The perfect 10!

Wow, training for the Olympics is hard work...especially when you aren't really going to the Olympics, your body is completely out of shape, and you have no athletic ability whatsoever. So, I decided if I'm going to reach my goals I better start training now (insert Rocky music here). My focus is the perfect 10! Why 10 you ask. Besides my homage to the upcoming Olympics, it seemed fitting based on the following...

Amazingly, my knee is still weak from the knee scope at the end of June. So this training is two-fold. I will be doing rehab as well as getting in shape. I thought to myself I can ride the bike all day long, so I'm well on my way to my goal. Ha! My body laughed in my face. Well, I guess it didn't laugh as that is not possible, but you know what I mean. I was able to ride for 10 minutes before my knee said enough. Not what I was hoping for, but I'll take it. So, I'll ride for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 at night until I can build up strength in my knee.

Yesterday, I waved to my neighbor. In doing so, I noticed that my underarms kept waving after I had stopped. Thank goodness there wasn't a strong wind as my "wings" may have had me flying away. How do I fix the problem? According to exercise websites, pushups are the quickest way to strengthen your arms. So, I thought...pushups no problem. Again, my body laughed at me. After 5, my arms started to shake. By pushup number 10, my arms said enough. So fine, I will do 3 reps of 10 throughout the day.

Finally, my weight loss goal for the month. I decided that the number 10 was a reasonable goal. I've already loss 3 pounds, and I have 7 to go. I think it is pretty doable. I have to admit, I weigh myself each day to ensure that I'm staying stable and not gaining. It is a little upsetting when the scale number doesn't move, but I'm staying strong. Thank goodness I'm strong somewhere!

I'm back and with only 150 to go to reach my goal!

I know...you've missed me. You have been wondering "where is she?", "how has she been?", and "did she lose the weight?". So, to answer your questions...I'm still here, I've been okay, and no, I didn't lose the weight. Part of the problem was I said I was going to TRY to lose the weight. This time I'm telling you that I WILL lose the weight. I better get a move on because I have 150 to go. Not 150 pounds (thank goodness), but 150 days. Why 150? Let me explain... When I was my most motivated (and enjoyed writing these blog entries) it was during the last Winter Olympics. I have no clue why. I always thought I hated the Winter Olympics. If you need a reminder, here is part of my post from February 15, 2010...

The 2010 Winter Olympics have arrived! To be honest, I did not think I would enjoy watching anything but speed skating, but I have found some of the skiing events very enjoyable. And as I was watching the various events, I realized that my journey is like the Olympics...minus the athleticism, the devotion, the really cool outfits, the medals, the National Anthem, the commentators, and the endorsement deals. Wow! Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, my journey is like the Olympics because it takes drive and heart. There are moments of glory (losing the weight) and moments of defeat (gaining it back), but through it all I don't give up and I keep pushing myself to be a better me. Pass the Kleenex! Please that was beautiful. Wow, Kleenex could be my first endorsement. :)

So, I don't know if it is the countdown to the Olympics that has me motivated again or if I'm just sick of what I see in the mirror, but I WILL lose the weight this time. Instead of trying to reach my goals while I'm competing in Russia (oh wait...I'm not really going)...scratch that. Instead of trying to reach my goals while others compete in Russia (better), I have decided that I want to reach my goal weight before the conclusion of games. To earn my gold medal so to speak. Awww, that brings tears to my eyes. Where's a Kleenex when you need one? (What can I say, I'm still trying for that endorsement). :) Where was I? Oh yeah, reaching my goal. It just seemed fitting that I try to come full circle from when I started this blog. So, to update all of my fans (who am I kidding...to update my family), I'm one week into my training regime/diet and I've lost 3 pounds. I'm using marbles as a visual motivator to keep me on track and Katy Perry on my iTunes.

