My Bloomers

Memorial Day...Remember

chatting up Gary Sinise

You probably know actor Gary Sinise  as Detective Mac Taylor on  CSI: NY, or maybe his roles in big movies such as :  Lt.. Dan Taylor  in Forrest Gump, Ken Mattingly in Apollo 13, or Stu Redman in The Stand  mini series (among many others).

But did you know that he is also a musician (bass player) and travels the world as The Lt. Dan Band with the USO entertaining the troops?  (http://www.ltdanband.com/index.html)  

He also started the Gary Sinise Foundation (http://www.garysinisefoundation.org/) to  raise funds and help those who serve America and their families.

We were lucky enough to have him as a guest on our radio show this last Wednesday because he is coming through Colorado for concerts and  a fundraising golf tournament.  Al did the actual interview on air but I got to talk to him before that on the phone. It was hard, but I was very well behaved and only gushed once, saying "we just love you!"

Listen in on the interview here:

http://www.600kcol.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?podcast=interviews

Yet another reason to love my job

I work at a 6 radio station cluster in Northern Colorado owned by Clear Channel Entertainment and Media.  We have 2 AM stations and 4 FMs and I do a little bit on each one.  Of all the things I get to do, the most challenging, interesting, and as it turns out, the most fun,  is being Executive Producer of our morning radio show "KCOL Mornings with Al and Sue"  heard on 600 KCOL in Northern Colorado from 6am-10am M-F. (listen online from anywhere www.600kcol.com) We are lucky enough to chat regularly with local and regional  political types, experts on many diverse subjects, national and international reporters for the latest news, authors and celebrities.

Just recently, we were able to have a nice long conversation with singers Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. (you may remember them from The 5th Dimension, their TV show and duet career)  They are bringing their 40+ years of performing to  the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse (www.coloradocandlelight.com) in May. 

Listen to the interview here: http://www.600kcol.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?more_page=2&podcast=interviews&selected_podcast=mccoo-davis_interview_1333830965_17902.mp3

Last Friday, we had the pleasure of talking to actress Angela Cartwright.  She was one of the Von Trapp kids in The Sound Of Music, played Penny in the TV series Lost in Space and has a long list of other acting credits to her name.  The Sound of Music Scrapbook (www.amazon.com)  just hit bookstore shelves and is a beautiful and in depth look at all the stars of that movie. We chatted about that, her time on Make Room For Daddy and my fave, Lost in Space TV series.  (I wanted to be Penny)

Here is a link to the interview: http://www.600kcol.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?more_page=1&podcast=interviews&selected_podcast=Angela_Cartwright_1335639409_16780.mp3

Find out more about Angela and all her amazing talents!  http://www.angela-cartwright.com/

I can't wait for our next celeb interview this coming Wednesday...one of my favorite actor/musician/troop supporters.  Tune in Wednesday, May 2nd at 8:35a (MT) to find out who it is.

Weight Updeight

Sheesh!  I should try reading my own blog once in a while to find out what I'm supposed to be doing.

After many stops and starts since I last posted, I FINALLY got disgusted enough again to start eating right. I weighed myself on April 15th (horrifying), started a food journal on April 16th, with a conscience effort to keep most of the sugar out and protein and veggies in.  

I wrote down everything (yep, even the 3 M&M's and 2 Doritos chips-they DO count)- knowing that I would show it  to my friend and "cheerleader" Robin (www.trainingwithpassion.com) on Friday, April 20th.  So, after being pretty  good all week, I bravely weighed myself on Friday morning.  Although I felt better from eating better, I had no gauge to judge whether I had lost anything or not.  What would the scale say?  Would I be rewarded quickly or frustrated by little or no change?

The scale was kind and said I lost 4.4 pounds!   Yes!  Some forethought and planning, diligence and discipline does work.  It also helps to say, "NO!" out loud as you walk by the bags of chips and chocolates vying for your attention. 

it's fun and challenging to make "good for you" meals as appealing  and easy as junk, so here is my fave Taco Salad-it feels like you are cheating but you aren't! 
Total calories about 330  (I used 6 oz canned chicken to average protein)

2-3 cups shredded lettuce ( I use iceberg or Romaine)
5-6 oz protein, cut up or shredded  (lean ground beef, chicken breast)
1 oz 2% sharp cheddar, shredded
2 T. Salsa
2 T. light sour cream
10 sprays  Salad Spritzers
Tabasco to taste
use prepackaged lettuce, cheese and canned chicken for quick and easy.  (alto prep doesn't actually take very long and can be part of the fun)

delicious and filling!

