Created in His Image

week three of loosing...

2012-01-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it, this is my third week of loosing weight! I can't wait to keep loosing!

bad news and good news...

2012-01-03T16:27:00.000-08:00

The bad news is the past few weeks I didn't care much about doing anything with regards to my weight loss. So with that I gained weight, I'm talking more than my starting weight. :(

The good news is that I talked to my weight watchers leader and am now doing better. This week I lost 4.2 pounds! Of course since I had gained so much over the last few weeks that makes my total weight loss 1.4 pounds, but I am really focused on counting my points right now, which is the main thing I need to do in regards to weight loss (right now).

So here is to a new year and a new mind set!

kick butt mode...

2011-12-18T16:24:00.000-08:00

Okay y'all, this weeks needs to be kick butt week! I need to really kick it into gear. Who's with me? Who can I count on to help me stay on this journey? Any one? Any one? Bueller? Bueller? :)

For reals though I want to get to counting points and to working out everyday. So I want to do another 7 day work out challenge. Do you want to join me in this?

A very honest post....

2011-12-14T07:52:00.000-08:00

Do you ever read in articles or see on blogs things that say "weight doesn't define who you are"? I want to be honest, I hate that saying. Because honestly I feel like weight does define who I am. I am fat, plane and simple. If I were skinny I would want that to be something that defined who I was too.

I have been thinking this week about my weight loss journey and I feel as though I will never get to my goal. I am always planning and saying "when I get to my goal weight I will..." but honestly I don't even see the road that leads to the tunnel where the light is supposed to be at the end of. I wish I could be a pretty fat person. I'm not saying I'm ugly, I just see other people that are over weight and they have these amazingly cute clothes that look great on them, but since I have such a big chest nothing cute really fits me.

I wish I was confident with who I was, fat or not.

I wish I would stop loosing my inspiration to loose weight.

I wish I would have listened to my mom when she said it is hard to loose weight once you have kids. (you want to know what my response was to her? it is hard no matter what. Boy was I stupid, it is way harder to loose weight when you have little ones to care for.)

I wish I wouldn't have let myself run out of Diet Dr. Pepper yesterday.

I wish I was a little bit taller (just kidding, but if you are around my age you may know that song).

Okay, my honest post is over. Thanks for listening.

Leave it in The Valley...

2011-12-01T17:09:00.001-08:00

Well day two of my 7 day work out challenge is done and over with! I did another 20 minutes on the treadmill tonight. I could have said I only had to do 10 or 15 minutes because I did walk some at the park today, but I decided not to count that because it really wasn't much of a work out.

While I was walking on the treadmill I was listening to my new Mandisa CD. Have you heard of her? I am so loving this CD. It is a great one to work out to because it is just so encouraging. I would highly recommend the Freedom CD. Mainly because that is the one I have ;) (I should mention that I am recommending this on my own, no one has paid me to say this stuff)

So often when it comes to weight loss I feel so down and in the dumps about where I am with it. If I slip up and eat more then I should have I get in the, what I like to call, "screw it all" mood. Which is so silly because you do more damage when you get like that and give up then if you just deal with what you ate and do better from there on out. Anyway, this song by Mandisa called Leave it in The Valley, really encouraged me. I would suggest you listen to it and then go out and support her and buy the CD because there are other songs that are really encouraging on it!

Day one down...

2011-12-01T06:05:00.000-08:00

Oh man, I am mega sore from my head to my toes! I walked a mile on the treadmill last night, 23 minutes and 38 seconds! Now I know what you are thinking "why are you sore all over?", well that is a good question. The treadmill can account for the sore legs. The upper half of my body is sore because I was just obeying Mandisa when she sang "throw your hands in the air...dance, dance, dance!" I guess I did it a little too hard. :)

Day two is today and I WILL make it to the end!

7 day challenge...

2011-11-29T18:02:00.000-08:00

Remember my 30 day challenge? Well I made it 21 days. :(

I got to thinking this week about doing a 7 day work out challenge. I figured that a shorter challenge is more likely to be completed. The light at the end of the tunnel is easier to see. :)

So who is with me? Would you like to do this 7 day work out challenge with me? I challenge you (and me) to at least 20 minutes of exercise a day. This could be any form that you choose as long as it is at least 20 minutes long. I will start tomorrow, Wednesday November 30th. I will keep you updated on how I do. I would love to have you join me!

Take that turkey...

2011-11-29T06:07:00.000-08:00

I lost 6/10 of a pound this week! It may not be much but seeing how it included Thanksgiving, I think that is pretty good! I want to make sure I keep up the working out. I walked on the treadmill yesterday and will plan on doing it again today.

I just want to say that I couldn't be doing this with out my husband. He is such a huge support and doesn't mind if I walk on the treadmill right when he gets home from work. Not that I do that everyday, but yesterday before weigh in I wanted to get a walk in and he didn't mind at all. I sure am blessed to have such a supportive husband!

It's okay...

2011-11-22T05:46:00.000-08:00

I gained this week :( But you know I am okay with it. I had several things working against me. First, I am a woman and you know what that means once a month. Second, cookie exchange - enough said. Third, I was sick off and on through out the week.

With all that, it is no wonder I didn't loose! However, I should have planned better regarding the cookie exchange. Also, there were times when I could have worked out but didn't.

This week, being Thanksgiving and all, I will need to really focus on working out and counting my points for everything I eat.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! Remember it is a holiDAY not a holiWEEK. :)

woo to the hoo...

2011-11-16T12:06:00.001-08:00

Woo Hoo y'all, I lost 5 pounds on my first week back to weight watchers! I am so excited to be back. Now if I can just shake this respiratory thing I have going so I can work out with out coughing up a lung.

too long...

2011-11-13T09:58:00.001-08:00

I just realized that I hadn't posted since September! Yikes, that is too long!

Here is what has been going on:

1. I joined back to weight watchers. Justin and I both decided it was what I needed to do.

2. I didn't complete the 30 day challenge, but I do want to keep doing the 30 day shred, if I could just stop being sick so I can do it.

3. I did walk on the treadmill once this week. Again, I have been sick so doing things that make me breath hard is too much and makes me start to cough too much. :(

I guess that is pretty much it. I will let you know how my first post joining weigh in goes tomorrow night. Pray that I will look to God and not food.

Day twenty one...

2011-09-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

My body is so sore! Seriously, level two is works me so much harder than level one did! With level one, I slept better after I worked out. However, with level two, I am so sore that I just don't sleep good. I know it will pay off in the long run so I am not giving up just because of a few bad nights sleep.

Proud of my friend Liesl, she is the first of our challenge participants who completed the 30 days! 9 more to go for me! I can't wait to be doing this and going to the YMCA. I think it will be a good mix.

What or who do you turn to...

2011-09-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

It became so apparent to me this morning just how I turn to food to calm me down. I took Ian to the doctor this morning because he has been sick (tummy issues) and the first thing I wanted to do when we got in the car was go to Braum's and get a bacon, egg and cheese bagel with a large diet Dr. Pepper! Instead though I prayed. I asked God to give me strength to turn to Him rather than to food and drink today. Feeling overwhelmed is tough, but God gives us ways out, just like He does with temptations (I guess we are being tempted to turn to other things rather than to God). Like instead of going to Braum's, as soon as we got home I put Owen in his highchair and set up his Pack N' Play. I put a few toys in it and he is playing quietly in it (for now). I am now able to snuggle with my little sick boy while Owen gets to play. I have calmed down a bit now and I know that I can make it through this day.

Thank you God for calming me down!

***Even just now I made Ian some toast (white bread) and I took a bite of the second piece that I didn't give him. I spit it out though before I was able to swallow it. Man, habits are hard to break, huh?***

Weigh in...

2011-09-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

As you can see from my ticker above, I lost 3 pounds this week! Woot woot! I can't wait to keep slimming down. :) See you on the flip side (yeah, I just said that). :)

Day twenty...

