I really did it.  I know it won't be the last.  My brother Ben and I plan to do this one in Lawrence, KS. again next yr.  It was fun and even though the next morning when I woke up I was sore it didn't last long.  I really LOVED it.  There is even and little blurb about me in the runLawrence website.  It is on the 1st page under June 21st under the pics.  Here it is if you don't want to look it up.   Didn't get her name, but another women from Wichita drove up that same morning to run. After a surgery removing a tumor and then losing 35 pounds, she made the Pathways event her goal to run her first competitive race. She'd like to lose more weight and plans to return next year.  Here is the link  http://www.runlawrence.org/ 

 

 

 

 

For the last several weeks we haven’t been watching our calories as much as we should.  Even though we were still trying to lose weight we were just not being careful enough about tracking things and sticking to our calories.  We are refocused and will make sure we list our losses (and gains) here each week so that we will be accountable.

 

We have both have been busy with kids out of school and the two new foster children and a change in Mark’s work etc… (insert more excuses).  We refuse to let our lives stop us from meeting our goals and getting healthy!!

 

We are back in the game baby.

 

I miss my friends and being able to blog.  I promise to make the time in my schedule to do it.  I need this for myself.  I know that this helps me.

 

Today was the first weigh in that I have ever had to post a gain in weight.  That won’t be happening again.

 

Mark and I work really well as a team.  We are a good weight loss team and we are also a good snacking/weight gaining team.  We need to be sure we are losers.

 

LOSERS TOGETHER FOREVER

 

((Hugs))

Tam (I am)

 

I feel MUCH better since my last blog.   Thanks again to those who commented and gave me support.  This fight to lose weight and get healthy is looooooong but I know I can do it.  In fact I have something neat to share.  I can't remember when I was below 240, but Dr. records show in 2000 I was 243.  (my lowest since the huge weight gain of 10 ys. ago.)  I am lower than I have been in 8 year!!!!!   WOW, THAT IS SOOO COOL.  I AM WINNING THIS FIGHT. 

 

Some of the comments helped me to realise  a few things about myself.  I do sometimes eat too little.   And routine and doing the same things give me comfort (in all areas of my life) so I get comfortable with an eating pattern & workout plan and I don't like to change too much.  I noticed after 2 weeks my body knows "THE PLAN" and then I stop loseing.  Now I am going to make 2 week plans and then change it BEFORE my body figures it out. 

 

Keep up the fight everyone in whatever challenges you have set for yourselves.  If you beleive in yourself you can do anything.

NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Today I am frustrated because I feel like I worked hard all week to lose weight and NOTHING.  What happened???  I don't know but it is discouraging.  I should be happy that I have lost 36 pounds but I know 235 pounds is still FAT.  I am usually a very possitive person, but not losing even 1 pound when I worked at it all week just plain SUCKS!!!  O.K. I am done venting, thanks for listening.

Tamila

  I have given up on the idea that my body will loose more than 2 pounds a week.  So when I got on the scales on Monday I was happy to see 2 pounds.  It doesn't seem to matter what I do to change things up, 2 pounds seems to be what my body wants to let go and that's it.  I'm pretty strong willed myself, just ask Mark.  If you beleive in such, I am a Taurus after all.

This week has been very busy.  Tuesday I was interviewed by The Wichita Eagle on foster parenting  The article should be coming out in a week or so.  I will put up a link when it does.  My FC worker was here and they took picks of her and I with the kids (from behind, so they are not recognized)  I am interested to see how it turns out.

Monday nights we have Family Night/Family Home Evening/FHE what ever you want to call it.  We turn off all phones and spend the evening as a family with no interuptions.  Sometimes, like this week, it is the only family time we get through the week.  Well, this week we played in the back yard, 2+ acres.,and flew a kite.   The kite would fly great for a while and then fall.   This happened  over & over for the few hrs. we were out there, we decided it made it more fun that way.   All the kids enjoyed it, even the baby who is NOW walking.  I was hovering like a mother hen but she did manage to walk/fall a bit and she wanted to get the kite a few times and I got pics. of her walking. Later after the photo's taken for the Newspaper, I realized that I could put her and her bro. pics on our site because you can't see their faces.  I also got it approved by my worker, so here is our Kite Flying FHE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S.

I kept telling Mark that since he had lost 35 pounds that, in his bigger clothes, he looked like a Saggy Baggy Elephant (that is the title of one of our children's books)

Finally, after he saw these pics., this week I was able to take him to buy more clothes.  He has went down 2 sizes. YEAH!!!   WAY TO GO BABY!!!

