What Happened To 2018?

I honestly can not believe that it is now 2019! Where did 2018 even go?

I guess I  should give an update on my journey.

2018 started off wonderful. Back in June 2017 I committed to staying 100% on the Trim Healthy Mama Plan and I went a little over a year 100%!  From June to October I lost 52 pounds. From October 2017 to August 2018 I continued 100% on THM, but I stopped losing weight and just stalled out. And since August I have gained back about 39 pounds.

This has been a pattern in my life, and one that I was hoping to break when I started THM. But instead of trying to overcome the stall I was in, I chose to go back to old patterns. What started out as one "cheat meal" has turned into about 6 months of jumping on and off the "Trim Train".

After talking with my doctor about what has happened and reviewing patterns and health history of PCOS and Blood Pressure, she has given me until August to get back on track otherwise we will need to start talking about more extreme measures to overcome the weight and health issues.

Needless to say, I have been so frustrated and disappointed with myself and that has just added to the unhealthy cycle. However my eyes have been opened to some things about myself:

1) I still have the mentality that I am "dieting" and not truly doing a "life style change that never ends".

2) I have to prep for times when I am away from the house. This is when I fall into the temptation to have off-plan foods.

3) I need accountability and I have to speak up when friends and family are suggesting ideas for when we get together and food is involved.

Another thing that has happened during this time is that my dear husband has decided to join me on the THM journey and is working towards being a Trim Healthy Hubby!

I don't know what the Lord has in store for us this year but I am trusting in His Soveriegn Grace.

Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018

I can't believe we are already a full week into the New Year. The Holidays were busy but filled with all love, joy, and laughter with family and friends. There was one major difference to my normal Holiday festivities and I am so happy to report that I did not cheat, not even once, during that time. I have been 100% on the THM way of life and I made it through the holidays without giving into the temptations that come with the season. If you know me, you know how big of a deal that truly is for me. Usually I gain a lot of weight during the holidays but not this year! I am so thankful to God for being with me. I know I would not be able to do this without him.

The new year has also brought some big changes to our schedule and routine as my husband has switched to first shift. It is such a big change from 2nd. As I type both him and our son are in bed sleeping. I won't lie, tonight I find it quite nice to have some time all to myself. I am hoping that this will give me more of an opportunity to blog more.

2017 was a pretty good year all in all. God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve. I have overcome some challenges and, although I am not at my "goal weight", I am confident that the lifestyle changes are making a big impact on my health.

I am looking forward to all that God will be doing in my life throughout the year 2018.

God Bless.

Life and blog ideas!

First, I would like to apologize. It has been a few months since I have had a chance to get on here. Life has gotten a little hectic for our family as we embarked on a new journey of VIRTUAL ACADEMY for our 7 year old son. It has been a roller coaster but I think we have finally found "our groove". I am hoping that I am able to get on here and post more often that I have been able to.

I have been thinking a lot about this blog and what purpose it has. Especially in regards to the "NOBLE WIFE, HEALTHY LIFE" aspect. For too long I think I have been focusing so much on just the weight loss aspect of my journey to become that ever elusive butterfly.

I was rereading some of my first posts from January 2014. In my "The Cycle Of Life" post, using the imagery of a butterfly's anatomy, I came up with this sort of blueprint of how God's perfect beauty would be made complete in me as I transitioned from a caterpillar to a butterfly. 

The body at the center represents keeping Jesus at the center of my heart and the four wings represent the balance of the following areas:

SPIRITUAL:

• Love of Jesus shining through me for all to see.
• Intimate relationship with God through prayer, worship, and devotion
• Constant hunger and thirst for righteousness and actually living God's will.
• The fruit of my branches would be noticeable to others and the gifts of the Spirit would be present all around in my life. 

PHYSICAL:

• Healthy blood pressure & blood sugar levels.
• Hormone levels balanced.
• Active Lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight, and to be strong and flexible.
• Healthy Eating: Portion Control, Food Choices, Water, etc.
• Shiny and strong nails & hair; glowing skin.

EMOTIONAL:

• No erratic feelings of highs and lows.
• Be Joyful
• Healthy relationships with family and friends.

MENTAL:

• Less worrisome and stressed out.
• Self-Controlled.
• Disciplined. 

I am still praying about how I should use this blog for encouragement not only for myself, but for others, but I do believe it needs to contain all of these areas. What this will look like, I am not exactly sure. But I do know that my hope is for God to use me to speak truth and life into other women's lives. I am not perfect and I will make mistakes, but greater is He that is in me!

God bless us all on our journeys in taking care of these temples God has blessed us with.

Faith is not separate on this journey.

