I know this will come as a surprise to most of you, since we’ve kept this a secret…but Scott and I are brand new parents…again!!!!

We brought home the two cutest little girls in the world!!! Just like babies do, they are eating, sleeping, and pooping a lot! The limited time they are awake, tho, we are having the most fun with them.

Here are their birth announcements that I made today!

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The fall soccer season just ended this week, so I thought I’d post some pictures that I’ve taken during the season. This was Cole’s first year playing any sports, and he wanted to play soccer like Brittany. Brittany played soccer again this year, and had a great time making new friends. Cole worked hard to get his trophy and he is so proud of it!

To see the kids in action, and their individual pictures bigger, CLICK HERE! (Remember, click on any picture in the album to see it bigger!)

Brittany AYSO Soccer

Cole AYSO Soccer

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We decided to do something special for Cole’s first school pictures. Enjoy the shots.

Cole’s Haircut with Blonde Tips

Side profile

Back of his head. Awesome!

Haha. I love it. To be fair, I asked him to look mean.

I told him to look mean. He was laughing when I showed him this one.

Normal relaxed pose.

Then I told him to smile right for the world…

As always, click any picture for a larger version.

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This week was a little rough for me on this diet.

The weight was a constant struggle as I bounced from 264 to 261 throughout the week. I figured by today, I would probably announce that I didn’t lose any weight.

Then yesterday came along and I saw the weight coming off. Between yesterday and today, my body decided to give up the struggle and shed some more weight.

The stats:
September 10th: 262.0
Today, September 17th: 260.4
Weight loss: 1.6 Pounds
Total Loss: 14.6 Pounds

Although this is the first time I’ve seen 260, I desperately want to see 25*.** on the scale. Even 259.9. Haha. I couldn’t tell you the last time I’ve seen 25*, it has been at least 8 years. Hopefully next week, I will see that for the first time. I can’t wait!

By the way, I tried on a size 40 shorts last night, and I was shocked to see they already fit. I am able to zip and button them but they still are tight. I’ve been a size 42 for many many years and a size 40 could barely clear my waist unbuttoned. I don’t know what my goal size is for clothes, all I know is I want to be between 220 and 230 pounds by next summer. That’s 30-40 pounds to lose in 9 months or 39 weeks. It will be extremely hard to lose a pound a week as my goal weight nears. Oh yeah, lets not forget the two hardest-to-diet seasons are coming, involves a turkey and a pig… yikes!

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This week was a very awesome week for weight loss.

09/03/07 – Weighed 264.2
09/10/07 – Weigh 262.0
Total weight loss: 2.2 pounds in one week.

I estimate I started this diet on August 13th. Sorry, I didn’t write the first day on the calendar so I am using this blog as a reference for this estimation.

August 13th, 2007: 275 Pounds
September 10th, 2007: 262.0 Pounds
One month weight loss: 13 Pounds!

Based on my weight loss during the second half of the month, my goal is to lose 6-8 pounds next month. Hopefully more, but this is my realistic goal.

What’s really cool, I was able to eat 2 huge slices of fatty (cheese) vegetarian pizza for dinner. It was my one of two “bad meals” for the entire week. Not bad considering I had at least two bad meals a day before this diet.

As the weight goes, the energy and ambition continues. Now, at the kids’ soccer games, I find myself jogging during halftime, running/kicking with the ball, and just feeling the need to burn some energy. I never had any of that three weeks ago.

My workouts at home have intensified. I do 60 “stair pushups” a day, 100+ crunches with my legs elevated with my thighs at a 90 degree angle to the ground (thanks Tammy for the tip, these burn!), and I even went out with Tammy walking/jogging around the neighborhood. As far as muscle building, I do 20 25+ pound curls, 3 times a day, every other day, using the TotalGym as a well as a few other exercises.

For walking, I noticed Tammy can walk faster than me for some reason so I have to do small jogs periodically to stay ahead/keep up with her. Heh. As long as my heart rate keeps up though, I don’t mind.

My diet usually includes one two-scoop whey protein shake for breakfast + lunch then a healthy dinner. Tammy has found some awesome recipes online and great cooking tips to easily remove fat from a meal without sacrificing too much on taste. We have loved some of the meals she has prepared, although, we have noticed it takes her a lot longer to cook at night. It is all part of the “lifestyle change” that she talks about in her blog post yesterday.

Well that’s it for this week. I look forward to next week. I am hoping to hit 259 sometime within 9 days. I’ll be sure to post about it, I know I’ll feel compelled. Thanks for reading!

