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Monday, January 26, 2009

Week Three All Done!

I'm done with week three and well on my way into this week with grand plans to stay on track. I thought for sure this last week was going to be a disappointment. I've been working out quite a bit but I also went a little overboard this weekend with eating. It's official--I absolutely am addicted to cheese. Who knew? Chocolate? No problem. Coke? I quite cold turkey three weeks ago and haven't looked back. Cheese? I can't get enough of it. I'm craving Mexican food with tons of melted cheddar and jack over a spicy burrito, or a thick grilled cheese sandwich with lots of American and cheddar. It's a definite weakness.

I was doing alright until I went away for the weekend to relax, all alone. I was staying at a mountain resort and I didn't bring much besides my protein bars to sustain me. That meant eating out at the nearby town for a lot of meals. I wouldn't have been as tempted if I had prepared and brought snacks to satisfy me throughout the day. However, I didn't and by the time mealtime rolled around I was starving and my will-power was nil. I succumbed to pizza and fattening Mexican food three times!

Now, I did walk to work this week, and I swam vigorously for 30 minutes a the resort, and I probably walked a couple miles while I was there too, not to mention my workouts with the Wii. Even so, I knew it wasn't going to make up for all that cheese! Despite the cheese, I'm still down a pound this week and I'm thrilled! I thought for sure I was going to have to disappoint my followers (and myself) with a weight gain.

Plus, Saturday evening, as I was packing up to go--and regretting my chili colorado burrito--I checked my e-mail. I noticed some friends had made a donation to FirstGiving. I checked the page and was overwhelmed by their generosity. I have to give a special thanks to Ryan and Emily for donating $240.00 to my lose-a-thon efforts. I am so grateful for the donation and that puts me about a 1/3 of the way toward raising the $1000.00 goal I've set. Wow! It also really helps me with accountability. I know I want to lose this weight for myself and my family, but knowing other out there are reading this blog, following along and putting their money behind me, really helps me stay committed to my goal. Thanks again, Ryan and Emily.

That reminds me...some of you have expressed interest in sponsoring my weight loss on a "per pound" basis, rather than a flat donation. That's great! If you'd like to do that, just shoot me and e-mail and let me know whether or not you'd like to remain anonymous. I will post your name and sponsorship on my website. The last week of May, when the lose-a-thon ends, you can make your donation through FirstGiving based on the total number of pounds I've lost.

This week will be better. I spent most of the day preparing my meals and snacks for the week. That makes a huge difference. It's getting caught off guard or not having little low cal snacks to tide me over throughout the day that end up in overindulgences. This week I'm prepared so that won't happen.

Thanks again to everyone who is sponsoring, donating and following me on this journey. I really, really appreciate your comments and support. It helps me know someone is reading this blog and paying attention to whether I lose the weight or not. Please keep the comments and encouragements coming.

Week 3 = 176 lbs (-14 lbs total)

Monday, January 19, 2009

Week Two Over and Out!

So, I've made it through another week. I have to admit, there's been some ups and downs. I kicked up my exercise, which is a good thing. On Thursday, I walked to work with a friend--it's two miles from my house. We were going to catch a ride home but decided we'd walk home too. It was a lot for someone who: one, doesn't exercise much; and two, has horrific feet. I've never been able to walk or stand much. In the last two years I've developed terrible plantar fascitis--for those of you who aren't familiar, let me explain it as severe and chronic pain in the heal and bottom of the foot. The only way for it to get better...rest your feet.

Well, I've had enough of not being able to do the easiest and most efficient exercise for losing weight. So, I said the heck with it and decided I'm going to walk as much as possible. Yes, I'm back on my Naprosin, fish oil, icing my feet and sleeping with a special splint for plantar fascitits, but as long as I can take it, I'm going to include walking in my routine.

I've also been using my Wii Fit almost daily. It's so much fun and I'm really enjoying the yoga. I always knew I was pretty flexible, but the yoga moves really add a strength element to it. Also, it feels like I'm doing something constructive with my flexibility. Yes, I know my muscles will extend and my joints can hyper-extend but now there are structured stretches/poses that feel so good to hold and move into. It's like my weird loose joints have finally found their calling, and it's yoga!