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire ‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR Louder, louder than a lion ‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR

Life is a Miracle

When I started this blog, my focus was about losing weight and feeling better about myself. Weight has been a constant struggle for me, and I hated exercise...mostly because it hurt. But after two years, we discovered that my back wasn't my problem...my hip was the cause of all of my pain. I had surgery on April 21st, and life was good. Boy, looking back, my weight is such a minor issue. I'm blessed to be alive and healthy (relatively). You see, life can change in an instant, as I learned on Mother's Day weekend. I wish I could put into words what happened that weekend, but I just can't find the words. Luckily, my Mom could. Below is an e-mail that my Mom sent to family and friends that weekend...

"I don't even know how to begin to relate the happenings of this Mother's Day weekend. It was the highest of times and the lowest of times. On Saturday morning we awoke to a beautiful day and were so thankful because our son, Paul, was in charge of a 5K Charity Race as a memorial for Dylan Meier, a young man who died at the age of 26 in a tragic hiking accident last year. This was a young man that Paul was friends with and had played ball within Jr. High and High School. So the race was special to him on many levels. Working for the Kansas City Sports Association organizing these types of events are in his job description so there was a professional side to the race. And because of his friendship with Dylan there was a personal side also. For days he had been concerned about the weather with the possibility of thunderstorms being forecast. So there was elation all the way around when we awoke to such a beautiful day. When we reached the football stadium for the start of the race the sight of almost 650 participants standing amidst tents, balloons, banners, and baby strollers was awe inspiring. The event felt more like a reunion than an athletic happening.

Our family had a number of entrants: Nick (a nephew, 26); Meagan (daughter-in-law, 25); Caleb (nephew, 18); Jonah (nephew, 14); and Sydney (niece, 13). Paul was everywhere at once and things were running like clockwork. The runners were quite a sight leaving the stadium and then the walkers (almost 200) began to walk the track for the mile course. My sister, Lisa, sister-in-law, Julie, Paul's Mother-in-law, Leatha, Paul's little girl, Quincy (in stroller) and I began a leisurely fun walk around the course. As we were finishing up the first of the runners was reentering the stadium going for the finish line. The four of us women went and stood close to the entry of the stadium so that we could get pictures as our family members came running in. As we stood there my brother, Mark, (a physician from North Carolina visiting for Mother's Day) came and stood beside us. He had been out playing golf and was late getting to the run. With just a few runners having come through on the way to the finish line we see Caleb running in. All of a sudden we hear him shouting for a medic and yelling that Nick (our 26 yr. old nephew) was down. My brother took off running with all of us steps behind. Nick had collapsed just yards from the entrance to the stadium. Nick is 6 ft. 1in. and weighs 185 lbs and played football at PSU for four years. He was in awesome shape so we were all thinking he must have tripped or fainted. While the temperatures were not exceedingly warm, the sun was out and the humidity was high. So you can imagine my shock as I came around the gate and found my brother doing CPR. Nick's heart had stopped. How do I begin to relate the horror of seeing Mark doing chest compressions and yelling at Nick to "stay with us". Mark continued doing CPR until the ambulance showed up and they used the defibrillator. As they loaded him in the ambulance they still had no heartbeat and we were going on 12 min. As our entire family raced to the hospital we prayed that God would give us a miracle and bring Nick back to us. Nick's parents, (my brother Joe and his wife, Janice) were in Manhattan at a baseball game with their son, Daniel. Making the call to them was heart wrenching. When my brother, Mark, joined us in the waiting room and we saw his tear stained face our hearts sank. But not too many minutes later the emergency room doctor came back and said that Nick's heart had miraculously restarted in the ambulance and that he was awake, alert, and talking. I can't begin to tell you what that felt like. Even the doctors were throwing around the words, miracle and miraculous. Nick doesn't remember a lot of what happened that day but continued to improve and was released from the hospital yesterday. He has an appointment with 2 heart specialists in Wichita today to try to find out why a healthy 26 year old has his heart stop beating. All I can tell you is that our prayers were answered. I have no doubt that it was the prayers of everybody who was at the race and the 35 family members who were in the emergency room.

