I recently went totally free of sugar substitutes, and though I initially gained 5 pounds I have now stopped the rising weight.  What I would like to say though, is that I feel really great, I feel like I now have the energy to do more and be more active.  I also wonder why no one ever told me before that the sugar free crap was making me sick, perhaps they didn’t know like I didn’t know, I have been having “sugar free” stuff since some where around 1996 or so, it has been a long time since I have known anything else!  But since I have gone sugar free a few friends have told me things they never have said before. Examples; “I have always thought that fake sugar was always bad karma, something for nothing”, and “Did you know that when you use sugar substitutes your body thinks it is about to get a load of sugar and ramps up insulin production and then it doesn’t know what to do when it has no sugars to deal with, and that can make you gain more weight!?!?”.  I had never thought or heard anyone say these things about fake sweets, and I have not been healthy for about as long as I have been on fake sugar….you know I wasn’t feeling good about myself, I was gaining wait in high school, I start with fake sugar I loose some weight but still feel bad, and have struggled ever since.

I am not blaming all of my woes on fake sugar, but how many people are sick all of the time because of this?

I have now cut back on real sugars, and am using things like agave syrup which is a natural sugar that is sweeter than sugar cane and corn syrup and has a lower glycemic index too boot. 

I put some of my wedding photos into a "spaces" photo contest, my sister-in-law Heather took the one I am linking to below of my dad (just the way he is).  My dad took most of the formal photos that day.

Instead of emailing people to vote I am just posting the email they suggest I send to get votes in here. 

Thank you!

Loretta

This message has been sent at the request of the above sender. Microsoft will not use or retain your e-mail address for any other purpose as a result of this referral.

You've just gotta see this pic I posted. Go vote for it, and I could win a killer prize! There's a winner every day and a grand prize of a Toshiba 42`` Hi-Def LCD TV along with a Canon PowerShot G7 digital camera if my photo tallies the most votes. So gimme a shot and vote for my snapshot now. (And trust me, it's office-appropriate, G-rated fun.)

http://www.getrealphotocontest.com
Go Vote for me at: http://www.getrealphotocontest.com/vote.aspx?id=6850

 

So I completely just stole this content from an email I sent to a friend, but I decided I wanted to share it with the world!  

So I was listening to Pandora radio online (http://www.pandora.com/), and this live version of “Optimistic” by Radiohead came on, I was thinking this is a nice live version…and remarkably clear, I can almost understand every work Thom is saying!  So I went into my Pandora Radio to give it a “thumbs up”, guess who was singing!?!?!?!  

HANSON!!! You know...the blonde brothers?  MMMBop!  it was on their album “The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric”

Eek! I didn't know I was a fan! But if the love Radiohead like me, then they are alright by me!

Today I weigh 210 lbs that is .5 lbs lost!!  

Cya!

~Loretta

Today I weigh 210.5 lbs that is 1.5 lbs lost!!  

I will update sidebar & blog soon.  

Cya!

~Loretta

I weigh exactly the same as last week.  

I went to the gym; I think I went on Wednesday and I know I went on Friday, Monday, and on Tuesday I went for a bike ride (because the weather was freaking fabulous!!) 

Today it is rainy and I can not remember my moms work schedule, she and I have been working out together. I think she said Thursday after work she can go to the gym…whenever, I need to do things on my own when she is not available.  

I am so sleepy today…I went to bed last night and was having trouble breathing (sinus allergies I think) and I took two benadryl…I probably waited until it was too late (not 8 hours left to sleep) and it hadn’t worn off when I awoke this morning…my limbs feel so heavy and even talking or singing along to music (something I do often with no effort) seems like so much work!  

I am still trying to catch up in the blog world…once I am up to speed I will start commenting to current posts and what not…till then I am sure I look like a lurking newb ;) 

Now I am debating with someone online about how to spell “newb”….I say “newb”, because it is short for “newbie”…but they say it doesn’t matter what it is short for it is spelled “noob”.  And now I do not know which way I should go, so I am polling the audience (if my audience ever comes back to me ;)).  I know that spelling isn’t too important because the phrase “powning newbs” the word pown was just a common typo that became the word…I do not “own newbies” I “pown newbs” (if I ever play video games again).  Ok, so which way is it?

“Weekly Wednesday Weigh In” is back.  

I am not going to discuss the difference between when I stopped way back when and now, I am just moving forward.   

The stats are in the list on the right-hand side.  

