Winter Challenge, Week 2!

Last week went well!  I did really good on the fast food.  Didn't have any till Saturday.  I am not counting weekends.  :) 

This week's challenges will be:

1. Measure portion sizes with everything I eat.

2. Journal!

Think you can do it?  After getting on the scales this morning I KNOW I can do it!

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  -Philipians 4:13

This could be fun!

Okay, so the holidays are here!  I'm not sure if it's me, but it is SO difficult to stay away from food. It is everywhere!  I'm not saying that we should completely deprive ourselves of all the season's goodies.  We(I) simply need to exercise a little selfcontrol during the next month.
Here's an idea...
I would like for you all to come up with weekly challenges, then email them back to me. I will send out a new challenge every week. Keep it REALISTIC!!! We want goals that we can actually achieve. I think that this could be a really good, easy, FUN way for us to make it through December.  If you all participate this could even get us through the winter.
I'm excited to see what challenges you come up with!

OUR FIRST CHALLENGE:

NO fast food or fried food

4 glasses of water a day

Remember this is only for one week. We can do it!!!

Love you all!
Beth

"6b) I am the LORD All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit." -Zechariah 4:6

This is a copy of an email that I sent out to our accountability group. If you want to join in feel free to email me at healthybeth@gmail.com

Gotta get back on track!

Okay... I know I said this in the last post, but I HAVE to get back on track!  God gave me this one body and I need to take care of it!  I will have to admit that the last few weeks haven't been too great.  I have pretty much eaten whatever I wanted and found excuses for it every time!

NO MORE EXCUSES!!!!!

"19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body."     --1 Corinthians 6:19-20

If I am truly a child of God, then I am HIS.  I am not mine!  And just how am honoring God with my body right now???  Not by eating junk food all the time and snacking late at night! 

God created me, with my own free will.  I need to use this "free will" to make better choices and tell myself "NO" when I don't need something...  like the nachos that I ate at 10pm Saturday night.

So, today is the day that I get back on track.  I'm still not going to do anything crazy.  I am even going to allow myself to have things that I like, just in moderation. 
One possitive thing is that I've been exercising, so I haven't gained any weight.  I'm still not healthy, though.  I need to be eating better AND exercising.  That's how to become a "Healthier Me".  That's what I want to do.  That's what I NEED to do!

Have a beautiful day!

Beth

Stuck...

Well, I'm stuck at 163. It's been several weeks. I'm okay with that though, because I'm losing inches! If I had to choose, I'd rather lose inches than pounds. So, I took this Fusion class on Friday and it kicked my butt! I will be taking it again next week :) Surely if it hurts this bad, I will begin to see results! I've got on my size twelves and I need a belt! My goal is to be in a ten by Christmas. I have a couple of new dresses that are a size ten, but I want to be a size ten in jeans! This is something that I know is possible. I just have to keep my focus in the right place. "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." -Zech. 4:6b Today we took the kids swimming after working out and I will have to say that I didn't feel too bad in my swimsuit! If I just didn't have this baby belly... gut. At least I have two fabulous children to show for it! We took the kids to see Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D today. It was so fun! We really had a great time! I need to get better about posting my food intake and posting more often! Maybe then I would actually start seeing more pounds come off. Accountability works! Have a great week!

Today was a GREAT day!

I have had a wonderful day today! Started w/the fitness center. Took part of a step class, then went upstairs and burned 230 calories! Then Mom came and we ran some errands and spent time together. I love our relationship! It's funny how I never really appreciated that until I moved to CWY. I got to do some really cute/fun hair tonight. I really miss it. I wouldn't change where I am right now, though. It works out well b/c I do enough friends/family that I still have the opportunity to get creative and enjoy it w/out it being "work". Today I ate: breakfast- Zone Perfect bar water lunch- Caesar side salad w/ chicken nuggets (wendy's) a few of Mitch's oranges small diet coke snack- orange juice dinner- smart ones pizza sugar snap peas YUM! I also drank several bottles/glasses of water today :) I cannot wait to weigh in on Thursday! I know that I may not necessarily see results on the scales b/c I started at the fitness center. It will still be nice to see if I did lose, though. We'll see! Have a great Tuesday!

I didn't eat much today...

It's late, so I'm not going to post much. Today I ate... bfast- Forgot to eat, so I ate half of a Styrofoam cup of dry Cheerios. I was teaching this morning and that was the snack. Coffee w/sugar and cream lunch- Salad from Pizza Hut 3 bread sticks Unsweet tea w/lemon and sweet n' low dinner- two pancakes 1 piece sausage orange juice snack- grapefruit That's it! Going to the fitness center tomorrow!!!

I'm gonna be hurting tomorrow!

