Sharla's Days 11 and 12

Yestersday, Saturday, I had a great Ladies Bible study, but didn't do good at all with water, sugar and exercise. So I only got 1 pt for the veggie plate. Today I did much better with all my points.

Day 11
1 pt veggie plate

Day 12
1 pt water
1 pt 0 sugar
1 pt exercise
1 pt veggie and fruit plate
1 pt post
Total 6 pts
Total to date = 40.5 pts

Thanks for praying, we had 8 in the Bible study with 2 unsaved. PTL!

Sharla G.

Day 4

Today I put all the Christmas decor away in the church and in my home, so i didn't get my exercise in:(

1 post=1pt
1 plate of veggies and fruit= 1pt
no sweet= 1pt
2 liters water=1pt
total today= 4 pts

Total in 4 days= 15 pts

Praying for you all,

Sharla G.

Day 3

Day 3

Happy Reyes to those of you who celebrate. We really don't do anything special except to buy the roscon de Reyes and give one gift to the little children.
That is where I fell today by eating a piece of Roscon. Try harder tomorrow.

I walked for an hour today and it was a beautiful walk as it was very warm.
I got my veggies and fruits in. I had a plate of spinach and swiss chard and for supper had pineapple and half of an apple and one tangerine.
I got all my water in, amazing!
1 point for my post
Total of 4 points today

Have a good evening to all of you,

Sharla G.

Sharla's CCIII Journal

Hello Ladies,

For thanksgiving I always make a pumpkin pie. The crust looks kind of sorry but I know it tasted good because I tried a piece. Yikes! 320 calories a slice without the whipping cream! I figured I would have to jog for 40 minutes to work it off.

This week I was able to exercise the whole hour, so I am excited to get the bonus points. I should have done more but at least I was able to get three days in.

I have been doing pretty good not eating sweets except for Thanksgiving day. I have a bad habit of eating large portions specially when I am very hungry, so this week I am going to really try to eat small portions.

I haven't weighed myself for a couple of weeks, but I know I have gained a few grams. This Wed. I am going to weigh myself to see how I have been doing. I am kind of dreading it because I was out for a couple of weeks and did hardly no exercise, and I always gain when I don't move even when I am super busy.

Keeping busy doesn't keep the inches off anymore! My metabolism has slowed down, so I have to get out there and sweat.

Ok, no more talking, today is Sunday and I am going to rest and then take a long walk since it is not raining.

Take care,

Sharla G.

Go Sporting!

These are my two sons Cristofer and Nicolas. They made a lightening trip up to Gijon 3 weeks ago to see a soccer game of Sporting and Bilbao. Since my oldest son Critofer was born there, he is a great fan of Sporting Gijon. Sorry Dani that they couldn't stop and say" hi" but they only had time to visit their Grandma after the game and come home:)

They are my inspiration to keep on doing exercise as they are very athletic as I was when I was younger. I keep them inspired also as they see their 50 year old mother still trying to stay fit and healthy. Nicki always says, "If mom can do this, then I surely can".

Cristofer has always been in soccer and has had two operations on both of his knees but that does not stop him from doing sports and staying fit. My Nicki was born with a severe case of cleft palate and has had 9 operations in his 16 years, but that has not kept him from doing sports and staying healthy. The Lord has given him health to be able to do sports. Being good at sports has given him a lot of self esteem.

In my opinion I think it is good to put your children in some kind of sport or at least have them do some kind of exercise for their total well being. Starting good healthy habits when they are young help them to continue doing so as they get older.

Many blessings to all,

Sharla G.

I'm back!

Hi Ladies,

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you:) I hope you all had a blessed day with family and friends.

I am back after being out of combat for 3 weeks! Aurgh! I really didn't want to do that, but I got under the weather first for several days then my youngest son was sick also, then my husband was gone for 9 days and my computer was not working right.
I also was super busy with my first ladies meeting in our new church and other wrenches were thrown in. I know these are excuses, just feel guilty because I hardly did any exercise except some yard work and walking.

This 7th week I am going to try to put in earnest my exercise as a priority. I can really tell when I have not exercised because I feel tired and with little strength. Starting tomorrow I will be in full swing with the Christmas activities at the church and at home, so I am going to have to discipline myself and get down to business. I do not want the extra weight that I gained last year around the holidays. It took me several months to get it off again.

Pray for me as I have been praying for you,

Sharla

Sharla's Journal 3, CCC III

Whoopie! I finally made it a whole week drinking my water! I didn't think I could really get it all in, but I did and I didn't feel like I was floating away either. I guess my body is getting used it.