Welcome to what I hope is just the first of many posts dedicated to the Christian Faith aspect of my weight loss journey. It is my hope and desire to share Biblical Truths  that the Lord Jesus is showing me as I begin to treat my body as the temple that it was created to be.

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 it says:

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 

20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

I read this and my heart is convicted. I know that in the past 16 years I have not treated my body as the temple God created it to be. I may not smoke, drink, or do drugs, but I have harmed myself just the same with the junk that I have consumed over the years. The blessing of food and drink has actually become a curse. I have allowed food consumption to become a sin in my life. That is not an easy thing to admit, but it is truth all the same. Food has become an Idol in my life. It is what I turn to when I am hurting instead of turning to Jesus. If Idolatry wasn't bad enough, I also recognized that I have walked a path of gluttony. The over-consumption and over-indulgences have led to health problems, aches, and pains. This is not God's intention for my body. I am ashamed of how I have treated the temple God has blessed me with.

I believe real change happens only when truth is allowed to illuminate the areas of our life where we need that change to take place. I have struggled with my weight and weight loss for so long, but only recently have I began to understand the underlying issues that I was not willing to deal with. I know that God will be revealing so much more as I continue on this journey in learning how to see my body as His temple.

My faith in God is necessary on this journey as I learn to rely on Him and rely less on food.

I hope and pray that the truth God has revealed in my life will encourage another on their own journey, no matter where they may be.

God Bless.

 

My apologies, time has gotten away from me once again

I did not intend to go this long between my posts but things have been so busy here. In my last post I talked about the past few years of my weight loss journey, being diagnosed with PCOS, and finding THM (Trim Healthy Mama).

Throughout the month of June we did a 30 Day No Cheat Streak Challenge in one of the groups. I was dreading the challenge but I persevered through. When the 30 days was over, I was so proud of the accomplishment I made that I decided to continue and go for 100 days without cheating and staying on plan 100%.

Today is day 44 and I am going strong. I have never really gone more than 10 days without cheating or giving in to cravings, so this is such a big accomplishment for me and I am really proud. I know that without God, this would not be possible. I am so thankful for the strength he has given me during this time. The past 44 days have not been easy, and there have been some days where I just wanted to cry, but it does get a little bit easier.

Well that's it for now. I am hoping to do a recipe post soon.

God Bless on our journey to better health.

A new path on my journey

Over the past 14 years I have tried many different diet and exercise plans with little success. It is not fair to say that those diets just don't work, but I will say that it was more about them being unrealistic as a long term healthy solution.

Back in 2014 I started doing more of my own research into what would be best for my journey. I bought textbooks, searched the internet, and began to compile my own ideas of what would be best for me. There was so much information and I was successful for a short period of time. My weight dropped from 290 in January to 254 by May. However, because of the extreme pressure I put on myself, I ended up with an injury that has caused permanent damage and pain in my feet and I gained back most of that weight.

After being diagnosed with PCOS, I started a PCOS diet and lost 25 pounds, but again I found that this type of diet was not something I could realistically see myself doing for the rest of my life. There had to be something out there I could see myself doing for the rest of my life and not just for weight loss but also for internal health as well.

There were several things I knew for sure that I needed:

To get rid of sugar and processed carbs
To eat LOW GI food
To eat fat, protein, and healthy whole carbohydrates from whole food sources.

What I did not know was how to combine all the best of the information I compiled and how to make it work for me.

A few months ago while on Pinterest searching for PCOS friendly recipes, I came across a recipe with the letters THM on it. I had seen it before when searching for recipes and never paid any attention to it. But that night I decided to look up what the THM stood for. And that is when I was brought to the TRIM HEALTHY MAMA website. Remember the butterfly I had talked about earlier? Well imagine my surprise when I saw that their logo is a butterfly! I knew I was not stumbling upon this site, and these two amazing women by accident.

I have still struggled while trying to implement the THM lifestyle. But that is what is great about THM, it is not just another fad diet. It is also a community of women who are all trying their best to live a healthy lifestyle and I have found many other mama’s out there who are encouraging and inspiring one another. How amazing and rare is that in todays society!

So if you have tried all the diets out there and feel hopeless, I sincerely recommend you taking a look into the Trim Healthy Mama Lifestyle. The sisters also have videos on YouTube.

God bless us all on this journey.

Is that ever going to be me?

When I created this blog back in 2014 it was for the purpose of keeping myself accountable and I had hoped to be an encouragement to others. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by and how much life has gotten in the way of keeping this blog up to date.

As I read over my previous posts, I considered deleting them. I began to doubt how I could possibly be an encouragement to others when it seems all that I have done is struggle and perform the "weight loss/weight gain shuffle" (losing and gaining the same 10-20 pounds over and over again).

