Chloe looks really pretty in her new coat!!! Here's the girls from high school. Lisa's daughter got a drum set to go with her Wii. Let's just say that I am NOT a drummer....just couldn't get the hang of it at all! And here's a cute one of Benjamin..... so many great memories from 2008.



It has been a remarkable year for me personally and one that I will never forget. I have been given such incredible opportunities, met some wonderful new friends, and learned a great deal about myself and how determined and how strong I am.......for a 50+ year old woman, that's a pretty cool thing to learn. Can't wait to see what's in store for me in 2009!!!

December....a busy month

Lots going on this month...good friend visited for a few days....Christmas with family kept things lively....got together with all of my high school buddies....a really great snowfall gave us an extra day of vacation......two weeks off was pretty much perfect.......next week back to the real world and work......bummer! I've posted a few of my favorite pictures above.

What a difference six months can make!!!

I just came across this picture that I had taken shortly after I started the FAST Diet. Sometimes when I get frustrated about the SLOW weight loss I need to look at how far I've come and appreciate it a little more.

I want you to know that for the first time in a VERY long time (probably most of my life) I did not "blown" it on Halloween (and I even went to the gym Halloween night so I wouldn't blow it!) Usually by the end of the school day on Halloween kids have brought so many treats to the office that I feel almost sick to my stomach and frustrated with myself because of my lack of self-control. This year the kids know that I am trying to get healthy and trying to lose weight so they honor my "Please Don't Feed The Principal" sign and stop by to see me without offering me anything.
They are remarkable! I was so proud of myself on Halloween. I had two
candy corn and while I would have loved more, I believe that I am finally
getting the idea that it's just not worth it. I have my eye on the final goal and know that I will get there someday soon. Here's an updated picture almost 110 pounds off so far and wearing a new pair of jeans a size smaller!!! Hooray!!!

Ben Visits Aunt Nan

I got to spend some time last nigt with Benjamin. He's 18 months old and is a sweetie. He ate dinner (Chloe REALLY wanted him to share!) We also went for a walk around the block several times. The first time he stayed with me and it was easy to "manage" him and Chloe. The second time he decided to ignore me, run away, chase geese while screaming "fly, fly, " and pick up anything he could get his hands on. Good news....I don't think he ate any bugs. Bad news.... I could not do this 24/7. How do parents manage???? Maybe that's why you are supposed to have them while you are young! Regardless, he is a special and very loved little man.

Monroe News Multimedia Presentation

Bryan Bosch, a gifted photographer (and now a friend) who works for the Monroe News, has followed my weight loss efforts over the past eight months. His work has resulted in a multimedia slideshow on the Monroe News web site. It is a remarkable piece of work. I can't begin to express in words what his work means to me and how much his efforts to capture my story have changed my life. The pictures, while sometimes hard to look at, tell a story about my challenges, frustrations, and successes. The audio captures what I am all about, the message I wanted to share, and the reality of what it's like to struggle with weight loss. What's amazing is that I can't even begin to imagine how hard and time consuming it must have been to look through 1000's of pictures and hours upon hours of audio, put together something so beautiful, and make it look so incredibly easy. I know it wasn't. I know that I have been blessed by having the opportunity to be a part of this and everything else I have taken part of in 2008. I have met some incredible people, been supported by so many people, worked with remarkable students...................... I am so grateful.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you Bryan! This will be a memory that I will never forget.

http://www.monroepublishing.com/multimedia/nancy/

The Wedding

My nephew Tim married Michele on August 23rd in East Lansing. It was a wonderful celebration and lovely event. Here's a picture of the two of us. There will be many more pictures to come but this is my favorite so far.

The wedding was so special and the reception was a great party and an opportunity to visit with family and friends.

Tim and Michele are a special young couple and I know they will have MANY years of happiness together.

Disney World....What A Trip!!!

Last week I was at Disney World enjoying the trip I won during Lifetime's Clean Start Challenge with my sister and some friends. It was an incredible trip. We had a blast, went to all the parks, walked from dawn to dusk every day, slept very little but it was oh so worth it!!! It was the first vacation I have ever taken where I exercised every single day and ate reasonably. It felt good to be in control and not blow it!!!

