I Know... I'm a Dork!

Ever heard of e-mealz?  We signed up for it!  I am SO excited.  We went grocery shopping and saved a TON of $$$ too!  The fact that my meals are planned out for me and they are simple (and cost effective!) is so exciting!  It is official... I know... I am a dork.  Hopefully this will help us in many ways.  Eating at home not only saves $$$, but also saves CALORIES!  Hooray for e-mealz!

My school schedule is changing in the spring.  Hopefully this will give me more time to take care of myself and my family!  One more final exam and then I can relax.  I can already breathe a little easier.  Ahhh...

This morning, as I was driving across the lake from taking C to school I thought about how beautiful it was. 

 I did NOTHING to deserve this beautiful view.  God is such an amazing artist!

Seeing this sunrise motivated me.  It made me want to RUN. 

As soon as I got home, I changed clothes, grabbed the leash, and headed out with Darcy, my eleven month old miniature dachshund.  That little dog made it 2.3 miles!  She's tougher than I thought.  Of course, it was NOT all running.  We did walk some too.  She's now passed out on the couch.  I guess I wore her out!

Here is another picture I took of the sky when Darcy and I were out.  Sorry about the shabby photography.  The pictures were taken with my phone.

What a great start to a great week!  

Thank you, GOD, for the beautiful sunrise!

TIPS!

Recently I have had a few friends ask for some information by email or Facebook.  I decided to copy/paste it to my blog for future reference.  Hope it's helpful!  

I really am not crazy about expensive fad diets. From what I've observed, they typically are WAY over priced and they do not last. Who can really live their entire life drinking shakes or taking supplements. That's just not how God created us to live. It's not natural!

Okay, you may already know most of these, but here are a few things that work for me:

1)PRAY.
Don't rely solely on yourself, others, or self-help books. All these can be VERY helpful, but I think you know WHO we should ultimately depend on!

2)ACCOUNTABILITY.
Find a few friends that you feel you can completely trust and share EVERYTHING (I would be happy to be one of those!). True accountability is really difficult at first, but you will find that it will ultimately make things so much better for you. Share your struggles, temptations, likes, dislikes, weight (this is the toughest!), exercise, EVERYTHING. I promise it WILL make a difference! I have a close friend who shares the same struggles I do and in the past, we have texted each other our weight weekly. I'm at 177 (was down to 159, then back up to 186), and HAVE to get back on track before I am right back where I started. I have even gone so far as texting her everything I ate as I ate it. Whatever it takes, right?!

3)MEASURE YOUR FOOD.
This is easy, but also easy to forget to do! Get some measuring cups/spoons that are simple and easy to use. I have a set that actually look like spoons. I LOVE them! They are 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8 cups. Get whatever works for you though. I like the spoon shape of mine b/c I can easily serve my food with them.
It helps to SEE how much food you are putting on your plate. Don't starve yourself. Look at the serving size, and get that amount. If when you finish, you still feel hungy, go back and MEASURE your second helping.
Once I got used to doing this, I actually started measuring out 1/2 of the serving size of the one thing on my plate that was the most unhealthy (I usually did what had the most carbs). That way when I got seconds, it was only one complete serving and I wasn't going overboard on it!
Another easy measuring tool is to imagine a divided styrofoam plate. The biggest section should be your green veggie, the two smallest your meat and carb. You can do that when you don't have a way of measuring.

4)MEASURE YOURSELF.
Get a friend to measure an area of your body that you struggle with. You can look up measuring charts online if you want to measure what is recommended by the experts. Sometimes you may not shrink in weight, but you are losing inches (especially if you're working out). I would honestly rather lose inches than pounds!
Cut a ribbon or string the length of your beginning measurements and each time you measure (I like to do once monthly), cut a new one. It's kind of fun to see if/how it changes!

5)REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!
No matter what we look like, we are beautiful! I tell my precious nine year old daughter all the time that "God doesn't make ugly people." to remind her that we are all "precious in His sight". Find a few inspiring scriptures and memorize them as a reminder of this!!!

6) Always use a smaller plate and smaller utensils. 
We tend to want to fill our plate with food and you can fill a small plate and it actually ends up being enough food. Plus if you want to go back for seconds, it's not quite as bad as if you had a normal dinner plate.  Don't forget to measure those second helpings!

