Weigh In #4: Plus Size Bloggers Tracking Challenge: 4 Weeks to a Better You

Well, it is time for the final weigh in for February's 4 Weeks to a Better You challenge over at Plus Size Bloggers.   I am going to use my weigh in from yesterday as I know from last month's experience that my weight will be higher today because of it being that time of the month.  I figured it would be alright to use Sunday's weight because I started this challenge by weighing in on Sunday's when I was posting my Get Fit with Wii Fit posts.  I hope nobody feels this is cheating. I definitely noticed that this past couple of days I have been a lot more "nibbly" and it was the same last month.  I had read someone posting about munching during the PMS time of month.  Definitely seeing a pattern here.  And it is not psychological, because I didn't realize it was that time of the month until Saturday.  I am pretty irregular.

Anyway, no pictures this week of the Wii.  I couldn't find my batteries (We have rechargeable batteries and I can have 4 in the balance board while charging the others, but yesterday the one set came up missing.) so I had to use the ones from my camera and Steven's camera.

I have really enjoyed this month of Fighting the Fat over at Plus Size Bloggers.  Not only did I have the accountability, but she really shared some great articles.  I really enjoyed learning about the benefits of drinking green tea. I have added one cup of tea to my afternoon.  Definitely helps keep me away from snacking while waiting for/preparing dinner.  This time of day was definitely a bad time for me.  I also have found that if I am tempted to eat something I can drink a glass of water to help resist the temptation.  I was so happy when I noticed that I was not at all tempted by sweets when I was out shopping today.  Not saying everything in my cart was healthy, but I could look at the candy and just turn away without any sense of desire.

I am debating taking part in a get healthy challenge for the family that was in this current issue of Parents Magazine.  Every week there is just one thing to try to get healthier in the areas of fitness, nutrition, health and happiness.  There are 4 weeks worth of tips in this issue and there will be 4 weeks worth in the next two issues as well, for a total of 12.  I know it is important for the whole family to be healthy.  The girls do already take their turns on the Wii Fit in the mornings.  Usually doing things like the Free Step and Jogging.  Amelia loves to ask for the 2 player jog.  But Tabitha tries other exercises too, like Kung Fu and juggling.  Amelia says she can't do Kung Fu like 100 times a day.  Of course Steven has been participating in Plus Size Bloggers and my hubby gets on the WiiFit when he can.  It's definitely easier if everyone is trying to be healthy than trying to do this solo.

I am still waiting for my foot to feel better so I can get back up to the intensity of exercise I was doing.  Surprisingly, I discovered this morning that it actually hurts less to do my DVD than stepping for half an hour.  So that will become a daily exercise again.  And dancing around to the children's silly music is good exercise too.  I do know that I feel better, both physically and about myself when I get up and exercise in the mornings.

Starting weight Plus Size Bloggers Challenge: 248.2

Previous Weight: 238.5

Today's Weight: 237.7

Weight Loss This Week: .8 pounds

Total Loss Since started Challenge: 10.5 pounds

Total Loss since weight loss journey got serious on December 13th 2010: 24.2

January 12

February 16

I realize these dates don't correspond to the dates of this challenge, here is the latest picture:

Looking forward to next month's challenge

GIVEAWAY!! $15 CSN Stores GC

I am thrilled to be able to share with you my first giveaway on this blog!  CSN Stores contacted me recently and offered to give one of my readers a $15 Gift Code to be used at one of their many, many online stores.  If you have not yet heard of CSN Stores, I definitely recommend heading over and checking out what they have to offer.  Whether you are looking for baby supplies, home decor, office supplies, furniture, outdoor equipment, such as wood swing sets, or health and fitness equipment, I recommend you head on over and see what they can do for you.

I've been looking into a DVD that uses kettlebells to help with my weight loss, and I saw that CSN has them:

I was also thrilled to see they have aerobic steps. I would love to do more than just the advanced step on WiiFit.  And have been looking into aerobic stepping DVDs.  I would definitely need to buy a step.

Now, on this blog, I tend to focus on my self improvement, thus the name Turn My Life Around.  If you have been a reader at all, you know I am trying really hard to get healthy.  So, whether you want to get some personal fitness equipment or head outside with your children this spring on their new swing set (check this one out)

head on over to CSN Stores to see what they can do for you.  In fact, for your first entry I would like for you to do just that.  Click on one of the links above and come back here telling me what you would use your Gift Code for if you are the winner. Please leave a link to the item so I can go over and check it out.

In addition, I am offering you at least 19 more entries.  For each entry please submit a separate comment (if it says 2 entries, please leave 2 comments).  And please include your email address in your comment so I have a way to contact you if you win. 