I was doing pretty well, until I went to the store and bought ice-cream. I shouldn’t have it in the house.  I am the only one who eats it; my husband (Mark) will forget about it and let it get all frosty and gooey and then remember and say:

“Hmm… I will have some ice-cream, eww, it’s no good, I’m throwing it out”

and I think to my self

“What a waste of perfectly good ice-cream he should have eaten it faster”.

Of course, I would have known about the ice-cream the whole time. It has taken all of my will power not to eat it myself, mantra when opening freezer:

“(breath in) that is not mine, (breath out) it is his, leave it be”.

This is the only way I can let it sit in there for so long, sometimes I throw it out and he never remembers it was in there to begin with; if he threw out ice-cream I would have been aware of it in an instant.  This is why he is thin and I am not.  That and the fact that he knows when he is full, and I somehow don’t know until it is far too late.  So the ice-cream was buy one get one free, which is a wonderful horrible thing because now I have 1 gallon of ice-cream in my freezer!  Maybe I should invite people over to eat it…or just through it away... (A little eeck and a pain in my heart thinking of it melting in the trashL)  

Mark likes to play a game with me when we are out.  It is called the “where are the nearest sweets?” game and I always win.  I am not allowed to look around; I am just to say where they are.  It is sad, but I will be at a new restaurant or shop and I will be like “there is a bowl of mints over by the hostess stand”.  Or “there is a vending machine by the back door”, “in your pocket, there is a roll or lifesavers.”, “They have chocolate cake on the menu.”  

He will also quiz me on what sweets he has in the house that are not for me, and I will give him an inventory, sometimes he only asks me because he wants something sweet and he can’t remember what he has, and I know it all.  I do this subconsciously I don’t even know I am looking for these things until I have been asked and can give you a laundry list over every sweet in the house including ones I do not even like. Of course I would like to point out that I am never quizzed about other things like where and how many towels and what kinds do we have in the house, or place I where there is a paperclip (not that we actually use paperclips being in a totally paperless society )  

Anyway, I have been doing better during the day…eating carrots and grapes and not buying junk from the vending machine or eating out.  When I finish my entry about where I have been and what I have been doing this last year, you will see I was eating out a lot, it is surprising I didn’t gain more weight!  

Everything in moderation, right?

Apparently today yes!

I am just too excited to be back not to express everything to you with out going”!!!”  

Have a great day, tomorrow I hope to update my stats and my blog list, and get this party started!  

If you don’t believe I am excited to be back here….just look I have posted 3 times today!  Eeck I think that is enough! ;)  

I am thinking about moving my blog to something else that lets me be more creative with the look and feel any suggestions on something free or not expensive would be greatly appreciated (I have basic HTML skills, but not too complicated would be nice (like not creating the commenting and blogging forms myself from scratch would be good).  

Thanks,

~Loretta

There was a recent report that said women need an hour of vigorous exercise 5 times a week. If you do this you will decrease your chance of aggressive breast cancer by ~20% and not so aggressive breast cancer by ~30%  

So…  

Last week I exercised on Feb 26^th, March 3^rd  

This week so far March 4^th  

All for over an hour and all mostly “vigorous” exercise, when I did use the heart rate monitor I was told me to “slow down” so I ignored it the rest of the time and decided I knew my body better…so far I feel pretty good, though my knee is bothering me when I run(crunchy and twingey (not good, I know) I an hoping I can work on knee strengthening exercises and that will help), so I am walking fast and using the elliptical trainer and then cooling down on the recumbent stationary bike. They have a pool too, but when the weather is so cold out I find it hard to motivate myself to get nearly naked and jump in….knowing I will have to get out and possible go home with wet hair (I am a wimp, and I don’t like to use hairdryers).  

Plan tonight, at 7pm after the nightly news I will get out one of my Pilates DVD’s and do that and maybe walk on my dreadmill treadmill…what ever I have to do to fill up an entire hour.  

I am not up to 5 days yet, but I am working my way up…  

~Loretta

Dear all,  

I am back, and I need some ideas on what to write about.   

So… “Calling For All Topics!”  

Those of you who know me personally or who know of some stories I was a part of please refresh my memory!  

Those of you out in Blogland, if you want to know anything please feel free to ask, it just might be my new topic!  

I guess my second entry for be about where I have been and what I was doing.  

It is great to be back!  

~Loretta

I have been asked to start writing again.  Writing isn't my strong suit....so it makes me a little uncomfortable, plus the same person who asked me to start writing again also  points every gramatical error I make...i have to go to a meeting in a few minutes, but i will try to make some time tomorrow to blog about my brother being attacked on tuesday....and hmm...i think that will be enough for one entry:)

 

 

I still weigh the same....I will get back to you all as soon as possible!

