The Facebook Exchange (and a cool story)

Hey!  Today I'm guesting over at All Tulled Up so head over there after you read this post for some fitness info.  And now for the story:

About 9 months ago we got robbed... at gunpoint.

  

They took our TV and collection of DVDs and a briefcase full of essentials.

We barely escaped with our lives.

Well okay, there was no gun.  And the TV was really our dual screen car DVD player.  The collection of DVDs was The Lion King that was in the DVD player.  The briefcase was a car kit with jumper cables.  We actually weren't "there" per say, but it was our car.  Somebody broke into our car and robbed us blind.  I was sooohoho mad.

I called the cops and gave them our information.  It turns out that the whole neighborhood was robbed that night.  They didn't know who it was and I didn't hear back from them.

Then something great happened.  Yesterday I got a letter in the mail from the county prosecutor.  They found the dude that did it and are prosecuting!

If I was a better person I would have forgiven and forgotten long ago but I'm just not there and I probably won't ever be because I don't even want to want to forgive.  I want this guy to pay!  Muahahaha.  Heck yes I'm going to add my name and our things to the list!  Sign me up!

Something else I'm signing up for is our Facebook Exchange and I want you to join us if you have a Facebook page for your business/blog/website.  It's TONIGHT!!!

My friend Jamie of [kreyv] (my go to blog for interior design) and I have done some brainstorming (she did most of the braining) and we are starting a Facebook post at 8 PM CST (so that's 7 PM for you MST people).  What you do is:

1. Like the hosts Facebook pages (that's me and her)
2. Share post (it will be an image)
3. Tag yourself (so I would put @ The Turquoise Piano) to the list
4. Visit and like other people's Facebook pages.

I have made some great friends through my blog and the social media involved.  This is a way to find new "daily reads" and mingle with cool people like you!  And we will "like" your page for sure!

Header Poll

Update:  My good friend hated both of them and volunteered to make a header for me!  Love her!

Thank you for your response to yesterday's post.  I appreciate everyone's support and understanding.

And onto more of a lighter subject... If you haven't noticed, I have been redoing the look of the blog.  I'm torn between two headers and I want your opinion.  So take the poll to the right, por favor.

Which do you like better?

A.



or

B.

Week 3 -- A Blog with a Purpose, I Hope

When I started this blog it was all about DIY and crafts (cool crafts, not crafty crafts) with a little real estate and home staging.  Lately it has morphed slightly to fitness plus the other stuff.  I'm not going to stop blogging about DIY and the rest of that but I am hoping to transition to a blog with a meaning.  And I hope that meaning is going to be helping people deal with and avoid eating disorders.  With that said, I need to tell my story.  Sorry to the skimmers.  This may be long.  And there will be a nutrition and exercise plan at the end...

When I was very young I was in the normal size range.  I was healthy.  I LOVED to eat.  My grandma used to tell me I was such a good eater.  The thing is, I didn't want to be the "good eater."  My cousins that were my age were not good eaters.  I wanted to be like them.

Starting out early as a runner.

But I wasn't like them.  They were picky eaters and I wasn't.  I liked everything except for carrots and I ate everything except for carrots.

Then I hit the awkward stage.  I got fat starting around second grade.  That was when I went on my first diet.  I don't remember what I ate.  I'm sure my mom made sure I was healthy.  But I do remember losing weight and feeling so good I ran and slid on my classroom floor because I was so happy that I was losing weight.  I remember being in the third grade and on weigh-in day I was 73 pounds, which sucked because the other fat girl on the bus with me was in fourth grade and weighed 72 pounds.

Christmas in 3rd grade.

My friends were all smaller than I was.  I was taller and bigger so I always slouched when I was around them.  I weighed 110 in fifth grade, 126 in sixth grade, and I was so happy that I could lie in seventh grade because they just asked us our weight.

Even after I "grew into my weight." I was still bigger than my friends, who boys always liked.  My freshman year of high school I weighed 147 pounds.  I'm 5'8" and I thought that was HUGE.

