Modern Day Definition of Cowgirl

Main Entry: cowgirl

Function: noun

Language:  English

Definition: a better-looking cowboy with brains

This made me laugh out loud!!  Funny for the day!

Are You Ready? I AM!

I'm reading and re-reading this book!!  It's helping me so much to get motivated, get to the root of the problem and get going!!  I love Bob Harper!  I think he truly has his heart in helping others!!

How to Break a Bad Diet Habit—Forever!

How to Break a Bad Diet Habit—Forever!
Jillian Michaels on taking the neural pathway less traveled.
By Jillian Michaels

Get this: Research has shown that behaviors like what you eat and whether you exercise are deeply set into physical neural connections in your brain. All of your beliefs, your habits, everything making up your mental reality, is contained in physical neural-pathways. So in order to make real changes to your lifestyle and slim down, you've got to learn how to get in there and change your brain! (Great, turns out I do need brain surgery after all...)

The first time you have an experience or learn something new, chances are a new pathway is created. Then the next time you have that experience, your brain will search to see if you have experienced it before. If you have, it'll follow the same pathway. The more often you have that experience or think that thought, the stronger that neural pathway holding that thought or behavior will become. This is how a thought or action becomes a habit.

By repeating a pattern, we strengthen the neural pathways being used for this behavior and essentially reinforce our propensity to be "stuck in a rut"—literally. Here's an example: Let's say that you have been binge eating late at night in your home off a certain set of plates and now you have decided you want to stop that behavior. But, every time you eat off those plates you have been hard-wired to overeat, making it exponentially more difficult to break that destructive habit.

You cannot rationally "think" these physical networks away. But you can change them in two ways:

1. You gradually force the pathway to weaken and atrophy over a period of time by not using it.

Every time you resist the urge to eat an extra cookie when you're upset, or use the ranch dressing at the salad bar, you're allowing those old patterns and pathways to die away so that you can slim down and get healthier. You can do this by pausing and thinking through your choice. Ask yourself what the consequences of that choice will be. That allows you to move from the impulsive part of your personality to the part of your brain that can reason before automatically reacting.

2. Override the old pathway by wiring in a new behavior.

Let's say you've been going to the same supermarket for years—and buying garbage foods that don't support your efforts to lose weight. Try a new supermarket! It seems strange, but simply being in a new location will help you not fall into old patterns of grabbing your same-old old junk food from the same old shelves. Then repeat. Something that will help create a strong neural pathway is repetition. It's not as complicated as the term "neural pathways" makes it sound: Just know that you actually can create physical changes in your brain, hard wiring yourself for success.

Okay, now what old habits are you going to break? And what will you replace them with?

Jillian Michaels is the author of the new book Master Your Metabolism and the motivation coach for the Body by Glamour shape-up program. She's helped dozens of people get slim and healthy as a trainer on "The Biggest Loser," and has helped thousands of others through her DVDs and books.

Enough is Enough, Damn It!

My friend Lisa said right after the holidays "Enough is Enough" and that was it!  She put eating crap in the past and has since lost quite a bit of weight and looks phenomenal!!  Her willpower has been steadfast and her exercise routine has been reliable!!  I remember thinking "I'm just not there... I want to be there... but I just can't yet!!!"  What the heck!!?  Why not!?  Because I was enjoying eating lunch out with Don while Katie is in school and we were eating takeout while watching our favorite shows after Katie goes to bed... ARGGGHHHHH!!!

I did not go through what I went through to loose 142 pounds to slowly watch it come back on!!  Every piece of clothing I own is a 14/16 or a 16 and my 16's are tight!!

I have said for several years that nothing makes me more aware of my weight than riding!  Everytime I get on Lakota's back, I'm very aware of my weight!  My weight which has slowly crept back up to 210!!  I can't believe it!!  I was furious at myself this morning but I have to move past it!!  Beating myself up about it isn't going to fix it!  Never has, never will!

There is just shame involved when you've gone through so much to loose weight, been successful and then have it come back on!!  Any of it!!  I felt ashamed when I regained FOUR pounds but now it's time to STOP!!!

I'm still 123 pounds lighter than I was in December 2006... but I am determined to get to my goal weight!!

So, Body Bugg's are back on Don and I both this morning!  I'm going to count every calorie that goes in and log every calorie I burn!!  That's the only way that works for me... I have to be accountible other wise... "oh, this is only 200 calories... it won't make that big of a difference" and then BAM!  It does make a difference!!

So, we haven't watched this past season of Biggest Loser other than the first episode.  I know Helen won but it will hopefully still be inspirational to watch every day... we downloaded it on iTunes and there are 19 episodes if we start over from the beginning.  It takes 21 days for something to be habit so surely if we are determined, watch Biggest Loser every day for 19 days... by then we will be well on our way to staying on track!!

