Toystoryduo's Journal....Moving Forward From Here

[toystoryduo]

Thank you, ladies!

We had a really nice day today. We got some work done, I got some surveys, and we walked around the outlet mall for awhile. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Tomorrow, we'll probably head to the beach or maybe a waterpark. It's supposed to be pretty warm!

On Sunday, we'll go to church, meet some friends for lunch, and go to my DH's aunt's birthday party.

I weighed in this morning and could have cried. I gained 4 pounds last week! How is that possible? I will work on getting exercise in this weekend and drink plenty of water. Maybe that will flush some of the weight off.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

*************************************************

Linda- Thank God that you and your family is safe! That must have been so scary for you!

Lisa- Thank you so much for your good thoughts and prayers!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Tracy,

I am so sorry about your mom's current state, I will really pray for her, your dad and of course you. Are things any better the last few days? Just know we are all thinking about you in this very tough situation.

You and I frequently have so many parallels in life and your dh's job really brought to mind what Dan went through last summer all the way through the rest of the year. Being told he's more or less set with a company, doing background checks, yada yada only to have the whole thing fall apart. God did open a different door and its been a good one. I hope the same thing happens with you and your dh. Its such a weird, tough, impossible to predict job market right now. And so frustrating to think "awesome, we made it" only to find out "maybe not". God does have that plan for you and your dh and I can't think of two people who deserve His blessings more!

I love your ticker!!! I am so glad you were able to make this happen, what a great time you guys will have!

Lastly, don't despair. I know you can do this with your weight. Just remember there is no obstacle that you and your faith cannot overcome. You are such a strong and inspirational woman, I know you can and will do it! Just take it in small increments. Every journey truly does start with that first step.

Love ya friend! I'll miss you while I am gone and am so glad you guys will be at WDW sooner rather than later!

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks Amy! I hope you're having a WONDERFUL time in WDW!

I got quite a shock today.

I was reading my journal from August of last year and came across an entry that had my weight in it.

I've gained 15 pounds since last year!

Why? Stress, busyness, lack of focus, emotional eating, e.t.c. With all of the health issues I have had the past few months, I should have seen those as wake up calls and taken my health more seriously. I didn't though. I really, really need to lose weight, but most of all, I need to get healthy.

On Monday, I'm going to start Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds program. It's a 6 week program of walking, inspiration, and reflection. She suggests that you make exercise a habit before changing your diet. I think I'll stick to that. One change at a time.

Today's Plan:
* Surveys
* Work for DH
* Straighten the house up a bit
* Exercise

I am really looking forward to our trip in September. I know it will be a quick trip and we won't be doing the parks, but we'll have a chance to hang out as a family and just be.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

 

[DisDee]

Hi Tracy,

I like your idea of tackling one goal at a time. Where did you find the Leslie Sansone program? Our Comcast system has a couple of her walking workouts, but not the total program. I Wish you much success with it!!!!!

Those wake-up calls are tough to deal with but remember you are not alone.

 

[eyor44]

Hey Tracy. How's it been going? How are you feeling lately? Since you haven't mentioned it, I have been hoping that you haven't had any more stones. Yes, your health is so important. I too like the idea of getting into an exercise routine first. One change at a time.

How is your DH doing with the job cancellation? While we were all disappointed, I just can't imagine how he must be feeling.

I hope you have had some sunny days and nice weather to get out and enjoy after your cold winter and crazy spring.

Tracy, I just realized that you are going for free dining and yet, you aren't visiting any of the parks. Will you just be visiting other resorts and DTD to eat?

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks, Denise and Lisa!

We started Leslie's workout program on Monday. So far, it's going quite well. I got the program from her book, Walk Away the Pounds. It's a 42 day program of walking and walking using light weights. As each week goes on, she has you focus on things that are beneficial to your health. This week, she has you walk and take a multivitamin. Next week, she'll have you walk, take a multivitamin, and then keep track of water intake. Throughout the book, she posts motivation and health info. She also has you journal how you feel each day and a beautiful thing from each day. It's a great book!

