Much has happened in a month

It's hard to believe it's been a month since I last blogged. Wow. I keep up with my 360 more than I do here. I need to remedy that.
Well, let's see...I'm working hard in martial arts to prove that I deserved the promotion to Cho Dan Bo. I'm learning a new form. It's called a "Bong" form--a "bong" is a staff. It's a neat looking form. It's just hard to learn it because there's a lot of twirling and whatnot involved in it.
I'm walking around with bruises on my ribs from where I've used my body to stop the forward momentum of the bong. I'm not complaining because I'm really enjoying it!
I'm also now training to become an instructor. I asked MY instructor if he'd consider me for leadership training and he said yes, so now I'm in training for that. He's starting an adult leader training class on May first. It'll be Monday night, so I'll be out for 2 hours on Monday and won't be home until well after 9:30. It'll be good. There will be some sales training involved in too. You have to be able to explain to someone who walks in what we're doing, what our mission is, etc. Mr. M may not always be available to talk to parents so the instructors need to be able to explain it to the parents who may ask. It's good to learn PR for that reason.

In the weight loss department, I'm now at 30 pounds lost. For almost a month after my belt test, I had *gained*, which really pissed me off. I know that there was a lot going on that could have contributed to it, but I still didn't like the gains. I went in yesterday and had *lost* 4.4 pounds, which thrilled me no end!
We had a lady there celebrating a loss of 10 pounds. She mentioned something that struck a note with me--it took her 14 weeks to lose 10 pounds. That's familiar because it's taken me 7 months to lose 30 pounds. It's not even 5 pounds a month. I won't complain because like she said yesterday, she knows she didn't put it on overnight and she knows it won't come off overnight. That was something I appreciated hearing. Yes, in my head I know it's better to lose slowly, and I know there will be "bumps", but it's frustrating as all hell to gain! I know that sometimes there will be gains, but I'd prefer more losses to gains. I'm working on correcting that. I've added MORE exercise to my former couch potato life...I now walk at lunch with a friend. We walk at least 2 miles a day. Sometimes it's not quite 2 miles, sometimes it's a tad bit over 2 miles. My walking buddy wants me to consider walking in The Half in November, so it's something I'm considering. 13.2 miles isn't that big a deal, especially not considering that I walk almost that much during the week. I'll keep you guys posted if I do it.

Great day for a test

It was a great day for a test. I went to WW for my usual meeting (excellent meeting, got to "bone up" on my forms by reading my book before the meeting started), then came home, posted a quick note to my Support Team and got ready for the test. I don't have very long hair anymore, but it's long enough to make me go nuts if it's on my neck. I pulled it up into a double ponytail, put tons of styling stuff in it to hold it in place, curled, crimped and relaxed. I read a little bit of my book, Size 12 is Not Fat by Megan Cabot and listened to music. One of my friends went to the dojang early, so I ran over there with Amanda. (My kids actually watched the test!!!! I was impressed with them for that!!)
I said hello to the people in the previous test who are in my adult class, gossiped and got a chance to run around and connect with people who were coming in for the test. My friend Beth came in after her Krav class and watched. She and Susan were there. I lined up near them, so I could look over and talk to them during quiet periods in the test.
We did Basic Form #2, Sa Dan, Bassai, Naihainchi Cho Dan and then we did our one steps. Instead of goofing up a simple form, I instead goofed up my one steps but...I didn't quit. I kept going. Nobody knew I'd goofed! Yay me!
We didn't do any sparring, but we DID break boards. My friend Beth held my board for me and I did an excellent front snap kick, hit the board and broke it on the first try. I think everyone pretty much broke on the first try.
We had our belting ceremony--my instructor belted the lower ranked belts first, then he did us. I'm no longer a first gup. I'm now officially a Cho Dan Bo. He gave a brief history of each belt as he tied it around our waists. My belt is extra special to me--he gave me a belt that is about 15 years old, faded but has history--it was HIS belt and my best male friend, DB's belt. That means a lot to me. He said he selected the belt for the recipient based on the history of the belt and the person who earned it. I broke out into tears when he tied that belt. I just couldn't help it. That belt means something to me. I will wear it with pride!!

Interesting

I haven't figured out why I double posted and now can't completely delete that old post.
Well, Okay, fine. Here's just some fluff.
We're watching Stargate SG-1. Good show. I heard there's going to be a Stargate Continum (spelling's wrong) sometime soon.

Recap of Weigh In

Yesterday was a good day for me. I lost 2.6 pounds and am back to -25.4 pounds *and* my 10% mini-goal. I may start setting little 10% goals because that seems to be my stumbling block. It took me over 5 months to get to the 10% goal. I don't know how long the second 10% is going to take but I'm thinking I'm going to work on that. Interestingly enough, I didn't eat all my points all week and I lost. Bernice wouldn't be too pleased with me for that. Last week she told me to eat all my points because I wasn't nourishing my body, but I just was NOT hungry most of the week. Today I've done pretty well with keeping within points. I think I've made better choices. I'm pretty happy about it. Now to maintain this all week long and generate another loss!

I have the test on Saturday for my blue belt. We'll be running classes like the test starting Monday. We'll run through practicing forms, one steps and sparring. Hopefully it'll all stick. I'm taking off Thursday and Friday for "mental health" days so that I can work on keeping myself unstressed and calm. I'm slowly but surely starting to get some Spring Cleaning done here too. I cleaned up Aidan's room yesterday--got rid of a HUGE bag of junk--displaced toys that were for someone 7 years younger, broken race track, etc. I also weeded out his clothes that were too small. I've discovered that my son has more shirts than I do!! He's set for the next I don't know how long!
Next up is Amanda's room. We think she got mad at me for tackling Aidan's room first today--she went into her room and put a sign on the door that said "no parents allowed--this means you Mom". I was NOT amused and told her so. That blew into a serious discussion. Tony says I was overly repetitive in asking questions and trying to hammer home a point. He says that he doesn't have any suggestions on how to do it better. Sheesh.
They (Tony and Amanda) were supposed to go to the Allen Philharmonic and he dragged his feet. He says he didn't want to go. I think he should have taken her--it would have been a good "date" for her. Uninterrupted "daddy time" without her brother butting in. Oh well. I guess I wonder why did I ask for them from Aidan's teacher if they were wasted?!! sigh. He's more interested in watching the stupid basketball games on television which he professes not to like to watch!!! I feel bad that she was going to get to go out and then he backed out on her. GRRRR!!!

