ca=130/Fa=20/Cb=16/Pr=11/Fi=0/Su=15

Lunch - 1 bowl (approx. 1 1/2 cups) of m'jhadra [not sure on content because it was homemade but consists of white rice; lentils; onion; cumin; salt]

Snack - 2 servings of Arabic Pita bread (2 full rounds)
Ca=280/Fa=0/Cb=58/Pr=5g/Fi=2/Su=0

Snack - 1 serving of hummus
Ca=70/Fa=50/Cb=3/Pr=1/Su=0

Dinner - 2 frozen taquitos (no I did not eat them frozen but they were not homemade; lost content because kids tossed the box & I was not about to do any dumpster diving)
Dinner - 2 Persian cucumbers
Dinner - 2 cups mixed fresh fruit (nectarines, raspberries, blueberries)

Snack - 2 cups (2 servings) Smart Pop 94% Fat Free Popcorn Ca=30/Fa=0*/Cb=50/Pr=8/Fi=8/Su=0?

*How can unpopped popcorn have 20 calories from fat per serving (3 tbsp unpopped) and no fat calories once popped? Where did the fat go? Does it evaporate? Did it join the socks that have disappeared from my dryer? Is it magic?

Interesting info: I took my mother-in-law yesterday to SuperIrvine to shop. Since we are cleaning out the cupboards our only intent was to buy pita, some Kiri cheese, fresh fruits & veggies. I spent like $79 & filled my fridge. Mind you I bought with the intent of feeding 6 people for about a week or so (my mother-in-law is here for at least 4 months). Now while their stuff is not organic, I figured this might help those intested in getting more bang for their buck.

I bought: 1 head of butter lettuce; 1 large bag (2+ lbs?) of spring mix salad; 5 bulbs of garlic; 2 BAGS filled with Persian cucumbers; 1 32 oz lowfat plain yogurt; 1 bag Greek style pita; 6 bags Arabic pita; 1 container of prepared hummus; 6 large nectarines; 2 boxes of blackberries (12 oz ea); 2 containers of raspberries (6 oz); 1 medium-large eggplant; 1 baggie of string beans (about 6oz); 1 baggie of okra (about 2oz); 4 bunches of green onions (4=$1); 4 bunches of parsley (4=$1); 2 bunches of basil; 1 pint of prepared cucumber salad (from their deli counter); 1 pint of mixed cucumber/feta/garbanzo bean salad (from their deli counter); 4 d'anjou pears; 4 boxes of Kiri cheese (like Laughing Cow but creamier - 6 cubes to a box - spread it on 1/2 of arabic pita & my kids have a snack or lunch); 1 container of grape tomatoes (24 oz? something like that); 1 medium canteloupe

Give or take I think the above is pretty accurate. They have screaming deals but be careful - some fruits/veggies, although put out for purchase, are not the greatest quality (like the strawberries yesterday sucked). But hey, if you go to the grocery store you cannot buy 4 bunches of green onions or parsley for $1!!! You pay more than that just for 1 bunch.

So in addition to my "d" blog I've now become your handy-dandy economic adviser

Debbie...who did not do Dallas (you KNEW I would get some snarky comment in there, didn't you?)

"D"e-cluttering the cabinets (and house) to "d"e-clutter my diet & food lifestyle

So, as promised, I started cleaning out the kitchen (regularly used food stuff was gone through months ago). First stop? Cabinet adjacent to the stove. Although I won't publish the entire list (it's 2 pages), I have picked a few items that might raise a few eyebrows, wrinkle some noses or just make you wanna smack your forehead (or me upside the head):

*Caveat ~ on items where there were multiples, I'm not sure why more than 1 would even be opened other than for the careless fact that I did not have track of what was in my cupboards & bought/used more than was necessary

*(4) jars of Tahini (of which 2 were opened)

*(2) jars of Butter Ghee - FACT Serving = 1 tsp (yes TSP) Cal 120 / Fat 120 (wow, just eat a piece of lard for god's sakes!)

*(1) can of meringue powder from 04/26/2005 (my sister & I took a cake decorating class and I never used it after that)

*(1) can/tin of powdered cultured buttermilk (honestly, why the hell did I even buy this?) but had to be from more than 12+ years ago!

*(1) 3 lb tub of Crisco All Vegetable Shortening - FACT Serving = 1 tbsp Cal 110 / Fat 110 (hey, it's better than the Butter Ghee! More bang for your buck) I never even opened it BUT the "best if used by date" was 11/22/2006 so, if this stuff is good for what, several years, you can just calculate when it was approximately purchased

*(3) jars of organic Maple Syrup (friend of mine tried to convince me to do the Master Cleanse...I lasted 1 day)

*Variety of salts (sea salt, kosher salt, table salt)

*Variety of vinegars (apple cider vinegar, distilled white vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, rice vinegar [3 bottles...why?])

*Orange blossom water & rose water (for Arabic cooking and upset stomachs - works great kids because when they burp, it smells like a flower!)

So what is my intention here & how does it help any of us? I think that by simplifying our lives this, in turn, helps us to simplify our lifestyles & diets. Yeah it would be great that we were all gourmet chefs that could turn out delicious, low fat, low calorie meals. And by believing in this I would get sucked into that mind set by buying cooking equipment/tools that I didn't need or ingredients that I would only use 1x, if I ever used it at all.