So, those are the good parts...then there were the less than good parts. I had a couple oopses with food. I've really been doing pretty well, but I found when temptation was placed within my grasp, I grasped. Part of the reason I decided to walk home on Thursday was due to the giant chicken quesadilla I ate for lunch. All that cheese and tortilla just sounded so encredibly good! I really have a cheese weakness. I've been doing well with my light string cheese for snacks but all that melty goodness on a toasted tortilla just got to me and I ate it all up.

If that were my one oops for the week, I'd feel okay, but that wasn't the end of it. Sunday I was sick and I felt really, really yucky. And somehow that justified eating a Sonic cheeseburger for lunch and an Arby's toasted sub for dinner. Those two meals alone exceeded the recommended daily calories I should have been eating. But on the bright side, I learned an important lesson--food is definitely a comfort issue for me. The thought of salad to go with my soar throat and headache was just unbearable. I wanted grease and cheese and bread. I felt better, momentarily, then my stomach hurt.

Like I said, it's been a week of ups and downs. But the biggest down that I'm proud of is the three pounds I'm down this week. I'm not sure how it happened in light of my multiple splurges, but I'm glad they didn't set me back too far. I can only assume the extra activity is kicking in. I know there will be a pateau coming soon. There always is. Especially, as I continue to work out and build up muscle. But for now, I'm celebrating my three pounds and continuing, undeterred on my path toward May 31st.

Thanks for keeping up with me. Please send me comments and e-mails for encouragement. They really help. Thanks!

Week 2 = 177 lbs (-13 pounds total)

Monday, January 12, 2009

Post for January 12, 2009

So, while I was tapping away at the keyboard, writing my last post to this blog both of my sons were up to no good.

As I was trying to catch up on the blog, Asher was standing next to me with one of the necklaces he and Cainan refer to as their "treasure" (it makes me feel better about letting them wear jewelry if they pretend they're pirates). Anyway, Asher was showing me how it went on his head, or around his neck or on his arm. He stretched the necklace across his mouth and said, "In my mouth." I immediately stopped typing and told him, "No, you know we don't put that in our mouths. That's not where it goes. It never goes in your mouth." He smiled at me and made it clear he was teasing me. "Yah, that would be silly," he said.

I left it at that and he went off in the other room to play. I went back to my busy little tapping on the keyboard, when a few minutes later I heard a cough. It wasn't a normal little throat-clearing cough. It was more of a I'm-gagging-and-choking-on-something-cough. "Asher, are you okay?" I jumped up from the keyboard to see what was going on. He met me in the hall with tears in his eyes. "I swallowed it." He said, looking bewildered and on the verge of hysteria. "What did you swallow? The necklace?" His giant teary eyes and slow nod affirmed what I had just guessed.

I asked him to take a deep breathe and he did. He was not choking. There was nothing more I could do for him at the moment. I went to head further into the living room so I could tell Joe to contact the doctor and ask for advice; that's when I saw Cainan.

Cainan was casually standing in the kitchen, his hand extended toward the counter where an angel food cake was sitting. Only now, there was only 2/3 of an angel food cake sitting there. He immediately straightened up and also took on the bewildered, huge-eyed, dear in the headlights gaze as he realized he'd been caught.

Again, what could I do? The cake was in his stomach. I sent him to his room for time out. Asher followed and put himself in time out even though I hadn't said a word to him after, "Why did you eat the necklace?!".

I poked my head into our bedroom and told Joe, "Asher just ate a necklace and Cainan ate half an angel food cake." Then I closed the door and walked back to their bedroom. I started with Cainain. I told him what he already knew, that he wasn't allowed to get food off the counter or eat anything without asking permission first. I kept him in time out for three more minutes and told him he'd lost his kitchen privileges for a week. The kitchen is now completely off limits to him.

Then I talked to Asher, once again, about the dangers of putting things in his mouth and how only food goes in his mouth. He was very serious and morose. He asked where the necklace was and I told him it was in his belly. I thought his eyes might pop out of his head.

