I am back on the open road. If you saw a black blob lumbering down the street behind a jogging stroller, that was me. I used the jogging stroller as sort of a running walker! I made it 2.25 miles in 30 minutes. Very slow but I was at least out there running. Free from the confines of physical therapy and the treadmill. The temperature was nice and I only needed a sweat shirt and ear warmer. It was a little windy but I changed my course to avoid running into the wind much. I am still not allowed to turn while running and have to avoid hills but I was able to pick my way through my old course with just a few changes. Two of my kids went with me and one of the dogs. The kids had all gotten new sweatshirts for Christmas so we made the dog one to match. I had my hubby take pictures so I will try to figure out how to post them later.

I had a little pain all the way through the run mostly from the meniscus, I think. I go back to the doctor tomorrow so we will see what he says.

We got the garage/workout room cleaned up today and ready for weight training. Now that I am done with pt I will have to finish the rehab on my own.

I have done well with two days of cracking. I am worried that I haven't had enough calories today but could only find 10 calorie jello to round out the night. Guess I will have another shake in a minute before bed.

I came up with a monetary reward for my goals. I will report on it in the next day or so but I hope it will help me stay focused.

Better sign off for the night. Hope you all have a happy and safe new year. Be careful!

Well, we are officially done with the Christmas present exchanges. We finished up this evening with Kip's family. We also had a few exchanges to make and finished those tonight. We actually got home in time to sit for a minute and watch tv before putting the kids to bed. I have been working on uploading all my pictures so my camera is clear for New Year's Eve. I thought by buying a bigger memory card I was saving myself some time. Hah! I forgot how long it takes to upload them.

Like always, I have big plans for the New Year. I have read everything about setting goals and how New Year's resolutions rarely work. I am trying to do everything right so I can be successful. The first thing is to let you all know my plans. I am working on self promises but it never hurts to have a little peer pressure also!

So here goes:

1. Carb deplete starting tomorrow and going into next week so that I can Crack the Fat for another round.
2. Train for and run OKC for the 3rd time.
3. Lose 30 more pounds by July.
4. Lose 10% body fat by July.
5. Run marathon.
6. Get more sleep (7-8 hours???)-This is the only long shot!

Now I know another key to success is having a plan to reach the goals you have set. I have plans for all my goals but won't bore you with the details.

My husband just pointed out the time so I better sign off so I can start working on #6. I hope you all have had a wonderful 2008 and I look forward to your blogging friendship in 2009.

Good morning everyone. After a late night we were up early this morning to see what was under the tree. We had gotten home late from family events and still had to wrap gifts for the kids. About the time we got the gifts wrapped, our youngest started throwing up. After we got the bed cleaned and the sleeping arrangements settled we fell back asleep until the boys woke us up to open presents. The living room is a mess right now and only Kallie is left playing with her toys. The boys have gone back to the PSPs they got a few nights ago. The hubby is cooking breakfast so the house may be messy but it smells really good.

I got a heart rate monitor for Christmas and some under armour pants. However, I have already lost the pants to my husband. The boys got lots of clothes and a SPARQ training system. Kallie got lots of Barbie stuff: computer, phone, camera, kitchen center, and boots. Trev got a fur lined hat that we all have called "The grandad steak cooking hat". But we have also been singing, "I'm a wabbit slayer." TJ got some under armour stuff.

We have had a good holiday season. Some tears last night when we got a new book about Grandma and got to watch a slide show Katie had made of past Christmas at Grandma and Grandad's house.

We have a few more days of family events. We are thankful for the wonderful weather, the good company, the family, and another year together. I wish everyone else a Merry Christmas and hope we all have a happy new year.

School is out for a few days. I have to work 3 days during the Christmas Break but that's okay cause it saves me from losing a lot of time due to my knee surgery. The kids got out early today and seem relieved. They are going to stay with my mom tonight because we haven't even started shopping yet. We have to get it all done tonight and tomorrow before we run out of time.

My kids seem glad to be done with semester tests. I will be glad when we see the grades.

We don't have many plans for the holidays and hope to avoid a lot of travel. We have conflicts with two of our family Christmas events so we will have to get that worked out somehow. I made it though the work parties and treat days. I did have a cake ball. They are great. Luckily the kids knew about them and couldn't wait to eat one also. That didn't leave me but one so thank goodness.

Off to shop, keep your fingers crossed that I can still find the gifts on the lists.