Then, when I would go to whip up that meal worthy of the Food Network, I would become discouraged when the food would not work out or did not taste good or just looked darned gross. Hello, Pizza Hut, how fast can you deliver?

When I lived by myself my diet was simple, easy to prepare, good tasting & healthy. Then I got married & had kids & thought I would have to be SuperMom including the chef part. But you cannot do everything and even if you can, I doubt everything comes out 100+%.

In a way this move to France provides a clean slate, which really felt good when I went to Palm Desert. The apartment will be small so there will be no room. Everything is downsized over there (fridges are considerably smaller). Many places don't even offer a microwave - you're lucky you get a stove/oven instead of a hot plate! Plus, people in Europe live a much simpler lifestyle. Eating is simpler, more relaxing. Something I haven't felt here in a long, long time.

I also went through my closet & got rid of my loose clothing that was there in case of weight gain. I gave it to the girls at work. Not only was a lot of it stuff that would be impractible for me to take or keep, I now have room in my closet to buy stuff for smaller sizes (now THAT's a nice thought).

Some things I learned in the process of this exercise: that any food that has a shelf life is scary - in calories & fat content, plus all those unmentionable or un-pronouncable ingredients; I can easily whip up a good tasting meal by using healthy perishables (meats + fresh veggies + fresh herbs) with simple condiments (olive oil, salt, pepper) instead of getting bogged down in the consumerism of cooking; that it's true what they say about keeping clothes for the "just in case"...just in case kinda happens so if you keep those "JIC" clothes guess what? You'll probably end up wearing them sooner than you think.

I feel a bit weird posting this blog - it wasn't snarky enough for me...but oh well. Tomorrow is another day (actually, my blog on my food for yesterday will be forthcoming shortly so I'm sure I can open up a can of smart a$$ soon enough)

Debbie

ACCOUNTABILITY (there's just no way to make that a "D" word)

So I was kinda blown away when I checked the blog & saw that I had not blogged for quite a while. Therefore, this blogger should be flogged.

The kids & I went to Palm Desert for our "vacation". We stayed at Marriott Shadow Ridge and I actually discovered a few things about eating habits. Average temp during the day? 110 - 120 degrees. Temp at 1am? 90+.

1. I have personally become a kitchen whore (now wait a minute before y'all start jumping up & down on this one). If there's a kitchen gadget out there I might own it. If there's some bizarre ingredient it's probably stagnant in my cupboards.

I buy tons of crap for my kitchen that it didn't dawn on me until this week that I really (a) don't need and (b) don't use.

We had a 1 bedroom villa (villa = 1 bedroom apartment). Basic necessities including blender, stove/oven, microwave, toaster, pots/pans. There was no: mixer, toaster oven, whisks, different assortment of pyrex bowls or plastic containers, bread machine, juicer, food processor, mini processor, crock pot, funky knives or more than 1 chopping knife, out of this world accessories (who really needs more than 1 set of tongs? or a strawberry huller? or egg slicer? or garlic peeler?) etc. Now some of those I might need to hang on to (mini chop & crock pot) but the rest of that? CRAP!

2. Cooking for yourself & your kids does not need to be energy depriving nor complicated. Usually I get sucked into the recipes (see OCD blog), cookbooks, etc. and then just get down right tired of the whole process.

This time? Yes I bought some ready made foods (waffles, taquitos, chicken tenders, etc) and we had tuna, turkey sandwiches, etc. But we ate either in our "villa" or with our "group" the entire time - there was no eating out, no running to the store for last minute items or ready prepped food, no fast food...zip / zilch / nada. The sides basically consisted of salad, fresh fruit and that's it. And pool side snacks were mainly fresh fruit that we all cut up, gatorade (for dehydration) and water.

So I personally feel that I have over-complicated the whole eating/cooking process.

3. Buy snacks that we all kinda like but not love. Salt & vinegar chips? Cannot be anywhere near my family - my kids can hose those puppies down like vacuums. Regular baked chips? Not their favorite but with no other choice they ate them and didn't overeat them. Same thing with a "treat" - Otter Pops are great for the heat but who can eat more than 1? Just enough to take the "dessert" edge off without anyone (including the adults) scarfing more than a single serving of ice cream.

4. Heat works wonders for the diet (side note - I don't recommend this but just a thought - it's not like I would voluntarily move to the Sahara just to lose a few pounds). We took the kids out for a stroll at The River & we got them Ben & Jerry's. First of all, even though it was so hot, I had no desire to even get an ice cream. My kids? They all chose sorbets & all 3 ended up not even finishing their servings. Instead they ate about 1/2, dumped the rest & sucked up my ice water.

So on to accountability.

Writing my food intake & counting calories in my book is great for me to see but I can always close my eyes, maybe turn the page, possibly spill some Crystal Light Fruit Punch on the journal so that it is no longer legible or just say to myself tomorrow will be better. But it always ends up with excuses. So I decided (drumroll please) to blog my food starting tomorrow (lord help me). I might even go out on a limb and post my weigh on Fridays. Yeah the weight number thing bothers me but it's not like people see me & think oh yeah, she's 170 lbs (well I used to be 165 lbs back in 97-99...boo hoo!)

