5 on Friday First Timer

Before I get to my first 5 on Friday.  I have good news...I lost 1.4 pounds this week.  I am still up about 17 pounds from my October low, but I feel like I am gaining momentum again. I am cautiously optimistic that this could be a sign that I am breaking through the miscarriage grief, holiday feeding frenzy and I can't do this attitude I am have been struggling with for the last couple of months.

I am excited to try something new on my blog today. I have enjoyed the 5 for Friday posts on all different types of blogs. Although this blog is essentially about my quest to lose my puppy (code for lose weight) I do include quite a few random things. I am convinced out health/fitness journeys can not be separated from all the other areas of our lives.

++ ONE ++

For the past week or so, the black birds have been flying over our area in droves.  Every day, I must see millions as my drive home from work seems to perfectly coincide with their flight path and timing. Seriously, I can drive a couple of miles in the opposite direction of their flight and they are still coming. It is crazy!

++ TWO ++

I know I should stop myself from saying this...but I just can't. Millie has been really good about not chewing up everything I own the past few weeks. I am starting to believe the dreaded puppy chewing stage might be coming to an end. We have always crated her when we leave the house. We have now started leaving her out when we will be gone for brief periods of time. She has been a perfect angel - as far as we can tell. Beware.  Don't try to break into this house. We have a big mooshy Rottweiler on the loose. Truth is I seriously wonder if she would even bother to get off the couch if there were an intruder.

++ THREE ++

A nearby town holds a gingerbread house contest every year and then the "houses" are displayed in the windows of downtown stores. Every time I see them I want to enter the next year, but then I forget until it is too late. Could this be the year? Could I really compete at this level?

++ FOUR ++

One of my favorite memories from this holiday season was the 1000 Piece Puzzle Off. My niece stayed with us for a couple of days and she loves puzzles as much as I do. We decided to have a competition to see who could put together a 1000 piece puzzle the fastest. Conveniently, my husband had bought me these puzzles for Christmas. It was on!! We spent hours chatting and puzzling.  In the end, my 12 year old niece smoked me by about 80 pieces. There will be a rematch....

++ FIVE ++

I ordered these adorable Ninja Turtle and pizza slice cookies from a local bakery. They make the cutest cookies. I dream of being able to work icing like this. We got them for a family going through one of the worst ordeals imaginable. Their 6 year old son (lover of Ninja Turtles) has been fighting liver cancer since last spring. He has undergone surgery and many rounds of chemo. His fight has been heartbreaking and his family inspirational.

UPDATE:
I wrote this post last night and was proofreading it this morning. I don't really want to change it, but a serious amendment is necessary. Sometime last evening while I was writing this post or my husband I were watching our show "number two" became null and void. I walked into the bedroom to get ready for bed and there was one of my Brooks Adrenaline shoes on the bed - chewed. The very same shoes I had worn earlier to take that ungrateful puppy for a walk. She picked it up in one room, took to her crate (as evidenced by lace pieces) then brought it to the bedroom. Yes, I know it is my fault for leaving them out. I honestly didn't think about it when I took them off...she had lulled me into a complete, and unfortunately false. sense of security. That puppy is supposed to be helping me get fit...not sabotaging my gear. I was too angry last night to examine the shoe closely, but I am hopeful that I might be able to salvage it (at least to put a few more miles on that pair). The inside of the tongue has the most damage and one of the eyes at the top has been chewed off. Unless, I can't get them laced well or that tongue damage rubs my foot when I walk, I will suck it up and wear them. Shoes are too expensive to replace of at the whim of a naughty puppy.  On a side note, why is it always my stuff Millie chews???

I am hoping to have a relaxing, yet productive weekend.  What are your plans?

Fitbit Fail??

If I keep this up I am going to become known as the needy Fitbit blogger. Please bear with me. I set a goal this week to walk 10,000 steps each day. I have to be honest, it hasn't been as difficult as I expected...until today.  I have had this nagging feeling when I am reading about all the activity people do to get in their steps that something wasn't right. I have an office job so there are not a lot of steps involved.  We have a small house and it doesn't take very many steps to move about the house.  

Earlier in the week I had an incident at Walmart. I had taken a couple of purposeful laps around the store and didn't get as many steps as I expected. A reader confirmed that pushing the cart kept my arm still and therefore, would have affected the effectiveness of the Fitbit on my wrist. I started to think if that were the case maybe my Fitbit was tracking steps from my arm motion when steps weren't being taken...for example, when I am doing dishes or brushing my teeth.  