2011-09-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

This is getting so hard! Day twenty was not an easy thing. I really gave it my all up until the very last set of crunches. I haven't even tried to do them yet. Level two is definitely a hard level, I can only imagine how hard level three is going to be!

I am going to stop typing because my arms are sore. :)

Another day, another level...

2011-09-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

Last night, day nineteen, I finally moved up to level 2! Let me just tell you, I feel it! My body was crazy sore this morning when I woke up. I am planning on sticking to level 2, probably for the rest of the challenge. I really don't think I could do level 3 before the end of the 30 days.

I am seriously loving the site myfitnesspal.com! You should really try it out if you need a place to keep track of your food and fitness. It reminds me of what I had with weight watchers with there weight watchers online stuff.

Well I had better stop, I need to try and get some stuff done around the house today. Keep praying for me and let me know if you have found any helpful things on your weight loss journey.

Day seventeen...

2011-09-19T06:42:00.000-07:00

Well here we are on day seventeen (okay actually I am writing this the day after day seventeen). I am at the point of being SO done with this working out everyday thing. But I will continue, because of my girls that are doing it with me!

This week I will track my food, no excuses! Like my friend Kellie said "What you eat REALLY matters." So this morning I joined myfitnesspal.com. I can put in my food and it will put the calories in for me.

I also started a new weight loss ticker (see below the title of my blog). I decided I need to consider this a new start to a new journey. I can't keep counting my weight loss from before I was pregnant, I mean that was over 3 years ago!

Day sixteen...

2011-09-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, this is starting to go by so fast! 16 days down 14 to go! I am seriously considering moving up to level two soon. Maybe even today, we shall see.

Have you joined in on this challenge or one similar? I would love to hear from you! Leave me a comment letting me know what kind of challenge you have committed to.

Day fifteen...

2011-09-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last night was great! I gave about 90%, which is so much more than I had given the two days before! We are half way there! I can't wait for this challenge to be completed. Not because it means I will stop working out, but because then I will be able to say I did it!

I am so thankful for my husband who has been doing this with me! I just know that with out him I would have very easily talked myself into not doing it. Thanks babe!

Days thirteen and fourteen...

2011-09-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

The past two days have been tough. I haven't given my all. The other ladies who are doing it are all on level two, so maybe I will move to level two today. Who knows.

Day eleven and twelve, plus a weigh in...

2011-09-12T07:05:00.001-07:00

Oops, I guess I forgot to post the last two days! That doesn't mean I haven't been doing The Shred though.

Day eleven was tough. Day twelve was tough. The difference between the two days is that on day eleven I didn't know if doing this had made any difference or not. On day twelve I knew it had! What do I mean you ask? Well thanks for asking, I will tell you.

I lost 3 1/4 pounds! I was so excited! I would have been so upset had I not lost anything. Knowing that what I am doing is making a difference was so great, I didn't even make any threats to Jillian last night! (I usually yell at her during the entire work out. Yes I realize it is a tv, but you would be yelling too if you were doing it)

Thanks for all of your prayers. Please continue to pray that I will continue on with this. God is really teaching me some things right now. I plan to tell you all about that soon.

3 1/4 pounds!!! Sorry, I thought it was worth mentioning twice. :)

Day nine part II...

2011-09-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

Well day nine is over. I was telling my accountability ladies that the hardest part of the shred is the first circuit. Once that is over it goes pretty fast. Not to say it isn't a hard work out though.

I am pretty nervous about my weigh in on Sunday. I mean what if I haven't lost weight? How will that effect my emotions, my drive to do the shred?

Trying not to think of it though because tomorrow we are celebrating Ian's 3rd birthday! The actual birthday isn't until later this month, but tomorrow was the best time for us to celebrate due to all of his friends having September birthdays.

Day eight part II...

2011-09-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

Well after two days of being sick and one day of going to the hospital for an out patient procedure, I am back to doing the shred! Since I missed some days I will just call them Day ___ part II.

It was tough coming back to it today. It would have been very easy to just not do it. But since I have my accountability girls doing it I knew I had to stick with it. I am so glad we are doing this challenge. I am also glad that the 3 other ladies don't live near by because it would be much easier to talk each other out of it. I'm not sure why I think that, but I do.

So here is to continuing on! See you on the other side!

Day nine...

2011-09-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (what would have been day nine of my work out) was horrible. I was SO sick, worse than Monday. I am just so glad to have a wonderful husband who was willing to take care of me and the kids during that time.

Today I am feeling SO much better! I am still going to try to take it easy because I can already tell that if I do too much my headache will come back. I am planning on doing the shred tonight if Justin will let me. I hope to get back on track soon!

Day eight...

2011-09-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

Well I am sorry to say that today I wasn't able to do The Shred. :( I have been having really bad lower back pain the last few days so today when I started running a fever I headed to the doctor. I am hoping that tomorrow I will be back to doing the shred and maybe I will even catch up one of these days and do it twice in a day. I am so sad that I could not do it today. So blessed though that I live in a place where I was able to go to the doctor and be seen right away.

Also, I am SO blessed by my husband who is taking care of me. He went to the store to get my medicine and has been rubbing my back and legs all night. He even got me a bowl of soup for dinner. I sure do love that man!

Day Seven...

2011-09-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today was good. I got to take a nap with out having to wake up and go to my First Place 4 Health. Not that I don't like going to it because I do, I have just missed my Sunday naps! So I got rest then I got to go and have a little bit of time with one of my best friends Misti. Even though she had already eaten she came with me to McAlester's Deli and watched me eat. :) That refreshed me so much that when I got home I was glad to begin the work out.

So with all of that said Day 7 is done!!! I don't believe there has ever been a time when I have worked out 7 days in a row! This is a milestone for me.

Here is my food tracker from today.

Special K cereal w/ chocolate and skim milk
plum

pizza
tea

french dip
fruit cup
diet dr. pepper

Day six...

2011-09-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

back hurting...

Ibuprofen taken...

will post my food tracker tomorrow...

goodnight.

Day five...

2011-09-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

I'm alive.

I'm still sore.

I want to punch Jillian in the face.

I am looking forward to weigh in on September 11th.

If I haven't lost it is probably because of meals like I had today.

Here is my food from today:

September 2

special K w/ chocolate and skim milk
bacon, egg and cheese bagel

chicken strips
waffle fries
sprite

cheeseburger
fries
diet dr. pepper
cookie

Special K cereal skim milk

Day four...

2011-09-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hmm, what can I say that I haven't already said? Today actually wasn't bad. I don't know if that means I need to work harder or that I am just getting used to it. Either way I am still doing it and that is a good thing! It has been a long time since I have worked out 4 days in a row.

I am not very proud of what I ate today, so I am not going to share it with you. But I will be back to that tomorrow. :)

Day 5 here I come!

Day three...

2011-08-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well here I am, alive. I am pretty sore still, but mainly in my abs more than anywhere else. My fellow "shredder" girls all seemed to think today was easier, but not for me! I really struggled with the work out today. Thankfully Justin was right by my side this time or I probably would have been very tempted to cheat. I am really hoping that tomorrow is easier. I am planning on doing it after dropping Ian off at school. This time though, I won't get to rest. Owen and I are going to visit our friend Starla for lunch! I am excited about this because she has the sweetest little one, plus I like to visit with her too. ;)

Here is my food tracker from today. Thanks for keeping up with me. Please continue to pray as I really want to be able to continue this even once the 30 challenge is over.

August 31st

special K cereal w/ chocolate and skim milk

plum

raspberry balsamic chicken
baked potato
salad w/ salad dressing
cookie
tea

taco salad
a few fries
cookie
diet dr. pepper

apples dipped in nutella

Day two...

2011-08-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

Ugh, owe, ugh!

I'm pretty sure that is the only way to describe how I feel right now. If I could spell out a groan then I would because every time I get up off the couch or the floor I groan, loud. I'm not sure if Ian was concerned or thinking I was crazy.