I'm a slacker

I am such a slacker! My friend's out of town, so I've only walked ONE DAY this week! I took yesterday off because the weather looked ugly. I didn't go to boot camp last night. I had a terrified little boy who needed some mommy time because he was afraid of the storm we had last night. I took off today to get my hair cut because I wanted to be sure to get it done by next weekend. I was tired of looking like Cousin IT.
I have class tonight, so that's a good thing. It's not boot camp, but it's martial arts and I'm definitely going to be moving. I'll probably go out and walk a few laps around the quadrangle at the apartment complex when I get home so that I can say I walked today. I'm not 100% sure about that. After class, I'm usually pretty tired and ready to get on the Internet for a few minutes, checking mail and stuff.

I guess I can use this week as an experiment to see if my gain of last week is related to the extended working out I did last week. If I skip the lunchtime walks for the rest of this week (all two days of it!), and just do boot camp and martial arts, we'll see what the weight is. Of course, I'm trying to drink water too. I'm not drinking as much as I should. Yesterday I only drank 96 ounces. Today, I'm barely into my first 32 ounce cup. Not a good day for me so far.
I know that water's essential for things.

Ramping up for the belt test

Tonight was Tang Soo Do class. It was tough but well worth it. Next weekend is the belt test. I'm still in shock that I've been taking lessons since August of 2004 and am almost at the point of getting my Cho Dan Bo. For those of you who aren't familiar with my tradition of martial arts, Cho Dan Bo is a black belt candidate. I think I'm ready for it. My good friend (the one who's been making me go walking) has been helping me tweak my forms and get them into more presentable shape. There is one form called Ee-Dan, which I have managed to do properly. It looks so much better now and actually FEELS better as I'm executing it! I am really looking forward to it. I WANT to prove that I'm every bit as good as the people who have gone before me. I am following some really talented martial artists. I admire people who succeed at what they're good at. I didn't used to think I was good at anything, but I've really gotten to the point where I feel like I'm doing something I am good at. I've seen a LOT of improvement from where I was this time in 2004. I have not given up on this. I've pushed through a lot of self negativity. I told myself "I don't know if I can do this." but I'm doing it. I feel a strong sense of accomplishment. I still get down on myself at times for things-I know that it's no reflection on me, but I hate being last. Not everyone can be first and I'd do well to remember that.
Next week he'll run classes as if it was an actual test. This means that I have to settle down and work hard because I want to make sure I'm ready for that test!! I will be ready! Like I said, I have some really talented people whose footsteps I'm following in. I don't want to let them down.

Yesterday's weigh in

Yesterday's weigh in was not what I had hoped for. I gained 2.6 pounds this past week. I don't know if it was from the exercise I've been doing or what, but...it's annoying. I've been exercising every day--one of my good friends started me in on walking at lunch time. We are in martial arts together and he decided to help me get into better shape by walking with me. It's convenient because he's right across the parking lot from me at work, so I have no excuses. He wasn't there on Friday, but I walked anyway. I just emailed him when I left and when I got in, so that helped.
Another friend, who has been immensely successful on WW told me that she wonders if it's not some of the weight I lost when I had strep. Even if it is, I'm not happy about it. I'm working up a good sweat every day at class. I'm sure that eventually it'll even out but I don't have to be happy about it. I just want to get it off. I've gotten to the point where I'm drinking three or four 32 ounce cups of water a day...I drink at least two at work and two after work, usually after martial arts. My instructor says that for my weight, I should be drinking a litre of water per 50 pounds of body weight. Okay, that I'm getting in when I do the 4-32 ounce cups. I know it's not a full litre (33.3 ounces is a litre) but still, I'm drinking it. I just need to make sure that I drink the four cups of water.

Today,we all went walking. It wasn't a fast walk, but it was a walk. I'm counting it because I needed the exercise. I'm going to make sure I go every day. I like walking and feel better afterwards. I like getting out of the office at work--I get to decompress myself for a little while and don't have to think about my job until after lunch.

Weigh in and other things

Well, today's weigh in was a lot better than I expected it to be. I was only up by 1.2 pounds. I am still at 10% lost and still minus 25 pounds. I can take that! It makes me happy. I practiced the 'reframing' tool as I was driving to the meeting today. I told myself that no matter what the scale said, I was going to be satisfied with it. I'm not going to beat myself up over it. All I can do is to pick up the pieces and go on. I am watching points and not going over points. That's pretty much all I can do.
My martial arts instructor told me last week that I was obsessed by my journaling but that I needed to concentrate on the exercise end of things. He said that if I have 26 points in a day, I need to earn at least 40 points in a day to build a deficit so that my body will burn the fat I'm storing. Of course, that had me in a tizzy. I'm not going to stop journaling because it works for me. Once I stop, I set myself up for failure. My biggest issue for the past couple of weeks was that I had been weighing in every day AND I had been taking the glucosamine. I'll just cut that out and talk to my doctor about it before I take it again.
Since the weather here in Texas is just as beautiful as can be, I'm going to drag the family out for a picnic or something tomorrow. Then again, maybe I'll just get up and sneak over to the fitness center here at the complex and walk on the treadmill for a while. It'll help get me going. Maybe that's something I can look into. It all depends on whether or not I can get up. I have a habit of sleeping and I'm grumpy if that's interrupted!!

So, here's the points for today:

Breakfast:
1 Weight Watchers non-fat Strawberry yogurt-1 point
2-8 oz cups coffee: 0 points
Total: 1 point

Snack:
1 Weight Watchers Breakfast Anytime Cinnamon Swirl bar: 2 points
Total: 2 points

Lunch:
1 Thomas' Whole wheat bagel: 5 points
1 Tbsp peanut butter (Jif!): 2 points
1 Tsp Land o'Lakes soft margarine: 1 point
Total: 8 points

Snack:
1 Mission Whole Wheat tortilla: 1 point
1 oz Kraft Mexican cheese: 3 points
Total: 4 points

Dinner:
1/2 C frozen peas and carrots: 0 points
4 oz roasted turkey: 6 points
1/2 C Stove Top stuffing: 3 points
Total: 9 points


Total points used so far: 24. 2 points remaining. I still need to drink some water today and that's something I'm going to do shortly. I may be able to go for a walk in a bit. Right now I'm watching Stargate SG-1 and am not going anywhere.

Activity: none

Obsession

I found a good thing at the grocery store AND it's points friendly! Chicken of the Sea ("Ask any mermaid you happen to see...") has an "Ahi Tuna Steak", so I got it. It is ONLY *3* points! It's a single serving package too. 5.25 ounces. Okay, not quite 6 ounces but it's GOOD! I also cooked brown rice and had that with my tuna. I WAS going to eat a salad but I'm stuffed, so it's gone. I have 8.5 points left over, I think. The only reason for the half point is that I ate a medium tomato and it counts for a half point. Not sure how but I won't argue.