For Paul all of this was particularly hard. He was responsible for the event, and Nick, besides being his cousin, is also one of his best friends. It was also particularly hard for the Meier family since Nick was also a friend of Dylan’s and Dylan's parents are friends with Janice and Joe. The horror that Janice and Joe might also lose a son was devastating to the Meier family. God heard all our prayers and we are so thankful. We are so aware of how wondrously God works. The fact that Mark was in town on this particular day; that he decided to come to the race even though he was late; that Nick collapsed just feet from where there was a medical person and not along the route; and that there were so many people that offered up their prayers on site is truly God's gift to us. Now our goal is just to get the sight of Nick being worked on out of our heads. I ask all of you to say a prayer for Nick and his family that the doctors are able find the problem and that it is easily corrected. If this experience does nothing else it reminds us to live each day as if it were our last and to remember to say I love you to the people in our life that we care about. So as I send this out to all of you I want to say, I love you!"

Nick is doing fine now. He has been diagnosed with a rare syndrome called Brugada. Basically, it is an "instant death" syndrome that causes the heart to stop. It is not brought on by exercise, and the heart is in perfect health. He had a pacemaker and defibrillator put in his heart last week. It will take 30 days for everything to be 100%, but if his heart should ever randomly stop, it will restart itself. We are so lucky and thank God everyday for bringing Nick back to us.

It was after this weekend that I realized that my weight is not that big of a deal. God, prayer, family, and friends are what are important. I should be grateful for everything that I have and live life to the fullest. If along the way, I lose weight...so be it. But I need to remind myself that my weight doesn't define me. My faith in God and love of my family defines me.

When I was born, I almost died three separate times but survived with minor medical issues, my 10-year-old nephew was in serious condition last year after being hit in the head with a golf ball but is completely healthy today, and now my 26-year-old cousin has recovered in perfect health after his heart stopped for no reason...after all of those instances how can I not help but believe that life is a gift from God. Life is what we make of it. So, while there will be times when I might not be happy with how I look or how much I weigh...I need to remember that I have friends to help me along the way. No matter how bad I feel, I need to remember that God is walking beside me. If I trust in Him, have faith in myself, and remain positive...I can do anything!

"Miracles, in the sense of phenomena we cannot explain, surround us on every hand: life itself is the miracle of miracles." ~George Bernard Shaw

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness

I know what you are thinking..."Oh no, what is wrong? Did she hurt her fingers? Did she go on a binge? Is her mind finally going? I mean, the girl hasn't blogged in forever". Was I close? Was that what you were thinking? Let me tell you, I totally have forgotten that I haven't been blogging. Oh no, my mind is going!!!!

Seriously, things have been crazy busy so I just forget. So, here is a recap of the days since my last post....

I have not lost any weight this week, but I haven't gained either. I'm stuck at the 10 pound weight loss. I need to pick up my game instead of food this week. The structure (my neighbor's shed) is finally out of my yard and the fence is fixed. Whoo hoo! Duke & KU lost in the NCAA basketball tournament...darn it! So, I'm cheering for Butler to win it all this year. I just love a Cinderella team! I can say that now that my teams have lost. :) My nephews get cuter and cuter everyday. I had the kids while my sister and her husband were out of town. Can I just say, I love when they fight over who gets to sit next to me. Petty, I know. Makes me smile every time though. Finally, I finally got an answer to my medical problems.

As I've mentioned in past posts, I've had back pain for a little over a year. The epidural shot helped, but in September my hips started to hurt. I was warned that this could be due to my degenerative disk in my back. So, I had another round of epidural shots. When that didn't work, my pain doctor said he thought I had bursitis. So, I got a shot for that. That didn't work, so we went to Mayo to get a second opinion on having back surgery. They said that my back looked good for the time being, & they gave me two more shots for bursitis. That didn't work. Finally, I decided to go see the orthopedic doctor that did my knee and shoulder surgery (he doesn't do backs). He said that if I was his daughter, he would have me see a hip specialist. So, on Wednesday, we drove 4 hours to see the hip specialist. I was sure he would say back surgery was in my future. Nope, he said hip surgery was in my future.