I decided to experiment by putting the Fitbit on my left wrist. My thought was that I do less with my left hand so my results wouldn't be as skewed. Today was the first day I made the switch and suddenly getting all the steps in seems a greater challenge. 

Today that meant many trips down this hall...

 Laps around this table and back down the hall I went...over and over.

For a change of scenery I went up to the second floor and down this hall. I forgot to take a picture of the the turnaround point upstairs. It is different...a much smaller room with a smaller table. Ten straight minutes up and down the hall.  I don't think I can make myself do that every day.

Twice this week I have come home from work, in the door, changed shoes and headed straight out for a little walk with Millie. I knew if I didn't do it immediately I wouldn't do it.  And I really didn't want to fail my 10,000 step challenge!

Today Millie was a little distracted by the squirrels enjoying the 40+ degree weather.

I was a little distracted by the geese. They were headed north...did the 40+ degrees confuse them??

The reminds me of one of my favorite factoids.  When geese are flying in a V do you know why one side is always longer than the other?  Because there are more geese in it.  Yep, I can hear your groans from here...and that makes me smile :)

Someone also suggested putting the Fitbit in my pocket and it would work off the motion of my hips (will I get more steps if I really sashay those hips?)  When I am at home I tend to wear pocketless pants (read lounge pants) so that isn't always an option, but I might try doing that during the day at work.

Last night I had to finish the last 800 or so steps by marching in front of the tv while we watched our show. My husband found that a little amusing.  I might have to do a little of that tonight.  As I write this I have about 1000 steps left for the day...even after all that hall walking, Millie walking, etc.  

 

I will admit, I may be abnormally consumed by trying to figure out the accuracy of my Fitbit.  But in the end, regardless of how many steps I am actually taking, I am clearly moving more intentionally throughout the day and that, I believe, is the point.

What does your Fitbit have you doing?

Fitting in the Steps

I don't weigh in until tomorrow. To be honest , my sneak peek at the scale indicates it won't be a great loss. Maybe because I have only been serious the last couple of days. However, I do feel like I am gaining momentum and never underestimate the power of Mighty Mo!

My goals for the week (Monday's post) are going well. I have been over 10,000 steps each day.  I made made healthy dinners (Monday - Chicken/Veggie Lo Mein and Tuesday - Turkey/Veggie Chili.)  The water has been more of a challenge...I think 100oz might be more than I need.


It isn't quite the same as getting up in the wee hours of the morning for 3 mile walks, but my Fitbit has me moving more throughout the day. Monday, I had to make a Walmart run on my lunch hour. While I was there I decided it was a good (warm) place to get in some steps - a couple laps around the perimeter of the store should make a dent in my step count. I was surprised that it didn't help me nearly as much as I anticipated. Apparently, pushing a cart kept my arm from moving as I walked and therefore Fitbit didn't record all my steps. Oh well, counted or not, I got in some extra activity. By the way, this is not my husband - just a random stranger who has no idea I appear to be stalking him and posting pics of him on my blog.

Yesterday, I wanted to get in some of my steps at the office, but there were extra people in the office and I felt too self-conscious to walk up and down the hall like I had the day before.  I spent the entire drive home from work debating with myself whether or not to take Millie for a quick walk. I am happy to say "Good Me" won and I took her. As soon as I walked in the door and before I had a chance to change my mind yet again, I grabbed her leash and headed out the door (without evening changing out of my work clothes.) While we were still in the driveway my husband called to say he was on his way home. I talked him into going with us :)

It seems pretty clear that Millie was done with the pre-walk photo shoot and waiting for my husband. She was ready to get going. 

We don't have snow, but I wanted to be sure that I conveyed it was really cold.

It must be pretty dull in the neighborhood this time of year. Our walk seemed to get every dog in town's attention. I have never heard or seen as many dogs as we did yesterday. I could not stop laughing when I saw this furball.  He was the cutest thing and I loved how he stood at the fence - so straight and tall. I wonder if he realizes how easy it would be for him to be free.

It got was home a little earlier than normal so it was still daylight. By the end of our walk the sun was setting. I can't wait for spring and to be back on a regular outside walking schedule. There is nothing better.

While I made dinner Silly Millie did some post-walk stretching. I wish I were that flexible.

