Day 90 - Wk13D6

Just checking in to let everybody know that I'm doing alright.  I'm still at 174.4 lbs., so I'm maintaining despite the stress lately.  Hubby had surgery on Thursday, so I've been totally stressed out.  I haven't been making good food choices at all this past week, and with having to separate the dogs and going back and forth from the hospital really has me on the edge right now.

As for exercise, I think I only got like 5 APs this week.  I should be exercising right now, but I'm just too exhausted.  I think I'm coming down with a cold too because the power has gone out for about 6 hours yesterday morning and this morning too.  The coldest nights this season, and the power goes out right before sunrise and stays out until about noon....go figure.

Anyway, I'm just going to take it easy for the rest of the weekend, and hope to be back on track starting Monday.  Thanks for checking in on me!!!

Day 87 - Wk13D3

Still weighing the same since I've been making really bad food choices even after I got back.  I am getting a little bit of exercise in though, so that's what keeps me from completely going under.  It's just that the last few days have been very stressful with my doggie situation.

I know a lot of people think I should just get rid of my pit, but I just can't do that.  My husband and I rescued him as a little pup with a compound fractured leg, and he's been with us for almost 4 years.  We think he's a pit mix......maybe part boxer, but we're not sure.  We know he's definitely part pit though.  We got him fixed as soon as his testicles dropped, and we have trained him to be submissive and obedient, but he is a pit after all.  He's the sweetest dog most of the time, but when he gets scared or mad, he sees red.  When he sees red, his victim is always my retriever mix.  My retriever mix is also a rescue.  Actually all my dogs and cats are rescues, and I don't mean they were rescued from the animal shelters.  My hubby and I actually rescued these dogs from abusive or neglectful owners or off the city streets.  We've rescued many animals, but the ones I have now are the "problem" cases where they weren't fit to be adopted out because of behavioral problems or their breed (like my pit).

Anyway, we live in a very rural setting where we're surrounded by farms, and we've fenced in about an acre for the dogs.  The chain link fence is fortified with electric fencing on the bottom and at mid level so the dogs won't try to dig their way out or try to jump on the fence in case some dumb ass decides to tresspass onto our property and stick their hands in.  We also have electric fence warning and beware of dog signs posted every 15 feet or so.   My 4 outdoor dogs have an insulated 20' x 12' minibarn as their shelter, and they also have insulated dog houses in the minibarn.  In the winter when the temperature goes below freezing, we light up some heat lamps for them so they stay warmer and so that their water won't freeze.  We never miss their vaccinations, and they all take their vitamins and supplements along with any medication they need on a daily basis.  So I don't think anybody can say that we're not responsible pet owners.

So getting back to my retriever mix.  For some reason, he and the pit mix never really decided who was the boss.  They'd fight, the pit beats the hell out of the retriever, but the retriever acts like he won, and the pit would cower in the end.  Strange, since my pit is almost never injured except for a few bites, and the retriever would be dragging himself with one pinky, massively injured, and still trying to assert his dominance over the pit.  The pit would let him too.  But this time it was different.  The pyraneese got aggravated with the retriever and went after him, and the pit came running across the yard and jumped the retriever.  As soon as the fight was full-on, the pyraneese was like, "I didn't have nothin' to do with this" and just trotted off.  So I'm trying to stop the pit from killing the retriver by holding on to his tail and hind legs, and even then, he dragged me around the yard lunging and attacking him.  Then my retriever mix did what he never did before.  He ran off and hid in the minibarn.  I sat in front of the dog door to keep them seperated for about 30 minutes, caught my breath, and finally got my pit secluded.  I got cleaned up, called my hubby, and then we took the retriever to the vet where he got cleaned up and medicated.  I also asked Dr. G if it would be considered cruel if we decided to take the pit's canine teeth out so he wouldn't be able to inflict as bad of a damage in the future, and she said she would do it as a last resort.  If that doesn't work, then we'll have to put him down for sure.  But she said that pulling their canines (4 of em) is considered major surgery because of the deep roots, so we have to really think hard about it.  That's why we've decided to get the 10' x 10' x 6' pen to keep them seperated.  They can take turns being in the pen so they can both get exercise.  If that works, then we'll have a little time to get his canines pulled one at a time over a period of a year or so.  This may be cruel, but this is the only solution I can come up with that would save both of their lives.  I don't know what else to do.