I have spent the past few days searching the world of Pinterest for weight loss success photos for encouragement. By the time I was finished with my search, I realized I felt more discouraged then encouraged by all the success I saw. Let me pause real quick to ask that you not mistake my discouragement for a lack of being happy for others who have achieved their success. I have searched within myself and have realized why I feel this way and it comes down to one simple concept and that is I can not relate to their success. It was truly an "ah-ha" moment. It is so hard to relate to something when you are at a different place in your own journey. With this realization, I decided it was best not delete my journey thus far. Just maybe, there are others like me who need to see the struggle so that we know that we are not alone. We see the success and we hear how the journey was hard, but we don't know or get to see the struggle. Sometimes the struggle is what can be the most encouraging.

So that is where I find myself today. Struggling and wondering if that is ever going to be me.

Do you feel that way too? If so, you are definitely not alone!

I hope and pray that this blog will encourage you on your own journey.

God Bless.

A New Year, A New Me?

At the end of December you hear a lot of people start saying things like " A New Year, A New Me!".
 

But here I am thinking another year has gone by and things are still the same! 

No matter how dedicated I think I am going to be, I always fall short of reaching the goals that I set at the beginning of the year. 

Two years ago I started this journey, and I am still at the starting line. I get so frustrated with myself! I wanted my 30's to be the best years. I will be 32 in March and I am still so far away from where I wanted to be by now. This blog was suppose to help hold me accountable but I found myself running away from it in shame. I wanted to be an inspiration to others and yet I was failing. 

2017 started 3 weeks ago. For the first time in my adult life I did not set any goals for myself. I thought it would be best not to set myself up for disappointment. 

Fast forward to today and so many changes have been taking place in my life. The biggest change, and the one that has had a cascading effect, has been coming to an understanding of what it means to have a healthy life. 

As a Christian woman, I have come to the realization that a Healthy Life is not possible without Jesus. Because being healthy is so much more than a number on a scale or a size on a hanger. Sure people can be "physically" healthy but what is physical health without spiritual health?

How many of us have prayed to God just asking him "Please change me? Help me to _________"?
I am constantly praying this. And nothing ever changes and I get frustrated with my life and the way things are. Recently I did an internet search for "change from the inside out" and I came across a sermon series by Pastor Tom Pennington on the website The Word Unleashed. I had never heard of him, or his ministry, but I know that I know the Spirit led me to Pastor Pennington's site.

The name of the series? "REAL CHANGE FROM THE INSIDE OUT" ! And the cover image? A BUTTERFLY!!! I could not believe it! Well I could but it was still just a little confirmation knowing that The Lord was leading me. (If you are reading my blog for the first time, please check out my previous posts with the label "butterfly" to understand why this was a big deal for me.) As I listened to the message, the one thought I had was "YES! I am ready to change and lose weight". Quickly I realized that weight loss was not going to be my main, nor only, focus. Over the next 3 hours I listened to this message and my heart was being convicted and encouraged simultaneously. It was like my heart and my brain were meeting for the first time on this issue and many others. I know that may seem silly, but it is very true.

There are so many areas of my life, some I wasn't aware of, that need a change. I am not sure what 2017 has in store. I have no control over the future, and I can't change the past. But right here in this moment I can choose to make choices that will have a positive impact. I can put out the effort and start doing things (or stopping things) that will lead to a real change in my life.

A new year?
 Yes.

A new me?
I am already changing with help from my Savior.

God Bless.

P.C.O.S.

It is time to start taking things seriously. About a month ago, I was diagnosed with PCOS. I won't go into too much detail about the disorder but I will post a link for those who are interested.

WEBMD-PCOS 

MAYO CLINIC- PCOS

OFFICE ON WOMEN'S HEALTH

Basically it causes hormonal imbalance, metabolic problems, insulin resistance, infertility, difficulty losing weight and/or easily gaining weight, cysts on ovaries,and the list goes on and on. There is no cure but is treatable.

I have struggled with many of the symptoms since my pre-teens, and the term has been thrown around from age 16-21 but no doctor I have had has taken it seriously. Until now! And I am so thankful to finally have found a doctor who is being proactive and has finally given me the answers to so many of the questions and problems I have been going through over the last 20 years. I feel really old saying that..lol.

The biggest change I have had to make is in regards to my diet and exercise. Which comes back to the very heart of why I started this blog 2 years ago. The biggest difference between then and now, is knowing that my body is not "NORMAL" and there are some things that simply will not work for me.