I did several videos for Lifetime and here's one reflecting on the changes in my life. The quality of the video isn't the greatest but the feelings are real and the memories will last forever.

Girls Trip 08 - Grand Haven, MI

I spent the last two days with eight girlfriends who graduated from High School together. Every summer we get together and take a two or three day trip. We've been doing it for around 20 years and have a great time every year. This year.... Grand Haven, MI. It's a lovely town on Lake Michigan. I took over 100 pictures but here's a few of my favorites!

One is a lovely sunset (one of my favorite things) and the other is a pictures of us girls!

Pepper

Sad to say that I made the difficult decision tonight to have Pepper put to sleep. She has been part of my life for almost 16 years and had been going downhill in recent months.

I miss her already but know it was the right thing to do. Chloe and I are very sad to tonight. We'll be ok but not right now.

- n -

Team Milan is Getting Smaller!!!!!

Not in the number of participants...we're adding members...getting close to fifty people. The getting smaller refers to the weight loss of course. The group weighing in at my house this morning did a great job. Many people with BIG numbers (including yours truly). It looks like we will be really close to having lost 600 pounds as a group. Pretty remarkable huh???


I FINALLY had a great week. I lost 6.8 pounds for a total of 80.3 pounds since January. It feels so great to see results when I am working so hard. My goal for two weeks (this past week and this coming week) was to lose 6.5 pounds because I am going away with some girls from High School and wanted to be able to say I have lost 80 pounds. Met my first goal in one week. Cool! My next goal was to lose another 10 pounds by the wedding and I am confident I will be able to accomplish that. (maybe more???) Gotta remember this so when I have a slow week I will not be so frustrated and get so down on myself.


I took measurements two months ago and decided to take them again. In a little over two months I have lost 18 1/2 inches from my body. This really helped me this week when I was struggling. Just knowing that something was changing made it a little easier to deal with the slow weight loss.


Going to the Tiger game tomorrow with some friends. Supposed to be a nice day and will be a nice way to celebrate a weight loss success (without food of course)!

Dieting while away from home.....I failed!!!

I went to a conference in Nashville, Tennessee this weekend. It was a great conference and I was able to spend time with some fellow administrators. We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. This place was like it's own little world. I had a blast but was not successful with my weight loss efforts. They had a fitness center and pool so the good news is that at least I did work out each day. In the past I probably wouldn't even know there WAS a fitness center.


Bad news is that I ate and drank WAYYYYYYY too much. I think I deceived myself into thinking I "did ok" and didn't overeat but getting home last night and stepping on the scale this morning said something else. I am frustrated beyond belief with myself. I know the big thing for me is the portion size. It's also not being able to accurately count calories and guessing what the numbers are. I just can't figure out why my self control isn't under "control" and why when I am in a social setting that I just don't maintain the same control I have when I am home.


I am freaking out over the Disney trip since it's for seven days. If I cannot successfully handle a weekend, how will I even begin to handle a week. I need a plan and I need it NOW!!!!! I am attaching several video clips from this weekend that I used for my weekly Lifetime video. It'll show what great workout facilities they have.


This morning....back at it......getting back on track is hard to do......fun and dieting need to go together......I can't figure it out yet though......darn!!!

Lifetime Visitors

Here's a picture of Mike, Dawn, and Ruben who visited me last week. They were great to work with and I hope they will come back to Milan again one day!!!

What a Week!!!

I had another incredible opportunity this week!!! For two days my house was "invaded" by people who work with Lifetime. One was a dietician by the name of Dawn Jackson Blatner who works as a consultant for Lifetime. The others were a film crew and producer. The purpose of their visit was to create a series of ten short videos for the web site about nutrition and healthy eating. Dawn looked in my pantry, frig, freezer..... She created a series of new meals for me to try. She even came up with an eight week plan to help step up my weight loss efforts. It was a blast. I learned so much from Dawn and I sort of felt like a movie star!!! The videos will air on the Lifetime site throughout the summer. I am so very fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity to meet, learn from, and work with so many incredible people throughout this experience. I wonder what's next??? Can't wait to see!!!

Nancy

This is COOL!!!