14 years old and so freaking cool.

Then something happened.  I broke my neck (which I can write about in another post if you're interested) and I couldn't eat for a week, then I didn't want to eat much for a few weeks.  I ended up losing around 12 pounds.  Granted, it was muscle (as well as fat) that I lost so I wasn't getting leaner, I was just smaller, but I liked it.

Broken neck -- 15-years-old.

I liked it so much that I stopped eating.  The next year (after I broke my neck) I played soccer so I got a ton of exercise.  There were days where I would eat a package of gummy raspberries (because they were fat free) and maybe a can of soup if it had less than 2 grams of fat.  It was all about fat grams.  The goal was to never eat more than 2 per day.  I lost weight.  I started to get a lot of attention and compliments and I ate it up.  I wanted more.  So I lost more weight.  I would take my dad's Phen Phen pills so I wouldn't be hungry and would lose more weight.  At my low weight I was 119 pounds.  People would ask me to stop losing weight because I was too thin.  I loved that.  I didn't see myself as too thin.  They were "compliments" to me.

17 years old, 119 pounds

One of my favorite parts of my body was my collar bone.  I loved to see it -- I still do.  Look at the collar bones on me at my Junior Prom.  But I was bummed because this dress was a size 10.  I couldn't believe I was so low in weight and still a size 10 (even though I could fit into my friend's size 3's)!

Junior Prom

Then something awesome happened.  A boy liked me.  And not just any boy.  He was the most popular boy in the grade above me (senior).  He even liked me enough to drop a bunch of money on professional pictures of us together.  Haha!

After he graduated he left for two years to serve a mission for our church.  And guess what.  Other boys liked me.  I loved the attention.  LOVED it.  The thing is, I know they were originally "attracted" to me because of how I looked.  And the problem with that is that I did it the wrong way -- by pretty much starving myself.

I was in the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers my senior year.  I thought I had a big abdomen so I duck taped my waist like a girdle to shrink it.  

   

"Alice"

Superman cape made for my 2-year-old brother.

I continued to starve myself until I was 20 and went to BYU-Hawaii where I paid for a cafeteria meal plan so I ate twice per day.

When I was 21 I served a mission for my church.  I ate no candy the entire time.  I was so worried about getting fat and I asked people all the time if I looked bigger.  One day someone finally said "maybe" and I freaked out.  I started starving myself again during the day and would binge and purge at night.  I took diet pills too.  This time I went from about 135-140 to 126.  People started to notice and compliment me.  I was looking great!  Then I had a good friend recognize the pattern and she set up a surprise meeting for me with our mission president (the man in charge of the 200+ 20-year-old missionaries).  He was an OBGYN and he and his wife talked to me about my "anorexic and bulimic tendencies."  She told me they knew I would do it again, which totally gave me permission (in my mind).

A couple of days later I got a phone call from my mission president that basically said that if I did it again I was being sent home.  I didn't do it again until I was around 26.  

This cycle of horrible eating habits and borderline disorders continued until after I was married.  I tried every diet I could -- Atkins, Weight Watchers, etc.  I even had lipo (which I still totally love, don't get me wrong).  The only thing that ended the cycle was when I learned how to do it the right way.  It's all about education!  Now I know that eating healthy (with a balance of carbs, fat, and protein) and lifting weights (as well as doing cardio) will get me into those pants that I want to be in and my body won't be starving.

At my fittest I weighed 132, was 19% body fat, and fit into a size 3 (although I was comfortably a 6).  I was healthy and eating often.   Compare that to when I was 17, starving myself, 119, and in the same size.

When I feel it's necessary I will probably post about my suggestions on how to deal with teenagers like I was but if you are in the situation with your daughter, please email me.  I want to help.  I want to educate her.  She needs to know that she can be healthy and lean without starving herself.  But mainly I want her to not think about food ALL THE TIME like I did.  And maybe that will take a counselor, which I am not.