Not too much to report...We're just plugging away on summer break and enjoying the down time. Please continue to pray for my mom and dad though. Sadly, there has been no improvement in my mom's condition because she continues to NOT be compliant with the plan her medical team devised for her.

Today's Plan:
* WATP Day 3
* Surveys
* Work for DH
* Disney Planning

We are under the 100 day mark for our Disney trip! After all of the stress with work, school, and the situation with my mom, we are really looking forward to some time away. I know it's only a few days, but I think it will make a huge difference!

With the free dining, we do plan on visiting DTD and the other resorts for our meals. We plan on eating at places like WPE, Earl's, and the QS locations at the Poly, the Contemporary, POR, ASMo, and POP. We'll use the park tickets that came with the package in December.

Well, that's about all from here. Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

 

[toystoryduo]

Good morning friends,

We had a really nice weekend! On Friday, we went to the beach and to Outback for dinner. On Saturday, we went to my grandma's house for a party and then to a friend's house for a party. On Sunday, we went to my parents' house to celebrate Father's Day with my dad.

Our first week on Leslie's WATP program went well. We logged in 6 miles and took vitamins daily. I also showed a 5 pound loss on the scale, but I suspect that was water weight from TOM. I'll take the loss though! This week, we'll be walking 9 miles and focusing on 8 glasses of water per day.

Today's Plan:
* WATP- 2 miles
* Surveys
* Work for DH
* Laundry
* Clean the car
* Start cleaning out the garage
* Baseball game?

We may be going to the Indians- Rockies game tonight. The weather forecast is kind of iffy so we're holding off on buying tickets until it gets closer to game time.

We are officially under the 100 day mark for our trip! Very exciting! We should have the trip paid off in the next couple of weeks.

Well, that's about all from here. Have a great Monday!

 

[toystoryduo]

I can't believe it's Wednesday already! This week is just flying by!

On Monday night, we went to the Indians/Rockies game. Even though the Tribe lost, it was a great game! We had a ton of fun! I couldn't believe how expensive the food and beverages were though!

Hot dog: $5.50
Bottle of Beer: $7.75
20 oz. bottle of soda: $5.50
Cotton Candy: $6.50

Yesterday, we got our walk in and I spent the day working on paperwork and budgets.

Today's Plan:
* Surveys
* Walk (unstructured walk day: goal=6,000 steps)
* Work for DH
* Work on cleaning the garage

We found a new way to save money for our Disney trips. On the dollar bill on the left hand side, there is a circle with a letter in it. If the letter is a "D", we put the dollar in our change jar. We call them our "Disney Dollars". It's a fun way to save money for our trip and the dollars really add up! The girls are constantly checking our money to see if we have one.

Well, that's about all from here. Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

 

[toystoryduo]

We spent 7 hours cleaning the garage yesterday and we're still not done! We did get a lot accomplished, but we still have a ways to go.

I woke up really tired and sore this morning. I did manage to get my WATP 2 mile walk in though.

Today's Plan:
* WATP- DONE
* Laundry- 1 more load
* Grocery List/Shop?
* Take a nap

Weigh-in is tomorrow and I'm not expecting a loss. We have had way too many carb heavy meals this week and I am feeling the bloat. I will push water today, but I'm not sure if it will make a difference on the scale tomorrow.

My DH deejays tonight (Yep, a Thursday wedding!) and he'll be taking some scrap metal/wire we found in our garage in to the scrap yard either today or tomorrow. More money for the Disney fund!

Well, that's about all from here. Have a wonderful day today, WISHers!

 

[DisDee]

Your garage cleaning inspires me Tracy! We purchased a new door last week and the guy is coming out today to do a visual check before the installation. I know he's going to tell us to clear some space so they can work. LOL! isn't it a great feeling when a room in the house gets cleaned out?

Good job on the WATP. I like Leslie's workouts-she seems more normal than many of the fitness experts.

Have a great weekend!!!!