Day 86 - Wk13D2

Still at 174.2 this morning.  I've started the water fast this morning and have taken some psyllium capsules, LBS2, and Bowel Cleanse capsules.  Thank goodness for capsules!!!  If I had to dissolve them in water and chug it down, I wouldn't be able to do it every meal.  I used to chug the psyllium hulls dissolved in water, but it's really gritty, and if you don't drink it up while it's gritty, it gets thick and jello-y....impossible to down it.  Whoever came up with psyllium in capsules should be commended!!!  LOL

My pit bull and my retriever mix got into a big fight yesterday and the retriever mix had to go to the vet.  The pit really hurt him bad.  So now they can't stand each other, and everytime they get near each other, the pit starts foaming at the mouth trying to get at my retriever.  We've decided that we have to keep him seperated from the other dogs because he may attack any one of them.  So.....we're gonna have to spend $600 for a 10' x 10' x 6' pen to keep him in.  If it ain't one thing, it's always another!!!  At this rate, I'll never have my elliptical machine!!!

Day 85 - Wk13D1

Arrrrrgggghhhh~!!!!  I'm up to 174.2 this morning!!!  I fully expected a gain, but not this much!!!  This totally sucks man.....I'm bummed beyond belief....lol  Anyway, I'm taking it really easy today, preparing my body for another fasting.  This time, I'm going to do a 3 day water fast instead of juice fast.  If I can make it for 3 days, I may extend it for 5 days.  It's hard to get back into eating healthy after getting used to fatty, carby, rich and saucy foods again.  I've been sticking to fruits, veggies, and whole grains for the most part today, but I did have a big bar of butterfinger bar a little while ago....ugh.  I don't feel too good either.  I haven't exercised at all yet, and it's 1:30pm already.  I only have 1.1118 APs this week so far.  I really have to get my butt in gear.  I'm just rambling now.  I think I'm going to go take a short nap and then get on the treadmill afterwards.

Day 84 - Wk12D7

We've been gone since Wednesday for a last minute getaway, and we just got in a few hours ago.  Boy I'm dead tired!!!  We've been on the road for a good 7 hours.  Hubby is already asleep since he has to go to work tomorrow bright and early.

I did manage to get a little exercise in everyday, but I know I gained some weight since we've been eating out every meal for 5 days.  And I didn't skimp on calories either....sigh~.   I didn't pig out like I used to though.....kind of hard to do that when hubby's co-workers, bosses, and their spouses are eating at the same table with you, you know?  But I'm glad we decided to go and mingle with everybody.  If it were up to me, I would loved to have stayed home, but things like this will probably affect hubby's career, so.....I hope people didn't think I was weird or anything.  I get panic attacks when I'm in unfamiliar territory or around people I don't know or uncomfortable with.  I only had 1 attack before the group dinner on the first night, but I did manage to stay and do alright.  All in all, I am very proud of myself.

Anyway, I'm going to bed.  I will weigh myself tomorrow to see what the damage is.  Good night!!!

Day 79 - Wk12D2

Day 1 of 2 day juice fast.  Just got done doing Cathe Friedrich's SuperSets for 35 minutes and had a glass of freshly juiced apple juice.  Delicious!!!  I don't think I can ever drink bottled or canned apple juice again.  I guess the pasturization process takes the fresh tartness right out of the juice.  I know it's for our safety, but wow.....the taste is definitely degraded when they do that.  I gave the pulp to my indoor dogs, and they ate em' right up.  I have weird dogs.  They love fruits and veggies.  Their favorite veggie is steamed and  peeled broccoli stems.  They love cauliflowers too.  Actually it's faster to list what they don't like.  They don't like celery, peppers, ....anything too strong in flavor.  Don't feed onions to dogs whether it's cooked or not.  Onions lower their immunity and could be fatally toxic.  Garlic too.  Their favorite fruit is watermelon.  They will eat it down to the rinds...lol.  They love the inner white crunchy part of lettuce too.

I'm going to try the cabbage and pineapple juice next (in about 2 hours).  It's supposed to be really good for the stomach and also helps to prevent cancer.  How awesome is that?  Did you know that eating or drinking citrus everyday is not recommended?  It can eat away the calcium in your bones, and the acid also thins the membrane of your stomach which causes you to have chronic heartburn.  Who knew?  Citrus is my favorite type of fruit, so this was a shocker for me.

