Pretty Cool

Well I looked at my Blog today and I have almost 500 views... Pretty cool.... Also, a perfect stranger came up to me in the grocery store and asked me for healthy eating advice. He saw me on tv and wants to start eating better. So we went over a few things that he can change up... And he said he would be checking out Genghis with his family tomorrow!!! How cool is that!!

Needing A Miracle!!

     Well, I have been depressed the last few days.  The end of the competition is close...but with the muscle weight gained..  I fear my goal is unattainable now with the timeframe left...  But...truely..  I wasn't in it for the cash anyway.  Sure I am competitive, and I HATE to lose....  But...I realize in the long run this was a good place to restart.  Genghis Grill got me where I needed to be and put my mind in the right place...  They gave me a true reality check....  It has made me accountable for my weight...  After all...  Noone else can lose it...but me...  My success depends solely on my actions.....  And having this blog...and posting on facebook, twitter, and sparkpages keeps it real for me(and makes me accountable for my actions).  I have people rooting for me.....  So there is no way I am going to fail....  ;)  It's just going to take longer than a few months....
     I am actually going to try roller skating next week...  I have been since I was 18....  I really hope they have 4 wheel skates(and I don't mean roller blades either)....  Pity party is over....  I am over it...  Tomorrow is a new day.....  And hey miracles can happen....  :) 

1 Step Forward....Several back.... :(

Well today has been kind of a bittersweet day for me.... I am sick... Sinus infection... Went to the Dr. this morning. She was covering for Gillian..... Hadn't seen me in a long time and was amazed at how I looked. She said I didn't even look like the same person anymore. Then she broke the news... More muscle weight g...ained..... 1 step forward and 10 back..... That's ok though. I know it's great to have muscle... It just doesn't do anything for me in the contest.... :( I put a video together last night... The progression of me I suppose... I think you will all be completely blown away about what I looked like a few years ago... And that I have had an up and down roller coaster for awhile now. Well, today the guys went to GG with me for a late lunch, early supper... I had a chicken, dragon salt, broccoli, spinach, snap pea bowl. Roasted tomato was of course my sauce of choice of sauce, and served over brown rice.
Here is the video link for the slideshow I put together....
Just me...and the ups n downs of weight loss...and gain(mostly gain)

 

Kwest Sunday

It was a good Sunday... Got to see my lil bro and mom...as always... ;) Went and had a late dinner at GG today. Chatted it up with Meredith.... It started hailing and raining outside.... We needed the blessing of rain... But it's always a lil scary when hail comes with it...lol I had myself a chicken, dragon salt, broccoli, snap pea, spinach bowl...with roasted toamto sauce over steamed rice... It was delicious.... You will see by the picture today that it looks fantastically tasty! Also, I am posting a lil slideshow starting way back in 76... I've struggled with my weight my whole life(not as a baby or child of course)... As a lot of people do.....

Health Kwest VLOG link and other cool stuff.

My 2nd VLOG(the link to my youtube vid...)

Today was a great day at work... Not too busy really. Had GG with my son for dinner.... Compared pictures from back in February.... I posted em up earleir today.... I am about to also post my second vlog... :) I had a chicken, broccoli, snap pea, spinach, garlic water, squash bowl........ And of course I used the roasted tomato sauce over steamed rice.  My tv spot has been on a few weeks...  I have people coming up to me and congratulating me....  Telling me how proud they are of me.  It's a very humbling thing.  One woman was a friend of my father's and she has started eating healthier and has lost 10 pounds...  She said I inspired her.  How cool is that???  Gets me kinda weepy!

Day 50 of my journey

I feel pretty icky today.... Did Personal Best with my mom anyway... Felt a little better.... Today I went meatless and starchless today.... So my bowl was uber healthy!! Tasted delish too!! Personal best again tomorrow...or maybe some callanetics..... I really hope I feel better tomorrow morning....  My Healthkwest spot came on tv today...  Super excited about it!!!  I am putting the youtube link here....  Have a good night!!

Healthkwest spot on Channel 6

Vote for me here...  I am 4th from the bottom

Vote for me

Day 43... Regrets From The Past....

I am amazed when I look back thru pictures... 
About how big I let myself become..... 
I just cannot believe I let my weight get so out of control.... 
So...  I am going to tell you a story...  This is going to be a long one....
But I think I need to go in depth...finally....