So today is week 3 of my nutrition and exercise plan.  I'm doing pretty well with the exercise part.  I'm eating healthily but not exactly what the nutrition plan says.  It was so much easier when I didn't have kids.  ;)

Nutrition:

Pre Workout (6:00 AM)
200 cal bar or shake/banana and PB/etc.

MEAL 1 (08:00 AM) 
0.5 cup Cereal-Oatmeal-Measured Dry
1 Egg-White-Fresh
1/2 Apple
1 Egg-Whole-Fresh
0.25 cup Milk-Nonfat/Skim
322 cal

MEAL 2 (10:00 AM)
0.5 cup Cheese-Cottage-Lowfat 1%
10 Kashi TLC Crackers
1/2 Apple
270 cal

MEAL 3 (12:30 PM) 
Meal Replacement Shake/Bar
160 calories

MEAL 4 (03:00 PM)  
1 oz beef jerky
10 Kashi TLC Crackers166 cal

MEAL 5 (06:00 PM)
1/3 c brown rice
3 oz-wt Chicken Breast Skinless-Roasted
1 cup Beans-Green,Snap-Cooked
239 cal

MEAL 7 (09:00 PM) 
0.5 cup Cheese-Cottage-Lowfat 1%
0.5 cup Cucumber-Slices
0.5 Tomato-Medium Whole
100

Program Totals:
1500 calories (approx)

Exercise:

Cardio:

Eliptical Machine

Intervals 3 min Jog 2 min Sprint

30 & 30 Minutes

6 & 5 days per week

Day	Body Part	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Weight	Rest	Speed	Notes	Exercise Info
1	Chest	Incline Dumbbell Chest Press	3	15		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with other 3 sets back exercise	Details
1	Back	Cable Lat Pull Down	3	15		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with other 3 sets chest exercise	Details
1	Chest	Dumbbell Chest Press	10	10		Superset No Rest	3/5/2	Superset with other 10 sets back exercise	Details
1	Back	Seated Cable Row	10	10		Superset No Rest	3/5/2	Superset with other 10 sets chest exercise	Details
2	Legs	Leg Extension	3	15		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with other 3 set exercise	Details
2	Legs	Seated Calf Raise Machine	3	15		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with other 3 sets exercise	Details
2	Legs	Leg Press Plate Loaded	10	10		Superset No Rest	3/5/2	Superset with other 10 sets exercise	Details
2	Legs	Seated Leg Curl Machine	10	10		Superset No Rest	3/5/2	Superset with other 10 sets exercise	Details
3	Shoulders	Rear Shoulder Fly Machine	3	15		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with other 3 sets exercise	Details
3	Core/Abs	Ball Crunches	3	15		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with other 3 sets exercise	Details
3	Shoulders	Shoulder Lateral Raise Machine	10	10		Superset No Rest	3/5/2	Superset with other 10 sets exercise	Details
3	Core/Abs	Forearm Bridge	10	60sec		Superset No Rest	Hold Constant	Superset with other 10 sets exercise	Details
4	Biceps	Standing Hammer Dumbbell Curl	3	15		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with other 3 sets exercise	Details
4	Triceps	Cable Triceps Press Down	3	15		Superset No Rest	2/4/2	Superset with other 3 sets exercise	Details
4	Biceps	Incline Bench Dumbbell Curls	10	10		Superset No Rest	3/5/2	Superset with other 10 sets exercise	Details
4	Triceps	Barbell Skull Crusher	10	10		Superset No Rest	3/5/2	Superset with other 10 sets exercise	Details

Grow Your Blog -- Facebook Exchange

I weighed myself yesterday.  Nothing.  I guess I'm stuck where I'm at until I'm done nursing.  So. Frustrating.  And that makes me want to eat cookies.  I'll be honest.  If we were having this today I would probably make The Facebook Exchange also a cookie party.  But it's next Wednesday (Feb. 27) so I hope to be over the disappointment and back in control.

Anyway, more on what The Facebook Exchange is... Jamie from [kreyv] and I are hosting a "party," per say, and everyone with a blog, website, or Facebook page is invited.  You know we all like to be "liked" and this is designed to get more likes for everyone.  And you just might find new bloggy friends.

