Hi Amy! 

I know you are feeling better now so it's time to get back to the gym and keep this lifestyle change going.  We're gonna do it and we're gonna do it together! 

I just looked over my goals and I'm doing great with all of them except the vegetables.  I went to the gym 6 days last week and I haven't missed a day this week.  I've been doing 20 min. of cardio on different machines and then do upper body weights one day and lower body the next day for 40 min. or more.  I really feel good, but I HAVE GOT TO QUIT SMOKING!!!  If this is going to be a lifestyle change, that's really the first one I have to make!!!  Now that I've got my eating and exercising going good, I'm going to work on the cigarettes before I work on the vegetables.  Help me!!!

How are you doing against your goals?  I'm still up for a challenge, are you?  What do you want to do?  Also, send me your weight from your weigh in last Friday.  I need to get our results up on our page.
                                         Luv ya loser!
                                            Momma

Hope you are feeling better!  I know you worked out Saturday so you are on day 2 of missing a workout.  Not much you can do with a fever so just rest and take your Tylenol to knock it quick.  The hard thing will be to get back to the workouts.  Get your vision back in your head and look at the goal and that will help you get back to the gym.  I went to the Y this morning at 4:30 a.m. and did a 20 minute cardio on the treadmill and all the lower body weight machines.  My arms are killing me since the upper body workout I did Saturday but I'm going to do them in the morning.  I may have over done the amount of weight my first day.

Take care and hope you are back at this with me soon!  I'll call you later.  Luv ya lots, Mom

I was thinking we could challenge each other each week on one of our goals.  It could be a water challenge, workout challenge, vegetable challenge, whatever.  Interested?  Do you have any ideas?  Momma

Hi Amy.  Well, according to the scale at Weight Watchers I only lost .8 lbs.  Not nearly as impressive as your 6 lbs. loss the first week but it goes to show we all have different bodies.  I had a great week.  I stayed on plan every day except Thursday night at LaPachanga and I worked out 3 times so I'm not going to let it set me back because this is a Lifestyle Change and I'm doing good with that.  You, on the other hand are doing great!  After Weight Watchers I went to the gym and did a 20 minute mile on the treadmill.  Achilles tendons still don't like that machine.  Then I moved on to the weights and did the upper body.  I'm going to get rid of frick and frack if it kills me!  Ended up being there for 1-1/2 hours.  Felt GREAT afterwards but I was starving.  That's something I have to work on.  I need to make sure to eat breakfast on the weekends.  Weekdays are easy but my weekend routine needs work. 

Staying home tomorrow to work around the house, get my meals planned and to pull a couple of recipe ideas to send you.  One thing I have found for a quick lunch or dinner is those Lean Cuisine Chicken Pannini's.  They are pretty good.  Well, gotta get out to St. Pius for an Alumni Trivia night charity event.  Hope your workout went well today.  Talk at ya later.  Luv, Mom

6 pounds...YOU GO GIRL!!!  I knew you could do it and now you do it.  Not eating out and stopping the soda are big goals accomplished!!!  It really is amazing how much weight that can put on and now you just realized it and that's great!  Keep at that eliptical.  You understand it's importance, and your muscles do to but the muscles just have to get used to it.  They will come around and before you know it you'll be doing the eliptical for 30 minutes without the pain.  I've really got to get weight training going along with the cardio.  I think we both need to.  Weight training will build muscle and that will burn more fat...woooohooooey!  I'm headed to the gym after Weight Watchers this morning.  I forgot to weigh in yesterday so I'll let you know how I do at Weight Watchers.  I know LaPachanga should not have ruined the whole week but I'm thinking it really didn't help!  None the less, I'm not letting that one night stop me.  WE ARE A TEAM AND WE ARE GOING TO GET HEALTHY!!!  I'm really proud you passed up the Chinese buffet.  I need some of your strength.  If we pass on some things now, we can eventually add some of our favorites back into our routine because we don't want to deprive ourselves completely or we will get frustrated and that can lead to quitting.  Let's shoot for a goal of not going to our favorite restaurants for 1 month and then we'll have it once and see how we do.  Sound good?

By the way, I wrote this message yesterday and thought I posted it but after going on this morning, it's not out there and it's not in my live writer either so I don't know where it went!  So, the "one more thing" message actually belongs after this one.

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN ON THE 6 POUND LOSS!  KEEP IT UP GIRLFRIEND!!!  LUV YA LOTS, MOMMA

Thanks for the words of inspiration.  I know I can do it to and I know we can both do it so Let's Do It!  2008 is great for losin' weight!  Luv ya, Mom

Hi Amy, I just read this in a brochure called 7 Reasons Why as I prepared for a MonaVie luncheon tomorrow and AFTER I blew it tonight and went to LaPachanga with Kerri.  I HAVE TO STAY OUT OF THERE FOR A WHILE...until I get enough discipline to get to my destiny of a lifestyle change.  I just can't pass on the margaritas and chips and dip while I'm there so we made a pack that we will not go there until we get this lifestyle change under control.  I've done really good all week and then blew it in one night!  But, I'm not going to let it change me.  Tomorrow I'm going to get up and go to the gym at 4:30 a.m. because Vanessa is having a MonaVie tasting party tomorrow night so I won't get to work out after work.  On the plus side, I ate good all day and got my water in.  We have got to get the DISCIPLINE to get to our destiny!   How was your day?  Luv ya, Momma -- Destiny Seeker!