When I was 9 my mom was in a horriffic car crash(she was pregnant with my bro at the time)and her best friend died in teh accident...
I think I was so overwhelmed and scared...  That I became an emotional eater....
Hence the battle of the bulge begins....
Anytime I got sad...or mad..  I shoveled the food in...
And as a little kid being ehavy wasn't that big of a deal....
Until I started public school..
And everything changed....
I went from having so many friends that they fought over me...
To having just one.....

I was teased almost every day of my life....
Which caused me to eat even more...
Kids are cruel....  Anyone who says they aren't...was never teased in school....
It got so bad that I transferred schools again....
I made a lot more friends at that school, but I was still teased constantly....

When I hit 7th grade I decided that I wanted to be skinny... 
So I literally starved myself...
I pretended to eat at the table at home and flushed my food....
I got so thin that I looked sick.....dark circles under my eyes....
And still.....  I didn't have any mroe friends beign skinny than I did being fat...
And I lost most of them because I adopted a pretty S***** attitude....
So...  I started eating again......

I started putting the weight back on my freshman year....all the way thru my senior year...
I was teased...tormented...pushed down stairs..
Pretty much stayed out of school functions for the most part. 
I was terrified people would single me out and tease me more...
I was right...  If I went to the pep rally's I got teased as well...
I wasn't antisocial....  Or at least I didn't want to be....
I just wanted someone....anyone...to cut me some slack....
It never happened.....  I have a lot of regrets....oh..the regrets...
Missing senior prom is one of the biggest ones....
I went on a total of ONE...yes one...date my entire highschool life...
He never asked me out again because he got made fun of for asking me out...
Completely jacked up.....
I cried myself to sleep every ngiht...and soemtimes had to go to the bathrooms at school and cry so they didn't see me...
If I cried in front of the people that hurt me... 
They won...and I coulodn't stomache that...
I missed out on so much....
If your kiddos are heavy...and they say everything is fine...
It's probably not....
They need more support than you know....

As an adult.....  I was shy for the longest time....
I put on more...and more weight.....
Depression sunk in and at my heaviest 2009 I was 625 pounds....
That was two years ago....
I honestly would not wish being fat on my worst enemy....
So here I am...  At 396....2 years later...
I can't get the past back...can't change the way things went...
But I can make my own future.....
And that's exactly what I intend to do....

Day 42... Trying something new....

     Well, I haven't posted in a few days...  Been celebrating my birthday for days now...lol 
Mom showed me the tae bo flex workout...  I think it will benefit me more to do this one right now....
ZUMBA is great...  I love it, but I think I need to get stronger and mroe flexible before I can fully benefit from doing it.  SO back to Billy Blanks....
 
     On several personal notes....  I realized that this will be my first birthday without my dad here.....
That makes me tremendously sad.....
Also....  I am ever grateful to Jennfier and Jason coming to dinner with me for my birthday...
If they hadn't shown up...  I would have been dining by myself..... 
Nicole called and confirmed a ngiht out at Denim and Diamonds where I saw plenty of friends...  That didn't even know about my invite...  I started off the ngiht being upset...and ended up having a good time anyway....
 
     I have to get some sleep...  So catch ya'll on teh flip side!!!

Day 36... I have hips!!

Today was a great day...!!
I walked later in the day....
Had my lunch early with my son at Genghis Grill...
I had a chicken, dragon salt, gran garlic, cabbage, broccoli, snap peas, squash with pepper and garlic water over udon noodles today...
I try to avoid the noodles...
 But they keep me full longer....!!
I am posting two pictures....
One of my bowl...and one of me...with an actual wasit!!!
I don't have a tree trunk one anymore!!
Very, very glad...
I can't tell you how great it feels to be complimented on how I am doing....
Or what a simple wonderful joy it is to be able to actually have  hips and a waist to rest my hands on....
I thank God for will and strength to keep on trucking with this second chnace I have been given!!
Thank you Genghis Grill!!!
Hugs to all(yeah it's a huggin kinda day!!)
Catch ya'll on the flip side

Day 34... Ready for more(excercise that is!!)

