We picked up another lawn customer this past week.  It’s a very large apartment complex.  It took us a little over 3 days to cut and trim the entire place.  I cut grass with my pushmower as well as the small rider the first day.  (even apt. complexes have hills down here) The second and third day, I was doing edging with an Echo SRM 230 string trimmer.  The first day I used the trimmer from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM.  The second day I used the trimmer from 9:00 AM until 6:45 PM.  I didn’t take a lunch break and only stopped long enough to drink some water  while I was cutting the first day.  The second day it was much hotter so we did take an hour lunch break.

I love this Echo trimmer.  It’s light weight and easy to use.  It has a nice big trimmer head so I don’t have to keep loading the string so often.  I’ve never done trimming.  I’ve always left that job up to my husband.  Since there is so much trimming with this complex, I knew I was going to have to learn.  

By the end of the second day, I was scooting right along with my trimmer.  I’ve claimed that trimmer as mine.  Using this trimmer has helped my shoulders as well as my upper arms.  I’m looking forward to the next job so I can do the trimming.                                                                                                 I tried using my husband’s  trimmer but it just didn’t work for me since I’m left handed.  The guard on the bottom of the shaft was on the wrong side for me.  I had no protection from flying rocks and debris.  I tried holding it with my right hand but it just felt too uncomfortable.

It’s been raining off and on all morning so the grass cutting is I’m getting a break.  This has given me a chance to make up a large cucumber salad.  I’ve used fresh cucumbers, onions and tomatoes from our garden.  I add fat free half and half, cider vinegar, and a little sugar to balance the taste.  Top it with a little salt and pepper and let it marinate for a couple of hours.  This makes for a nice low calorie healthy salad.  I don’t put much tomato in the bowl because it makes it too watery.  It’s better to just add the tomato to you individual bowl a few minutes before you are going to eat it.  

You can also keep adding cucumbers to the dressing.  When it begins to taste bland, it’s time to make a new batch of the dressing.  (Although it’s not necesary, I usually peel the skin off my cucumbers.)

I’m off to visit

My husbands hard work is paying off in the garden.  We are finally getting vegetables we can eat.  This morning I decided to whip up this healthy dish before we head out to cut grass.  I have cooked up freshly diced green peppers, onions, garlic, celery (not from the garden), and baby portabella mushrooms.  I added a little sea salt and some fresh ground pepper.   It smelled so good while it was cooking, I had to taste it.  Yum!!  It’s great!!

In another pan, I cooked up some fresh broccoli from the garden and plan on added it to my healthy concoction.  I plan on dishing this over jasmine rice (it’s my favorite).  I don’t know the calorie content of this recipe but it has to be very low.  What a bonus, low calories and good tasting.  That is such a winning combination.

It’s still be real hot here.  My husband and I are still busy cutting grass.  We just picked up another new customer on Thursday.  It’s great because they live across the street from one of our regular customers.  It makes it nice when you can knock off a couple of lawns without having to drive any distance.  It seems we get most of our customers by referral.  Our customers are happy with our prices and our work. 

I’ve been drinking plenty of water in this heat.  The good news is I’m down two more pounds.  My husband just finished fixing my push mower ( fuel line was clogged) so it’s time for us to hit the dusty trail.

Hoping everyone has a great weekend!!  (We’re going to the weekly Saturday night auction tonight.)

 My little riding lawnmower is broken down.  As you can see, my husband has it totally taken apart.  All this for a darn $2.34 part.  The steering went out on it two weeks ago while  I was cutting a lawn.  Actually, what happened is the darn thing, it quit turning to the right.  All it would do is make a clicking noise when I turned the steering wheel.   Needless to say, finishing that lawn by only being able to turn left was tricky.  I was proud of myself though.  I was able to finish the job.

My husband had me  ordered the two parts he thought it needed but neglected to order this little $2.00 piece.  So here we are…..waiting again for that little piece to come in so he can reassemble my mower. 

I’ve been having to use my pushmower on yards I usually use my rider.  I’m afraid to use my husband’s lawnmower.  It’s a zero turn commercial Ferris and it goes so much faster than mine.  I can still remember when I was afraid to learn how to use the other riding mower.  I finally attempted it when I had a 3 acre yard to work in.  I figured I would have plenty of space to turn around.  I’ve finally graduated up to smaller and tighter areas. 

I’ve been getting a lot more exercise using my push mower.  I don’t like the self-propelled type so it’s all “pushing.”  Anyone that has spent much time in Tennessee knows it’s hard to find a flat yard.  I’m up and down hills and gullies most of the time.  I know that is burning off more calories than sailing across a flat piece of ground.  I’m losing my weight slowly this time and hopefully will be able to KEEP it off.