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Well, after Scott started losing weight, and drinking the whey protein, I decided to join him in the weight loss adventure. He mistakenly one day gave me a sip of his vanilla whey protein shake, and I was surprised that it was really good. He then told me how the whey protein has an ability to curb your appetite, so that you’re not hungry all the time. Hmm.. Sounded good to me, I thought. So about a week after he started losing weight and drinking the protein shakes, I joined him. The results for me have been nothing short of a miracle.

Like most women, almost every year, I “try” to lose weight, and like most women, I fail. About a year ago, I even made a little Diet journal for me, so that I could mark my weight loss successes, I was thinking if I saw it on paper, it would encourage me to keep going. Well, it didn’t. The book started collecting dust, and the pounds stayed on. Well, since I’ve started this diet, actually, it’s not a diet..I’m going to quit calling it a diet…it’s a lifestyle change, since I’ve started cooking and eating better, the pounds are melting away.

I really have been debating if I wanted to put my actual weight in this blog post, but I told Scott that if I got below a certain weight, that I probably would. Well, I’m close enough now…so here goes…

Last year, September 18, 2006, according to my diet journal, I weighed 159.6, then I started dieting, and exercising, and eating better. My next entry on October 2nd, 2006, I weighed 160.2. Then there were no more entries. This always happens to me. I start “dieting”, and I always gain weight! I’m eating less, eating more vegetables, exercising, not eating sugar, and I gain weight. So, I get depressed, and think to myself.. “well, if I’m going to gain weight, I might as well not be on a diet and eat what I want, when I want!” And this is the cycle I go through every time.

Well, I started this lifestyle change around August 23rd, and I weighed 157.3. I started having a 2 scoop whey protein shake (chocolate is so yummy..like a liquid chocolate bar!) in the morning for breakfast, and another for lunch, and then a sensible dinner. I lost a couple pounds within a few days, and was excited. I didn’t exercise much except 50 sit-ups and a few push-ups every couple of days. Then week 2 came. This is where I always have quit before…it was definitely a yo-yo week. My weight fluctuated all week. From 155 down to 154, back up to 154.2, down to 153, and then spiked back up to 154.6, and then down to 152.8. This time I stuck to it even with the weight gains..I was determined to get over the 2nd week hump!!!  Scott really helped me to keep going during this hard week because the same thing happened to him.

Now I’m on to week 3, and on Saturday, September 8th, I weighed 152, and this morning, Sunday, September 9th, I weighed 150.8. That’s almost 7 pounds in 3 weeks!!!! The kids and I have started to take a 1.60 mile walk around the neighborhood almost every night at a brisk pace. Well, my son actually doesn’t walk..he gets pushed in a little jogger stroller. Man, he’s got the life! Today, I started a circuit training routine with 15 pound dumbbells. They felt like 100 pound dumbbells by the time I was done. Well, they say if you sweat, just think of it as fat exiting from your body!! Right now, my short term goal is to get under 150 again. I haven’t seen that in a few years, sadly to say. I’ve decided I’d like to get down to 135 (or maybe lower if possible) for a long term goal. That is what I weighed before I ever had Brittany, almost 10 years ago!!

For this week, since I’m getting lower in weight, I need to cut a few more calories, I’ve cut my shakes back to only 1 scoop of whey protein in each shake, to help me save calories. There is a very simple formula to figure out how calories you should be taking in. Now I don’t stick to this calorie thing like it’s law…I merely use it as a guideline for portion control throughout the day.

Your present weight x 7 = Your daily caloric needs for weight loss

If you don’t like doing math, the chart below gives you an idea of how many calories you need, depending on your current weight.

If you weigh more than 300 pounds, start by eating 2,100 calories a day. If you weigh less than 150 pounds, plan to eat around 1,050 calories a day.

Current Weight …………….. Daily Caloric Needs for Weight Loss

• 150 …………………………………………………………. 1,050
• 160 …………………………………………………………. 1,120
• 170 …………………………………………………………. 1,190
• 180 …………………………………………………………. 1,260
• 190 …………………………………………………………. 1,330
• 200 …………………………………………………………. 1,400
• 210 …………………………………………………………. 1,470
• 220 …………………………………………………………. 1,540
• 230 …………………………………………………………. 1,610
• 240 …………………………………………………………. 1,680
• 250 …………………………………………………………. 1,750
• 260 …………………………………………………………. 1,820
• 270 …………………………………………………………. 1,890
• 280 …………………………………………………………. 1,960
• 290 …………………………………………………………. 2,030
• 300 …………………………………………………………. 2,100

Scott and I are having fun having little competitions among ourselves of who can get down below the 150 or the 260 (for him) mark first. It’s been fun doing this together and way more supportive, than watching him eat chips while I’m eating carrots, or vice versa!

Categories: Health
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Author: Scott 

Hi all,

This is an update from my last diet update on August 21st.

