One Fab Fit Mom - Weight Loss Success!

Morning all,

Well, I’m one thrilled individual!

Last year on this day, I was approximately 174 pounds or so on a 5′3.5″ frame. I say “approximately” because I couldn’t bear to weigh myself at that time…I only weighed myself several weeks later.

Today, I’m officially 129 pounds!

To say I’m psyched is a weeee bit of an understatement.

I accomplished this by, quite simply, being smart. I started shunning all the junk food that was out there, started exercising (started quite slow I’ll admit - walking a little bit farther each day), started weight lifting, and never never never NEVER gave up on my goal. Sure, there were days in which I figured, what the hell, I’ll never break this plateau, why even bother….but then my inner strength always rose to the challenge and I stayed the path.

One of my favorite benefits from this weight loss and weight lifting time is that I have superbly respectable deltoids/biceps and triceps…and can wear tank tops and sleeveless karate gi’s (karate uniform) to my Martial Arts classes. I think I’m in the best condition I’ve ever been in my life!

This attitude carries over to how I’m raising my kids. No, I’m not a militant mom who tells my kids the evils of sugar and processed carbs…instead, they simply have witnessed my own personal journey and have started emulating many of my healthy habits. We take karate together (lots of fun!) and also have pushup contests at home (tremendous amounts of fun as we try to make our collapse as funny as possible).

However, I have to admit….the biggest benefit to this year-long journey of mine is the phrase I’ve etched indelibly into my mind and forehead - “I can DO this!”. Not matter what “this” is, I have the courage and strength and fortitude to tackle anything….tackle and succeed. The only barrier to my success is reality - everything else, I can focus my intense mental concentration and achieve the ultimate.

It’s a very humbling thing to realize.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - Some people like adding protein to their weight loss regime, like:

RAINBOW LIGHT Whey Protein Energizer 14 oz

NOW Foods Whey Protein Strawberry - 10 lbs.

NOW Foods Whey Protein Vanilla - 10 lbs.

Twinlab 100% Whey Protein Fuel Chocolate, 5 Lbs.

EAS® 100% Whey Protein Vanilla - 5 lbs.

Chocolate & Vanilla Low Glycemic Whey Protein Powder 2 Count 22.75 oz. 30 Total

Gaspari Nutrition MyoFusion Whey Protein 5 lbs PICK YOUR FLAVOR

ULTIMATE NUTRITION ProStar 100% Whey Protein - Vanilla Creme

Jay Robb WHEY PROTEIN-Vanilla​, 12 oz.

TWINLAB 100% Whey Protein Fuel - Chocolate Surge, 2 lb(s)

ULTIMATE NUTRITION ProStar 100% Whey Protein - Chocolate Creme

Morning,

Well! In 7 days, it will be Christmas. And if you celebrate that particular holiday, chances are, you’re quite in the market for excellent holiday discounts. But how can you find them online?

Glad you asked! Here are some of my favorite resources.

Bargain Watch at Video Fitness - This is where I found the 25% off Sports Authority goodies.

Amazon.com Fitness Discounts - Truly wonderful savings on all sorts of dieting and fitness goodies!

Amazon.com Electronics Discounts - HDTVs, LCD screens, PDAs, Phones….all at super hidden discounted prices

Retail Me Not - Coupon codes for online merchants - nice deals are found here!

CouponChef - Ditto - Top stores, featured coupons and more

And of course, you cannot forget about eBay. I have gotten more great deals there than I can recount! My last hit was getting the complete P90x program for only $116 or so (quite the savings there).

In closing, the deals are out there - you simply have to putter around to uncover them.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - Here’s what I’m hoping for the holiday gift!

United Ikazuchi Katana Sword

NEW! 40″ Hand Forged Black High Carbon Steel Japanese Katana Sword

Handmade Full Tang Musashi Black Steel Sharp Japanese Samurai Katana Sword S215

Hand Forged Practical Black Japanese Katana Sword #157

fully hand forged clay tempered dragon samurai katana sword high quality *952

#TA106 SAMURAI KATANA SWORD GUARD BIG SEVEN MAN TSUBA

New Hot Rare Samurai Katana Sword Miniature KeyChain Collectible Gift Model SS5

New Hot Rare Samurai Katana Sword Miniature KeyChain Collectible Gift Model SS7

CRANE TSUBA JAPANESE KATANA SWORD CAN CUTBAMBOO

hand forged forged japanese wakizashi katan​a sword clay tempered sanmai blade

Morning,

Just found out that Sports Authority is offering a 25% off coupon on any single item (either bought online or thru the store!). Click below!

Nice!! Last time this ad appeared, I treated myself to two karate foam blockers. This time, I might get a set of adjustable dumbbells….

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - And don’t forget about!