I have been researching nutrition for 2 years now and you'd think that I would have lost a bunch of weight. But I have not, in fact what little I do seem to lose I put back on plus an extra 10. But now that I know that I have PCOS, I have been doing research into how to treat my symptoms with diet and exercise. I have to learn and figure out how to fuel my body appropriately. I have to find a way to take all the research I have and make it work for me. It seems like an impossible task. Until next time...

Good Health & God Bless!

 
 

You can't hide from reality

It is 3:30 am and needless to say I can not sleep. As I look back through my past posts I can hear the knocks of depression banging loudly. Self- hate and shame have once again taken root. My chest hurts and it is difficult to breathe as I rack my brain around why I keep falling into old patterns. 

God has been doing great things in my life and yet I find myself having a hard time accepting them because I feel so much self-hatred. 

I've learned that the first step in any healing process is to start with the truth. So here I am accepting the truth that I am officially heavier than I have ever been in my life. 305 pounds. I look in the mirror and I hate who I see. I want to know why I struggle with food!? It should be so simple as eat this not that, but I am screaming it is not! I've been trying so hard to overcome this battle but I can never seem to win. I've tried many strategies and they end up failing. I am terrified! 

For tonight, I am holding on to hope. 

Time To Get Selfish

Is there anyone out there like me who seems to get some control of order and then before you know it all chaos breaks out? Over the past few days it seems as if I am barely getting from one day to the next. So this morning I woke up trying to inventory my priorities. And easily I can see where I have gone wrong.

One thing that I have realized is that I have taken focus of God and myself and have been worrying about all these other things. Excuses started to creep there way back into my mindset and self-pitty along with it. Because I have lost my focus everything around me has suffered because of it. So it is time for me to get selfish. I know that seems wrong, but I believe there is such a thing as being selfish in a Godly manner. Here is my reasoning:

As a woman, especially one that is also a wife and a mother, we have many hats that we wear on a daily basis. We are maids, cooks, nurses, teachers, financial advisors, personal assistants, and the list goes on and on. With all these responsibilities it easy to forget to take care of ourselves. But there is danger in that. How are we suppose to accomplish all these tasks when we get emotionally, physically, mentally, and, most importantly, spiritually out of balance? The answer is we can't and that is when we start to see the CHAOS building around us and filling our homes.

We need to shift our mindsets from not wanting to be selfish to wanting to be healthy and energized to take on our day. So how do we do this? I am by no means an expert on this subject but I believe we can accomplish this as follows:

• DAILY COMMUNION WITH GOD (SPIRITUAL): We do this by reading His word, praying, and spending time in worship with the Father. 

• ARMOR OF GOD (SPIRITUAL): Ladies, our homes are our battlefields! Our bodies and minds are our battlefields! We can't go into battle if we are not dressed for it. It leaves us vulnerable to attacks. That is not to say that we won't be attacked, but that we are ready for attacks.

• DIET & EXERCISE (PHYSICAL): We need to be healthy! Again how are we suppose to accomplish our daily tasks and run around after our husbands and kids if we are sick and tired all the time? It is not a quick fix but a life long journey. Find out what works best for you and give it your all trusting in the Lord to guide you.

• ALONE TIME (EMOTIONAL & MENTAL): We need some time alone to do what we love even if we are not alone and choose to hang out with the girls! There are times when we just need a moment to ourselves without hearing little voices screaming for juice and snacks. 

I know that is not an extensive list, but it is where I am going to start. Which leads into how we fit this into our daily lives. I have been learning that 16 hours a day is plenty of time if we are smart managers of our time. 

Here is a simple way of doing this: On a piece of paper write out your day in 1 hour blocks from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. Take an inventory of a full day of activities and pencil them into the blocks. At the end of the day tally up how you are spending your time. Do you have several hours of TV time? How about Computer? What about games and time on your smartphone? Are you spending way more time than necessary cleaning, especially on messes that little ones and husbands could be helping with? Now I understand that there are many women who work full-time either inside or outside of the home, but that is when tasks need to be truly shared by the entire household. Call a family meeting and start taking back your time. The enemy wants us to believe we have no time, and we need to stop giving ourselves over to this belief. 

I pray that this week we would all take the time to get a little more selfish and be better stewards of our time. 

God Bless us all on our journeys to better health!

24 Hours

How does time seem to get away from me like this? Since my last post on April 27th I have been very busy, and I realize I need to set an alarm on my schedule to make sure that I am getting on here to post. This may be a little lengthy of a post, and I am sure at some point you may even wonder what any of what I am saying has to do with my weight loss, but I promise it does.

"She watches over the affairs of her households and does not eat the bread of idleness." 