Maybe this will really help me by being accountable to others - sometimes being accountable to yourself doesn't feel like much accountability. Because I can always side step my own accountability. But if someone else wants me to help them be accountable then oh yeah, I'm on board (does the idiom "Do as I say, not as I do?" sound familiar). I just hear in my head "yeah yeah yeah" and then poof - too many calories consumed.

Further accountability? I started cleaning out my cupboards. And I mean cleaning out the cupboards. Stuff I have not used or which is too complicated to use is going...going...gone. Not only because we are leaving (all final docs submitted to those ever helpful French embassy people (snicker snicker) 1 week ago) but because I feel overburdened with the loads of stuff in my cupboards. I really need to de-clutter my kitchen.

These things are dragging me down man. Like that bread machine that is in cold storage on top of my oven (where I used to stick those darned yellow pages). Or some garlic peeling machine (don't ask) that I never even used but when I bought it I thought I would be happily de-skinning garlic clove after clove (nope - I still do it the original way by hand peeling or smashing with a flat knife - takes the same amount of effort, uses no electricity & does not require any dishwashing). Another example ~ I glanced at the cabinet next to my stove which houses things like salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegars, baking powder, etc. I believe the corn starch housed there has not been touch in more than 1 year (eewwww). Probably more than 1 box each of baking soda & baking powder though not sure why. There are 3 different red wine vinegars, all have been opened & I'm pretty sure all 3 are expired. A Crisco shortening tub that I think I bought in the vincinity of when we moved into the house (hello? that was like 11+ years ago) and I think it was only used once. Since I don't use it why do I still have it? Was I concerned that the world would end and I might need (quite a bit) of Crisco shortening? Or how about the 3 different boxes of sugar substitute for coffee (Splenda, Sweet & Low or Equal) - people, I DO NOT EVEN DRINK COFFEE! There's a jar of ghee (kinda like clarified butter) that I bought when I first learned Arabic cooking that I never used again after that 1st time because it made the food look & taste greasy.

So for fun I will keep a list and also blog that - the trash on what I had (and how many) and if I can even estimate how long I've had it. Waste Mgmt will certainly be happy with us this week!

And that's it. It's scary putting this on the internet (insert spooky sound here) for all the world to see but I'm sure I'll survive (and do not quote Gloria Gaynor here - that's Lindsey's).

Debbie

FEAR

Well, I survived my 50th birhtday week! I enjoyed a major celebration at the Montage where my son is a chef, enjoying a private 10 course meal with wine pairing. I did this by working out for two hours in the morning, eating lightly during the day and eating bites of things that I didn't love. I did LOVE a few things and ate it with enjoyment. Next came 90 guests at my home for a catered party hosted by my sons. The good news about being the birthday girl is that you dont have time to eat! I did taste a few of the amazing 12 items hand passed, and celebrated with one martini!

So I am learning that fun does not have to mean over indulgence. I have also learned that when I dont write everything down I eat more. With family and friends here and all of the celebrating I was not diligent about my food journal. I see it on the scale with an increase instead of the decrease I have been enjoying. So back to the journal with diligence.

For the past many weeks I have been having butt pain. I dont mean to the kind caused by another person, I mean the kind caused by my sciatic nerve/periformus muscle. I have had my back "go out" twice in the past. If you have had this happen you know it is very painful and scary. You cant walk, talk or hardly breathe without pain. Getting on and off the toilet is a major event! So I PANIC when I feel any twinge of anything in the lower back/butt area.

Lindsey has been trying to talk sense into me about living without fear. Now mind you I am not a marathon runner or triathlete, in fact I cant run at all. So why would someone who struggles to be a walker freak out about a little pain? I wish I knew! FEAR that is it, fear of pain, fear of any injury, fear of not being able to work, fear of not being able get off the toilet! So I try to remember what Lindsey tells me, what is the worst that can happen. (well being stuck on the toilet would pretty much suck) So I am struggling to live without fear and deal with things as they come and not fear what "could" happen!

I wanted to share with you my issue with FEAR, because we all have fears, they present themselves in many ways. So as I begin live in my 50s (GOOD LORD) I am going to work on getting past my fears, in their many forms, and move forward.

I hope you are both well, face your own fears this week, and over come them!

DeeAnn

FOOD

OK so I swore to Lindsey I would start using the food journal I bought a couple of weeks ago. I was going to start on Monday, dont all new diet things start on a Monday? But oh no, she said I have to start today. FINE!!!!

So I got out the book and found a calorie counting book and so it began. The goal is to stay between 1500 and 1200 calories per day. So I start browsing the calorie book, imagine my shock when I calculate that my dinner last night exceed by entire daily calorie allowance. Did you hear me say DINNER not DAY, just one of the meals I ate yesterday! GEEZ

Perhaps there is some real reasons that I cannot loose and keep off weight other than I am a medical miracle! DAMN

Then I found an article in a magazine I was reading tonight about portion size. So here are some tips from the article. Serving sizes are as follows:

Meat the size of a mini pack of tissues
Beans the size of a tennis ball
Cheese the size of three dice or your thumb (I thought that was a taste)
Rice or pasta size to fill a cupcake wrapper
Mashed potaotes size of deck of cards
Bread roll size of round part of a light bulb
Cake size of a deck of cards
Butter size of a postage stamp (are you freakin kidding me right now?)
Potato chips size of tennis ball

Well doesn't that explain alot! When is the last time you put a postage sized dab of butter on your toast? How about three diced size pieces of cheese and stopping?