Anyway, I'm off to do some step aerobics.  My goal is to get at least 30 minutes in today.  That would leave me with only my abs to go.  I want to get it done before noon so I can just kick back for the remainder of the day....lol.
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Today's AP breakdown:

11/28 (Tue)  CF's Super Sets (mod) 35 mins. = 1.94565
                       Steps (vig) 30 mins. = 4.11808
                       Core Max (mod) 20 mins. = 1.1118

Total:  7.17553

Day 78 - Wk12D1

I gained a pound over the Thanksgiving weekend.  I know I gained more because that's the weight I got after eating only veggies and fruits yesterday (probably about 500 calories worth).  But I'm not going to sweat it.  I've been exercising really hard, and my clothes are fitting so much better.  I'll take that.

So my total AP points from Monday 11/19 to Sunday 11/25 was 20.  I could've done much better.  I'm going to step it up even more this week though.

I'm glad I joined the Holiday AP Challenge, but there are a few things that I could really do without.  The first is the constant barrage of emails from other members that sees it necessary to copy everybody on their EVERY correspondence.  I have enough junk mails already....I don't need another 20 emails in my mailbox that doesn't pertain specifically to me.  The second is the drama that's starting to brew....give me a break, will ya?  I don't need the drama!!!  If you want to count washing the dishes or walking around the mall, count them.  If not, don't count them.  I don't care.  It would seem so much simpler and fairer if we just counted exercise (including sports) rather than trying to figure out which types of housework counts and which doesn't.  For example, I mowed the yard this past weekend, and I did part of my front yard with my push mower (probably about 1/4 acre).  I didn't count that.  I braved the mall from 5am to 10am on Friday....didn't count that.  Pressure washed the house on Saturday...didn't count that either.  I'm sure I could've got another 5 points by counting those activities, but I wanted to be fair to everybody and simplify things.  I figured, if I started counting those, I'd start counting other things too...and it'll be endless!!!  Besides, yes, this is a challenge, but really the challenge is to push ourselves beyond what we've been doing so far.  I don't care what others count....what matters to me is what I count and that I push myself.  As long as I push myself and don't let my team mates down, I'm happy leaving it at that.
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I just got my juicer!!!  Woo hoo~!!!  I tried some cucumbers, and you know what?  It didn't taste as green as I thought it would.  It was actually palatable.  2 medium cucumbers, seeded, made almost a cup of juice.  It's a hassle having to clean the filter though....everything else just rinses off, but you have to get all the bits and pieces out of the filter.  Like they promised, this model is really quiet, and that is a big plus.  I'm going to try some celery and zucchini later on.  I wish those books from Amazon would get here soon.  It may be as late as December 8th for them to arrive though.  In the meantime, I'm gonna experiment with all kinds of veggies and fruits!!!
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Today's AP breakdown:

11/27 (Mon)  Step (8" total risers) 45 mins (vig) = 6.178905
                        Abs 20 mins (mod) = 1.1118

Total:  7.290705

Day 77 - Wk11D7

Still haven't weighed this morning.....and I just know I've gained!!!  But tomorrow is the dreaded weigh in, and I'll know soon enough what the damage is.  And since I didn't do my veggie and fruit day yesterday, it got pushed back to today which means that I'll be fasting on Monday and Tuesday.  1 day splurge turned into an all-weekend event for me.  I hate it when I let stuff like this happen.  But lesson learned.

I ate some raw cauliflowers, green grapes, and strawberries for breakfast, did my 20 mins. abs  of steel, 30 mins. treadmill, and 30 mins. step aerobics with 8" total risers, and I'm feeling pretty good right now.  We're heading to the gym around 1pm to try out some of their equipments.  I'm dying to try their elliptical machines to see how long I can last on it.  I suspect not too long, but at least I'll know where I stand.  I want to try out their treadmill too.
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Today's AP breakdown:

11/26 (Sun)  Step (8" risers)(vig) 30 mins. = 4.11808
                       Core Max (mod) 20 mins. = 1.1118
                       Walk (bet 3.5-4.5)(mod) 20 mins. = 1.1118
                       Jog (5.0)(vig) 10 mins. = 1.37309

Total:  7.71477

Day 76 - Wk11D6

Today is the 3rd day that I haven't weighed myself, and I'm going through a withdrawal!!!  But, I promised myself that I'm not going to weigh until Monday because I've eaten a lot of food in the past few days....and no sense putting a damper on my holiday spirit.  LOL.  Only 2 more days....I can make it!!!  Plus I did get my visitor this morning.  I knew she was coming since I was craving chocolate all day long yesterday.

