"You don't need to lose weight!" and the Reasons Why I Am

A few weeks ago I signed up for MyFitnessPal to try to lose 8 pounds. I am going to be completely transparent. I am 40 years old, 5 foot 6 inches tall, and weighed 130.5 pounds when I started. When those who know me hear that I am trying to lose weight, I always hear, "You don't need to lose 8 pounds!"

That may be true, and really, it's an arbitrary number based on what I weighed a couple of summers ago when I was at my most fit. I just liked myself then. My realistic goal, however, is 125. I have always said I want to be a fit 125 pounds.

Here are the reasons why I am on this journey:

1. Hi, my name is Nicole and I am a carb addict. Although I eat fairly healthy most times, don't eat a lot of junk food, and don't really overeat that often, I can't stay away from carbs! I can (and most times do) eat them at every meal and lots of them! I dream about carbs. Carbs contribute greatly to No. 2.

2. The women in my family have a serious case of "pones". What are pones, you ask? My dad has funny names for things. He calls the 'fat back', muffin top, overhanging midsection, "pones". My mom and sister and daughter and I are all reasonably thin, but because of our carb addiction, our pones get the best of us. We always get thick in the middle first. Which leads me to No. 3.

3. As people get older, their mid-sections get bigger. Even my skinny little 80 year old grandma has gotten thick in the middle. And I don't want to be thick in the middle. That's where bad health seems to reside.

4. I don't want to gain an extra 2-3 pounds a winter and not lose it. Last winter I gained about 5-8 pounds. I usually lose it once spring hits, and definitely by summer. This year I didn't. I don't want to get in the habit of doing that every year because, before I know it, I'll be 10-15 (or more) pounds heavier than I want to be and not able to lose it.

5. Now that I am 40, my metabolism isn't as fast. I am blessed with a fast metabolism. But I have seen a definite slowing of it over the past three years. Losing even a couple of pounds is extremely difficult for me! I used to be able to just watch what I ate for a couple of weeks and lose that. Not anymore.

6. I want to look good and feel good for my own self-esteem. But, primarily, I want to feel good. Nobody feels good when they are even a little overweight. I call myself "fleshy" when I get like that. And I don't want to be fleshy.

7. I want my husband to be proud to be seen with me. I want, when we are out together, for others to think that his wife is not a lazy woman who sits around and eats all day while he works his butt off for her.

So, what am I saying? Right now I am just getting a jump on the tubby winter months of comfort foods. I want to be able to lose some weight before Christmas so that at Christmas time I can eat and afford to gain a few pounds. Then after Christmas I want to lose that weight again. Then I just want to spend the rest of the winter and spring maintaining a healthy weight.

This will require constant watching of calories, carbs, sugar intake, and exercise. MyFitnessPal is my tool for accomplishing all of that.

If you would like to join me on my journey, and maybe start a journey of your own, sign up for MyFitnessPal and add me as a friend. My username is NicoleTaulman (all one word.)

Nicole's Daybook

Outside my window... A calm, clear, fall morning, after a night full of rain.

I am thinking... about how much I am looking forward to spending five quiet days at home next week without anything to do except what I want to do.

I am thankful ... for my husband's new employer. We were invited to an annual party at his house this past weekend, and you could really feel his heart toward his people. He is someone I am thrilled to have my husband working for.

I am wearing... short-sleeved brown and cream plaid flannel shirt, jeans, Sperry's.

I am planning...  an Ugly Christmas Sweater party for our homeschooling parents.
 

I am creating... some fall pillows from placemats I bought on clearance at Wal-Mart. Post coming soon. (I totally copied this idea and it's genius.)

I am going... to take Dawson to Gamestop this afternoon to get the new release of one of the games he has been dying to get.

I am reading...  Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Dawson's read-a-loud), Night Road by Kristin Hannah.

I am hoping... for a healthy winter.

