Hello!

Well, it's been over 5 months since I last posted. It may be time to update. My goal is to post atleast once a month. I just caught up on a couple blogs and feel refreshed by their posts. I have alot more catching up to do but for now I will say hello & hope to post again soon!

Making Healthier Choices

I don't think that dieting gets any easier after you have lost weight. However, I do think that you get better at training yourself and knowing that you have to set limits for yourself and do what works best for you. I know that eating sugary, sweet stuff makes me not only want more but it make me CRAVE more sugary, sweet stuff. I have to pretty much stay completely away from that yummy sweet stuff because it is my favorite and because I don't want to start eating that stuff again and find myself not being able to control myself.

It is getting harder now for me to lose. But I have to be happy with the weight I am and how far I have come. I never what to be where I was ever again. And not so much because of how I looked but because of how I felt and how out of control I was with food and how much I let it control me. I was a slave to it! I have a much better relationship with food now and I use food to fuel my body not fill it up with junk because my body is depleted of other things it needs.

I want to only do things to my body that will be pleasing to God. Over stuffing it with food and creating a body that is unhealthy is not pleasing to Him. I had to fight and pray my way through this weight loss journey and I am not perfect. I still have days when I do not do my best. But every day we are given a choice to do what is pleasing to Him. I know he tells me what to do when I simply ask and listen.

Blogging

There are so many things I would like to write. This wasn't meant to be a "diet" only blog. haha. I wonder if I'm the only one this happens too. But I always have a great thought or story to tell when I can't write it down. I miss writing so much. Then when I wrote the other night I couldn't stop. How do I write regularly, consistently, meaningfully. Do I carry a notepad around 24-7?
Anyhow, I wanted to tell you about a phrase I would love to stencil (I think it's making a comeback?) or rub-on (you know those stickers you buy that you can put on your walls with a popsicle stick) onto my living room wall. I would love to have a bible verse on each wall in my home. But how do you decide? There are so many. Back to the living room wall. I'd love a french word or phrase. I am all about anything French or Paris themed. But I need to study up more on French. Wondering how words translate? Not sure they always translate the same. (Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I try to translate a word online and it's brings up many different translations for the word I'm looking for?) Ok see now I am rambling. Well I love the phrase Simple or Simply and the word Relax, so I came up with the phrase Simply Relax. How do you think that would look? Good phrase for the living room? I will let you know if I ever finally follow through with this idea. I am great with ideas. Not so great with carrying out the idea.

Biggest Loser 2

Week 1 = -0.4
Week 2 = -3.6
Week 3 = -0.4
My total loss is 53 pounds.
I am so glad for how much I have lost but also so surprised that my body shape is still the same. Why did I expect anything different? If I'm doing the best job I can though I cannot worry about it and have to be proud of what I have done. I am beautifully and wonderfully made by God. My job is to take care of this vessel the best I can so I can do his work.
I have a new goal of losing 47 more. We will see what happens. In the meantime I will be doing the best I can ; )

Per Lou's request ; ) Approx. -50 pic ; )

Biggest Loser 1 & 2

Well I won Biggest Loser part one. Very exciting! I finished off the contest with a loss of 48 pounds! I feel so much lighter! I am so impressed with our group as a whole. We lost over 200 pounds. What an accomplishment. How exciting to get healthy together. Their support and friendship has meant so much to me. There are so many things that have contributed to my success this time! Sometimes it's just the "right time."
Now onto round two. My new goal is to lose 20-25 more. I don't want to not push myself but I also do not want to set to high of an expectation. I hope to kick up the exercise end of it now! Good luck to all my fellow participants/co-workers.

The Final weigh-in

I lost 6.8 pounds this week!
Total in 16 weeks = 48 pounds (I love that whole number)
Winner will be announced on Wednesday ; )
Ready for Biggest Loser Round 2
26 more to go ; )

Week 15

Feeling a little down (best said in an Eeyore tone of voice.) Dragging my feet! Not giving up but the losing is sssllllooowinggg down and I'm gonna have to work harder for it. The competition ends next week and I want to finish strong, not weak.
I lost 0.6 this week. Total = minus 41.2

Week 14

Well it finally happened! Yesterday at the weigh in I met my goal. I have lost 40.6 pounds! I am also proud to say that I worked out 6 days last week for 45minutes each time! I'm so happy to have overcome my first weight hurdle! Now onto the next one. My new goal is another 20!

