But I’m back in the office and home now. Let the detox and climbing back on the wagon begin!

Successes

• Umm, I didn’t actually bathe in the bourbon sauce from the bread pudding?
• Weight…I maintained at 278. Which, to me, means that my body is giving me a second (or eighth) chance to get it right this week.
• Inches…I also maintained here (I lost a bit in the waist, but gained a bit in the belly, so it’s a wash).

Challenges

I had wondered since I started the program how I would do when I went out of town and it wasn’t so easy to drink my H2Orange and regulate my food. Now I know. So I guess it’s both a challenge and a success?

How was your week?

Past Posts on my fitness Journey…

• Week Seven & Greta Goes Gluten Free
• Week Six & Kim Borchert Inspires
• Week Five
• Week Four
• Week Three
• Week Two
• Week One
• I’m Fat, But That’s Changing

Anyway…I like to be prepared. So I was excited to get an email from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) telling me about a new app they have called myHOME Scr.APP.book. This free app helps you create a home inventory in case of theft or giant storms or smoking neighbors. I loved this app you guys. It allows you to scan barcodes, take photos of the items, list the cost of the item when you purchased it, and more. When your inventory is complete, it creates a file for emailing…in case you lose your phone in a fire. The app is easy to use and has all the information you need to file a claim with your insurance.

I love knowing that if something ever happens, I won’t have to try to figure out a home inventory in the middle of chaos. As a bonus, this app is also great for figuring out if you have enough home owner’s or renter’s insurance to cover all your stuff.

Go out and download this app! And start cataloging all your stuff. Before hurricane season begins.

You can learn all kinds of interesting things on the NAIC site. Everything from life insurance to home owner’s insurance and how to reduce risk. Soon, you too can be as paranoid prepared as me!

The nice folks at NAIC have provided a $50 gift card to Best Buy for one of my readers! Leave a comment below telling me which item in your home you would inventory first and I’ll pick a winner on May 21st!

Greta’s words…

My two year old daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in February.  Because it was the toddler who could no longer have gluten, and she’s too young to really understand why, I made the decision to cook only gluten-free meals at home. People probably thought I was crazy, but I didn’t want her to accidentally get a bag of Goldfish, or have a fit because she couldn’t have Goldfish. So anyway, for the past two months, we have completely revamped the way we eat.

It has been HARD. It has been overwhelming, and stressful.  And I am just now starting to come out of that fog and feel more comfortable with what I’m cooking and buying.

Because anything specifically labeled “gluten free” is automatically twice as expensive as regular food, I’ve done a lot of cooking from scratch. I roast a ton of veggies (cauliflower, asparagus, potato “French fries” and Brussels sprouts are our new favorites). I prepare meat simply, often in the crock pot with just barbecue sauce or salt and pepper. We don’t eat a lot of breads anymore, because they take a lot of extra preparation to get from oven to table, and we don’t rely on “convenience” foods at all anymore, unless it’s something that I’ve made ahead of time and frozen. Pasta dishes are also simpler, with gluten-free noodles and homemade sauces, low fat cheeses, and meats. We’ve also tried new things, like quinoa (which, we discovered, is delicious!).

If there is one positive aspect to her diagnosis, it is that it has forced me to take a good long look at what I’ve been feeding my family and make better choices. Unprocessed, whole foods have definitely become the norm in our house.

I think it’s too soon to see dramatic changes in my health (or my husband’s), but mentally and psychologically, I feel much better about the foods that I’m eating and cooking. I make better choices as a whole, and I’m proud of that.

Greta is a Stay At Home Mom of four children under seven years old. She doesn’t control the chaos, she just tries to contain it, and she documents it all at Gfunkified.com.

Sherry’s Week Seven Update

Well. Like last week, this week was a tough one for me. I can’t believe how easily I was thrown off course in this whole living-healthier endeavor. I haven’t given up, and I know I’m going to do this thang, but it’s easy to get frustrated. I am working on fixing my heel and knee so I can work out without pain, so I know that will help me to stay on track also.

Successes

• Not many. I managed not to eat my weight in cake, so I guess that’s good.
• Weight…Somehow, I lost two pounds this week. I’m not sure how that’s possible, but it’s encouraging. I’m at 278, so 12 pounds during the program and 23 pounds from my heaviest of 301.
• Inches…Again, in the “weird” department, I managed to lose half an inch this week. So, I’ve lost 22 inches since starting the program!

