Sunday….

I am so excited this morning….it was weigh day…down 5#s…..I was concerned as my calories have been in the 1500’s to 1800’s all week, but I have been exercising like crazy in the pool, and been to the gym twice this week….so I am very happy with my results of the week….will try to get the calories back down to 1200 this week and continue with the exercising, try to get to the gym a few more times….and hopefully I will be under 280….whooo hoooo short term goal…..

I missed a couple days, I have been in the pool till after 9p both nights, I realize its no excuse to not post, but by the time I get home, shower and sit down on my bed, I lay down and go sound asleep….LOL  been hot the last couple days, 107, 108, swimming at sunset into the night is so refreshing …the little bats come out at sunset, when the sky is pink and they dip down into the pool for a little drink… fun to watch….and no one is there…whooo hooo so I get on with my exercising all by myself….there a couple gals that swim at that time, but they are very nice and don’t what to chat to much…I am not a pool chatter….LOL….

The shed was due yesterday but the truck that was suppose to bring it broke down in Flagstaff….so its on hold until the truck is fixed. eta unknown….my only question to the gentleman that called was, you don’t have another truck???   Sounds like our sad truck story…LOL  We spent the first half of the day entertaining paint contractors….were getting bids to have this relic painted….LOL  its amazing at the difference in bids….the old neighbor man who lives adjacent to us across the street had yet to come over and meet us sent over one of his friends, were waiting on his bid…he asked what we were going to do with the old metal shed….he is going to take it, we told him as long as he would haul it off it was free…so  that was a bonus….we don’t have to deal with tearing it down and the sooner it is gone the better….so life is good in our world….its all about hurry up and wait, but still good….

so until tomorrow….hope you all enjoy your Sunday….I am certainly walking a little lighter today….LOL

Just got home from the pool….spent 2-1/2 hours swimming and exercising….got a good 40 minutes in before anyone showed up….I also jogged 20 minutes so that felt good…can’t believe how refreshing the water is in the evening…I got a call from the gym…apparently something happen to the trainer, she could just be on vacation, but I would of thought that would of been blocked off the schedule…anyway I was told she was going to be gone for the next 2 weeks.(sorry they couldn’t tell me why-HIPPA), they were sorry…I was really looking forward to working with her tomorrow on a game plan….guess I will just go in and do the circuit by myself to the best of my ability…can’t hurt anything…LOL I could also just work out on the floor on the machines…lots of options…food has been great today…at 1483, so I am happy with that…only had some hummus and pretzels tonight, that put me over 250 calories…for some reason I thought it was only 120 calories…that’s what I get for going on what I thought…LOL I ate at 4p before I went swimming and had the pretzel snack pack when I got home…otherwise I was going to eat another sandwich and it was way to late to do that…tomorrow is weigh in day…kind-a excited to see what I have done this week…

Well I believe summer has hit the desert….suppose to be over a 100 tomorrow and the next day…then will settle into the 90’s during the day and still cooling off into the 70’s at night…but that will change very soon….so it will be late swimming for me….I don’t like to be in the hot sun for long…

The last 3 days have been insane with truck hunting….I know more than I have ever wanted to know about 4 wheel drives and trucks in general…LOL  yesterday and the day before we spent over 5 hours ach day going to dealers, used car lots, and going to see some being sold privately…. we checked out a jeep wrangler…totally fell in love with it, but it was a manual…and our old knees just won’t take that anymore…but it was fun…we then thought about it and the best bet would be a truck so we could use it to haul stuff too!!!  so after much calling and scouring Yuma Craig’s list adds, we found a 2001 Dodge Dakota – 4 wheeler….we can know go out and play in the sand in the desert and go on the dirt roads that are so bad for my car..We are having a once over on it tomorrow at a shop to make sure we don’t get stranded miles from no where and then we will be a little more free to go roam….can’t wait…

  Picture off the internet….