I have some serious revamping to do, and my stomach is going to think something is seriously wrong with a postage stamp of butter on my half piece of toast and egg whites in the morning!

Keep the faith ladies! Is anyone actually reading this blog?

DeeAnn

She knows me so well.............

Well, Lindsey was right - silence is not golden when it comes to me. I have had a really out of control week. Tipping point followed by a bad week! Ouch! I did not pack lunch one day this week. I did not do any POGS and I worked till the wee hours because whenever I go overseas I feel like I have to do the week's work in advance. It doesn't work well because I feel the backlog when I come back anyway. Oh well, maybe Sao Paulo will make up for the hectic week I have just had. I really, really struggle to pace myself with workload. I go full tilt and then collapse, then get up, dash again, and all fall down - I really love the rush of full tilt I guess and don't enjoy wogging through life at all. The problem is that I used to do full tilt for quite a long period, now as I hit half a century the full tilt is actually a pathetic little rush from one lampost project to the next with great huffing and puffing while I lean on something inelegantly. So, I will ponder this in my business class seat over the Atlantic where the Air France plane met it's demise recently and actually use the 12 hours to read Skinny Bitch and get turned off food for life ;) and order my mind and get perspective again.
I am still not excercising very much as the biokinetisist and the physio work with me three times a week to try and straighten my spine and build strength into my left side. Today I sat strapped into some high chair that felt like I was fighter pilot strapped into a cockpit while they tested muscles and all sorts. The right leg is 56% stronger than my left and I am told that the muscles are not firing in the correct order. Well I have known that about other parts of me but this is a revelation. I also spent another night in hospital doing neuro obs while they try to find the one brain cell I claim to have. No conclusive results leave everyone else still wondering!
Anyway, I KNOW what to do - just need to do it. I could not agree more about the writing down of food. I KNOW the secret lies therein. So, good luck to both of you as I get up off the floor and face a new week.
I will probably not post while in Brazil as our schedule is quite hairy and then I am at the Palace for three days at Sun City, so back at work on 23rd.
Healthy living!
d

Surviving Holidays

Well, we made it through the big summer holiday, the 4th of July. This holiday, like most holidays, is celebrated with food. The summer's best foods, hot dogs, hamburgers, potatoe salad, homemade ice cream, and corn on the cob.

Like most, getting through the holidays is sometimes a struggle. With the added stress of family, we often turn to food for comfort. This year my goal is to enjoy the family and the family favorite foods, but both in moderation. Often times holidays and vacations are another excuse to overeat and indulge way too much. So I approached the holiday weekend be exercising at the start of the day, and then enjoying the holiday fare in moderation.

It is nothing new for us to hear about portion sizes and how large they have become. It is another to recognize this and then correct it in our every day lives. So this month, at Lindsey's suggestion I am doing my best to measure my food. I caution you that I have found thus far the size of my palm can grow with the size of my hunger! Therefore, I have come up with the rule that a portion of protein for example, must fit INSIDE my palm, not hang over or onto the fingers.

So I continue my journey this month, proud that June was the month to conquer regular i.e. daily,exercise and July is the month to conquer the food. I continue to have the DESIRE to try the newest food fix on the market, but resist with Lindsey's help. In July I will work on portion size and moderation. I just purchased the food journal Lindsey told me about, now I just need to use it. We have all heard that writing down our food makes our weight loss more likely, so I am going to strive to do that every day. Why do we resist those tools that will help us?

Thanks Deb for the sports bra story, I now know where to buy a bullet proof bra!

Have a great week ladies, and remember every week counts!

DeeAnn

Is it bad that I'm unemployed & excited about it? Plus a blurb about sports bras & learning to "love it"

Well, that’s it. It’s over. My last day was technically Thursday 07/02/2009 although I am doing a few hours here & there to clean up some loose ends and train another paralegal. After 23 years of doing bankruptcy and 12+ years with this current attorney I voluntarily became unemployed.

So one might ask what have I been doing since then (yeah I know a whopping 4 days which was a holiday weekend). Well, I went and bought more sports bras. People, we are all seriously in the wrong business. I mean geez – the cost of good athletic apparel is staggering! Since my cups literally overfloweth I had to spend an arm & a leg for something that will let me run without hurting myself or someone else. That means I spent $65.95 (plus tax) for an Enell Sports Bra (are we allowed to post the link? I’m assuming it’s OK so here it is - http://www.enell.com/products.php?productID=1 ). Oooh & aaah all you want.

I purchased my first one through Title Nine years ago & then found that Snail’s Pace (Fountain Valley) actually carries them in stock (goodbye shipping & handling). Alas, you can only purchase them in boring black and washed out white so I am now the proud owner of white & black Enell Sports Bras. If I had known they had other colors I might have ordered those online.