 

Today was a great day!! Worked... Had lunch at Genghis... Which consisted of chicken, cabbage, broccoli, snap peas, squash...with roasted tomato sauce over udon noodles.... Delicious!!! Mom took my son and I to Spelling Bee the play.. it was fantastic!!! Then we went to Ihop for coffee... Just got home actuall...y... That's why it's such a late post! I couldn't have had a better day!! Have a great Sunday everyone!!! 

Also I finally got my appointment with the doctor!!

Gonna see about getting that tumor removed....  Also scared to see the price tag is going to carry!!  Wish me luck folks!!

Day 33... Starting to see a thinner me...

I did Zumba this morning with my mom, and spent over an hour in my grandmothers backyard....cleaning up...raking....et...c... I am TIRED today! My mom said I look different.... I feel better... I've dropped 8 pounds... Flustered with not dropping more... Talked to my doctor... Since I've been doing the weights... I am packing on muscle too... Which weighs more than fat.... :(  Not cool for the weight loss in this competition.... But cool because I actually put on a pair of pants I haven't worn in a year....and they are baggy on me... Pretty happy about that.... I might not win this contest... But I am going to be thinner and healthier win this is all done.. I DO NOT plan on going back to my old ways. I WILL remain on track.... Have a great night all!!

Day 31

Day 31 down.... Have been lax in my blogs..... I made a chicken, dragon salt, cabbage, broccoli, snap pea, and squash bowl with Roasted tomato sauce.... Too late at night to eat starch.... So that REALLY cut out some calories... Was very surprised how many it took off.... Exercise today was walkin...g around the block a few times.... Missed Zumba with mom cuz the kiddo was home sick... :( Tomorrow back to it!! I did a close up of my bowl today because it was out of focus on the edges.... 

Having some issues....  This tumor of mine is actually getting bigger...  I realized it today...  And it actually hurts...  SO I am calling my doctor tomorrow...  Wish me luck!!

Have a good night everyone!! 

 

Doing 29... Doing Fine...

 My GG bowl today!!

Well today was a good day...
Did ZUMBA sculpt with mom this morning...  Talk about rough!!  Loved it though!!
We are going to switch it up a bit and try different things so we don't get bored....
Ate at Genghis Grill for lunch today....  It was awesome as usual....  I have a hard time changing it up...
I guess we stick with what we know...lol
Jennifer was my server out there, she is awesome!!

Today was spent rearranging and cleaning the house.  Put together a giant shelf last night...pretty much by myself.  Not fun, but it is done and up.
Now I realized...  I am going to have to move everything out of my room because I am painting it over spring break....  Oh well...lol
Catch ya on the flipside!!

Day 28... Better late than not at all

Well...  I have been really busy lately...lol
Also I have been feelin kinda off for a few days.  I was trying to make sure I posted every day... 
But I flubbed that up.
Had ghengis grill today at dinner.
Had to take it to go....
Helped a lot of people thru the line...  Explaining the different items.
Pretty cool.
My friend Kim and her kiddos were there and I walked them thru the line before I left.
Been doing zumba....  Walked Saturday and Sunday though.
Wish I could post more...  But I am super tired...
I plan on getting back to my every day posting again!

Day 25.... Still truckin!!

Great day....  Started off with Zumba with mom....
Lunch at Ghengis Grill...
Tomorrow GG is going to lunch with me!  WOOT WOOT!
Her first time at a restaurant in like 6 years.....
I am posting my VLOG from yesterday.
Just got done editing it....
Gotta jet!!
Heres the link!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTZA8SYmUUQ

Day 24.... Much Better!

I did callanetics this morning and it was great!
I cannot wait to see the results better...
Had lunch at Ghengis Grill...
Yummy as always!!!
I am working on a VLOG for today..  But..  It's late and I will be posting it tomorrow...  :)

I was down the last few days....  Until I found some old photos of myself....
I am def not down as much anymore....
I have come a long, long way.....

2008

2009 Christmas and bottom is halloweem

2010 christmas

I'll try to stay positive...  After looking back to the 2008 picture...  All I can say is geez.........
I never ever want to be back there again.....

Day 23.... Trying to Keep My Chin Up!!

2009

2011


I did Zumba with my mom this morning....
It's tiring, but fun.....!