Here's sad for you. Yesterday I got convinced to go to Quiznos with one of my co-workers. I had really wanted Subway--their Veggie Delite Salad is awesome! Anyway...we went to Q and I looked at the menu. I didn't want a sandwich. (I had a Weight Watchers Smart Ones meal for lunch already that would have been a late snack.) After debating the menu, I ordered the "Roman Chicken Salad". I figured it would be like 6-7 points. I got back to the office and went into shock. It was 16 points. **16 points!!!** I was stunned! I wound up giving it to another co-worker. I absolutely REFUSE to spend that kind of points on lunch! It would have left me like 2-3 points for dinner. I wasn't going to do that. It would have made my week that much worse than it was already...

I've had a couple of weeks from hell already because I listened to my hubby and weighed myself daily! (That was a nightmare. It's NOT a good idea unless you LIKE stress!!!)
I lost my 10% and had lost the 25 pounds too as a result of the strep. When I got back into a "normal" eating habit, I started putting on weight. That panicked me. I went virtually psycho and was on the verge of screaming daily. One of my dearest friends in the world has been following WW also and she told me very nicely "don't you get on that scale! Stay away from it!" (sorry, I didn't listen...I'm a mule.) I talked to her and told her how frustrated I was. We agreed that I've been attempting to eat right. I was panicked and she reminded me that I need to just count my points, get my activity in and drink my water!!! I haven't been drinking nearly enough water and it was showing. Plus, I was taking glucosamine for my joints at my doctor's recommendation and would wake up every morning feeling "puffy". I stopped taking it yesterday and this morning, I was down 3 pounds (shhhh! I know, I was on that scale! I'll put it away tomorrow, really, I will!!). I didn't feel puffy. Now I know that your weight fluctuates because of TOM and other things so I'm prepared to deal with that. I know that I hadn't been eating when I lost my ten percent and that 25 pounds. I'm okay. I WILL get it back off!!
I'm trying to get back on track. I've actually had 32 ounces of water since I've been home from work, just so you know! I had a pretty good meal too!

Just so you know...here's my journal for today:

Breakfast:
1 Weight Watchers Smart Ones English Muffin Sandwich-4 points
2-8 oz cups of coffee-0 points

Lunch:
1 Weight Watchers Smart Ones Santa Fe Style Rice and Beans: 5 points

Snack:
None
1-8 oz cup of coffee

Dinner:
1 Chicken of the Sea Ahi Tuna steak in a grilled herb marinade (tasty!)-3 points
1/2 C Mahatma brown rice, cooked in vegetable broth (can we count that as a veggie?!)-6 points (actually, it was more like closer to a cup, so 6 points is a reasonable calculation)
1-medium tomato-.5 points.
1-32 oz glass of water with 0-point "water mix-ins" from Walmart. That made it a Raspberry-lemonade thing.

Total points: 18

Exercise:
walking 1 hour-2 points.

I'm not hungry anymore. I'm cold, but that's just me. I'm always cold! LOL!

If you see anything you'd recommend to me to change, I'm listening!! I know I need to get more veggies in. I'm sure I could do better there. I'm going to talk to my doctor next week and see if he's heard of a reaction to the glucosamine like that. If he has, I'll have to change what I'm doing. It was to prevent me having to take medication for my knees (they hurt if I'm very active at all!). Ah well. I PROMISE, I will call the doc on Monday.

I'll be back to post an update tomorrow after the meeting. I want to get back into going to meetings. I missed last week because I had to work. I won't miss this one. I need it.
Someone's got to help me hold myself accountable!!

Today's horoscope

February 24, 2007 Peaceful Mind, Peaceful World Gemini Daily Horoscope You might have strong reactions to circumstances outside of yourself, which could make you feel on edge today. While there will always be unsettling things happening in the world around you, if you can keep in mind that peace of mind begins within you, you may find it easier to view events in your life with a greater sense of calm and steadiness. Perhaps for today you can imagine that you are enveloped by a cocoon of healing light. Even though the world may rage around you outside of this energetic shell, you might visualize that inside there is nothing but peace and tranquility. You could even use your breath to expand this healing aura so that it is even more difficult for negative energy to affect you. This energetic nest could give you a protective buffer in which to compose and heal yourself. Visualizing a space around us filled with peace allows us to restore our energy and face the outside world with greater serenity. If we let the events around us affect us, we chink away at our peace of mind bit by bit. In reality, however, there is little we can do about our world except to change our reactions to it. When we create a place that is safe and filled with healing energy, we infuse our lives with tranquility, which makes it easier for us to react to external events more calmly. Remembering that peace starts from within will help you create a more peaceful environment outside of yourself today.

Boot camp last night

First boot camp after having strep and my legs are *still* jelly. We won't talk about the fact that my stoopid scale shows that I gained 6.5 pounds since MONDAY!! We won't talk about the fact that I was a fool and weighed daily this week at my hubby's recommendation. I'm mad and I'm doing something about it. Here's what the day looks like:

Breakfast:
1 Weight Watchers Smart Ones English Muffin Sandwich-4 points
8 oz coffee-0 points
1 cup pineapple chunks-1 point
1 cup red grapes-1 point
3 strawberries-0 points
1 lettuce leaf-0 points
1 Weight Watchers Smart Ones Santa Fe Rice and Beans-6 points

Total so far, 14 points.
I have 26 points, so I'm doing fine there. I've drunk 14 ounces of water so far out of my 32 ounce mug. I can drink more tonight.
What sucks is that I have to go to work tomorrow, so I'm not going to my meeting.

Minus 26.4!!!!

Weigh in day. Minus 26.4 pounds!! I got my 25 pound magnet!! I am so pleased with myself!! Not only do I have more energy but I can execute my martial arts a LOT better!! Two years ago, when I was just starting out, I wouldn't have expected this, but here it is! I'm on the verge of getting my blue belt AND I'm almost 27 pounds lighter than I was! I don't know what I weighed when I started, but in August of 2006, I was 245 or somewhere in that neighborhood. I'm now a whole lot lighter than that and I feel GREAT!!!
I'm thrilled. In fact, I'm so thrilled about it, I'm going to go out for a walk to celebrate.
We talked about a "hat trick" today in our meeting. We had to write down a challenge, a tip and a success.
My challenges: Staying focused. It's easy to lose your focus and say "I'll get back on the bandwagon tomorrow." It's a whole lot harder to stay on plan when you're surrounded by temptations (cookies, candies, etc.)
My tips: go to meetings. You can say "I can do it alone." but you really need the support. Your meeting is important because you will be able to talk to the other people in the meeting and share tips for losing. If you gain, they help you refocus your energies into positive channels. They were teasing one lady who made Lifetime today because she had a binge day a few weeks ago. She admitted it and kept going. She didn't fall off.
My successes: I am fitting into my dobak a whole lot better than I was 3 years ago. It's actually gotten baggy on me and the new uniform I bought is going to be perfect...once I get the pants hemmed! LOL!! I have to get that done before the big test in March because I plan on wearing the new pants to the test.

