Tips from Transformers - Tip #3

Looking at the big picture can often be intimidating when it comes to losing weight/getting fit. There are several of us on my Transformers team who need and want to lose a lot of weight (30 lbs or more). If you have a lot of weight to lose, realistically, it could be a long road ahead until your reach your goal weight. We have discussed breaking our goals up into more manageable pieces (three 10lbs benchmarks, for example). More than one of us had heard or read that it is important to reward yourself throughout your weight loss journey to stay motivated. First, you have to set up your short-term and long-term goals. These goals should be personal and focus on the things you need the most improvement on.

So I set my fitness goals as well as my ultimate weight loss goal (90 lbs). One of my fitness goals was to attend yoga weekly. I'm not the best "stretcher" in the world so I figured I could use the help in that area as well as for general relaxation/stress relief. I've probably attended about 60% of the time since July. Luckily the classes are included as part of my membership so I don't have to pay extra (and don't have to feel guilty if I miss a class). One of my other fitness goals was to start weight lifting again and do it consistently. I lost about 35 lbs on the Atkin's diet in 1999 but I didn't manage to keep all the weight off for more than 5 years because I didn't change any of my exercise habits. I didn't want to make that mistake again. In addition to my fitness goals, I also set weight loss goals in 15 lbs increments. That breaks my total into 6 more manageable steps and then I set up rewards for myself when I achieve each of them. I would also like to mention that I discussed these goals with my husband so we could agree on something that wouldn't strain the family finances. See below for my list.

15lbs - Manicure/Pedicure (had a gift certificate) - Achieved 10/27/09

30lbs - Massage

45lbs - Book or CD

60lbs - Massage

75lbs - Victoria's Secret Undies or Bras

90lbs - Trip to Washington, DC with Dan

I'll keep you posted as I achieve these goals!

Dan's latest project

Dan's been gone for weeks....(said in a very whiny voice). His parents have helped us with lots of home projects as evidenced by this blog and it was his turn to repay the favor. There's a shed (my word) behind the house in Kentucky that Dan and his parents refer to as "The Smokehouse." It doesn't look like a smokehouse (usually a tall narrow barn with smoke vents) and to my knowledge it was never used as a smokehouse. See photo above:

He and his dad spent two and half weeks emptying this one, tearing it down, laying a cement pad and building the new one. So, it's really he and his dad's latest project.

TA DA!!

Biggest Loser Results are in!

I lost 4.31% of my body weight (7 lbs) during the Biggest Loser competition (have lost 19 lbs total so far) and 1% body fat. My team (there are 6 of us) lost 2% of our body weight (not sure how many pounds total). The winning team lost 9.52% of their body weight!! The winning individual lost 17.53% of his body weight. Amazing!

Pre-Halloween Snow Storm

Isn't it pretty?? "Christmas time is here, Happiness and cheer, Fun for all that children call, Their favorite time of the year" Errrttt...needle scratching record. Think again Charlie Brown! This photo was taken on October 29.

This year's Halloween costume

See the Sales department in the above photo:
Morticia Addams (Nancy), Gomez Addams (Guy), Wednesday (Kathy), Pugsley (Wendy), Uncle Fester (Me!), Ophelia - Morticia's sister (Beth), Cousin It (Erika), Lurch & Thing (Tami), Grandmama (Paula), Grandma Frump (Aimie)

We even had a song...which we sang (and snapped our fingers) during the Parade at work. And we WON the team costume contest!! First. time. ever. Woo hoo!!

"The Globus Family"
(sung to the tune of The Addams Family)

"They’re loud and very brassy
Creative and quite sassy
They’re all together classy
The Globus Family

Their sales team is a treasure
Most agents say a pleasure
Go on a great Adventure with
The Globus Family

Neat (snap snap)

Sweet (snap snap)

Complete (snap snap)

Get ready for a tre-at
You’ll love the staff – they’re ne-at!
Pick up the phone to me-et
The Globus Family"

The Cookbook Challenge

So, we finally unpacked all of our cookbooks a few weeks ago. They have been languishing boxes in the basement and in the garage since our move...in 2007. Dan and I both like to cook and we both had a lot of cookbooks before we were married. We've acquired a few more since we then. Three shelves full.

Dan thought we should challenge ourselves to prepare at least two recipes from EVERY cookbook in a year's time. If we couldn't find at least two recipes in any given book that we would want to prepare then we should get rid of that book (give it to someone who would use it, sell it, donate it, etc). Good idea and not an insurmountable challenge.

Here's the list of what we have made so far:
Cookbook -- Recipe
The Barbecue Bible -- Ginger-Plum Barbecue Sauce
Served with grilled pork, not worth the effort

The Globus Family Cookbook -- Zucchini Bread
delicious, Dan's made it twice already

Ethnic Cuisine -- Eggplant Parmigiana
Yummo!