Joe called the doctor and we learned that there was not much to do for the immediate future. We were to give him lots of "roughage" and plenty of fluids and bring him in on Monday. I mostly gave him fruit all day Sunday and pumped him full of juice. He's been pooping a lot, but so far, no necklace.

Today I took three hours off work. We went to the doctor, then to the lab so he could have blood work done to make sure the necklace did not have lead in it, then off for x-rays to make sure the necklace was passing through his gut. What did we find? Nothing. Nothing showed on the x-ray, which means there is no metal in his bowels. That means he either ate something else, non metallic or he choked on the necklace but coughed it out somewhere before I got to him and didn't know how else to explain it other than to say, "I swallowed it."

Either way, I hoped he learned his lesson. I know I certainly did. I wish I could say that I found half the angel food cake somewhere else, but I know that all went into Cainan's belly. I could have been worse, but I don't even want to think about that. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that he's not an average, everyday kid and I can't ever let my guard down. He goes into the kitchen numerous times a day to put away his plate, throw away trash, walk through it to find me in my room--whatever--and he never bothers a thing. Then, one evening he just decides an angel food cake sounds good. If it were any other kid, they'd still get in trouble but I wouldn't beat myself up about it too much. But I know how bad that is for Cainan.

So, I'm just going to have to try harder, for both of them. And that's probably why I'm typing away now that they're both in bed and I should be too. But I know my time with them needs to be spent with them and not blogging while they're doing untold things in the other room.

The lessons we have to learn over and over and over...

Post for January 12, 2009

So, while I was tapping away at the keyboard, writing my last post to this blog both of my sons were up to no good.

As I was trying to catch up on the blog, Asher was standing next to me with one of the necklaces he and Cainan refer to as their "treasure" (it makes me feel better about letting them wear jewelry if they pretend they're pirates). Anyway, Asher was showing me how it went on his head, or around his neck or on his arm. He stretched the necklace across his mouth and said, "In my mouth." I immediately stopped typing and told him, "No, you know we don't put that in our mouths. That's not where it goes. It never goes in your mouth." He smiled at me and made it clear he was teasing me. "Yah, that would be silly," he said.

I left it at that and he went off in the other room to play. I went back to my busy little tapping on the keyboard, when a few minutes later I heard a cough. It wasn't a normal little throat-clearing cough. It was more of a I'm-gagging-and-choking-on-something-cough. "Asher, are you okay?" I jumped up from the keyboard to see what was going on. He met me in the hall with tears in his eyes. "I swallowed it." He said, looking bewildered and on the verge of hysteria. "What did you swallow? The necklace?" His giant teary eyes and slow nod affirmed what I had just guessed.

I asked him to take a deep breathe and he did. He was not choking. There was nothing more I could do for him at the moment. I went to head further into the living room so I could tell Joe to contact the doctor and ask for advice; that's when I saw Cainan.

Cainan was casually standing in the kitchen, his hand extended toward the counter where an angel food cake was sitting. Only now, there was only 2/3 of an angel food cake sitting there. He immediately straightened up and also took on the bewildered, huge-eyed, dear in the headlights gaze as he realized he'd been caught.

Again, what could I do? The cake was in his stomach. I sent him to his room for time out. Asher followed and put himself in time out even though I hadn't said a word to him after, "Why did you eat the necklace?!".

I poked my head into our bedroom and told Joe, "Asher just ate a necklace and Cainan ate half an angel food cake." Then I closed the door and walked back to their bedroom. I started with Cainain. I told him what he already knew, that he wasn't allowed to get food off the counter or eat anything without asking permission first. I kept him in time out for three more minutes and told him he'd lost his kitchen privileges for a week. The kitchen is now completely off limits to him.

Then I talked to Asher, once again, about the dangers of putting things in his mouth and how only food goes in his mouth. He was very serious and morose. He asked where the necklace was and I told him it was in his belly. I thought his eyes might pop out of his head.

Joe called the doctor and we learned that there was not much to do for the immediate future. We were to give him lots of "roughage" and plenty of fluids and bring him in on Monday. I mostly gave him fruit all day Sunday and pumped him full of juice. He's been pooping a lot, but so far, no necklace.