Proverbs 31:27

When I read this verse, I knew I had been guilty of eating the bread of idleness.  My body, my mind, my spirit, my home, my husband, and my son all have been suffering the consequences of idleness. I wasn't making time to care for myself physically and spiritually. My home was in total CHAOS. My relationship with my husband was becoming strained because I felt he did not help enough around the house. And I just could not keep up with the little hurricane that is my son!

About 3 weeks ago I realized that not matter how much I was working on my weight loss I struggled because of the mess in the other areas of my life. I was working against myself. I felt guilty for the way my home and family was beginning to look while I focused on losing weight. Please don't get me wrong. It is so very important for us mom's to make sure we are taking care of ourselves, but we need to find a healthy balance for all we need to accomplish. I knew I needed to get myself on a schedule. Even if I didn't stick to it 100% it would be my guideline. What surprised me the most wasn't that 16 hours wasn't enough time, but that it was more than enough time.

How you say? Well I am so glad you asked! The first thing I did was write down all the areas of my life that I know I need to focus on a daily basis:

MYSELF: Care Routines, Spiritual Walk, Healthy & Active Lifestyle
HUSBAND: Quality Time, Duties As His Wife,
SON: Quality Time, Well-Being
HOME: cleaning, laundry, etc

Next I made a schedule in 1 hour blocks from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. I am trying to establish new habits so I knew that things needed to be simple and effective.

I decided that first thing in the morning I need to start my day in The Lord's presence. I spend time in prayer, getting my "daily bread" in Proverbs and "water for my spirit" in Psalms. I allocated 30 minutes for this and I have found that it is the best 30 minutes of my day!

By this time Moose is now awake and now I need to care for him. I created a routine for him to follow in the morning and I know that from 9:30am - 10:30am I have to focus on getting him cared for. However, during his breakfast I take those 10 minutes to fit in my first walking routine.

At 10:30 AM, Daddy is now up and it he takes over doing care routines with the moose. I start breakfast and start on household routines, which brings me to my next big problem area.

MY HOUSE! Ugh- can I just say how much I hate cleaning! I have tried looking online for routines and what not, but nothing that I found ever fit what I was looking for and they clearly did not have a moose loose in their home! Then I came across this little tidbit: 

" DON'T WORRY ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S STANDARDS. DECIDE WHAT CLEAN MEANS TO YOU AND KEEP HOUSE ACCORDINGLY!" ~ Emilie Barnes 

So that is exactly what I did! I set my own standards and created a Cleaning Task Schedule to fit our home perfectly! What amazing advice! Since I have put that motto into my cleaning routine let me just say that my house has become a lot cleaner, more manageable,  and comfortable. Living up to someone else's standards does so much more harm than good. I have also taken focus and frustration off of the messes that the moose makes and put more effort into having him clean up his own messes! I also decided to try making cleaning a game (Jury is still out on that concept) and race the timer. While I will never see cleaning as a game or fun, I do know that I was allocating way too much time on cleaning tasks when most required 5 minutes or less! So I still set my timer because I work better and more efficiently in time crunches! Crazy I know! 

And with all those other duties and tasks out of the way,  I have more than enough time to devote quality time and attention on the two people I love most in this world. Not to mention plenty of 10 minutes to spare throughout my day to workout and get healthy with ZERO guilt!

And speaking of getting healthy:

My weight loss is starting to pick up momentum again. I am learning to make the days count and not focus on the "shoulda-woulda-coulda's". I officially hit the 40 pound milestone this past Sunday on Mother's Day.

So Today I pray that not one of us would partake in the bread of idleness. That we would ask God daily for the strength to accomplish the tasks that are set out before us. That we would honor God in all that we do and His name alone would be glorified!

God Bless Us All On Our Journey To Being Healthy!

Counting The Days

Not making the days count. That has been my biggest problem since my birthday. I have finally gotten to a place where I am back into a workout routine. My eating habits have still been a roller coaster, but I am taking it one day at a time. In fact, I am trying to focus specifically on two things:

"ONE CHOICE ; ONE DAY ; ONE POUND AT A TIME" 

&

"MAKE THE DAYS COUNT, DON'T COUNT THE DAYS" 

This past week I set a goal of 1.5 pounds, and I am happy to say that I met that goal with a 1.8 pound loss! Now I just need to gain momentum and keep on losing.

I've realized that I have not turned to God much in the past month, and have been trying to face my struggles on my own. But the truth is that I NEED HIM! I can not do this without him!

God Bless!

Another one bites the dust

Another pound that is.

Let me begin by saying that when you give it your very best during your workout and you follow your eating plan precisely, it is a little discouraging when you step on the scale and see a negative of 1 pound or less.