I have been really struggling with Cracking right now. I wanted to do carb deplete and get back on track but I end up hungry and then pigging out. I am very much a stress eater and I have been very stressed. I have made it through today so I am hopeful. I have a doctor's appointment coming up so I know I will have to weigh in.

On a better note, I did win the diet contest at work. I had lost 13% of my body weight. It was fun to win and I was going to celebrate by eating something good at the school lunch room. Mini corn dogs, brown lettuce, broccoli that tasted like tunafish, and actual tunafish. Needless to say, I hate the mini corndogs with lots of mustard.

We had holiday snack day today at work and I resisted. I just had to stay out of the lounge. There will be snacks again tomorrow so I will have to keep my will power up.

Good luck to the rest of you who are having parties at work. Don't pull out the stretchy pants yet.

Well, I hope Mel is right and that absence does make the heart grow fonder. Jo had agreed to post my blogs if I would email them to her...never happened. Sadly my computer did not make it. We will be having a small ceremony later in the month! My new computer that really isn't all that new had been giving my fits with internet. Finally my nice sweet hubby and equally nice brother in law sat down and figured out the problem. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Anyway a quick update...I had knee surgery after the skateboard accident for a torn ACL and meniscus. I stayed home three weeks to recover. Back to work finally but that only meant off to several conferences. We went to Vegas for the National Youth Football tournament for my 9 year old to play in. They ended up 2nd. We are in Dallas right now for the State High School Football. Our school won in their first state appearance in school history. Can't think of much else to update so on to current life.

I am still cracking. It was hard post surgery cause lots of people sent food and I had to rely on someone else to get up and get my food for me. I still lost according to the doctor. I was glad it was pounds and not muscle cause my leg has really shriveled. I am still going to physical therapy. I was cleared to run last week but have been scared to give it a go. So far, I have stuck to the bike. I know the cut off for realistic training for OKC was like last week so I will need to get started to finish alive. I was measured for my real knee brace last week and will feel better with it on. My current brace doesn't stay up well so I would rather wait.

I have tried carb deplete a few times but haven't been very committed. I have to finish my weight loss journey so I can get on with living a healthy life. I asked my hubby if we could do a race in Hawaii in September if I was down to my goal weight and fitness level. He said to start planning it. I have really looked at the cost but would like something big to look forward to. I guess the threat of you will die if you don't loose this weight didn't work. (Is that the right loose/lose?)

Everyone is starting to wake up so I better sign off for now. I am so excited to be back among my blogging friends. I can't wait to see what has happened to you all while I have been gone.

My computer is still in the shop. Turns out it wasn't the easy repair they thought it would be or I just wasn't high on the get this thing fixed list.

I had surgery on Friday. Still groggy on the details but know they fixed my ACL with donor ligament, cleaned out the meniscus and some scar tissue. I was in lots of pain coming home from the hospital and through the evening on Friday. I finally got my pain under control when my sweet hubby called the doctor and told him I wouldn't stop crying. Today we changed the dressing, lots of bleeding and bruising. I have been on my CPM machine non-stop and the ice machine also. Tomorrow I get to drop back to 8 hours a day for both machines. I wonder how many calories that machine burns. I think I will just alternate legs and see if I notice anything! I start physical therapy on Tuesday and go three times a week. Not the most fun but necessary evil I guess.

I will try to get some posts done while I am off. I have to stay home at least 2 weeks. I will try to catch up on everyone's blogs while I am off also.

I am restarting another round of cracking tomorrow with all the girls from work and my sisters. I plan on having lots of shakes cause I can keep them in a cooler by my bed. I would appreciate any "dieting while injuried" advice.

Have a good week everyone.

I am having computer troubles so I can't post anything. I am blocked at work so I had to wait to use a computer. My knee is shot. I go back to the surgeon one week from Friday. I took myself off of my crutches because my arm pits couldn't stand it. I think I over did it today because the swelling is back up and the pain is also. Sorry I can't post more about the accident. It was pretty funny even if it did cause this miserable trauma.

I hope to get my computer up and running soon. Thanks for all the thoughts.

I have a sick child home from school today. My middle son has asthma and twice a year has really bad bouts with it. This must be the week cause we are home today. He slept late which means I got to sleep in. Love that. I think I may get a run in before dark. Love that. We are heading to the doctor know to get some steroids.

We had parent teacher conferences yesterday. Grades were good. Love that. Our oldest son will be a teenager next month so that is tough. He is having a hard time so if you have any teen advice, send it my way.

