I think I can, I think I can....

So, I have hit a weight loss “plateau” for sure.  I have been working on this since mid-September and I have lost over 30 pounds in that timeframe.  I am THRILLED with that progress, for sure.  However, I still have a ways to go and have been a little “stuck” for the past couple of weeks. 

The most frustrating part of that is that I have REALLY upped my workouts.  I work out no less than 5 days a week and I have increased the intensity dramatically.  Today I decided that the only way to get over this hump is probably to really start COUNTING calories.  I mean, I don’t eat a lot by any stretch but seeing as how something is keeping me at the same weight I am at, I must be doing something wrong.  Hence, I have started a food journal to kind of keep myself in check and very accountable. 

I think I am going to have to go back to VERY limited carbs\sugars as well.  I seem to really lose faster that way.  It’s a journey, right?  I mean, we HAVE to eat…and sometimes making good choices in that department really sucks!   J

I am so very proud of my progress thus far, and I see such wonderful changes in this old body of mine.  That alone is very motivating!  Just want to keep the losses going so that I can get where I need to be and only have to worry about maintaining/keeping it off! 

Life is good though, I can’t complain.  If this is my biggest worry, I will take it!!!

To quote Thomas Jefferson: “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”

Darn tootin, Thomas J!!

Slap your mama Southern Style Coconut Cake....

My sweet husband LOVES coconut cake.  It is something that he and his Grandad had in common.  There was a lady in South Carolina that made them this amazingly moist and fabulous coconut cake and quite frankly it is the one "sweet" that I have seen him go crazy about! 

Hence, for Valentine's Day, I thought it would be a great gift to make him a homemade coconut cake that would rival his beloved South Carolina born one.  Of course, all good recipes start with a google search, right?  I googled "Southern Style Coconut Cake".  There were quite a few results and I filtered through them.  I was being picky because I wanted a special recipe.  One that was unique, flavorful, moist, FABULOUS.  I found that recipe.  It was a little bit labor intensive in that the frosting required more steps than most frostings I have encountered but the smooth texture and perfect flavor of the frosting made it worthwhile! 

Check it out....  http://tendercrumb.blogspot.com/2009/02/southern-coconut-cake-cake-slice.html

Hers is prettier than mine, but, that's ok.

You must make this recipe.  It is AMAZING.  Lily was eating it and she didn't even think she liked coconut and she yelled "MOM, THIS IS THE BEST CAKE I HAVE EVER HAD!  I CANNOT STOP EATING IT!"  Picture her 4 year old self with her grand-gesturing arms.  Pretty funny stuff.   The sugar hight she had afterwards resulted in a beautiful and hilarious dance show as well-BONUS. 


:)

Love love love

Today is Valentine’s Day!  Valentine’s Day truly is just a commercial driven retail fest for the most part.  However, there are couples out there who need it.  They need it because they need a reminder to show love to their partner, appreciate their partner and do something special for them.  For those folks, I think it’s a good thing.   I am lucky in that I have a husband who treats me like a treasure all the time.  It’s the greatest gift I have ever been given and I can’t put words on how grateful I am.  Love is beautiful.

It’s been a fun couple of weeks.  Let’s see, oh yeah—THE PACKERS WON THE SUPERBOWL!  That was pretty awesome.  Even if you are not a football fan, the Packers are such a great story this year.  They are this group of GREAT people who overcame so much adversity, injuries, etc.  They HAD to win to get in, and then win again, and then win again.  ..THEY DID IT.  It’s a great thing.  This talented bunch of fantastic human beings won the super bowl.  Who could ask for more?

A Super Bowl win was all I wanted for my 37^th birthday.  Funny, isn’t it?  J  However, to top that off, I got to go to Lambeau Field to celebrate that Superbowl win with my kids, some friends and 56,000 Packer Fans!  It was so much fun.  Lovely to hear and see how much the Packers really appreciate their fans.  Great time, definitely worth keeping the kids out of school! 

This past weekend was so nice and relaxing.  Had a nice dinner with Misti and Matt on Friday at the Next Door Pub in Lake Geneva.  Love that place!  Then on Saturday I tool Gracie and Lil to their swimming lessons and we hung out at home for the rest of the day.  Yesterday we took the kids and dogs over to Lake Geneva to walk around.  The Lake was still frozen solid so it was a great place for the dogs to run around and get some energy out.  It was Lola’s first time walking on a leash too, and she did FANTASTIC.  She wanted to stop and say hello to every passer by, but aside from that, she was perfect.  Sweet little booger!

Here are some pics:

This is me...on Frozen Lake Geneva--super happy and having fun!

Jason and the dogs...Aidan in the background.  Exploring the Lake!



Looking forward to a good week.  Gotta call the painter to get him scheduled to come paint my upstairs.  Guess I will have time to do that today since I am home, huh?  J

Today I am home with a sick kid.  Pretty sure Aidan has strep again.  Fever, sore throat, all that.  This could have inhibited my workout plan as there would be no lunch break to go to the gym.  Don’t worry though…I ran laps around the house.  Oh yes, I did.  Pretty funny.  Dedication, dammit!

Shrinking Violet......

By some miracle, I managed to lose another 1.5 pounds this month.  It truly is a miracle seeing as how I went on vacation this month, then I had football shin digs every weekend that included consumption of much alcohol and crescent roll wrapped foods!!  Don’t get me wrong, wrapping things in crescent rolls is true brilliance, but it is certainly NOT figure friendly.

I have to give the credit for this weight loss miracle to my recent workout adjustments.  I literally have begun training to run that 5k, and taking heavy duty workout classes, using the elliptical, zumba, etc.  I decided to “shake up” my body, CHALLENGE it.  If not for that, I probably would have gained weight this month with all the dang fun I am having!!  Fun is high in calories, people.  For real!!  J

Either way, I am more than happy with how far I have come since September.  I look back on how utterly in shape I was back in college.  I was SO in shape, yet I always felt like the fattest girl in the room.  I guess that technically I was the fattest girl in the room as the girls I hung out with were tiny little things.  However,   I barely ate and I worked out for hours on end.  I was as thin as I could get.  We gals get such a distorted image of how we “should” look.  It’s a shame.  I didn’t appreciate how HOT I was!  I do now though, that is for sure!  I was HOT HOT HOT!!  J

My goal this time around is certainly not to get back to my college shape because let’s face it, I am 37 years old (almost).  I just want to be the best version of me.  I want to feel as sexy as my sweet husband thinks I am.  I want to look at myself and see what he sees.   I want to be a runner again.  I want to run the 5K and keep on going.  I want to be as healthy as I can, and still enjoy life as I do.