1. Follow Turn My Life Around publicly via Google Friend Connect (1 entry)
2. Follow my main blog, Tots and Me via Google Friend Connect(1 entry)
3. Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)
4. Tweet about this giveaway (1 entry per day, please leave link to your tweet)
5. Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post. (3 entries, please leave a link to your post URL)
6. Check out some of my other posts on this blog and tell me one thing I am doing to lose weight (up to 3 different things for 2 entries each)
7. If you can give me some ideas of what I can do to exercise while my foot is injured I will give you 5 extra entries.  

This giveaway will end on March 12th at 11:59 pm. I will choose a winner within 24 hours and post the winner in a separate blog post in addition to emailing the winner.  Please contact me to claim your prize by March 15th or a new winner will be sadly have to be chosen.  You must be a United States or Canadian resident to enter.

Good luck to you and thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

My First Blog Hop on this Blog

Power of One, New You Weekly Weigh in: Feb 23rd, 2011

Well, I think I have had another good week.
My current weight is 237.7.  That is a 3 pound loss from last week. 

I had a better week than I thought I would.  The pain in my foot got worse. I think there were two reasons for this.  First, I insisted on using the height extender to do my stepping (especially trying the Body Fail project) and my boxing.  Second, as it started to hurt more I was all tense, walking on the inside of my foot and then the whole thing started hurting.  On Sunday I was quite down over it, figuring I was going to gain my weight back because I wasn't getting the exercise in.  I think what saved me was the fact that I have been really good at keeping away from the sweets and I wasn't snacking in between meals or eating after dinner. I also started drinking the cup of green tea each day in the early afternoon.  And I am being more faithful at drinking 2 cups of water before meals.  No, I don't record calories eaten, or even what I eat.  I have just been trying to eat healthy; I try for a salad once a day.  

So, I actually lost weight for my Monday weigh in for Plus Size Bloggers.  And I lost an additional .9 pounds since Monday!  I have started back up with the DVD, just at the lower intensity.  And I am only stepping and doing boxing with the balance board on the floor the way it is supposed to be.  

Now for this coming week's minor set back.  There is something wrong with the balance board, which really only affects it for the stepping.  It does not register when someone (i.e. me) steps off completely.  It registers one foot up, other foot up, one foot down.  Then the other foot is a miss.  Luckily I can still get my exercise done.  Unfortunately that messes up any chance to up my steps for the Free Step like I was going to try to do along with the Body Fail challenge of trying to go longer.  I can go longer, it just won't register correctly.

You should really go over to Plus Size Bloggers to check out all the fat burning tips she is posting.  You can also sign up for her Ezines with more great info.  Though it is too late to be signing up for this months challenge, there will be another one coming up.

Hoping for another good week this week.

Looking forward to checking out how everyone else is doing.

Weigh In #3: Plus Size Bloggers Tracking Challenge: 4 Weeks to a Better You

Okay, I said last week that I was surprised that I had lost weight.  That was nothing compared to the shock of stepping on the balance board and doing my body test today.  I didn't exercise for the last three days because of the foot pain I mentioned last Wednesday in my Power of One/New You post.  I did something to my foot last week while exercising and was having quite a problem even walking.  I got so I was walking on the inner part of my left foot and was so tense that it hurt quite badly.  Yesterday I was going to exercise, but I feel I may have made it worse because I did still do some exercise a couple of times last week after I injured it, and I think that is part of what made it worse.  So last night, on the advice of my son I decided to take one more day off.  I have found that if I spread my toes while putting my foot down it feels a lot better.  It is definitely less swollen today, and this is after exercising for over an hour.  I couldn't do my weigh in with out exercising first!!
So this is how last week looked for me:

I did a bunch of Free Stepping but I avoided the height extender after trying it and having my foot hurt worse. Oh, and the height extender was a big no-no for the boxing.  So not near the intensity of last week.

Today I did my DVD following the lady doing the low intensity workout.  I think I will be able to do that level until my foot is better.

I have avoided any exercise that requires me to stand on one leg.  I had done the Jackknife before but it was giving me headaches.  Am trying it again.

This is last week's weight.

On Wednesday I was down a little more.

Today's weight.

I love it when the graph goes DOWN!!

Starting weight Plus Size Bloggers Challenge: 248.2

Previous Weight: 241.2

Today's Weight: 238.5

Weight Loss This Week: 2.7 pounds

Total Loss Since started Challenge: 9.7 pounds

Total Loss since weight loss journey got serious on December 13th 2010: 23.4

Last week I was hoping for no setbacks.  Even with the injured foot, I still lost 2.7 pounds.  I am feeling better than I did yesterday, when I was so upset I thought I was going to gain weight.