 

[goldcupmom]

I can totally relate to the weight gain wake up calls & the mystery weight. WHY does this keep happening to us??.
I, too, love WATP. I think I have nearly all of the older ones. Haven't bought any in a few years, but I sure do like her.

Under 100 is GREAT! I have a feeling that time will fly for you.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Tracy, I love your new plan. That sounds like just what I need too! I was just writing in Densie's journal that I am tired of doing things that are too complicated but what I like about Leslie is that she makes it easier. Sometimes the hardest obstacles are overcome with the simplest of tools. Food for thought!

I hear you on baseball food. That is why we never do stuff like that and why I still swear that even though Disney is expensive its no more so than other similar stuff.

Be sure and go over to Coronado Springs and eat at Pepper Market! You will have a gratuity (won't be over $5) but their food court is awesome. We did that one evening, Dan got a steak, I got a steak burrito and dd got a pizza. Its all made to order and a huge selection. And they seat you, bring you your drinks and the food is served on real plates. Its almost as good as Wolfgang Puck Express!

Still praying for your mom and dad, glad you were able to go over to see your dad on Father's Day, I know that must have meant a lot to him.

I love your disney dollars idea! Every dollar counts.

 

[eyor44]

Hey Tracy. Sounds like you all have had a good couple of past weeks. Want to come do my garage now? I love the Disney dollar idea, that is great. Mind if I share that one with you?
I love the idea of WATP. That sounds like a really good program. I have been praying for your parents. I really hope your mom improves some.

Yay!!! for being under 100 days. Time will really begin to move now.

 

[toystoryduo]

Thank you, ladies!

The past couple of days have been relatively quiet here. I've been working for my DH, getting some surveys done, and getting my WATP workouts in. The weather has been beautiful too. Not too hot and not too cold.

Tomorrow's Plan:
* Surveys
* Grocery Shopping (what I didn't get today)
* Go to work with my DH (great mall near where he is working; no shopping, just browsing!)
* WATP (6,000 unstructured steps)

Weigh-in is on Friday and it's kind of iffy. I have eaten much better this week than last week, but my clothes aren't fitting any looser than they were before. My guess is that I am probably the same weight as I was last week. We'll see on Friday.

Thank you for your prayers for my mom and dad. Things remain the same. Please keep those prayers coming!

I am so looking forward to our trip! It's going to be a quick one without any theme park time, but it is much needed. Just over two months now!

Have a nice evening and a wonderful day tomorrow!

 

[goldcupmom]

Great job getting in the WATP. Hard to keep going if the scale doesn't cooperate, but I think we've learned that this ain't easy. Hang in there!

Glad you're having a better week. Have a wonderful 4th weekend!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Tracy, great job getting the walking in! I hope your weigh in went well, but if you didn't lose I bet you will see a nice one this week. Sometimes it takes our bodies a week or two to catch up to the hard work we are doing!

I hope enjoyed browsing at the mall, sometimes that is more fun than buying, no guilt!

Still saying prayers for your parents and so excited to see your ticker ticking down! I am so excited for you guys, who needs theme parks, its a whole world beyond the theme parks!

 

[toystoryduo]

Thank you, Julie and Amy!

I woke up this morning and weighed in. I am up .8 of a pound. I'm not going to sweat that small of a gain, but it really got me thinking...What EXACTLY do I have to do to lose weight? I had a good week. Lots of exercise and good eating and the scale shows a gain. How does that happen? I mean...I have at least 80 pounds to lose. How is it that some people can just start walking and lose a ton of weight from the word go? I have been on this program for 4 weeks now and I am only showing a 1.2 pound total loss. I just don't understand it.

Instead of drowning my sorrows in a bag of Taco Doritos (love those things!), I decided to get my workout in early. It was a WATP 2 mile DVD called, The Big Burn, that included intervals of walking and boosted walking or jogging. I sweat a lot and felt good afterwards.

Moving on...