Everyone keeps commenting on my facebook status updates telling me that it gets better after day 3 or 4. So I am hoping they are right. I know it will pay off. I just wish this weekend wasn't Labor Day (we don't have First Place 4 Health, which means I don't have our official weigh in). I can only imagine that two weeks worth of this is going to show some great results!

Here is my food tracker for today. (FYI I had a chocolate banana smoothie last night after I posted)

apples
chicken biscuit
fruit cup
1 slice of bacon
1 walnut
small bite of oatmeal
plain biscuit
diet dr. pepper

water

roast beef from arby’s
a few fries from McDonald’s
water

cookies (iced animal cracker type cookies)

mac n ‘ cheese
cookie
water

Day one...

2011-08-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Today I started my 30 day challenge. Let's just say that I hope my children don't need me to hold them over the next few weeks because my arms may not be able to hold them.**Update (I wrote this post earlier this evening) My legs are really feeling it now! YIKES!**

Actually, I am surprised at how quickly I have recovered from day one. My legs still hurt, but my arms aren't too bad. Probably because I didn't use the hand weights that she said to use. I could only find one of them. I will search for the other one tonight so I can be prepared tomorrow.

One of the things I like about it is that by the time you feel like you are going to quit she starts counting down from 5, so you know you can finish 5 more seconds worth. She is also encouraging while being strict. So day one down and only 29 to go. I sure hope I can do this.

Here is my food tracker from today. As you can see, I included everything down to the one french fry I had. Hopefully the more I do this the more detailed I will get, like putting down how much of each thing I eat (ex: 1/2 cup mac n' cheese).

August 29, 2011

4 scrambled eggs w/ some onions in it
½ glass of chocolate milk (skim)
toast w/ butter

grilled chicken sandwich w/ bbq sauce on it
fruit cup
1 fry
diet dr. pepper (refilled once)
a few bites of the soft serve ice cream at chick fil a
a bite of chicken nugget

crackers (afternoon snack)

hot dog wrapped in crescent roll w/ cheese and fried onion strips
mac n cheese
water

Challenge accepted...

2011-08-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

One of my very sweet and very good friends has challenged me! I love a good challenge and especially one that I will have accountability with.

Our challenge is this: 30 days of doing the 30 day shred. Did you just gasp? I'm pretty sure I heard you gasp. As you can guess this is going to be a pretty tough challenge. But we are going to keep each other accountable and hopefully you readers out there will help us too. I am going to do my best to blog everyday about the how I am doing. Even if all I write is something like "I'm dying", you will at least know that I have done my work out. ;)

I am also going to challenge myself to write down my food. This is something that I have been struggling with since having Owen. Whether on Weight Watchers or First Place 4 Health, it has been a huge struggle. I think one reason is because I know I am not eating what I should or in portions that I should. So this should hopefully help me out. What I would like to do is post it here on my blog (perhaps my amazing computer genius husband can figure out some cool way for me to do that with out having to make it too hard).

So there you go! Challenge accepted. We will begin the death...er...Shred on Monday! I can't wait, I hope you will stay with me on this and help me out if you know me in "real life" or if you only know me in "blog life" leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Prayers are always accepted too. :)

FYI...

2011-08-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not doing that good. Pray for me. I want to get out of this slump, it has been a really long slump.

How am I doing?

2011-07-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been so up and down. I hate it when I have down days but I love those up days.

Yesterday was an up day. I woke up early, not on purpose mind you, but I decided to get some things done. I started the dishwasher, which I should mention my wonderful husband had unloaded and loaded the night before. I turned off the alarm (so it wouldn't go off when Justin left) and made Justin's lunch. Then I even did my Bible study! I have been doing pretty good at making sure I do my Bible study before the kids wake up, but for some reason this day was different. I am so glad I chose to do it. It was really a great study and I feel like it helped me all through out the day to make smart choices.

Then there are days like today. Ugh. Very much a down kind of day. It is like I just woke up with a huge cover of tiredness and depression on me. I had no desire to get out of bed and found myself mad when Owen woke up crying about 6:45. I didn't get Justin's lunch made or turn off the alarm for him (he did turn it off himself). I didn't do my Bible study either. I just laid in bed until a little after 7, when I decided Owen had cried long enough and wasn't going to go back to sleep. This feeling just kept over me the entire day. It effected the choices I made too. I didn't make good choices, let's just leave it at that.

Do you think Satan can just sense when we are going to stomp on his plan? I think so. I think that because of my good day on Monday that he could tell something good was going to happen. The bad part is that I just let him stomp on me instead.

I am going to pray that tomorrow is a better day and that I won't let Satan stomp on me like he did today. Will you pray with me?

Choosing sin...

2011-07-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

Do you choose to sin?

Sounds like a deep question, right? Well I got to thinking this week about how much I actually choose to sin. I mean so often there are situations that God will just straight up say "don't do that" and yet I do it anyways. It sounds so bad, because it is bad.

I want to be able to say that I at least try to make the right decisions, but this last week, I didn't even try. Several times I ate things that I knew God was telling me not to eat. I gained 1/4 of a pound this week. Hmm, do you think that if I had actually listened to what God was telling me, that just maybe I would have lost? We will never know, but I do know this: What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31, NIV)

It's a new day...

2011-07-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

I am feeling good today! Well minus my body being sore due to a big fall I had yesterday after church, but other than that, I am feeling good!

I decided to take it as a complement that Satan is trying so hard to bring me down. You know what, I am not going to let him succeed! I had my Bible study this morning and have been righting down my calories, even the piece of birthday cake I had with my lunch.

Take that Satan! You have no power over me! Jesus already has the victory!

Cookied dough anyone?

2011-06-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those days where all you want to do is eat a thing of cookie dough? Well that is how my evening has been. My day was actually pretty good. It was my first day to keep track of calories (or food groups depending on how you look at it). I went just a little over my goal of 1600 calories.

I am so thankful for the leader of my First Place 4 Health group! She is such an encourager. I learned from WW that it is SO important to have the support of those around you. And now, in FP4H, it is just being reiterated. I can't wait to see where this takes me in life! I am just so excited!

If you think of it, pray for me this week. I know that it will be easy for Satan to tempt me. Between the heat and me starting my monthly time. He really knows how to get to me. The good thing is this: ‎"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man .And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." -- I Corinthians 10:13

So much for that thought...

2011-06-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

I thought I would be going back to the YMCA this week, however that has not happened. My entire family has been sick! Seriously all three boys are dealing with stomach issues. Not fun at all I tell you, not fun! I am glad that I haven't got the bug and am praying that my headache from last night and this morning doesn't come back.

I did get to go to the First Place 4 Health meeting on Sunday afternoon! I think I am going to really like it. Not saying I won't have hard weeks or weeks that I just want to quit, but I feel like my walk with God will help me through those times. One of the things I like most about this program is that it focuses on the spiritual aspect too. I already have two Bible verses to memorize and have ordered my kit and Bible Study book! I can't wait to really get started. For right now I am just writing down what I eat, not really changing much about what I eat yet. I will keep you updated on how this goes. I go to the meeting once a week, kind of like Weight Watchers. For now if you will all just pray for health for my boys and that I don't catch anything (I have trouble not giving my boys kisses).

I'm still here...

2011-06-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't disappeared from the face of the earth, I have just had a REALLY busy week! Between VBS at my church and two of my nieces coming to stay with us for a few days I just haven't had much time to blog about things.

As far as working out goes I skipped the YMCA this week. We had VBS in the mornings, which honestly was a pretty good work out! Then the boys take there naps in the afternoon, so I decided to not go this week.

But this week I will start back, so pray that I will have the energy to complete each days work out! I am also going to a meeting today for a program called First Place 4 Health. I will let you know what I think about it later this week.

Kick butting...