Anyway...I'm in a great mood. Now I'm going to actually attempt to PLAN my meals for this coming week. I'm not a planner but I'll learn how to do it in order to stay on plan!!

10% on February 10th

Today I reached a milestone. I am now 10% LESS than I was when I started out my weight loss journey on September 2nd! I am so happy about this!! I'm so totally OVER the whining about not losing weight as fast as other people do. They can lose at their pace, I'll lose at mine. I'm not upset anymore--I've learned that patience is the key for MY loss! I'm the snail...you have your tortoises, your hares and your snails. I'm the snail and I'm a happy snail!
Granted, strep ain't the way to lose weight (I'm still not eating "normally") but it was a great boost to me. Nothing like a rebound off your plateau! LOL!
So, now I get to get back into counting points. I haven't counted points for well over a week. I had started last week, but by the end of the week, when I was feeling so blah, I just didn't do any of it.
One of the ladies in my meeting is very supportive--she told me to take my card back and have them hold it for a celebration, so I took it to Bernice. I love Bernice. She's a hoot! She's an assistant leader and has a wonderful sense of humor. Anyway, she told me I did good on my loss, which I take cheerfully. Like I said, I like her.
Lori told me to go back and give my card back--it was good that I did because there were two of us celebrating our 10%. I didn't get with the leader to plan my goal weight but I've already set it. I'm setting my goal to be 136. I'm now 81 pounds away from my goal. I am so happy about that! The "100 pounds over goal" isn't there in my vocabulary anymore!! I'm happy! Can you see me doing the happy dance???

Getting sick is for the birds!!

I have had strep for the past several days. I went to work on February 2nd and was looking forward to going to weigh in on Saturday. Well, by the time I left work on Friday, I was miserable. I'd gone in feeling like I had a golf ball or something in my throat. That didn't get any better as the day went. I also was running a fever. Yippee. When I went home from work, I took a bath, then got into bed and stayed there for the next three days. I was up a little to see the family, but for the most part, I stayed in bed, under the covers.
I had an appointment on Monday to see my doctor. We had to get my son a quick appointment at the same time because he suddenly spiked a huge fever (103.4!) at school and I had to go pick him up. I was tested for the flu (negative) and then he decided to test me for strep. Guess what? Yeppers! I have strep. I've got antibiotics and was probably good to go back to work yesterday, but the little boy wasn't ready to go to school until today. He's been running a low-grade fever. It's broken now and he'll be going to school tomorrow. It's a bit weird having him home for two and a half days and sending him back for two, but...he needs his education.
There is a bright side to this. I haven't been able to swallow so I haven't really been eating. I lost 6 pounds in the course of the weekend. I hope it stays this way because I'd really, really like to see that lower number in the meeting on Saturday. It'll definitely be a celebration!! I want to hit my 10% and IF my scales are accurate right now, I will be at 20 pounds lost (over, actually!) and 10%. That's been the hard thing but I'm pretty sure it'll be close. I know that I just need to either get sick like this more often (not an option because I hate being sick!!) or I need to be uber careful about what I'm eating and how I'm eating. I've still got a good 15.5 points left for today. I haven't even decided what to do for dinner yet. Must be something good and healthy. Maybe I'll make some sort of chili for the family. They're getting used to me giving them high protein foods like beans so...I may have to work on that idea.

Another day

Weigh in was Saturday. That was also the day of the Pinewood Derby for my son's Scout pack. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it. He came in fourth overall.

Weigh in? I was up .2 from my last recorded weight. Mind you, I had skipped out on week 21, so I'm technically on week 22, going on 23. Oh well. We have celebrations every meeting to celebrate with everyone their losses. One lady hit goal, one hit Lifetime and then there was the lady who lost **8** pounds in her first week OP. 8 pounds!! I look at my progress as compared to hers and wonder what I'm doing wrong? Am I eating too many carbs like everyone tells me? Do I need to have MORE salad or go totally vegetarian? I'm discouraged by the on again, off again loss. I don't want to let it get to me. I know that everyone has a different way of losing but still...I just want to see great losses like everyone else has. I know, don't compare myself to everyone else, but still...it gets on my nerves. I want to have the fabulous losses I see others having. I hate being a slow, plodding type of loser. I want to have these incredible 30, 40, 50 pound losses! I have been on plan for 22 weeks (23, really!) and haven't lost 20 pounds yet. When am I going to see big changes??

Have the years of yo-yo dieting wreaked havoc on my metabolism to the point where it won't release the weight willingly?? Boot camp twice a week, martial arts classes three times...I want more loss, damnit!

One Point foods

1 pt. Food List

FRUIT

Apple, dried, 1/4 cup (3/4 oz.)
Apple, fresh, 1 (4oz)
Apples, crab, 2 oz or 1/2 cup
Apples, mountain, 3 (2" x 1 7/8")
Applesauce, unsweetened, 1 cup (8 oz)
Apricots, 6 dried halves (3/4 oz)
Apricots, fresh, 3 (4 oz)
Blackberries, 1 cup (5 oz)
Blueberries, 1 cup (5 oz)
Boysenberries, 1 cup (5 oz)
Breadfruit, uncooked, 1/3 cup (3 oz)
Cantaloupe, 1/4 melon (8 oz) or 1 cup (5 1/2 oz)
Cherries, fresh, 1 cup (5 1/2 oz)
Cranberries, fresh, 1 cup (4 oz)
Currants, fresh, 1 cup (4 oz)
Dates, fresh, 2 (3/4 oz)
Elderberries, 1 cup (5 oz)
Fig, dried, 1 (3/4 oz)
Fig, fresh, 1 (2 oz)
Gooseberries, 1 cup (5 oz)
Grapefruit sections, 1 cup (9 oz)
Grapes, 1 cup, 20 small, or 12 large
Green papaya, 1 cup
Guava, 1 (4 oz) or 1/3 cup pulp

FRUIT (cont’d.)