We were up early and drove to San Luis this morning before 8a to look at a red Toyota….it was 26 miles south of us, a border town…I guess he couldn’t put that the engine light was on….he had removed the catalytic convertor, said it got dirty and since there is no  emission testing in Yuma County he didn’t need it….hummmm so that was a no…but got to see the border of Mexico in the early morning…long line going in and coming out, I am assuming workers…We did learn that in Arizona, the MVD (Motor Vehicle Division) aka DMV, requires a title to be notarized to be sold…no bill of sale needed as there is no tax, you just pay for the registration fees and we have 15 days to show proof of insurance…we walked away with a new license plate, the old one is garbage…the title, tags and registration….no waiting 6 months like in California….its all done in one stop!!!   How nice…and it only cost $39 dollars….I was shocked….LOL  they will even notarize the titles for free if you ever want to sell the vehicle….I love it….however Pima county, Tucson and Phoenix have  the smog program in there county…I am loving this state more every day….

Well its late…for me anyway….until tomorrow….

 

It’s Happening….

Well I did it…finally visited the last gym Yuma has to offer…and wouldn’t you know…its the best of them all and the cheapest…LOL  So I now have a membership to a gym again ($10 a month – 24/7)…I am jumping with joy…. they have a huge amount of free access to multiple machines to use as long as you want…then they have 2 separate circuit set ups…one is a 13 minute routine and the other 30 minute….kind of excited about both of those…I get a free session with a trainer to set up a routing…I will accept that even though I had a trainer at home for 3 months…I will go through the course to get all the info I can on there gym….and there are free classes offered…I haven’t had a chance to check them out yet….I am very excited, can you tell…LOL   My wonderful husband is on board completely….the only downside is no pool, but I have a great pool to work out in, just at a different location…oh well…its all good….I am so jacked I want to go to the gym tonight…but its mothers day and I have claimed it my day…had dinner at the Olive Garden early, tight when they opened at 11a to beat the crowds…it was insane at 11a…but we got right in and had a lovely lunch……yummm then we went house hunting and dreaming of the area we would want to live in ….that was fun….and educating…went by and checked on some friends house that have gone home for the summer…been a lovely day…ended with an ice cream and my pajamas….I hope everyone had a wonderful mum’s day….I know I did!!…

Wednesday

 

Well its been an interesting day….Dr. Jonathan, @ –  https://allabouthealthychoices.wordpress.com/

sent me a note –

Since we have a WordPress relationship I would like to ask you a question. Naturally, you are not obligated in any way to answer if you aren’t comfortable.
When my patients used to tell me they really weren’t hungry and kept their calories restricted (around 1200 calories,) I used to ask them why they felt they were not losing weight in the manner they desired. I have learned that perception and reality can vary greatly. You are active, happy, responsible about exercise and calorie consumption, yet something seems to be interfering with your goals. My question is, what do you think is impeding your progress?
I ask out of concern and a desire to understand the complexities of people to better help those in need and looking for answers. Again, I completely respect your right to privacy and will continue our wordpress relationship regardless.

My reply:

You make me smile….always hit the nail on the head don’t you….I haven’t been completely honest with myself….I have to stop eating late…I do my blog and poof I sit back to watch tv and my food addiction starts…..before I curbed with popsicles…can’t seem to get into them again…so I am afraid my late night munching is effecting my weight loss….whew glad I good say that out loud…I am not a closet eater, just can’t seem to get the late night eating under control again….before I would stand up and don 20 knee lifts every time I wanted to eat at night…that was a good cure all…..not sure why I can’t get back at it….I am loosing…but at a snails pace….I do wonderful up until I am sitting here alone in front of the boob tube…I know I hear you….turn it off and go to bed….maybe that’s the answer….so in all reality my calories at the time I blog are at that number, then I start to eat….I have to say that I haven’t gone over 1600calories all week, so I am doing way better…blogging helps…today I am at 1240 and its 2p…I plan to have some zucchini, which I love, later and that will bring my calorie quota up to 1320….I am so happy that you wrote to me, as I feel I can own it and will not eat more that that today….I will go back to doing the leg lifts…nothing like curbing the desire to eat than exercise…LOL.thank you jonathan…I hoped I answered your question…if not let me know what more you would like to know….mostly I can say I am a food a-holic and man its tuff to kick old habits….xxkat