From the learning rooms... Working this week through the Dream book for an exhibit we are attending on Wednesday, "The Andromeda Strain" for Biology, and starting our studies on slavery and the abolition of slavery.

Noticing that ... that, again, my body is at a weight that it likes. Although I am not losing any weight, I feel so much better with what I am eating and the amount of exercising I am doing.

From the kitchen... is a roast in the crockpot for beef strog tonight.

Around the house... are fallen leaves everywhere and some tracked into the house by the dogs.

One of my favorite things... is sleeping. Seriously, I should have been a bear. Some would say I am.

A few plans for the rest of the week... I have a conference call this afternoon in regard to the Business Law curriculum I am writing, Thanksgiving lunch with Eli tomorrow, the Dream exhibit tomorrow afternoon, a surprise reading to Eli's class on Friday afternoon, and possibly the Philbrook Garden Glow on Saturday evening.

From my picture journal.

I haven't uploaded any new pics in a couple of weeks, so I went searching for something from this time last year. Here is Eli and Brynne at the airport on Veteran's Day waiting for their daddy to get back from a three week business trip to Aruba.

Lots of women Daybook. See what they have to say at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

HP TouchSmart 320 Giveaway

Do you want the possibility to win an HP TouchSmart 320? Big Mama is having a giveaway on her blog for one! I would love this to use in homeschooling! It reminds me of the SmartBoards in the schools that are invaluable for education. Go there and read all about it and enter if you get the chance! Wouldn't that be a great Christmas gift for the family?

Menu Plan Monday

I haven't posted our weekly menu for a while. Here is what we are having this week:

Monday ~ Grilled BBQ pepperjack chicken, long-grain and wild rice, linguine, steamed broccoli

Tuesday ~ Crock pot beef stroganoff, steamed corn

Wednesday ~ FFY (Fend for Yourself)

Thursday ~ Skinny spinach pasta, salad

Friday ~ BBQ beef and cheddar wraps, cottage cheese

Saturday ~ Hot dogs, chips, cottage cheese

Sunday ~ Sub sandwiches

My Fitness Pal ~ Update

I've been logging my food and exercise on My Fitness Pal  for a couple of weeks now. Initially, I lost 3 pounds, then gained them back on my splurge to Canton, and now have gradually been losing them again this week.

I love My Fitness Pal. And you should, too.

Why do I love it?

First, I love how EVERY SINGLE FOOD YOU CAN THINK OF is already in the database. All you have to do is figure out how much of it you are eating and click the "Add" button.

You can customize what your Food Diary tracks. Mine tracks calories, carbs (a very important one for me), fat, fiber, protein, and sugar. As you eat foods, it counts down for you how much you have left in each category. Let's say you get to the end of your day and have 300 calories left to eat. But, you see that you are about maxed out on your carbs. This allows you to make a food choice that gives you the calories but not the carbs. It's great!

"Earn not Burn" ... calories, that is. That phrase is something that I made up and is a great motivator to me to exercise. When you put in your initial information, it gives you your daily calorie goal WITHOUT ANY EXERCISE factored in. So, my calorie goal each day is 1220 calories if I do NO exercise. But, if I exercise, I can earn more calories. Then I can eat more. If I don't want to eat more than my 1220 calories, then I don't have to exercise. (However, my exercise goal is 30 minutes a day, 4 days per week, so I have that goal out there anyway.) But if I am half-way through my day and see that I don't have as many calories left as I want, I can jump out on the elliptical for 10 minutes or go on a walk or jog for 30 minutes and earn more calories to finish out my day.


I am eating so much healthier and a more balanced diet. In all honesty, I am not eating diet foods. I am just eating a controlled amount of calories (portion control!!), and varying my food choices across the board.

In my opinion, you cannot follow My Fitness Pal and not lose weight and get more fit. It's not possible. All you have to do is be a willing participant.