The only bad thing about a day off is getting behind at work but other than that I love pretending to be a stay at home mom. Even if it means laundry and cleaning. Okay, maybe I like the sleeping late and running part.

In just 2 weeks one of my friends from work lost 29 inches. Yep, you read that right 29 inches. I kept telling her she was looking great but she has little confidence and an even smaller amount of self esteem. She had agreed not to weigh until she was through the 3rd week of cracking. I had almost killed her when I made her get on the body fat scale! Anyway, it was weigh/measure day at work. She had lost 11 pounds, 4% body fat, and 29 inches. Today's results weren't that good for everyone else but between the the eight of us, we were down 39 pounds in the last two weeks. We lost one off the wagon but hopefully she will find her way back.

I need some new ideas for meals. I think if I have anymore chicken I will grow feathers and cluck. Any ideas for legal crackin' protein?

Just a quick update on D day. I had my regular breakfast while everyone else had McD's. We headed off early for a cross country meet for my oldest son. Everyone was getting burritos so I thought I might try one for a mid morning snack or early lunch. I got one but after a couple of bits one of the kids wanted it so I gave it away. We stopped at Sonic for something to drink as we were leaving town and my youngest saw jr. banana splits were on sale so we ordered one of those. My husband wanted mine when it got to the car but I didn't share. It was good and gone in just a few bites, before anyone else could ask for a bite.

I also got a nap in. I think actually that I slept about 3 hours. Now we are getting ready for the 2nd event of the day, a jr. football game. The kids also have a rodeo tonight but the times conflict so no one is going to the rodeo. It means that 2 of the 3 kids won't be able to win their belt buckle because of a rule requiring them to attend 4 in the season, even though they are ahead in points. Oh well, at least it means we won't be out until 3 a.m.

Hope everyone is surviving their "D"day. Talk to you on Monday.

I was trying to get my computer problems figured out and hadn't realized how late or how cool it had gotten. Kip and the dogs were going to go with me but the dogs couldn't get along. Besides I kind of like the peace and quiet so I opted to go alone. I did stay on the roads today under the street lights. I am bound and determined to keep some hills in my training so I took off on my marked course. I never have been good at breathing correctly while I am running. For sure tonight I was sucking in the cold air. My lungs did not appreciate it and responded by firing back, literally. Okay, maybe not literally but it sure felt like fire in my lungs. I finished though. When I got back to the house I came inside long enough to breath in some warm air and then went back outside to cool off for a while.

I haven't started running again with my IPOD. I don't know for sure why but I thought I would run without it for a while. Partly because I like hearing what is going on around me but I think my life is so busy that I wanted some silence for a little while. I do miss having the measurements but I also know they are never completely accurate anyway. I drove all the streets I wanted to include in my run. I marked each increment on a map and now I can choose which streets for the distance I need. Right now I am just running for time but I like to know whether I am getter better as I go along. I know, I know, my car isn't an accurate judge either but what else can I do. I am tempted to mark the course like Bryan did but haven't gotten brave enough yet.

Not sure if I have reported on the new scale yet. I bought a body fat scale to keep at work for all the crackers there. Weird, I know, there are not always accurate either. (Is this a theme tonight?) Anyway, one of the girls has lost 4% body fat in one week. She is the one I mentioned earlier that looks different already. All the crackers at work will measure again on Monday and I am anxious to see how they have done.

I measured yesterday and have lost 4 more inches. I am not weighing until I go back to the doctor next week. I haven't heard from her yet regarding my blood work so I am going with "No news is good news" motto.

Read Jana's post if you haven't. I so agree with her about not being hungry and leaving food on my plate. I am a little worried that I haven't been getting enough calories again so I will monitor that a little closer this next week. Tomorrow is D day. We all know where I WON'T be eating!

Wow, Biggest Loser got deep tonight. On a trip to Grand Canyon, Ali tells them to think of themselves as the river that runs through the Grand Canyon. Imagine the power that it had to make the changes that it did but also remember that it took a long time to make those changes. Make yourself as powerful as that river and choose the course you want to take. Wow, deep right?

The family went to eat without me (too much temptation at Leal's) so I watched the show without them. I had to rewind it quickly when they got here so they wouldn't know I had watched it without them.

Today was my D day. I didn't want to push my luck with my stomach so I only had a few fries, a few chips, and a grill cheese. I really wanted a malt or candy bar but couldn't brave it. I am still on a weird schedule because of my Thursday start. It works out that I still get a D day on Saturday with everyone else but my mid week day falls on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Everyone at work is thinking they will order pizza for lunch tomorrow. We are all doing the diabetic plan for D days so our carbs are more spread out.