OMRON AEROBIC STEP PEDOMETER, # HJ-105FN

OMRON Healthcare HJ-112 Premium Digital Pedometer

BRAND NEW Omron HJ112 Digital Premium Pedometer HJ-112

2012 & 2011 WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PLUS PEDOMETER-NEVER USED-NOT A CALCULATOR

walk for life neo single function digital pedometer new

Sportsline WALKING ADVANTAGE 340 Pedometer

Sportline 348 Flashing Safety Light Pedometer

4 function walking pedometer distance calorie time step

Carepeutic Pro Heart Rate Monitor Pedometer Calories

Acumen Weighloss Kit: HRM + Pedometer + Extra !

Morning,

Well, it’s almost 1am and I cannot sleep. There is a slight (oh so slight!) possibility that I might have overdone my physical therapy a weeeeee bit (about as “weeeee” as a redwood tree) early today.

Today, all I did (really!) was unassisted chinups thru the day (I can do 3 at a shot, wheeee!), walked a mile very slowly, and did some slow glute stretches for my right leg. That’s it! But let me tell you now, all sides of my right thigh feel like they’re made of concrete with perhaps a bit of fossilized sand thrown in for good measure. I even took 2 hot baths (generally the ultimate of curealls!) to no avail.

So…I figured it was time to be gentle to myself. Back about a decade or so, my husband and I bought this rather nifty oscillating acupressure massager called a Tamiko - it features an acupressure point that you can use to really dig into your muscles. I just spent 10 minutes loosening up my legs and slathering on the tiger balm…finally the aches are starting to dissipate.

This massager is a godsend for anyone who needs to direct pressure to specific muscular areas! Alas, the company went out of business, and I haven’t been able to find one again. Wah. But wow, acupressure can really be a benefit when your exercising gets you down.

Time to build websites,

Barbara

ps - want some massagers? Consider:

Fatal error: Class ‘expKrc’ not found in /home/ling1/domains/fabfitmom.com/public_html/php-bin/eBay_cls.php on line 138

Morning,

It’s not just for your kids, you know!

One of the most funnest (to quote my children) ways an adult can lose weight is to indulge their inner child’ and participate in Dance Dance Revolution.

Now, what is DDR, I hear you ask? It’s simply a game that requires a dance pad, a Playstation or Wii or Xbox or whatever, and the DDR games. Basically, the music plays and you have to move your feet to the correct arrows in time with the game.

Let me tell you, boy, does that burn up calories and really make you break a sweat! I got DDR for my kids last holiday season when I wanted them to get into better shape…and it wasn’t long before Mom decided to indulge as well too. I was floored at how much exertion it requires! It’s lots of fun.

Here are some great Dance Dance Revolution resources:

• DDR Fit Club
• DDR Fit Club Forum
• Children Dance Their Way Fit
• DDR Tips
• DDR Weight Loss Stories

Do yourself a favor and check out this excellent method of exercise - it’s something you can do with your kids and make as a family-centric activity as well.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - Some DDR goodies include:

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 (Game & Dance Pad) (Wii, 2008)

Dance Dance Revolution Konamix (Sony PlayStation 1,…

Dance Dance Revolution Extreme (game & dance pad) (Sony PlayStation 2, 2004)

Dance Dance Revolution Extreme (Sony PlayStation 2, 2004)

PS2 Dance Dance Revolution Dance Pad Controller TESTED

Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2 (Sony PlayStation 2, 2007)

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 3 (Wii, 2009)

Dance Dance Revolution Disney Channel PlayStation 2

Dance Dance Revolution 3rd Mix + Dancing Stage

Morning!

One of the most popular diet plans on earth today is Weight Watchers. Lots of folks, apparently, find great success with it!

Is it for you? Here are some resources and forums and reviews!

• Restaurant Weight Watcher Points
• Weight Watchers Points Calculator
• Weight Watchers Widget
• How Many Weight Watchers Points Is That?
• Wireless Weight Watchers
• 3 Fat Chicks Weight Watchers Forum
• Amazon.com Weight Watchers Reviews
• Bootcamp Buddies Weight Watchers Forum
• Weight Watchers Family Forum
• SparkPeople Weight Watchers Friends Forum
• Serious Weight Watchers Group
• Friends of Weight Watchers Community

By visiting the above resources and really doing your due-diligence, chances are….you’ll be able to tell if Weight Watchers is for you!

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - some more Weight Watchers Goodies!