Today is my all veggie, all fruit day since I'll be fasting tomorrow and Monday.  Things I've noticed this past week are:

1)  endurance is wa~y up.
2)  waste elimination is excellent
3)  falling asleep and waking up earlier
4)  sleeping better, deeper

I can only attribute these facts to fasting and my subsequent change in diet to largely vegetarian fares.  I haven't been doing anything else different.  I really like the fact that I getting a much better quality of sleep.
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I promised my AP challenge team mates that I'll be getting about 6 points today, but NO~......I didn't get any!!!  Thank goodness I already have 18plus points.  Hubby and I pressure washed the house today, and I had to mow the yard again.  I can't believe it's almost December, and I'm having to mow.....crazy!!!  Plus we went to Logans for dinner, and I pigged out as I have been doing for the past 3 days.  I'm so ashamed!!!  But I am getting back on the wagon tomorrow.

Guess what my hubby did for me today?  He bought me a membership to World's Gym!!!  I'm so~ stoked!!!  He said he's gonna go with me until I feel comfortable enough to go by myself, so I'm really excited.  We're going there tomorrow for our first workout.  Woo hoo~!!!  He also bought me a motivational outfit too.  A low rise size 12 jeans from J.Crew, and a black with red flowers top in medium.  I can button the jeans up, but I have about 3 inches of rolls that overhang at the top....and the top is stretchy, but it's still tight.  I figure another 15 pounds, and I'll be lookin' HOT in this outfit.  It gives me an incentive, that's for sure!!!

Day 75 - Wk11D5

Wow....what happened to my entries from yesterday and earlier this morning?  It's gone!!!  That sucks because I listed all my exercises yesterday.  But since I don't really remember much about anything else that I'd written....Oh well.  LOL

So here's a recap of the APs that I'd earned yesterday.

11/23 (Thur)  Core Max 20 mins. (mod) = 1.1118
                        Step (8" total) 20 mins. (vig) = 2.7460
                        Walk 30 mins. (bet 3.0-4.5)(mod) = 1.6677
                        Jog (5mph) 10 mins. (vig) = 1.3730
                        Stretch Yoga 20 mins. (lite) = .7888

Total APs earned:  7.6873

As for today, I haven't done squat.  I woke up at 2am so I could get some running done before I took a shower, but I turned the alarm off and went right back to sleep.  So of course when I got up again at 3am, I only had enough time to shower and get ready to go shopping.  We got out the door by 4:15am and did all the shopping we needed to, and finally made it home around 10am.  We ate a sucky buffet at Shoney's, had an Icee at the Outlets mall, and had a Dove bar on the way home.  I took an hour long nap after I got home, and I'm feeling really bloated and craving chocolate like crazy.  It must be getting close to the TOM....ugh.  That means I will start taking diuretics with my morning vitamins.  Since I've eaten all kinds of junk already today, I'm gonna have to delay my fasting for at least a day so I can get my system cleared and ready to go.  I figure I'll eat clean tomorrow, and I'll fast on Sunday and Monday.

Anyway, I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.  It was just me and my husband this year, but we're so thankful that we've got a roof over our heads and all of our fur babies are healthy and happy.  I'm also thankful that my husband is doing well in his career.  For the first 10 years of our marriage, he was a poor student (through his undergrad and grad degrees), so we're finally able to enjoy a little reward of his long years of schooling.  We're also thankful that....even though we're estranged from our families, they seem to be healthy and doing well.  I'm also thankful for all of you here for encouraging me and pushing me on towards my goal.  Thank you!!!
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After reading about SportBrain's iStep, I've been wanting one so bad....and so I just got 2 for me and my husband.  I got the iStep X2 which has a very good review.  I can't wait to get them!!!  I got both for $64.00 including shipping via FedEx.  Can't beat that!!!  Plus the guy threw in 2 books by Bob Greene and 2 Bob Greene's daily journals.  I'm so excited!!!