365 Ways to Cook Chinese -- Eggplant in Spicy Garlic Meat Sauce
Good way to use up extra eggplant, wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to make it again

Pillsbury Kitchens' Cookbook -- Cranberry (Cherry) Nut Bread
Dan loved it, I only had one piece before I had to go out of town. Good but a little dry.

Stay tuned for future updates.

Luau 2009 - part I

Here's Pat (Dan's mom) playing the role of Isaac, the bartender.

Hey Meg, check out our cute platters!

Big changes for my friend A

A and I met each other through work almost 10 years ago. Wow! We're the same age and we served on a committee together. We've seen each other through thick and thin and I'm very proud of that. Six years ago she watched me leave my job and move out east to get married and she stood by me. She must have had mixed feelings (as I do now) watching me go. But as strange as life is, I moved back a year later and she was there to help me celebrate and readjust to life in Colorado. She even DROVE to my wedding in Iowa (with our other good friend C) - across Nebraska twice in one weekend. Now that's friendship!

So now I get to see her move to a new state, start a new job, begin a new chapter in her life. I'm very happy for her and these new things are really a blessing in her life. But I am a little bit sad for me. Love you girl!

Weight Loss Tips from the Transformers - Tip #2

2. Don't eat after 6:00pm weekdays, 7:00pm weekends

This tip came from Kathy and it's a hard one for me to adhere to - especially during the week. I don't get home from the gym until 6pm and we usually eat right away but still! Once I'm done eating dinner I do try not to snack before bed. I usually fill up my water bottle and drink at least 16 oz before I go to bed. I still think it's a good tip but not always attainable.

Weight Loss Tips from the Transformers - Tip #1

Every Friday my Biggest Loser team meets for 15-20 minutes to talk about our progress, our stumbling blocks, etc. We also talk about our weekend plans - especially anything revolving around food - and help each other strategize. So here's the first installment in the tips and ideas that came out of one of our meetings.

1. The book "Eat This, Not That" helps to simplify making better choices.

That tip is from Nancy - she and her husband dine out frequently - and she thinks the book has helped her make better choices at restaurants. She keeps it at her desk and we are free to browse through it at any time. I used it to look up some info on Red Lobster a few weeks ago. Here's my tip for you - avoid the Cheddar Bay Biscuits at all cost if you are dining at Red Lobster. 150 calories each (and who can eat just one??) and 350 mg of sodium EACH. I know other teammates have found a few surprises by glancing through the book (both negative and positive surprises).

Think of Rocky on the steps

So today when I stepped on the scale I had lost 10 lbs. Can you believe it? Me neither...

Wish me luck!

So today we started a "Biggest Loser" competition at work - the nice part is that you can compete as an individual or as part of a team. We only have two weigh-ins over the 12 weeks - at the beginning and at the end (first week of November) and we each took a "Before" photo. I'm on a team ("The Transformers") from my department. We have had one meeting so far to discuss our goals (mine is to lose 20 lbs during these 3 months) and talk about strategies and tips. Most of them I already knew but it's helpful to be reminded. I'll post some of them in future. I also think it's helpful to have fans encouraging you - I bet there are studies to prove it too. I really would like to win (Hello?!! There's a $150 gift card per person for the winning individual and winning team members) but I'm not sure how driven my teammates are. I'm continuing on my path of morning cardio workouts and afternoon weight lifting routines Monday through Friday and yoga on Sunday.

So I've got a rather big mountain to climb...

Granted it's a figurative mountain - not a REAL fourteener that Colorado is famous for.

So, Internet, I've decided to lose 90 lbs. Yes, that was Nine Zero. I'm going to need some support from all of you over the next year+. I've lost 6 lbs so far (after 4 weeks) and am very happy about my progress so far. Four weeks ago I bought a BodyBugg. It's a small device that is like an armband but it tracks my steps and calories burned. I track what I eat and then enter it into a website that compares them. It helps me set goals based on my size and weight loss goal. I was already going to the gym at least five days a week to do cardio. Plus I had made a decision to go to yoga class at least once a week for a year. Once I had used the BodyBugg for about two weeks (and realized that I was burning enough calories), I had a friend meet me at the gym (she's a former trainer) and help me redesign my workout routine. For the past week and a half I've been going to the gym twice a day (before and after work). I now do my cardio in the morning and I lift weights in the evening. And I still go to yoga once a week.

Yummy summer salad - this one is a keeper

Rice, Black Bean, and Corn Salad
Ingredients
1 cup cold cooked brown rice
1/2 cup cooked corn kernels
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

Dressing
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, combine rice, corn, bell pepper, celery, beans, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno.

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, lime juice, oil and salt. Pour over the rice mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, until the flavors are blended, at least 1 hour. Makes 4 servings.