I enjoy being outside.  Cutting grass for me is more fun than working in my flower garden.  I hate pulling weeds and hoeing.  The past few weeks it’s been very hot.  There have been several heat related deaths in our area.  To combat this hot and humid weather, I’m drinking plenty of water, taking plenty of breaks in my airconditioned vehicle, and trying to remember to use sunscreen.  I only had one day I quit around noon.  The combination of the heat and humidity just took my breath away.  I started having cold chills so I knew I had been at it too long. 

I’ve got to go meet my husband at the church and cut the grass on the playground. 

Have a safe and happy 4th!!

Since I have renewed my weight loss efforts two weeks ago, I have successfully lost six pounds.  I am still as committed to winning this weight loss battle.  These are the things I’ve done in the past two weeks to lose  six pounds:

1.  I have been working 3 days a week cutting grass with a push mower for my husband’s lawn service . (4-6 hours each day)

2.  I have been drinking approximately 10 (8 oz) glasses of water each day.

3.  I am religiously keeping a journal of all my activities as well as what and when I eat.

                                                                            4.  I have switched to low fat foods as well as reducing my carbs to approximately 15 grams or less per meal.  I’m eating more fish and chicken while reducing my intake of red meat.   ( I also kicked  bread to the curb)  I now snack on fruit such as watermelon and fresh strawberries. (no more hershey bars or gharedelli candy)

                                                                            5.  Working out at the gym 3 days a week. (I’m up to 45 minutes now)  I’ve also started using some of the weight machines. 

                                                                           6.  I’ve changed my sleeping habits. I’ve been turning the tv off by 11:00 pm instead of staying up half the night. (my worst snacking use to start after the 10:00 pm news)

These are the things that are working for me.  Having realistic short term and long term weight loss goals are also helping me.  Hopefully you can incorporate some of them into your life and have success as well. 

It’s time for me to get ready to go work in the gift shop at the hospital.  I enjoy the people I work with and also the customers.  God has blessed me so so much!!!!!!

We have a new lawn customer and we cut and trimmed her yard yesterday.  I volunteer with her in the gift shop at the hospital when her partner can’t work.  I decided to rake all the leaves that were in the front ditch and under her hedges.  This bright idea took me three hours and a multitude of leaf bags.  

Raking…..bending over and filling the sacks…..carrying them/dragging them to our truck….wow….that was a GREAT workout.  Although the weather was cool, I managed to work up a sweat.  When I finished and stepped back to look at my work.  I was pleased.  It looked great.  She kept telling me to quit because she thought I was working to hard. I knew she was happy with the end result.

My husband did most of the lawn with the riding lawn mower.  I also did all the trimming.  Where I live in Tennessee, there aren’t very many flat yards…so it’s my job to use the push mower on the areas that can’t be done with one of our riders.  I finished cutting along the ditch and bank of the front yard. 

Back and forth…..up and down with the lawn mower is great exercise.   I like doing that much better than going to the gym.  Today I have a little soreness in my shoulders.  My stamina is getting better.  One day at a time…..that’s what I’m telling myself.

I tell myself:     Healthy eating=weight loss……………… Working out=building muscles and toning up.  What can I say………Life is great……I’m feeling good…….ready to tackle another day on my weight loss journey through exercise and healthy eating.

Off I go……today’s my day to work at the hospital gift shop.  I hope you all have a wonderful day!!!!  I wanted to thank everyone for their comments.  They are such a confidence builder for me.

The grass cutting season is finally here.  Today was my first day helping my husband with his lawn service.  He does the riding mower and I do the push mower.  It’s one of our bigger jobs.  It’s a small apartment complex along with 3 single dwellings.  The isn’t a lot of grass with the complex but each of the homes have good size yards.  Of course, two of them have pretty good inclines at the back of them.  Trying to cut grass on the side of a hill…..IT’S HARD!!!!!

The first cut of the year always calls for clean up first.  Plenty of sticks, bottles, cans, and plain old junk to pick up first.  I know the bending up and down is good for me.  It’s just that I’m so out of shape.  I was surpised how much my arms and legs bothered me pushing the lawnmower.  I’m taking notes of how I felt in my food journal so I can compare how I feel as the season progresses. 

It’s now been four days since I have recommitted to my weight loss journey.  I have been doing great.  Last night after everyone had gone to bed, I was sitting there thinking….hmmm…..I could get into the fridge and they would never know.  Yikes……what the heck kind of thought was that.   It’s funny how I talk to myself in my head.  Maybe I’m a basket case and don’t even know it.  Oh well, if that is the case, I’m going to be that way only thinner.  I told myself to get a bottle of water and forget the food. 