Due to problems I had at birth, I have no fine motor skills on my left side. My left leg is a little shorter than my right and my left leg turns in a little. Other doctors said that this had nothing to do with my pain...WRONG! Apparently, my hip is not working the way it should. So now, I'm going to have to have a two phase procedure/surgery. I'll have to have a rod put in, possibly have my knee worked on as well, & be on crutches for 12 weeks (at least). I'm not really sure what the medical diagnosis is but the diagnosis in layman's terms (according to my doctor) is that I'm just messed up. Please, I made that diagnosis years ago (so did half my family). ;)

Now, I'll go for my second appointment this Friday to find out the extent of the damage. That will determine if my surgery will take place in Oklahoma or Texas. I'm a little scared of the whole surgery thing, but I can't wait to start feeling better! I owe Dr. Stringer so much. If he hadn't referred me to Dr. Martin, I would have had back surgery, but it wouldn't have fixed my hip pain.

I can't wait to be pain free, start exercising again, and seriously start losing weight. It is amazing how a correct diagnosis can make you feel so much better even though your pain stays the same. Thank you so much Dr. Stringer!!!! You are the best!!!!!

A Day Late and a Pound Short

Wow, I've really been busy the past couple days! I can't believe that I almost forgot to blog about my weigh in on Moday and how things are progressing. So, let me tell you about the past few days...

Unfortunately, this has not been a great week (and it just started). For the past four days I have had sciatica pain on my right side in addition to the pain in my left hip. It sucks!!! I'm sick of hurting, I'm sick of having to take pain killers, I'm sick of eating ice cream...oops, that just snuck in there. Luckily, I gave up sweets for Lent so I haven't been pigging out on sweets. Notice the qualifier...sweets. That doesn't mean I haven't been eating.

I may have mentioned that I'm an emotional eater. So, when I get upset I eat more than I should. I don't wolf down a whole pizza, but I don't stop after one piece either. I've been so good about my calorie intake and my water intake these past few weeks, that I'm a little put out by these past few days. The good news is I only gained a pound. I'm just so upset with myself! I just wish I had something new to focus on...
Not necessarily what I meant. You are probably wondering what this is a picture of...drum roll, please...that is my neighbor's shed. Yep, we've had high winds recently. Strong enough winds that my neighbor's shed just knocked down part of my fence and rolled into my yard. Perfect! Something new to agonize over. Of course, the house next door is a rental and getting a hold of the landlord is taking forever! Ugh! I need a vacation, or just something to take my mind off of the "structure" (as my other neighbor calls it) in my back yard.

So, by now, I'm hoping that some of my readers are feeling really sorry for me and wondering how to help. I could be an upstanding person, and say that I don't need anything. Please...of course I want something (preferably covered in chocolate...just kidding). So, if anyone feels bad enough to donate their NCAA tournament tickets to a person in need of a break...I won't turn them down. All I can say is...Let's go KU & Duke!!! Oh, and VCU and Butler, the upset teams I'm cheering for. And Ohio St. and San Diego St., play well...my bracket needs you to win. And UNC, I hope you lose! What did you expect, I'm a Duke fan! And...oh well, I'm just ready for everyone to play ball. To end this post let me repeat my March Madness Wish...

May your teams be nimble, may your teams be quick, may your teams trump the teams that make you sick. May your teams advance to the big dance, as they score and make their way to the Final Four!

