Down by 2

Hello! Sorry it's been a week since I was able to post! What a crazy week! On Saturday I made my weight loss total 56 lbs total! I fnally had Jordan take a few pics tonight! The weekend was for the most part uneventful due to Jordan working all weekend but Today we made up for it!

We started the day off with a walk up to Standing Bear Lake with Mazda and then finished our landscaping project. I had a killer farmers tan from walking outside every day and thought I should try and even it out by wearing my swim suit top while we worked outside today... As you can see below I now have a burn... oh well... it will soon be tan!

This week is all about doing the best I can to set up for a fantastic weekend with the MI Boerma's. We will be taking in a few baseball games and some BBQ! I'm so excited!

So below are the much requested pictures at 56 lbs. Hope to have more time to write later!

A Gain

I'm up pound this week. It's hard to admit but... it's life and you have to take the good from the bad and know that you can fix it for next week. Also.... I started the bad habit of drinking soda again so... bye bye soda I realize you hinder my success... you are bubbly and delicious and I will indulge on you one day a week instead of a few morning a week.

Jordan bought himself a pedometer and is also getting in to counting the steps, it's been great for us. We've been getting in walks together and this week in addition to our walks I'm going to throw in a video exercise. I got my hands on a copy of Slim and 6.... I'm going to try it out eventually but... when it's so nice outside I can't justify being in the house to work out! Also, I bought Jillian Michael's yoga melt down and I LOVE it, so give it a try if you've been wondering.
I also have 30 Day Shred and Biggest Looser Cardio work out. I'm building an arsenal of videos so I don't get bored.

My friend Jen got me a free pass to Curves so I will also be checking that out. Now that I'm not sick and things have settled down a lot! I can't wait to check it out!

Mazda has K9 Elementary school today! She needs to be the best puppy she can be because if you haven't heard already... the new addition to our family will be home in 8 weeks! Jordan has forever wanted a hunting dog. We love our little rescue but we realized very quickly she needed a friend and that she wouldn't ever be a very good hunter :) She's a great dog to keep me motivated for walks and stuff but... Jordan still felt the need for a bird dog!

We also realized quickly a lab might be to big for Mazda although the more I see about her the more I think she's one tough little princess that can give any dog a run for their money!! A coworker and friend of Jordan's has Brittany's and ever since my aunt Gayla and Uncle chip had one I have been in love with them! The breeder his friend knows is a great guy who loves his dogs to pieces they are his life and he makes sure they all go to great homes and keeps up with all of the owners of his past litters. When you go into his house it's lined with pictures and paintings of his dogs and of all of their accomplishments in the hunting/field training competitive circuit. I was leery to go with a breeder because there are so many dogs that need our love from shelters but... I fell in love with the mom and I'm confident there is no funny business going on with this breeder :)

Our new addition was born on Wednesday and we can go visit him at 3 weeks and he can come home at 8 weeks! Those of you that know my husband know he's a Chemistry nerd and wants all of his dogs to be named after the periodic table of elements... (it's OK the laugh it's funny). So our new dog's name will be Titian which will be short for Titanium. He really wanted Tungsten but I have to remind him that his sister had called dibs on that one. :) If we would have gotten a girl, her name would have been Ruby... short for Rubidium...

We can't wait for our new puppy to be home and we can't wait to see how excited Mazda is! She lives to play, especially with other dogs!

Tonight we are going to Mudbugz in Valley with my Parents and brother to celebrate my dad's birthday back from May 5th, it's been a busy month in the Brandenburg family so it will be good to catch up. Now... I don't know a lot about Mudbugz but I'm expecting everything to be fried and injected with extra fat. It's OK, I have my game plan, I'm going to have all my fiber in before I go and keep my eating minimal today. Then I'm going to go from there. My mom will be in the same boat and I know we can make it work!

I hope your weekend is whatever you were hoping it would be!!

Shape Up or Ship Out!

What a Monday! Work is busier than ever which is good but also bad it feels like 4th quarter now... what's 4th quarter going to feel like ???? I'm already worried about it!