Thought for the day...

Time can be our worst enemy but only if we decide not to make the best of each and every day, hour, minute.

Week 13

Well, well, well. It was bound to happen, I've been doing so good these last 12 weeks and I finally have had a set back. I gained 1.6 pounds this week. I was so dissapointed when I started to notice the gain on the scale at the beginning of this week. It didn't even happen because of Easter dinner. So I don't even know what it is that I did wrong. But I'm gonna just keep doing my best and see what happens next week ; ) I have still come so far! So I will walk tonight and march on into this next week with my head held high and hoping for the best ; )

Week 12

Well I'm proud to report that I have been exercising 3 times a week for the last two weeks! Almost didn't make it last week but I quickly adjusted my can't do it to I can find a way to get 3 days in this week.

The results: I lost 3.2 this week and my total loss is now 39.6. So, so, so very close to my 40 pound goal which was were I had hoped to be at the end of 16 weeks! So I will have to set a new goal! However I feel as though I am just gonna keep on doing what I have been and see where my body wants to stop. It's hard to know what weight I want to get to. I will just have to see where it decides to stop.

Looking forward to some shopping! Nothing fits anymore! I know it's a good thing but kind of depressing when I put on clothes and they look so frumpy. It's hard to know how much to buy while losing still! Don't wanna buy too much! Maybe I will start with a new Easter outfit, something that I can still where to work.

Week 11

I haven't posted for two weeks and so I am super excited to let you know that I am getting so close to my 40 pound goal. I have lost 36.4 pounds in 11 weeks! Last week I had only lost 1.4 pounds but this weeks loss was 3.6. The only change I have made has been that I have been trying to exercise three days a week! It is very hard for me to be consistent in this but I am trying! My favorite form of exercise is biking around town. It's cheap, doesn't take alot of time(no driving back and forth to the gym), and you can change the scenery and your effort level (adding hills, adding an extra block or two to your adventure),and kid friendly if needed (although they wear out in half the time that I do.)
Going to the gym can have it's benefits too! Lot's of equipment to choose from and things to do. Although I do not like it when the gym is super busy! I don't want to have to fight for a machine or feel like a klutz trying to figure a machine out! But again all those choices have to be working muscles that aren't normally worked.
And yet another option that I have found is the in home walking DVD's. I've had one by Leslie Sansone and she does a great job of challenging you but not making it so hard that you feel like it is too hard. My friend Alicia and I walked 3 miles in 45minutes. We sure did feel it the next day but it was a good feeling to have accomplished 3 miles in just the beginning of our new exercising plan. Hopefully tonight we'll go back for more!
I am trying to commit to working out on Mon.'s, Wed.'s, and Fri.'s or Sat.'s. Mondays and Fridays seem to go better for me than finding time to work it in on a Friday or Saturday.

31.4

So much going on and haven't had time to blog : (

Well I finally went over the 30 pound loss : ) My total loss has been 31.4. I am enjoying this warmer weather! Went for a bike ride on Saturday. I am hoping to start working at the gym 3 days a week and this is a good week to start since I am on Spring Break from school.

In other news we are getting our new carpeting installed today (as I am writing.) Can't wait to go home on my lunch break to see it! Can't believe I'm not there to watch it in progress : ( New furniture gets delivered on Thursday!

Alot of "newness" going around! What will I do when my life gets back to normal : )

29 pounds down

Well we are 7 weeks into our 16 week Biggest Loser Contest and I am down 29 pounds! My goal was 40 and so I think I will make that and more! When I had made that goal I had just kind of thrown out a number thinking well that's 10 a month! Wasn't for sure if I would make it or not but with confidence I'm sure I will and then some! I think what helped this week was all the painting and moving furniture that we have been doing! So I may have to get into an exercise groove soon! I really am looking forward to this new healthier chapter of my life! I have struggled for ten years with finding a healthy consistent diet with results and I just feel so confident in this being a permanent change with lasting results!