Today I could really tell one of the ladies from work was losing inches. It was great. Several of us from work had workshops today so we meet for lunch and then meet again afterwards for a snack. We ended up talking the WOE for a long time. It was like our own tiny WW meeting. I am so proud of them all for sticking with it. I know it is hard to think about needing to lose over 50 pounds but we decided to break it down into small eight week goals. We have all started different things at different times. I know for me, this time, I have to lose the weight for my health, for my future, and for myself. Enough of the deep river stuff.

I ran again today. I took my daughter in the jogging stroller to avoid the child exercise cops. She carried my water for me and told me to turn left or right. I started on a course with way too many hills and my stroller needed air in the tires. We made it 1.8 miles in my allotted time (Cto5K). I will definitely look for a flat course next time.

I am so proud of everyone's cracking. I think you have all done so good and I am thankful for the support and encouragement that has been involved. Keep up the crack a lackin.

My stomach bothered me all day today. I hate to say food poisoning but I was the only one who got sick. My carb reactions never last this long so I am going with food poisioning. I was still sick today but managed to make it through work. When I got home I slept two hours and am feeling some better now. It's just that I can't manage to put any protein in my mouth. I want stomach food like crackers or chicken noodle soup and oddly enough powdered doughnuts. I sure don't feel like broccoli and meat. I tried to call the Chant hotline but they don't offer help over the phone only by email. My questions were, "Is it better to get some food in my body than nothing at all? Which will do the least damage to my macropatterning?"

Either way, I was left to muddle through on my own. I was hoping that I could get a run in later tonight if I felt better. I can handle going slow but don't want to get sick again.

Fit asked me to post some pictures of my progress. No pun intended but fat chance...I hardly ever take pictures regrettably. I will try to see what I can find lying around. I will blog my inches specific to areas though when I get a chance.

I did lose 4 more pounds today but I had gained some in maintenance. I lost my tape measure so I have to buy a new one. My 4 year old daughter is closely monitoring my eating. She wanted to make sure white Sprite (Sprite Zero) was on my diet since I was drinking one in my weakened state.

Better go see what the family has planned for dinner. Have a great week everyone.

D day on the cracking means restraint or tums. I did good with the restraint part until my last meal and now I need tums. We were trying to decide between Furr's and IHOP. The kids wanted Furr's. I was just going to have a bite of pie and a bite of apple dumpling. I ended up having two bites of chess pie and 1/2 the crust from the dumpling. I also had one crispy sopapillo thing and one cornbread muffin. I did have my veggies, broccoli and green beans. I started getting that sugar rush headache/dizziness before the kids even finished their meals. I think I will count my calories in a minute to see how bad it actually was.

On a better note, I ran again today. My husband wanted to go out for breakfast but I had already eaten my ez bread sandwich. My oldest son wanted to shower before he was seen in public so I saw the perfect opportunity to get a run in. My middle son and I took off running our usual course in reverse with a little extra distance so we could end up at the restaurant and meet the rest of the family. By then I could have my 2nd meal of the day so I had eggs. After everyone finished eating, we decided to run home. The drivers and riders challenged the runners to a race. Fat chance that we would win but we never turn down a challenge besides we could get a head start while they were loading up the car. We cut through alleys and yards but they quickly pulled up beside us in a taunting fashion and circled the block a few times. We refused to be beaten and kept running. They parked at the house and started walking back towards us when I shouted that no one had made it to the house yet. My husband and I took off at a dead sprint and I beat him to the door. Go runners! Remember slow and steady wins the race.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Keep crackin.

I thought I had posted on my blog a few days ago but can't seem to find it anywhere. Guess I did something wrong...still getting used to this.

As for crackin...I haven't lost anymore weight. I got a new scale to help track body fat and hydration. When I went to have my blood test done, they told me I was dehydrated. What? I have been drinking 100 ounces of water a day. Of course, it feels like I have been peeing out 200 ounces so there you go.

I have today off from work. I could so be a stay at home mom. I ran some errands, took some stuff by the school (twice), got my prescriptions, and then came home and ran. Kallie heard I had the day off so she wanted to stay with me. She went running with me again. We are doing the Couch to 5K. We made it 1.5 miles today. We took one of the dogs so our progress was held up a little bit. But after my stalker incident from this summer, I decided to take a dog with me every time. Kallie got pretty whiny towards the end and I told her I was sure someone would turn me in to the cops if she didn't quit whining. When the house is in sight, she starts skipping and high kicking while singing or cheering so I don't think she is as bad as she says. The dog we took likes her to carry him like a baby so he kept putting his front paws up to her and begging her to carry him. They were pitiful. Now they are both almost asleep. What, you get a nap if you are a stay at home mom? Where do I sign up and how do I support the family without income?