I can’t believe it has already been  13 days since my last post.

Either way, as of August 21st, I was 266.6 pounds according to my scale. I told Tammy the devil didn’t want me to lose weight.

I weighed myself this morning and I am officially 264.2 pounds now.

I am basically losing a pound a week which is about as healthy as you can go about losing weight. I wish it was going faster, but I know why it isn’t too.

The reason? I’ve been weight training 4 days a week, two times a day for about 20 minutes a session. My upper chest is gaining muscle, my arms are definitely showing  a difference, and I try to do 100-150 stomach crunches and some oblique training as well.

Whey protein has made an awesome difference to my weight training and muscle build. Before, it would take a month or two to show this much difference, this time, 3 weeks? Awesome.

So although I am not losing weight as fast as I would like, I am not discouraged because my shirts are fitting better, my shorts almost fall off my waist without a belt, and the energy levels continue to climb.

More energy -> more working out -> more playing sports -> more exercise -> more body transformation -> more energy (around and around).

After two weeks, I still do not want a soda or eat sugar. In fact, I went to the store and purchased the leanest, less sugary cereals I could find. I also am on a second and much larger bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar and we now have 2 large 5 pound tubs of Champion Why Protein, one is chocolate which Tammy loves (me, not so much) and one is cookies and cream which I absolutely LOVE and Tammy, not so much. Heh.

So what are the down sides? Well, I can say this, we are spending about $100 more a month on a healthier lifestyle. I totally understand why the poorest states in USA are the fattest, they can’t afford to be healthy!

We lean towards healthier foods but nothing that says “sugar free” or “reduced sugar.” We do not buy those because they are usually unnaturally sweetened with sucralose (branding: Splenda) or Aspartame which, if you did your research on those, is just as bad (or worse) for you. An example of this, take a look at sugar free or reduced sugar yogurt. That stuff is just as bad, in a different way. Instead of gaining fat when you body converts sugar, it gains other nasty symptoms such as your body not telling you it is full, cancers, degenerative illnesses, etc. Look up sucralose and aspartame online, your eyes will open wide…

Last night, we had an excellent dinner that Tammy prepared. Stuffed bell peppers stuffed with lean ground turkey instead of beef and it was awesome. Speaking of lean ground turkey, that stuff is a pretty good substitute for beef and almost tastes just as good in most prepared meals. But it is expensive!

We also will have turkey burgers now instead of beef burgers. With those, there is a huge difference because we no longer use as much salt seasonings and it tastes a little bland. But you know, without a little sacrifice, you get no reward.

It has been a lifestyle altering change. I’ve been a little frustrated on some days where I will gain a pound and the next day lose .5.  So I quit looking at the scale so much and over the weekly weigh-ins, there’s definitely good stuff happening and the mirror is the best scale of all, I see a difference there.

Categories: Health
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Author: Tammy

Well, the kids have started school, and so far, they are loving it!! Brittany started 4th grade, and Cole started Kindergarten. Both of them love their teacher, especially Brittany since her teacher hasn’t given any homework! Cole does have homework, and though, he’s a little resistant to the idea of having to do it, he is getting it done. Cole was very excited to ride the school bus for the first time, and I was able to get some pictures of him on the first morning!! Every day, Cole comes home with new songs he’s learned, or the daily report of who had to move their clip from the ‘good kid’ circle to the ‘you’ve got a warning’ circle.

See That Sheepish Smile? Watch Out, Teachers!!

I really thought I’d have a hard time getting Cole up in the morning for school, but he’s actually doing really well with it. We lay out his school clothes the night before, read a short story, or a chapter before bedtime, and he gets about 11 hours sleep. When he wakes up, he gets some breakfast, brushes his teeth, and gets dressed with very little prodding from me. He’s made a lot of new friends in class, and I think one of the best things we did was put him into AYSO Soccer. Half the kids from the team are in his class, so he is acclimating really well. I’ve signed up to be a parent helper in his class on Fridays starting in late September.

Brittany’s First Day of 4th Grade

Brittany is very excited about this year because they take a lot of field trips since the big geography lesson the whole year is about the state of Utah. I signed up in Brittany’s class to be a Field Trip helper, just for this reason!! Approximately the second day of school, she came home to tell me that her teacher was so mean! I asked why, and she said that her teacher throws candy at them when they answer a question correctly! She’s having such a good time in class, and everyone has told me that this teacher is just so amazing and fun. She apparently believes that after school time is family time, so she really manages the time she has, to teach in the classroom. Most students who get their work done in class, don’t have homework. I’m just so glad that both kids have great teachers!

To see more pictures of the kids from their first day, click here!

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