With all the fad diets, supplements, and television shows that promise or show huge weight loss numbers on a weekly basis, we tend to go through a roller coaster of emotions when we don't see those big numbers on our scales, especially if you know that you know that you gave it your very best 100% each day.

I refused to allow myself to get down about my 1 pound loss. That's because, on Sunday, I went to Old Navy with my mom and on a whim tried on a pair of size 20 jeans. 7 YEARS, it has been 7 years since I have been able to get my booty into a pair of Old Navy jeans!

Ladies (and gentlemen), we can NOT rely on just the scale. I am learning that our bodies go through so many changes on a daily basis and to use only a scale we can fall into the pit of "weight loss despair" if it is where we focus.

I decided to research how to effectively monitor weight loss and I will definitely be adding the following to my monitoring routine:

1) The Scale: I weigh-in every Monday morning after waking up.

2) Tape Measure: Use a tape measure to show loss of inches. I measure every 30 days, but I am sure it could be done on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

3) Pair of Jeans/Shirts: Clothes don't lie (well when they are on the hanger at the store I believe they do). Based on if they are too snug or too loose I will know where I am at and what I need to do!

4) Physical Fitness Level:P Take the time during a workout to make a mental note about where you are physically at when it comes to exercise and then start a journal to keep track.

5) Body Fat Monitor: I know that those little machines where you place your hands to check body fat are not 100% accurate, but if you are losing body fat it should show it and that is all that really matters to me.

6) Emotions & Energy: How am I feeling? Am I tired? etc etc etc. I am just going to use :)    :(   :/ in my journal for emotions and use a scale of 1-5 for energy tracking.

7) Progress Pictures: Shriek! Take pictures weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and line them up from beginning to end. Wear the same form fitting outfit each time.

I am sure there are many other's but this is a good start for me. Not relying solely on the scale should help for those days like today when the scale does not effectively show my hard work.

** Just read that if you have been losing fat, but gaining muscle you could have a 2 pound gain. That is reassuring to know. **

Any-hoo, don't allow the fail scale (lol) to dictate how you feel. Find another method and ask God to help you not focus on the numbers.

God Bless us all on our journey to having healthy bodies and minds.

ADVISORY

Please understand that I am not claiming to be a medical professional, nor am I trying to tell someone else what they should be doing. The above information is what I personally have gathered from other sources and my own experiences. I use the above as a guideline on my own personal journey and hope to inspire others to make a change that will better their health and life. Please contact your physician if you are seriously considering making a healthy lifestyle change and you desire to lose weight. Thank you. 

I'm In!

Living so close to Seattle and the Seahawks on their way to play in Superbowl XLVII, there are signs that say "I'M IN" all over the place. As game day draws near, I am stressing about the food more than who is going to win (did I mention I am a Dolphin's fan). So today I decided to try and figure out what the "I'm In" is all about.

"The “I’M IN” sign is a physical affirmation of an internal commitment to “tap in” and compete to be your best you. Players and coaches tap in when they’re going to work on the game field, on the practice field or in the weight room to symbolize that they’re setting all distractions aside and focusing solely on the opportunity in front of them to perform and compete" - Pete Carroll

I actually really like that, with one addition, ...knowing that God is with me giving me the strength to be the best that I can be.


I'M IN to be the best me that God has created me to be.
I'M IN to setting all distractions aside and focusing on the task the Lord has set before me.
I'M IN to focusing solely on each brand new day that the Lord has blessed me with.
I'M IN to making the best choices I can when it comes to food & exercise.

So Yes, I'M IN!

Music for your heart & feet

I know that I am just starting out, but exercise can be really boring. Even more so if you find yourself watching the clock, hoping for those minutes to pass by. Monday night I didn't have my iPhone (aka mp3 player) on me, and let me just say how BORING my workout routine was. All I could think about was it being over and my body hurting. So on tuesday I made sure that I had my workout playlist ready to go.

Creating My Playlist
As a Christian who has dedicated my weight loss journey to God, I knew that most of the songs of today would just not cut it. I am not saying that secular music is necessarily bad, but I wanted to have a Godly playlist. You know, for those moments when I am praying "Lord please get me through these last 5 minutes" and all of a sudden I hear how I need "to shake my booty". Does anyone understand what I am talking about? Anyways, so I set out to find music that had an uplifting message AND suitable for a workout playlist. The following songs are part of my playlist and they are great at keeping me motivated and giving me that extra push when I need it:

1. START OVER by the Afters (great warm up song! especially if you are having a bad day)

2. MOVE by MercyMe

3. I WILL NOT BE MOVED by Natalie Grant

4. OVERCOMER by Mandisa

5. SHAKE by MercyMe

6. THIS IS HOW WE OVERCOME by Hillsong United

I truly believe that music helps to make a workout more fun and it is a key to having a successful session. I encourage you to add some uplifting songs to your current list. 