Since I have done so good on the WOE, I treated myself to a new pair of running shoes. Once you fall in love with a pair you try to stick with them. I was afraid the update would change the shoe but they felt great on. Thanks to Dad and Jane for the gift certificate so the receipt won't shock Kip nearly as bad. I need some new running clothes though because all my pants (no, not ready for shorts yet) are too big. OUCH! Thank goodness for bodyglide.

I am proud to report that Jo got back to crackin' and J stayed with it. The first week is always the hardest. Everyone at work is still crackin' and now all have their own books. We are going to start walking again at lunch and some people are going to attempt Hip Hop Abs after work. I hope all the crackers involved with IKE get back on track.

I did have a terrible experience this week on D day. I had wings and french fries. I went to Sam's afterwards. As I was paying, I felt my stomach start to rumble. I hurried to the car and raced to Target. Let's just say thank goodness the restrooms are in the front. Why did we like carbs?

Have a good weekend everyone and remember: Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.

Well, I have finished my 8 weeks of crackin' and started week 9 (which is half of two, otherwise known as confusing). I am down 32 pounds, 33 inches, and 10% body fat. My doctor's appt. went well and I get to have blood tests done to see if I have lost enough weight to go off of my medicine. Today 6 people at work finished week 1. Altogether they lost 32 pounds. They were still tabulating inches so I will have to report that later.

Kip is home from the hurricane. He surprised Kallie at daycare and went to surprise Trevor at football practice. TJ hasn't seen him yet. We are glad to have him back and are proud of the work he did to help others. He has some great stories.

We finished, sort of, moving out of the house. Thankfully Jo and Bryan helped or I wouldn't have made it. J and I finished up Saturday and Sunday. We left some junk for Kip to get. The renters/buyers moved in today so I will be holding my breath until March. Now that we are done with that house I can finish the texture/paint job Jo started and left. Wonder if I can hold out until she comes back next time!

Time to take the boys to football practice. Have a good week everyone.

Aside from having a birthday this week, my oldest son started playing 7th grade football. They had their first game tonight. Overall they played well, a little timid, but okay. They lost but Trevor almost saved the game by running the ball to less than 1/2 yard to the goal line. I think once they get the nerves worked out they will be good. There are lots of great athletes in his grade so they should be fun to watch.

My sister is heading back home after waiting out the hurricane with family. I think they are ready to be back but don't want to waste valuable resources that others need. She had to return to work Monday even though their daycare is without electricity and my brother-in-law's office building is without a roof. It has been fun to have them here, especially since Jo is crack-a-lackin'.

Speaking of crackin', I had red velvet cake last night for my birthday. I instantly got a headache, felt dizzy, and couldn't finish my piece. Strange but in a good way.

I am carb depleting for 4 days now and starting back again. I hope I have as much success the second time around. Doctor's appt. is tomorrow so I am hoping for a good blood test.

I have on my running clothes so I can get my run in tonight. I have a new running plan set up. I plan to take Wednesdays and Friday or Sunday off. I love the feeling of being on the roads when everyone else is asleep or settling in for the night. Since we ran in the cold so much 2 years ago, I have great cold weather gear and can't wait for it to get here. Although I wouldn't mind if the cold waited until after football is over!

Time for baths and bed. Stay safe everyone.

Today is my 35th birthday. I had hoped to reach the 35 lb mark by the 35th birthday but fell a few pounds short. I made up the difference in miles. Does that count? My birthday present to myself was to start running again. I love it really and don't know why I stopped. I can think of a few things that I let get in the way but nothing that should have stopped me from doing something for myself. So no matter how early, or how late, how cold, or how hot, how windy, or how wet...I will run. Please remind me that I made this self promise.

Jo and hubby have really been a great help in their own personal trauma. They went to my old house today to pack up the remants so real live renters/buyers could move in. With my husband gone to restore power to those in the Hurricane zone, there was no way I could move the furniture by myself. Now all I have left are the closets and the kitchen. Kip will have to do the barns when he gets back in a couple of weeks.