 

202.5lbs....a loss

 

I will post again soon with more info!

Hi!  I am so sorry I haven’t been posting…I have all kinds of excuses…I have been sick with a horrible cold…and then I have this new full time job plus a class! But that being said I guess I have been avoiding the blog because I have had a wee gain.  I am at 204lbs…sigh…

 

The good news is that my class is an exercise class that I have to log exercising and show improvements weekly. 

 

I also started wearing my pedometer again, and have found out that I walk a ton more than my past jobs…in the past I have been mainly sitting a desk all day …..glued to the desk…my new job doing tech support really makes me go to many peoples desks….hardly my own.  I used to have trouble just getting 3,000 steps in during my work day….but in my new position….just in my working hours alone I am well over 7,000 steps!  So it is so easy to go home and get in that other 2,000 steps!

 

So I guess since I have to log all my working out online for my class I might as well just put that info in my blog too!

 

I am sorry Eli about not posting…I really am trying to get more involved in my physical life, while not loosing the things I love….like reading blogs….I will try harder to do better….i think I might not get a chance to read a lot till the weekends….with my old job I was at my desk so much I was able to read blogs during down time…not really the case anymore with my new job….

 

My husband is running for Lt Governor for Ohio….which is also taking time….

 

I have been asked to perhaps be a wedding planner for a friend of mine…this is a huge job so if it all comes together….that will be one more thing on my plate!

 

Ok so I promise I will start posting my class exercise stats here…and Wednesday weigh in are still going to happen!  (it is still Wednesday I almost missed it but I am putting off sleep to post!)

 

Night night!

Sweet dreams!

Don’t let the bed bugs bite!

 

 

I weight the exact same as I did last week. 201.5 lbs...

Whooohooo!

 

I have a NEW JOB!  It is official as of ~9:30 am this morning.  I will be leaving my “Office Administrative Associate or Office Coordinator” position and going to “IT System Specialist”.  People have been telling me for ages I should go into IT, and many were surprised that I was a “secretary” though I prefer the term “Administrative Professional”.  So I found some sweet people at the university I work at who were willing to hire me even though I do not have professional experience.  I am very willing to learn and I am honored and grateful for this “foot in the door”.  I have been trying for ages but most IT offices ask for 2 years of professional experience.  When I had explained this to my new boss, he said “well how can you get experience if no one hires you!”  I replied “exactly” and I feel we hit it off. 

 

Now I am changing from Civil Service (state employee) to an A&P (Administrative and Professional).  This will affect my benefits and also my job security.  A&P are the first to go when times get tough…but I will get an “A” parking pass which means I get to park in a garage yay!  I get a wee raise.  But best of all it will give me that professional experience I need to go further.  The more I learn the more places I can work and the higher the pay!  Not that money is everything, but it would be so nice to be able to save some money instead of living paycheck to paycheck, you know?

 

And I am not sure about my weight but on Sunday I weighed 200.5…which means a pound loss…but I am only going by my official Wednesday Weigh In.

Eating Eggs:

I read in “Self Magazine” that women who eat an egg with toast and toast w/jelly each morning consume something like 16% less calories during the day than those who have yogurt and fruit….so starting tomorrow or possible Thursday (tomorrow I may be too nervous to eat (see below)) I will be having an egg and toast for breakfast.  This means going to bed earlier and waking up earlier…  If I can become a morning person that would be so cool!  If it goes well maybe I will wake up and then run and then eat and the shower, dress, and go to work!  And it all starts with eggs!  What came first the chicken or the egg?  For me it is egg; there is not way I am eating chicken in the morning!  Mmmm eggggs.

 

Job Interviews:

I have two job interviews this week!  One is tomorrow morning for an IT position.  The other is for an office position similar to my current position.  I really would like the IT position!  It is just what I have been looking for.  I know computers so well that I really would be so good as IT support.  One of my side jobs in all of my office jobs has been to help the faculty and staff use their computers…and because I am so familiar with software I am sometimes more helpful than the office IT person because I have practical experience using the user end software….not just networking or server side support.  I am really hoping that tomorrows interview goes so well that I can possibly start my new position at the start of the new year!  The other interview is on Friday…I am not too excited about it….just because it doesn’t seem to be anything new….but who knows…they may have an awesome atmosphere and great faculty and staff…I am not going to judge until after, and I am not counting my eggs before they hatch!

 

x eggs mentioned = 8!

 

~Loretta