25 pounds down 25 more to go

Time for a short update...

I weighed in on Tuesday this week and I have officially lost 25.5 pounds! Can't wait for the next 25 to come off! Still haven't bought any new clothes! But baggy is in right? Just kidding, haha ; )

In other news we are painting and redecorating and getting new furniture with our tax check! So I will be very busy priming, painting, and moving everything in three rooms of our house over the next week! Will post before and after pics soon!

Being Blessed

As I talked a little in my last post about being blessed when I have the opportunity to listen to Midday Connection, I thought I would share a little more about what was on today!

This is from the webpage:
When it comes to Foolproofing Your Life, there is more than meets the eye. Sure, you have to assess the situation with the fool in your life, but you also have to take a look at yourself. Jan Silvious joins us as we continue our study from the book of Proverbs with a focus on fools. Jan will help us “wise up” and put away childish things as well as look at new strategies for old battles.

The broadcast today was about fools in our life and what to do about them and about ourselves when we have to deal with a fool! I thought the discussion today was very realistic and interesting! Not always that you hear a christian radio station talk about fools! (It reminded me of a few people I know and have to deal with) It focused alot on the advice from the book of Proverbs!

It also gave a quote from Mark Twain that says, "I can live for two months on a good compliment."

I believe that by tommorow they should have the complete broadcast typed up on the website! I always like to go back through and re-read what they have talked about when I find a topic interesting! I hope that someone else may find this info. useful or be able to also be blessed by this program!

Exercise Time

I got on the treadmill today for 20 minutes! I had the luxury of borrowing my daughter's ipod so that I could listen to the radio while walking. (I need to get one of these!) I absolutely love and am always blessed when I have the opportunity to listen to 97.9! The Midday Connection program was on and it was so nice to be able to listen and not think about what I was doing, exercising.

I think the thing I love most about walking is stretching afterwards! I have foot problems and so I have to be careful about this form of exercising. I love to sit on the floor and stretch out my legs and then lay down and stretch out my back! I even opted to see how many crunches I could do today! I started with a set of 15, took a little break and then did 15 more. Wow it feels really good to accomplish a little bit!

My goal is to do this every other day for the next two weeks and then add something else. Perhaps weights or some kind of workout video.

In my food/exercise journal I put down that I walked for 20 minutes, burned 177.1 calories, distance = .898, and did 30 crunches! This will help keep me accountable and help me track my progress and see when I need to bump things up to the next level.

Consistency is my worst enemy! But I have to jumpstart my weight loss again! I haven't met my goal yet and I am not going to stop doing all that I can until I am there!

So it's Week 5

and guess what? I didn't lose any this week! I maintained! So I guess it may be time to add exercise to the whole diet and exercise plan! I cheated a bit on Superbowl Sunday! I had a few pieces of thin crust Pizza King Pizza and some wings! So that'll teach me to cheat! So that's my news for now!

You might be a knitter...

if your husband wants to hand you the remote and you say, "I can't change the channel until I finish knitting this row" and then when he tosses it to you and it land on the floor you discover that you can turn the channels with your foot! Awesome!!!

I'm only a beginner knitter! But i just couldn't put my knitting down last night! I finally called it quits around 1 am! But I've found I love being able to watch tv but still be doing something! I also liked that when it got a little difficult I would warm up and kinda sweat a little, I guess out of aggravation! I thought this has gotta be burning some calories! My project that I am so very close to finishing is an eyelet edge dish cloth! Next I would love to do some coasters with this same technique and then I would love to move onto bookmarks and coffee cozies! And then maybe a big project after that!

Happy knitting!