Challenges

• Everything. Everything was a challenge this week. I ate too many times when I wasn’t hungry and I let stressful situations lead to eating.

How was your week?

Past Posts on my fitness Journey…

• Week Six & Kim Borchert Inspires
• Week Five
• Week Four
• Week Three
• Week Two
• Week One
• I’m Fat, But That’s Changing

He handed me my phone and said, “I’ll take more pictures on the way home when we go by all the plants. I want to take pictures of life.”

Pictures of life, you guys.

So, on the way home? He took pictures of life. He reminded me of my friends getting on the floor or the ground for the perfect shot. The boy was steadying the phone, was crawling in close, was really getting in to it. And the pictures were awesome. I’m so proud of my little photographer.

Photographic evidence of Nicholas’ mad photo-taking skills.

I’m slowly making progress on Tobin’s first year book. Here are a couple of layouts I’ve finished that I wanted to share because of some details.

The Expanding layout I like for a couple of reasons: (1) The extra spacing between the letters of the title make me laugh. They serve as title and journalling in one. Especially to any woman who has ever been pregnant. I mean, isn’t “expanding” exactly how you felt? and (2) I really like how the numbers of the weeks turned out. I painted a bit of yellow acrylic paint straight on the picture and then used black acrylic paint to stamp the number of weeks I was in the photo. The layout is a lift from the May/June issue of Scrapbooks, Etc. and is by Jen Lessinger.

The second layout I’m sharing is one of my favorite photos from Tobin’s birth. This is the day that Nicholas came to the hospital and met Tobin. I just loved seeing my boys together, Finally.

It’s a simple layout with a painted chipboard frame with some white rub-on letters. I think that the look of happiness on William’s face was all the journalling I needed on this one!

So what crafts have you done lately? I’d love to see your layouts or projects!

Kim’s words…

“I have never been an athletic girl. I danced for 7 years and played soccer and even football. But I was always the one with the pot belly that couldn’t run the mile without getting winded. I was slow and while I loved playing games, hated the competition of it all.

Then in Jr. High I tried the track team. I was good at sprints – short and fast distances were good. But I still didn’t love it. I had always loved the water, so in that time, I joined a city swim team. I loved the non-contact sport and loved being in the water. Again, I was never very fast, but I really enjoyed myself. I swam and joined the diving team in high school. This lasted until middle of my Sophomore year when we moved. My new high school not only didn’t have a swim or diving team, but it didn’t even have a pool!

The rest of my high school days were spent trying to avoid running. My senior year of high school I even took a modern dance class to avoid running.

It has been 17 years since I graduated from high school. In that time I have tried running and never loved it. I have fallen in love with cycling, and kept up my love affair with swimming. In the last 10 years however, I have given birth to 5 babies. Five pregnancies in 8 years really took a toll on my body and as much as I tried, I was not getting the weight off.

Feeling frustrated and really defeated I had decided this was just how my body was going to be. It was what it was and there was nothing I could do about it. Then I had an opportunity to train for a 5K or a half marathon with the help of an experienced mentor.

I jumped on this opportunity. I wanted to do something for myself. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it.

For 15 weeks I ran at least 4 times a week. I was slow, oh so slow. When I started I could barely run a mile and a half. I will never forget after my first run crying that there was no way I would be able to run 13.1 miles when I couldn’t even run ONE!  My wise husband reminded me I wasn’t running tomorrow and to just take it one run at a time.

I did this. I took it one step at a time. Some miles were easier than others. Some miles were fun and some were downright torturous. But, 15 weeks after my 1st run, I did it. I ran 13.1 miles and finished my first half marathon.

I say first because I absolutely will do it again. The weight is coming off, but more important, I found myself. I found parts of me that have been buried for longer than I can remember. I found that I enjoyed taking care of myself and that I was worth it.”

Kim is the Mama to 5 hooligans, 1 in Heaven and 4 on Earth. She and her husband are recent transplants to Texas and she loves running in the mild Texas winters. You can read more of her ramblings on her personal blog, Prairie Mama and follow her on Twitter!