Today I took three hours off work. We went to the doctor, then to the lab so he could have blood work done to make sure the necklace did not have lead in it, then off for x-rays to make sure the necklace was passing through his gut. What did we find? Nothing. Nothing showed on the x-ray, which means there is no metal in his bowels. That means he either ate something else, non metallic or he choked on the necklace but coughed it out somewhere before I got to him and didn't know how else to explain it other than to say, "I swallowed it."

Either way, I hoped he learned his lesson. I know I certainly did. I wish I could say that I found half the angel food cake somewhere else, but I know that all went into Cainan's belly. I could have been worse, but I don't even want to think about that. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that he's not an average, everyday kid and I can't ever let my guard down. He goes into the kitchen numerous times a day to put away his plate, throw away trash, walk through it to find me in my room--whatever--and he never bothers a thing. Then, one evening he just decides an angel food cake sounds good. If it were any other kid, they'd still get in trouble but I wouldn't beat myself up about it too much. But I know how bad that is for Cainan.

So, I'm just going to have to try harder, for both of them. And that's probably why I'm typing away now that they're both in bed and I should be too. But I know my time with them needs to be spent with them and not blogging while they're doing untold things in the other room.

The lessons we have to learn over and over and over...

One Week Down!

Okay, so I've officially begun a new week with the PWS Lose-a-thon. That means I've completed my first week already.

I have to say, the first week was not bad at all. I haven't done anything that I can't keep up for the next five months. I simply cut out some bad stuff, starting eating like I should be and began a moderate exercise program. I would like to kick it up to a more advanced exercise program but I know my limitations and know starting out at a livable pace is key. It really helps having my Wii Fit to track everything. I'm enjoying the workouts because they're fun, the system is motivating (even if it just a computer cheering me on) and it's rewarding to play/exercise. I like earning higher scores, unlocking new exercises and being able to visually track my progress.

I will post my new weight at the end of the post, but I feel I may have to clarify some things first to explain the shocking results. First, let me say that from the week of Thanksgiving, through New Years, I threw my hands up in the air and said, "The heck with it!" I decided I was going to eat whatever I wanted and pretend like I didn't have to care about weight, health or general well being. I ate like a teenager. And I paid for it. I noticed my clothes were tighter and I didn't feel good, but I just decided, for that month, I wasn't going to think about it--I'd already decided things would change after New Year's.

In late December I heard about the lose-a-thon and was really excited to get involved. It matched perfectly with my plan to pick myself up out of the depression I had been wallowing in for the last six months and start living my life healthy again. The last month of 2008 was kind of an adolescent fit of overeating to celebrate/mourn all that I had been through in the past few months.

Well, I must have really overdone it that last week or so. We had a blast at our annual New Year's extravaganza at Running Y. I cooked lots and lots of food. I did include many healthy choices this year, but there was plenty of junk food too and I must have partaken of a bit too much, especially of the salty stuff...

See, I haven't been a scale in several months. I was too afraid to confirm the fact that I had gained back to 20 pounds I lost in the spring. So, after decadently partaking at New Year's, I stepped on the scale last Sunday night and confirmed my weight at 190 pounds. I used my Wii Fit and calculated my BMI and fitness age. It was all pretty bad. But I also made a choice that I was only going to weigh in once a week so those little fluctuations each day wouldn't be so demotivating.

Well, this morning I stepped on the scale again and guess what? I'm at 180. I know, I know. It seems riduculous that I could lose 10 pounds in one week. Especially, when I just explained that I didn't do anything extreme. And I promise, I didn't! Here's my best guess.

Those overindulges all month long, to include the extra salty chips and nuts at New Year's must have really packed on some water weight. This week, I've most eaten freshly prepared foods from home without the high sodium content, plus no sodas, plus I drank ample amounts of water. I'm assuming this 10 pounds is mostly water weight that I was retaining. I can't think of any other explanation.

So, in one week, I'm a fifth of the way to my goal. Yea! But I know there's a long way to go and there won't me anymore 10 pounds weeks. I was setting a pace of 10 pounds a month. I'm hoping to lose 2 - 2 1/2 pounds per week to stay on track. This set me ahead, and I'm grateful, but I'm not going to let it go to my head and start eating crappy or backing off on exercise. In fact, I'm going to steadily increase my efforts until I'm living the healthy lifestyle I should be living. I want to set the example for the rest of my family.