This week I did not have as much time to do an hour of exercise, but I did get in at least 3 days of an hour and the other 3 forty minutes. I weighed myself on Wednesday and I was down to 60.1 kilos, yeh!

My sleep I get at least 7 hours a night and on Saturdays I can usually get 8. My menopause does keep me awake at times but it is getting better with time. I guess I am going to have to have a lot of patience. My awake time I use to pray so now you know that I pray for all of you during the night hours:)

This week for exercise I walked and did my DVD of Johanna Hall. I have found that when I do her program that I really burn the fat and calories, and her program is not strenuous. She has a great metabolism booster that is fantastic. It really works! My sister who has a lot of physical problems is able to do her program too.

Sad to say I have lost a couple of points because when I made a visit the other day I ate 2 cookies with sugar. :( I am going to have to try harder.

Thanks ladies for your comments, may the Lord bless you this week,

Sharla G.

Fitness on Furlough!

It is soo hard to stay fit on furlough!:( It is the time I gain the most weight and mostly because I am sitting and traveling makes me hungry. I know this picture is kind of strange. Maybe you can't even guess what it is! It is a cooler and a jump rope. This helped me some while I was on furlough. The cooler you can use to keep healthy snacks and drinks, and the jump rope you can take where ever you go and doesn't take up space and you can jump just about anywhere. Also, if we stayed overnight in a hotel, we tried to get one with a pool to be able to get some exercise by doing some laps or at least treading water. If any of you have any good tips for not gaining weight on furlough, I would appreciate them. Thanks!

Sharla G

Oatmeal -- Best food value around

When it comes to breakfast, this is one of the best food values around. You can make this recipe in big batches and eat it throughout the week. This is the Master recipe and I will give you also the healthy one.

Oatmeal: MASTER RECIPE

3 cups old fashioned oatmeal (not instant)
3 cups of skim milk
1\2 cup of brown sugar
1\2 cup of dried dates (chopped)
1\2 cup of currants or raisins
1\2 tsp. of salt

Combine the oatmeal,milk, and 4 cups of water in a large deep saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When it boils quickly turn down to very low. Stir in the brown sugar, dried fruits, and salt and cook at a low simmer for 15 to 20 min. or until very thick and creamy. Stir often to prevent the bottom from scorching.
Serve with additional milk, or cool and refrigerate to reheat later in the week.
Serves 8. You can do all kinds of things to this recipe like adding bananas, apples nuts etc.

Healthy version:

SWAP
1\2 cup honey for the brown sugar
1 cup of craisins(dried cranberries) for the dates and currants

ADD
1\2 cup flaxseed meal
1\2 cup toasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
1\2 cup Grape-Nuts cereal
Follow the directions for the Master recipe stirring in the flaxseed meal, sunflower seeds and craisins. Serve with additional milk and sprinkle on top the Grape-Nuts if desired.

My kids like it and even my 2 year old grandson.
Hope you enjoy,

Sharla G.

First week and Battling the Allergies

Hi Ladies,

This picture was taken at mother's day. It was soo much fun having my three children with me on that special day!:) I hope your day was special too! :-)

My first week of the summer challenge has been just that -- a challenge. The month of May is the worst for me and the allergies, but I have tried very hard to exercise this week and mostly inside. I got in running on my track several times, Jillian's dvds and three days of swimming. I couldn't get an hour of exercise every day because the allergies really got me down, and I am trying to organize our little office that we have about 10 yards from our house.

My weight has stayed the same all week which is a good thing, but in order to lose more I am going to have to up my exercise program and stop snacking during meals.

I hope you all had a good week of healthy eating and exercise,

Sharla G.

Starting up Summer Challenge

Hi Ladies,

I am excited to start this summer challenge! I really need the encouragement to keep on exercising and eating healthy. Here are my measurements:

Height: 5'5'

Weight: 60.3 kilos

Waist: 23 in.

Hips: 29 in.

L Thigh: 16 in.

R Thigh: 16 in.

Breast: 26 in.

Chest: 23 in.

L Arm: 8 in.

R Arm: 8 in.

After Easter and Mother's day here in Spain, I thought I would be up on the scales, but to my surprise I was down several grams:)

I hope this can be a blessing to all of us,

Sharla G

Fit for Life

Hi Ladies,

It has been sooo much fun and encouraging to have been able to participate on Dani's fitness blog. Even though I haven't been keeping up with all of the competition, I have been encouraged to keep on exercising and eating right.

I haven't been writing for a couple of weeks because of Easter and also because we are moving the rest of our things out of the storage room and it is like moving all over again and with all of the mess:(

During Easter vacation we went up to Gijon where my husband's family lives for a visit. The most exciting thing was visiting Dani and Jose and three boys and being in their Wed. night service.:) The next morning we were able to see their new location for their church. What a blessing to see their vision and heart for the Gijoneses. We will be praying for them as they start out on this new adventure and journey for the Lord.