If you ever wanna check it out ask me – it’s the only thing I can wear to class (you can all thank me later – not only is it safety issue but I don’t think the visual of me without the proper support would be very good eye candy!). I would recommend that if there is ever the threat of a drive-by duck behind me – I’m guessing these babies might be bullet proof (clarification – the bras people, not the contents).

We had a fun time at the Woodbridge Marathon for the 5k & I got to run with Lindsey & Andrea (Wendy & the others were up ahead). It actually helped because you certainly don’t want to woosie out while the Boot Camp Owner/Trainer is running right along with you! And if I had known Lindsey’s idea of walking was from one crosswalk to another at a measly intersection I might have mind prepped a bit. I thought (and I’m sure Andrea thought) that our “walk” might be a little bit longer. But it’s all good – we made it over the finish line & the paramedics were not necessary nor did any of us partake of the emergency oxygen which I’m sure the organizers had stashed somewhere.

So I’m signing up for the ½ Marathon in Long Beach. With our travel/moving plans currently in limbo (I believe we get to grace the French Embassy personnel with our presence some time this week) I will do the training anyway whether I will be here or not. I figure it cannot hurt. I might even be able to finagle a trip back here to run the race in October (thank god for credit card mileage!) It would certainly be a feather in my cap.

And I really want to like to run. I really really really want to love it. Except that feeling kind of goes away when I am actually running. A while ago I asked Greg when we "wogged" Irvine Regional Park & he said he focused on his foot stride & breathing. I then spoke about this a bit with Wendy during our Back Bay 6 mile trek. I use the iPod to tune out my breathing (because I think about how hard I'm breathing & that makes me more tired which makes me want to quit sooner). Wendy recommended counting (I think in 4 second increments) - 4 seconds in & 4 seconds out. It got boring quickly. I think my biggest obstacle is my brain - some of my internal rhetoric: (1) Oh lord when is this gonna be over? (2) What? I haven't even gone 1 mile? (3) What? I've got another mile to go before I'm done? (4) What in the world was I thinking? (5) My feet/legs/calves/head/lungs hurt. (6) I'm tired. (7) Huff huff huff....I can barely breathe...huff huff huff (8) This song is boring/This song is too slow/This song is too old.

So other recommendations or ideas would be welcome on combating my bad rhetoric (and a lobotomy, partial or otherwise, is out of the question).

As my official first day of “non work” I did do a few hours but I figure a few extra bucks as an independent contractor can’t hurt my pocketbook. Then I did some hard labor & moved the girls’ room around (2 full size beds + 2 full dressers (as in they were not empty but full)). But after checking my email I got the hint and know that I have been derelict in my duties of posting on the blog.

Immediately after posting this refreshing bit of insight about the troubles of sports bra shopping for those overly blessed, I will do my menu plan for the week with a grocery shopping list along with an activity roster for the hooligans (Adventure Playground on Wednesday will be the major outing of the week other than swimming – hey, in these economically challenged times, and with me no longer working, my mother’s swimming pool gives me the warm fuzzies inside!).

Does anyone have a tasty idea for zucchini? My best friend gave me a quite large homegrown zucchini (like the size of a big eggplant) so I’m looking for a delicious way to serve it up. Post your ideas which will hopefully be kid friendly.

And does anyone have any ideas about feet hurting? The bottom of my feet hurt – I thought it was my other running shoes (New Balance) so I was due for new ones & bought Brooks but it’s kind of persisting. Do I need additional support? Shoe inserts? Oily bo-hunk giving me foot massages (scratch that – guess it won’t happen).

3D Doer…Debbie

Lindsey's Reading List

OK I continue to struggle with the computer thing, POGS and now a BLOG. Each week I have to look Lindsey in the eye and tell her I am still retarded on the computer. I can go to Trial and get someone convicted of Domestic Violence, but I CANNOT figure out the damn computer! GEEZ

Now she has me reading books, first that Kessler guy, who has ruined my relationship with not only Cheesecake Factory but Cinnabon. Now there is the screaming, swearing crazy woman from the Skinny Bitch book. I have no idea if she is in fact skinny, but I can certainly confirm the other part! Wow what a mouth that woman has.

However, I found both books very disturbing and educational at the same time. Being a person of logic, both books struck a cord with me. Who among you has now started the journey of trying to avoid the salt, sugar, fat attack that is going on? Well, let me tell you it is not that easy. Now I am one of THOSE people who block the aisle at the grocery store reading labels. I have learned that my food now has to be very simple to avoid the problems discussed in both books.

One would think simple is easier, not so much! Being raised in the quick, drive thru, microwave era, quick is more my speed. So now I am going back to basics in food. I am fortunate because I have a large flourishing organic garden (ask Lindsey about the size of my squash and cucumbers).

I am still choosing not to go out, as I do not feel confident I can avoid the call of an ice cold martini after a stressful day. So I carry on, one pound at a time. I had a good week with food, but remain on the Lindsey hit list for not attending class.

Hang in there ladies, be strong and put yourself first this week!

DeeAnn

THAT number!