Today's Plan:
* WATP (done)
* Surveys (1/4)
* Go to work with my DH
* Menu/Grocery List for next week

I ordered Zumba today. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift from my DH last year, but we just never ordered it. I found it for a great price today and went ahead and ordered it.

I've also decided that my reward for finishing Leslie's 6 week WATP program will be the purchase of her new walking system. I found it for a decent price on QVC this morning and will order it in two weeks when I finish the current program. It's better than rewarding myself with some of those Taco Doritos, right? LOL!

Please continue praying for my parents. My dad thinks there has been a tiny amount of progress, but thing are still pretty tough right now. I really appreciate your good thoughts and prayers for them!

Well, that's about all from here. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

 

[toystoryduo]

It's been awhile since I've posted. Where does the time go?

Things are going okay here. My DH is busy with work, the girls and I are getting ready to ease back into homeschooling, and I'm still exercising.

Tomorrow is my last weigh-in for Leslie's 6 week WATP program and Saturday is my last walk on the program. I'm not sure what I will do from here, but I know I will keep exercising. I feel soooo much better when I do!

My DH and I had a really good talk about finances last night. We have been tossing around the idea of canceling our Sept. trip and focusing more on getting some extra savings in the bank. For now, we'll keep the trip on the books. In the meantime, my DH has decided to work some overtime to bulk up our savings and we'll try de-cluttering the house and selling some stuff on eBay or Craigslist as well.

Today's Plan:
* Laundry
* Surveys
* Work for DH
* Dinner w/ DH for our anniversary; birthday shopping for DD8
* WATP- 3miles

I got my Zumba DVDs and toning sticks yesterday! I just love those workouts and now, I don't have to get the workout DVDs from the library anymore. Woohoo!

Well, that's about all from here. Hope everyone has a great day today!

 

[toystoryduo]

Good morning, friends!

We had a nice weekend here. My DH deejayed (Disney money!) and my aunt had my DD's birthday and my cousin's birthday at her house yesterday. It was so nice to see everyone! The food was delicious and my DD was very blessed with gifts and money.

We made a tough decision this weekend. We've decided to cancel our September trip. My DH and I have been talking about this for awhile now and we feel like this is the best thing for our family at this time. By canceling the trip in September, we'll:

* Save almost $200 on tickets. With the free dining, we had to purchase 2 day tickets for everyone. (3 adults, 1 child) With December's trip, we'll still do 2 days in the parks, but one day will be MVMCP and the other will be one day in Epcot. For our Epcot day, we'll only need 2 adult tickets and 1 child ticket because my DH already has his.

* We'll save $500 in car rental and fuel costs by not going in September.

* With the refund from Disney, we'll have our tickets for December covered, $150 back on our debit card, and $300 worth of Disney gift cards for food.

Plus, if I stay on track with earnings at SR, I'll have another $200 or more in Disney gift cards to add to the food budget for December.

We are kind of bummed about not going, but we are that much more excited about our December trip now. Plus, I get to re-plan and re-budget the December trip which is always fun!

Today's Plan:
* Laundry
* Workout- Zumba
* Surveys
* Work for DH
* Library

I finished Leslie's Walk Away the pounds program on Saturday. I lost 5 pounds and almost 5 inches in 6 weeks. The book calls for continuing the 6th week of the program pace for the next 3 weeks. I don't think I can do that. About a week ago, I hurt my knee and it still hurts despite elevation and ice. I will continue to workout, but my workouts will be more varied and probably, every other day until this knee heals.

Well, that's about all from here. Have a great day everyone!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Tracy, I think you made the right decsion but I know it was a tough one. Disney has gotten so darned expensive it makes it tough to justify more than one a year. And as you say, now you can take your longer December trip easier and have fun planning that!

So proud of you with your five pound/five inch loss. You really stuck with that and it paid off! So are you enjoying the Zumba? Can you tell me what DVD you got? I used to do Zumba at the gym but quit when I realized I was just too self conscious being the largest person in there week after week. But I do enjoy it and doing it in my family room would be easier on my pride!

Still praying for your mom and dad.