 

Have a great weekend. 

Tamila 

The year was 1992.  It was my first year as a single mom.  James (Jay) was 3yrs. old & Ryan was 2yrs., so I knew there would not be a celebration.  No one cooking dinner for me, getting me presents, or giving me the day off.  I told myself I was o.k. with that.  But truth be told, I wanted all of the above.  That week, like every other week, we went to church.  Some how, James had hid a construction paper card he had made for me in his class.  As we got to the car, he pulled it out and said, "Here Mommy, Happy Mother's Day."  I was actually shocked and suprised.  As a tear rolled down my cheek and with a lump in my throat I hugged James and said, "Thank you, Jay.  This is so special.  Mommy will keep it forever."  He was happy and proud of himself.  I was feeling pretty happy myself, and I turned to help Ryan into the car and noticed that he a really sad look on his face.  Then all of the sudden he got this HUGE smile and spit a half eaten red gummy bear into his little hand and held it up to me and said, "Happy Mother's."  I could hardly see from the tears running down my face as I scooped up my gooey present.  I said, "Thank You, Ryan.  This is so special.  Mommy will keep it forever." 

 

 

I realized at that moment that BEING a Mom was, and always will be, the greatest gift I could ever receive.

 

I still have that card somewhere and as for the red gummy bear...well, I WILL carry that in my heart, forever.

 

"Happy Mother's Day," to all my MOMMY friends.  May we all remember what Mother's Day is really about.

 

Tamila

 

Sunday for the 1st time someone said something about my weight loss.  SOOO COOL!!!  I was in the nursery with the little ones and this guy came in and after a few minutes I turned around and said hi to him and he looked surprised and said "Oh, Tamila I didn't recognise you until I saw your face.  You really have lost a lot of weight."

I could have kissed him but well I'm married, he's married, we were at church and all.  But wow, he made my week.  I know I've lost weight, I can tell.  I was beginning to wonder if anyone else would ever notice.  Well, notice and say something.  Many people know Mark and I are loosing weight we tell everybody...O.K. Mark does.  Family, friends, random people on the street anyway, I was wondering when someone would notice and say something.  I think it's even cooler that it WAS a guy because well my guy doesn't notice much and I have noticed that trend with men.  Gotta LOVE EM though.  I was able to get a complete (8 people) dishes set, over time, and into the cabinets without Mark even noticing.  How great is that?

Anyway, 2 more pounds gone forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

((HUGS)) & KISSES (FOR KIRK)

Tamila  

Right now I can't tell whether this is getting easer or harder.  Sometimes it feels like it has just become part of my life like it is supposed to be.  Other times I have to battle myself to go work out or watch my calories closely.  The important thing I am excited about is that Tamila and I are still doing it.  The weight keeps coming off.  I lost another 3 lbs this week.  Although taking the weight off is slow, it seems to me that it is still faster than the time I took to put the weight ON my body.

 

Mark

So I didn't loose any weight this week but it's O.K. because I KNOW it is water weight, bloating, t.o.m., whatever you call it.  I should have seen it coming too but I didn't.  I always have the night before "IN THE PIT OF DOOM" and that was Sunday and I was thinking "Sunday, the day of rest, YEAH RIGHT."  It was a horrible day for me I was ready to give back my Mother Card and barricade myself in my room for a week.  It is somewhat of a mistery to me that during the night of being "In the pit of DOOM" I some how crawl out and by morning walk into a Fairy Tale already in progress.  Complete with birds chirping, sunshine on my sholder, and everything sparkely.  I should have known when I got on the scales and it didn't bother me.  I should have known since I am soooo NOT a morning person and for me one of the hardest part of getting new foster babies is dealing with the POOPFEST every morning and somehow that didn't bother me either.  Well, maybe next month with all the signs that I know about and owning a calender and all I will know exactly whats going on.  O.K. so probably not.  Sorry, Mark.

 

Mark got the stomache flu this week but wasn't as sick as I was.  Either that or he was but kept working throught it.  He had several cases he NEEDED to work on and close.  He helped me when I was sick but I don't know anything about Law and would kind of like to keep it that way.  I mean working with/for Mark that would never work because "I AM THE BOSS."  LOL  JK, O.k. maybe not. 

By the way Mark has lost 30 pounds so far YEAH!!!!  I must say, "He looks GOOD." 

 

Bye for now.

((HUGS))
TAMILA

 

Oh, these pictures have nothing to do with this blog.  I just thought they were soo cute.  Our kids like to play dress up.  The last one is my favorite.