2011-06-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

Er, I mean Kick Boxing. :) Yeah, I did a kick boxing class this week! Man it kicked my butt! I am still feeling the effects of it! I had to sit out several times because I was either too winded or my back hurt too bad. But I did stay till the end! Which from the sounds of it is a pretty big thing!

I am hoping my headache goes away today so I can finally go to the zumba gold class, which sounds like the advanced zumba but it isn't, it is the zumba for beginners. :) I am hoping I will actually be able to do this one!

Have any of you ever heard of First Place 4 Health? I am considering joining a meeting place here in OKC. If you have heard of it or have ever been a part of it please let me know what you thought of it. It sounds to me very similar to WW but with a spiritual aspect. Which is very, VERY important.

Take two...

2011-06-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

I did another cycle class! I was super sore this go round. Mainly my lower back hurt. It still does but I think I need to just push through it. Yesterday I went on a walk and felt much better so there you go!

I am going to try kick boxing tonight! Wish me luck!

Cycling class...

2011-05-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

This week I took a cycling class! I have to admit after talking to my close friend Liesl I was a little scared to go. But knowing that my other two friends were going to be there too, I pushed through my fears and arrived at the class. I might just mention that I brought one bottle of water, which was not enough for me to finish the class! I had to stop and go fill it up half way through.

With my lack of water aside, I really enjoyed the class. I don't think I have sweated that much in a long time! I'm talking I could have filled up a bath tub with the amount of sweat that my shirt absorbed. Too graphic? Well sorry, I don't know how else to sell it to you. :)

The bad things about this class? Well let me see, my rear (and other areas near the rear) hurt seriously bad for about a day and a half after the class. Also, I am not able to do the hard core parts yet because it was way hard core for me, like when they "run" (basically standing while riding the bike). I tried a couple of times, but couldn't do it more than a few seconds. But really, over all, I liked it. I am bummed that Monday is a holiday because the YMCA will be closed, which means I don't get to go cycling. :( Perhaps I will be able to talk my hubs into going on a walk that day instead.

I suppose that is all. Well except the fact that I tried the Body Pump class again and was only able to stay for about 25 minutes. It was tougher the second time around. I honestly thought it would be easier. Oh well, perhaps I will go again next Wednesday.

And now, since you have sat through this novel of a post, I will reward you with this picture of my sweet babes. Aren't they the cutest? You don't have to answer that, I already know they are. ;)

this weeks results...

2011-05-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

I am down 1.4 pounds!

Oh me, oh my...

2011-05-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

As you know last week I tried Zumba with my friend Kristen. Then I tried water aerobics (by myself). On Saturday I mowed our lawn (front and back) and in the front yard I didn't use the self propel feature.

So how have I done so far this week? Well on Monday I was REALLY tired and sore, but my friends and family must have been praying for me because I got a random burst of energy and got the boys ready and went to work out at the YMCA. We got there a little after 11, which I figured wasn't too bad since the class I wanted to go to started at 11. However, when I arrived and got the kids in the child watch area I realized that the class was not what I thought it was going to be. So I ended up walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes.

Yesterday (Tuesday) I decided I would opt out of working out because my shoulders and back were extremely sore. But today my friend Kristen met me once again at the YMCA and we did a class called Body Pump. It was pretty much weight lifting. I was impressed that I made it though the entire class (well I technically didn't there were some moves at the end that I just couldn't do, but maybe with time I will be able to). I am really thankful for my friend Kristen as I would not have gone today if she wasn't going to be going too. We have decided to go to this class once a week, so hopefully I will continue to get better at it.

I am not sure what I will be doing tomorrow, perhaps water aerobics again? I will keep you updated. Please continue to pray for strength to do this. I really want to keep it up.

Also, I had my last weigh in with Weight Watchers last week. I will be weighing in once a week still just doing it at the YMCA. Thankfully they have a scale much like the one at WW.

And here is a picture just for reading this long post :) My inspiration for doing all of this!

Picture taken by Katy from Life Captured by Katy.

Water aerobics...

2011-05-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning I gathered the boys up and I went back to the YMCA! This time headed for water aerobics. It was fun! There were 4 other women, including the instructor. As you can imagine they were older in age :) I have to say, I am still really sore. I am not sure if it is still from the zumba class or a combination of the two classes (zumba and water aerobics) or just the water aerobics. Who knows, but the good thing is that it means my body is getting worked out!

So I think on Monday I will try the shallow water water aerobics. Wish me luck! Actually I think a few prayers will work out better for me. :)

change of plans...

2011-05-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Well this morning I woke up to go to aerobics at the YMCA and realized (before leaving, thankfully) that the child care didn't start till 8:15, the class started at 7:45. I was bummed but decided I would try out a zumba class.

My friend Kristen came with me and we toughed it out. I didn't get the memo that you had to be on crack to do zumba. :) Just kidding, but it was high intensity though. Perhaps I should go to the beginner class. I am just glad Kristen was there because I am pretty sure I would have found an excuse to leave early!

I am going to go to a water aerobics class tomorrow. :) That might be more my speed. I will keep you updated.

YMCA...

2011-05-10T20:44:00.001-07:00

I joined the YMCA! I am SO excited. I am so blessed to have a husband who works hard so I can do things like this. When I was single I would have never been able to afford a Y membership. Thank you to my wonderful husband!

I am also excited about it because I have some friends who go to the classes at the Y. This will help me stay accountable to going. I also feel like I eat better when I am working out.

So stay tuned to hear about my first aerobics class. I am going tomorrow to get my work out on! Wish me luck and say a prayer because I am not sure how I will do. :)

Just what I needed to hear...

2011-05-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

You know those days when you just need to hear an encouraging word? Something that will show you that you are not alone in this journey called life? Well today I got those words!

First, I read a blog that I had kind of forgotten about. Mainly because the blogger hadn't blogged in a very long time (much like myself, but for different reasons). I found the post that finally explained why she hadn't blogged. The neat thing was, was that it was nothing big. It was just life was happening and she decided to live it rather than blog it. Well I recently came to a conclusion to give up facebook. I'm talking no more stalking people who I haven't seen in years (you know what I'm talking about, don't even act like you don't). I realized it was just taking up too much of my time and thoughts that should be going towards my husband and kids.

Second, I again was reading a blog that I had forgotten about, and it was just an encouraging post. You can see the full post here. But this is one of the things that stuck out to me:

The truth is, things just take time. Even 'suddenly-moments' take a while to spring forth. But one thing I learned about waiting on God is that He is always good. He always has our highest and best interests at heart. And when we trust Him enough to give Him room to work, He does His best work on our behalf. Truly, His loving attention to detail will woo any heart that loves Him!

It was a good reminder that my weight loss journey will take time. I know that it is not so much a spiritual thing, but God cares about it just the same. I just need to trust him and do what I know to be right.

I do hope that you will join me in this journey. It amazes me just how much I need the encouragement of others. I am not sure why it amazes me, but for some reason it does. :) I do hope you will comment and share your thoughts and if you have a blog share it too. I want to do this and I want to succeed!

So many thoughts...

2011-05-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

I realized the other day that I have really neglected my weight loss blog. I can tell you that the reason is because I have not been doing very well with my weight loss.

I don't know what my problem is. I just have no desire to work out or to count my points. I have talked about quitting weight watchers all together. This makes me sad. I have never before even considered quitting WW. I have always been such a firm believer that WW is the way to go when it comes to weight loss, but now I am just so discouraged that I don't even know what to do.

Perhaps the answer is in this blog. I didn't know that there is a way to look at all the comments until the other day when I was trying to delete some spam comments. I was amazed at all of the encouraging comments that people had made.

Here is what I have decided I need in order to accomplish my weight loss. First it would be really nice to have a personal chef. Not just to make all of our meals, but to teach me how to make them too. That way eventually he/she could take days off and I would be responsible for cooking yummy healthy meals. Second, I need a personal trainer. I mean weight loss isn't all about the food we eat. I need to know how to work out. Again, he/she would teach me these things so that someday I would no longer need them and I could do it on my own some day. And third, I would need a nanny to watch my kids while I am learning how to cook and how to work out. Of course in addition to me doing all of this stuff I still have to find time to be a good wife and mom.