Honeydew melon, 1/8 (6 oz) or 1 cup
Kiwi fruit, 1 (4 oz)
Kumquats, 10 small or 5 medium (3 oz)

Orange, 1 (5 oz)
Papaya, 1/2 (8 oz) or 1 cup (5 oz)

Passion fruit, 3 (3 oz)

Peach, fresh, 1 (6 oz)
Pear, fresh, 1 (5 oz)
Plums, 2 (4 oz)
Prickly pear (cactus pear), 1 (5 oz)
Prunes, 2 (3/4 oz)
Raspberries, 1 cup (4 oz)
Strawberries, fresh or frozen (unsweetened), 1 cup
Tangelo, 1 (7 oz)
Tangerine, 1 (6 oz)
Watermelon, 2" slice or 1 cup (5 1/2 oz)

PROTEIN SOURCES

Anchovies, 6 (3/4 oz) or 1 tsp. Paste

Bacon, 1 slice crisp

Bacon, Jennie-O, Extra-Lean Turkey, 2 slices

Beans, dry, 1/3 cup or 2 1/2 oz cooked or (3/4 oz) uncooked"BOCA" Burger - The Original , 1

Carl Budding Lean Lunchmeat, whole package

PROTEIN SOURCES (cont’d.)

Beans, dry 1/3 cup, 2 1/2 oz cooked, 3/4 oz uncooked
Bison/Buffalo meat, 1 oz.
-Cheese, 1 fat free slice

-Cheese, cottage, 1%, 2% or nonfat, 1/3 cup (2 3/4 oz)

-Cheese, hard, 3 tbsp shredded, 2 tbsp grated or (3/4 oz)

-Cheese, Neufchatel, 1 tbsp (1/2 oz)

-Cheese, nonfat, hard or semi-soft, 1 slice, 1 (1" cube, 3 tbsp shredded, 2 tbsp grated or (3/4 oz)

-Cheese, pot, 1/3 cup

-Cheese, ricotta, nonfat, 1/3 cup

-Cheese, Parmesan, 2 tsp [Lucerne]

-Cheese Slice, Galaxy S-Foods Veggie Slices, Cheddar Flavor, 1 slice

-Cheese Slice, Lucerne Fat-Free, 1 slice

-Cheese, soy, nonfat, 1 slice, 1 (1") cube, 3 tbsp shredded, 2 tbsp grated or (3/4 oz)

-Kraft-Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese, 1/4 cup

Chick’n drumstick, cooked, w/o skin, w/ bone, 1 (1 ½ oz
Chicken roll luncheon meat, 1 slice (1 oz)
Chickpeas, dry, 1/3 cup, 2 1/2 oz cooked, 3/4 oz

Chili, Pritikan Vegetarian Chili, 1 cup uncooked
Clams, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
Crabmeat, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
Crayfish, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)

PROTEIN SOURCES (cont’d.)

Egg substitute, fat-free, 1/4 cup
Egg whites, 3
Fat-free luncheon meat, 6 slices
Fish, fresh, flaked, 1/2 cup
Frankfurter, beef, pork or turkey, fat free, 1

Gimme Lean! Meatless Sausage (2 oz)

Goose, wild, cooked, 1 oz
Lentils, dry, 1/3 cup, 2 1/2 oz cooked, 3/4 oz uncooked
Lobster meat, cooked 1/2 cup (2 oz)
Luncheon meat, lean (less than 2 grams fat per oz), 1 slice or 1 oz

Morningstar Farms "Harvest Burgers Recipe Crumbles", fat free, 2/3 cup

Morning Star Farms Italian Style Sausage Crumbles, 1 serving

Morningstar "Veggie Hot Dogs", 1

Mussels, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
Oysters, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
Peas, dry, black-eyed, 1/3 cup or 2 1/2 oz cooked or 3/4 oz uncooked
Peas, dry, split, 1/3 cup or 2 1/2 oz cooked or 3/4 oz uncooked
Pheasant, cooked, 1 oz Quail, cooked, 1 oz
Salmon, smoked, 1 oz
Sashimi, 4 pieces (except salmon or mackerel)

PROTEIN SOURCES (cont’d.)

Scallops, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
Shrimp, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
Smelt, cooked, 1 oz
Soybeans, dry, 1/3 cup or 2 1/2 oz cooked or 3/4 oz uncooked
Squab, cooked, 1 oz
Sweetbreads, cooked, 1 oz
Tempeh (fermented soybean cake), 1/4 cup (1 oz)
Textured vegetable protein, 1/3 cup (3/4 oz dry)
Tripe, cooked, 1 oz Turkey roll, 1 slice (1 oz)

Vegetarian breakfast patty (sausage-type), 1 (1 oz)
Venison, cooked, 1 oz
Whitefish, smoked, 2 oz

PREPARED FOODS

Beans, 1/2 cup fat free refried
Beets, pickled, 1/2 cup
Onion soup mix, 1 cup prepared or 1/2 envelope
Poi, 1/3 cup cooked (3 oz)
Potato flaked (instant mashed potatoes), 1/3 cup (3/4 oz) uncooked
Potato pancake, frozen, 1 (2 oz)
Potatoes O'Brien, frozen prepared w/o fat) 1 cup (4 1/4 oz)
Potatoes, hash-brown, frozen (no fat added), 4 oz
Sushi, maki (vegetables and rice rolled in seaweed) 4

PREPARED FOODS (cont’d.)

Yogurt and cucumber salad, 1/4 cup

Three-bean salad, canned, 1/2 cup (4 1/2 oz)

Yam patty, frozen, 1 (2 oz)

Yogurt and cucumber salad, 1/4 cup

STARCHY VEGETABLES

Chestnuts, 6 small (2 oz)
Corn on the cob, 1 small ear(5") or 4 oz
Corn, baby (ears), 1 cup
Parsnips, cooked or uncooked, 1 cup or 6 oz
Peas, green, cooked or uncooked, 1 cup or 6 oz
Squash, winter, 1 cup or 7 oz cooked
Water chestnuts, 1 cup (4 1/2 oz)

BEVERAGES

Beer, nonalcoholic, 1 can or bottle (12 fl oz)

Cappuccino, (5 oz)

Cocoa

-Hot, instant, fat-free, (6 fl oz)

-Hot, instant, sugar free, (6 fl oz)

Hot chocolate, 1 cup fat free

Juice

-Apple juice or cider, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

-Clam-tomato juice, 1 cup (8 fl oz)

-Cranberry Juice Cocktail, low-calorie, 1 cup (8 fl oz)

-Cranberry Juice Cocktail, regular, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

-Fruit juice, combined, any type, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

-Grape juice, carbonated or non-carbonated, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

-Grapefruit juice, any type, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

-Orange-grapefruit juice, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

-Orange juice, any type, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

-Pineapple juice, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

-Prune juice, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

-Tangerine juice, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

General Foods International Coffees, French Vanilla Cafe- sugar-free, fat-free & naturally decaffeinated, 1 cup, (.5)

Nectar, any type, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

Wine, light, low-alcohol, or non-alcoholic, 1 small glass or 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)