7) Read some inspiring books. Here are a few of my favorites.
-First Place For Health
-Made to Crave (I also have this audiobook in my car.)
-The Weigh Down Diet (I don't totally agree with everything this author says, but the book is full of helpful tips.)
-Thin Within

You can probably find some of these in your local or church library.
 
8) Find some graphs or charts where you can see your loss (pounds or inches). 
It motivates you to keep trying and not give up. I found one that was a line graph and it was cool to see the line going down as I was losing. It did it in very small increments so it went down every time I would lose .5 of a pound.
 
9) I did Weight Watchers, so I try to remember what my zero points foods are and eat them as often as possible. If you aren't familiar with this I would be happy to share. There are lots of websites that you can use to find this stuff out too.


http://www.laaloosh.com/ 
This site has lots of resources, charts, and information that is great!

http://www.dwlz.com/
This has mostly WW info, but has restaurant info too. 

10)TAKE YOUR TIME!!!  

This didn't happen overnight. It's not going to come off overnight... and that is OKAY! Don't listen to advertisements and others who say "lose 50 pounds by..." some crazy, unrealistic date. If you lose slowly, you're teaching your body to keep it off. I did gain weight after losing, but it wasn't all of it and I refused to let myself get frustrated. I know that I can just do what I know I need to do and get it off again. This is a lifelong struggle for me and I know it is probably something I will always deal with. I just have to be sure to be aware of that. It's okay. I'm not sad about it. I will just take my time and make changes to stay on the right path. Slow loss over a long period of time is better than crash dieting and being on a never-ending weight loss roller coaster. 

You're doing great, don't give up!!!

Do you know of any other helpful tips or resources?  Please share if you do!

When? What?

I think I have come up with my target weight for my BIG goal.  It is BIG... like REALLY BIG.  Actually, I will be REALLY small by the time this is all over with!  I KNOW I can with HIS help, and I AM EXCITED!!!
Before I share my target weight, I would like to get all my specifics nailed down.  I need a date.  Deciding WHEN I want to reach my target weight will determine LOTS of issues.  This includes the method I choose to use to accomplish this goal.
I have mentioned before that I am NOT a fan of crazy fad diets.  This is something I still feel strongly about.  I need to make a total lifestyle change.  This is the most realistic option for me.  I need to do something that I can stick with after I reach my target weight.  I do not just want to lose, I want to MAINTAIN.
When thinking about my method, I have to think about foods that I tend to go overboard with... foods that tend to make me want to just jump totally off the wagon.   What are they?

• Chocolate
• Fast Food
• Candy
• Bacon
• Cookie Dough
• French Fries
• Bread With Butter and Garlic
• Popcorn With LOTS of Butter
• Chips

Hmm...  I see a pattern here.  My list contains mostly carbohydrates and sugar.  What does this say about ME?  What can I do about this?  More importantly, what can I do about this that will keep me from totally eliminating these things from my diet? 
I know I have to slow down and eat more healthy foods.  Maybe I should try fasting a few of these things for a while.  In the book Made to Crave, the author talks about fasting.  Is this something I should try?  WHAT food or foods should I abstain from?  Have YOU ever fasted?  How wonderful would it be to learn to turn to God each time a craving hit?  Is that not the whole purpose in all this?  Do I not need to learn to turn to God in my time of weakness? 

I Don't Think, I KNOW I Can!

Some days I feel like the Little Engine That Could.  "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."  Well, no more thinking!  I KNOW I CAN!  I mentioned before that I want to do something big.  I want to do something REALLY big.

I have done some research.  If there is one thing I know, it is that ideal weight charts are silly.  None of them are the same.  Some say I have a medium build.  Some say I have a large build.  Some say I should weigh around 120 pounds.  Some say I should weigh around 140 pounds.  There are experts who say you should go by weight.  There are others who say you should go by BMI.

According to the charts and calculators my BMI is 32.7.  This is considered obese.  Gross. 