And then:

:

Just wanted to say thank you again for helping me face my demon/rebel that seems to take over my sensible side….after I sent the last note I went and got a very serious workout in the pool for over an hour and have started doing what I know I should be doing….20+ knee lifts every time I think I need to go get something to eat…I am in charge and am totally aware of what I have to do…thank you again Jonathan…you may not think you did anything but ask me why and to share, but you opened up my eyes to what I need to do…and stop beating around the bush, its all about hard work…no one else can do it for me….thank you my friend…kat

So its been a day of soul searching and getting a grip on the late night eating…its working so far…its 7:30p and I am well on to my way to 100 knee lifts…LOL  time to get back to being in complete control and totally honest with myself and all of you…not that I have purposely lied to anyone, but since I haven’t been honest with myself , that means that I haven’t been with you all as well….for that I am sorry…didn’t mean too…its weigh in tomorrow –  I am excited to see if I am at least the same as last week…I had lost 1 pound on Friday when I checked so I am hoping I am at least even or less….no fingers crossed…it will be what it is….but I can guarantee that I am back in control and will not be swayed anymore by my inner rebel, that bitch is back where she belongs….I sit here shaking my head, I am 59 and have overcome huge obstacles in my life, but flash a frigin piece of bread, popcorn, ice cream or anything else that’s eatable and I am a goner… I have said it before and I will say it once again….hopefully for the last time…

Hello my name is Kathy and I am a food a-holic…..

xxxooo

 

 

I’m Back….

Good Day everyone…..woke up feeling like my old self…yay…Antibiotics are magical…..thanks for all the well wishes….I hate feeling like crap!!!

Not only did I wake up without a headache, I woke up wondering WTF I was doing to myself….carbs, sweets, late night eating…Really ?  Really?    Is all I can say…so I am back at it….cut my calories back to 1000 a day for awhile….I was just out of control before and I am going back to what I know works….I know how much food I can consume on that many calories….lots if you eat healthy, nutritional food….I feel good, my head is clear….not quite up to exercising or going to the pool, however I did go out over the last week and check out 2 more gyms…one called Snap Fitness (1 mile from my house & $30 a month) and Planet Fitness, (8 miles from home and $10 a month) and then, there is the big blue exercise ball sitting in my bedroom holding extra clothes, and my weights….hummm   I am going to make up a routine for myself including some of the knee lifts I used to do, I was doing 100 of them daily and also sit ups in bed every night…also 100 of them….I will add those back in to my daily life…and figure out a simple but effect routine with the ball and weights, 20 to 30 minutes 4-6 days a week….I don’t need a gym to succeed in my weight loss…I have all the tools I need right here at home…I am going to give myself a few more days before I start exercising, as I am still recovering from being sick… but will get back on the healthy eating routine that I was in before starting today…I am not beating myself up for gaining back 10#’s, but I have done a couple swift kicks in the arse….well deserved for sure….but just chalking it up to what it was…I fell off the wagon so to say…but once again back on it…I did weigh in today, 270!!!  My body feels it…my hip pain that left along time ago is back…my body is swollen, joints ache….I am sure that is from the carbs/yeast foods that I was eating, telling myself its okay…..I need to first apologize to my body for letting it down, and promise myself to take better care of me!!!  and then last, try to learn from my mistake…..I am pretty hard headed…get that from my parents, one Irish, the other English/German….hummm yep I am really stubborn….LOL   I am also journaling not only on Fat Secret APP on my phone…and in a notebook….I will do this at least for a month or more until it comes naturally again…I am being totally accountable to myself for every morsel that enters my mouth….