Turn up your music and get moving! 

What songs are a must have on your playlist? 

I will not be moved

I will stumble, I will fall own, But I will not be moved.

I will make mistakes, I will face heartache, But I will not be moved

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand

I WILL NOT BE MOVED

by: Natalie Grant (the link will take you to the full song on YouTube)

Today is the beginning of the 4th week of my journey and it was also weigh-in day! Last week I lost a total of 3.6 pounds. This brings my grand total weight loss to 20.4 pounds.

I definitely stumbled and I made mistakes. It took me until Wednesday/Thursday to get back on the "wagon". I am definitely learning a lot about myself and where I struggle. It has come down to every single day making the choice to be better than what I was yesterday!

In my KEYS TO SUCCESS post, key #4 was "SET BACKS ARE INEVITABLE" and it was about trying to plan for future roadblocks. Well the 270's are one of my roadblocks. I know that the next 2-3 weeks are going to be very challenging for me. However, I believe that God is bigger than any roadblock that I may face, so I am handing my stress and worry over to Him. I pray that he would go before me each and everyday and give me Victory over whatever roadblocks are in my way. I know that He cares about me being healthy.  To overcome I know I need to successfully stick to my calorie intake and exercise output.

This is another new week with each new day the opportunity to be better than the day before!

A review of last weeks goals:
{ } Finish the cleanse strong; and stick to my calorie limit each day.
I did not finish the cleanse strong. But, I did stick to my calorie limit each day.
{ } Spend time getting my "Daily Bread" & in prayer with God.
I spent time with God, but it could have been more. 
{ } Drink more than 1/2 of daily water intake.
No, I didn't drink anywhere near the amount of water that I was suppose to.
{ } Continue waking up at or before 7 am.
This has changed just a little bit. I am now waking up around 8am.
{ } Lose 2 pounds this week. 
Lost 3.6 pounds this week!!!!
{ } "Walk" my way to 1.5 miles in 30 minutes. 
This was definitely setting my goal a little high for where I am at in my journey. I will be reevaluating and making a new goal. 

WEEKLY GOALS:
{ } Stick to my calorie limit
{ } Drink more water
{ } Spend time getting my "Daily Bread" & praying 
{ } Stick to early wake-up time & going to bed early
{ } 30 minutes of walking doing intervals at 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 mph

SHORT-TERM GOAL:
Because I am so close to my original goal of 25 pounds by March 10th, I have decided to change the amount so that I am giving it my all and leaving no room to slack off or try less. It is now 37 pounds! 

LONG-TERM GOAL:
Get my blood pressure under control, live an active & nutritious lifestyle, and to be at a healthy weight for my body.

Thank you for all your love, support, and prayers. 

Bang! Crash! Burn!

Last week started out with a bang, ended in a crash, but I refuse to let myself burn.

The most important thing I learned last week was that I need to plan for those days when I will not be home. I am not in a place to overcome the temptation of bad foods when I am really hungry and every one else around me is eating them.

" Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it. " - Horace Mann 

Eating bad/junk food has become a bad habit. I've had about 10,220 days of weaving this particular thread around my life. Why would I even think that this was going to be an easy one to break? Everyday I will grab one thread and begin to unravel the cable that I have created. And for every one of my threads, I know that God is breaking 10 more. I can't do this without him. He is my strength and refuge in times of trouble, he is my joy and comfort always. I will turn last week over to Him, and ask for his strength to begin again.

A review of last weeks goals:
[75%] Sticking to the cleanse eating plan 100%! 
I did great until Fri-Sun. 
[X] Drinking AT LEAST 1/2 of my recommended water intake.
I would say this was true. I drank anywhere from 5-10 glassed of water a day.
[X] Walking for 30 minutes at 3.0 mph.
I did 25 minutes a day alternating 3.0/3.5 averaging 1.2-1.5 miles. The plantars fascists in my left foot was extremely painful this week, but I pushed through the pain and just kept walking! 
[X] Lose 1.5 lbs by end of the week.
I lost a total of 5.8 pounds this week. I will not focus on the "should have-could have"! 
[ ] Spending time getting my "daily bread" & prayer with Jesus.
This was one of my biggest downfalls this week. I did not spend enough time in my Bible or in prayer with God.
[X] Sticking to a 7-8 am Wake-Up no matter what time I go to bed.
My wake up times were anywhere between 5:30 am - 6:30 am !!