Here are the BMI stats:

BMI Categories:

Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
Overweight = 25–29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater 

 

Looks like I have a long road ahead of me.  If I were to weigh 150, my BMI would still be 27.4.  This is still considered overweight.  140 pounds is a BMI of 25.6... STILL overweight.

In order to reach the normal weight range, I need to weigh a whopping 136 pounds.  Keep in mind this is at the very TOP of the range.  My BMI would still be 24.9, and would not leave me any room to play.  In order to be right in the middle of the Normal weight range, I need to weigh 119 pounds.  WOW.  That is 60 pounds less than what I weigh right now.  WOW.  There are no words for this! 

What do you think I should shoot for?

Changing Things Up a Bit (4/18/11)

Okay, I have NEVER posted before and after pics.  I honestly did not take any the first go round.  Sure wish I would have!  SO... tonight I WILL have Mike take some yucky "fat" pics of me and I'll post them tomorrow.  Fun stuff, huh?  I am finally going to do this because I know it will motivate me.  Something has got to give!
I just weighed.  I weighed later in the morning and had already gotten into my jeans and outfit for the day.  I'm going to use that as my excuse that I've gained 1 pound.  :(

182... yuck.  It is okay though because it is a new day of a new week!  

It is Easter week!  We had the opportunity to spend yesterday with the sweetest little group of 2 year olds, the Honeybees.  I really think Mike may enjoy subbing in their class more than I do.  It is TOO cute!  Yesterday we taught the Honeybees all about Palm Sunday.  They were so sweet as they waved their palm branches and shouted their verse.

"Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."  -John 12:13

Today's breakfast is YUMMY!  Last week I posted about the Cinnamon Chex with raisins.  Today I cut up some strawberries and put them on top and it's WAY better!!!

Cinnamon Chex, Sliced Strawberries, and Skim Milk

My word of the week is going to be NEW.  I've chosen this word because it is a reminder that HE makes all things NEW... even me!

NEW!

Okay, I have NEVER posted before and after pics.  I honestly did not take any the first go round.  Sure wish I would have!  SO... tonight I WILL have Mike take some yucky, unflattering "fat" pics of me and I'll post them tomorrow.  Fun stuff, huh?  I am finally going to do this because I know it will motivate me.  Something has got to give!

I just weighed.  I weighed later in the morning and had already gotten into my jeans and outfit for the day.  I'm going to use that as my excuse that I've gained 1 pound.  :(  

182... yuck.  It is okay though because it is a new day of a new week!  

It is Easter week!  We had the opportunity to spend yesterday with the sweetest little group of 2 year olds, the Honeybees.  I really think Mike may enjoy subbing in their class more than I do.  It is TOO cute!  Yesterday we taught the Honeybees all about Palm Sunday.  They were so sweet as they waved their palm branches and shouted their verse.

"Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."  

--John 12:13

Today's breakfast is YUMMY!  Last week I posted about the Cinnamon Chex with raisins.  Today I cut up some strawberries and put them on top and it's WAY better!!!

Cinnamon Chex, Sliced Strawberries, and Skim Milk

My word of the week is going to be NEW.  I've chosen this word because it is a reminder that HE makes all things NEW... even me!

Starting today...

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."  -Ephesians 5:15-17

I'm going to try and track what I do throughout the day.  I would like to do this for 5 days.  Goal # 3 is to simplify.  This may make things a little more complicated at first, but in the long run, I believe it will help me reach all 3 of my goals.
Doing this will enable me to see exactly how much time I spend doing certain thing, eliminate the unnecessary, and SIMPLIFY!  I need to SEE what I eat and SEE how much time I spend doing meaningless activities, and also what I eat and DRINK.  I need to make better use of my time!
My day's activity most likely won't be posted on here.  I'm just thinking that would be a little weird.  If I wanted everyone to know exactly what I do every minute of the day, I would re-open my twitter account (I had one at one time, but closed it after deciding it was a HUGE waste of my time!!!).

So, here goes.  I'm going to have to do a daily self-inventory for 5 days.  This will probably make me rethink LOTS of what I do, but hopefully it will help me to reach my 3 goals a little more easily!

Goal #3

I have decided what Goal #3 needs to be.  I will not elaborate because I think that it speaks for itself...