I realize the day is not over, but I have all my food prepared for the day so I can say positively I am at 993 calories today….have drank 5 bottles of water, cut my coffee intake back to 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup of iced coffee in the afternoon…we have changed to caffeine free coffee for my husband….he has essential tremors and with all the inhalers he uses for his COPD his tremors are getting worse…deleting caffeine from our diet can only help, and in more ways than one…

I know I can hear a couple of you saying, you have to eat more than 1000 calories, however, I had an omelet with 1/2 once cheese and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese for breakfast, protein and calcium…..lunch is a carrot, tomato, onion,  zucchini soup with spicy chicken …it is almost 3 cups more than I want…dinner is 2 cups mixed salad greens with cucumber and tomato with fresh lemon….I will have an orange later, and have had a watermelon (2c) smoothie made with its own juice after breakfast..all adding up to 993….and a belly full of healthy food!!!!   feels good!!!

Found this on Facebook and thought it fit the bill!!!!!

Until tomorrow…

Thursday…..new pool

Well can’t believe the week is almost over…had a great day…got in a good work out this morning…we were putting up wire on the back side of the fence to keep the snakes and critters out of the yard this summer….living right on the desert has some down falls…LOL  but worked up a good sweat and even backed my behind into one of the frigin pokey cactus out there….so had to stop and pull little spines out of my bum!!!  all well…you only do that kind of stupidity once…LOL

I joined the new pool club yesterday…had a great work out…they have 2 morning aquatic classes and then 9a to 11a is lap swimming….I was the only one there at 9a but soon a couple arrived to do lap swimming so I was forced into doing the same…there is room for 3 of us to swim…so I got in 45 minutes of going back and forth and doing some exercises in-between paddling back and forth….great pool…really clean facility…no indoor showers but that’s okay, I never showered at the gym anyway…there is one on the side to rinse off before and after…so that works…clean restrooms too!!   no mold or nasty broken walls….they have a minute clock by the pool and a clock in the table area, but easy to read – 6′ to 3′ and 2 sets of steps leading into the pool for easy access….they also have the hand water weights/buoys to use…so that’s a bonus as I was going to buy a set….they are open 4a to midnight 7 days a week…the best part is its only 150$ annually…which is only 12.50 a month….YEA and I have a key card to let my self in at anytime…just have to sign the log book and swim…I couldn’t be happier….heading back to the pool in the morning…after we string the rest of the wire…..

 to the left is a club house, pool table kitchen, etc….all available to use if I like….

 My new pool club…pool to the left of the arch…very excited…

My son sent me some pictures he took, there was a blue heron nest rght behind where we were camped….we could see the 2 little heads bob up and down in the nest…we counted 6 adults it the tree at once…

Below is one of the 2 cliff dwellers home…my son said that there was room for at east 60 people inside the cave….amazing…

I am still fighting the rebel at night…she wants me think I have the right to eat all willy nilly any time I want….so as of right now I am at 1304…its going on 7:30p…I am heading to bed early away from the kitchen…sounds like I am a wussss, LOL  I am….I have popsicles in the freezer ready to go…but I am bigger than that….I will just remove myself from the food….LOL  I have set my calories at 1200 and that is helping, now I just need to get back into the habit of no eating after 6p….

Still haven’t lifted a weight…but I am working on a routine mentally…that’s something…guess I could move them off my dresser and out to the living room where I might actually life them…LOL

After while crocodiles….LOL

Day 22

  For those who didn’t survive…..

Another wonderful day in desert Paradise….just got back from the gym….much better today….only 3 other woman were there when I arrived…and 9 of us when I left….all older woman bobbing around jabbering with each other, man do they like to gossip…LOL….I got in my 20+ minutes of jogging in the pool, and I was able to do a bunch of other exercises I used to do back home…felt great..I am going to try to make it to a water exercise class tomorrow….I was the only one in the hot tub, very nice….my body seems to be happier just after 2 days in the pool…..I bought the exercise ball and weights and will start tonight getting a routine in while I watch my NCIS shows…LOL  finally feeling  like I am back on the health path….yay….hoping to see the scale show some progress, hopefully get off the weight I just gained back…no I am not being hard on myself… just honest….