And, it's set up like Facebook, so you can add friends and make comments, encourage, give advice, etc. I am not on Facebook and hate it, actually, but this is a worthwhile way to socialize, in my opinion. We can all use encouragers. If you want to add me as a friend, my Username is NicoleTaulman (no spaces).

Hope to see you getting more fit at My Fitness Pal!

Canton Finds

If you have never been to First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas, and you have the opportunity .... Goooooo!!!!!  My mom, aunt and I went down there this past weekend. We shopped from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday and from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. After we struggled through dinner each night, we collapsed into our hotel beds. It was exhausting, exhilarating and oh. so. fun.

I came home with a hodge-podge of items. I bought some Christmas gifts, some trendy boutique items for myself, a Canton t-shirt, and some other fun things as follows ..

I didn't have a good window to hang this stained-glass in, so I hung it on the wall in my kitchen. It's quite large. I am praying we don't have another earthquake that shakes it to a shattered mess on the floor.

The cutest tin painted by the cutest little old lady.

I have been wanting a cream and sugar set. I bought this one for $2.00.

I loved these floral picks that I got for $1.00 apiece.

I just loved this little iron wheelbarrow.

This might seem like a silly thing to buy, but it was a book of high-end upholstery fabric swatches for $2.00. I used it for several things.

I put some inside the glass doors of my curio cabinet in the kitchen.

I lined some shelves.

I decorated the dog treat jar and put one under it as a rug.

I have some other ideas for the other swatches I have left. I'm probably going to add some design to some pillows and make a piece of artwork.

This was a great weekend and we have decided to go every year. The weather was perfect, and it was a great way to recharge.

Nicole's Daybook

Outside my window... Rainy, dreary fall day. But I LOVE IT!!!

I am thinking... how nice it is to have Rick just 10 minutes away during the day. He can come home for lunch if he wants and he's nearby to pop in for events with the kids.

I am thankful ... for a great weekend in Canton with my mom and aunt. We can't wait to do it again next year!

I am wearing... long-sleeved burnout layered t-shirt, skinny jeans, rain boots, gray jacket.

I am planning...  to get caught up on inputting grades this weekend. I am so far behind. I say every quarter that I'm not going to get behind but I do.

I am creating... a course description for the business law class I signed on to write (only have to do the course description now, and write the class starting in January.)

I am going... to take Brynne to the library this morning to pick up "Pup" from his sleepover. Last night she went for a sleepover storytime and left her beloved Pup there. Today she gets to pick him up and see pictures of all the fun stuff he did while spending the night at the library. She'll be glad to get him back. There were extreme tears several times last night because she missed him.

I am reading...  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Dawson's read-a-loud).

I am hoping... for a fun holiday season.

From the learning rooms... Continued fall studies for Brynne. We will also be doing some studies on Earthquakes. She was really scared when we had one the other day and knowledge helps conquer fear. Dawson is moving on to the invention of the steamboat and Abe Lincoln's early life. We will finally be wrapping up the Patterns of Life (aka "the introduction") in our Biology text. We have been taking it really slow but are getting ready to launch into Energy. Eli's "Fly Guy" character pumpkin won the contest. He was SOOOOO excited! And Kyndal is going to her first hair show this week. The girls are all dressing up fancy and getting ready together at Tech, then going to dinner before the show.

Noticing that ... this has been the craziest year for weather here in Oklahoma! First we had three feet of snow (unheard of). Then we had deadly tornadoes (unfortunately very heard of). Then we had the hottest summer (by a long shot) since the 1930's. Now we have experienced three earthquakes in the past few days. We felt another one last night. Crazy!!!

From the kitchen... hang some new rooster goodies I got at Canton First Monday Trade Days.

Around the house... are upholstery fabric swatches everywhere. Stay tuned for a post tomorrow about what I mean.

One of my favorite things... is a productive day.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Everything we are doing this week has already been stated above. I am looking forward to a pretty quiet week and nothing to do this weekend!