My journey of eating right and exercising I guess started when I was 28 years old and I was diagnosed with endometriosis. Actually I think it started when I was a child and growing up. My mother cooked homemade meals and when we went to Uruguay, we could only get natural foods and had to make everything from scratch. This is probably a good tip for all of us mothers to keep encouraging our kids to eat right. But I tended to get slack on fitness and health after I got married and had a couple of children and we got busy with the work here in Spain.

I remember when my parents left Spain and they left me a bunch of books. I picked one up and read it about Fit for Life. I decided to to do the basics of what this couple was presenting as a new way of eating. It was just eating fruit and sugar on an empty stomach and not mixing your carbs and protein. So whenever I ate protein, I ate it with veggies and salad and I did the same whenever I ate carbs. My husband couldn't believe that I lost weight and seemingly didn't go hungry at any time, so he decided to try it. He lost 9 kilos in a month and a half. We are no longer on that kind of a diet, but I still use a lot of their recipes. Whenever I want to feel better I don't mix carbs and proteins. I feel so much lighter after a meal. I know that there is soo much out there today. I also have found that smaller portions and eating several times a day help a lot.

Getting fit for life is getting into good habits. Breaking bad habits take time and effort. My experience over the years is to keep exercising and eating healthy for several years, and soon it becomes a habit.

Now that I have reached 50 and I am still in menopause, I have to really try harder to stay fit and eat healthy. When you are in menopause, the only thing you want to do is the opposite of what you should do. I feel like sitting down and doing no exercise most of the time, so I have to do just the opposite. I feel like eating junk food all the time, so I have to do just the opposite and so on. It is a fight to do what is right!:)

Dani's blog has helped my to get back into the exercise and healthy eating mode which I had left by the wayside about a year ago. I have lost a whole size and am now back into my comfortable size 8. I would like to get down maybe to a size 6 but don't know if my face can handle it. Ha, Ha!

Believe it or not I started to do Jillian's DVD of ripped in 30. I just about died the first three days, but I managed to get through the week and week 2 is not so hard.:) Yah! Soo if you hear I had a heart attack, you will know why. Just kidding!

Here are my measurements for the end of the 10 weeks:

weight: 61 kilos

waist: 23 in.

hips: 29 in.

r and l thighs: 16 in.

r and l arms: 8 in

chest: 23 in.

breast: 26 in.

Thanks for all of the comments and I have really enjoyed reading all of your testimonies. May the Lord keep each one of you and bless you until we meet again on the blog.

Praying and keeping fit,

Sharla G.

Exercising our Faith

Hello Ladies, This past week I had visitors, so it was a busy week of meal planning, getting bedrooms ready etc. Even so I was able to keep up with my exercise at least 4 out of 6 days. This week I tried to cut down on carbs and sugars. I feel better and have less bloating. I also was able to get 3 days of the water down. Yay! The highlight of the week was to see a new unsaved couple come to our meetings twice this week with a lot of questions. It was such a blessing to share our faith in the Lord with them! Hope you all have a wonderful week, Sharla g.

Reach for a smaller plate!

Here is a tip that I keep having to remind myself to do. I remember many years ago visiting a friend when we were on furlough. Since we were by ourselves that morning she offered me cereal for breakfast. The interesting and shocking thing was when she got out 2 small bowls smaller than dessert dishes, and she poured the cereal half way full. I think my mouth must have dropped open which I quickly shut. No wonder she was almost 40 and had a flat stomach! I have never forgotten that, and I have to admit that I eat a lot more for breakfast than 3 tablespoons of cereal. But I have learned to serve my foods or snacks on smaller plates. It does help!

Looking up!

Getting ready to run!

Hi Ladies,

Someone once said "To look around is to be distressed; to look within is to be depressed; to look up is to be blessed". Thank the Lord I can look up to be blessed. I have to admit to look around on some days is to be totally distressed, but I have a great God who helps me to look up to him and the things of earth become strangely dim as the song says.

This past week I am proud of myself as I was able to exercise 1 hour a day. Wow! I measured myself and I have even lost 1 in. on my waist and 1 half in. on all my measurements. Ya hoo! I added this week 2 days of metabolism workout, and I am finding out at my age that it really makes a difference.

The water drinking has been mostly because I get so busy that I forget to drink it, so I only managed to drink the 8 glasses twice this week.

The whole wheat thing is hard to convince my family about but I have been able to sneak it in by adding half and half and they haven't even noticed. Yesterday for breakfast I made pancakes like that and they disappeared so that must be a good indication that they liked them.:) We are all very good eaters and we all have big appetites. That is a problem for me when the time comes to loosing weight.

