Many people in this competition say they want to win because they want to be healthy and live long for their kids' sakes. Bruce and I don't have any children. We only have each other. And, we want to get healthy and live long for each other. We are not only husband and wife, but also best friends. I think we'd each be lost without the other.

We both lost our fathers at young ages and fear that if we don't do something drastic to get into a healthy lifestyle, we won't live long enough to cash in our 401K.

I have high hopes that having a personal trainer will lead us down the path to longevity. I can even envision becoming a personal trainer myself some day. Wouldn't that be a cool career change -- earn a living and actually make a difference in the lives of others.

Our plan to win is to follow the Weight Watchers points food plan, exercise in our home gym (weights, treadmill and stationary bike), and keep each other motivated by keeping our long-term goal of health and longevity in mind.

This is our "before" photo.  In our "after" picture, we hope to look like Bob and Jillian!

Bruce has lost 22 pounds since our journey to health began.  I've lost 10.  Yes, I'm a bit jealous of his success, but I'm also very happy for him and also the fact that I'm going down in size, rather than up.

Over the next 30 days, I'm planning on giving it my all-out!  I know that Spring is right around the corner, soon followed by summertime and I want to be in good enough shape to feel comfortable in shorts and a bathing suit.

So, this post will be short because the treadmill is calling me.

Hope everyone in this challenge is feeling as motivated as I am right now.

Cheers,

Sharon

Planning a last minute business trip to Orlando has me scrambling for summer clothes that fit.  Instead of spending Friday traveling, I'm going to spend it at the pool and travel on Saturday.  The only problem is that I don't fit into last summer's cute crop pants, shorts or tops. 

I thought about using the Kohl's gift certificate I received for Christmas to buy a new pair of shorts, but I'd really like to save that for a reward when I reach my goal weight.

So, I dug through all of my summer clothes and found one pair of shorts that still fit.  Funny, I almost gave them to Goodwill when I cleaned out my closet, because they were way too big, but I hung onto them for some reason.

But, the tight clothes panic gave me a renewed enthusiasm for getting back on the treadmill and sticking to my diet!

What a bad week for me and what a great week for Bruce.

Bruce's new job has him walking almost constantly for his entire 8-hour shift.

My knee, acting up from a December fall on an icy sidewalk in Chicago, has kept me from walking at all

He's down six pounds this week and I'm up four pounds.

I'm very happy for him.  I hope to get back on track soon... before I gain back everything I've lost so far!!!

I ate all of the celery, but I was still hungry. 

Dang... so many chicken wings; so little willpower on Superbowl Sunday!

I'm going to have to walk home to work off all these calories. 

It took six hours by car to get to the Superbowl party.  Might take a couple weeks to walk home.

This week's business trip took me to Memphis, TN.  Now, this was my third trip to Memphis, and on my two previous trips, I didn't see anything other than the airport, hotel and my client's office. (People who don't travel for business think business travel is fun and glamorous.)  

I don't mind business travel, especially if I get a chance to experience something of the local culture.

I've heard that Memphis is famous for Elvis, blues music and ribs.  I've seen the signs for Graceland on my travels from the airport to the hotel, but it's always been too late to go for a visit. 

The last time I went to Memphis, I tried to find a ribs restaurant but ended up in a shady part of town and was afraid to get out of the car.  This time, I did a bit of Googling in advance and tracked down a variety of restaurant options in the Beale Street area.  My flight got in around 7:30pm and by the time I got downtown and found a parking space it was about 8:30pm.  I asked the parking lot attendant to point me to Rendezvous Ribs, the restaurant President Bush ate at in Memphis.  To my disappointment, he said the place was closed on Mondays. 

I looked down the street and saw BB King's and Blue's City Cafe and decided to try the latter.   It turned out to be an excellent choice.  I had a half slab of ribs, cole slaw and baked beans.  I passed on the french fries and garlic toast.

Based on my newly-learned skills to measure approximate portion sizes with every day items (six-ounce serving of meat is about the size of your fist), I estimated the meat on my ribs was about one serving; maybe less.  And, the ribs were grilled so a majority of the grease had already cooked out of them.  Plus, I'd already walked about 20 miles through the Chicago and Atlanta airports (somewhat of an exaggeration).

If it sounds like I'm trying to justify my meal choice; I am. 

But, bottom line, I got on the scales this morning and I'm down about a half pound from my pre-Memphis weight.

Now, if my client will just sign the contract, I'll consider the trip a total success!

I don't think they exist in Elkhart, Indiana.  Oh yea, every fitness club in the area tells me they have professional personal trainers, but they're lying!!! 

I joined a club a few months ago and on day one I asked to meet with the trainer for an orientation.  "Oh, we don't really do that." I was told.  Um... do you have anyone here that can show me the machines, I asked.  "Yea, the guy who works tomorrow night can help you."