KEEP IT SIMPLE

My THREE GOALS: #1

The year I turned 29, I bought myself a gift.  It was something I had wanted to do for a long time.  I had lost almost 40 pounds, so it was a reward to myself.  This is the 2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  It is the symbol for Beth or "Bet".  It is on the top of my right foot.  Pardon the cruddy, blury photo.  I took it with my phone.

Okay, so I bought a little black dress this past spring.  It was a 30th birthday gift/reward.  My plan was to put it on lay-a-way and set a goal for myself.  The dress fit, but if I lost five pounds before I got it out of lay-a-way, it would fit PERFECTLY.  I was going to wear it for myself for my 30th.
Here's a picture of the dress.  Like I said, the one I bought is black.  I tried to take a picture of the actual dress, but my photography skills (or lack of!) just do not do it justice.  Isn't it cute?!?

Well, guess what?  Life happened.  Unfortunately, I didn't reach my goal.  I actually gained the five pounds... plus several more.  Happy birthday, me, here's a few extra pounds.  :(

After MUCH consideration, I've decided that my first goal is to WEAR THAT DRESS.  I would like to say I want to wear that dress by my 31st birthday, but I don't want to stress myself out with a definite date.  I'll just say that BEFORE 2011 I WILL WEAR THAT LITTLE BLACK DRESS and I WILL FEEL GOOD IN IT!!!

Getting to the point that I can wear this little black dress really shouldn't be that difficult.  Getting to the point that I can comfortably wear this little black dress and feel GOOD in it will be.  I know that I can accomplish this goal I have set for myself if I can remained focused on the end result.  

I need to remained focused on what I know my AWESOME God wants for me, and that is for me to lead a healthy, happy life so that I may better serve him!

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has 

called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

                                                   -Philippians 3:14

So, here's GOAL #1.  I'm still unsure of what my other two goals will be, but will let you know

 just as soon as I decide!

I Am Resolved...

I know it's just the beginning of December, but it's not too soon to be thinking about my resolutions.  This year I WILL KEEP THEM... right?
Really though, I would like to!  I always make resolutions and fully intend to stick to them.  Isn't that the point?
This year, I am going to try and get creative.  I want to do some things a little differently.  I NEED to do many things a little differently.  All I have to say is BABY STEPS!!!
My plan is to come up with THREE GOALS for me to reach in 2011.  I'm going to call them goals this time.  Trying to reach a goal doesn't sound nearly as impossible as keeping a resolution!  I know I should probably set more than three, but I actually want to reach them.  If I set too many, I will give up in no time flat.
I am really good at setting goals for myself.  The problem I have is staying motivated long enough to reach them. I'm considering coming up with a few smaller goals to help me reach the bigger goals.  Weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.  I will set my THREE GOALS for 2011 within the next week or so.  Then before the year begins I will attempt to come up with THREE GOALS for the month of January.
If the monthly goals don't seem to motivate me enough, I will then come up with weekly goals for myself.  Whatever it takes to get back on track.  I CAN do this!
I know that I have to be realistic and not do anything crazy.  I know that baby steps will help me to not get quite so overwhelmed with the big picture.  Focusing on right now and not the big picture is so much easier for my super ADD self!  Yes, I have Attention Deficit Disorder.  Anyone that personally knows me and has spent any real amount of time with me knows this.  I was diagnosed as a child.
I was the kid whose teacher always said "She needs to be medicated." and I am SO thankful that my parents didn't listen to them right off.  I learned LOTS about life and how to somewhat manage mine without being medicated.  There did come a point where it was necessary and I remain on meds as an adult.
It's not something I like to advertise (although I just did by typing this on a blog), or something I am proud of.  It is just something that helps me maintain a normal, healthy, life.  There have been short periods when I thought I didn't need medication so I quit taking mine.  Looking back, it is obvious that my entire family suffered because of it!
Okay, FOCUS!
Within the next few days I am really going to think and PRAY about what THREE GOALS I need to reach in 2011.  They may not all three be related to my physical body.  I know that at least one or two will be.  I am trying to also seriously consider spiritual changes that I need to make and what goal or goals I could set to help me make those changes.
Please pray with me the next few days as I try to figure out what it is that I need to do with/for myself in 2011.
I'm praying for you!