THIS WEEKS GOALS:
{ } Finish the cleanse strong; and stick to my calorie limit each day.
{ } Spend time getting my "Daily Bread" & in prayer with God.
{ } Drink more than 1/2 of daily water intake.
{ } Continue waking up at or before 7 am.
{ } Lose 2 pounds this week. 
{ } "Walk" my way to 1.5 miles in 30 minutes. 

SHORT-TERM GOAL:
 Lose 25 lbs by my birthday (MARCH 10th) - I am currently 8.2 pounds from reaching this goal!

LONG-TERM GOAL:
Get my blood pressure under control, live an active & nutritious lifestyle, and to be at a healthy weight for my body.

Time to get moving and planning. I pray that God would be with us all as we endeavor to be active & healthy. God Bless! 

Key's To Success

Over the last 16 years I have set weight loss goals and have never reached them. Because there is no point in trying to do the same thing and expecting different results, I decided to do a little research about how to set and achieve goals.

11 Key's To Weight Loss Success 

Key # 11: SET THE DATE- Simple, Yet so difficult. Choose and stick to a start date. Try not to set a finish date, as you are changing your lifestyle which has no end.

Key # 10: WRITE IT OUT- Take the time to strategically plan your journey on paper. Don't get so hooked up on the planning that you never start. 

Key # 9: PERSONALIZE EACH GOAL- Do not worry about another's journey. Choose goals that are tailored to your specific needs, expectations, fitness level, and health concerns.

Key # 8: BE REALISTIC- Set goals that are truly attainable. For example, ply plan to lose 1-2 pounds a week. Slow and steady will usual mean long-term success in the battle against the "bulge".

Key # 7: FOCUS ON THE PROCESS- Instead of setting a goal to be a certain weight, set goals that will focus on your daily behaviors such as drinking more water, walking an extra 15 minutes, etc. Again, be specific and realistic. 

Key # 6: SHORT TERM, LONG TERM- The first will keep you focused daily, where the latter will motivate you in the long run. Visualize each short term goal as a stepping stone on your journey, with the long term goals being the milestones. 

Key # 5: THE SMALLER THE BETTER- You are more likely to stick with a program that focuses on a set of small goals that build into a larger goal. 

Key # 4: SET BACKS ARE INEVITABLE- Try to identify future roadblocks and plan accordingly. If you fall, don't waste time in self-pity. Start fresh each and every day. Strive to make today better than yesterday in all areas of your life.

Key # 3: EVALUATE YOUR JOURNEY- At the end of every week see where you are at with meeting your goals. Ask yourself "Was I successful at meeting my goals?", "are my goals realistic?".

Key # 2: BE OPEN TO ADJUSTMENT- You need to be open to changing your plans as your progress. What works now, may not work in the future and vice- versa. 

Key # 1: COMMIT YOUR PLANS TO THE LORD! - 

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed." PROVERBS 16:3

I hope these keys will aide in my success and inspire you to set achievable goals for yourself.

God Bless.

ADVISORY

Please understand that I am not claiming to be a medical professional, nor am I trying to tell someone else what they should be doing. The above information is what I personally have gathered from other sources and my own experiences. I use the above as a guideline on my own personal journey and hope to inspire others to make a change that will better their health and life. Please contact your physician if you are seriously considering making a healthy lifestyle change and you desire to lose weight. Thank you. 

1 Week, New Week

Today is officially the end of week one. Last week had some ups and some downs. But this is a whole new week! I have no time to focus on the past or the mistakes I made. This is a new week, and each and every morning is a new opportunity to do better than I did the day before.

Last week I lost 12 lbs. I know there is water weight in there, but I walked every single day! That's right! This lady right here chose to get on the treadmill and push through the "aches, pains, feelings of not wanting to" etc. I am proud of myself. I did not let my emotions or the enemy get the best of me!

I am looking forward to this new week. I will be doing the Advocare Cleanse for 10 days. Also, Larry is doing it with me, so I won't be alone in revamping what I am eating this week. :)

WEEKLY GOAL:

[] Sticking to the cleanse eating plan 100%!
[] Drinking AT LEAST 1/2 of my recommended water intake.
[] Walking for 30 minutes at 3.0 mph.
[] Lose 1.5 lbs by end of the week.
[] Spending time getting my "daily bread" & prayer with Jesus.
[] Sticking to a 7-8 am Wake-Up no matter what time I go to bed.

SHORT-TERM GOAL:
 Lose 25 lbs by my birthday (MARCH 10th) 

LONG-TERM GOAL:
Get my blood pressure under control, live an active & nutritious lifestyle, and to be at a healthy weight for my body.


Please join me in prayer, asking the Lord to show me favor this week. That he would walk with me and show me the "way out" when I face whatever obstacles that lay ahead.

Thank you for all your love, support, and prayers.