Ghengis Grill for lunch today... 
Tried the udon noodles this time... 
Very good!  My friend Amy showed up for to go...  We sat and chatted for a bit...

Hung out with the guys tonight.....
Was having a good time until someone spoiled it...
It's weird how words and looks can sting...
I realize I am fat....
But I am not as fat as I used to be.
I have worked very, very hard to get where I am...
It's a blow to my self esteem when people make fun of me and stare.
If they knew the person that I am...
They wouldn't even think about doing that to me.
I'm a constant joker(just like my daddy was).
I try to smile as much as I can, even when stuff is bothering me(I got that from my mom).
And I love my family and friends dearly....
I'd do anything for them....
Anyone who actually knows me can attest to that.....

I shouldn't let it bother me...  But it does....
However, tomorrow is going to be a better day....
I'm just gonna let it roll off my back....
Maybe one of my friends will join me at Ghengis Grill tomorrow...
Hugs and much love!!
JoJo

p.s.  I posted the pictures up above to show what I looked in 2009 and now...
I refused for the most part to have my picture taken from the waist down because I was so embarrassed...

Day 22 And Energy is Tapped For The Day

Today was one of those days...
Mom had to do to the dr. today.
She tried some Skin Brightner by Avon... 
And her face looks like an oompa Lumpa..
Not cool at all...
Her face hurts...  They put her on steroids....
I picked up Ghengis Grill for lunch for us...  Yummy as always!!
Stationary bike today.....
Hope mom feels better tomorrow so we can do Zumba!!

Day 21 is Almost Done~

Today was slow at work... I am glad for that...! My whole body is in pain from Zumba...lol Cannot wait til I start seeing results from it!! Today I had chicken, dragon salt, gran garlic, cabbage, broccoli, squash, snap peas, garlic water, roasted tomato sauce & brown rice & after I got my bowl I squeezed ...a lemon over it for that extra ZING I was craving!!... It had 321 calories, 500 mg of sodium and 3.5 grams of saturated fat. Super tired from yesterday.... Winding down time with the family! Watching the Oscars tonight(sort of)....  Ya'll have a great rest of the day!!!

 

Day 20 was Lovely!

I was at work til late... And then did 1 hour and 20 minutes of ZUMBA!!! That was FUN, FUN, FUN!
I have a new favorite bowl at Ghengis Grill!! Chicken, dragon salt n gran garlic, cabbage, broccoli, squash, snap peas, garlic water,... roasted tomato sauce and brown rice... Packs a flavor punch!!! Tomorrow I might add a kick to it with fresh squeezed lemon! It had 341 calories, 670 mg of sodium and 3.5 grams of saturated fat. Very cool indeed!! I am setting up a routine to my day... And I am sticking to it.... I am also planing to put something together(it's a secret...shhh...You will have to wait and see).  I am really excited about doing Zumba....  I am even more excited about the Callenetics...  That workout is AMAZING!!   I am attaching a super funny pic of my "nephew" Thrall...  He is quite the character!!  And then a pic of my supper yummy lunch!

Day 19 Was Great

 

I did Tae bo again today. It was a lil easier than yesterday... 

Always a good sign...lol   Cannot wait for Zumba and Callenetics dvds to get to moms house....

I remember losing a lot of weight doing the Callenetics....!

As a matter of fact...  I recommend it!  Granted there are some oddball exercises, but I promise you it works!!

Busy day.... Work tomorrow...  Gota jet...  Getting my tire replaced tongiht!

Catch ya'll on the flip side!!

Day 18.... Wondering What I am doing wrong...

I did a random workout with mom this morning... Not sure what it was called even.... All I know is it was fast and had me sweating...lol 

On a sad note...  I can't seem to drop the weight....And it's not like I am eating a lot of food.  I am measuring everything...  Counting calories....  Drinking water...and exercising!!!  I am beyond frustrated at this point....  I am discouraged, sad and angry all at the same time...  All I want to do is to be able to get on that STUPID scale and have it read my weight instead of giving me the "OH MY GOSH GET OFF ME YOU R TOO BIG" message...... Signing out....  Going to go pout...  Sorry for the rant!!

Pray for me please!!

Day 17.... Tae Bo KICKS BACK!

I took this this afternoon...

It was a good day!