Then this happened before my very eyes. 

I can't believe it took me until the middle of January to break out the oatmeal. I have been thinking about how good it would be for weeks, just not until later in the day. Blueberries were on sale yesterday, so cereal was on my mind for this morning.

Perfect warm deliciousness!

I loved the sparkly frost on the deck rail this morning. Unfortunately, by the time I got inside to get my "good" camera the sun had gone away, so I had to settle for this one I had snapped with my cell phone while waiting for the dogs to do their thing.

Sounds like a heat wave is moving in tomorrow...highs in the 40s.  Hopefully, that means more outdoor adventures for me :) 

Try Try Again

And that is why I am grateful that this is not skydiving. I was full of excitement and grand plans for the new year. Day after day I have come up with a new excuse for not really "starting." Here it is January 12 and I am taking another stab at it.

Last Thursday I signed up for a weight loss challenge at a local chiropractor's office. It is an 8 week Biggest Loser style contest. We will weigh in each week and the person with the highest percentage weight loss will get their entry fee money back. Then the three with the highest overall percentage lost at the end of the contest will win additional cash prizes. I admit, at this point, I am not thinking that I will be in competition for the overall winner. My goal is to get myself back on track, lose what I have gained over the last couple months and hopefully, at least win my entry fee back. 

I have three major goals this week:

1.  Prepare healthy dinners - I have been a bit of a slacker in this department. Not being prepared has lead to all kinds of unhealthy choices.
2.  10,000 steps each day -  I have been playing with my Fitbit for a week or so and now it is time to make it earn its keep :) 
3.  Drink 100 oz. water each day - This might be a little more than I need, but I want to flush my system of all the junk I have been eating lately.

Anyone else out there struggling to get this new year off to a great start?

Command Center

It is official - our house has a Command Center.  We decided to convert our little room into a computer room. It has previously served as a my craft room, a guest room (not the best since it doesn't have a door) and honestly, its greatest purpose has been a dumping ground.  We finally decided to take control of  it. I have been wanting my husband to have a space that reflected him and I think we have succeeded. (Please excuse the wacky coloring. It is so small and the light is minimal - every time I take a picture the walls seem to be a different color.) 

First order of business was to find a desk/table. We thought about asking my father-in-law to make one, but knew he had a few projects already going. We were eager to move forward so we decided to buy something. Looking for the right furniture for this room is the most (by far) shopping we have done as a couple in our 5 years together. As my husband has told me many times - women shop and men buy.  There were agonizing hours in several stores. We finally decided on two desks that would go against the one wall so we would be side by side. Despite our best efforts to accurately measure the room, when we put the desks together there was no way they were going to fit. It was very disappointing.  So back to Plan A - order a custom piece and be patient.

We wanted a very clean look with as much out of view as possible. After a couple of consultations, my father-in-law came up with perfect solutions.  The desk is built out of 3/4 inch birch plywood. All of the legs and "beams" are hollow to conceal wires.  As you can see everything is well supported. My father-in-law definitely knows what he is doing.

We didn't want the towers on the table top. But we didn't want them sitting on the floor either where a certain Rottweiler could bump them. Because we wanted to be able to sit side by side, but have space between us, we didn't want the towers to be take up too much space at the sides of the table. My father-in-law came up with a plan that has worked perfectly.  My tower is in a "box" that fits against the back wall under the table. Notice it is custom built to my tower with "breathing holes" for the fan.  He assures me that when I get a new computer he will make me a new box to its specifications.

All of my "permanent" accessory chargers (Garmin, phone, photo card reader) are plugged into USB ports on the back of the tower. When I need to use the ones on the front, I simply reach down and swing the box to the side. Yep, it is on handy dandy hinges and moves so smoothly.  When I am finished I just swing it back in place out of the way.

My husband doesn't mind reaching under desk the rare times he uses the USBs on the front of his tower so he has a permanent shelf in the back you can see on the left side in the picture below

I love the grain in the this wood.  The finish is three coats of tongue oil - it is so smooth. 

The room has been decorated specifically for a certain husband.  The pictures and giant action figures (or dolls as his mom called them) were birthday gifts.  And the Lego AT-AT was his Christmas gift.  The scale is a bit off - trust me the room is a tad too small for a life size AT-AT :)  FYI this pictures is probably the best representation of the true wall color.  In the future, we may paint it to be more man-cavish, but for now we do like the color - it just doesn't photograph well.