I can dream, right? Perhaps I need to audition for The Biggest Looser? I am not sure it would be possible seeing how I have two little ones and a husband at home who works a full time job.

So we are back to where I started when I began this post. What am I supposed to do in order to get my desire to loose weight back? HELP. Seriously, if you have any suggestions as to what might help, I am actually asking for your opinions. There is no way that I want to go back to the weight that I was when I started my weight loss journey. I want to be around for my husband and my kids. I want to have more kids someday, but I really don't want to have them while I am so obese.

Please know that I know that I am obese. I am not overweight. If I were I would only need to loose a little bit of weight. I need to loose over a hundred pounds. YIKES! I never wanted to be here. I am such an emotional eater. I wish I had it in me to just eat when hungry.

Okay, enough of this. I think I will go walk on the treadmill. Perhaps I will feel better and more encouraged. Again if you have any words of wisdom on how to get out of this funk then PLEASE let me know.

Going where I never thought I would go!

2010-10-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I walked in an official 5K for Race For the Cure! I can't believe I did that. I never in a million years thought I would do that. You can read more about it on my other blog.

Tonight I ran/walked a mile and a half! Now that is even more surprising to me! I never thought I would be a runner. I just kept saying Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." and telling myself to put one foot in front of the other. I finished it in 25 minutes! Also, listening to Superchick was a big help! Here is the song that inspired me the most.

Clearly I need help...

2010-10-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

I am SO sorry that I have not done real well with keeping this blog up. Between my other blog and the two kids it has been hard to do much typing. And it is really hard to type with only one hand.

However, here is a little run down on what has been going on in my world regarding weight loss.

Three weeks ago I gained 3 pounds, which was very frustrating to me. I feel as though it was due to some health issues I had been having, however I also wasn't doing all that I could to loose weight that week. It is tough for me to keep track of my points everyday for some reason. Back when I was working (when I lost the 60 pounds) it was much easier to track my points. I could say it was because I was in front of a computer all day, but I am in front of my computer all day at home too, so that would just be a lie.

So the week after the 3 pound gain, I lost 2.6! I was pleased with that. I still wasn't doing all I could do as far as tracking goes, but was making smart choices as far as food goes and I was walking 2 miles most days.

This week I lost another 2 pounds, bringing my total weight loss to 8.6 pounds! To top that off I walked 3 miles on Thursday!!!! I never in a million years would ever think that I could walk 3 miles. I tell you what, I am really looking forward to finishing the 5K on Saturday.

So there you have it. I have good weeks and bad weeks, good days and bad days. My encouragement this past week was thinking of Justin. Thinking of my wonderful husband gave me the strength to count my points some days and to walk those 3 miles! I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband. He is a real man of God. He loves God first, wife second, kids third and others fourth!

Dinner...

2010-09-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight for dinner I am making (for me) shrimp, wild long grain rice and broccoli and cheese. I am hoping it will be good. I know the rice and broccoli will be good, I haven't had this shrimp before so we will see.

I also went on a .9 mile walk tonight! I am so excited about doing this 5K. So far I have two friends who are going to join me in this adventure. I can't wait to see my 3 boys when I cross the finish line!

Thankful...

2010-09-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

So the last two weeks I have lost weight! It wasn't much, but loosing a little is SO much better than gaining any! Last week I lost 6/10 of a pound and this week I lost 8/10 of a pound! Total weight loss is 7 pounds.

My new goal is to loose 7 pounds over the next 7 weeks and to walk a 5K. Oh my that sounds like such a big challenge, the 5K not the 7 pounds. I am going to try to enlist some friends to do this with me. It is on October 9, so I don't have much time to train, but I think I can do it. Please pray with me as I work to reach these goals.

good news and bad news...

2010-08-26T15:11:00.001-07:00

Good news: I had my first weigh in last week. It went great because Justin was home and stayed with the kids so I could go alone! I actually liked the leader, she was different than my previous leader, but still good.

Bad news: I took the kids with me this week and it was too stressful! I am now going to have to either find a new meeting in the evening or weekend or find a sitter for the meeting during the day.

Good news: I lost 5.6 pounds my first week! That should have been mentioned first, huh? I as very pleased with this!

Shopping

2010-08-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

Let me start by telling you about my high blood pressure. During both of my pregnancies I experienced high blood pressure. After Ian was born it went down to normal and all was good. However, after Owen's birth, at both of my post pregnancy appointments it was high. Ugh. So my OBGYN suggested I go see my primary care physician (PCP) about it.

Fast forward to my appointment with my new PCP. First off, he was super nice and is my OBGYN's husband! He didn't put me on medicine. He wants me to try to lower it with out meds first. So he put me on a diet called the Mediterranean diet. Basically eating more fish, nuts, beans, olive oil. Which to be honest after looking into it, it really is the basic principles of weight watchers. So I think we will do just fine. Adjusting to the fish might take some time, but it will happen.

Now fast forward to this morning. I took both the boys with me to the grocery store! I had Owen in the Owen pack (you know the things that you strap on to your front or back and put the baby in them) and Ian was in the cart. As soon as I put Owen in his pack, he spit up on me! I didn't let that discourage me though, I cleaned us up and headed in to the store!

I was so impressed with this Homeland store. I usually wouldn't shop there because in the past they haven't impressed me and they were more expensive. However, people suggested I try it and this one that I went to was a newer one. While there I had 3 people ask me if I needed help finding something (I think I had that "I've never shopped here" look). They even gave Ian a free balloon! It was great! The prices were higher, but the quality seems good (I guess I won't really know until I eat the stuff I bought) and there were more options as far as the healthy stuff goes! I will for sure be going back to this store.

I'm back!!!

2010-08-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

First meal with counting points! One egg + one egg white, cheese, slice of turkey, cinnamon and kosher salt = 6 points.

I really enjoyed being back at the weight watchers meeting today. I am excited to be counting my points and making menus! Keep me in your prayers as I get back into the groove of things.

6 weeks then...

2010-07-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

It looks like I will be waiting till the 6 week after baby was born mark to start back to weight watchers. I checked with my doctor and while I don't always do what my doctor says (ok, I probably do), I think they will ask me if my doctor gave me permission to start back so early and I don't want to lie (it says not to in the ten commandments). So in the mean time I am going to try and be in control of the amount of food I eat. Portion control is a big part of weight watchers. So this will get me ready to start that again. I may still be eating more than I need right now, so I want to make sure and not over do it. This will work out well though since people are still helping with dinners and such. It makes it hard to count points when you have no clue what is for dinner. I am so grateful for those that have brought and will bring us dinner. It helps SO much when you first have a baby.

So there you have it, I will start back just not when I thought I would. Ok, goodnight I am going to try and sleep some on the couch while little one is in the swing sleeping.

count down...

2010-07-14T04:59:00.000-07:00

So the count down is on people! I am so looking forward to being back on Weight Watchers! I am waiting till the two week mark (two weeks past the birth of baby number 2) to start back though. For many reasons, one being that I can't drive for two weeks.

Stay tuned though because I plan on blogging more about this journey!

going private

2009-10-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Hello to my readers (I don't know if you actually exist, but I am writing to you anyway). I have decided to take a break from having this blog public. I am going to set it to the private setting soon. I need to just have a place for me to write what I am feeling and not have anyone else read it. Hopefully someday I will make it public again. But for now, thank you for reading. You can visit my other blog, which will remain public, to keep up with me. Not that I have been keeping up on this blog much.

For reals...