For God so loVed the world

That He gAve

His onLy

BegottEn

SoN

That whoever

Believes In Him

Shall Not perish,

But have Eternal life. (John 3:16)

Losing 20 pounds

20 reasons I've lost 20 pounds:
1)For my kids
2)For my husband
3)For myself
4)To feel better
5)To look better
6)To have more energy
7)To be healthier
8)To have a chance at winning the Biggest Loser at work and have money to go shopping
9)To win this battle I've been losing for the last 10 years
10)To help & inspire others
11)So that my clothes will feel more comfortable
12)So that my feet won't hurt so bad
13)Because I am not going to spend my life being an overeater
14)Because I am worth it
15)Because God has better plans for me than leaving me addicted to food
16)Because it's saving me money
17)Because I can overcome this
18)Because there's no time like now
19)Because I know I can ;)
20)and so that I didn't have to stop wearing my wedding rings because they were getting so tight and now they are loose!

2.5 more down

It's weigh in Monday! I lost 2.5 more pounds which makes my total weight loss 16.5 pounds! I feel like I am actually getting to the point where I am enjoying this new way of eating! It has really taken away the temptations that I used to have because Atkins is low carb and very very low sugar and that was what 90% of my diet was before! It's teaching me that I can eat to live not live to eat and I haven't had to feel overstuffed or just yucky from eating too much. God will get me through this process and I long for a new lifetime of better choices!

A Women of Moderation

I have started a new bible study, A Women of Moderation by Dee Brestin. I would like to post some of my notes to hopefully encourage someone else! And I also hope that it will help keep me accountable to sticking with the study through to the end of it! I have a bad habit of starting a book, journal, or bible study and stopping half way through or sometimes even after a few days!
Here are my notes from today: (They may be a little scattered, but I hope that they make some sense)
~We want to be women of moderation, but victory eludes us. Is there truly a way to be delivered? Yes! Yes! Yes!

~Our real problem is "soul hunger."

~In the book French Women Don't Get Fat it says that:
-less satisfies them more,
-the first several bites are always the best
-& that "The arrangement of a food in the center of the plate is part of French enjoyment."
-It also talks about how they would never completely fill their plates as we do and that they use several plates. I like this idea as I do not like my food touching at all! And must have a new clean plate for dessert!
(The new dishes I have been keeping my eye on are square plates. However, they looked kinda small. So I have yet to make a purchase. But I suppose that due to my dieting and liking this idea of putting a small portion in the center of the plate and using separate plates, maybe indeed those new square plates would be just right!)

~Yet in the end, our strength must not come from a food program, but from focusing on Christ. But for a lifetime you want a program that focuses on the Lord and not on food.

~Studies have shown that often we think we're hungry, when in fact our bodies need to be hydrated.

~Whenever we have a problem with an idol or love something more than God, even if that is a good gift from Him, there is a period of time in which we need to have a distance from that idol.

~He is the Redeemer who can exchange our polluted hearts for clean hearts, our distorted motives for pure motives, and break the chains that bind us.

~Psalm 34: 8-9 Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him! Let the Lord's people show him reverence, for those who honor him will have all they need.

Breve

Well I got my first "treat" tonight since I have been on my diet. I googled "Atkins friendly latte" and discovered that a Breve is made with espresso,and half and half. On Atkins they recommend using half and half for your coffee instead of milk! Less sugar and less carbs! I checked McConn's website to see if they offered such a drink and was suprised and very happy to discover that they indeed did! Since we were going to see a movie and I couldn't have any candy I was completely overjoyed to know that I could enjoy a latte treat!
Now if you didn't already know I am/was a Starbucks addict! It was an hot/cold relationship at times (lol) depending on money or dieting circumstances. But I had gotten to the point of choosing a latte over a dessert. Especially in the winter! Nothing like a hot latte! I would look forward to it so much! It was often the highlight of my day!
So now that I am on Atkins my caffeine habit has been kicked as I am not a fan of "diet" drinks! I am usually just sipping on water now in my Starbucks re-usable, cold beverage, double insulated cup, with a candy cane straw.
So what a treat tonight! Although I regret getting the 20 ounce and should have probable just stuck to the 16 ounce! (I watched them pour a LARGE amount of half and half into the cup, probable more than I should have!) I also couldn't decide if I wanted to add some sugar-free syrup as I'm also not a fan of that after taste that you get after taking a sip from sugar-free stuff. But I wanted some flavor. So I asked the ladies working if they prefer the caramel or vanilla sugar-free syrup. In which one responded vanilla and one caramel. Then one lady said or you could have both! I had actually accidentally had a vanilla latte from Starbucks before with whip cream and caramel drizzle and it was a yummy mistake!! So I did request one pump of each and not a normal four pump. It was great! Mind you, I haven't had a coffee or really any treats in almost 3 weeks, I took the first sip and I was so afraid it wasn't sugar free syrup. I didn't get much of an after taste. So I asked Jeremy to take a sip. He wasn't sure either. But he said he didn't think it was regular, it was most likely sugar-free. So I sipped on and not until the end could I tell that it was indeed the sugar-free.
So yummy yummy yummy despite the sugar-free syrupy after taste! It will definetly not be a treat I have very often but it is nice to know that on special occasion I have an option! I do not want to completely not have the things I love but this diet is teaching me to have more control and that you do not have to treat yourself every day!