This morning consisted of Tae Bo with my mom.... 

I still feel the burn... !!
Ouch!
But it's all good!!! 

Cannot wait til tomorrow...  We are going to incorporate more into the basic Tae Bo workout and work more on our abs n such...lol

Gotta go catch my tv of the day......
American Idol here I come!!
Catch ya'll on the flip side!

 

Day 16.... Kicking it into high gear tomorrow morning!

Dinner at Ghengis with my honey tonight....
As always The Ghengis crew was awesome...!
Marissa was our server again tonight...
Had a chicken, dragon salt, garlic, broccoli, cabbage, snap pea, Squash n Zuch, spinach bowl with Mongo bbq and brown rice....  Only 369 calories...
Didn't get to exercise with mom this morning because my son was home sick today....
I'll be there bright and early tomorrow morning though....
Today I just did the stationary bike again.... 
Not much fun, but it's a workout...
Can't believe it's day 16 already....
I am kicking it into high gear....
I don't want to lose this....
I know there is some serious competition out there....
Catch ya'll on the flip side!!
So vote for me pretty please!!
~~Pretty please vote for me~~
I am the fourth from the bottom.....
Johana M.  Wichita Falls, tx
Thanks in advance!!!

Day 15..... Was Rough...

Well...  The guys were off work and outta school today. 
We had big plans for the day that kinda fizzled out... 
But I still enjoyed having them home today!
I got the cleaning bug today and decided it was high time I clean the dining room from top to bottom...
I found a box in the back that I didn't know was there....
I went thru it...and found every...single card and letter my grandmother and grandfather donnell had ever sent me.
That was pretty hard...  Considering they have both passed...

Then I went further in the box...and found letters and cards from my daddy....
And that really, really hurt....  I lost him in July...
And I can tell you....  I don't think that pain will ever go away.
This is a pic of me and my daddy...  I think I was 3 here....

I figured I might as well finish going thru the box....
And I found pictures that brought back some memories... 
Some of them good...and the others were from a time just before my world crashed around me...
All I can say...  I am so thankful I made it thru that period in my life...
I couldn't have without all my family and friends....
I don't think any of them know how very grateful I am to have them......

After that mess was over....
Austin decided he would like to have dinner with me tonight at Ghengis....
And as always it was super yummy...  Best severs in town!
We had Marissa tonight...  She's the bomb diggity....
I know maybe I shouldn't outpour so much into these blogs...
But I think it's pretty theraputic....
Anyway, today started off rough...and ended well....
I am ready for bed...
And ready to do Personal Best with my mom tomorrow...
Oh and she ordered teh zumba dvds!
Cannot wait to do them!!

Day 14 And A Family BBQ

Today was a veggie bowl! 

Cabbage, broccoli, squash N zucchini, spinach, half a ramiken of stir fry sauce and brown rice.... 

A whopping 248 calories!! 

I kinda missed the meat though...lol Bbq with the family.... 

Had a blast!  I am a supreme grill master...  

My dad taught me well....!!  

Tomorrow hitting the gym!  Then movies with the guys!!  

Catch ya'll on the flip side!!

 

Super Late On This One for Day 13

Sorry this is so late... And to top it off.. I was so hungry I didn't get a picture of my bowl before I ate it... Hope that's not bad... Today was a chicken, dragon salt, garlic, broccoli, cabbage, squash n Zuccinni, snap peas, Mongo BBQ with brown rice with 376 calories.... Walked the lot today... Mom and I are going to be doing zumba together! Anyway... Catch ya'll tomorrow!!

Family BBQ tomorrow...  Cannot wait!!

I am tired as heck...

Catch ya'll on the flip side!!

 

Day 12 Started Off Rocky!

I think lack of sleep last night played a HUGE part in the distress my day started out with...
I was pretty cranky all day.....  Until lunch at Ghengis balanced out and perked my day up a bit!  Ab crunches was my exercise of choice today... I am feeling it now...lol I went to Number Four with the family, and I must say it was an awesome movie ya'll!!  Tomorrow is GG takeout because of work... I am about to drag myself to bed...  Catch ya'll on the flip side!! 

Day Eleven & Ab crunches almost ate my lunch...

Did ab crunch workout today.... Thought I was going to pass out and croak... But I made it thru it! I feel pretty good actually!!