From my picture journal.

This is my grandma's recipe box. It has all of her secret recipes. I would weigh 500 pounds if I fixed these desserts for my family every night. There are some great recipes in there.

Lots of women Daybook. See what they have to say at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Good and Bad

There's lots going on here, as usual, which has wrecked havoc on my blog writing. I simply have not had the time! Many things happening have their good aspects and bad aspects. Here are some:

I went to Canton this weekend.

The Good: I spent some quality time with my mom and aunt. We shopped until we literally dropped. The weather was beautiful. I was rejuvenated.

The Bad: While I was gone we had an earthquake (actually two) in Oklahoma and our house had a bad case of the tremors which scared my kids to death. I am ex.haust.ed. today! I ate way too many carbs and gained back the three pounds I worked so hard to lose last week.


Rick started his new job today.

The Good: He is happy with the change and looks forward to what it will mean for him personally and professionally.

The Bad: He will likely be traveling a lot which will take some major getting-used-to.


I have made it to the half-way point in our busy season.

The Good: We have completed two birthdays and Halloween. We only have two more birthdays and Christmas. Then we are off to Florida for a week with my whole family.

The Bad: The rest of the busy season is going to be really busy and I am feeling overwhelmed.


I really, really, really hope to get back into regular blogging. I just need to settle down a bit. (Enter husband saying, "Yeah, right!" here.)

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changin'

Yesterday I sent Rick off to quit his job. Yep. But never fear ... he has the next one lined up.

In fact, he is going back to the company he left a few months ago, just with a different division.

He is very excited about his new position. I am very excited for him because my wish for him is that he be fulfilled in his professional life, which has not been the case for him for several years. Rick has an incredible work ethic and is a leader in his industry. You do no run across very many men like him these days. He would do anything for his company, especially if they take good care of him.

The only downfall to this position is that it will require Rick to travel a lot more than we are used to. Some families would not be able to handle the travel schedule. But we are a pretty tough family when it comes to things like that. We will definitely miss him when he is gone. But with him receiving fulfillment in his job when he is there, we will receive a happier and more satisfied husband and daddy when he is HERE.  And that is worth a lot.

Nicole's Daybook

Outside my window... Beautiful, sunny, fall day!

I am thinking... that today can be a successful and productive day, even though some of us feel under the weather and we started our day off late because we overslept. Attitudes are good, so that's a good way to start.

I am thankful ... that my husband loves me enough to send me away for a weekend.

I am wearing... gray knit pants, a gray and white striped long-sleeve t-shirt, my "New York" hat, and tennis shoes

I am planning... the next birthday, which is Kyndal's.

I am creating... a course description for the business law class I signed on to write (only have to do the course description now, and write the class starting in January.)

I am going... to arrange all of Eli's clothes today.

I am reading...  The Hunger Games, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Dawson's read-a-loud), listening to Pride and Prejudice while I work out.

I am hoping... that Rick has a positive meeting this evening.

From the learning rooms... Fall studies for Brynne, Trail of Tears for Dawson. All of the other studies are moving along nicely.

Noticing that ... I cook more tasty food when I am on a diet. Or maybe I am just so hungry that anything tastes good.

From the kitchen... Burritos tonight!

Around the house... The pansies are so big and pretty now that the weather has gotten cooler! I need to buy a few more to replace the ones that got scorched from planting too early.

One of my favorite things... Watching my kids interact with one another.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Tomorrow Dawson, Brynne and I are traveling to Tahlequah to visit the Cherokee Heritage Center and learn first-hand about the Trail of Tears. Then we are laying pretty low the rest of the week UNTIL I LEAVE ON FRIDAY FOR CANTON!! I don't know what the rest of the family is doing, and I don't rightly care. Just keep 'em alive, honey.

From my picture journal.

 I love catching moments like this.

Lots of women Daybook. See what they have to say at The Simple Woman's Daybook.