Well we are having a little wind with our sun today….up around 19mph….enough to kick up the sand and dust…the pool had quite a lot of palm leaves floating around…besides the hot heat in the summer the wind is the only other downside of living here…as its just not wind, its all the crap it picks up across the desert for 50 to 100 miles away and brings it to our yard….really can reek havoc with COPD, allergies, it just can’t be healthy for you….but the upside is, it only last a couple days or so…then its gone..

sunset last night….my little cell phone doesn’t do it justice…but it was pretty spectacular….

.

  Just so you know I am having fun….I have been coloring mandalas outside….got keep the creative juices flowing in the  brain….LOL

until tomorrow….don’t forget about the full moon tomorrow night….should be lots of dancing going on around the world…we can dance for peace……my heart goes out to those in Brussels tonight….

Day 7

Weigh in day….I lost 3#’s this week…don’t ask how….well I have been good and bad all week, I guess the good out weighed the bad..no pun intended….LOL    Aanyway…I will accept it and be thankful….so I am on my way to my next goal….250#’s…..can’t wait to reach it and then move on…seems I have been trying to get there since before Thanksgiving….oh ya…we bought a fixer upper in Yuma….that’s what I have been doing….but why can’t I do both…hummm pretty sure I could of, should of….what the hell…I am going to finally beat these last 10#’s….I won’t even think about the next 50 pounds… LOL  oh well- as the Ring Master said – On With The Show –

Been a good day….I ate a little more today than I should of, but I always let weigh in day kinda be a free for all day….I indulged in a new coconut peanut butter by healthy choice…it is so good…..I ate it with an apple and had a PBJ sandwich this evening..it is like a little jar of yummm….I just wished it came in crunchy…only creamy….believe me I won’t be buying another jar….

Been a lot cooler today…it even got a little wet…not so much as rain falling all at one time…but damp enough to wet the rode…they call that rain down here…LOL  well until monsoon season..it was almost like being in California today, overcast, cool and refreshing….LOL   however the ole bones are not happy…pain creeping back in just like being back in California…LOL….sad that we can enjoy the cool weather for the freshness it brings to our lungs, and faces, but the bones hate the cold weather…find my self reaching for the Advil way to often….warm, dry weather coming back by the end of the week…at least my bones will like it…

Our guy came and started the bricks today….its the first time he has ever laid bricks…his job is a little better than mine…but not by much…LOL  oh well at least I am not doing it…I also spent the morning cutting back my big Ocotillo in the corner in the back yard…well it turns out that it was over half dead……so that made it easy….we got the back yard cleaned up…it is starting to take shape….

 We just love the bricks…so colorful….

 

 The ocotillo before I attacked it this morning…plus I removed all the dead sticks the ladies had sick up out of the ground…the leaves were the dead ones off the tree that is now gone…this is an old picture….

 The new and improved ocotillo….it just looked happier….the cement stepping stones I have been using the extra paint we have on…will be stepping stones to the back gate….the backyard is looking so much cleaner…amazing what a little clean up can do to a yard….and this picture was today…we can see the mountains with no problem….yesterday we could hardly see past the fence….

 looking out at the same mountain area…this was taken a month ago…but this is what yesterday looked like…only worse…

Well its late….until tomorrow….

 

 

Shout out to WBFM

Cameron over at  http://worldsbiggestfridgemagnet.com/ commented on how he saw Easter eggs already in the stores in England….well I visited a store yesterday and we are getting ready here too…small shelf for St. Patrick’s Day and Valentines had one isle….but Easter was everywhere…this is 2 different isles and both sides were full…so commercial…..and cheap!!!  WELL….if you haven’t visited Cameron’s blog, head over, he’s a great chap and he’s doing wonderful things he is walking for …HENRY a great charity that helps the children  here’s a great video of him explaining all about it….  take a minute and give it looksee…..    https://videopress.com/v/QW5Ibc1T and head on over and say hello to him…..