Hope you all have a wonderful and fruitful week,

La Talavera, Sharla G.

Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup- without the Cream

Here is a non-fat version of cream of Broccoli soup. Our family has loved and used this recipe for years. You can also use Cauliflower.

1 onion chopped

2 stalks of celery chopped

1 medium size broccoli

vegetable boullion square

salt, pepper, soup spices of your choice and butter.

Chop up your onion and celery and sauté in 2 Tbs. of olive oil in a pan until tender. Break up the broccoli in small flowerlets and cut the stems very short. Add them to the pan with the onion and celery and stirr until coated with the oil. Add 6 cups or enough water to cover the broccoli. Bring to a rapid boil and let boil for 10 min. Turn the heat down to low and add your boullion, salt and pepper and spices( I use basil, thyme or any spice you like). Simmer until the broccoli is just tender. Let cool, then ladle out half of the broccoli and water and place in your blender. Cream this well and pour back into the pan(that is the cream without the cream). What gives this dish its taste is the real butter you put in it at the end. I put in 1 Tbs but it calles for 2. I hope you like! :)

Here is a tip that I have learned over the years with my exercise programs and it really works to keep you trim:

To get the most out of your exercise program, work on your technique!

Sharla G.

La Talaverana Staying Fit

If you are feeling tired, and you do not have energy to do your exercise program, take a 20 to 30 min. power nap. This will give you energy to do your exercise program which will in turn give you energy to finish your daily activities.

La Talavera Staying Fit

Sharla here again. This past week seemed long and exhausting. I think the exhausting part comes from my allergy meds, but I am finally feeling normal again.

This week I was able to visit Anita Beiles on Monday, and we had a great time together doing things on the computer, having lunch, laughing and having coffee in the afternoon with the ladies from the church. It was a nice relaxing day for a change and she and Barry were very sweet to put up with me for a day. :)

Tuesday thru Friday I was able to up my running on my track to 30 min. Yay!

Yesterday, Sat., was my daughters birthday so I made a chocolate cake with a thick glossy frosting. It looked sooo yummy! I served myself a small piece and went and sat down in front of the computer and read your journals. I did that on purpose so as not to eat another piece. It worked!! As I was reading and watching Dani doing her exercises in her living room, I was encouraged to go out and take a walk. I took a 40 min. walk to the entrance of our urbanization and back home again. When I was coming back, my future daughter-in-law drove by with an unsaved couple friend of hers and wanted to give me a lift home. This couple had their brand new baby with them. I was soo excited to see their new baby that I walked jogged back home. That was quite the challenge since my walk back home is all up hill!! Needless to say, by the time I got home I was panting heavily. The good news? I felt fantastic afterwards and was able to finish all my work past eleven p.m. with all kinds of energy. yay!!

It will be interesting to see if I can jog all the way home up hill without stopping in the near future.


Many blessings to you all this week,


Sharla G.

Sharla´s S2SII Journal 3 and Tips

Hi ladies,

Hope you had a blessed and restful Lord's day. I really did as I had an allergy attack and had to lay low. Usually this happens for a few days and then relents.

This week I can say that I continue to start slowly back on my exercise program. I basically did walking, jogging on track, upper and lower body workouts and some aerobics.

Have you ever wondered when you think about the Old Testament women if they were ever over weight? I have, and I don't think they had a weight problem. They didn't have faucets to open and electrical appliances to help them save time. Laundry and bath must have been an all day chore!! Just going back and forth to the water well and carrying heavy jugs must have kept their waists trim! They were strong ladies and we know that they would get up from the birthing tables and walk away with their babies. When you think about it, they didn't have much time to be sedentary. I think you can agree with me that we live such sedentary lives!! So much so that we become weak and our bodies don't funtion properly. I remember with my second baby I was able to get up from the birthing chair and carry him down to my room walking. I am not boasting because with my first baby I had a terrible time having birth, and of course I was out of shape, soo I determined to get strong with my second one and it really worked.

I have a tip for you that has helped me with digestion and helps you have less gas and keep fat from accumulating. Its a trick of being non-sedentary, ha,ha! I know this might be hard for those of us who do a lot of office work and are still homeschooling, but here goes...... Tip: Do not sit down 30 to 60 min. after a meal. Keep moving around because this helps you to not accumulate gas and fat and helps digestion.

Thanks to all of you who prayed for Nicki`s operation. PTL all went well and we were able to be home by Tuesday at 3 p.m. Yay! Only one night on the hospital chair!!

Getting excited about springing and spring appearing,


Sharla G.