Yoo-Hoo Lite Chocolate Drink

BREADS

Crisp breads, 3/4 oz
Flat breads, 3/4 oz
Matzo farfel, 1/4 cup (1/2 oz)
Melba toast, all varieties, 6 rounds or 4 slices (3/4 oz)
Oyster crackers, 20 (1/2 oz)
Pita, any type, 1 small or 1/2 large (1 oz)
Reduced-calorie, any type , 2 slices (1 1/2 oz)
Rice cakes, any type, 2 (3/4 oz) or 6 mini

High fiber (3 gms or more fiber per slice), 1 slice (1 oz)

Cocktail (party-style) bread, any type, 2 slices (3/4 oz)

Colonial Light Wheat Bread, 2 slices

Orowheat

-Light Country Potato Bread, 2 slices, (.5)

-Light Wheat, 2 slices, (.5)

-Light 9-Grain Bread, 2 slices, (.5)

Reduced-calorie bread, any type, 2 slices (1 1/2 oz)

Breadsticks, 2" long (7 1/2" x 1") or 4 short (5" x 1/2")

Crackers, fat-free, 7 (3/4 oz)

Diane's "Thin" Corn Tortillas [2] (white or yellow)

La Tierra Taco Shells, 2

Merita Wheat Rolls, 1

Saltines, Fat Free, 5

Saltines, Zesta, regular, 5

Sara Lee Mini Bagels, 1

Wonder Light Wheat Bread, 4 slices

CEREALS

Cereal, cold, high fiber (4g or more fiber per 1/2 cup)
Cereal, cold, puffed, 1 1/2 cups
Cereal, cold, shredded wheat, 1 biscuit
Quaker Corn Bran, 3/4 cup

Barbara's Puffins Crunchy Corn Cereal, 1 cup

Bran flakes, cold, 1 cup [Kelloggs Complete Wheat Bran]

High fiber, cold (10 gms or more fiber per 1/2 cup), 1/2 cup

Kashi "Good Friends" Cereal, 3/4 cup

Puffed, cold, 1 1/2 cups

Shredded wheat, cold, 1 biscuit

SAUCES & SOUPS

Barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup
Chili sauce, green, 1/4 cup
Chili sauce, red, 1/4 cup
Cocktail sauce , 1/4 cup
Duck Sauce , 1 Tbsp
Gravy, beef, chicken, or turkey, canned, 1/4 cup
Pizza sauce, 1/4 cup (2 oz)
Spaghetti sauce, bottled, any type, reduced-fat, 1/2 cup (4 1/2 oz)
Spanish sauce, 1/2 cup
Teriyaki sauce , 1/4 cup
Chicken noodle soup, canned, 1 cup
Chicken soup, without matzo balls, 1 cup
Egg drop soup, 1 cup

Liptons Cup-a-Soup, Chicken Noodle w/White Meat

MISCELLANEOUS

Bran, all varieties 1/3 cup (3/4 oz uncooked)
Breadcrumbs, dried, 3 Tbsp (3/4 oz)
Cornmeal mix, self-rising, 2 Tbsp (3/4 oz)
Cornmeal, uncooked, 2 Tbsp (1/2 oz)
Cream, light (coffee/table cream), 2 Tbsp. (1 fl oz)
Creamer, nondairy, 1 Tbsp powder
Creamer, nondairy, 2 Tbsp liquid (1 fl oz)
Creamer, nonfat, flavored, 2 Tbsp liquid (1 fl oz)
Half and half, 2 Tbsp (1 fl oz)
Bread crumbs, dried, 3 tbsp (3/4 oz)

Flour, any type, 3 tbsp (3/4 oz)

Fructose, 1 tbsp

Honey, 1 tbsp

Molasses, light or black strap, 1 tbsp

Syrup

-Syrup, low-calorie, 2 tbsp

-Syrup, regular, any type, 1 tbsp

Sugar, any type, 1 tbsp

Vegetable oil, 1 tsp

Vegetable shortening, 1 tsp

Wheat germ, 3 tbsp (3/4 oz)

Wonton skins (wrappers, 5 skins, 3" x 3" squares)

SPREADS & CONDIMENTS

Almond butter, 1 tsp
Butter/Margarine

-Butter, regular or whipped, 1 tsp

-Margarine, fat-free, 4 tbsp

-Margarine, reduced-calorie (tub), 2 tsp

-Margarine, reduced-calorie (stick), 1 1/2 tsp

-Margarine, regular, 1 tsp

-Margarine, squeeze, 1 tsp

-Brummel & Brown Spread (made with yogurt), 1 tbsp

-Brummel & Brown Fruit Spread (blueberry, strawberry, apples & cinnamon), 1 tbsp
Chutney, 1 Tbsp
Cream cheese, light or whipped, 2 Tbsp (1 oz)
Cream cheese, nonfat, 4 Tbsp (2 oz)
Cream cheese, regular, 1 Tbsp (1/2 oz)
Fruit butter, any type, 1 Tbsp
Jam , jelly or preserves, 1 Tbsp
Ketchup, 1/4 cup

Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges, 1 wedge (light or regular),

plain, herbed, onion (1)
Margarine , fat-free, 4 Tbsp
Margarine, reduced-calorie (tub), 2 tsp
Margarine, reduced-calorie (stick), 1 1/2 tsp
Margarine, regular, 1 tsp
Margarine, squeeze, 1 tsp
Mayonnaise, fat-free, 4 Tbsp
Mayonnaise, reduced-calorie, 2 tsp

SPREADS & CONDIMENTS (cont’d.)

Mayonnaise, regular, commercial and homemade, 1 tsp
Olives, 10 small or 6 large (1 oz)
Peanut butter, 1 tsp
Pickles, sweet, 2 large
Salad dressing, fat-free (except Italian), 2 Tbsp
Salad dressing, reduced-calorie, Italian, 2 Tbsp
Sour cream, light, 3 Tbsp
Sour cream, nonfat, 1/4 cup
Sour cream, regular, 1 Tbsp
Spreadable fruit, 1 1/2 Tbsp
Sweet and sour sauce, 2 Tbsp

SWEET STUFF & SNACKS

Crackers, 7 fat-free crackers (3/4 oz)
Popcorn, light, microwave-popped, 3 cups
Popcorn, plain, hot-air popped, 3 cups
Pretzel sticks, 23
Pretzel twists , 8 small
Seeds, pumpkin or sunflower, 1 Tbsp

Biscotti, 3 sm. (1 regular) fat free
Candied fruit, any type, including citron, pineapple, gingerroot, 1 Tbsp or 1/2 oz
Cookies, gingersnap, 2 (1/2 oz)
Cream, whipped, 1/4 cup (1 oz)
Fortune cookie, 1
Fructose, 1 Tbsp
Fruit juice bar, frozen, 1

SWEET STUFF & SNACKS (cont’d.)