 

 

      Our son Joshua & daughter Mariah

 

   Mariah KNIGHTING Joshua

 

 

 

 

Today "April 24th" is my birthday.  I had a WONDERFUL day.  I am truely blessed. 

I just got over a nasty stomache flu that lasted for 6 days.  But today I felt great for the first time in a loooong time. 

The kids are settling in well, we really love having them in our home.  Life will be more enjoyable and easier now that I am better. 

Even though we haven't updated our weight loss, Mark and I both lost another 2 pounds for this week.  YEAH!!!!!

I look forward to geting back to my training for the 5K.  Before I got sick I was amazed at how fast my running was improving.

Well, I am up tooo late.  It will be nice to be on our site more often.

((HUGS))

Tamila

 

We decided to take in a sibling group. 1 yr. old girl & 2 yr. old boy.  We got them home 5 minutes before the finale. 

I am still getting my workouts in. AND eating right.    I may not be bloging a lot while I get them settled in. 

I feel so much stonger & better since I have lost 30 pounds and am eating healthy.  This is going to be fun. 

 Well, they just woke up from naps and my kids just got off the bus so that's all for now.

KEEP KEEPING AT IT, EVERYONE!!!!!!!!! 

((HUGS))

Tamila

I want a WOMEN "BIGGEST LOSER."  Specifically, KELLY.  There I said it.  I will be happy if ALI wins, too.   I think everyone connects with someone and last season for the 1st time since I watched the show I connected with someone and that was Julie Hadden.  I was pleasently surprised to connect yet again with Kelly Fields.  Kelly & I even have the same starting weight, height, age, wanting to get pregnant, and we are both care givers.  In fact Julie & Kelly are a lot a like so I was not surprised to read that Julieasked Kelly to move in with her.  Tonight will be very exciting, I can hardly wait.

GO GIRL!!!!!!

 

((HUGS))

TAMILA

"AAAWWWW, look he is losing weight with his mom."  That is what I heard while standing in line at the MPM, in Wichita, while Sonja & Aaron were being interviewed by MSN.  When you visit the site http://sonja-aaron-bljourney.spaces.live.com you just want to say it again.  When I see their page I think wow these two SEEM sweet, fun, & genuine.  Well America, we had them over for dinner last night and let me tell you something, in person they are VERY sweet, LOTS of fun, TOTALLY genuine.  We had a great time talking and eating healthy.  Sonja & I had talked about getting together about 6 weeks ago, so this was perfect.

 

"Can't wait to see you at the Finale, we love you guys."

 

Last night was a great night for pictures so here are a few of my favorites.

 

                         Our Family

            

                  Me & my "BIG BOYS"

 

 

                     Mark & Tamila

                    "STILL IN LOVE"

                Hey, I think this shoud be

                  our new profile picture. 

                        Tamila & Sonja

                            "FRIENDS"

               Mark, Tamila, Sonja, & Aaron

                            "LOSERS"

         Together we have lost 93.5 pounds.

 

                    

Usually I’d do this as a normal blog.  However, this week it is really a follow up of last weeks brain blog about cycling your caloric intake to overcome/avoid plateaus.

 

First of all I thought I’d point out that it worked for me.  The details from last Thursday till today follow:

 

WORKOUTS

I didn’t change the workouts at all – still doing level one on Power Sculpt DVD 2 times per week with 22 pound weights (substituting in 8 pound weights when working shoulders); level one on Cardio Max DVD 2 times per week without any weights (except in last few minutes I sometimes add in 8 lb weights); Kenpo 1-2 times per week for light cardio and because its fun and I want to get better. 

 

EATING

Thursday 2565 Calories

Friday (High Calorie Day) Went out and had Chinese food – didn’t even attempt to record

Saturday 1607 Calories

Sunday 1980 Calories

Monday 2100 Calories

Tuesday 1480 Calories

Wednesday 1730 Calories

Thursday 2450 Calories

Friday (High Calorie Day) 3000 Calories

 

I can hear some of you screaming now.  “You must have gained a hundred pounds!”  Honestly, when I followed a lower calorie day with a higher calorie day I felt like I was absolutely stuffing myself at times.  My wife was a bit skeptical but was still supportive.  (I love her.)

 

If you look at the days other than Fridays my average caloric intake was 1987 calories.  If you include the high calorie days (assuming 4000 calories for the day I didn’t record) the average is still “only” 2324 calories.  Using the calorie calculator on this page I am supposed to consume an average of 2430 calories per day to lose one pound per week.  (That is a 500 calorie deficit per day.  (500 X 7 days = 3500 calories = one pound of fat))

 

The proof is in the pudding so they say.  I dropped off my plateau and lost two pounds last week (Monday was 230.5).  Though I have not hit my weigh in day yet I weighed this morning and was 228.5.  I expect the same reading or close on Monday.  I am back to losing about 2 pounds per week again and have escaped my plateau.

