Diet/Exercise Results Update

Diet Update

So we're still dieting.  Aaron is always starting over, but I'm doing well.  Newest stats:

Diet Update

Well today was weigh in day for week 3.  Im doing really well, and Aaron has recommitted :)
The goal is to get healthy.  A healthy BMI is around 20-25 which for me is about 122 lbs.  Im not even 5 feet tall and I have a very small body frame somewhere under here so that is not unreasonable although it feels that way.  Im setting the goal to get to 128 lbs and be able to maintain it (after that i can make a new goal).  That is a goal I feel I can accomplish, especially since I remember weighing that only a few years ago but I can't remember weighing less than that in the last 7 years.  Im told a healthy women's waist is on average 32 inches or less, Im hoping for something around 28 or a size 6/8.  Last night I was able to get my size 10/medium clothes on which i haven't done in a few years.  It was fun and exciting to realize I could get them zipped, but they are still to tight to actually wear out.  Hopefully in the next two weeks those clothes fit comfortably :)

great new web site!

mapmyrun.com

I was reading tips from people who had lost alot of weight on shape.com and came across one recommending this web page to map your run/hike/walk route.  It gives you all sorts of info.  So Aaron and I made a route.  It was 4.23 miles and went in a circle.  I mapped it thinking Aaron could run it, but we decided to walk it and check it out.  I was nervous, because once we were out there the only way home was to keep going but we did it.  it took about 2 hours, we took our time, mostly b/c our feet hurt.  When we decided to go for the walk we just went, we didn't put on the right foot wear so as a result... we have yucky bloody blisters.  But overall it was fun and we're excited to stick with it and make new routes.  We went left out of our road, right at the thompsonville fire station, passed the Methodist church, turned right on katherine rd, at the end turned left then right on cartier which turned into St James Ave, turned right at the end, then left on freshwater which brings you out on elm street at the light by TGIF's and home depot.  Turned right on elm, then right on route 5, then left on our street.  2 hours later, we're home and getting ready to go subway (we earned it).

Diet Week 1 Results

We have completed week 1.  Aaron cheated a bit, but for the most part we did well.  We aren't doing anything particular, just eating healthy food, counting calories, and exercising.  We both lost 3 pounds week 1.  If feels good but I calculated it out and if we stay on track (me losing 2lb a week and aaron losing 3 a week) it is going to take me 11 weeks and aaron 10 weeks to reach our goal weights.  Funny, aaron's goal weigh is my current weight, ok maybe not funny if my mom is ready this shaking her head.  How did we let this happen :(  I have 20 more pounds to go, aaron 27 and Im not confident we'll make it, but for now we are doing well.  I caught myself in the mirror today at target, and was surprised for the first time.  I don't tend to see "overweight Jill" when Im getting ready in the morning, I see a "normal sized Jill".  Im not sure how this happens but I had a bit of a holy cow moment in target.  I didn't recognize myself.  Well I guess it is good motivation to stick with it.  Lucky for me I have a good friend who goes to the gym with me regularly and a husband who prefers healthy foods.    

Lyman Orchard's: A New Card Family Tradition

So what did the card's end up doing for there labor day vacation fun since camping was canceled and so many things are closed following the hurricane.........

Lyman Orchards!  This wonderful place is in Middlefield, CT about 40 minutes from us.  Aaron really wanted to go apple picking, but there was so much more than just apples.  We got there around 11:00 and started our day in the corn maze.  What did we learn.... Jill is a freakishly obsessive control freak.  We were in the maze 2 minutes before we were fighting because Aaron wanted to run in it, get lost, then find the way out while I wanted to play the game (you answer questions as you go and they tell you which way to go and then there are some trivia facts and cornundrums that if you answer all of them correctly you can win a prize).  We quickly agreed if we wanted to have a good day and any fun at all it was best to let me in charge b/c otherwise they were going to have to send the corn cops in for us and I was going to hyperventilate.  Yes I am embarrassed to admit this, but Aaron teased me all day that this was going in the blog b/c I always share his embarrassing moments.  We spent the rest of the day laughing about what a control freak I am and how it is a good thing we went just the 2 of us.  The corn maze was a lot of fun and well worth the $20 it cost for the 2 of us to enter.

Next we went to the Lyman Orchard's Apple Barrel, which is their country store/restaurant.  We had wonderful deli sandwiches before heading to the orchard for some picking.  We sat on the porch overlooking the lake and admired their bee traps that were full of yellow jackets.  Next we drove around the homestead and golf course on the way to the actual orchard where we made 3 separate stops to pick different fruits.  We started with apples, and noticed every few trees in the row was one with these little (cherry sized) pink apples that we had never seen before.  We taste one that had fallen on the ground and realized they are in fact apples and are very yummy so we picked a couple handfuls.  Later we found out that these are a type of crab apple that is planted for the bees and are not for sale (they let you have them for free and dont care that you pick them).  We also picked ginger gold apples and gala apples.  Aaron decided he doesn't like jenomic apples or mac's.  Next we picked peaches. There were 2 varieties that we saw and Aaron did not like the red skin ones so he picked the second kind which he said was just ok (hartcrest).  Then we were off to the pairs, we picked two types of asian pears that were excellent!  Aaron didn't like the bosc so we skipped those.  You may be wondering why Im only sharing Aaron's opinions on the fruit, well to be honest Im not much of a fresh fruit person.  I like my apples in pie, and my peaches and pears from the can.  Im more of a berry/melon person myself.  We came home with 8 apples, 8 peaches, 8 pears, and a bunch of those little crab apples (which are probably the only thing I will eat).

