Straight Talk From A 14-Year-Old

15 weeks of 20 weeks

weight today: gained one pound

total lost:8 pounds in 15 weeks

pre-work-out:

1 slice of Natural ovens bakery toast:90

1 tsp of Smart balance light butter:15

total:105

post work-out:

1/2 cup of oatmeal:150

1 tsp of sugar:15

1 tbl of powder creamer in tea:30

2 tsp of sugar in tea:30

total:225

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running total: 330

2 graham cracker sheets:140

1/3 cup of 1% milk: 40

some pretzels:20

total:200

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running total:530

1/2 cup of brown rice:85

4 oz tilapia fillet:100

2 tsp of Smart Balance light butter:30

almost 1 cup of Blue Bunny premium light ice cream:225

chocolate syrup:30

total:470

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running total:1,000

1 slice of natural ovens bakery bread:90

1 tsp of Smart Balance light butter:15

1/2 tsp of sugar:8

1 tbl of powder creamer on tea:30

2 tsp of sugar in tea:30

total:173

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running total: 1,173

Today's victory: Allow me to smile as I share with you the fact that my husband and I got ourselves out of bed at 5:15 a.m. this morning, made it to the gym in frigid temperatures, got our work-out done and were home by 6:45 a.m. I'm having some issues with wanting to eat like a bear today...but I'm working through that.

I was actually not feeling really tired when I got up. But, around 9 a.m. this morning, I felt like I was going to fall asleep right there. I was homeschooling our 7-year-old, working on the reading lesson and needed to close my eyes a few times.

The plan is to weight lift five mornings a week and then do my running in the evening or lunch. I've never been able to maintain early morning work-outs for an extended period of time, but my husband has. I'm feeling encouraged about succeeding because he, too, is committed to work-outs in the morning.

Fitness: Have already done my leg work-out, and plan on running five miles tonight.

Note on photo: This is what I wore for our family pictures last week

Straight Talk From A 14-Year-Old

Here's the scenario: It's New Year's Eve. I'm in the kitchen with our 14-year-old daughter, Darling Rose, putzing around. We had gotten our family pictures taken that day.

She begins to tell me how it is "so cool" (or something to that affect) that I'm looking so good. Not only do I have a great body, but I have a beautiful face...that she loved how I looked for our family pictures. She added that I should find a reason to stop in at her school sometime so that her friends can see her mother looking so beautiful.

I told her thank you and then, "Well, it takes a lot of hard work to look like this."

But, then I couldn't help playing a little devil's advocate. So, I said,

"Well, what if I got fat again and gained a bunch of weight?"

With a confused look so says," what?!?"

So, I clarified, "Would you still be proud of me if for some reason if gained a bunch of weight back?"

Folks, I realize this question is almost unfair to ask. It's certainly one that my husband would never answer. In fact, he would be careful about even saying the first comment so as not to set himself up to have to answer the second question.

But don't you think it's the question we always want to ask when someone gives us a compliment after we've lost a bunch of weight?

And, so, since it was my daughter and I was curious to see how she would handle herself in her answer...I asked the question.

So, she truthfully says, "Well, I would still be proud of you but I would want you to lose your weight. In gym class we learned that obesity is a choice. There are things you can control and things you can't, but weight is something you can."

I suppose I could have said more after that. That being overweight and then losing the weight can be one of the hardest things anyone will ever do. But I didn't. I just let it sit and voiced my surprise that the school's were teaching the kids that being overweight was a choice.

I don't think it's as simple, and as black and white as that. But her insight was interesting nonetheless.

And...well, it was nice to have her admiration.