I did talk to him today. I am not sure where they are but it said it was really wooded and so far not as bad as he thought it would be. He worked Rita and Katrina but he also said he was on the outer band of the damaged area. He said they got the last hotel in town before 41 more guys came in today. They will be opening up a church camp to house the other crews. He always makes fun of me because I wear my shoes in a hotel but he said he didn't think he wanted to touch the carpet in his room tonight. Well, I know he is thankful to at least have a bed for a few days. It looks like they will be working from 5 a.m until 11 p.m. Please keep them in your prayers and thoughts. It is dangerous work but he knows many people are counting on his crew.

I think I have done pretty good as a single parent. My oldest son hated me last night but at least talked to me today. I did forget to feed the horses and had to get the kids out of bed to go help me. Kallie had a good day at daycare (first time in 3 weeks). TJ seems to be doing good. They get progress reports this week and I hope they are good.

Tomorrow is getting closer as I sit and type so I better sign off and move the kids out of my bed. Be safe everybody.

I love this WOE. I will finish my 8 weeks on Wednesday due to an odd start day. I think I will weigh Monday morning because Tuesday will be a cheat day and Wednesday will be a high carb day. My birthday is Tuesday so I plan on having cake.

I got to see my crackin' sister. She looks great despite the stress of the hurricane. Once again, let me say, I am so glad she is doing this with me. I owe my previous success to her support and am counting on her again.

My husband is leaving tomorrow to work on the electricity problems from the hurricane. I am trying to finish up his laundry and help him pack. I hate to think about everything I will have to do while he is gone. I feel so sorry for anyone whose spouse is deployed. I can't imagine how hard it is. I only have to do without him for 3-6 weeks.

I am so glad that Jo and her friends' houses didn't suffer much damage. I hope they get to return to normal soon. You will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. Please remember when you have electricity, thank a lineman.

Looking around the house this morning, I realized the one good thing about IKE is that I had to clean my house cause Jo is evacuating. I doubt she will stay here but it was enough to get the family motivated into helping me clean. Well, that and the threat of being grounded from anything and everything.

About the WOE, I don't like maintenance weeks. I want to get back to losing. Should I skip week 8 and get back to cracking? I would be able to join my friends around week 2 because they started this week. Any thoughts?

I did get new jeans yesterday. I first went in and got the next size down from what I was wearing. I could fit my whole fist in the pants with me and then some. I was so excited I even asked the worker for help. She brought me the next two sizes down. I am not sure what RedDaisy's snoppy dance looks like but I am pretty sure I was doing something close in the dressing room! I ended up going down 4 sizes from the jeans I HAD at home. I think I could have gone down one more size in the waist but my thighs required a bigger size. But there is always round 2 of cracking! Oh, and I tucked my shirt in this morning. What???

Today is my oldest son's first school football game. I took the day off to clean for the evac but got most of that done last night. I will get to go to his first pep rally this morning. Last night he informed me that a girl had asked him to homecoming and wanted to know if it was too late to get a mum. The lady that owns the flower shop lives across the street so I made him walk over and ask her. She had some pre-made and he wants me to pick one up today. Conversation went something like this: "Mom, I will pay." "Okay, how much do you have?" "$10 and lots of change." "Ugh, that won't even buy a mum your little sister would wear." "We are talking at least $50." "How serious are you about this girl" (FYI: We had never heard of her before yesterday afternoon). "Well, she is cute." End of conversation because I had to leave the room to keep my gag reflex in check.

Everyone in IKE's path is in our prayers. We will be glued to the news and waiting to hear from you all. Be safe.

I am supposed to be in Houston tonight enjoying an Astros game or playing at Main Event with family but the possible return trip nightmare due to Hurricane Ike caused my boss to change plans. So instead of getting to sleep late in the darkness of my quiet solitary hotel room I am home dealing with screaming kids and bills.

Also I got in trouble from Jo for not keeping up with my blog. I got blocked at work and haven't had time at home to update.

As for the WOE, I am down 32 pounds and 30 inches. I have made it to Onederland. That's pretty private info to be made public but I guess it was obvious I wasn't a size 0 to begin with. I am 2 days short of finishing week 7. I weighed today because tomorrow is the first cheat day and the next day is High carb day. I don't really have anything in mind. If I was in Houston, I would have had a red Shipley doughnut and Firehouse wings. I am not so sure that sugar tomorrow wouldn't start carb cravings so I am hesitant to try anything much.

I am already planning on the next round of Cracking. I know I have to add more exercise and more calories. I have been under 1000 calories for the last few days/weeks and know that is bad. I go back to see my doctor two days after I finish the first 8 weeks. I will be anxious to see the results from all her tests.