What's the plan for this week?  Add in more interval training and other exercise and  try to cut out processed sugar snacks completely.

Feel free to share what works for you!

Spring is in the air!

Nothing like a few sunny and 70's days to kick off March to get you thinking about shorts, flip flops and SUMMER!  Then reality hits...ugh, my toes need a pedi, my skin is dry and pasty and who the hell put all that cottage cheese on the back of my thighs??  sigh, time to start getting back into shape again before I even attempt to wear shorts.

This year, I'm not going to do an extreme program that was fun for the fast weight loss but not sustainable for the long haul.  No weight loss company has come to my rescue and offered me an endorsement program (darn it), so I am on my own-which is probably how it should be for long lasting results anyway. This year I try something "new"...a "crazy" concept called, wait for it...

 Eat Less, Exercise More 

I know...it's nuts right? no pills? no drops? no deprivation? no thousands of dollars spent on special foods and supplements, nor wasted gym memberships... Can it be that simple?  I don't know! but it's the one thing I haven't really embraced yet so it's worth a shot.  It's not sexy, it's not fast and it's a change I'll have to make for the rest of my life.  BUT, my hypothesis is I will look and feel better, no longer say awful things to the mirror, stop tugging at my ill-fitting clothes and get on with enjoying life...FINALLY!

Because my program is long term and "not exciting" by design, I had to come up with at least a fun name for it.  Ready?  I'm calling it

"Bloated to Bikini in 12 weeks"

So, what's my plan for success? 
Mental:  I know I can do this, but I also know that I give up too easy when tired, frustrated or the negative tape starts running in my head.  For me the mental battle is always harder than the physical battle.  Like when I quit smoking, I'll have to take  on each moment one at a time to succeed.
Physical:  I actually love to exercise, so this part will be fun!  I have Debbie Sieber's Slim in 6 DVD program (thanks to Robin www.trainingwithpassion.com  for letting me borrow)  http://www.beachbody.com/ 
I also have several Lesile Sansone Walk At Home Dvd's http://www.lesliesansone.com/ and a few misc. Pilate's, yoga and other exercise videos available to keep from getting bored.  I also use the On Demand workouts from Comcast to rev me up
Food:  if I'm organized and plan ahead, I have a much easier time sticking to a program and eating right.  My goal is to always have some ready to go, eat on a schedule and stop munching while in  front of the TV. I'm going to use my favorite recipes and tricks from the different plans I've been ion a tweak as necessary. I am also learning about Carb Cycling  http://www.amazon.com/Choose-Lose-7-Day-Cycle-Solution/dp/1401324452 this is the book I read, but I haven't implemented it yet.



Today is Day 1, it's nice out, so off for a 2 mile walk and healthy lunch with my Goddesses!

Before moving forward...

I'm gonna take a moment to reflect back on 2011...

This gorgeous reflection pic found at:  http://rwufeinsteincenter.webs.com/reflection.htm  see more beautiful pics and reflection quotes there too!

2011 was a very interesting year!

Career:

• With the "Take This Job and Shove It" departure of a co-worker, I was rewarded with the illusion of a full time job but with part time pay and hours (a few more hours, so it was a start)
• A few months later, a  job transfer departure of another coworker led me to a few more hours and the possibility of being full time.
• Finally a month later, it was determined that I could actually be full time with real benefits, health insurance and accruing vacation days-wow, what a concept! First time since my kiddos were little.  This was such a relief for my self employed husband!
• Another month later we got knocked back on our heels when Corporate came through and got rid of people.  Awesome, now we get to try and make magic with no budget, vague directions and minus 3 talented people.
• Also part of this restructuring was moving me from one place to another.  It's the same gig but different and although it's an easy transition, I still don't feel totally comfy with any of it.
• Another "bonus" of all this change, was having to answer to outsiders who didn't understand, were pissed and a lot of times, downright rude.  Look, this wasn't my idea or decision, I'm just what's left to figure out what to do next.
• I allowed a couple of months to mourn the dismissal of my co-workers. I'm sure there were days when I  didn't put full effort into anything because I was resentful that I was left to pick up the pieces from decisions I didn't make.  However, with a new year comes acceptance.  It is time to embrace change fully and move forward.  As cliche as it sounds, onward and upward!