Put it on your calendars!  

Luck Art

My week has been full of puke.  Poor sick kid!  I feel really bad for her.  But after she's finished puking and has a ring of hot chocolate puke around her mouth and says "oh no!" I can't help but laugh.  I finally took her to the doctor (don't worry, I called the nurse on the 2nd day and she said to wait) and oh my gosh, trying to get her to pee in a cup was like less fun than shoving a fork in your eye.  I was there for two hours (with a small lunch break) and she still wouldn't go.  Then I looked down at the floor and noticed I was kneeling on somebody else's dried pee drips.  Gah!!! We ended up at home with a cup for when she does need to go and I now have on clean yoga pants.  We are done for the day.  

With all that down time I did have the opportunity to do a St. Paddy's project with Morgan:

This time (as opposed to the Valentines decor time) I had vinyl for my Cricut and, after an hour of figuring it out, we got our letters cut!

This is a 16x20 canvas.  The letter were cut on size 5 then I put them on the canvas.

I got two colors of green acrylic paint and we painted with our fingers.  If you do this, start with the lightest color first.  We didn't and ended up making two because I like the 2nd way better.

I made sure to paint all around the letters.

After the first (lightest) color was dry I put a shamrock (that I drew and cut out) on top and put the other color on around it.  I also finger painted some of the darker color around the rest of the canvas.  I did this part by myself (without kids).  

Here it is at it's new home on top of the TV hutch.

I am sooooooooooo ready for March and warmer weather!

Linking up at these parties and Honeybear Lane.

3 Minute Caprese

I normally don't watch a lot of daytime TV but we have been inside for a couple of days because Morgan is sick and when we're not watching Bambi or Cars I like to turn on the news (ie The Today Show's Kathie Lee and Hoda segment -- haha).  The stars aligned at 3 PM and both girls took a nap at the same time, which never happens since Mo hasn't napped in 2 years. Today I got to watch Ellen (do you watch her?  Seriously hilarious.) while I hung clothes that have been waiting for 3 months in a basket in my room.  No, seriously. Three months.

How have you been doing with your healthy eating?  It's been hard for me to stick to my "plan" (from Monday).  Maybe because we're out of food and I can't take my sickie to the grocery store.  But I have been eating healthy.  We had a couple of tomatoes that needed to be eaten so I made a yummy 200 calorie snack/meal and I wanted to share the recipe (if you can even call it that) today. If you follow me on Instagram you may have already seen this. PS, you can follow me @theturquoisepiano (or the Instagram icon at the top).

Recipe:

1 large or medium tomato

1/2 cup part skim mozzarella

basil (to taste)

salt (to taste)

Just slice the tomato.  Then sprinkle the cheese, basil and salt on top.  Heat until the cheese melts (I heated it in the microwave).  It's pretty much caprese and very yummy and healthy.

Do you have any super simple, healthy recipes?  I'd love new ideas!

Ugh... That's Not What I Meant

[Sigh]

There is always an antagonist.

I was checking out comments on my guest post (because I'm obsessed with what people thought about it) at Skinny Meg and I saw this:


Normally I wouldn't respond to this because I don't feel like she really has a question or wants help but is just being antagonistic and focused on technicalities.  And technically a pound of fat and a pound of muscle weigh just that.  One pound.  But guess what.  A square inch of muscle weighs a whole lot more than a square inch of fat.  Therefore muscle does weigh more than fat.  People don't need to stop saying that.  It's all about  how you look at it.  The thing is, she knows exactly what I meant.  So why comment?  I'm just sayin.'  Okay... end rant.  But thanks for saying my piano is cute!

I really do appreciate all of your comments and legit questions.  So feel free to ask anything.  I won't post it with a big paragraph negating what you say... unless you're being a smart aleck.

Week 2

If you've lived in northern Utah this year you know that this week was like a tropical heat wave compared to the rest of the year so far.  It was a balmy 33 degrees where I live... and I mean Fahrenheit.  We pulled out the scooter and sidewalk chalk.  The snow partially melted.  It's giving me spring fever.  And race fever.  And swimsuit fever.  And hurry-up-and-get-through-February fever. 