2009-09-08T18:13:00.001-07:00

Ok y'all I have been hesitating to write on here because it seems like when I do I end up saying I am so pumped, but then the next day I mess up and go off plan. But the last week and a half I have been counting my points!!!! Last week at weigh in I lost 4.2 pounds. It is amazing how that works. :)

I am sitting here in my house, alone (well Ian is in bed). Justin has gone to get my medicine at Walgreen's. I so desperately want to go open a bag of chocolate chips, but I must resist! I already ate more than what I should have for dinner. I justified it because of being sick (I have bronchitis). So I now need to open up my points tracker and put my points in.

One thing that I think has helped me over the last week and a half is starting my day at 4pm. Not literally, but as far as tracking my points goes. I count my dinner as breakfast, my breakfast as lunch and my lunch as dinner. I find that I enjoy my dinners a lot more and don't end up using as many of my flex points as I did before! It has been great.

Please pray for me as I get my butt into gear, for reals this time. I have a wonderful husband who said "do we need to stop paying for Weight Watchers?". When he said that I decided I need to really get serious again. I love my meetings and I know that if I had stopped going to them I would have gained more than what I did.

Wouldn't it be awesome if I could be at 65 pounds lost by the end of September? That would put me out of my plauteau!

I quit...

2009-08-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yep you heard right. I quit. I am finished. I am sick and tired of seeing the scale go up. So I am no longer going to watch my weight. I am going to change my life and not beat my self up about wanting a cookie. I am going to eat the cookie.

I know what you are thinking, "what is she thinking?". Well I AM going to eat the cookie, but I am going to count the points for it! :)

I have got to get out of this funk, so I quit the funk and and am joining the rest of the world of being happy! Wish me luck, hopefully I will see you out there. ;)

New recipe

2009-08-05T05:27:00.000-07:00

I posted a new recipe over on my other blog today. You should check it out. It is so yummy! raspberry balsamic chicken check it out!

2009-07-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Well I tracked all of my points yesterday! I went WAY over my daily allowed points and dipped into my weekly flex points. But at least I tracked ALL of the points I ate. I couldn't have done it with out my husbands encouragement to do so. Now I know that frozen pizza is loaded with points! Well here is to another day of tracking!!!

smart one meals...

2009-07-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

Tracking, tracking and more tracking! I must track my points today. I have started by tracking my breakfast points already and I know exactly what I am going to have for lunch. I decided to buy a Smart Ones meal again. It has been a while since I have had one because I kind of got burnt out on them and switched to Healthy Choice, well then when I was pregnant I had a change of heart (or should I say stomach) and couldn't eat those anymore. So we will see what happens at lunch today if I like it or if I even get filled up by it!

gain, but that's ok...

2009-07-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

So this week has been pretty hard. Ian got another tooth in which made for a lot of restless nights and days with out naps. So when I went to weigh in this week I really thought I probably gained back all the weight I had lost last week (all 1.6), but I only gained 8/10 of a pound!!! I have to admit that I was actually pretty happy with those results. I think that I get more activity in then I think I do. Especially when I go out and about with Ian. My goal is to really start tracking this week. Please pray for me as I work on this goal.

2009-07-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

Well I lost 1.6 pounds this week! I was happy about that but at the same time I still have a few more pounds to loose to get back to my highest. My goal this week is to get in 3 of my 5 servings of fruits or vegetables each day. This was the goal our leader gave us for the week. So far today I have had one serving of blueberries! So I am well on my way. I can have a snack later today of fruit and then hopefully tonight someone will bring a veggie dish to the cook out our FLOCK is having.

FYI - My husband is so very much the best husband in the world! He got me flowers this week that had a note on them that said you are a great wife and I love you! How sweet is he? He even went to the front door and rang the door bell but I was back in our bathroom and didn't hear him :( I would have loved to see him through the peep hole holding those beautiful roses! You can see pictures of them on my other blog 9 months and beyond

Just writting my thoughts...

2009-07-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

I'm realizing that being a stay at home mom is tough. Not because you have to be there 24/7 for the kiddos, not because you have to keep the house up and feel bad when you don't. I don't even know how to put it into words what I am trying to say. All I know is I love staying at home with Ian and I love being a wife but sometimes I miss being a working person. I think it is because I miss the relationships I had outside the home. I mean I feel like my life stopped but my work friends lifes go on together. I feel the same way about my old FLOCK (AKA Sunday School). I miss seeing them and being a part of there life. I miss being able to share in there prayer requests and there praises. Don't get me wrong I like our new FLOCK, I am just having a hard time being my self. This usually happens, it takes me a long time to be myself. I am not sure the answer to fixing this problem, but I just wanted to write about it. Sometimes I feel as though if I write things out I feel better.

ugh, big time ugh!

2009-07-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

So I have already screwed up this week. About an hour after going on a walk on Monday I gave in to eating out of boredom. And pretty much the rest of the week has sucked. Ugh. Why can't I get back in to the grove of things? I am getting so sick of gaining and not caring. HELP!

words, more or less...

2009-06-29T05:51:00.001-07:00

(sorry if this post seems to be chasing rabits. I was in Church yesterday and began to get ideas so I wrote down a lot of stuff and now that I have typed it out it isn't as smooth as it was in my head)

Ok, I am so tracking my points again! I know, I know. I have said this before and a week, a month or 6 months later I am back on here saying it again. But you know I guess that is why it is called a weight loss journey. It is like traveling. You have road bumps or turbulence. Well the weight loss road sometimes stops me in my tracks or often times it throws me back a few miles.

I was thinking the other day that weight loss is kind of like quitting smoking. Some may disagree, but here me out. They are both addictions that are unhealthy. When I am stressed the first place I go is the kitchen to open the fridge or pantry to see what we have to eat! When smokers are stressed they go to get a cigarette. They are both bad for you and hard to give up (overeating and smoking, not the weight loss and quitting)!

Well I am back at a point that I want to count my points again, no matter how hard. The last few weeks I have had a distraction in my life, but it is no longer there. I have to do something. I am reminded that I want to be around for my husband and children in 10, 20, 50 years. I don't want to end up on a TLC show about people who eat their way to death.

So with all that said I ask that you pray for me and with me. I would like to present my prayer to God and ask that you do the same:

Heavenly Father,
I have nothing on my own, You are my true provider. Thank you for giving me this body and life. give me Your strength to resist the things that bring medown both physically and emotionally. I ask that I be used for you. I thank you in advance for making me new! You are my Healer. I love you Lord.
Amen.

lots to say but no words

2009-06-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have so much on my mind right now but can't seem to get it into words. Has anyone out there ever experienced that? Any tips on how to get my feelings and thoughts into words?

gain, ugh

2009-06-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

Well I gained this week. I wasn't too surprised, although I must say I was glad it was only 2.6 pounds. I thought it may end up being around 4 pounds. I haven't been doing so well on counting my points or working out. Tonight at the meeting they said to be prepared for the unexpected. I think I have issues with that. I get thrown off one day and it throws me off for at least a few days. It seems that this time it has thrown me off for at least 4 weeks. I can't pin point the time or day that I was thrown off, but I am sure it was something unexpected.

I have just been down lately, tired, not wanting to do much of anything. I want so badly to just get back into things. I hate feeling this way. Ugh!!!!!!! It is like, I know what I have to do to loose weight, but I just don't care to do it. I wish I could just wake up skinny! (oh don't we all?)

Well I guess that is my vent for today. Keep me in your prayers as I try to work my feeling out and get back on track.

weigh in 6-17

2009-06-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

I weighed in today and lost 2/10 of a pound. Of course when I got back to the car I realized that I had not gone to the bathroom before weighing, ugh. You know every little bit helps :) I am going to go to the meeting tomorrow night because Ian was asleep and I wanted to get back home to put him to bed.

long time no post...

2009-06-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

Um, can it be true that I haven't posted anything on here since May 27th? Man I am behind. So I will just update you a little bit...

gained, lost, gained, lost, gained and lost again. :) That pretty much sums up my weight loss I am still going through this rough patch. I have days where I want to track my points and days that I don't want to track my points, days that I don't want to but do it any way. I am kind of back to a place of not caring. I hate being in this place.