I have been to the fitness center FOUR DAYS IN A ROW! WOOHOO!!!! I'm gonna be sore tomorrow! That's okay though... what is the point in going if I don't feel it, right? My goal is to go 5 out of every 7 days. Even if it's just for 30 minutes. Number one- I need to see some results. Number two- I need to make this part of my routine. Number three- I'm paying for it, so I need to go! It isn't as horrible as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I still don't like it. I guess I'm just getting used to feeling goofy in front of people. Today was the most difficult day. I had not even gone upstairs yet and saw this cute skinny girl that I went to school with. Let me make this clear, I have NO issues with this person. She's always been very nice to me. It just was intimidating to see someone that I haven't seen in so long while I was doing something that makes me feel ridiculous... which is what these feelings are-RIDICULOUS!!! I know that there's no reason to feel like that, but it's just REALLY hard for me! God created me and I know that I am beautiful in his sight. Plus, we are all at the fitness center for the same reason. So why should I feel goofy about exercising? At least I'm there! Anyway, today my baby girl is SEVEN!!! In two weeks my baby boy is three! They aren't babies anymore. That is good and bad. No more diapers... YAY!!! They're growing up... :( The older that they get the more I realize that I HAVE to be healthier. Not just for me, but for them! They deserve a healthier Mom. I need to set a better example that what they have seen thus far. Proverbs 22:6 (New Living Translation) "Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it." Have a great weekend!

not so good :(

Well, my Mom was here the last 2 days and I REALLY bombed. It's okay though, because tomorrow is a new day! I know that I should post what I ate, but I'm not going to do it. I honestly feel too guilty. At least I'm admitting that I didn't eat good. That's progress even from six months ago! The Biggest Loser started tonight. I like this show! It's SO motivating. Since I'm not posting what I ate today, I'll post my goals for tomorrow. 1) go to the fitness center 2) drink 3 glasses of WATER 3) 4 fruits or veggies I know that this all seems like simple stuff, but all three are goals that I have a difficult time reaching. Sad, huh? If you would like to suggest goals feel free to do so. I would welcome a challenge, so bring it on! I will ask that you please keep it realistic :) Have a great Wednesday!

18-12!

I got new jeans for my bday. My Mamaw always gets me jeans. That's just our thing. She takes me shopping and I usually get 2 or three new pair of jeans. I don't wear them all the time, so they last a while and usually by the time I need more it's summer and I'm wearing capri pants. I am getting ready to have a yard sale and so today I was going through some of my clothes. I found some of last year's jeans. They are the pair that I enjoyed the most. I felt really cute in them last year. I was very happy to be able to put those size 18 jeans into the yard sale box! I know that 18 isn't too big, but when you're 5' 1.5" (yes, I count the half inch), that is WAY to big! My bday was in August and I got three new pair of jeans. I am a shorty. I'm tall enough that I can't buy petite or short sizes, but short enough that the regular length is WAY too long. My friend's mom was sweet enough to hem them for me and I just got them back tonight (thanks Mrs. Deanna!). I'm so excited about my new size 12 jeans, that I have them on!!! Hehe!!! So, I went from an 18 to a 12 in 1 year! I had no surgery and took no pills. It was all me with help from my great God! I'm very pleased with that! Zechariah 4:6b (New International Version) "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty." Today: bfast- Special K double chocolate protein bar coffee lunch- Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Rotisserie Chicken Lunch meat (4 slices) bowl of fresh green beans snack- cookie dinner- 1 bowl of chicken and dumplings brownie lg unsweet tea from sonic w/lime and sweet n low I know that I didn't do too great today, but I usually take weekends off. It's one of the ways that I have been able to do so well. If I don't allow myself a little treat now and then, I know that I'll just totally mess up. I hope that you have a fabulous week!!!

I'm having a cookie attack!!!!!

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm going to have to start making myself eat more. Wow! That's just crazy!!! It's 9pm and I just got this huge cookie craving. So, I'm eating ONE cookie and drinking a glass of skim milk. I am sitting here thinking about what I ate today and it's really not that great. breakfast- Oatmeal To Go unsweet tea w/lemon and sweet n low lunch- chargrilled chicken sandwich w/all the veggies (even tomato!) medium fries unsweet tea w/lemon and sweet n low medium fruit cup dinner- bowl of homemade green beans (YUM!) snack- cookie and milk I know that I didn't eat enough b/c it's 9pm and I have the munchies. I need to try to eat more snacks so that I won't have to deal w/this anymore. Day 1 of the fitness center- Took a class and felt totally ridiculous. I know that it will get better, especially when I've gone enough to be able to do all the stuff that they were doing. It was really tough! I may have lost almost 40 pounds, but I'm definitely not in shape! When I got done w/the class I still wanted to do something, but was pretty tired. I rode a bike for about 20 minutes. I know that is not much, but it's quite a bit for me! My goal is to go at least 5 days a week. I would like to go all 7, but know that sometimes that may not be possible. We'll see :)

25 pounds to go!