Sherry’s Week Six update:

Successes

• A gallon of H2Orange every day this week.
• I put on a pair of 24 pants I haven’t been able to wear in two years (and they are kind of big!) When I started my program, I was wearing a 28.
• One exercise session this week.
• I had my yearly physical last week and my numbers are already improving!
• Weight: I maintained again at 280.0, so I’m still at 10 pounds lost on the program and 21 pounds lost since my high of 301. While this is good, it’s also frustrating to know I’d be losing if I were following the program more closely.
• Inches: I lost 2.5 inches this week! I’m down 22 inches total so far!
• I saw several people this week who I haven’t seen in a couple of months and they all commented on the weight loss. It was fun to know that other people are noticing.

Challenges

• I had several episodes of sugar cravings (they corresponded directly with stress) that I gave in to. I didn’t beat myself up over them, but it’s something I think I’ll have to watch my whole life.
• I wanted to exercise more, but wasn’t able to get it done.
• There were one or two times when I ate when I wasn’t hungry.
• I’m really having to fight getting upset with myself when I don’t have a perfect eating day.

How was your week?

Past Posts on my fitness Journey…

• Week Five
• Week Four
• Week Three
• Week Two
• Week One
• I’m Fat, But That’s Changing

I usually just throw it together without paying attention to amounts, but I tried this time since I wanted to blog about it. The thing about this recipe is that it can be upsized, downsized, or altered for your own taste very easily.

Ingredients

• 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken (whatever flavor, but I like the mesquite smoked)
• 1 10 oz. can of cream of poblano soup
• 16 oz. of sour cream
• 4-6 cups of shredded cheese (your favorite, but I use Monterrey Jack and Cheddar)
• 12 or so Corn tortillas

Directions

• Remove the skin from the chicken, shred the meat
• Combine the sour cream, 4 cups of cheese, and soup in a bowl and mix until combined.
• Spray a large pan with Pam so the cheesy goodness won’t stick so much
• Plop a couple of tablespoons of the filling on the bottom of the pan so the tortillas won’t get hard during baking
• Lay down your first layer of tortillas (3 tortillas per row, 3 rows per layer)
• Spread half the sour cream mixture on the entire layer
• Spread half of the shredded chicken on top of the sour cream mixture
• Place 9 more tortillas on top
• Spread the remaining sour cream mixture on tortilla layer
• Spread the remaining chicken on top of sour cream mixture
• Rip up two tortillas and sort of sprinkle them on top of the chicken
• Spread remaining cheese on top
• Cover with foil
• Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for 20 more minutes

Makes 12 servings

The amount of cheese you use and the way you layer the tortillas is totally up to you. You can make it thicker, you can use more or fewer tortillas. This is really just a recipe that you make to your particular tastes. You can also make this as a rolled enchilada, but the layering is way easier.

Photographic evidence of the yum.

I would love to hear if you make this recipe, especially if you like it. Maybe not as much if you *don’t* like it?

Photographic evidence of a seriously great birthday week.

 Close-up cupcake awesomeness.  Awesome Cupcake Variety.  Sharing wishes with Katy.  Dinner dates  Even more cute dinner dates.  Getting the girls squishes.  Sharing wishes with Matthew.

Thank you for all the birthday wishes on Facebook, Twitter, calls and texts! You guys rock!

Successes

• A gallon of H2Orange almost every day this week.
• Two sessions of Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred.
• I’m counting the fact that I felt like I had gotten hit by a truck on the day after my birthday as a success. Because before I started this program, it would have just been another day. So, yay for feeling like crap!
• Weight: I maintained at 280.4 this week. Whew…
• Inches: I lost .5 inches this week. I added in a couple of spots (waist and tummy), but lost in a couple (hips, thigh and calf), so it pretty much evened out.

Challenges

Please read the opening paragraph. I had an awesome birthday on Tuesday, and it involved a lot of food. Obviously, I’m not to the point where I can be trusted to treat my body well off the program yet.

I’m taking a picture every 10 pounds . Newish picture!

So, how was your week?

Past posts from my fitness journey…

Week Four

Week Three

Week Two

Week One

I’m Fat, But That’s Changing

Tobin smiled and said, “Mommy happy?”

Yes. Mommy very happy.