So, since my first blog I have dropped a kg - Lindsey hates me weighing myself frequently, but when I put my pants on this morning I could feel the difference, so dashed over to the love/hate machine and confirmed my suspicions. So, I am 1kg off THAT number. I get to 124kg and then get stuck and that's when I "go off", so I am determined to blog my way through THAT number this week and next. I have very few goals this week. Firstly to pack a salad for lunch every day - 3 days so far have managed to do so. To get to Physio where I am learning to walk and the physio says she is straightening my spine after a fall in 2006 that creates recurring injury to my left knee. So far have made all the appointments - that truly is a miracle! To do the glute excercises every day to strengthen my butt so that my walk can "even out". And finally to write down POGS NEXT week - it takes me a while to get there - I need to think about it for a while ;) Not very ambitious, but manageable for me right now as I have a massive workload with all of Africa in my sights, and follow ups with Docs that I am just not getting to and have postponed for a couple of weeks. So that gets my attention, and next week POGS! How are you two doing?

Coming in last but definitely not least ;)

This reminds me of the marathon in Seattle where they were picking up the cones behind me as I finished the marathon. Nonetheless I made it and I am finally here to blog my way through another kind of marathon. Thanks for the delightful submissions so far - have enjoyed them and so glad we are doing the cyberspace thing rather than living together in a commune while we go through this journey. Debbie you would banish me or vote me out or put my name under the salver on day one. I am vague about everything, and shuffle along (there is some sort of beat, in my own head of course) and generally bump along through life, so your OCD gift would be severely frustrated with my bumbling character for sure.
So, let me start my thoughts. Clearly Lindsey has found another way, (believe me she has tried many, many different things and for that I applaud her) to get me focused and stop my shiftless ways, and as I contemplated this public version of my battle I thought I would not go too far back into the past, and then a piece of paper slipped out of my notebook yesterday and I found a "report" on the condition of my body dated 6th June 2008. I weighed 134.5kg then. I can't even remember who did such a marvellous roundup - some or other programme I joined in desperation, because at that weight even my fattest clothes pop at the buttons.

It got me thinking. I lost 7kg with that programme. In December I found myself at 133kg and lost 4 of those by the time I saw Lindsey in February. I lost a further 7 kg while with Lindsey, the lowest I have been for a couple of years. So, stay with me here everyone, I found myself up to 127kg last month and managed to lose another 3 kg in May. Now I am up to 126 kg and filled the fridge and cupboards up this weekend to embark on another "focused" attempt.
OK, now just in case that was all lost on you, let me summarize.
In a year I have lost 21 kg - nearly half of what I would like to lose to get me back to healthy and super active. That is quite something, except that I put it all back again.
The one positive is that it appears that I get back on the horse a little sooner each time. I have not gone up to 134.5 kg again, so I am feeling good about that. I am also wondering what on earth I am doing entertaining those gaps where I put on at all. How divine to be 21 kg closer to my goal!!!!!!!!!!
The other positive thing I managed to unearth as I sat on the loo contemplating my report from last June is that I actually lost all that weight! Now I just need to stop putting on inbetween. My message to self this week is "You do great job losing, now just avoid the "put on" phases. Bizarrely that sounds easier than losing. I know, I know, I warned you I march to the beat of my own drum!
So, this week is all about doing what I know how to do and that is eating good stuff and watching for that place where I stop, so that I can change the habit. Next week will be about being less vague and more precise.
Have a great week - look forward to blogging my way through to November, (unless I am voted out of cyberspace of course!)
d

Being OCD Can Really Work Against You!

So I get a little OCD about things (as I am sure many of you do). In my case one of those things is my weekly plan. I like to do it, have it all nice, neat, tidy, and posted (preferably in a sheet protector).

But sometimes I feel the OCD-ish-ness gets in the way and not in a good way. For example if I have to write it out I usually use pencil so I can erase & not scribble as I would have to with a pen (believe me you don't want to get me started with pen and white out). But as a carry over from elementary school days my printed work has to be perfect - if not it's a "do over".

I generally prefer to use the computer but that causes problems too. I've been a paralegal for a very long time and I trained on Word Perfect. It's keyboard driven and my fingers can fly & pop out stuff without too much effort. My husband, on the other hand, has Word on everything which is difficult for me to use & requires me to use the mouse too much. I don't know the commands via keyboard, I get indentations where I don't want them & I can't get them undone, etc. Basically for me Word just does not cooperate. After 23 years some things are just easier for me to keep the same. Simply said it's Word Perfect or nothin'.

So I'm trying to find a happy medium because I am determined to stay on track & need to make the "weekly plan" a habit & not so much of a chore.

I think I have a solution - I may come up with a template that I can use(from Word Perfect of course!) which I can fill out instead of drafting up weekly things on blank paper (combination of computer & printing).

I'm thinking of starting with the days of the week (what's easier? Sunday thru Saturday or Monday thru Sunday?) with slots for Breakfast / Snack / Lunch / Snack / Dinner & Instant Reminders/Notes(i.e. dentist appointment, return library books, take chicken out of freezer to defrost). This also makes it easier for grocery shopping. Plus when I used to use this more detailed system instead of the generic one I put out last week, the kids were less likely for random grazing or the famous "mom, what's for dinner" syndrome. I merely point to the menu on the fridge.