Well tomorrow my new dishwasher gets here I am thinking it will have to wait because we stopped and ordered a full pallet of Mexican bricks, or adobe bricks as I was told today is the proper name, they will be here in the morning…500 beautiful bricks…we went and bought new gloves and are ready…LOL…I went a little crazy and painted my stepping stones…. not sure where they will wind up, but they are colorful, kinda looks like Easter eggs…LOL   and that’s the cactus that bite me….she had made herself know she is in charge and will not tolerate me touching her…lol since I took this picture I have tossed, well hefted these stepping stones into the flower bed in front of the house…this is one of the areas we are laying bricks…it will look nice when we are done…we will actually have to try to lay these a little flatter/level since we are using them as a walk way to the other side of the house…where there is another door…Ahem big sigh  will it ever end….

Doing well calorie wise….right at 1200 a day…and working hard outside…weather is getting warm…85 today…and windy…we will be up early and out when the sun rises getting the areas ready….I know why siestas came to happen…to hot to work in the afternoon sun….LOL

Well the washer has just stopped, I need to go hang the laundry in the Arizona room on a wooden stand…with humidity at 20% they will be dry by morning…

until tomorrow…..

Back to Day One….

Well back to the real reason I am on this blog…my health!!!  Since Thanksgiving I have been trying to stay status quo…gain a little – loose a little, not really trying for weight loss, just trying to deal with life….After we bought our huge Thanksgiving Turkey in the size of a lot in Arizona with a mobile home in much need of TLC…ripping up carpets, painting the entire house,  lining up a contractor for the floors, insurance, getting all the ducks in a row before we left to go home before Dec first for doctors appointments…seems since then I have been on a roll with life….home to pack, deal with movers, get my house cleaned up and out for my cousin who was moving in, Christmas, holiday dinners, packing, my birthday everyone wanted to have dinner or meet before we left, getting a good moving company…..it was a little over whelming to say the least…….then when I was finally able to leave and drive to our new home (in much need of repair)  by myself with my dog in the RV, my husband stayed because he still had MD appointments until the middle of January and he wanted to be there when the movers came… I got here and the insanity continues…. But it is time no matter what life has been throwing me, its time for me to take a step back and take care of me again….I actually have missed that….Its February 1st….I got on the scale….I am back up to 270, I was at 258 on December 12th….a gain of 12#’s….not as bad as it could of been if I had gone all willy nilly in my eating…so I am actually happy with where I am and really happy to get back to my weight loss path and start looking at the next goal…the elusive 250 mark….20# to go….I got this….I am heading over to the gym this morning and get in a work out……

I am going to be realistic…I will continue to set my calorie goal at 1000 but my top number is 1200….my fridge was never full of anything but healthy food, but I will cut out the whole grain bread .and cut back on the size of my portions….and of course the big one…no eating after 6p with the exception of popsicles and they are in the freezer ready for my evening urge to eat….my scale is out and my measuring cups and spoons are in the basket on my counter….I am ready, mind set is back and here we go!!!

Now back to the fun stuff….

 I put petrified wood put around the bottom of the saguaro to make it more secure, couldn’t figure out if we were going to do a full circle or take it straight across the front for a full flower bed…of course I mean cactus garden…LOL  the stepping stones were made by our contractor free hand…we are painting them bright colors and will use them along edge of the driveway between the trees set in some grey rock to fill in….I am not sure what size yet…that’s the next project….getting the rest of the yard filled in with rock/stone of some sort….we are getting a bid for the job on Tuesday….it will be nice to get rid of all the sand/dirt….we will still have the leaves from the trees to deal with but even if we got rid of ours we would have the neighbors to deal with….they are a real pain in the behind!!!

  Our new driveway and patio area, its so nice…no dirt or sand to walk in….can’t wait till its completely finished….

well I thought I would put the same picture on here…one on a nice clear day and the other one today…windy, up to 37 mph at times and the dust and sand of the desert all mixed in…its pretty nasty out….suppose to do this for a couple days….I guess that’s when we do inside projects….LOL like hanging the new shower curtain rod YAY…..

Well we are learning when a big storm comes in on the west coast we get the wind…so that’s where that is coming from….it is suppose to be down in the high 30’s tonight so its not only windy, but cold….so my arthritis is screaming at me…keep warm, and where’s the Advil…LOL  but no where as bad as it could be if I were still in California…

So this is getting long winded….need to go hang my new shower curtain…

Until tomorrow……