As for family updates, my oldest son competed in his first xc meet this past Saturday. We started the day at 5:30 a.m driving 45 miles to see him race for 17 minutes for xc, then drove 75 miles the other direction for middle son's football game, then back the other way 45 minutes to finish the day with a rodeo which ended at 2:00 a.m. Sunday. Needless to say we were still dragging this morning when it was time to get up for xc practice.

This week is Homecoming for the football team. Every day is a crazy day at school. Tomorrow is twin day and we are currently searching for a missing orange sock. I better end the update and help corral the search party.

I thought I better write something this morning so Jo didn't harass me about falling off the blog wagon.

I don't know what happened this week but I haven't lost much. I am down 3 more inches and up a little on weight. I did analyze my calories and realized I wasn't having nearly enough. I am really bad about taking enough for work. Most of you probably don't understand but the town I work in has two restuarants, 2 convenience stores, sort of grocery store and the lunchroom cafeteria. I had a very busy week and didn't have time to stop for lunch so I just ate at my desk. I will plan better this week.

I did reward myself yesterday. I bought myself (and the hubby) a used playstation. He got a couple of games but I got Dance Dance Revolution. I thought it would be great exercise. It was taken over by someone(??) and I never got to dance again last night. It has a workout component and helps to track calories burned so I will have to figure out how many songs to dance through to get a good workout.

I so feel Jo's bra pain. I am on the last latch on mine and don't want to buy more until I really need them. (Like now!) I am going to have to buy some more pants 'cause yesterday at youth football I was almost the half time show!

House update: We got an offer on the house and accepted it. We need to recarpet/tile 3 rooms immediately so if anyone wants to take a working vacation...hint...we would love to visit/work with you.

Keep up the WOE.

Tomorrow will finish up the first week of accelerated fat loss. I have lost 5 more pounds but today was a carb up day so no telling what the scale will show tomorrow. I will take my measurements again tomorrow. I am almost to the point Jojo was and hope to move the doctor's office scale lower and then I will start to work on the next 50.

I always thought I hated water but I am doing pretty good drinking each day. Of course when you replace the 12 dt. dr. peppers I was having a day, you have to fill up with some liquid. I still haven't had crystal light because it used to give me a headache. I may get sick of plain water and try it but not just yet.

I couldn't think of anything I was craving today. I did have chips and hot sauce but couldn't think of much else. I had wanted wings but my son was feeling up to eating after he had a tooth pulled at the dentist. I thought we could get ice-cream but he told me he wasn't supposed to have anything cold for a few hours so that was out also. Guess I will just hold off any cravings until next time.

For those of you out there trying this WOE, make sure you are giving it a chance. Stick to the plans, stick to the food choices, plan your meals, drink your water, and eat. Just one or two things done wrong will sabotage the whole plan. Make a decision and stick with it. Keep your self promises and quit lying to yourself.

Why did I agree to pizza? Why didn't I stop to buy tums? I wasn't really craving anything for carb up day but thought I better eat something. We went to Red Lobster for lunch and I decided to have one, yes only one, roll. Then tonight we went to Pizza Hut. The hubby and I shared a taco pizza. I was worried about the tomato sauce on regular pizza. Of course, my daughter wanted the pizza we got so I ended up trading a piece with her. I also had a chocolate rice krispy treat that a lady from work made for me. My carb count was really high for the day but my calorie count wasn't very bad. I know we aren't supposed to be tracking numbers but I am OCD about it.

I had a dr.'s appt. this morning. She was so impressed with my weight loss. My blood pressure was down also. My body fat wasn't hadn't changed as much as I had thought based on my scale but I know that water, timing, and food, etc... can make a difference on fat % scales. I called my husband to tell him how proud the doctor was of me and he was so glad to hear I had a good report from the dr. It's the first good one in a while.

I also got a nap in today which is all important. Oh, that was one thing the dr. said I needed more of, sleep! Yah for her. Can I get a note saying that?

The family all went for a walk. We even took the dogs. The kids and the dogs wanted to run. I was a little nervous for "broken arm girl" to run but she told us she was only running slowly. We did take the jogging stroller from **** but thanks to Bubby we now have a normal jogging stroller. Seems one wheel was bent, duh, no wonder it pulled to the right.

Jo gave me some hope with the crack slaw recipe. I am so proud that she joined me in the WOE. It is great to know I have some support and help along the way. I am sorry Marble Slab made you sick. Remember the cinnabon days of BFL? I still can't stand the smell.