How to have a successful blog

When I first started blogging, I was just blogging for myself. It was a way for me to stay honest about my weight loss or weight gain. It was therapy. Yet, somewhere along the way, I decided that I wanted my blog to appeal to others. I wanted to make people smile with my crazy viewpoints on dieting and weight loss. I wanted to take a serious (and sometimes depressing) topic and make it fun and relatable. So, I started researching. I read article after article about having a successful blog. The end result...become an expert on your topic. Seriously, that's all it takes. I can do that! So, below is my first piece of advice from a dieting "expert".

The best way to eat ice cream is to eat it when it is frozen solid and not soft. Trying to get an ice cream scoop through hard ice cream is quite the workout. So, you benefit from this two ways. You use the muscles in your arms, and you eat less since it is hard to scoop. I also recommend using both your right and left hand to scoop. You don't want the muscle on your right to be overdeveloped when compared to the muscle on your left.

Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking...that is her "expert" advice. Of course it is! To have a successful blog, I need to be an expert. Let's face it, if I was an expert on weight loss, I would be a size two! It amazes me that "blogging experts" recommend reading articles on my blog topic, watching videos, and reviewing items because that will make me an expert and a successful blogger. Come on...that just makes me knowledgeable about what works for others. If it worked for everyone, no one would have weight issues. I prefer to be an "expert" on what makes me successful, what makes me laugh about the whole weight loss experience, and making friends with people in the same boat as myself. If that means my blog won't be successful, but I will...I can live with that!

Additional expert recommendation:
Count the number of times I used the word "expert" in this post, and drink that many glasses of water. Not the most fun "drinking game"...but a game is a game, right? Take it from me, I'm an "EXPERT"...Hey, there's another one!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Kids, weight loss, and basketball...does it get any better?

My life could not get any better than it is right now! I just spent a great (and busy) five days watching my four nephews. It was a little crazy at times, but they were a lot of fun! I especially enjoyed waking up at 4AM with my sister's youngest. Colt was wide awake and more than happy to point out my nose and eyes. I wanted to be mad at him, but he has a smile that just melts my heart. Carston spent the most time with me. One night I was lying on the couch with my book, and the next thing I know Carston is lying at the other end of the couch with his book. I love that he is my reader!!! Cooper, the second oldest is the definition of sweet! He missed his mom and dad. He would show me a picture of him and his mom that was taken at his school's "T" party. He was so proud of that picture, and showed it to me daily. Finally, there is Cade. He is the oldest and loves all things sports. He and I went to church on Saturday, and then made it home for the second half of the KU/Texas game. We cheered the Jayhawks to victory and talked basketball most of the night. It was great! Could my life get any better?

Yep!!! Now, the best news of all...I lost another 2 pounds! I'm sooooo happy I could scream! I wasn't sure how I did this week since I didn't follow my diet plan as well as I would have liked. I mean, I quit drinking water and lived off of Sonic's Diet Cherry Vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper for three days! I was like an addict that needed a fix. I'll be honest, I wouldn't be surprised to know that the Sonic carhops know my name and car. Seriously, I was there a lot! I blame it on Happy Hour...the 2 best hours of my day. Who doesn't love half price drinks? I'm just "happy" that Happy Hour didn't hinder my weight loss!

Speaking of Happy Hour...my week will be full of Happy Hours as the NCAA Basketball Tournament starts this week. This is my favorite holiday of all time! I'm still campaigning to make March Madness a recognized holiday. It is a special time (she says with tears in her eyes). Such hard work, such dedication, such drama...I live for this stuff! Rock Chalk Jayhawk....Go KU!!! and Let's go Duke!!!

March Madness 2011 Poem
Tournament time is here,
Let's give a big cheer,
for the teams that are great,
and make the top 68.
The teams have been drawn,
and TVs will be on,
to watch the fellas,
and hopefully some Cinderellas,
fight to advance,
to the big dance.
It is my wish,
that the guards dish,
to the guys down low,
and they make at least a free throw.
All I can say,
is that I love each day,
that I get to view,
my favorite teams...Go KU!