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Introduction Text Hello Fellow Sparkers! Current weight: 220. I am at my heaviest weight ever. (Funny, I said that the last time I edited my profile page, too, but back then it was 214.) Those additional 6 pounds, all seemingly gained on my belly, were the last straw. So I am approaching this again, this time with a plan in mind -- or rather in my phone. I'm using the g-plans app, which sets very strict food requirements for every meal, but allows for 7 meals a day and lots of optional swaps, as long as you stay in the right range for your metabolic type. My main goal is to be fit enough for an upcoming prophylactic bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. A strange mammogram, followed by a biopsy, surgery, surgery, and more surgery has turned me into a new creature, known as a "breast cancer survivor". My primary motivator is to be fit enough for one more surgery to help make sure I can't get it again. I know I'll need to be more fit than I have been in order to get to (and through) that goal, so recently I joined a LiveStrong fitness class for survivors. The activity level is laughably low, compared to what I used to do, but these little bitty workouts twice a week have made a world of difference in how I sleep, what I eat, and how I feel every morning when I get up. They have brought me back to life, and they have brought me back here! Spark on! Here's my old page text. It's still true. My old headline was "I Want It Back!" which is the name of a great song that I used to listen to while I ran. Funny, this song used to mean I wanted back the mojo I had when I was young ... now it means I want back the mojo I found for myself just a couple of years ago! My hard-earned, middle-aged, hot mama mojo. Got to have that back! http://bit.ly/iwantitback by the Bloodsugars "I think I knew when I was young I knew where I was coming from And though I know there's more to come I want it back" This is my theme song right now, the one that propels me around the track at the gym, that gets me out of my chair and moving, that pushes me to run up the stairs at work instead of taking the elevator. I want it back, and I'm taking it back! Favorite quote of the moment: "When you run, you make an imprint on your life. You race, accomplish, and think wow, that is cool. What you don't realize is that every time you accomplish your goal, you have managed to alter your being. You are now on a slightly different tangent than you were before your race. Every time you change that tangent (doesn't have to be a race, but a search to define yourself), you move that much closer to the person that you were intended to be." -- RACING4ME And on the lighter side: "To my delight, I finally found an activity where it's very likely that you can solve your problems with a new pair of shoes." -- Why Running Can Be a Feminist Act, by Courtney Wilder (courtesy of MYAGREEMENT) "...it's never a SINGLE choice or single day that does it. It's all the steps, the days, the weeks of choices added up over time that gets the goal." CCKELLY3 (Cassandra Kelley) "A boat may be safe in a harbor, but that's not what boats are for." ROYALETBONE "If you work really hard to achieve your goals but don't enjoy the journey, you're delaying the essence of life. Committing to your goals doesn't mean you slave away at work you dislike, celebrating only the destination. A real abiding commitment means that you love what you do each day. You are at least as passionate about the path as you are about the results. If you love the path you're on, your passion motivates you to keep taking the next step." Steve Pavlina, courtesy of JENSFITJOURNEY "Go buff... have abs... live your life... and remember to do it all with JOY." ROYALETBONE "There is no such thing as a state of perfection, only perfect moments. It is up to me to recognize those moments, enjoy them and continue on." Lisa Mainz, Founder of ShopOrganic.com "We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." Marianne Williamson, Return to Love "If I want to be able to move when I want to, I have to move when I don't." ROYALETBONE (more good stuff from Mare below) "I don't need my food to be entertainment. Entertainment is why the goddess made libraries." IDEBORAH About me: I was in high tech from my mid-20s until I was 40, and steadily gained weight for that entire period due to low activity and a high calorie diet (mochas and chocolate chip cookies are great stress busters when you're programming for hours a day)! I had a midlife surprise baby at 40, shortly after losing 30 pounds by walking three times a week; at 45 I was back up to almost 200 pounds. I really wanted to move down from those Size 18s! Now I've got them back ... My husband and I are celebrating his 16th!!! year cancer-free, and he too is on a quest to be as fit and healthy as possible. (And he is doing it! He inspires me every day.) I want to stay accountable, so if you want to do that too, make me your SparkFriend, and keep in touch!

Be healthy. Be fit. Breathe. Do qi gong every day. ~~~ Be here now ~~~

My current program is: - 8-10 glasses of water every day - 7-8 hours of sleep every night - walk a minimum of 10,000 steps every day - track caloric intake until goal is met! For low carb purposes: [NEW K Calculator!] Calories: 1250/day Protein: 22% (69g) Carbs: 9% (28g NET) Fat: 69% (96g) Generated at: http://www.mydreamshape.com/keto-calcu la tor/ [My 2nd K Calculator] -- Nope! I cannot eat that much and lose weight. NO WAY. 1703 Calorie Intake 50g Net Carbs (12%, 200 kcal) 82g Protein (19%, 326 kcal) 131g Fat (69%, 1177 kcal) [My First K Calculator] Generated at: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com [Nope! This one was calculated wrong. My bad. Very hard to do.] 12/15/14 (47% deficit) 51/F/5'7" | CW 191 | 29% BF | Lightly active 1203 Daily Calories 50g Net Carbohydrates (17%, 200 kcal) 100g Protein (33%, 400 kcal)

Live in the US Pacific Northwest, have a very wonderful husband and a very clever son, and a cute and very little dog.

I like to make my own jewelry, read a lot, sing, knit, and crochet. I'm a degreed librarian and currently working in educational technology. My hubby is a great cook and I've shared a bunch of his (and some of my) recipes on SparkRecipes. Look them up and let me know what you think!

Add a Link ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ "Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product." -- Eleanor Roosevelt 05K 08-06-16 11m/m 10K 07-07-12 18m/m 10K 07-10-11 14m/m 7K 12-24-09 13m/m 15K 09-12-09 14m/m 10K 07-07-09 14m/m ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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