Check out this web site Tony sens us: www.mapmyrun.com It lets you put in your address and plot out various walking.biking/running routes. So far I have a short one mile route and a longer bike route in case I decide to ride my bike to school.


n

Bike route to school and home

One mile

Walking and Biking Routes

Self Doubts

It's strange but I have control over every aspect of my life except weight loss. How can I be so successful in other ways but not be in control over what I put in my mouth? I'm having lots of self doubts and worries about whether I can succeed. I so desperately want to, but have again and again sabotaged my efforts and quit. I think too much sometimes. I need to accept the fact that I am worth all of this. Deep down I don't think I believe it. Yet.

n

A New Experience!

My friend Julie and I are checking out some local gyms. Thank goodness she's "game" for anything!!! We have a week's pass to SnapFitness and will get a week's pass to Powerhouse Gym next. I've decided that I need to start pushing myself just a bit and using weight machines and other cardio machines that I've NEVER used before just might do the trick! A guy showed us all of the machines and we tried each one out. It was fun. Really!!! I am sure that tomorrow morning when I cannot get out of bed that it will not seem like so much fun but it's time to kick it up just a bit and I'm excited. Anyone using machines or going to a gym? Give me your ideas!

N

Spring!

I love it! A mother robin has built a nest right outside my front door. She laid the fourth egg today. Another of life's miracles and I get to watch it. It doesn't get much better than this!!!

Rough Week!

Whew, the week is almost over. Not sure why but it's been a rough one. Lots of weird emotions and strange feelings. Hormones??? Let down after the "contest" ended??? Missing some nutrient??? Stress??? Loneliness??? Not sure but trying to work through it. In the past, food would have been the way I "worked through it." Now, I am trying to exercise, reflect, and write. Still not a natural way for me to work through things but since food certainly didn't solve anything for me in the past, this is worth a try.


Harriet from Lifetime called me last night to talk about a new "project" they'd like me to get involved in. It has to do with weight loss, health, and I would continue to do some of the things I did with the Clean Start Challenge. Sound interesting to me. Any ideas you think people might like to hear about??? Talk to me!


Have a good weekend. I plan to.
Nancy

Clean Start by Daniel Wayne Adams
Read By Abbie and Jesse

You said you wanted a clean start.
Saying it was the easy part.

You tell kids “Set your goals and stick to it!!”
This contest was your chance to do it!!

You ate more veggies, and the kids joined in.
You got up early just to swim.

You skipped fast food and exercised more.
Now you have more energy than you did before.

More salads, less snacking….it’s not easy to do.
Your portions got smaller and so did you.

Cucumbers, videos, and internet votes,
Getting healthy was what mattered most.

Getting healthy always was your focus.
Losing weight was an added bonus.

Money and trips are both really nice,
But the best prize of all is your healthy life.

This has been a Lifetime Television Clean Start for you!!
The best part is that Symons kids got healthy too!!

Miss Tetens, you say you’re proud of us and all we do
Today it’s our turn to say “We’re proud of you!!”

What A Week!

I was surprised, shocked, and very happy when Mike from Lifetime showed up at my school Tuesday morning to say that I had won the Clean Start Challenge. Winning was great but being able to share this special event with the students and staff from Symons Elementary meant the world to me. The assembly put together by my secretary Joanne and a fourth grade teacher Dan was just perfect. They even involved the kids in reading a very special poem written by Dan. It was a day I will never forget.

Now I have to get busy losing weight. My nephew's wedding is August 23rd and I have 40 more pounds to go by then!!! Keep in touch!

Nancy

The Challenge Continues!

The mylifetime.com Clean Start Challenge is winding down but my challenge of getting healthy and losing weight continues. I want to thank EVERYONE who has followed this challenge and supported my efforts. This blog will contniue to be a resource for me as I continue to work to lead a healthier life!!! Please feel free to post comments, suggestions, and ideas for me and for others facing a similar challenge. If you are working to lose weight yourself, tell me how it's going for you. I would love to support you as well.



Nancy

SparkPeople Recipes

I've talked about SparkPeople (the link is listed on the right). They also have some recipes. Here's the link. http://sparkrecipes.com/

I plan to check it out!

Nancy

Hi from Nancy

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my blog. I invite you to give ideas, information, tips, an healthy recipes to help me and others to get healthy.

Nancy