This is one happy husband - in his Command Center :)

Picture me blogging away (or Facebooking in this picture) under the watchful eye of a Storm Trooper.

Or occasionally under assault...

For my husband all is well as long as he doesn't look behind him.  I still have a bit of work to do on the shelves and cabinetry on the opposite wall. 

Now on a more health and fitness related note, I made a special effort to add steps to my Fitbit yesterday even though it was freezing cold.  I was inspired by a lady I saw out running on my way to work.  She reminded me of Meg who is  Running Just as Fast as She Can in Michigan.  I am so impressed with how she gets out for her runs despite the cold - way to go, Meg! I didn't have my walking shoes, but I did have my new boots (Christmas gift from my sister).  Speaking of my boots - I am proud to say I have had them for two weeks and Millie has not chewed them up yet :)  Good puppy!

There is a small park not to far from my work. The lap around the "lake" is .4 miles.  Because it was cold and I ddin't have the right shoes, I only did 2 laps. It helped me get get to 8282 steps for the day :)  And I enjoyed the view.

I confess I recently had Chinese food...I know not the most calories friendly food. My fortune cookie might have been worth the calories though. I do love a good vague fortune that I can be applied to almost anything. I am choosing to apply this particular fortune to my weight loss/fitness and to our "other" project :)  Stay tuned.

Keep up the good work...we will all be rewarded!!


I hope it is okay that I am linking today even though I don't have a weigh-in to share.  I am starting a contest tomorrow and am going to start using that as an official weigh-in.  More on that next time.

Fitbit Trial Run

I asked for one thing for Christmas - the Fitbit Flex.  My husband came through. - I got the Fitbit plus three extra bands. He also stuffed my stocking to overflowing with other goodies :)

My husband teases me that I am not as tech savvy as I think I am. This Fitbit might be showing me that he is a little right (but I will deny I wrote this post - Blogger gets hacked all the time, right??)  First, it was several days before I even took it out of the package. To prepare myself, I watched a couple of YouTube videos on how to set it up. And I still have a few issues...more on that in the "help me" section of this post.

Day 1 - 2863 steps - (Friday) I didn't get it set up until around 11 a.m. and I was a work all day (at my sedentary job).

Day 2 - 5792 steps - (Saturday) Most of my steps were in the morning. A friend and I went on an early morning outdoor photography expedition. We were practicing our skills in the cold January rain...don't judge :) The afternoon/evening involved quite a bit of couch time engrossed in binge watching a new (to us) tv series.

A few pictures from our cold rainy morning photo session.

Day 3 - 5282 steps - (Sunday)  Not sure how I got this many steps. I spent the morning sitting at a cheerleading competition, 3 hours in the car and more hours watching NFL playoff football and our show.

I borrowed this picture my brother-in-law took...hope he doesn't mind :)

Day 4 - 5003 steps and counting - (Monday)  Back to work! I did a bit of extra walking around testing the step counter. Turns out it is 42 steps from my desk to the back door.



The first few days I just wanted to see what my normal activity looked like. Tomorrow it is on like Donkey Kong. I will be intentionally taking extra steps to move the numbers on my Fitbit. It is ridiculously cold here this week so there probably won't be outdoor walking for me. I am going to get out my Walk Away the Pounds DVDs for some indoor walking - I wonder if those will work for my step count. 

Help Me - a few questions for those of you in the know

Can you get the Fitbit wet? I have been hyper concerned about it getting water splashed on it. I don't want to be constantly taking it off - I know I will forget to put it back on at some point. 

What does Fitbit consider very active minutes?  My best so far is 5 minutes. Granted I haven't tried, but I am curious if my "walking for exercise" will be considered active enough.

What is the calories burned section based on?  I know 3900 steps does not equal 1100 calories.

One of the features I was most excited to try was the sleep monitor. The first night worked great I slept 5 hours and 56 minutes - the time time frame was correct and it showed 14 restless times during the night.  The next two nights it went crazy. Maybe it got confused by my "couch coma".  It has me "sleeping" from 12:21p until 4:22a - pretty random times. The first night I didn't tell it to start logging sleep - I guess it just knew.  Last night I specifically asked it to start logging sleep - clearly, I didn't do something right. It said I was sleeping from 1:19p until 5:20a.

I am going to do some research on these issues, but in the meantime if you have any tips you could throw my way I would appreciate them :)