One good thing is that I only gained 1 pound while on vacation! Then the week after I lost 1.2 so that was good! I am really going to try and walk more since it is nice weather again. The constant rain kind of got me out of the habit of walking during the day.

OK, I guess that is all. I will do my best to post again soon. I will be weighing in on Wednesday this week but still going to the Thursday meeting for moral support. You've got to love those meetings!

Blueberries and Milk...

2009-05-27T05:43:00.001-07:00

Yep, blueberries and milk work for me! I love to add them both in my oatmeal in the mornings. It not only tastes yummy, but I can get in part of my milk serving and a whole fruit serving! It tastes delish. And this morning I added a little too much milk so it was more soupy, however it ended up tasting like a desert, so I was happy. And I got a full milk serving in! Yay!

What works for you? For more WFMW visit We Are THAT Family.

Little black dress

2009-05-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, I must say I was very excited about Mother's Day. Not just because it was my first time to celebrate with Ian in my arms, but because I had my first of many "little black dresses"! It is a size 18, which when I started Weight Watchers I was nearly a size 26. Yep you read right a size 26! So needless to say I was thrilled when a size 18 dress fit me so nicely!

I will admit I felt pretty good wearing this dress. The pictures cannot capture how I felt. But I will post some anyway. I also paired the dress with a pashmina (not sure if I am spelling that right) that my friend Paula brought me from New York! So fancy, right?

Again!

2009-05-07T05:51:00.000-07:00

We had a loss again this week! When I say we I mean WE. You all are such a great encouragement to me. I love going places and having people notice that I have lost! Plus, the encouragement that I get from my wonderful husband is a must have. I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for him. I love you Justin!

So my grand total is now 62.4 pounds lost! This is the highest I had been at before getting pregnant with Ian, so hopefully next week I can beat that! How great would that be? Either way I am so thankful for being where I am today. God has truly blessed me with people, things and just his all around awesome power. I love you God!

Throw your hands in the air...

2009-04-30T06:02:00.000-07:00

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! I lost! I lost 6.2 pounds this week! I was so excited. Yep notice the new number to your right...61.2 pounds lost! I am just so excited! I can't wait to continue doing this weight loss stuff. ;) I know that this big of a loss will be unusual, but any loss has been unusual lately for me, so I am thrilled to have lost at all let alone this much. Yippee!

I am hopefully going to get to go on a walk today. It may be a little cooler than normal, but it isn't raining yet!

Continue to pray for me as I am on this journey! There is nothing like the power of prayer!

writing to help me not eat...

2009-04-27T17:41:00.000-07:00

Oh boy am I just wanting to eat tonight! I was about to go get another WW cake, which in and of it self is not so bad, but when you eat an entire box that adds up. I am not at that point yet. I have only had two today. As I was about to get up I remembered that I would have to track it. (bite it write it) I decided to get on to my blog, like I used to do when I got this way. Writing seems to help my desire to eat go away. I don't know what it is, but hey what ever works, right?

I am currently watching Sabrina, the re-make. I have not ever seen the original one. Ian is playing on the floor and Justin doesn't feel good so he is in bed. I am looking forward to Ian going to sleep so I can finish up some invitations for a baby shower I am throwing.

Ok, I think my writing has helped and my desire to eat is gone. I am now off to get some water. Pray for me that I will stay with in my points tomorrow. I have gone over today. :(

Mad but not discouraged...

2009-04-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

So I gained this week. :( I was so frustrated at first. Since Thursday I have calmed down though. I promised my weight watchers leader that I would email her my tracker. This has helped me actually track all of my points. And I mean all of them, including my Braums from Friday night. I also realized I should not eat as much popcorn as I have been eating. Evidentaly the salt in it can cause you to gain weight. I was seriously eating it everyday, sometimes twice a day!

I am a little frustrated at the weather predictions this week. It looks like rain all week! I have been doing so good with walking outside. Grrr, arrgg. This means I may not have the help of my friends to keep me accountable with my work outs. (Justin the pressure is on)

Read the poem from the previous post. It is very good! I just keep thinking "If you bite it write it!"

Don't quit

2009-04-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine emailed this to me. I hope it inspires you as it did me...

DON'T QUIT

When you've eaten too much and you can't write it down
And you feel like the biggest failure in town;
When you want to give up just because you gave in
And forget all about being healthy and thin;
So What! You went over your points a bit;
It's your next move that counts....So don't you quit!

It's a moment of truth, It's an attitude change;
It's learning the skills to get back in your range;
It's telling yourself "You've done great up till now;
You can take on this challenge and beat it somehow."
It's part of your journey toward reaching your goal;
You're still gonna make it, just stay in control.

To stumble and fall is not a disgrace
If you summon the will to get back in the race;
But, often the strugglers when losing their grip
Just throw in the towel and continue to slip
And learn too late when the damage is done
That the race wasn't over and they still could of won.

Life-style change can be awkward and slow
But facing each challenge will help you to grow;
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint in the cloud of doubt.
When you're pushing to the brink, just refuse to submit;
If you bite it you write it.....BUT DON'T YOU QUIT!

Oh me, oh my!

2009-04-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

Weight watchers is challenging all its members to do a 5K! I am so excited. They are providing all the tools for the training and if we complete the 5K then we get some free stuff from them! I was made our team captain yesterday at the meeting. I think this will help me stay motivated with exercising! I got out and walked yesterday with Ian on my back and AJ in the stroller! We only walked for about 13 minutes, but it was nice. The bad thing is that today it is raining. :( I do have a walking DVD though from WW so I think, scratch that, I KNOW I will do it today! I feel so pumped now.

I actually lost this week! Yay for that. Just what I needed to get started on this 5K. I want to be at 75 pounds lost (total, not in addition to what I have already lost) by the time our family goes to Florida (that would be May 30). I think that this is possible. I had previously made that same goal and that has come and gone already. But now I am on a new mission. I have been cooking dinner at home the past two weeks, which not only saves us money but also helps me stay on track.

I CAN
I WILL
I WANT TO!

so much to say so little time to say it!

2009-04-16T21:02:00.001-07:00

I am feeling so pumped, but alas I need to go clean bottles, so I will write more tomorrow! I can't wait to share with you guys!

I'm a looser!

2009-04-03T07:51:00.001-07:00

Praise God! I lost yesterday! I guess this whole tracking thing does work ;) Just kidding, I know it works and I am so thankful that I was able to loose. I am now going to start tracking everything, yup, everything! Today for breakfast I gave in and had a piece of left over pizza, but I tracked it. Turns out it was only 4 points. Tonight Justin and I are going on a date to Outback Steakhouse and then to see Edmond Santa Fe's production of Guys and Dolls! So for dinner I am going to try out this new thing that WW has called set points. Meaning you can eat what ever size portion you want and it has a set number of points. Wish me luck, better yet pray for me! Prayer is always better than luck. ;)

Something we talked about at our meeting this week was stress eating. If we would have had more time I would have asked this question: How do you get away from eating unhealthy choices when you are stressed? Because while they say "it doesn't make you feel better", I must be honest it makes me feel better. So how in the world am I supposed to get past this? Any tips would be great!

Menu planning, brought to you by www.kraftfoods.com

2009-04-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have been on a search over the past few weeks for a good menu plan. When I say good I mean food that Justin and I would actually eat. :) Most of the time the menu's I see have stuff that we just wouldn't eat or I don't know how to fix. I have recently found that www.kraftfoods.com has a menu planner. They plan 5 days of food and make a grocery list for you to print out. Not only that but the nutritional info is on each of the recipes so I can figure out the points! I can't wait to get started. Oh and it is all FREE!!!

next step...

2009-03-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

So I have done an entire week of tracking my morning points! Yes I had a day or two where I messed up, but I got back on the next day. Now this week my goal is to track my morning and afternoon points. This is going to be harder, but I know I can do it for "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

Today I already resisted a cookie (this was not easy, seriously see how cute and yummy they look here). But I figured it will still be here for me tonight.