Non-work related activities

•   I managed to pull off a successful diet run.  I went on the HCG drops/500 calorie a day plan  for a month and lost 18 pounds.  I then was sponsored briefly by Metabolic Research Center and lost another 7lbs. That was fun!
• With all the work stress, being lazy and falling back into bad habits late in the year, I tried to gain it all back.  That was not fun.  Obviously a renewed effort is a goal for the new year.
• My 98 year old Grandma passed away July 1st.  My cousin Erik and I took what we describe as an Epic Road Trip back to Wisconsin for the funeral. No one should be allowed to have that much fun on their way to a funeral.  Although my grandma's passing was sad, we had a very Lunde tribute to her and I got a chance to catch up with old friends and relatives while there.
• The hubby and I went through Financial Peace University, a 13-week class dedicated to getting out of debt and building wealth.  (www.daveramsey.com)  Good stuff!
• My oldest son Ryan left home to move across town into what we affectionately call "Animal House."  It is strange not having him at home-although he does come for Sunday dinner pretty regular-yay!
• My youngest son Kyle got his learner's permit, so we've been going through that phase again...he's a pretty good driver so I'm not too anxious most of the time.
• Because of what I do for a living, I got to be a part of the Greeley Stampede, Cheyenne Frontier Days, many concerts at our own amphitheater and other fun activities.  The cherry on top of the cake tho was my friend Tami getting to meet Toby Keith for the first time,  He came to town just in time for her birthday and I was able to arrange that for her. (Thanks Jeff Brown!)
• and that brings me to my Goddess Girls...we had so much fun this year!  Going to the pool, meeting for coffee, dinner and a movie, Tami's 40th b-day party, Charming Charlie's, Halloween, Ugly Christmas Sweater Party...I love these girls-we have a great time together!

All in all, 2011 was the usual roller coaster ride of ups and downs...the Ups far outweighing the Downs thankfully! 

What will 2012 bring?  No Idea!  I do know what I'd like it to bring,  but I also know that I better be ready to dodge bullets like Neo in The Matrix and to "look for low and away, but watch out for in your ear" like Archie Graham in Field of Dreams.

Happy New Year!

The Goddesses Princess, Caress, Riviera and Soleil rang in the New Year together

Wow, what an imaginative title...(scribbles on legal pad, yes, I'm old school and use a legal pad)  goal #1 for blog-use more intriguing headlines for your blog in the future.  They say that writing down a goal is 90% of accomplishing it. Although I'm not sure who "they" are, I make lists about everything because I need all the help I can get!

With the new year starts a clean slate, right?   A do-over...another chance-to-do-it-better-this-time kind of vibe.  Every year, I try to be realistic and optimistic-I'm a "realoptimist."  Nothing worse than setting lofty, vague resolutions (IE Lose 50 lbs, make more money, stop feeling bad) and then falling on your face, because there was no plan to implement these good ideas.  I write down things I plan to accomplish for the new year rather than stuff I need to stop doing because I'm a weak, no discipline human. There I go with the positive rather than negative approach again.  I've tried negative, it doesn't work and is extremely boring.

My first resolution is to call them goals...a goal sounds do-able.
"My goal is to_______"   sounds well thought out, a good plan, positive
A resolution sounds like something destined to fail 
"I should quit/start doing_______"  sounds like "I was drunk New Year's Eve and you can't hold me to that!"

OK, now I have a proper name for it,  "A Goal."  What would I like to accomplish this year? It's a pretty big list as usual.  As I detail them to myself I will also detail them here.  (accountability and reflection for the end of the year)   

First goal:  blog more...I enjoy writing, people say I'm pretty good at it, so when did it become another "chore"??  I'm moving it from the obligations list to the fun to do list.  It's taken me 5 days into the New Year, but first post of 2012 is up!  Ah, the satisfaction of crossing something off the scribbled legal pad. (even if it is well below cure cancer and stop the wars)

I'd love to see your goals-feel free to post them here. Let's make it a great year, shall we?

"...gained 5 lbs and lost her crown"

is the line from the Toby Keith song American Ride that I sang to myself this morning.  Why? I stepped on the scale after a long hiatus and that is what happened! The 5lb gain is real, the crown not so much...sigh...obviously I have proven that you can't go back to eating badly and not face some consequences.  OK, point taken-time to put my Big Girl pants back on before I have to put my BIG GIRL pants back on!

is there such a thing as permanently temporary?