Thanks, to all of you who have responded so far and encouraged me with your words and/or donations. I am very grateful. I'd love it if anyone else wishes to take up the gauntlet and join Team Molzer. It would be great to have a partner or more in all this. Though, I'm reaching my goal with the weight loss, I still have a long way to go for my fundraising goal, so please consider a donation or a sponsorship. It all goes toward a great cause and your donation is tax decutible.

Week 1 = 180 pounds (-10 lbs)

Friday, January 9, 2009

January 9, 2009

Happy New Year!

Well, I did it again. I let three weeks pass since posting another blog. On my behalf, we have been extraordinarily busy. I was super sick the few days before Christmas. During that time, I had to take two extra days off work, pack and prepare our family for a Christmas trip to Omaha and prepare as much as possible for our New Year's extravaganza, since I would only have a day between coming home from Omaha and leaving for Running Y.

We were divinely meant to go to Omaha. Due to the outrageous snow storms in Portland and Seattle, flights out of Medford were pretty much at a stand still. Our initial plan was to drive to Klamath Falls on Christmas Eve, after Joe got off work, take a flight to San Francisco and from there take a red-eye to Chicago or Denver. Our hope was to arrive from one of those destination to Omaha some time Christmas morning.

As I prepared for our trip Christmas Eve morning, Joe called me from work and told me we may not have to drive to Klamath Falls, but would need to be at the Medford airport by noon if we were going to get out. I put myself into overdrive and we made it there, packed up and ready to go. We actually decided to go through Portland instead of San Fran because Joe saw that a flew flights were making it out and they miraculously had seats on them. We flew to Portland and arrived with 20 minutes until our next flight to Denver. There was no problem getting us on in 1st class--it was half empty.

We arrived in Denver and knew we were going to have to run for the Omaha flight as it was boarding, pretty much at the same time we were supposed to land. Also, it was pretty full. We got off at gate 47 and ran to the reader board. The Omaha flight was at gate 45...literally right next to us. I ran up to the counter as they were just beginning to board and asked if there were seats for us. The gate agent said he was just about to call our names. There were exactly five seats left and they were in 1st class once again (Ron flew with us if you're wondering about the "five"--no we have not added another Molzer since my last post). We immediately boarded and were in Omaha by 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve. Only God could have allowed that to happen.

We had a spectacular time with Ron's family and Laura's family. I learned how to make leftse and was a natural as it turns out. We did a Nativity pageant with all the kids at Judy's house--our boys were the cutest shepherds. And we sang/acted out the 12 days of Christmas. The white elephant gift exchange topped it all off. Unfortunately, our presents were of a size and nature that they could not be brought home--we donated them back for next year's exchange.

The trip home went less smoothly. After getting up at 3:00 AM central time, we tried for the first two flights out of Omaha and quickly found out our chances of getting our were not good--not for the entire day. We made a quick decision to drive to Denver (546 miles). We rented a car and got on our way. 11 hours later we arrived at the Denver airport. We blessedly made a flight to Portland where Joe's aunt Barb picked us up. We didn't get to her house until 1:00 Am (or 3:00 am central time). Yes, we were up for 24 hours straight trying to get back home. We got to sleep in wonderful warm beds at Barb's and she made us the best scrambled eggs ever that morning. Then we hopped a flight to Medford and got home around noon on Monday. We were exhausted, to say the least.

But alas, Joe had to work 15 hours on Tuesday and I had to prepare our New Year's trip for us and 16 other people. We took two vehicles, his Montero and my new mini-van, packed to the gills with food, games and gear. I cooked my rear-end off for five days and had a great time playing games, watching movies and talking with friends. New Year's is always a great time and worth the effort.

We got back Sunday afternoon and, once again, had virtually no time to prepare for the week ahead. I had taken two weeks off work, but really felt like a still needed a vacation. We started back to work bright and early Monday morning.

Our holiday season was very busy but we really did have a lot fun. I'm glad this week is over and I can start to play catch up. I'm also glad that we can get back to our normal routines. I am starting a weight loss regimen and participating in the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association's Lose-a-thon. You can check it all out, keep track of my progress and donate to the cause by going to my official page at our website: www.molzerfamily.com/lose.