But with me being home we will be relying less on dining out or processed foods (my husband does absolutely no cooking - grilling (if he is so inclined) & microwave popcorn are his max although he recently got into using the toaster oven) so how do you work recipes into this schedule? I have cookbooks, printouts, magazine cutouts, etc. I can easily reference a cookbook (Tuesday/Dinner - see Balsamic Chicken / 3Ds Cookbook, Page 24) but what about the others? Or what if it's a recipe I saved from an online search? I hate to waste paper & print it out & then attach a packet to the fridge (Page 1 = Weekly Plan, Pages 2-10 are web/printed/magazine recipes) plus still have to reference cookbooks.

Seemingly this problem does not rival things of greater concern (world peace, homelessness, war etc.) but still, it bugs.

To that end I am going to bed to rest up for the 5k tomorrow which has me kind of worried. What if I don't beat my original time? Ugh!

Debbie Elias

PS - my kids watched a small video that was part of a film project where they saw an Asian man take food waste from fast food restaurants, put it in a trash can & pedal it back to his village and home for consumption. FYI it was a name brand kinda fried chicken place. My kids were horrified to see small children (what appeared to be under the age of 7-8 give or take) dig into a trash bucket, get out partially eaten food & be so excited you would have thought it was Christmas.

Triple D's!

OK well in a moment of weakness I succumbed to Lindsey's request to be one of the three Ds!

I took me three days to figure out how to log on to the BLOG. I still cant do my POGs without Lindsey's help, so I am usure why in the hell she picked me!

I am definately a DOER, being a young single parent of two sons, I raised them by myself and attended all of my college and law school at night while working full time and raising them! I have achieved every goal I have sought after with the exception of a healthy permanent weight. It is painful to admit and even more so to put into writing for all to see. Yet, I am obligated by my commitment to myself this year to do this.

This is the year I turn 50! Mother of God how could that have happened? No matter what weight I am or what I do between now and July 16, on that date I will turn 50. So I decided to DEDICATE myself to one thing for the next six weeks, ME!

I am DETERMINED to put myself first, before my sons, my gransons, my clients and my DESIRES. This will be DIFFICULT for me. For the next six weeks I will ask myself before each and every food DECISION, will this get to you closer to your goal of putting yourself first?

As soon as I made this commitment, I was injured, doesn't that just figure? In the past I would use an injury or illness as an excuse to stop my attempts to put myself and my health first. Not this time! While I was unable to exercise for a few days, I stuck to my food plan and wrote everything down. DAMN I hate that part, but it works.

So as we three D's move forward over the next weeks, we hope you will join us in the BLOG that Lindsey has started. Share your thoughts, your fears, your struggles and your hopes with us. Feel safe and secure in sharing here, as you are among friends!

Make it a great DAY!

DEEANN

Starting to get organized

Today I'm using my "determination". I'm doing my weekly menu plan, grocery shopping list and schedule for exercise. I had hoped to exercise this AM with another Rough Fit Buddy but that didn't pan out. Hopefully I can get with a Buddy to exercise later on today or tomorrow. If not it's OK because I'll make plans with my best friend to huff it somewhere around here.

I had a funny idea the other day (ok ok...it was funny but kinda warped too). And for some reason it stuck with me.

"WWLD"

As you all probably know this is a spin off of a popular saying but in my case, I turned it into "What Would Lindsey Do". I was at the grocery store and was looking at something and considered buying it until my imagination popped up a miniature Lindsey on my shoulder (no offense...you looked great! Cute, like a Polly Pocket.) At first I imagined that old Looney Tunes cartoon where there's a mini-angel on one shoulder & a mini-devil on the other one telling the character "yes you should" and "no you shouldn't" but then realized being delusional in the grocery store was not such a good idea.

So anway, in my case it was really only one, my Pocket Lindsey. And I thought to myself WWLD and BAM, that thing I considered buying went back on the shelf.

So now it's off to do some planning.

DYNAMIC - making a written plan of important things for the week (meals, exercise schedule, other things to attend to, appointments, etc) so I don't get off track when my "tornado" life funnels up - I'll have a plan for reference to avoid "winging" it which I think leads to pitfalls. I know life throws fast balls & pitch curves but I can handle it better if I'm prepared.

DETERMINATION - doing this on a Saturday? Can I be more determined that that?

DOER - actually follow through, put my plan down on paper & post it on the fridge (for accountability - if anyone wants I can post it here too), go to the grocery store, get the weekly menu up for my reference and my kids (for some reason they like to see that paper on the fridge & know what's coming). Also I'll include as part of my plan the POG's from RoughFit (as well as my own) to make sure that they get accomplished.

By doing this I hope I can see where failure commonly occurs & hopefully take corrective action. Also, what can I eliminate as unnecessary and what I should add, or emphasize, for my benefit.

Debbie the Dynamically Determined Doer
(and ha ha ha for those of you thinking I should add Demented)

WooHoo - I started off this blog with a big kick in the pants!

I was (and am) very excited to be a 3D-er. And I was even more excited about the prospect of rushing right on & being the first to actually post a blog. But I'm up that proverbial creek without that proverbial paddle because darn it if Lindsey hadn't already beaten me to it!
So to get my 3D-ing off to a good start, and to really get on track, I did something I've been thinking about doing for a long time...