What I think helped this week:

Even though I missed a couple of days of exercise I stayed away from the sweets.  I also added drinking a cup of green tea a day and have done better drinking my water before meals.  I have been eating salads just about everyday for at least one meal.  I also stopped eating the additional sweet cereal after the healthy cereal like the girls do.  Guess it helped that I was sick yesterday and only ate toast and applesauce for lunch.  Though I did eat what the rest of the family was eating for dinner.  

Here's definitely hoping for no setbacks this week.  Planning on exercising everyday somehow, even if I can't do the same intensity.  I have less than a pound to go to reach the 10 pound goal for the month!

Looking forward to seeing how everyone else did.  I am trying to stop by everyone's blog and add you to my blog list.    

The February Project: Operation Body Fail

Here is how Christieo over at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans defines "body fail"
“Body fail” is the term I use for when I do so many reps that I can do not one single more, when my arms or whatever body part I am using goes completely limp and is failing to go even an inch further. There are a few exercises without weights that send me into “body fail” almost immediately. ”Body fail” is when I do not think I can run another single minute or at a certain speed for another single second.


As most of my exercise is done on the Wii Fit I was unsure what I was going to do for this project, where we are being challenged to keep going just a little further each week on a specific exercise, beyond the point of "body fail."


I had only felt the way her definition describes one time before while doing the Free Step on the Wii Fit for 30 minutes with my weights and with the height extender.  My legs felt so weak as did my arms. When I was done I felt like I was going to collapse. The problem was I could not see how I could take this further unless it was trying to up my step count. My son suggested I just keep going after the time is done and see how far I can go.  So, because I hadn't recorded the step count last week I had to do it again to get my "starting" count.  The only problem is, I have injured my foot somehow and I am having a difficult time just walking on it.  But tonight I decided to try the stepping anyway.  I was able to make it to 3,272 steps. I know I can make 3,522 steps with out the height extender and weights (and without my foot killing me) so I think I will aim for that goal for the 30 minutes in addition to adding extra time.  I'll just go 1 or 2 extra minutes each time (though I won't have a step count for that as the WiiFit will stop counting at 30 minutes).


Head on over to the Sisterhood to see what others have done for their body fail challenge.   

Power of One, New You Weekly Weigh in: Feb 16, 2011

Well, I think I have had another good week.
My current weight is 240.7.  That is a 2.2 pound loss from last week. 

I think it would have been better, but the last couple of days my intensity level has not been as good as last week as I somehow hurt my left foot and can't put much weight on it.  So of course I can't balance very well for some of my WiiFit exercises and it is hard for me to get up to the right intensity on my DVD.
Last week I said I was going to start eating some more Fat Burning foods as mentioned over at Plus Size Bloggers.  I haven't done real well with that yet. She has also posted about the fat burning benefits of Green Tea. I purchased some and my son and I have had a cup each, but haven't had any since.  I am not a big one for tea (and my mother being British and all). You should really go over to Plus Size Bloggers to check out all the fat burning tips she is posting.  You can also sign up for her Ezines with more great info.  Though it is too late to be signing up for this months challenge, there will be another one coming up.  I am on my way to lpsing 10 pounds in the month of Feb (for that challenge I have actually lost 7.5 pounds!)
Hoping for another good week this week.

Weigh In # 2: Plus Size Bloggers Tracking Challenge: 4 Weeks to a Better You

I couldn't believe it when I stepped on the WiiFit Balance Board to do my Body Test this morning and I had lost weight.  I didn't have a chance to exercise yesterday and Saturday, though I did a little bit before bed I wasn't feeling very well and started getting nauseaus and dizzy halfway through my 20 minute free step.  On top of that we had a fellowship meal at church yesterday, though I was proud of myself for not filling my tray with everything available (this is what I almost always used to do, I mean you have to try out everything don't you?). I also avoided the cupcakes, though the rest of the family indulged.  I gave into a little candy mouse (one Hershey's kiss, a chocolate covered marachino cherry and two pieces of sliced almond), but don't feel guilty about that.  Come to think of it, I did have part of a cupcake on Saturday because we made Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting for the bake sale.  Let's see, what did my exercise look like this week:

This one shows Monday through Sunday as that was when I was posting for the Get Fit With Wii Fit which I guess she is no longer doing.

So from now on I will just go Tuesday through Monday so I can post this with my Plus Size Bloggers post.