 

I guess I could have just adjusted my calories down and starved myself then I would have eventually hit a plateau again and had to adjust down again.  It would probably work, but it would be miserable.  I am seeing consistent improvement and I still get to eat.

 

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Right now as I lose fat I am also building muscle.  Currently I am really not worrying about the fat content of my diet as much as I could.  (I still eat eggs with the yolks and have cheese etc….)  As I get closer to my goal weight I will have to drop the fat percentage of my foods to continue my progress and get the hard body I dreamed of as a youth.

I am really excited and motivated to run.  I have noticed, these past three months, that I am happpier with working out when I am on the treadmill.  So I figured might as well run with it. (pun intended)  I am also thrilled that my younger brother Ben will be training and running with me.  The run will be on June 21st, in Lawrence, KS.

 

Mark & I have decided to change our page a bit, when we get some extra time.  We still want our page to be about health & fitness just in our own way.  We will still be logging our weight loss but it may not be as often as we did before.  We want to add to our site when we WANT to instead of feeling like we HAVE to. 

By the way, I have lost 30 pounds so far.......

 

I absolutely LOVE the happiness & confidence that I have gained in losing weight and getting healthy.  I LOVE what this site has brought to me and the many FRIENDS I have made.  This cheesy, gooey, happy felling I am in is a result of a great work out this morning.

 

Have a great weekend, I am off to go shopping.  We have some Special Guests joining us for dinner Sunday on thier way to LA for the Finale.  "Sonja & Aaron, can't wait to see you guys."

 

((HUGS))

TAMILA

Guess what? 

After a year that started with a miscarriage, then finding a tumor, and all the meds to shrink it, then getting it removed, and healing, getting my thyroid working properly, trying to regulate my body again from side effects of the cancer meds….MY BODY IS FINALLY BACK TO NORMAL!!! 

In fact I feel better than before this all started.  This has been a very difficult time in my life but I feel that I was given a second chance.  I know the best way to live happy is to live healthy.  I am back stronger and ready for the rest of my life.  I am truly BLESSED!!!!

 

I have been inspired by all my runner friends (you know who you are) and I am looking up runs in my area.  (Thanks, Christi)

I would like some advice on how long I should train before I enter a race.???  How have you trained???

 

I am so happy for the winners who are going to the Finale.  I am honored to call you ALL my “FRIENDS.”

 

((HUGS))

 

TAMILA

Before I start this length Brain Blog, I thought you all should know that I was on The Biggest Loser again on Tuesday.   When they showed videos of people still doing the Million Pound Match-Up, I was the one doing martial arts for about 1 and1/2 seconds.    They took clips from my video linked to this site from YouTube.  Makes me want to do another video and see if I can get on TV again.  <grins>

 

Any of you who have followed any of my Brain Blogs know that I like to take a researched scientific approach to things.  So when I gained weight one week and then still didn’t lose any the next week it was time to research again.  This is what I found (and it has been working already):

 

NOT IMPORTANT STUFF

One more thing I learned that has nothing to do with my weight loss and may really bore you. – Whoever is behind the “Weight Loss 4 Idiots” marketing campaign has done an incredible job.  If you want to learn how to market on the Internet, I suggest looking up “Calorie Shifting” in a search engine and see all of the work that has gone into this marketing campaign.  They even got a couple of reputable magazines to print online articles as if that magazine had originated the story.  All the eZines, blogs, articles, etc… all have links to the same site.  I could hardly find the information I wanted because every search engine was glutted with articles etc… that all pointed to the  Weight Loss 4 Idiots web site.  Amazing marketing effort that I have a lot of respect for as a business owner.

 

IMPORTANT STUFF

80%-90% (depending on who you believe) of weight loss comes from diet and 10%-20% comes from exercise (unless you work out 6 hours a day like The Biggest Loser cast)

 

Your body does not want to change.  It can not see how many calories you will need to maintain yourself tomorrow but it knows how much you have been eating the last few days.  If it has been consistent, your body will adjust your metabolism to accommodate that level of caloric intake for tomorrow.  You get stuck and plateau.

 

I had been eating at exactly 1000 calorie deficit for my age, weight, and activity level every day (or as close as I could get).  (That is 1946 calories per day based on the  Harris-Benedict formula.  (See Mark’s Brain Blogs, How Much am I Supposed to Eat?))

