My sister flew in from California for a month long visit.  She had been sick before she came and I told her I was going to get her to gain some weight.  She had gotten down to 97 pounds before the doctor got her medicine regulated correctly for her.  

She decided to help us with our lawn service.  I thought to myself, how am I going to get her to gain weight after she’s been pushing a lawn mower 4/5 hours a day.  Using a lawn mower has been helping me lose weight.  I tried to talk her out of helping but she wouldn’t hear it. 

I realize muscle weighs more than fat so I figured yard work might help build her arm and leg muscles.  She was here for about a month.  I could see her strength and endurance grow each week as she was mowing.  She felt good too. 

I working on changing her eating habits.  She had been living on candy smarties and yogurt.  I fixed balanced meals and made sure we sat and ate as a family.  I fixed desserts for everyone but myself before we ate so I wouldn’t be tempted.  I also kept cheese sticks on hand when she wanted a snack along with some ritz crackers.  I told myself those were hers and didn’t eat any of them.

She flew back home this past Sunday.  She got on the scale before she left.  Much to my amazement, she has gained 6 pounds during her stay here.  She told her husband what a good cook I am and wants my recipe for spagetti and bread pudding.  I hope she will continue to gain weight slowly until she reaches a heathy weight.

On the other hand, I also got on the scale, I have lost 4 pounds during her stay here.  It’s all about calories in and calories out.  It’s been a positive month for both of us.  I hope we can both stay on the road to good health.  I’m doing it one yard at a time.

This eight week weight loss program offers free nutrition classes. I attended my first class this past Tuesday. The room was packed. The program is called Lifesteps.

The first class was basicly an overview of what we will be covering for the next 8 weeks presented by a registered dietian. Our final weigh-in will be April 10th. We will be learning how to read food labels properly, portion control, and proper food choices. She also stressed the importance of exercise whether one is just starting to workout or an avid runner/walker.

We went over The Big Picture of Lifesteps Weight Management. She presented a balanced scale.

CALORIES IN……………………..CALORIES OUT
1. What you eat……………………….1. Metabolism
2. How much you eat……………….2. Physical Activity
3. How often you eat
4. How you eat
5. Why you eat

She explained all the elements of the Big Picture affect our weight. Lifesteps will help us identify areas of the Big Picture which most affect our weight. Lifesteps will also help us develop a plan to bring our own weight equation into balance.

These are the questions she had us all answer privately:
1. Are you here because you want to lose weight?
2. Are you ready to make a life-long commitment to healthy, moderate eating
habits and regular physical activity?
3. Are you willing to take the weight off slowly?
4. Are you trying to become a slimmer version of yourself?
5. Are you willing to evaluate your attitudes about food, exercise, and weight?
6. Do you have a network of family and friends who will support your efforts to
make lifestyle changes?
7. Will your current circumstances allow you to make behavior change a high
priority in your life?
8. Are you willing to keep a record of your food intake and physical activity?
9. Are you eady to target a goal weight that is realistic and healthy for you?

If you answered YES to all the questions, you are ready to make a commitment to losing weight. And the Lifesteps program may be just what you are looking for to succeed.

The official scale weight scale is in the room this class was given. I decided to way myself after class. I was down 3 pounds from my official starting weight. I left the room feeling pretty pumped up.

This time I’m going to KEEP the weight off once I get down to my ideal weight.

For me, losing weight is one of the hardest things to accomplish. I know….I’ve lost over 100 pounds three times in my life. I’ve asked myself over and over, how could you let yourself gain all that weight back AGAIN. I’ve rationalized all kinds of reasons, and made all kinds of excuses for myself. The bottom line, I made poor choices and consumed more calories than I burned.

In recent years, I’ve been what I call a yoyo dieter. I lose some weight and then gain some back. Having lost my girlfriend last month at the age of 59, I’ve decided I need to get back into a serious weight loss mode. I remember how her kids use to call her for advice or encouragement. I want to be around for my kids.

Today, I am renewing my effort at this weight loss journey. I’ve started my day with a bottle of water and a cup of coffee. I’m not hungry right now but plan on having a bowl of oatmeal when I do decide to eat.

Last year I bought a really nice treadmill. I haven’t figured out all the programs on it. I really only want to know how far I’ve gone, the speed, amount of calories I’ve burned, and the amount of time I’ve been on it. I also like the fact I can adjust the incline.

Each time I’ve lost weight, I’ve done it through good food choices and exercise. I know I can reach my weight loss goal again.

I’m off to take a walk on my treadmill. My short term goal is: lose 2 pounds this week.

When we fix meals it’s often hard to figure out the calories, carbs, or proteins in a serving. This can play havoc on any weight loss program you are following.

Like most women, I have more cookbooks than I care to count. Most of them never leave the bookcase. I have found it is much easier to look up a recipe online. So whether I’m looking for a low calorie, low carb or high protein recipe…it’s easy to find.

I enjoy the Betty Crocker recipe site. It is a computer friendly site making it easy to find recipes for a specific item or requirement such as low fat or low calorie. The recipes directions are easy to follow and use basic ingredients. You can rate each recipe as well as read and give a review. Each has a picture of what the finished product should look like.

How about a Chinese Pork and Pasta recipe? The recipe is for a serving of 6 with a calorie content of 255 per serving.

Another appetizing recipe is Skillet Beef & Vegetable Stew. It is a recipe for 6 servings and only takes 25 minutes to make. It has a surprisingly low calorie content of 175 per serving.

These are just a few of the low calorie recipes at the Betty Crocker site. No matter what kind of weight loss program or diet you are on, you will find something at this site that can fit your needs.

The weather has been so beautiful this past week. Mom and I have taken our walk in the park everyday. I keep forgetting to take the camera with me. It’s such a lovely park. It has a beautiful monument with flags flying and the city name on the front of it. I enjoy sitting in the gazebo and watching the flags waving so proudly. Perhaps today I’ll remember the camera.

Two days ago, I decided to rake all the leaves out of the flower beds along the house and the beds along the back section of the yard. Holy moly, my left arm was killing me yesterday. I didn’t realize racking could cause this much pain….perhaps I just forgot. Needless to say, it was worth it, the flower beds look 100% better. I didn’t get any callousses either. Yea!!!

The daffodils and grape hyacinths are blooming like crazy, along with some I don’t know. The various bushes are coming back to life with their deep red leaves on some, while others are a bright yellow. I’m so happy we moved here. It’s so peaceful.

I have given up candy for lent. I thought I would have a hard time sticking to that, but so far so good. I’ve been much better at curbing my snacking. I got on the scale and have lost one pound. That sure isn’t anything earth shattering, but a loss is a loss.

Time to fix myself breakfast. I’ve decided to have some oatmeal. Quaker has some new flavors out, but I enjoy the old fashioned oatmeal. I usually include a cup of green tea. Lipton such a variety of flavors. They have two new flavors of green tea, decaf honey lemon, and cranberry pomegranate. I haven’t tried them yet.

Studies show that both oatmeal and green tea are great in a weight loss program. I just need to stick with the on a more regular basis.