In health news... the next thing is hard to admit. At the beginning of this year my cholesterol was TERRIBLE. And by terrible I mean 260 (total)... my LDL has always been fantastic but my HCL CRAPPY. I resorted to medicine but in just 5 months and 50+ pounds and medicine. I've brought it down to 165 (total) . I'm pretty happy with myself. My LDL is 81 which I guess is good too.
I'm so embarrassed to have to tell you how high it was but... this blog is about my experience and I want to make sure if someone is reading this out there with this same issue, they see that it can be fixed! The plan is to continue on the medication for now I suffer from both sides of my family from bad cholesterol. All I can keep in mind is that I'm doing something about it!

Today at work started the "Shape Up Challenge" It's a 12 week program to increase your daily steps walked. They say that most people are between 2000-4000 per day and they want us to work up to 10,000 by the end of this all. The thing about this is... the day isn't over and I'm at 9515 steps... so I guess I have my work cut out for me for more than 10k! Look out LFG I'm gonna be the WINNER!

That's all for tonight... I need to get rid of my hiccups!!
Tuesday night is for volleyball! maybe we will win?

Minus 2!

I'm down another 2 lbs! Yay! That's 54.4 total :) Happy weekend! What a week! I picked up some sort of virus that acts like strep that isn't strep as you know and I'm still fighting of the sore throat from that. I went to the Dr. this morning to get my blood drawn to check my cholesterol and stuff... hoping that all comes back better than ever of course!

We are dog sitting my family's dog Zoey. She is OLD like 15/16 years old and I just get so sad knowing this is what I have to look forward to. She pooped in my car!!! WTF Zoey? not cool!

Today I'm trying out a HG recipe, slow cookin' bbq chicken!
In your crock pot mix:
1c tomato sauce
1/2 c ketchup
2 TBS and 2 tsp of brown sugar (not packed)
2 TBS and 2 tsp of cider vinegar
2 tsp garlic powder

Add 1.5 lbs of chicken breast. Cook on low for 7-8 yours or high for 3-4 hours.
Once chicken is cooked remove and shred and add back to slow cooker to absorb sauce.

I'll let you all know how it is. Makes 7 servings.
For about 1/2c:
149 Cal
1g fat
462 mg sodium
10g Carb
<.5 g fiber
9g sugar
22.5 protein

I plan to serve with the Sara Lee 80 calorie hamburger bun w/ 6g of fiber OR make wraps w/ whole wheat tortillas.

Other than that today I still have to work out, take Mazda to school and work on laundry.

Hope you are all having a great weekend! :)

Case of the Mondays

SIGH

Although I did not have to work today we had to attend the funeral for Dave Grosserode.... we are to young to be burring our parents and this just isn't fair.... With that being said this is how God intended it and so it is. The Lord was ready for Dave to serve him and we know he will be reunited with his parents and nephew and that he will wait with open arms for the rest of his loved ones and shine upon them in the mean time....
On a light hearted note... Dave... 15 years of adoration and you didn't have any pull for some golfing weather today?? You have all girls and you know how they can be about their hair!

It's been cold and rainy here today which has NOT created great motivation but I will find it.
I'm also still battling whatever virus this is that sucks.

That is all for this dreary Monday. Wish my luck in my venture to "enter a new century" :)

Update

What a week....
Sorry it has been so long since my last post. A lot has happened this week.

I'm very sad to say that Tuesday morning some very dear friends lost a husband/father/friend. Dave Grosserode passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday morning. It has jolted everyone that knew him and the Grosserode family and my heart is breaking for them. Dave was an amazing faith filled man who loved his family, running, the huskers, golfing, and going out to eat,. He was an amazing example and inspiration as a loving father. I continue to pray every day for the Grosserode's and I know that the Lord will surround them with love through this difficult time. Please keep them in your prayers as the next few days will be hard but the road has just begun. Father's day will be hard, Heather's wedding will be hard, birthday's will be hard. Hopefully the prayers we lift up for them will help support them through these days. If you guys are reading this I love you all so much and I'm hear of you whatever you need. Stir fry night to follow soon... and of course lettuce wraps for the appetizer bowls :P

The stress of the week took a toll on my body. Wednesday I had a massive headache that made me sick to my stomach and Thursday evening I got a sore throat, Friday I felt like death and actually had a fever which I haven't had since I had the flu as a Jr. in college, and before that I was a freshman in high school. Dr. at the quick care confirmed that I don't have strep, just a virus and said that my prescriptions were for unlimited Popsicles and sleep. Not gonna lie... that lady is my new BFF... unlimited Popsicles and sleep??? HELLOOOO!