My mind is set, I’m going to lose this weight and KEEP IT OFF this time.  I’ve lost 100 pounds three different times.  I didn’t use pills, drinks, or any weight loss program other than one I set up for myself.   I called it the “Green Diet.”  Believe it or not, I only ate green vegetables.  I also use to walk the track near my home at night the last time I lost the weight.  The other two times I lost 100 pounds, I was a letter carrier, so I got plenty of excercise delivering the mail.

Time for me to hit the shower.  I am working in the gift shop at the hospital for a friend tonight.  I hope I’m busy so the time will go by fast.  I’ve had four good days in a row with my weight loss journey.  If you haven’t started or had a bad day……just put it behind you and start anew.  Do like I did, get family and friends involved for support.  Once you tell them….you are going to feel a lot better.  It’s really a confidence builder.

We’ve been so busy with this lawn service the past two weeks.  We had a three lawns that were really tough.  Two of the jobs were on foreclosed homes.  The grass was so tall it was like hay.  Of course, there was all kinds of garbage in the yards we had to clean up first.  The third property we had to cut and clean up was for an individual who has been placed in a nursing home.  The lawn mower threw a piece of metal wire into the front of my leg cutting that yard.  Yikes…that hurt.   What a way to end a grass cutting season.

I’ve lost another 4 pounds in the past two weeks.  I’m going to have to start using my treadmill since the lawn mowing season is done for this year.  I have to force myself to get on that thing.  I wish I could walk where I live but it’s impossible.  I tried it once and was chased by two dogs.  We live in the country and people are not required to have their dogs enclosed in their yards.  Everyone but us allows their dogs to run loose.  I was a city mail carrier for many years and got bit a few times so I’m scared to death of dogs.  Then definetly sensed it when I tried to walk where they lived.

There are three reasons I am having success losing weight.       1.  Daily physical activity

2.  Eating Healthy

3.  Using a journal (track my food + activity)

It’s easy to see what is working for me when I can read it in black and white. There are many types of food and activity journals available free online.  At Bella Online (The Voice of Women), the site lists  a dozen free online food diaries and diary templates.  Each one describes what is available with their journal.  Bella Online also has good advice on Healthy Eating.  It’s an informative site.

My sister has gone home but I am still losing weight.  She called two days ago and she is continuing to gain weight.  She has gained two pounds while I have lost 6 pounds.  Both of us are happy.

I have had success and failure in many of my weight loss attempts.  I sat down and thought out what I had done in the past to lose weight.  I also thought about what my past weakness were that caused me to gain weight. 

I’ve tried to keep a journal on what I eat, when, and the amount of physical activity I had each.  I also tracked my weight on the same page.  I haven’t been doing it so faithfully but realize when I do keep track of excercise, calories, and weight, I have better success at losing pounds. 

This journal has also showed me where I have had set backs on my weight loss journey.  When I see it in black and white, it’s easier for me to make adjustments.  I have found my downfall is sweets.  My journal has showed me, I am not able to resist sugar frosted cookies, cheesecake, fudge, or chocolate desserts.   

I use to make the excuse I was buying the cookies and fudge for my mom.  Actually, she didn’t usually didn’t get much because I’d eat the stuff up in two days and go buy more.  My excuses/reasoning can be so illogical sometimes.

I’m still giving individual dessert servings to my mom and husband at suppertime.  I haven’t gotten into what I call “their stuff”.   This system is working for me.  

I’m feeling good and so glad I’ve had two months in a row of successful weight loss.  I’m going to continue on this path.  I don’t call it a diet.  It’s just a healthy choice in my lifestyle change. 

The lawns down here are still growing fast.  It’s time for me to hit the road and get some grass cut.  I love this form of exercise.  I’ve named my push mower Baby.  I take care of her like she’s one of my kids.   It’s time for us to exit……….stage right!!!!  

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.

The summer is in full swing and there are lots of outdoor activities that can help you tone up and lose weight.  I have been having weight loss success mowing lawns.  It’s a great form of exercise.   My husband has a lawn service and I help him cut grass and trim trees.

 I am building the muscles in my arms and legs using the push mower (I’m scared of the riders) and the tree/bush trimmer.   As the season progresses, I am able to push the mower  at a faster pace and I’m not so exhausted when I’m done.  I also don’t need to take as many breaks as I did when we first started cutting lawns this summer.  The trimmers use to feel so heavy when I first started using them.  I don’t notice the weight now when I use them. 

I’m getting a great tan, losing weight, toning muscles while providing a service for people as well as  earning  extra money.  It’s a win-win situation.