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!