I'm feeling much better today and I'm happy to report that I lost 3 lbs this week for a total of 52.4 :) I'm taking it easy until this after noon when Mazda has her first day of school for K9 elementary through the Nebraska Humane Society !!!!

We will also be cleaning this nasty house so that our friend Matt can come and visit... he is coming for Dave's funeral, not the circumstances we want to see him under but none the less, we are glad to have him as a guest.

Thanks for reading. Let this be a reminder to hold those you love close and never let them forget how much you care. Life is precious and it can be taken from us at any time. We are never given more than we can handle and Jesus will hold us through the hard times and support us through the happy times.

Love,
Sarah

Back in the Game!

Back to the swing of things!

This was a tough week. I had to make myself exercise and eat with in my calories all week and I had no ambition or motivation. It resulted in only loosing 1 lb and left me .6lbs sort of my 50 lb by May 1 goal. I did cheat and weigh myself this morning and I'm easily at 50lbs now but that's not what counts. I didn't deliver on the small goal I had set for myself and it's due to my lack of motivation this past week. I've had some time to contemplate where I need to give more and the answer is simple.... stop making excuses and just get back on track.

A ton of people are starting to notice my weight loss... family, friends, coworkers... even people I don't really know at work. IT's a great feeling when they ask me how I'm doing and I love to tell them "by watching how many calories I intake, increasing my fiber and water intake and working out 30-60 mins every day" Sometimes they are excited and want to know more... some of them almost look disappointed it's not a magic pill/shake/protein bar... and may say the following phrase.... "Good for you... I really just don't have the time to do all that stuff in my life..."

Part of me feels like the last phrase is a slap in the face to all of the people who do make time. Everyone has commitments, everyone has battles, struggles, and "stuff" going on... It's up to you to make the time to decide that you are worth 30-60 mins a day and the time it takes to track/plan your meals.... You really are. And if you ask TD I bet he know 100 people just as buys as these sorts of people above think they are... but they are doing it. I know 2 mothers of 2 with FT jobs and someone in sales that works a TON and has a small independent business of her own doing this diet right now... and they are doing it so in my opinion anyone can do it if they let themselves be open to the idea and ask for help and support from their families.

The second thing I've been thinking of is... This life style change is about making me the healthiest happiest person I can be because when I'm healthy and happy I feel like I"m the best I can be for my friends and family. I'm not only making this change for myself, I'm making it so that when I decide to have children I am in the best condition I can possibly be in to promote a healthy, happy pregnancy and have the energy and stamina it takes to do all the things I dream of doing wight our future children.

This was more evident than every this past week. We got an e-mail requesting we work 5 hours of over time this week which really threw a wrench in my schedule. I know it doesn't seem like a lot but the past week I felt like with everything else I had going on there wasn't anything more I could take on. Because I got this idea in my head my progress suffered but I'm back in the game this week.

I have decided there will be no more mini gals... a loss is a loss and i"m just going to let it happen. for me it put to much pressure on me and I let myself down. The fact that I'm doing this is a huge accomplishment. I just need to let it happen.

I'm recovering from my grandma's 80th birthday party. We had a great turn out and it was nice to see everyone come out and celebrate with her. I'll post a picture later and it will actually be a nice picture where I've cleaned up a bit! Today is just cleaning the house and getting Dyson back from the doctor (Mazda ate the cord). And preparing for the work week and a great weight loss week.

I'll leave you with this...In 14.5 weeks I've basically lost 50 lbs... that is about 3.44 lbs per wee and that's pretty darn fantastic.

I hope this post finds you working towards your goals whatever they may be and remembering that even when it seems like it's to hard to get there... it wasn't hard all of the weeks before so it's going to be ok, you'll get through it... I did!