Thanks to Front Range Adventure Boot Camp, I am physically stronger than I have been in years. But one of last week’s workouts nearly did me in.

It was not the day we ran Red Rocks amphitheatre. Though having a partner hold you back with resistance bands while trying to race crawl up the stairs sure was a lot of fun.

It was not when my husband Jamie and I took a two-hour hike up Eldorado Canyon’s Rattlesnake Gulch as I hauled our 30-pound toddler. (When asked by fellow hikers why I was carrying him instead of Jamie, I cheerfully submitted Bode helped me pack on the weight and he can help me take it off).

What nearly sent me to my deathbed was Monday’s Indian run at Boot Camp. Our instructor Robyn divided us into two groups: non-runners (smart people) and runners (masochists). I was assigned to the latter group. The concept of the Indian run is simple: a group of people jog in single file around a playing field and pass a baton backwards. When it reaches the last person, he/she sprints forward to the front of the line and so it continues.

Sound reasonable? Sure, unless your group decides to sprint the entire drill, causing you to finally say, “Ladies, if it is amenable to you, perhaps we should slow this down to a jog so the sprinter does not kill herself trying to take the lead.”

Well, it kind of came out like that. Just add some swearing and an avowal to get even when they least expect it.

Without further ado, my weekly weight loss is: Read on …

During my two-week break from Front Range Adventure Boot Camp, some have asked if I hit a plateau because I did not lose weight for the first time since I began.

Well, if a plateau involves cookies, BBQs and treats at my daughter’s birthday party then the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

It is not like I intended to fall off the wagon. But like a relapsing alcoholic, sometimes you just don’t want to resist the taste of that sweet, sweet nectar. Don’t get me wrong. Most of the time, my intentions were noteworthy. I convinced my daughter we should opt out of the traditional birthday cake and have a sand cake that is served out of a bucket for her beach party. She loved it!

And unfortunately, so did I. I tried to be good, really I did. The only ingredients were vanilla pudding, cream cheese and Nilla cookies so I went fat-free/reduced fat on them all. Commendable, right?

Sure, except it tasted like crap so I dumped a ton of powdered sugar in to make it edible.

Guess what: when you add a year’s allotment of powdered sugar it is no longer low-fat. Read on …

Eight weeks into Front Range Adventure Boot Camp, I have become bored with my food choices. A person can only eat so much chicken before they have an adverse reaction.

Cluck, cluck.

The only thing that has not caused ennui is incorporating one of my favorite foods - pumpkin - into my daily menu. In the past, I had always associated pumpkin with pies, cookies and rolls. Well, let’s face it - I still do. But now my indulgences of this low-calorie, potassium-rich food have evolved into Kashi’s Pumpkin Spice Flax Bars and pumpkin protein shakes.

I was recently at [where else?] Super Target and the woman in front of me noticed the conveyor belt full of pumpkin products.

“Do you like pumpkins?”
“What gave me away?”
“Ha ha. Have you heard of Hungry Girl?”
“What did you call me? Is it that obvious?” (In case you are wondering, I was a comedian in a former life.)
“No, not you. There is a Web site - Hungry Girl - that has a lot of healthy pumpkin-based recipes.”

It was then I knew it was love.

But before this Hungry Girl divulges too much, my weekly weight loss is Read on …

I tried an experiment and allowed myself an indulgence last week.

Then again, to consider it an experiment perhaps I need to garner inspiration from my science fair days and write a solid hypothesis and carry out a detailed plan of action.

I suspect my spur-of-the-moment hypothesis, “Those ice cream sundaes and bacon asiago bread look tasty so I will eat them” does not really count.

This must be why I was a science-fair failure.

I know of many diets that give you a free day or free meal so I decided to apply this to my Mother’s Day dinner and lo, I did eat. After all, we were celebrating my motherhood with carbs and ice cream. How could I pass that up?

Did it work? My weekly weight loss is: Read on …

Please scroll down to enter our giveaway of the day: a gift certificate to eco-friendly Lovely boutique!

Monday’s post about being a good or bad mother had an overwhelming response. Some women felt validated that they are doing a great job. And others vented about how judgmental the world of moms can be.

I took a different approach all together.

Since beginning my butt-kicking Front Range Adventure Boot Camp, my children have suffered. Not because I have submitted them to the same rigorous workouts but because they have had to [insert collective gasp] eat healthy food on a daily basis, something no child should ever have to endure.

At least that is what my daughter Hadley tries to convince me when we are at the grocery store.

And so I took a judgmental-mom-be-darned approach and bought my children Twinkies yesterday. Because HOLYCRAP - they are almost 2 and 4 and have never had a Twinkie in their lives.

And also because they do not tempt me in the least and I would not touch them with a ten-foot pole.

But before we launch into the ins and outs of what you are feeding your children, my weekly weight-loss total is: Read on …

This week was a tough one for me. It wasn’t because I had to work the entire weekend at The Colorado Women’s Expo. My efforts were actually commendable - I packed all my food and did not cheat even once.

I even resisted the treats I had at my booth. Before you congratulate me on this exhorbant display of will power, I must confess that I stocked it with food that I hate.

Because I have that much faith in my ability to resist temptation. :-)

In the Boot Camp Biggest Loser Club on Wednesday, I had an epiphany of why my week was so tough: I just passed the one-month mark and for whatever reason or another, I blow every diet I have ever been on at this time.

Well, most are blown loooong before that but rest assured if I make it to five weeks, I start “rewarding” myself for job well done. Only instead of a pat on the back, I start consuming foods that will pad my butt.

But without further ado, my weekly weigh loss was Read on …

Editor’s Note: Are you joining us for the ultimate Girl’s Weekend Out at the Colorado Women’s Expo this weekend? Mile High Mamas will be there with loads of giveaways. Scroll down to see some of the fun!

One of the things I love most about Front Range Adventure Boot Camp is the cohesive community of women - a kind of bonding that can only be achieved through mutual suffering success.

The same could be said about The Boot Camp Biggest Loser Club, though it is more about sharing. And disdain for The Scale. Prior to attending my first meeting, I pictured a giant-sized one with everyone standing around gawking. Fortunately, weigh-ins are much more discreet but for the first time this week, The Scale was not Foe but Friend.

After we finished weighing in, Life Coach Robyn called out, “There is a problem with the accuracy of the weight on the scale today.”

Silence.

Finally, a brave person queried, “Errr…is the weight more or less?”

“It is adding three pounds to everyone’s weight.”

C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-I-O-N TIME.

So without further ado, my weekly weigh loss is Read on …