Lot of 3 Weight Watchers Cookbooks Recip​es Dieting

Weight Watchers Quick Start Plus Cookbook 1986 **Vintage WWatchers**

2 Weight Watchers 2012 Points Plus Complete Food Companions BRAND NEW

1992 Weight Watchers Magazine: Talking Turkey Strudel

Weight Watchers,Dining Out Companion,101 Restaurants & 10,000 Menu items,PB

Weight Watchers 2012 Points Plus Deluxe Organizer Case Brand New

1994 Weight Watchers Magazine: Kathleen Sullivan Cover

Weight Watchers 2012 Points Plus Starter Kit with PointsPlus Plan Instructions

2006 Weight Watchers MY TurnAround PROGRAM COOKBOOK 200 recipes FLEX & CORE plan

Weight Watchers STIR IT UP! Super Skillet Cookbook 2006 SC

PAMELA DIXON Weight Watchers Cookbook 1st ed 1978 HC Food Drink Book

Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (4th) - BRAND NEW

Weight Watchers Meals in Minutes Cookbook (Plume) by We

Morning,

Well, I’m a happy little earlobe, let me tell you! Yesterday I visited my surgeon (’twas 9 days after I was sliced and diced), and had my big huge honking bandage removed. My gosh, the man should be a master tailor - the incision healed beautifully and I was cleared for physical therapy and stretching.

This is excellent news for several reasons - one, I can participate with my karate classes in the pre-workout stretches. While I’m no where near able to join active karate sessions, mind you, just being able to get back on the floor with the other students is ‘way neat.

And about the pushups - during class yesterday, I snuck to the woman’s room 3 times and did 30 pushups each time. I’m ‘way out of condition, compared to earlier, but hey, these things happen. The 10 pushups completed in the advanced class made for a nice 100.

Pullups, I hear you ask? Today, I decided to amuse myself by trying my chinup bar again - I’ve been doing 1.5 unassisted chinups every 15 minutes or so. The last time I did this, my arms were shot for 24 hours afterwards…we’ll see how things go tomorrow.

And by far the most important! Today I was able to take my first hot bath since prior to surgery! Oh it was heaven. The dried blood from my bandages had soaked off as well, and I can see all that’s left is a nice neat 5 inch line down my thigh.

Recovery-wise, I still have a dull ache when walking up or down stairs; I figure that’s because my muscles are still quite weak. So hopefully with time I’ll be back to my usual vibrant self.

And that’s me update for today,

Barbara

ps - Some nice bath oils!

NATURE’S ALCHEMY Aromatherapy Bath Cellu-Lite 3 oz

NATURE’S ALCHEMY Aromatherapy Bath Feminine Comfort 3oz

Love Notes Healing Aromatherapy Bath Salts

HANDCRAFTED AROMATHERAPY BATH SALTS HEALING PURIFICATION DEAD SEA SALTS

Aromatherapy Bath Salts: Peppermint

Scented Oil - Aromatherapy, Bath & Body, Candle Making, etc. - Beverage Scents

5 lb Bag of Green Papaya Lime Scented Aromatherapy Bath Sea Salt Foot Scrub

Natures Alchemy Aromatherapy Bath Sports Relief, 1 oz

Natures Alchemy Aromatherapy Bath Calm Seas, 1 oz

Natures Alchemy Aromatherapy Bath Sandalwood - 1 oz

AURA CACIA AROMATHERAPY BATH, BODY & MASSAGE OIL 4 floz

Morning,

You know how you cannot open a forum or bbs or chat group without hearing about What Protein Bar Should I Buy?

Now, I, being the cost-conscious mom from heck, have a slightly different question. Come January, I plan on starting P90x, and there’s lots of recommendations to use protein bars for some of the food intake. And while that’s simply peachy to the extreme, I started wondering, gee, wouldn’t it be great if I could make these protein bars myself?

‘course it would! So here’s what I’ve found for you!

• Protein Bar Recipes from Bodybuilding.com
• Homemade Protein Bar Recipes for Everything!
• More Homemade Protein Bar Recipes
• How To Make Your Own Protein Bars
• Stumptuous Make Your Own Protein Bars
• Low Carb Protein Bar Recipes

I don’t know which ones I’ll be trying myself, but it certainly is nice to have all of those choices!

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - and if you want to buy, consider:

ProSource Supreme Protein Bar Carb Conscious Rocky R…

ProSource Supreme Protein Bar Quadruple Layer Carame…

Pure Protein® High Protein Bar Variety -18 1.76oz

QUEST PROTEIN BAR-12 BARS- TRY ALL THE FLAVORS! 11 DIFFERENT VARIETIES!