Apparently there is  because when I searched for an image, there it was!

http://www.andreasduschek.com/index.php?/permanently-temporary/

A friend and co-worker's spontaneous  job transfer to Austin ,Texas 3 weeks ago has left an opening on the AM radio show as morning producer.  This is a job I have filled in for when Chris took vacations or sick days.   As of last week, I have now added this to my daily responsibilities at the radio ranch. Don't get too excited for me yet-it's the "can you fill in until we figure out what to do"  version of the position.  See, that's what I do-I fill in-for nearly everyone!  I'm versatile, experienced, adaptable...a great asset in a company, right?  Well, yes, except who replaces me if i get rewarded with more hours and a permanent move up?  I don't have an answer for that, but I do know who gets "punished" if I don't get to finally move up.  Stay tuned.

Sunday Buzz

Another week done and gone...

• Along with my own job, filled in for more vacationing co-workers (my apologies for being all over your airwaves again!)  I think most everyone is back now, so you'll get a chance to miss me

• attended my first class of FPU, Financial Peace University (www.daveramsey.com) I'm very excited to get my financial house in order, get out of debt and yes, have peace with money

• got some pool time with my Goddesses on Thursday-going to the pool with my girls is one of my very favorite things to do

• Tried and gave up on the HCG program again.  My apologies for those of you tuning in hoping for more dieting success...I did lose 2.2 lbs this week, but I'm discontinuing the program due to a case of "I'm just not feeling it."  I also watched someone else have difficulty from over-doing the program-helped convince me that it's just not the way to go this time.  I'm  gonna do something revolutionary and go back to the old fashioned "eat less (ie better), exercise more" approach.  What?  does that work?  I don't know, I'll find out and report back!

• Enjoyed a great concert-Creedence Clearwater Revisited.  OK, so John Fogerty isn't with the band anymore but they still put on a helluva show and the singer is damn close.

Like the stock market...

I went down!  Unlike the stock market, it only affects me.

I started HCG drops and 500 cal a day diet again yesterday.  I was very good with only a protein snack late afternoon to help get me through.  Today's weigh in: down 2.2 lbs!  

The right frame of mind and putting on the "big girl panties" again is really the only difference between last week and this week.  This week, I'm ready to not "cave to the crave."  Although there were a few moments when the "sugar bugs"  were loudest and I almost gave in...thankfully, I had proper snacks, pre-prepared foods and nothing too tempting in the house to derail me.  The first 3 days were the hardest last time, so it's safe to assume it will be that way again...on to day 2!

Lame Sauce!

Things that were lame last week:

1. didn't approve my hours in time so my paycheck was waaaay short-ouch
2. Tiny, tenacious ants are trying to take over my kitchen and all the happy little non-toxic methods are not working
3. Work frustration with the "underdog" struggle slowly starting to pay off, but not where it "matters"
4. the  attempt and mostly failed try at a diet I've had previous success with

See what I mean?  Not life changing, world ending nor overly dramatic, just...LAME!  

Lame, Feeble, Weak, Ho Hum, Half-assed...good words to describe my attitude last week, in particular #4. I made a feeble attempt every day to "do the right thing" and then half-assed blew it. Breakfast rocked, lunch was proper, by 3pm, I got weak and tried to fall back into my old bad habits. BUT, I was even lame about that! I made half-assed good choices with food so I minimized the damage...I was even ho-hum in my lameness!   So lame was I that it took me until Friday to finally give in to the lame and embrace it, ha!

 

To put this event to rest,  I dub thee first week of August, 2011 "Sue's Week Of Lame"

(any attempts to repeat this week would be...wait for it...lame)

Blog Drought

Confession time: I just haven't been motivated/indoors for long enough/it's summertime/what other excuse can I come up with  to not want to blog?  There have certainly been things to talk about, just not making it onto the page regularly!  Blame it on summer, the heat, the vacations (not that I've had any), working extra hours...enough excuses, it's a new month and a new beginning, so here goes:


Since last time I've:

• Worked a ton filling in for everyone at work

• Hosted a 70's party for my friend Tami's 40th birthday

• Attended the Toby Keith concert with Tami and got us backstage to meet him

• Opted out of MRC weight loss and into HCG drops again as of August 1st

I've had a fairly crazy, somewhat undisciplined summer, so it's time to jump start the weight loss/get my act together  again before Fall and before all the old habits creep back in completely again.  I've maintained my loss of about  20-23 lbs since March, so that feels good but I'm ready to start losing again since I want another 25 gone.  I didn't do the 2 load days since I feel like I've been loading for the last 2 weeks!  I just jumped right in yesterday and today's weigh in didn't net me anything yet.  Have to fess up tho-day was screwy, didn't eat lunch til 4, went to a movie so dinner was at 9:30 and (not exactly protocol) so it's all on me.  I'm currently baking chicken breasts for future meals and today I will follow properly.

Feels like forever...

and I guess it has been since I last blogged....since June 29th, I've:

• finished up a great run for our radio station at the Stampede
• celebrated our nation's birthday
• lost my 98 year grandma
• took an epic road trip to Wisconsin and back

We had a great last weekend at Stampede-weather was perfect, crowds were good, had decent entertainment throughout, capped off by country artist Darryl Worley on the 4th with fireworks after.

things that make me feel short (er)

 My 98 year old grandma, "Tiger Lil" passed away on July 1st-she lived a great long life and really didn't struggle much with her health until this last year...plans for her memorial service were set for the following Thursday, so I started making plans to head back to Wisconsin where my family is from.

she was with us at her champagne celebration

On Tuesday, July 5th, I had to go weigh in at Metabolic Research Center...again, a little nervous about weight gain because it was a holiday weekend and was not following my normal routine much.  Great news!  I actually lost 2 lbs...how re-energizing!  Got stocked up on all my supplements and got ready for my trip to Wisconsin.

On Wednesday, my cousin Erik and I left Colorado by car to road trip back to Wisconsin for Memorial service and burial.  It was a quick, cheap trip-travel by car, drive straight thru, brought our own food and drink, leave Wednesday come back Sunday...whew!  It was an Epic Journey on so many levels.  Erik and I hadn't traveled together by car since we were kids  and it turns out we are pretty good traveling partners.  Although we live close enough to each other to be able to spend time together, that is rare due to jobs, life and other obligations getting in the way.  Being "stuck" in a car for 17+ hours each way gave us a great chance to catch up on each other's lives:

• We solved all the world's problems (if only they would listen to us)
• wrote at least one song and have ideas for more
• developed marketing plans and tried to once again figure out what we wanted to be when we grew up
• sang loudly to every type of music from Van Halen to Dean Martin, Patsy Cline to AC/DC
• took wrong turns a couple of times from blabbing too much (Marion Iowa is a nice little town)
• Discovered there is no Starbucks in Dubuque Iowa
• got pulled over for driving too fast into Des Moines (used dead grandma card to get out of a ticket)
• Discussed philosophy, art, music, religion, politics, family, health care and taxes...all without driving each other into a ditch!
• saw way too many bloated deer and dead raccoons on roadways
• I now fully understand why his wife Lucile says he has "squirrel-like tendencies" (it's actually an endearing quality of his)

A mascot for a rock band

My favorite quotes and events from the trip: 
(warning: these are generally "had to be there"s but funny none the less-feel free to ask me to explain when I see you)

• "Move along people this is a park again now"
• 23 bottles of champagne consumed to honor GG
• seeing all my fave musicians from the past together on stage after 30 years
• Me and mom, " Uncle Doug told us he'd be at the Farmer's Market today...I don't see him"  Random guy, "He's not here, his mother passed away."  Really?
• getting picked up by boat by my best good friend Lori to go out on the lake, drink vodka lemonades and reconnect like no time has past.
• "Hey Jim, I'll take one of your Manhattans...I'm a musician ya know"
• spontaneous guitar and banjo playing at family events
• The church pastor telling an Ole and Lena joke during the funeral service
• Carol's lefse, mom's krumkake
• being told "you're one of the good ones" by someone who is
• having my ATM card shut down because my bank didn't know I was out of town...good thing I knew people who would lend me gas money to get home
• Best compliment ever: "you're like traveling with a guy-playing air guitar and singing!"

A memorable trip...thanks everyone!

Latest weigh in:  Went over to MRC yesterday and gained 1 lb while out of town-bummer, yet grateful to keep the damage to a minimum.  Now that I'm back and everything is "normal" again, time to get serious.  Next weigh in is Saturday.