I met Bubba the next evening, excited to learn some sort of routine that would help me get in shape.  Bubba asked me about my fitness goals.  I took that as a good sign that some sort of a plan-of-action was forthcoming.  I told him I wanted to lose weight and tone up so I wasn't so jiggly.

Bubba advised me to walk on the treadmill.  Well Bubba, I thought, I have a treadmill at home.  I paid for a membership here so I could learn exactly how to get my body into shape. 

What I said was, "You guys have all of these different machines here, can't I use some of them to help get me in shape?"  Bubba showed me a few different weight machines.  I asked about reps and the amount of weight I should be pushing.  He just told me to do whatever felt right.  I asked if I should do the weight machines every night or every other night.  Again, he said I should do whatever feels right.  Dang... that can't be right. 

I really want to win this competition because I sooooo want someone to help me figure out what to do.  I have just about every book, tape and machine that exists.  I just need a game plan.  It's a bit overwhelming trying to figure out the best way to move forward.  For now, I've settled on the treadmill and my Thin Thighs in 30 Days routine.

I received the email below this week from both a co-worker and my cousin.  It's so funny I thought I should share it here.  I don't think Jillian or Bob will appreciate the humor 

A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM   (worth reading to the end)
This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine.

Dear Diary,
For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me.  Although I am still in great shape, since being a high school football cheerleader 25+ years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.

I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.  My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started!  The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

• MONDAY:
  Started my day at 6:00 am. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blonde hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!  Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!
• TUESDAY:
  I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the
  treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT!! It's a whole new life for me.
• WEDNESDAY:
  The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why in the heck would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other crap too.
• THURSDAY :
  Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being over an hour late. It took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom.  Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.
• FRIDAY :
  I hate Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it.  Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the darn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher.  Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?
• SATURDAY :
  Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.
• SUNDAY :
  I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little dear-heart) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

Bruce went with me to the grocery store this evening and he actually took the time to read the nutrition labels before he added food to our cart.  

He wanted to get some lunch meat.  After he read that one slice of bologna had 170 calories, he opted for the sliced turkey instead.

He wanted some Lean Pockets until he saw the fat content.  He selected the light garlic toast over the garlic toast with cheese. 

This is the first time *ever* that we've made it out of the store without a can of Spam or a package of Little Debbie Nutty Bars mysteriously making their way onto the checkout lane and into our shopping bags. 

I took a quick business trip to Charlotte this week.  I had every intention of sticking to my diet.  I packed two oatmeal bars to have as snacks on the plane trip to and from North Carolina.  A much better choice than the oversized and fattening snacks they serve on the plane.

On the way down there, I had lunch at an airport restaurant.  A side salad with balsamic vinaigrette was the healthiest option on the menu.  Dinner was at the restaurant next to the hotel and I had salmon and green beans.

It was around 9pm by the time I got back to my hotel room and I had to work on my presentation for Wednesday's meeting so there was no time to visit the workout room.  I was pretty proud of myself for not eating the bag of Doritos and candy bar that Marriott's management staff left on my desk.  Why in the heck would they think that is a good idea.

Wednesday's breakfast included fresh fruit and a light yogurt.  So far so good.  It was Wednesday's lunch that threw me into a tail spin. 

I looked over the lunch menu at Ruby Tuesday's searching for something... anything that was light and healthy.  Three out of four of us selected the same chicken salad. 

Seemed to be a great choice until they brought the salads to the table.  About a cup of salad covered with walnuts, bacon, "lightly" fried chicken, and about a half pound of cheese.  Nobody, even in their wildest imagination, would consider this a healthy salad. 

One of my lunchmates explained to me the difference between fried and lightly fried.  Lightly fried, at least in North Carolina, means the chicken is cooked floating on the top of the grease, where a regular fried chicken is held under the grease until there is no grease left in the vat because it's all been absorbed into the chicken.

My stomach was rather upset the rest of the day.  I stepped onto the scale this morning and was up two pounds.  I'm hoping that, by tomorrow, my system will be back to normal and maybe I'll see that the gain was just a blip from sodium overload and I'll be back down to my pre-business trip weight.

While I was gone, Bruce did pretty good on his diet.  He pulled a deer steak out of the freezer and prepared that with a big salad.  Tomorrow is our "official" weigh-in.  I'm hoping for the best for both of us.

I found a box of Sugar Free Black Cherry Jell-O in the pantry this morning so I mixed it up.  It's 4pm now and I made my way to the refrigerator to see if that jiggly goodness was ready for me to devour! 

Oh, yea... it's ready alright.  I took a quick look at the nutrition label... only 10 calories per serving; 4 servings per box.  So, I'm eating the whole thing!  No guilt, all pleasure.

Oops.  Sorry, Bruce.  Did you want some of that???

I thought Baked Lay's Potato Chips were a safe bet for satisfying my craving for something salty and crunchy.  They offer these at Subway as their healthy alternative to regular potato chips. 