That's it, as concisely as I can get in for the last three weeks. I'll keep up better with posting now that we're not going a million miles an hour.

January 9, 2009

Happy New Year!

Well, I did it again. I let three weeks pass since posting another blog. On my behalf, we have been extraordinarily busy. I was super sick the few days before Christmas. During that time, I had to take two extra days off work, pack and prepare our family for a Christmas trip to Omaha and prepare as much as possible for our New Year's extravaganza, since I would only have a day between coming home from Omaha and leaving for Running Y.

We were divinely meant to go to Omaha. Due to the outrageous snow storms in Portland and Seattle, flights out of Medford were pretty much at a stand still. Our initial plan was to drive to Klamath Falls on Christmas Eve, after Joe got off work, take a flight to San Francisco and from there take a red-eye to Chicago or Denver. Our hope was to arrive from one of those destination to Omaha some time Christmas morning.

As I prepared for our trip Christmas Eve morning, Joe called me from work and told me we may not have to drive to Klamath Falls, but would need to be at the Medford airport by noon if we were going to get out. I put myself into overdrive and we made it there, packed up and ready to go. We actually decided to go through Portland instead of San Fran because Joe saw that a flew flights were making it out and they miraculously had seats on them. We flew to Portland and arrived with 20 minutes until our next flight to Denver. There was no problem getting us on in 1st class--it was half empty.

We arrived in Denver and knew we were going to have to run for the Omaha flight as it was boarding, pretty much at the same time we were supposed to land. Also, it was pretty full. We got off at gate 47 and ran to the reader board. The Omaha flight was at gate 45...literally right next to us. I ran up to the counter as they were just beginning to board and asked if there were seats for us. The gate agent said he was just about to call our names. There were exactly five seats left and they were in 1st class once again (Ron flew with us if you're wondering about the "five"--no we have not added another Molzer since my last post). We immediately boarded and were in Omaha by 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve. Only God could have allowed that to happen.

We had a spectacular time with Ron's family and Laura's family. I learned how to make leftse and was a natural as it turns out. We did a Nativity pageant with all the kids at Judy's house--our boys were the cutest shepherds. And we sang/acted out the 12 days of Christmas. The white elephant gift exchange topped it all off. Unfortunately, our presents were of a size and nature that they could not be brought home--we donated them back for next year's exchange.

The trip home went less smoothly. After getting up at 3:00 AM central time, we tried for the first two flights out of Omaha and quickly found out our chances of getting our were not good--not for the entire day. We made a quick decision to drive to Denver (546 miles). We rented a car and got on our way. 11 hours later we arrived at the Denver airport. We blessedly made a flight to Portland where Joe's aunt Barb picked us up. We didn't get to her house until 1:00 Am (or 3:00 am central time). Yes, we were up for 24 hours straight trying to get back home. We got to sleep in wonderful warm beds at Barb's and she made us the best scrambled eggs ever that morning. Then we hopped a flight to Medford and got home around noon on Monday. We were exhausted, to say the least.

But alas, Joe had to work 15 hours on Tuesday and I had to prepare our New Year's trip for us and 16 other people. We took two vehicles, his Montero and my new mini-van, packed to the gills with food, games and gear. I cooked my rear-end off for five days and had a great time playing games, watching movies and talking with friends. New Year's is always a great time and worth the effort.

We got back Sunday afternoon and, once again, had virtually no time to prepare for the week ahead. I had taken two weeks off work, but really felt like a still needed a vacation. We started back to work bright and early Monday morning.

Our holiday season was very busy but we really did have a lot fun. I'm glad this week is over and I can start to play catch up. I'm also glad that we can get back to our normal routines. I am starting a weight loss regimen and participating in the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association's Lose-a-thon. You can check it all out, keep track of my progress and donate to the cause by going to my official page at our website: www.molzerfamily.com/lose.

That's it, as concisely as I can get in for the last three weeks. I'll keep up better with posting now that we're not going a million miles an hour.

shepherds

January 9, 2009

Happy New Year!