Fruit juice bar, no sugar added, frozen, 2
Fruit pop, frozen, 1 bar (1 3/4 fl oz)

Honey, 1 Tbsp
Ice cream cone, plain or sugar, 1 small
Ladyfingers, store-brought, 1 large or 2 small (1/2 oz)

Candied fruit, any type, including citron, pineapple & ginger root, 1 tbsp (1/2 oz)

Candy

-Cotton Candy (1 /2 oz), 1 bag (57 calories, no fat) [CHECK THE BAG FOR WEIGHT THOUGH]

-Hershey's Tastations, (hard candies), 3 pieces (chocolate, chocolate mint, butterscotch, caramel)

-Lollipop, 1 (2 1/2" diameter)

-Tootsie Pop, 1

Chips

-Potato chips, fat-free (made with olean), 1 oz

-Pringles, Fat Free, 1 oz

-WOW Lays or Ruffles Chips, 1 oz

Cookies/Crackers

-Biscotti, 4 small (1 regular) fat-free

-Blue Bunny Health Smart Creme Bars, 1 bar, (1)

-Fortune cookie, 1

-Gingersnap cookies, 2 (1/2 oz)

-Graham crackers, 2 (2 1/2" sq) or 1/2 oz

-Health Valley, Apricot Delite, 3

-Health Valley Chocolate Biscotti Style Cookies, 1 cookie

SWEET STUFF & SNACKS (cont’d.)

-Jacobsen’s Blueberry Swirl or Raspberry Swirl Snack Toast, 1 toast

-Ladyfingers, store-bought, 1 large or 2 small (1/2 oz)

-Vanilla wafers, reduced-fat, 3 (1/3 oz)

Frozen

-Blue Bunny Ice Cream Bars, Orange/Cream, Raspberry/Cream, Fudge, & Fudge/Cream, 1

-Dairy Queen, sugarless, no fat fudge and orange & vanilla bars, 1

-Fat-Free Fudgesicles, 1

-Haagen-Daz Fat-Free Chocolate Sorbet Bars, 1

-Popscicle Brand "Firecracker" Ice Pops, 1 [40 calories]

-Fruit-flavored ice pop, frozen, 1 (1 3/4 fl oz)

-Fruit juice bar, frozen, 1 (2 1/2 oz)

-Fruit juice bars, no sugar added, frozen, 2 (each 2 oz)

-Fruit juice bar, no sugar added, frozen, 2

-Fruit pop, frozen, 1 bar (1 3/4 oz)

-Ice cream cone, plain or sugar, 1 small

-Tropicana Orange Sorbet/Vanilla Ice Cream Bar, 1

-W.W. Chocolate Mousse Bar, 1

Marshmallows, 2 medium (1/2 oz)

Popcorn

-Light, microwave-popped, 3 cups

-Plain, hot-air popped, 3 cups

Popcorn Cakes

-Butter-flavored, 2 (1/2 oz)

-Other than butter-flavored, 1, 6 mini or 1/2 oz

SWEET STUFF & SNACKS (cont’d.)

Rice Cakes

-Plain, 2 (3/4 oz or 5 mini)

-Other than plain, 1 (1/2 oz)

-Quaker Chocolate Crunch Mini, 5

-Caramel/Chocolate Chip Rice Cakes, 1 cake, (1)

-Chocolate Crunch Mini Rice Cakes, 5 mini cakes, (1)

-Quaker's Cinnamon Streusel Rice Cakes, 1 cake (1)

-Quaker Crispy Minis! [Apples & Cinnamon, Caramel Corn, Ranch, Nacho, BBQ], 7-8

Seeds, pumpkin or sunflower, 1 tbsp

Sunsweet "Fruitlings", 1 oz

Toppings, Ice Cream

-Pineapple or strawberry, 1 tbsp

-Fudge, regular or fat-free, 1 tbsp

-Whipped, dairy or nondairy, 1/4 cup (1/2 oz)

Weight Watchers chocolate mousse bar, 1

Snack ideas

As promised, here are some snack ideas for low to medium points snacks. If you're looking for something to tide you over, don't go with a Power Bar unless you've definitely got the points to spare...I had one today, a Power Bar Harvest Double Chocolate Crisp bar. 5 points for the bar. Ouch!!

Snack Ideas:

0 Points:

Sugar-free gelatin

Mixed vegetable juice

Salsa with vegetable dippers

Beets

Assorted grilled vegetables

Garden vegetable soup

Plain or unsweetened tea

Tossed salad

Unsweetened pickles

1 Point:

Vegetable maki

Corn

Grapes

Egg substitute mushroom omelet

Chicken drumstick without skin

Watermelon Slice

Strawberries

Raspberries and blueberries

2 Points:

Weight Watcher’s® 2 Point Bars

Fruit salad

Wontons in chicken broth

Reduced calorie pudding with Fat-Free whipped topping.

6 inch tortilla with vegetables and salsa

Pretzel twists

Weight Watcher’s® All Day Breakfast Bar

Fat-Free frozen yogurt

Banana

Vanilla wafers (3)

Frozen French fries

3 Points:

Corn bread

Bacon (3)

Small biscotti (2)

Grilled chicken breast without skin

Corn flakes with fat-free or 1% milk

Lean pork chop (1)

English muffin with spreadable fruit

Pasta with vegetables

Light ice cream

Angel food cake with blueberries

4 Points:

Ice cream sandwich (1)

Low fat frozen waffles with low-cal syrup (2)

Potato chips (15)

Chinese barbeque spareribs (2)

Medium baked potato with lite sour cream

Fat-Free vegetable burger on a bun

Mixed shelled nuts (about a handful)

Shrimp egg roll (1)

5 Points:

Cheese quesadilla (1 regular size tortilla)

Linguini with store-bought red clam sauce

Corn dog (1)

Chocolate covered ice cream bar (1)

Brownie

Beef taco (1)

Red beans and rice

Lean steak

Again, I'm very, very bad at keeping up this blog. If I was smart, I'd close it down, but for now, I'll just update it when I feel like I'm in the mood. That would be today.
Lot has happened since the last post. For example...I'm now a red/black belt. I have two months to go before I test for my Cho Dan Bo, which is my blue belt. At that point, I'll be within months (6 at least) of my black belt. I'm pretty excited about it. It's been a lot of work but I love it. It's something that I feel very confident about. I have been working very hard to get where I am now.
Joined Weight Watchers in September and as of last weekend, I was down close to 20 pounds. Of all the "diets" I've ever been on, this one makes the MOST sense. It's a lifestyle change, not a "diet". Instead of restricting me and telling me I can't have things, it's you CAN have things but in *moderation*. That's the whole key. I'm re-learning to eat. I'm happy about that. I now measure my food and weigh things. I'm no longer eyeballing food portions and saying "I can have that." I now ask "I wonder how many points that is?" Of course, if people at work want to go out, they usually tell me, "we're going here and you can go too." If I protest about the points, I get, "well, YOU can have a dry salad!" Gee. Thanks. I love that my changes are being looked at still as a form of deprivation! Ah well. If they understood what I've gone through, they'd be less likely to jump up and tell me that. I've been heavy all my life, but...I'm working on being less so. I'm active in Tang Soo Do three times a week plus a boot camp twice a week. It's all paying off. I'm happier now than I have been in a LONG time!