A few pics of the kids in the snow

4.5 pounds lighter

This week I have passed up two birthday cakes, two cheesecakes, and a church carry-in. But the losing of 4.5 pounds has made it worth it! My goal seems a little closer in sight! And my total weight loss is 14 pounds in two weeks!

Atkins Day 10

Well the results are in! I weighed in on Monday and have lost 9.5 pounds! I feel lighter & better already! Losing that much will keep me going for another week and perhaps longer! Lol! (It is a lifetime change I really desire.)
Looking forward to the results next week!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is a recipe I got from my friend Beth Strange:

1 (15 oz) can whole corn
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can chunk chicken
1 (15 oz) can of black beans
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with chile peppers
2 cans cream of chicken soup

Dump everything in your crockpot or large saucepan, except
the black beans (drain and rinse them first), then dump in.
Cook till heated. Serve over tortilla chips & top with shredded
cheese & a dollop of sour cream. (You could also crush tortilla
chips on top)

It's so yummy & simple & easy! It's Jeremy's new favorite
soup recipe!

Now here is my Atkins 1 serving version of this recipe:

1/4 cup cream of chicken soup
1/8 cup black beans
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup diced tomatoes with chile peppers
1/2 chicken breast
1 ounce colby cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons sour cream

follow same directions as above (I just took out the ingredients I
needed & then dumped whatever was left for my husband's)

Total Carbs = 10
Sugars =3.5

Atkins Day 4

Well I was feeling a little burnt out already on day 3. I could barely stomach a few bites of my eggs for breakfast; got my caesar salad for lunch down ok, and was a little dissapointed by my chicken breast w/ mozzarella cheese and mushrooms and onions. I then was a little hungry by ten o'clock so I had a cheese stick sliced up w/ some pepperoni's (that was yummy)!

But I am refreshed today by my trip to the grocery store! Got some Atkins bars and shakes, jello (sugar-free) with cool whip (almost sugar-free), Diet hot chocolate, black beans, chicken broth (hoping to make my own version of Chicken Tortilla Soup), ranch & a cucumber, half and half/cool whip for my coffee (hopefully it'll help make a yummy cup of coffee), canned chicken, mayo, & relish (hoping to make my own chicken salad) and hamburger, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, for a taco salad minus the chips!

I can't wait to see results next Monday when I weigh in at work!

The Biggest Loser

Well the library is starting The Biggest Loser contest tommorow at work! I am hoping that this will be the motivation that I need to get a jump start on losing weight! I know that healthy eating and excercising should be a lifetime goal but it is so easy to get sidetracked and I've unfortunately stopped and started so many times : ( But tommorow I hope will be the new start for me and I definetly would love to win some money for a shopping trip! I will be trying Atkins. Two girls from work have already lost 50 pounds from doing Atkins! I can only hope to have this much success and more! My 30th b-day will be here in July and I would like to be a happier and healthier me! And good luck to anyone else who may also be trying to be healthier and happier too!