PER SERVING: (scant 1 cup): 119 Cal, 4g fat, 1g Sat Fat, 0g Trans Fat, 0mg Chol, 197mg Sod., 19g Carb, 3g Fib, 3g Prot, 21mg Calc.

Memorial Day - Rocky Mtn Natl Park

Trail Ridge Road is open for the season - see photo below.

We drove up on Memorial Day and we were able to see a lot of wildlife. Elk, deer and a black bear!! I promise that tiny black spot in the center of the photo is a black bear - very far away, just like the Park Rangers recommend.

5 new trees from Denver Digs Trees!

The Denver Digs Trees program is the flagship program of The Park People. The program provides trees for planting on both public and private property. Street trees (trees that are planted in the public right of way) are available at a low cost to all residents of Denver and are free to residents in our 21 target neighborhoods. Dan and his dad planted our five trees this weekend.

1 Gingko Biloba

Ginkgos are very large trees, normally reaching a height of 20–35 m (66-115 feet), with some specimens in China being over 50 m (164 feet). The tree has an angular crown and long, somewhat erratic branches, and is usually deep rooted and resistant to wind and snow damage. Young trees are often tall and slender, and sparsely branched; the crown becomes broader as the tree ages. During autumn, the leaves turn a bright yellow, then fall, sometimes within a short space of time (1–15 days). A combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes ginkgos very long-lived, with some specimens claimed to be more than 2,500 years old

2 Green Maples
Some of the larger maple species have valuable timber, particularly Sugar Maple in North America, and Sycamore Maple in Europe. Sugar Maple wood, often known as "hard maple", is the wood of choice for bowling pins, bowling alley lanes, pool cue shafts, and butcher's blocks. Maple wood is also used for the production of wooden baseball bats, though less often than ash or hickory due to the tendency of maple bats to shatter when broken.
Some maple wood has a highly decorative wood grain, known as flame maple and quilt maple. This condition occurs randomly in individual trees of several species, and often cannot be detected until the wood has been sawn, though it is sometimes visible in the standing tree as a rippled pattern in the bark. Birdseye maple is another distinctive grain pattern.

2 Zelkova Serratas also known as "Green Vase" or Japanese Zelkova

'Green Vase'- This popular form is a fast grower to 70' tall with a width of 35' to 40'. It maintains a vase-shape with upright arching branches. It is taller and less broad than 'Village Green' at maturity, plus it grows more quickly. The fall color is bronze-red. It is widely considered the best selection.

Lemon Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce

We bought lemons at Sam's Club recently. Nuff said.

Editor's note - this recipe leaves you with a zested lemon full of juice. I used the lemon juice to make a marinade for grilled chicken.

Pancake Ingredients
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon zest, grated
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, lemon zest, buttermilk, brown sugar, and butter. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. Cook the pancakes as you normally would. This recipe made about 8 medium pancakes - just barely enough for 4 adults. I would suggest doubling it.

Raspberry Sauce Ingredients
Frozen Raspberries (small package 16 oz?)
1/4 - 1/2 c sugar (to taste)
cornstarch
Put the frozen raspberries in a sauce pan with a little water, the sugar and cornstarch. Simmer until raspberries are broken down. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.

Sorry I've been gone so long...

I can't really say much is happening here that's been keeping me too busy to blog so I'll just chalk it up to general malaise. We are going to England, Ireland and Wales next month. I got an email from United advertising great fares to lots of spots and London was calling my name. So, I convinced Dan we had to go on another adventure with Globus (actually Cosmos this time). So we and 30 of our closest strangers will soon be tooling around the UK on a motorcoach with a lovely tour director named Nigel or Fiona or something Britishy like that. Dan's never been to the UK and I've never been to Ireland so we each get to explore something new. We both have been doing genealogical research lately and we both have British roots. Dan's mother's father's family can trace their ancester back to the early 1600s. My father's mother's family were Quakers and came over to Pennsylvania (now Delaware) with William Penn in the late 1600s.

Cupcakes for All Seasons

These are my "spaghetti and meatballs" cupcakes. Remember the "Hello Cupcake" cookbook that Santa brought me? This recipe came from that book. The noodles are frosting, the spaghetti sauce is strawberry jelly, the meatballs are Ferrer Rocher chocolate/hazelnut candies and the parmesan cheese is grated white chocolate.

Vega$ Baby!

This is a view of the Strip from our room at the Mirage. The volcano out front is going off (as it does hourly) and you can see the Venetian and Bally's in the background. We got a great deal on a two night package and two tickets for Cirque du Soleil's The Beatles LOVE. We HIGHLY recommend it if you're in Vegas and even just like Beatles' music. Each song is a little vignette and the Cirque performers portray the characters from each song -- Eleanor Rigby or Mr. Kite or the Octopus in her garden, for example.