(Glad I was posting this, I just realized I didn't record my aerobic exercise from my DVD in the Activity Log)

I think it is fun to see what I have been doing the most.  All this is in my routine.  The Tricep Extension has jumped up a bit because I have been doing it 2-3 times during my workout.  Need to strengthen my arms, they have always been weak.

Last week's weight

This week's weight!!

Love that downward slant.  The really amazing thing is that I lost 1.7 pounds since Wednesday (when I weigh in for Power of One and Pound for Pound).

Yes! I got a star.

Starting weight Plus Size Bloggers Challenge: 248.2

Previous Weight: 245.2

Today's Weight: 241.2

Weight Loss This Week: 4 pounds

Total Loss Since started Challenge: 7 pounds

Total Loss since weight loss journey got serious on December 13th 2010: 20.7

That 10 pound goal is looking very doable.  Here's hoping for no setbacks this week.

What I think helped this week:

I exercised twice a day, doing my routine plus extra Training Plus  in the morning, and then the DVD in the afternoon or the DVD in the morning with the routine and Free Step at night.

I would like to improve the water drinking goal; I completely forgot about drinking 2 glasses of water before each meal



Weekly Weigh In: New You, Power of One (February 9, 2011)

This week was so much better than last week. 
My current weight is 242.9.  That is a 5.3 pound loss from last week.  Of course I had gained 1.5 pounds last week, so I really lost 3.8 pounds in the last two weeks.  So I am still on target, which makes me quite happy. 
There are a few things that helped:

• I found my Aerobic DVD and have used it several times this week.
• I have been exercising two times a day, once in the morning before breakfast and then while the children are taking their nap. (In fact, here are how many calories I burned each day-

Thursday- 445
Friday-621
Saturday-501
Sunday-677
Monday-483
Tuesday-701
Wednesday- 525)

• I have upped my intensity by using an Everlast step height extender and some small weights.
• I have not had birthday cake in the house.
• I have refrained from eating after dinner.
• I have had sweets, but most of the time only at lunch time for dessert.

I am going to start eating some more Fat Burning foods as mentioned over at Plus Size Bloggers.  She has also posted about the fat burning benefits of Green Tea.  In addition I am going to start implementing some of the tips in Alpine Weight Loss Secrets, the book I have reviewed and currently have a giveaway for over at my main blog, Tots and Me.

Hoping for another good week this week.

Weigh In #1: Plus Size Bloggers Tracking Challenge: 4 Weeks To A Better YOU!

It is the first weigh in for Plus Size Bloggers Tracking Challenge.  This months theme is "Fighting the Fat."  I found it very interesting that she posted an article on Fat Fighting Foods.  Here are the 7 foods, head on over to the blog to check out the information on each of them:

1. Eggs
2. Dark chocolate
3. Whole grains
4. Bananas
5. Nuts
6. Oranges
7. Sweet Potatoes

I am looking forward to more informative posts while participating in this challenge.

Plus Size Bloggers Starting Weight: 248.2
Plus Size Bloggers Current Weight: 245.2
Total Loss: 3 pounds.

Get Fit With Wii Fit Sunday: February 6, 2011

Time to show off my Wii Fit accomplishments this past week.

I had started out only using the Wii Fit because I had misplaced the DVD.  Unfortunately I had gained weight at my Wednesday weigh in.  Looking at the fact that today's weigh in showed that I lost a nice amount, I am positive that my "time of the month" played a big part in my weight gain.  What do you think?

That is a 3 pound loss since Wednesday.

Here are the exercises I did:

And today I burned 677 calories!

Wanted to show how close I am to my intermediate goal.  This goal is the one for The Power of One Challenge over at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.

I now know I have to do my DVD in addition to the Wii fit and really watch my sweets. 

Hoping for another good week.

Weekly Weigh In- New You, Power of One (February 2, 2011)

What a bummer.  I can't believe I gained this week.  One and a half pounds!!  Guess I couldn't get away with sneaking in bites of birthday cake and icing like I hoped I could.  I think part of it was also my lack of Aerobic DVD.  I did find it today, but I've been without it for almost the full week.  It was in the wrong case that had fallen behind the game systems.  I mean, I may have been okay with out the DVD if I hadn't been sneaking the sweets.  But, I was definitely burning more calories with the DVD.  I thought using the dance mat with the PS2 High School Musical game would be enough to help, but it wasn't.  Though it was fun to spend time "exercising" that way with the older kids. 

My weight is now 248.2.  This is the weight I am starting the Plus Size Bloggers challenge at.  I just have to buckle down and stick to it so I can make my goal by the 23rd for the Power of One Challenge.