Last night at my weigh in I gained 4/10 of a pound. Which considering the week before I gained 2.8 pounds, I was pleased with the 4/10. I think I will be able to see a difference once I am tracking everything. Although really I saw a difference with just tracking the mornings, just not the difference that I want to see right now.

Are you trying to loose weight? Do you have a weight loss blog? Share your story with me. I would love to be able to read encouraging stories or be able to encourage you! Thanks for stopping by.

Baby steps

2009-03-20T07:20:00.001-07:00

Back to square one. I am having the hardest time getting into weight watchers. I haven't counted my points in forever. So I am going to take baby steps, you know like in What About Bob. So for the next few days I will count everything prior to lunch. This doesn't give me the excuse to eat bad after lunch and beyond, but it will help me get into the counting of the points. So this morning I counted my breakfast. I already forgot about my deal and have made some brownies, I licked the spoon I mixed it with. Doh! Well I am trying. I CAN do this!

So Funny

2009-03-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Works For Me...Generic Applesauce!

2009-03-11T06:20:00.001-07:00

So for years I have thought that I didn't like applesauce. I am not sure why, I don't really remember trying it and not liking it. Who knows though, I don't have a good memory! Well my friend Ashleigh, who I go to the library and walking with, had some natural applesauce with her lunch the other day. She said it was good so I decided to try it. I need to find ways to get my fruit in! I love it! It is so yummy. And it is natural so it doesn't have the added sugar. (I think that is what it means) :) Anyway, we bought the generic Walmart brand and it is YUMMY! I would highly recommend it. Thanks for the suggestion Ashleigh! For more works for me ideas visit We Are THAT Family.

tracking!

2009-03-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

Well it is 11:02 and so far I have tracked all of my points today! I don't know what changed but this morning I am a new person. I even resisted some M&M's that I had left in the kitchen last night! I just put a clip on it and put them in the fridge. There may come a time when I want to eat some but I will count them! I was just so proud of how I have done today that I had to write about it.

I am back to this blog!

2009-03-05T13:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am back to this blog! I tried to go another route, but it just didn't work.

I have been in such a slump lately. I just don't care about doing weight watchers. Tonight I am supposed to go weigh in and I really don't want to go. I am 99.9% sure that I gained. I just want to not worry about weight loss. I just want to bake all day long! That is something I have such fun doing but it is hard to loose weight and bake yummy goodness all week long! Arg! I am tired and have only wanted to sleep a lot lately. (no I am not pregnant, and those that know me know that I tested) :) I wish that I could just wake up and be skinny! I know that is so not going to happen. Well I don't know what else to write. I guess just PLEASE pray for me. I know the only way I am going to get out of this stupid slump is with God's help.

New site...

2009-01-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

Hey all. I am so addicted to the Weight Watcher boards now! I have noticed a lot of people have websites through www.freewebs.com. So I have decided to start one of my own. I will no longer be posting on this blog, so come view my new one at http://createdinhisimage.webs.com/

For those of you who read my husbands blog and noticed that he has a new blog, I am not doing this to copy him, although he isn't a bad person to copy. I didn't even know he had done that until I was in the middle of making my new page! What can I say great minds think alike. :0

Good News

2008-12-31T08:42:00.000-08:00

So I was going to put in the title line 'good news and bad news', but then I decided that all lose is good news! So while I didn't make my goal of reaching my pre-pregnancy weight by today, I am however only 8/10 of a pound away from it!!! So here is to a new year with new goals, of which I will achieve them all!!!

forgot about tuna!

2008-12-29T09:43:00.000-08:00

I made the best tuna sandwich today. I had made it before I was pregnant, you know since you aren't suppose to have tuna during pregnancy. Anyway, it was wonderful! you take tuna (packed in water of course) and cut some onions up. Cook it in a pan in 1/2 TBSP of olive oil. Add seasoning as you prefer, I like garlic salt! Now I used to add a piece of provolone cheese, but I didn't have any so I just put it on some bread and it was great as it was and less points with out the cheese. Total points - 5! You need to use the bread that is only 1 point for 2 slices (sara lee 45 calorie bread). Try it out and if you do let me know how you liked it!

I am planning on weighing in on Wednesday, but I am hoping they will let me just weigh in but not count it. I will go back on Saturday for my real weigh in.

I'm back...

2008-12-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

Ok y'all, I didn't post last week because I was very disappointed at my weigh in. I gained 4 pounds last week, blah. I really did not care about loosing weight that week and to be honest I still am a little in the "I don't care" mode. But this weeks weigh in was a lot better, I lost 3.8! So I have 2.2 to go to reach my pre-pregnancy goal. I am going to weigh in on Wednesday morning, although I am hoping they will let me just weigh in and not count it because I don't want to count it until Saturday when I go to weigh in then. I really want to get back into my kick butt mode so I bought a new points calculator at my WW meeting that I can keep in my purse all the time and I am thinking about doing a class at my church called Body and Soul. It is a work out class to Christian music. Anyways, please pray that I can do good over the next few days, I would really like to reach my goal by Wednesday.

Black Eyed Peas...the food not the band!

2008-12-16T11:01:00.001-08:00

I love black eyed peas! I am so totally serious. I had them for dinner last night (an entire can by myself, well Justin had a small bite on his plate, but he is not fond of the BEP's) and I had an entire can for lunch today! They are only 5.5 points per can and they are on the Weight Watcher list of filling foods to eat! It is cold outside and this is a perfect meal or side to have during this cold weather!

Leave me a comment to tell me what your favorite food to eat during this cold weather is.

I am thrilled!

2008-12-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

I lost 4.2 pounds this week!!!! I can't believe it. I was so thrilled about it. Look what a little tracking (ok a lot of tracking) can do! Now my next goal is to keep tracking and work out too. I didn't work out this week (well ok I do count swawing with Ian in my arms as activity points). Keep praying for me. I have only 2.2 pounds to meet my pre-pregnancy goal by December 31st. Totally do-able. I look forward to my next weigh in!

I did it!

2008-12-11T05:21:00.000-08:00

I am so excited! I counted my points everyday for the past week! I did it, I did it! I can't wait to weigh in tonight! Even if I don't lose I am so very proud of myself for sticking with the program for 7 days in a row! Stay tuned for my results!

4 days down 3 to go!

2008-12-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

Day 4 of counting my points all day long is complete! It has been easier than I thought. Although on Sunday I was out in the gathering at our church during the service (Ian was fussy) and I was starving. Well my friend Haley had a mix of animal crackers and some other stuff but I said no because I didn't know the point value! Aren't you proud of me? :) It really has been easier. I guess the challenge that our WW leader gave us was all I needed! Now I will just need to continue with the tracking my points. It probably doesn't help that I am sitting here watching The Food Network. Oh well. I don't have any more points left for today but that is ok since it is after 9 pm. Well I have to go, Ian is fussy. Keep praying for me!

What makes holiday memories?

2008-12-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

So as I was heading home from my weight watcher meeting tonight I started thinking about what makes a holiday good. Use to I would have said first the food. But now I say the family or friends that you surround your self with and the things you do that day. While eating is a part of your day it shouldn't be the most memorable part of it. I realized that on Thanksgiving this year I didn't eat stuffing! I love stuffing, and you know what? I had a fantastic day! Yes a fantastic day with out eating stuffing!!! So food should not make your holiday. Memories should make your holiday, family should make your holiday and friends should make your holiday!

By the way I lost 1.2 pounds this week! I was so excited. Please pray for me this week as our WW leader challenged us to track our food points and our activity points. We are to bring our tracker to the meeting next week to be entered into a drawing to win something. I really want to do this. Not just because I could win something but because I want to get to my pre-pregnancy weight by the end of the year. I have only 6.4 pounds to go!