 

My body got so used to the same caloric intake and same foods and same workout that my metabolism adjusted to maintain my current weight at those levels.  I was eating so low for my body that one high calorie day a week just wasn’t enough to shock my system into weight loss anymore.

 

Body Builders have been working to scientifically overcome plateaus for a long time now.  (They are very competitive.)  What body builders have been doing for weight gain will also work for weight loss.  It is called Calorie Cycling.  (There is also a new diet based on what they call calorie “shifting” that is similar.)

 

Calorie Cycling works based on the premise that you should not eat exactly the same every day.  You should eat a little up and a little down so that you average out about the same caloric intake over a time period.  Your body does not get used to one thing and settle in.

 

My research has shown that the more you weigh the greater the variance can be, but 300-600 calories up or down for my weight seems to be acceptable.  (I was 233 on Monday.)

 

Today (Thursday) I had already dropped 2 pounds of my weight gain.  (Scale said 230.5)

 

This is what I did:

 

Monday – Did Power Sculpt workout with 22 lb weights.  Took leap of faith and applied research.  Consumed about 3200 calories. (only about 250 calories over daily caloric burn but very high calorie day for me because is 1250 more than I normally eat.)

Tuesday – Did not work out because nursing injured shoulder.  Consumed 1135 (about a 2000 calorie deficit).

 

Wednesday – Did Cardio Max without weights (still trying to nurse shoulder).  Consumed about 2200 calories.  (That includes eating out for business.  I ordered Pho Ga at a Vietnamese restaurant.  Only 475 calories.)

 

Thursday (Today) felt like weighing myself and checking on progress (scale said 230.5).  Will consume my normal 1000 calorie deficit amount (1946 calories).

 

Friday will be High Calorie day – I will eat between 3000 and 4000 calories.  Saturday I’ll eat right at about 300 over normal (2240) and Sunday I’ll eat about 300-600 below normal (1340-1640).

 

If it works like I think it is supposed to, I will continue next week and into the foreseeable future to eat 300-600 above or below my deficit levels so that I average 1946 calories per day but rarely eat exactly that much.  I will not include my one “high calorie day” on Friday in that calculation.  I "should" lose about 2 lbs per week.

 

Monday we will see how it worked to get me off of my plateau.  Cross your fingers.

 

Best of Blessing,

Mark

 

 

I'ts been a while since I've blogged.  Here is an excerpt from a message I sent to a friend that expains where I've been, & what I have been doing.

 

Topmorrow (TODAY) is my last day of taking a round of med. for 10 days.  It makes me extrememly sleepy & nauseaus.  This med. is to get my body back from the side effects the cancer meds did to me.  I have tried this once before in Dec. (that is when we had to move the foster kids because they told me I would prob. sleep for 2 weeks and I did) It didn't work that time so wish me luck this time around.  I am hoping that since I am healthier and have lost weight it will work this time and then I will be all better and back to normal.  It has been over a yr. since things were right.  The day I started the meds. (last Monday) was the same day that I got a tooth removed that they had to cut some of the jaw bone to get it out so I ended up having 3 stitches and a lot of pain.  I slept most of last week  I was happy that I lost a pound this week and 2 pounds last week. Well, I hope to be up and feeling completely better by the end of the week.  I should be, I want to be.

 

I feel like I have missed out on life for a while. It is really starting to bother me emotionally so I'm glad it is almost over.  If this doesn't work, it may take me another 4 months before I can face trying again.  That's if I ever do it again.

Can't wait to get back to working out and feeling normal again.

((HUGS)) to ALL.

Tamila

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked at the scale.  After last week’s weight gain, I lost absolutely zero this entire week.  Can anyone say plateau?  That means I need to change some things up now.  I have been doing some research.  Later in the week I will post some of my findings in a brain blog.

 

You know what though?  Even though the scale doesn’t show any change, for the first time in my life, when I think of my body I am excited.  I feel the soreness in my muscles and I remember that both my wife and I have been honestly surprised by bumping into hard muscles when we expected soft and pliable.  For instance, the other day I tried to massage my right shoulder but it was all hard.  How can you be unhappy about that?  My clothes don’t fit anymore either.

 

Don’t think I am satisified with what I have achieved or that I have stopped trying.  I am going to reach my goals, I just can’t be unhappy when I see so much progress.

 

I hope all of you are doing well and keeping a positive attitude.  If you put in the effort you will get the reward.

 

Best of Blessings,

 

Mark