Doing it all over again tomorrow, and going to add my mile walk as well...  

My husband looked at me today and said he can tell that I am losing....

That makes me feel awesome!!!  

Well, that's it...short and sweet today...!

 

Day 10 down, Bring it on 11!

What a beautiful day it was!
Took care of grand mom bright and early today...
Hit the gym and the went to Ghengis for lunch.
And as always it was great!
Everyone there is always so nice....
Picked the kiddo and hubs up and walked a mile at the lovely Sikes lake.
Our pup Street had a blast as well.
And I finished off the day with a salad..
Super tired, but in a good way!!
Catch ya'll on the flip side!

~~Day 9 is Pretty Fine~~

Checking in on Day 9!
A mile down on the treadmill!
Busy day, just got home!
Went to GG for lunch. Had a custom bowl with Chicken, Dragon Salt, Granulated Garlic, Broccoli, Cabbage, Egg, Squash & Zucchini, Spinach, Ginger Citrus Sauce, and Brown Rice.
422 calories for the bowl.
The egg wasn't supposed to be mine....lol It was ok, but I think I prefer it with no eggs...
And what's funny is Matt showed up and sat next to me. He introduced me to his friend Vi.....
And we chatted it up during lunch.
An unexpected and awesome surprise!

I thought I would address something  someone asked me today....
Why do you always wear tennis shoes with EVERYTHING?
It's a legit question honestly...
I am sure I look funky wearing my nice dress and then ya pan down to my tennis shoes....
They are Skecher Delites(SUPER light and comfy shoes).
They do not go with any of my clothes at all....
But they are comfy as all get out.
Anyway, back to the answer....
I wear them because my doctor said it is not good at all for me to wear dress shoes.
They promote poor circulation and can put blisters on your feet...
Two things a diabetic should avoid completely...
The second reason I wear tennis shoes is becuase if I wear them...
I don't have an excuse to be lazy...
I can't say my feet hurt, and it makes it ok for me to park at the very back of walmart.
Simply because I know my feet won't be in anguish afterwards.
Well, that's it for today!

Catch ya on the flip side!!

Day 8, and I am stoked!

Well today was a great day!
I did my mile at The Ymca!!!
So proud my myself....  :)
Tomorrow I am taking my dog Street to Sikes Lake for a two around(which equals 2....yeah 2 miles!).
It will be good for both of us to get out of the house.
I didn't get to Zumba today...  :(
My brother got married and then we had a Valentine Super Salad dinner at mom's to celebrate the day....
I just wish my dad had lived to see bubba get married....
Happy Valentines to everyone....
Catch ya on the flip side!

7 Days Down!

Today I resisted the temptation to eat Mcdonalds!
Woot to me!!
My scale still isn't registering me...so I am stepping it up this week...
My goal is to walk a mile a day...
And I am starting Zumba....
But it looks like it will be tuesday.....
My little brother is getting married tomorrow!!
So...it's gonna be a busy day...YMCA in the morning...then grandmoms...then moms so she can go to the ceremony..
Then I pick up the hubs and kiddo and head back to moms for valentines dinner...which is SUPER SALAD night!
Somehow I have to fit Ghengis in there somewhere between 11-and 12 for lunch....
Wish me luck folks....
Today I had lunch with bubba at Ghengis....
It was delish as always.
Catch ya on the flip side folks!!

Day Six, and I almost forgot my chopsticks! :)

I tried a new bowl combo and it was supper yummy!
I also tried the order online feature and that was super easy and fast!
I am about to go try my digital scale out... 
It only goes to 400 pounds... 
So I always get an error when I get up on it....
It will be the moment of truth for me....
It will tell me if I need to step it up....or keep doing what I am doing...
Please keep your fingers crossed for me.....
Tired from work... 
I think I will be calling it an early night!!
Catch ya on the flip side folks!!

Five Days In!

Well It's been five days since we started folks!
My face has cleared up considerably!

I feel better and look better!
I did the treadmill again today...
Shooting for a mile a day next week....
And I am going to start Zumba on Monday...
Keep your fingers crossed for me....!
I plan on doing two a days from here on...
Zumba in the mornings and then I am bringing my husband and son with me to do the treadmill after school!
I figure I might as well get the guys involved too!
I've got work tomorrow and sunday...so it'll be take out bowls both days...  :(
Catch ya on the flip side!