Well, I did it again. I let three weeks pass since posting another blog. On my behalf, we have been extraordinarily busy. I was super sick the few days before Christmas. During that time, I had to take two extra days off work, pack and prepare our family for a Christmas trip to Omaha and prepare as much as possible for our New Year's extravaganza, since I would only have a day between coming home from Omaha and leaving for Running Y.

We were divinely meant to go to Omaha. Due to the outrageous snow storms in Portland and Seattle, flights out of Medford were pretty much at a stand still. Our initial plan was to drive to Klamath Falls on Christmas Eve, after Joe got off work, take a flight to San Francisco and from there take a red-eye to Chicago or Denver. Our hope was to arrive from one of those destination to Omaha some time Christmas morning.

As I prepared for our trip Christmas Eve morning, Joe called me from work and told me we may not have to drive to Klamath Falls, but would need to be at the Medford airport by noon if we were going to get out. I put myself into overdrive and we made it there, packed up and ready to go. We actually decided to go through Portland instead of San Fran because Joe saw that a flew flights were making it out and they miraculously had seats on them. We flew to Portland and arrived with 20 minutes until our next flight to Denver. There was no problem getting us on in 1st class--it was half empty.

We arrived in Denver and knew we were going to have to run for the Omaha flight as it was boarding, pretty much at the same time we were supposed to land. Also, it was pretty full. We got off at gat 47 and ran to the reader board. The Omaha flight was at gate 45...literally right next to us. I ran up to the counter as they were just beginning to board and asked if there were seats for us. The gate agent said he was just about to call our names. There were exactly five seats left and they were in 1st class once again (Ron flew with us if you're wondering about the "five"--no we have not added another Molzer since my last post). We immediately boarded and were in Omaha by 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve. Only God could have allowed that to happen.

We had a spectacular time with Ron's family and Laura's family. I learned how to make leftse and was a natural as it turns out. We did a Nativity pageant with all the kids at Judy's house--our boys were the cutest shepherds. And we sang/acted out the 12 days of Christmas. The white elephant gift exchange topped it all off. Unfortunately, our presents were of a size and nature that they could not be brought home--we donated them back for next year's exchange.

The trip home went less smooth. After getting up at 3:00 AM central time, we tried for the first two flights out of Omaha and quickly found out our chances of getting our were not good--not for the entire day. We made a quick decision to drive to Denver (546 miles). We rented a car and got on our way. 11 hours later we arrived at the Denver airport. We blessedly made a flight to Portland where Joe's aunt Barb picked us up. We didn't get to her house until 1:00 Am (or 3:00 am central time

Starting Out

I can't believe I'm actually starting a new blog when I have trouble keeping up with our regular family blog. I'm hoping this one will be easier, as I will always have updates to post on my weight, BMI and general progress during this Lose-a-thon.

If you're reading this, I want to thank you. That means you took the time to read my page, decided you wanted to know more and care enough to see how I'm doing. Thanks again!

Right now I'm very optimistic. I know 50 pounds in five months is a very aggressive goal, but I believe I can do it. It's only two or so pounds a week. More importantly, though, I want to be healthier. That's why I included the "and/or BMI of 22". I realize that my percentage of body fat is really high right now. I know I could starve off the fat and lose the weight, but that wouldn't do me a tremendous amount of good. I need to be healthier, and that mean gaining more muscle and losing fat. I also know that muscle weighs more than fat. So, that means, if I continue to get in shape and build muscle, I might not reach my 50 pound goal, but I may get my BMI down to 22, which is just as (if not more so) important as getting the weight off.

I've decided I will only weigh myself once a week. I think it's easier psychologically that way. The last time I was trying to lose weight, I weighed myself every day. It was not a good idea.

Also, my mom got me a Wii Fit for Christmas. I'm so excited. I just got it all set up and began using it today. This will be a great tool for me. It already measured my weight, BMI and "fitness age". I'm ashamed to say I'm as fit as a 44 year old; so, that's something that will improve too. The Wii Fit will keep track of my progress and is a fun tool to utilize for working out. I can do yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance excercises with it.

So...here's to the begining! 50 pounds in five months! Thanks again for your support.