Crossroads of No and Where

Can you see the vast nothingness behind Dan? No kidding - that is the town of Vidal Junction, CA. From Phoenix, we rented a car to drive up to Las Vegas for two nights. On the way there, we decided to head west from Phoenix on I-10 and then turn north in California. This photo was taken during our lunch stop in Vidal Junction. Lunch, you understand, was rather loosely defined as a "ham" sandwich from the cooler, a bag of Cheetos and a diet Coke. I honestly think that the Cheetos were about the healthiest thing in the gas station.

This was our scenic view from the picnic table - the dumpster in the foreground and the abandoned cafe in the background.

Dan here--Have you ever heard it said "It's not the middle of nowhere, but you can see it from there"? Well, this is the place you see when you're in that place that's not the middle of nowhere, let me tell you. There's a bridge over from Arizona, so there's a produce inspection station, and there's the gas station. Period. It wouldn't be so god-awful if it at least had something more to look at than the chicken on top of the defunct cafe and the old wagon on top of the gas station! Phew! What was really funny though, was the folks pulling over in front of the 'cafe' and discussing whether or not to go back over to AZ for lunch, and if it was worth going through CA 'customs' again!

Wild Blue Yonder

While we were in Phoenix we went to the model airplane airfield to watch my dad fly his radio controlled airplanes.

The airfield is in eastern Phoenix near Superstition Mountain.

He builds them himself and flew them very regularly when I was a little girl. He gave it up for 25 years or so (but kept all of his planes and radios) and then when he retired he started flying again. My parents live in Iowa from April to November and then winter in Arizona from December to April. My dad doesn't fly much in Iowa when he's there (he's busy with other hobbies) but he flies a couple times a week in Arizona. Here's Dad in the "hanger" at the airfield.

My parents reconnected with several of my dad's Air Force buddies in Arizona. Danny and his wife, Sylvia, came out to watch my dad fly while we were there. Here's my mom (on the left) with Sylvia.

It was a team effort...

Dan and I went down to Phoenix last week to visit my snowbird parents and my aunt and uncle (Maggie and Don) and my cousin and her family (Micki, Bear and Kasey). Micki and I are only 4 months apart and we were in the same grade in school so we were very close growing up. We aren't as close as we once were but we seem to be able to pick up where we left off when we do get to talk on the phone or see each other. Facebook has also become handy for keeping us updated on each other's daily lives. We stayed with Micki and Bear during our visit and we arrived the day before the Super Bowl in which their hometown team would be playing.

Here's the cake that Micki, Dan and I made for the Super Bowl. I had much grander design plans when I started but we just ran out of time. I ended up roping them in to help with the final decorating when my hands and wrists wore out.

Here's Micki checking the crock pot and a few of her guests with ALL the food for the party.

Here's my dad talking to Micki's parents. Aunt Maggie is my dad's sister (he has six others!).
By the fourth quarter, it was a close game and it looked like the Cardinals might win but the Steelers were tough and came back at the very end. That was day one in Phoenix - more posts on our trip to follow.

How many states do you have left?

Dan and I were recently comparing notes on the US states we have not yet visited. We don't have many in common unfortunately. If memory serves, Alaska and Maine are the only states that both of us have NEVER visited...not exactly doable on a roadtrip!

Here’s my list (I don’t count a state if I’ve only changed planes there) using the following key: bold for states I’ve been to and bold and italics for states I’ve lived in.

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C.

In fact, except for Oklahoma, none of these states are really within driving distance for me. Darn! Interestingly I realized that business trips over the years have brought me to many of these states. In fact, I made my first (and only) trip to three states in the last four years thanks to my current job: Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey. How many states do you have left? Wanna meet me somewhere for a long weekend of exploring a new place?

James Lipton + Treadmill = Longer Workouts

On Monday nights, the stars are aligned and when I leave work and go to the gym (essentially to get my cable TV fix - just keepin' it real) "Inside the Actors Studio" is coming on in my local market. Tonight the host, James Lipton, was interviewing Laura Linney. That was kind of cool because Dan and I had just finished watching the HBO miniseries "John Adams" on DVD (highly recommend it - you can get it from your local library)...and Laura Linney won a Golden Globe last night for her portrayal of Abigail Adams. See what I mean about the stars being aligned? On the other nights of the week I might watch "Modern Marvels" on the History Channel or the latest episode of "Food Network Challenge." We're probably the only folks left on the planet without cable so one of my motivations for going to the gym (and I need as many motivations as I can get) is to get a small dose of cable. The best part is that every cardio machine at my gym has its own monitor attached so I can watch what-EVer. I. Want! No fighting, bargaining, or pleading with my better half.

Look, Santa got my bribe...

I asked for this wonderful cookbook for Christmas and Dan's parents gave it to me. I'm very happy. :-)