 

Speaking of races, have you signed up for any this year?  One of my New Year's resolutions is to do as many races for charity as I can.  If you know any in Utah, Boise, Phoenix, or the Denver area, let me know!

In order to be able to race we have to be fit, so here is this week's nutrition and fitness plan.  Enjoy!  LMK if you have questions.

Pre Workout (6:00 AM)
200 cal bar or shake/banana and PB/etc.

MEAL 1 (08:00 AM) 
0.5 cup Cereal-Oatmeal-Measured Dry
1 Egg-White-Fresh
1 Banana
1 Egg-Whole-Fresh
0.25 cup Milk-Nonfat/Skim
369 cal

MEAL 2 (10:00 AM)
0.5 cup Cheese-Cottage-Lowfat 1%
10 Reduced Fat Wheat Thins
2 Clementines
245 cal

MEAL 3 (12:30 PM) 
0.5 Pita Pocket-Whole Wheat
2.5 ozTuna-Light Cnd in Water (or 1 serving deli meat)
0.5 cup Lettuce-Green Leaf-Raw
1 tbs Mayonnaise-Fat Free
5 Olives-Large Ripe-Canned
1 Clementine
240 cal

MEAL 4 (03:00 PM)  
0.5 Pita Pocket-Whole Wheat
2.5 ozTuna-Light Cnd in Water (or 1 serving deli meat)
0.5 cup Lettuce-Green Leaf-Raw
1 tbs Mayonnaise-Fat Free
5 Olives-Large Ripe-Canned
1 Clementine
240 cal

MEAL 5 (06:00 PM)
4 oz Yam-Raw
3 oz-wt Chicken Breast Skinless-Roasted
1 cup Beans-Green,Snap-Cooked
260 cal

MEAL 7 (09:00 PM) 
0.5 cup Cheese-Cottage-Lowfat 1%
0.5 cup Cucumber-Slices
0.5 Tomato-Medium Whole
100

Program Totals:
1650 calories (approx)


Cardio:

Bike

65-75%

118-126 HR

30 & 30 Minutes

6 & 5 days per week

So that means to do an hour 5 days and 30 min 1 day.  Personally I'm not a big fan of the stationary bike (unless it's a spin bike), so I'll probably do stairs or elliptical.


Resistance:

Day	Body Part	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Weight	Rest	Speed	Notes	Exercise Info
1	Shoulders	Dumbbell Shoulder Press	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details
1	Triceps	Dip Machine	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details
1	Triceps	Barbell Skull Crusher	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details
1	Chest	Bench Press	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details
1	Chest	Incline Barbell Bench Press	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details
1	Shoulders	Shoulder Lateral Raise Machine	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details
2	Biceps	Reverse Grip Dumbbell Curls	3	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
2	Legs	Smith Machine Squats	4	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
2	Legs	Ball Hip Up With Leg Curl	4	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
2	Back	Seated Cable Row	4	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
2	Back	Straight Arm Cable Lat Pull Down	4	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
2	Biceps	Incline Bench Dumbbell Curls	4	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
3	Shoulders	Dumbbell Shoulder Lateral Raise	4	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
3	Triceps	Dumbbell Skull Crushers On The Ball	4	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
3	Triceps	Cable Triceps Press Down Ropes	4	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
3	Chest	Push Up On Ball	4	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
3	Chest	Dumbbell Chest Flyes	4	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
3	Shoulders	Rear Shoulder Cable Cross Fly	4	12		60 sec	2/4/2		Details
4	Biceps	Arm Curl Machine	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details
4	Legs	Leg Press Plate Loaded	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details
4	Legs	Seated Leg Curl Machine	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details
4	Back	Cable Lat Pull Down	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details
4	Back	Seated Cable Row With Wide Bar	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details
4	Biceps	Standing Barbell Arm Curl	5	8		90 sec	2/4/2		Details