Whew!  Did my intensity walk for another 2 miles in 35 minutes.  I think I'm going to have to vary this workout with another one because I think my thigh muscles need to rest a day in between.  It's definitely not like walking on a treadmill because I never felt this in my thighs on the treadmill, even when I increased the incline.

Hope you and girls had fun for Brit's birthday tonight.  As for the water, try taking a water bottle with you to school.  Will they let you have it in class?  I take a bottle of water and drink it on the way to work and then just keep filling it all day and carrying it with me and it's amazing how much water you can get in that way.  You can fill up between classes and catch a potty break and you'll be shocked by the end of the day how much water you got in.

As for the meals, I hear ya.  I've been tracking what I eat so I'll send you those to give you some ideas.  This weekend I'll find a few recipes to send you.  Do you all have a crock pot?  I had pork chops in the crock pot tonight with fat free cream of mushroom soup on them (you can't taste the mushrooms or see them!) and it was good.  The soup is more like a gravy.  Variety is definitely important or you get too bored.  Today I had WW Salisbury steak and macaroni and cheese and it was good for just 5 points.  The Lean Cuisine chicken panini's are really good too.  We'll work on meals this weekend.  I still need to work harder on veges!  For now, just eat smaller portions, stay away from fried food and up the water and with your exercise, you'll do great at your age. 

Tonight I could actually see myself in a swimsuit with smaller thighs as I did my workout.  Get a vision of your dream and let's do it!

                                               Luv ya,
                                               Mom

Dang!  Second day of the same intensity walk was even tougher!!!  My thigh muscles hurt sooo bad, but I DIDN'T QUIT!  I've decided to keep doing this tape until my thighs stop hurting during the workout.  Then I'll start rotating other workouts in.  I really like this intensity walk.  Two miles of high intensity in 35 minutes which gave me 3 activity points for Weight Watchers that I used for my dinner out with Aunt Peg and Aunt Ine.  So, I'm still within points.  Only got 1 vege in today.  I've got to get better with that.  Did get 74 ounces of water in.  It's amazing how much better you feel when you get all your water in.  How did your water go today?  Don't worry about not planning for the first full day of classes today.  You can plan it tomorrow and then you'll be ready for the full day Thursday.  Go get a small lunch bag that you can put in your backpack and get an ice pack for it.  That will help you through the day.  Take a bottle of water with you and you can keep filling it through the day too.  Time to go watch Biggest Loser and get some more motivation!!!  Let me know how your workout was tonight.  Was it harder too? 

  LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE AND LOSE -- TOGETHER AND FOREVER!!!

                                              Luv ya lots,  Momma

You are so pumped...I am so proud of you!  Keep up the great work.  I'm really glad you found a partner down at Cape to work out with.  It helps to have someone close too.  Friends push friends to do things they never thought they could do and you and Megan will push each other just like I'm going to push you and you push me.  I've hooked up with Pam and Debbie here and we're all trying those intensity walk DVD's that Debbie found.  I really liked it last night and am headed there after I watch a live webcast on MonaVie.  We can do this!  Everytime you think it's too tough to finish a workout, just think about the faces of those folks on the Biggest Loser and how tough it was for them, but in the end, they got their dreams and are living healthy and happy.  I know I will be buying a whole new wardrobe for "VEGAS BABY" cause you are going to do it.  Keep the attitude and think about how great you will look strutting your stuff.  Let's do it girl!  Tell Megan hi.  Oh yea, I loved the palm tree.  I'll have to figure out how to do that!

                         Luv ya, Mom

Hi Sunshine!  Great first day of this lifestyle change (first day for the last time!)  Stayed within all my points values and drank 92 ounces of water too.  Got a late start on my exercise routine because we went to see Aunt Mim.  She's not doing too well.  Then Margie Ann called and said Dan's surgery went well and he got 2 stints put in but he's doing good and coming home tomorrow.  I also forgot to tell you that Jeremy was called at 1:00 a.m. this morning and they all went to Barnes as he got prepped for a kidney and pancreas transplant.  Around noon today, they called off the transplant because the pancreas he was to receive was damaged so he's back home and waiting again.  Whew!  What a day!  This gave me all the more reason to not skip my workout, especially since I knew you were down in Cape doing yours.  I completed a 2 mile intensity walk in 25 minutes.  Sweated like a little piggy but I feel great!  It's hard to believe just 7 months ago I was walking 4 miles without a problem.  You know, I've never lost 38 lbs. before like I did last year and then gained it back again and let me tell you, it stinks to think I have to do it all over again and recondition my body again!  This is it babe!  Never again!  Let's Do It!  Let's change our lifestyle once and for all!

                                                Luv ya lots, Mom

"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - Neil Armstrong

That was a big day in history and now it's time to make 2008 a big year in history and get ourselves healthier!

It's 2008 and we've set our date.
It's time to finally lose this weight.

The Biggest Loser contest has already begun,
but we can still get in and have some fun!

One step at a time and we'll get there,
together, forever, as long as we share.

There will be ups and there will be downs,
but in the end we'll be strutin' around town.

Follow your meal plans and get to the gym,
drink lots of water and soon we'll be slim.

Write in our blog each and every day,
and tell me if I can help in any way.

A personal trainer is ours to be had,
if we just persist past all the bad.

Jillian and Bob will be so proud,
when we are there and sitting in the crowd.

It's 2008 and it's going to be great,
as we work together to lose this weight!

Let's Do It!

Luv, Momma