Day 4 of My Journey

Went to the gym a little later that I wanted today.  School started late.  Roads were still slick.  I went to the YMCA today and spent an hour on the treadmill.  Had to go slower because I got stuck on a treadmill with two speeds....speed demon and slow walking...  But it was all good....  Burned 374 calories anyway!  I am going to start doing Zumba next week.  Lord help me!  Lol...  :)

My friends Bettina and Nate ate with me at Ghengis today.  Nothing better than friends and good food!!  Watched American Idol with the family tonight....  Tomorrow I think I will try the eliptical machines as well as the treadmill.  The elipticals really wear me out, but I think it will be well worth it..  Still cannot wait for the warm weather so we can get all the dogs out and go walking as a family!!
Catch ya on the flip side!!

Day 3 of My Ghengis Health Kwest Journey

Well, today there was ice and snow on the ground again....
It was so cold outside, but I still made it in for my bowl at Ghengis.
Had Marrisa as my server today...  She was super nice!
Also, had a conversation with Nicole about the sauces.
I use less than half a ramiken of sauce on my bowls....
All the better!
And I never finish all my bowl.....
So actually, I am eating Ghengis Grill twice a day...
And eating half the calories by doing so!
Pretty sweet!

I did the stationary bike for 45 minutes today because it was far too cold to get to the gym this morning.
Tomorrow will be busy...
They start school late in the morning(if at all).
After I drop him off it's gym time, and then I have to take care of my grandmother.
So maybe a late lunch at Ghengis tomorrow...

Catch ya on the flip side!!

The Journey To A Healthier, Smaller Me.....Day 2

Today I went to the gym and spent a lil over an hour on the treadmill.
I burned 425 calories!!
Super stoked about that!!!
The weather is supposed to get bad tomorrow...
So I am dusting off my belly dancing exercise vid...
Hopefully, I can make it to Ghengis!

Mom went with me today for lunch, and I made a bowl for my little brother
(and used the super awesome build your own bowl tool).
It was super easy to do and print up.
I didn't forget anything he wanted!
They both loved it!

I feel better already....
Not sure if it's the food just yet, more exercise, or just a complete attitude lift.
I think it is the combination of all three!
I am spreading the word at my YMCA, not just about being in the Health Kwest...
But spreading the word on how good the food is....
I think it's the only place in town(other than a cold salad bar) where you can put what YOU want in it...
YOU are in control of your BOWL!
And that's a pretty cool feeling!

Thanks again for the opportunity Ghengis Grill!

The Journey To A Healthier, Smaller Me Day One

Well today I visited my local Ghengis Grill for my first "official bowl".  As always, it was delish!
Chris, Nicole and Jennifer made it a wonderful trip.
I cannot tell you how excited I am about this opportunity!
Even if I don't win the contest...  I am still a winner!
I know that I am going to come out of this healthier and hopefully considerably thinner....

I am sure people might be wondering why I am doing this....
Let me start by explaining the last two years(in a brief summary...lol).
In 2009 my doctor gave me two choices....  Lifestyle change or death.
I chose life of course...  I cut out the sugary sodas, white bread, and white pastas.
I replaced them with water, sugar free drinks, and whole wheat goods.
I also started walking my dog every day.
It's been a long road...
200 pounds later what you see is what you get.
I have more confidence than I have ever had.

So now Ghengis Grill has given me an opputunity to step it up a notch or three.
I am going to do just that.
I am making some more adjustments, and I am attempting to get the rest of my family  to do the same..  :)
I have been going to the Family YMCA here in town, and will be doing it pretty much every day from here on out.

I've got a tumor that's up to 7 pounds(so I've been told)....
It gets in the way of a lot of things....
It's hard to do a lot...  I try my best... 
It will be removed sometime in May.
I am determined to do this and stick with it tho!

Today was my first day doing the Health Kwest.
I did 45 minutes on my stationary bike...
I really wish that it was warmer outside so I could take my furry boy Street for a walk..

Anyway, I plan on updating this every day... 
If I miss a day...bear with me...
I've got a lot going on....lol
Wish me luck!
Peace out!