Okay... when I started trying to eat healthier, my overall goal was to reach 137 pounds. I have this chart that says how much you should/shouldn't weigh. It gives two numbers- 109 is the minimum and 137 is the maximum. Trying to be realistic, I set my goal as the higher number (137). 109lbs. just sounds scary to me! After having two children and not even being able to remember when I weighed under 120, I just don't feel that it is possible (or necessary) to be that small. Like I've said before, I'm trying to be healthy, not "skinny". I weighed today and I am at 162.0!!!! I'm a HAPPY girl! I'm over halfway there! It feels good to finally feel like I'm making progress. I joined the fitness center today. That's a big deal for me. I am SOOOO self conscious! AND I HATE to exercise! I know it is something that I need to learn to enjoy. I NEED to be active and take care of this body that God gave me. I want my children to see me making healthy choices and doing healthier things. So... I start tomorrow. Wish me luck! Here's what I ate today: breakfast- Special K peanut butter chocolate protein bar unsweet tea w/lime and sweet n low :) lunch- Healthy Choice Country Vegetable soup Special K Italian Tomato & Herb crackers (24 crackers is a serving size!) still drinking the tea :) snack- 1/4 cup trail mix dinner- Burger King Kid's Meal- small burger w/ketchup, mustard, and pickles small order of onion rings kid's size diet coke It's 8pm and I'm still full! :)

Okay...

I've been really busy so I haven't posted for the past few days. Now that I'm finally sitting down for the day and thinking about it, I didn't eat much today! That's good and bad at the same time. I know that my appetite has changed and that's a good thing. I also know that I need to eat better than what I did today. It just wasn't healthy! bfast- Met Mike at McD's in Morrilton for a bfast date :) 3/4 sausage biscuit w/mustard 1/2 hashbrown 1 of Mitchell's pancakes. Orange Juice lunch- 8 pita chips Salsa!!! :) Diet Coke snack- 1 butter cookie That was the snack for the kids tonight. They call them "ring cookies". It's TOO cute! large unsweet tea w/lime and sweet n low from Sonic dinner- 1 grapefruit cup still drinking my tea :) yup, that's pretty much it! Like I said, I KNOW this is not realistic or healthy! I was super busy all day, so I honestly didn't think about eating. Now it's 10pm and I don't want to eat b/c it's so late. Which is a HUGE change for me! Tomorrow is Thursday... weigh-in day! Wish me luck! Last check was 165.5. I'm pleased with that. I just need to get to the gym and get rid of this belly!

Thursdays...

Why are Thursdays so weird? It's not the beginning of the week, it's not the end of the week. Thursday isn't even cool enough to be the middle of the week! I guess if you get technical, Thursday is the end of the middle of the week... make sense??? Another reason I really don't like Thursday is because it is the day that I weigh. I usually keep my scales at home, but a couple of weeks ago I decided to leave them in my office. We have an accountability group that is meeting once a week and I always take the scales back and forth. I also thought if they weren't here, I wouldn't be able to get on them EVERYDAY and obsess over a stinkin' number! Our group hasn't been able to meet the last two weeks, so it's been that long since I weighed. I thought that would actually be a good thing. WRONG!!!! I gained three pounds! UGH!!! I'm making sure to record it so that I will SEE it on my chart. It makes a difference! I also HAVE to keep journaling. Recording everything I eat really makes a difference, and I've been slacking! Breakfast- Protein Bar Small unsweet tea w/lime and sweet n low :) Snack- Diet Coke Lunch- 4 Pita chips w/Bree’s AWESOME salsa!!!!! 2 Handfuls of trail mix. I had an entire cupful, but was full, so I just ate a little. Water Dinner- 1 bread stick w/marinara Pepperoni Personal Pan Unsweet tea w/lemon and sweet n low :) I know that my lunch was weird, but I was on the go all day and figured that it was better than fast food! My goal for tomorrow is to drink 2 glasses of water instead of one and also to eat more fruits/veggies.

Today was...

Well, today was pretty good! breakfast- grapefruit cup green tea lunch- tuna salad kit cucumber (love it!) ranch dip green tea dinner- half of a chicken breast 1/4 cup brown rice fresh green beans... YUM!!! 1/8 cup steamed corn iced tea w/lemon and sweet n low so... can you tell that i like tea? I really want to add more to this blog, but haven't had much time! hopefully I'll have a little extra time in the next few days to do more than list my food. Hope you have a blessed day! Zechariah 4:6b 6b 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.

my profile pic...

fyi- my profile pic was taken about 25 pounds ago! I intentionally posted that one so that I would see it everytime I got on here and remember what my final goal is!

This is my first time to do this!

So, I periodically post notes to my facebook/myspace pages and it was just getting a little old. I thought doing this may be a better idea... we'll see how it works out! I'm going to try to post my food journal on here. I really feel like that journaling is important if I'm really going to be serious about reaching my goals. I'll write about those later. So far today, I've had: 1 packet of instant oatmeal and grean tea w/lemon and honey. I've got to run get ready for work, but I'll try to do more of this later today! Lunch- peanut butter crackers (1 pack) water unsweet tea w/lime and sweet N low Dinner- Kiddie Fingerz from Zaxby's (it was M.Vann fundraiser night) I didn't eat most of the fries. just the 2 chicken strips. 1/2 order of chips kid's unsweet tea w/lemon and sweet n low 1 package of keebler bug bites (cinnamon grahams) That's it!