I was hoping to be better about posting more often but...my house flooded from the rain (3 inches inside 4 rooms), my daughter broke her arm, and my son had to have a root canal. A few thousand dollars later and I finally have time to blog! On a better note, the house looks better and the insurance adjuster is coming, my daughter is doing better, and my son realizes the importance of brushing his teeth when I tell him.

As far as the WOE (way of eating), I finished my 4th week. I am down 17 pounds and have lost 24.5 inches. I had read somewhere that people gained in the 3rd week but mine was in the 4th week. I gained 4 pounds but in the end lost 5 so I am still one ahead for the week. The next two weeks are the accelerated fat loss weeks so I am remaining hopeful that I can reach the -26 pounds by the end of the 8 weeks.

My mom bought the book yesterday and a few gals at work are joining also. Next Monday we end our diet competition at work. We are on teams of two and have weighed every other week. If your team was not the biggest loser, you each had to put in $2. Monday we will split the cash between the team with the biggest loss overall. Then we are starting up again.

Today will be a struggle for me. It is carb down (remember I started on Thursday). Every Thursday a lady from a Mexican Bakery comes by with a van full of pastries, tortillas, and tamales. They are so good and so inexpensive. It is hard to resist. I don't have another carb-up day until Saturday and not sure I could trust myself to save the goods until then. Remember the french fry commercial where the guy put them in the trunk to make it home...but stopped to eat them on the side of the road. I am afraid the kids would say, "Mom, you have some pink crumbs hanging on you lips." I think I better just hide in my office when she comes. Maybe I will have some yummy cottage cheese.

I got up this morning eager to weigh after yesterday's carb down day and before today's carb up. I started at a weird time so my day's aren't on track with the traditional WOE. Anyway, I am down 3 more lbs. That makes for a total of 16 after just 3.5 weeks. Maybe I will reach the advertised 26 by the end of the 8 weeks.

However, I still have my old mind set so I went to get dressed and put on some shorts that I had bought in Houston at the first of the month. I can't keep them up. I didn't think they were that bad and had to hurry out the door to take my daughter to cheerleading camp. When I got there I thought I had become a sagger and I didn't have any cool boxer tops to show off. Yikes. I finally decided I could roll down the top to help keep them up. I gave that up after an hour and came home to change. All the other mothers had quit hovering so I thought it was okay to leave. Besides, they had just passed out red and orange juice for the kids to drink in their white t-shirts that we had just paid $25 for. Couldn't stay for that nonsense!

I am doing the diabetic menus for the carb up day so I can spread my carbs out more evenly. I am afraid I would go into a coma if I had two huge meals so late at night. I do look forward to some waffles so I may have that cause I saw on one menu that it was okay to have breakfast for dinner on carb up days.

I am confused about the cottage cheese. I read on the blogs that you have to switch to lowfat after the first week. I can't find that in the book anywhere. If anyone can find the answer let me know.

I know my sister was worried about all the "bad" food in her house this weekend. The only answer I have for that is take my kids for a week and they will clean you out!

Someone at work that I hadn't seen in a while actually noticed that I had lost some weight. She asked me about it and congratulated me. I was really impressed because she said it usually took her a while to notice things like that but she noticed right off when she saw me. Yippee! Good for me!!!

Although I don't really consider myself old, I did think when I started writing this, "Maybe you can teach an old dog a new trick." I am completely new to writing a blog. I have been a reader for a while but never brave enough to write my own. My sister said I should use a blog to document my new WOE, Crack the Fat Loss Code. Thanks, Jo-Jo, for setting this up for me. I will try to use it.

As for WOE, I have been cracking for 3 weeks. I just started my 4th week in Cycle 2. I have lost 13 pounds and 18.5 inches. I don't have a body fat scale but did measure at my sister's house while I was on week 1. I will remeasure next time I go see her. I love this plan. I haven't been hungry. I haven't had any cravings. I have gone from 4-44 ounce dt. cokes to 1-20 ounce dt. coke. I hope to be completely off of dt. drinks by the time I am done with the 8 week plan.

Oh, and we are doing the 100 push-up challenge. I am starting tonight. I was only able to do 7 push-ups so I will be pretty impressed if I can do 100 in 6 weeks. Plus muscle burns more calories than fat so I am all set to build my arms up.

Time to eat some protein and broccoli so I better close up. Thanks again for encouraging me to do this.