BioNutritional Power Crunch Bars, Peanut Butter Fudge, 12 Bars High Protein Bar

BioNutritional Power Crunch Bars, Peanut Butter Creme, 12 Bars High Protein Bar

BioNutritional Power Crunch Bars, Cookies And Creme, 12 Bars High Protein Bar

Honey Stinger 10g Protein Bar Choco Coconut Almond (15)

60 ASSORTED EAS MYOPLEX SUPREME PROTEIN SNICKERS PROMAX PURE PROTEIN BAR N R

Worldwide Pure Protein Bar 12 Bars Choc Peanut Butter

Worldwide Pure Protein Bar 12 Bars S’mores New Sealed

Worldwide Pure Protein Bar 12 Bars Peanut Marshmallow

2:1 2:1 Protein Bar Granola Oatmeal 12 ea

AST Sports Science Vyo-Pro High Performance Protein Bar

Ultra High Protein Bar Peanut Butter Chocolate-15 ca​se

Morning,

Well! Today is Day 8 after my surgery, and yesterday I found out something sooo startling to me, it really just got me sitting and thinking and realizing some important truths about my own abilities.

Along with those lovely bone tumors on my femur, I also have a shortened fibula on my left leg. This results in my foot seemingly not being attached to the center of my leg; it appears to flop over to the side. With me so far? Okay, great!

Let me backtrack for a moment and talk about my first few weeks of karate (during the early summer of 2007). While I could balance easily on my right foot, I could never hold a position for more than 1.623 seconds while standing on my left. I attributed this towards my physical condition, of course, and just accepted it as, that’s my body, deal with it.

However, there’s this one sensei at my dojo who kinda sorta didn’t accept that a lot…I vividly remember him telling me, I could do better, and me responding, no no no, I could not. He dropped the issue after that, and life went on.

Zoom up to yesterday. After all the self-knowledge I’ve accumulated these past two weeks, I remembered that time…and thought to myself, hmmmm, I wonder….is that really the way I am, or could I choose to break through my perceived physical barriers and determine what really is the reality?

End result - I’m up to 10+ seconds now of balancing on my left leg. The sensei had been right all along; it was me who was preventing my own physical improvement.

I should write a book on everything I’ve been learning these past few weeks, let me tell you.

What an eye-opening experience!! While I’m still no where near completely stable on my (ahem) good leg wrt balancing, that will come with practice; I know that now.

Honestly, it’s truly amazing how your own perceptions of yourself can either limit your achievements or give you the wings to fly. ’tis quite humbling, that.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - want some success posters? Lookie here!

Corp. AVT78075 Keys to Success Poster- 24in.x30in.- Black Frame

Success Poster But C’S Get Degrees 24X36 3850

JUSTIFICATION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION Sportscars at Mansion “Success” Poster

John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success Poster 24×30

Licensed NBC Eureka Success Poster Youth Shirt S-XL

Success Poster VISION - Dock Sunset 734905

Success Poster EXCELLENCE - Golf 734896

Advantus 78004 Success Poster Motivational Poster

Advantus Motivational “success” Poster - 30″ Width X 24″ Height - Ace Office

Advantus Success Poster - 24″ Width X 30″ Height - Ace Office Avt-78004

True Quotes Inspirational Saying Success Poster Prints

Success Poster, Mountain, Obstacles are Stepping Stones

“How To Be A Success” - Poster by Jim Beran 4231

I’ve been learning so much about myself during this past week of recovery that my head is spinning. Some of the knowledge includes:

• No matter what got thrown at me, I could handle it
• I’m in better health now than I was in my 20s - my standing heartrate is 65 or so
• My recovery rate is extraordinary
• Even when faced with fear, I refused to cower and tackled everything I had to to the best of my abilities

What does this mean for me?

Well, personally, Barbara Ling wise, it means that I can still master physical activities that I had never given myself the permission to succeed in before.

So I’m wondering…on what should I focus?

• Earning a black belt in karate?
• Getting skilled in aikido?
• Mastering kendo?
• Learning Brazilian Jui-jitsu?

I now know without a shadow of a doubt that I can excel and overcome any physical challenges in any of the above.

Side note here - I’m debating about getting the p90X package. Everyone raves about how difficult it is, and how you need to take their “test” first to see if it’s for you.

I found a copy of that test and while I can’t go thru it now, I asked myself how I would have done before surgery. I can do:

• 3 pullups (minimum is 1)
• Vertical leap is 5″ (minimum is 3)
• Toe touch is 0″ (minimun is -6)
• Wall squat is 1.5 minutes (minimum is 1 minute)
• Bicep curls is at least 18 with 25 pounds (min for women is 10 curls with 8 pounds)
• Abs Ins and outs are 35 (minimum is 25)
• And I easily did the jumping jacks thingee in karate class awhile back.

So…methinks I could probably handle this program. And that got me thinking about the whole, what art do I want to master?

It’s kinda sorta great to have the confidence to think this way.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - p90x can be found like so:

Fatal error: Class ‘expKrc’ not found in /home/ling1/domains/fabfitmom.com/public_html/php-bin/eBay_cls.php on line 138