I QUIT MY JOB TODAY!

Holy cannoli! I've been doing bankruptcy for 23 years this August! That's almost 1/2 of my life!!!!! I've worked since I was 14 & started in a law office in bankruptcy at the innocent age of 18 (yeah yeah yeah do the math - I just turned 42!) I've always worked, even through my 3 pregnancies, (yes, for those of you interested, I even brought them here to my office and breast fed them while typing & talking on the phone - how's that for multi-tasking?) I've only work for 2 law firms for the last 23 years (other than my kids & our own business) - and I've been here working for this attorney for 12+ years so it was a BIG deal to say the least!

But I'm doing this for ME! So I can really believe that the 3D's are in place for me already!!!!
1st D = Dynamic - lots of stuff in our lives is fluid (and some of that is a yucky fluid to say the least) but I feel like I live in a tornado, always swirling, twisting & turning, not knowing when I’m gonna touch down or what I’ll pick up in my path. I guess I feel that my ebbs & flows have been of a darker, more negative, type. I want to change the "dynamics" of my tornado!!!

2nd D = Determination - I have always put "me" on the back burner for kids, work, financial reasons, time, blah blah blah (isn’t that what it really ends up sounding like?) I’m determined now to put "me" in the front [with my kids] so I can have the lifestyle I truly want and deserve (And WE ALL DESERVE IT) I want to know what I put in my mouth, and what goes into my kids mouths, and if I can’t pronounce it I don’t want to eat it! I want my determination's energy to work for this & not for getting clients taken care of (instead of me) or files & work done, the house picked up, etc. (I'm sure you get the drift)

3rd D = Doer - (ha ha ha - that word almost looks like a female deer). Although not necessarily a baby step, quitting my job was a crucial step for me to start taking ownership! It doesn’t work for everyone but in my situation this is what I’ve wanted, what I’ve needed, probably for too long now. Now I can compose my POGS to take the baby steps.

And boy, some of those other "D’s" are very scary but unfortunately they have "dwelled" in my life as I’m sure they have in others but I don’t want to be in deep doo doo any longer!
Debbie, the Dynamically Determined Doer (PS - I can't use enter or make paragraph breaks on this darned thing so sorry if this looks a bit disheveled - I'm kinda OCD about this stuff so it's driving me nuts!)(PPS - I type very very fast & a lot ~ hey I've been doing this for 23+ years so don't be put off by all my words. I get diarrhea of the fingers sometimes!)

The 3D Wellness Blog

Welcome to the all new Rough-Fit With-U 3D Wellness Blog.

Why 3D? Because anything three dimensional is complex. Achieving wellness is multi-faceted and most of us tend make it complex.

From a foundational perspective, the physical layer, to the mental and spiritual layers, all three are dynamic. Your first D - Dynamic. Everything in our lives is fluid and we have to develop skills and tools to help us operate in an environment of ebbs and flows.

In today's environment staying the course of wellness requires determination. Your second D - Determination. Someone who is successful at wellness is generally very persistent, has tremendous perserverance and is usually well prepared. These are characteristics that can be learned and enhanced - they are key to the success of long term wellness.

The third D I chose was "doer". One has to act upon intention. You can't be full of good ideas and expect them to come to fruition without action. You have to be a "doer". You have to be honest about your commitment to yourself and follow through with purposeful action. You can not wait for someone to do things for you. You need to take owernship of your wellness and become a "doer". Your 3rd D - "Doer". As a doer, you need to have a Plan of Goals (POG's) to help you take baby steps towards your goal.

There are countless more D's - dishevelled, dishonesty, distracted, distraught, depressed, dithery, dislike, dillydally, dreadful, dunghill and dodo! These are not the D words that I'd like to read about. Most commonly in the pursuit of wellness, I hear the following D words:

Derailed - this implies a legitimate excuse for why wellness has gone to hell in a hand basket. Uh, no I don't think so - No Excuses should be our motto!

Despondent - or "I'm in a funk" - what exactly does this mean. Casimir Funk from Poland coined this phrase. As a biochemist he determined that several diseases were caused by dietary deficiencies - I kid you not. So if you're in a funk, you need to rachet up your diet to give you a kick in the booty!

Disconnected - this is a huge opportunity for so many of us. We disconnect with our bodies, minds and others and end up feeding our souls and beings junk. We need to connect more fully with our lives and learn how we're abusing our bodies when we feed it with junk! Additionally, we need to connect and absorb how we feel when we are being good to ourselves. This allows us to build on the great things we're doing to enhance our wellness.

These are the D words that I don't want to read about.

For the first quarter of the 3D Wellness Blog, I've selected the following 3D authors. They are:

Denise - my sister who is on a mission to get healthy and dance on a wall with me on her 50th Birthday in November.

Dee Ann - a successful trial attorney who is determined to make this year all about her.

Debbie - who's a wealth of knowledge and her journey is taking that knowledge and putting it into practice.

All three will post to the Blog about their weekly D's and more. All three use POG's to help them map out their solutions. They're doers who, with determination, will learn to manage the dynamic nature of life!