After picking we went back to the apple barrel for some cider donuts and apple cider.  We were sad to hear that the cider is not made on site.  After an E-coli outbreak a few years ago in cider crops the government required farmers to pasteurize their cider, so Lyman Orchard's sends their apples off site to be pressed and the cider to be prepared.  We then set out for home, exhausted but both in agreement that Lyman Orchards is on of the most beautiful places we have ever seen and well worth at least an annual visit and it made missing our camping trip worthwhile as well.

http://www.lymanorchards.com/

We're still here.....

I know the blog has been abandoned lately.  Since getting better I have been online much less.  So what has happened to the Card's in the past 6 weeks or so.....

Well first the most amazing neurologist figured out why I was getting so sick and luckily for me it was an easy fix.  So Yay, Im walking, talking, eating, and back to my full strength.  In hind sight it was actually a good experience because it helped to put things in perspective and made me appreciate my body alittle more.  It also gave us a chance to see Aaron rise to the occasion of being a caregiver, and he passed with flying colors.  So now Im just trying to be mindful of what I eat, and exercising with my good friend vicky who keeps me motivated.  We have been yoyo dieting for months now, but are trying to be more diligent now that Aaron's doctor has told him to lose a significant amount of weight.  I have a feeling we will be on this roller-coaster for the duration of our mortal life.  We both love "yummy food".  Just this morning I found the wrappers to 8 full size Hershey bars in aaron's car.  I had bought them on Tuesday for our camping trip and each bar would have made 3-4 smores.  Well as soon as we canceled our camping trip on Tue afternoon aaron snuck the candy out with him to work.  2 days latter, no more candy bars and Im left to be sad wishing I had thought to eat them first ;)

The garden was a success this year.  We did lose the weed battle for the most part, but we got enough food stored for the winter to make it worth growing the garden.  And the rabbit got some treats to.

The bees, well there is a sad story.  We are currently in mourning.  We had 8 hives a few weeks ago and were hoping to collect another 100lbs of honey.  Well because of the late golden rod bloom and the weird weather the bees were unable to give us anymore honey.  They have enough honey in the hives to sustain them through the winter.  In addition to the lack of honey, we lost 4 hives due to flooding in the hives.  We are still investigating to see how this has happened, seems to be an equipment flaw.  To say the least Aaron has been going through the stages of grieving.  First he was angry, decided he hated the bees and didn't care about them anymore.  Second came self-loathing when he declared himself the worst beekeeper to ever be born.  Now we are just sad at the loss of our cherished bees and hope to soon start thinking about next years beekeeping season.

Construction is going slow but is good.  We just need to put in the closet door in the living room, the trim on 2 windows and around the doors and floor, and put in the extension jam thing for the front door.  Then we can hopefully move onto the kitchen and downstairs bathroom.  All our work was almost for nothing when I came close to burning the house down earlier this week.  Our kitchen has a very old electric stove in it, one of the first electric stoves created.  Well it malfunctioned and made for a scary smoke mess, but all in all there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage except for a dangerous stove.  We hope to finish up the house and maybe sell it and get an apartment closer to aaron's work so that we can simplify our lives alittle but who knows.

Hurricane!
Well we hear there was a hurricane, and a number of friends and family were without power for many days.  We see hurricane flooding and damage all around, but our little town seems to have been spared 100%.  We waiting at home all day for the storm to come (Aaron wanted to go stand outside in it for some crazy reason), but it never came.  We watched the radar and our town stayed in a pocket the entire storm.  Light wind, mild rain, nothing worth mentioning really.  So we count our blessings and pray for all of those who were effected.

Aaron had some big thing at work, "The rack and stack", which apparently is some evaluation process that rates you against your peers.  He did really well, which is both a blessing and a curse.  He did to well to stay in his current job on 2nd shift which we really like.  So he had a meeting with HR and it looks like in 6 months he will start this job rotation program in which he will change jobs every few months to learn the entire place in preparation for being moved to upper management.  So why aren't we thrilled.  Well first it is 1st shift, which isn't our favorite, second its less money now (more latter).  On 2nd shift we have alot of time together, time to work on the house, go to the gym, do bee stuff etc.  On 1st shift he works longer hours, for less pay, with more stress, and we see each other less and less gets done at home/bees etc.  But we have a job, and this is a good opportunity for aaron to advance so here we go.  We're very grateful to have work, and advancement opportunities.

I have enrolled in an EMT course that will start in 2 weeks and go into December.  I think this will be fun for me and its helpful that it is only 2 nights a week and some Saturdays.  You only have to be 16 to take the class, so Im hoping this will be a breeze considering I've had a 100+ credits of biomedical course work already.  I also hope this is fast paced enough for me, I think it will be.  I get board easily.  So I know I said no more school ever, but it looks like 1 more class (and maybe another class in a year or so).

So that is what we've been up to, or at least what I can remember.