One upmanship

Why do people see the need to brag and one-up each other? What's the point in that? I know that people have harder lives/better jobs/better kids/perfect marriages/perfect weight/a better house/whatever. Hey, we ALL know that! Does it really make the one who is bragging feel better about him or herself to demean what someone else says?!
The entire point of this is, I have a dear friend who is constantly belittled by people in her hometown who are apparently parents of geniuses. Another good friend of mine is knocked down any time she says anything--there's always ONE PERSON who has a better life. How does the one doing the bragging feel after saying "well, MY house is paid off because I worked 14 full time jobs and I paid it off in 10 years but I didn't see my family or friends ONCE." or "MY child learned to play the piano at the age of 6 months and gave his/her first concert at the age of 15 months!" or "MY child/spouse/significant other did such and such or knows so and so." Why does society, as a whole, feel the need to brag and posture so much? All it does is foster resentment in the person who is on the receiving end of the bragging. You won bragging rights. Yippee. Congratulations. I'm sorry you had to work 14 full time jobs to pay your house off and had no quality time with your significant other/family/friends. I may not have a house, but I spend time with my family and friends. I haven't had to sacrifice my life for a house so while I agree that being out of debt is a great thing, I'm sorry you felt that people would judge you for having a mortgage payment. (Talk to me someday about my thoughts on houses.) I'm proud for you that your child learned to play the piano at the age of six months. (and my thoughts are just whirling at THAT because everyone knows that babies, while they learn quickly, the attention span's not all there, even at 15 months.) My kids fell down, sat up, learned to eat and learned to sleep through the night. I'm satisfied. They're NORMAL. I don't CARE to push them beyond their limits right now. I'll let them decide for themselves what they want to be or do when they grow up. As long as it's not a professional bum, I'm happy.
What brought this about, you ask? Well, I have a scratched cornea which is *extremely painful*. I am having a hard time seeing today--my vision's blurred and my head is pounding as if a marching band is inside. I came in to work today to have someone tell me "I've had them to where I couldn't open my eyes and I had to lay in a dark room all day." Thank you for sharing. I just mentioned that my eye hurt. I wasn't looking for a one-upmanship course today. I got it anyway. Well, you know, I'm sorry you had to be in a dark room. I'd LOVE to be in a dark room right now, but...I have a job and have to work for a living. This allows me to continue doing the things I love. Oh, wait...am I one-upping someone???

Red belt test

Want to see what I did last night? You can go here to look at it. I'm pretty proud of my accomplishment last night!! Let me know if the link doesn't work. I'll fix it. Got to the dojang about 15 minutes before the test started. Since I drove, I had to put my purse away in one of the lockers. I talked to Beth who was extremely nervous about testing. We went into the big room and found Marlene and Kim and talked to them too, then we all started stretching. It was a good thing we did because they ran us through a bit of warm up jumping jacks and things beforehand. I really don't like jumping jacks. We were supposed to do 50 but our instructor/test administrator for the night said he was "bored with it" at about 40-45. After that, he had us do front rising stretch kicks and then we went into punches. Then we got to do front snap kicks, round kicks and side kicks as part of the warm up. THEN he put us through our paces. We did combinations first, then started into the forms. The intermediate students got to sit out while the beginners did their forms up to the highest. Then it was our turn!! We did our forms (top 4-5) and then sat down again while the lone girl who was testing for red/black did her forms with one of the black belts. Then it was time for one-steps. I partnered up with the same young lady I worked with at the last test. She is a very sweet young lady and I am more than happy to partner with her. We did our one steps and she had to tell me to tap out because we never practice them to the point where we have to tap out. I guess that from here on out, we'd better learn 'em like that!! (I need to get over my fear of falling too, but that's for a different blog.) After the one steps (top 5 hands and feet), we got to spar for about 2 minutes. It felt like 10! It was extremely physical, although neither of us came away bruised. I found some things about sparring that I'm going to have to work on, like changing my attacks and shaking up the kicks and punches I use. It'll be a LOT harder in the black belt tests!! After the sparring, he had us return to the back of the room in preparation for our board breaking. We had four or five of us who were breaking boards. They started with the youngest, who was a brown belt and then went to the brown/black belts. The young man did an elbow strike and went right through his board on the first try. Then my partner went and *she* broke with an elbow strike, on the first try. After that, it was "the triplets" (Marlene, Beth and me). He took us in order from the youngest to the oldest, so I had to go first. I did a front snap kick and went through the boards (plural--they held two boards). It didn't hurt and was actually quite fun!! Marlene was next, then Beth. We all did the same kick, but we all broke our boards on the first try. Post board breaking, we had to line up in belt rank order again and do our stamina trials. That was hard because we were tired and hot and ready to get it over with. We had to stand in riding horse stance and do front punches for about five minutes while the black belts walked up and down the ranks and shouted encouragements to us. Then we had to do front leg, front snap kicks for five minutes per leg, again with the encouragement of the black belts. Then it was time for our belts. This was pretty cool. We lined up in belt rank order and faced the audience for a final time as the belt we were currently on. Once we'd been presented, we had to turn and face the board. They then came through the ranks, untied and removed our belts and laid them on the floor beside us. Then Mr. M and the board came around and tied the new belts on us. He gave me my belt, for which I feel very, very honored!! After the test, we went out to Ricardos, a local restaurant next to the dojang, for celebratory margaritas. WUHU!! I had a whole ONE margarita, LOTS of water (about 5 glasses) and some 'pineapple chicken tacos'. Hung out for about an hour or so, then went home and here I am! Today has been a very quiet day. We went to the pool party our complex was having, where the kids ate lunch and Tony won $10.00 for answering a question about a song the Eagles had performed (New Kid in Town). We must have been the oldest people there! LOL!! When we got tired of that, we came home, hung out for a bit and then went to the store for some minor things. We just hung out and didn't do very much after that.