I plan to walk 3 miles every morning and then try to be as active as possible the rest of the day.  On days when I've sat on my but in front of the computer, I will do the elliptical or some other exercise in the evening!

My family doctor set my goal weight at 160 and said we'd re-evaluate when I got to that point.  That means that I have 50 pounds to loose... instead of the 29 I had to loose in January 2008 when I was at my lowest weight of 189.

I'm an emotional eater and having WLS didn't cure that!  I'm reading Bob Harper's book "Are You Ready" and he talks so much about getting to the emotional core and finding other things to replace it with... so that's what I have to do!!  That's what I must do to stop this horrible cycle!!

So, no more beating my self up... just "Enough is Enough!!"  Time to do it and stop making excuses.

My family and friends helped keep me encouraged during 2007 when I struggled a lot after complications from the WLS.  I'm counting on ya'll to help keep me encouraged this time too!  Also, Don!  It's so CRUCIAL for him... he's turning 45 this year and his father died at 47.  I do not want to loose him to something that could have been prevented!  Food is a tool... not a reward or something!!  We need to start looking at anything other than healthy foods as poison!!

Totally in love with my Lakota and I know he'd appreciate me getting serious and getting to my goal weight!!  So would my friends and family so I'll stop whining about it!

Enough!!

Sometimes You Gotta Make A Change

And sometimes change can be hard!  I've been unhappy with my old blog for a while... in part because the blogger address didn't fit me anymore.  It was ebaygaltn.blogspot.com... I no longer do anything on eBay becuase of the miserable changes that took place and the passions in my life are my family, time with our horses, time with friends and family, travel and photography!

I wanted a new blog that would reflect that and my personality so I'm going to play with wordpress and see if it's a better fit.  So this might be a work in progress but my life is a work in progress... isn't it for all of us!?  :)

Katie's Love For RB

Katie has developed a special bond with the horse, RB that she's ridden for several sessions at STAR. Yesterday when we got to STAR, we were in the waiting room but could see RB in the cross ties and he was throwing a little bit of a horsey temper tantrum. He was throwing his head and hoofing at the ground...

Don and I looked at each other a little worried. We'd never seen RB show any attitude. Katie didn't notice... she was wrapped up in books.

But, the minute Katie left the waiting area and headed toward RB, he lowered his head and then this is what happened.







Katie's instructor(s) at STAR are talking about the fact that she has the potential to be an accomplished horsewoman and rider.

They want her to ride a different horse next session because RB is very rough in his trot and Katie isn't too happy about that... she says that she doesn't mind bouncing at all.

xxooxxoo
LA :)

Holy Cow - My Baby Girl is TEN YEAR OLD!!!

That old expression about "the older you get, the faster time flies..." Well, living it is believing it!!

I can't believe that Katie turned 10 yesterday!! Katie has been with us since she was exactly 6 months old and it's been an amazing 9 1/2 years! She's turning into an incredible young lady and we are blessed every day to have her in our lives!



We had a lovely weekend in North Carolina visiting my mom, MomMom and Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Linda. Ronnie and Stacy were out of town so we didn't get to see them unfortunately. I had not been there since November and they hadn't seen Katie since late July. This wasn't on purpose but between Don and Katie having pneumonia, MomMom having mono and pneumonia and the craziness of life in 2009... this was the first chance we actually were able to make the trip without it being canceled.



Katie stayed with Mom and MomMom, which is what we typically do now. She loves it and it gives Don and I some much needed alone time! :) We stayed at the Hampton Inn this time and I think we've decided that is our favorite hotel. It actually has a comfortable bed, unlike the Sleep Inn, Country Inn & Suites and the Holiday Inn Express!!

I asked Katie last night when we got home and she was eating her favorite food on the planet for her birthday evening dinner (Outback Buffalo Wings) "what her favorite part of her birthday weekend was".... she thought for a second and said "spending it with Grandmom, MomMom, Aunt Linda and Uncle Ronnie".



That was cool!! For the past several years we've done Disney or big birthday parties. It was nice to have a low key birthday with family this year!! And it was even better that being with family was her favorite part!!

Hopefully we will get some good quality time with Kim and Sarah when they are home this July!! We can't wait!!



Katie told Mom and MomMom when we got there that "she was so happy to see them. She thought she was never going to see them again!!" NOOOOOO Katie! Don't say that! Now Mom will really never let me live it down that it's been 10 months since they've seen their grandaughter/great-grandaughter!!" :)

It's always nice to get away for a few days but always good to get back home too!

My riding lesson got rained out this morning! Shoot! I have missed Lakota AND Arthur!!! Arthur is quickly becoming an extended family member and everyone knows how I feel about Lakota.

xxooxxoo!!
LA :)