I took a close look at the nutrition label of three different types of Lay's Barbecue potato chips at the grocery store yesterday and found Lay's Light are a better choice. 

So, don't always trust the front of the packaging... even if "0 trans fat" is shown in bold type.

Lays Barbecue Potato Chips

• 150 Calories
• 10 grams fat
• 1 gram fiber

Baked Lay's Barbecue

• 120 Calories
• 3 grams fat
• 2 grams fiber

Lay's Light Barbecue

• 75 Calories
• 0 grams fat
• 1 gram fiber

Here's another one of my favorite recipes. It's good for either lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces uncooked linguine

• 1 pound medium shrimp, cooked and peeled

• 1 bag Dole Classic Romaine Salad Mix

• 2 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

• 1/4 cup lime juice

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 6 chopped green onions

• 2 1/2 teaspoons Splenda

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Preparation
Do not break pasta in half (it makes it too hard to get onto your fork after the slippery dressing is added). Cook pasta in boiling water 9-1/2 minutes. Drain, and cool.
Combine pasta, shrimp, lettuce, and peanuts in a large bowl; toss well.

Combine lime juice and remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over pasta mixture, tossing gently to coat.

Yield: 2 servings

This is a variation of a recipe from Cooking Light, MARCH 1998

I celebrated my birthday this week and successfully maintained my healthy eating.  The trick is planning ahead. 

Lunch With the Girls
A group of girlfriends always gets together to celebrate each other's birthdays.  I selected the restaurant -- one with a large salad bar.  Lots of veggies, cottage cheese, fresh fruit and water to drink.

Cake at Work
Usually, at work, we have a birthday cake or some other snack.  I made an Angel Food Cake with strawberries and fat free Cool Whip.  Not only did this allow me to stay within my daily allocated Weight Watchers points, but everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did.

Dinner Out
I belong to the Red Lobster Fresh Catch Club and received a birthday email with a $5 discount coupon with the purchase of two adult dinners.  It's easy to stay on a diet at Red Lobster as long as you don't fall victim to their Caesar salad and Cheddar Bay Biscuits.  I ordered baked flounder, a plain baked potato, and the dinner salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  My only splurge was tarter sauce.  Their tarter sauce tastes more like coleslaw.  But, even with the splurge, I stayed within my daily calorie limit.

I walked a mile in the treadmill tonight and I FEEL GREAT!  It's been a while since I've gotten these muscles moving and instead of complaining, they're actually jumping for joy.

My trick to keeping focused while I'm on the treadmill is I watch my Leslie Sansone - Walk Away the Pounds videos. 

I started with the one-mile walk tonight.  Hopefully, by next week, I'll have worked my way up to the two-mile video.  I also have the three-mile video, but I've never walked to that one.  Maybe someday soon.

Leslie has a class full of women walking in place, while I walk on my treadmill.  She has a warm up, cool down and stretches.  And, during the walk, the women in her class are also moving their arms.  I follow them as I'm on the treadmill and feel that I'm getting a better workout than if I was just walking. 

I remember learning, somewhere along the way, that you shouldn't hold onto the hand rails while you're walking on a treadmill.  If you keep your arms moving, you'll use up more calories.

After I did my mile walk, cool down and stretches (she does the stretches after the walk because, she says, your muscles are nice and warm and pliable), I rested for about five minutes and then did Day 1 of Thin Thighs in 30 days routine.

I bought this booklet more than 10 years ago and every time I get back into a fitness routine, I pull it out and do the full 30 days.  There are six different leg exercises, and a set number that you have to do each day, along with your walking.

The best thing I learned from this book is to do the movements as if you are on a stage and a crowd of people are watching you.  That really helps me focus on doing each movement correctly, instead of just slamming through them, sloppily, to get them done.

Bruce worked out on our Joe Weider gym today.  I'm sure he's going to be sore tomorrow!  This machine is about 15 years old, but still as effective as ever.  It has a station for each major muscle group.  It has one station where you lift yourself up with your arms bent and then lift up your legs.  You really have to have some major ab muscles to do it.  I got to the point last year where I could pull myself up and lift up my knees so my upper thighs were horizontal to the floor.  But, I couldn't take it to the next level to make my lower legs horizontal as well. 

We knew our exercise equipment was in the basement, we just couldn't get to it.  It's the only room in our house that is ever cluttered... mostly because it's out of sight.

Well, Bruce and I made it through the first week of our diets pretty well and, starting Monday, we want to start on our exercise program.  So, this evening, we cleaned the basement.

The trash guys are going to curse us this week, but we cleared out everything that was standing between us and our quest for physical fitness!

My plan for tomorrow night is to start with the treadmill and then move on to my Biggest Loser workout video. Bruce plans to start on the exercise bike followed by free weights and the weight machine.