April Package Pen-Pal

 Friday I received something in the mail~it was my April Package Pen Pal

Here are all the goodies that were sent to me:

 My PPP was Jamie

She sent me some pretty awesome stuff! We have some Nut crisps, a necklace, earrings, salad dressing, gum, some seasoning packs, some twilight woods body spray and lotion from bath & body works (which is my favorite) and lastly was my mostfavorite thing of all~the cup with my name on one side and the other said has I am made for MORE! I am made for VICTORY!

If you would like to take part in PPP for next month, just let Jamie know.

This is how it works: You would basically take a few items ($15 limit) a month that you are using or have found that are awesome and you have enjoyed and send them to your P.P.P. Of course, they would all need to be on the healthy side and something that you have tried. You could also include products such as bath, beauty, aroma,etc that you have truly enjoyed and that are good for you. You could send them a note with encouraging words or scripture or maybe even a great book that you have read that encouraged you.
This is something for us to be creative with this and have fun with!

You can also check out Jamie's facebook page That picture is what you really look like to follow her on her journey..I must say she is pretty awesome!

For those who are regulars to my blog know that any ordinary Sunday/Monday I'd be posting updates on my weigh in..but this week is a little different~I haven't weighed this week yet! I'm just in this funk..I'm not sure if I would classify it as depressed..but I just feel really overwhelmed with everything going on right now. I have a doctors appointment on Wednesday so hopefully I will have some answers! I'm ready to be back to the way I was just 2 weeks ago~ready and eager to take on the world, staying within my calorie range, and exercising!

This afternoon, after getting home from work and just feeling exhausted..I went to status shuffle on facebook (something I do every now and then to see if they have anything that fits my mood) I clicked on christian encouragement..and this was the very first thing that popped up & it's exactly what I needed!

God can overcome all your problems, the only thing you have to do is stop 5 minutes, take a deep breath and PRAY! ♥

I heard this song in the car on the way home~felt like it was meant for me to be in the car at that moment bc it was what I needed to hear.

 

~Thought for the day~

Weigh In~Week 14

This morning after weighing in, I remembered  why I had my weigh in's on Wednesday...a friend had suggested having them on Wednesdays because it was the middle of the week (obviously) but that way if you ate something that you shouldn't have over the weekend, you had 3 extra days to work it off~I know this isn't exactly the way of thinking that I should have but I sounded good so, it's what I did, until last week when I decided to change it to Sundays for the RFSC. Now, with all of that said...I only managed to lose 1 pound! I mean at least I lost something, but I was trying to get 2! But I can't help but think that if weigh ins were still on Wednesdays it could have been more.

I can sit here and say...I have no clue how this happened~but the thing is that I know exactly how it happened...I let some set backs and my emotions get in the way. It all started Wednesday when I talked to my orthopedist about the pain that I had been having since doing the C25K and he is advised me to stay off my knee and no vigorous exercise for a couple of days .....then there is the discomfort to my lower abdomen area which I had an ultra sound for on Thursday and didn't show anything abnormal, so I'm not real sure what is going on.

But here's the thing...I let all of these things that I have going on get to me and it all really got under my skin and even in my head...I start having all of these thoughts: Why am I doing this? I'm never going to reach my goal anyway...Maybe I'm just one of those people that are meant to be fat...Everybody loves me the way I am so why change??..(and on and on) which leads me into  my "forget about it attitude". My "forget about it attitude" went alot like this this time..I'm going to eat what ever I want but I am going to track it (because I have this weird obsession with tracking my calories for some reason) So Friday night I had fried catfish with fried eggplant...then Saturday I had BBQ.

I've said over and over again since January 1 that I'm going to stop making excuses, but I'm still doing it! The reality is that this is Life...and it is my life...and I need to stop using all of the circumstances going on with me and around me as excuses to over eat! I'm sure had I not had the fried stuff Friday night and then all the BBQ food yesterday, I would have met my goal for this week..but I let everything get to me and went into my "forget about it attitude".

This is what I need to remember at these times I feel like giving up~That if God brings me to it, He will bring me through it! He did not promise days without pain or sorrow, but he did  promise strength for the day and comfort for the tears. On days that I feeling like throwing in the towel I need to call on Him and His strength to get me through it.

Something else that I need to remind myself of often is~ I don't need to have cheat days because this is not another diet, it is a lifestyle change and I am tired of cheating my life.

And remember we all have our moments of weakness...but keep in mind that weakness is NOT defeat!!

I need to take pride in how far I have come and faith in how far I can go. It did not take a couple of months to put all of this on soo it will not come off over night!!

Pounds lost since starting blog: 35

Pounds lost since 1/1/12: 11

Total inches lost: 12.5

Week One RFSC Goals and Outcomes:

Weight Loss Goal: Lose 2 pounds (Not Met, only lost 1 pound)
Non-scale Victory Goal:  Lose an inch (Not met~somehow managed to go up 1.5 inches)
Exercise Goal: 50 sit ups a day (Met)
Nutritional Goal: Try something new (Met~tried some kiwi, pretty good stuff)

Week Two RFSC Goals:
Weight Loss Goal: Lose 2 pounds
Non-scale Victory Goal:  Lose 2 inches
Exercise Goal: complete week 1 of C25k~this is something that I really, really, really want to do~so I hope my knee doesn't start giving me trouble again this week
Nutritional Goal: 2 1200 calorie days

Beginning of challenge measurements:
Waist: 41.5
Hips: 50.5
Arms: 15
Thighs: 29.5
Breast: 41.5
Neck: 15.5

End of week 1 measurements:
Waist: 42.5
Hips: 50.5 (0)
Arms: 16 (+1)
Thighs: 32 (0)
Breast: 44.5 (0)
Neck: 15.5 (+1)
Total inches lost: +1.5

~Thought for the day~

How goes it??

I'd thought I'd just take a minute to see how everyone is doing on there first week of the challenge....and to actually share some new/updates with everyone..I as, you know, have been trying to do the C25K, and yesterday during my first jog, I started hurting something offal~but I was determined to not stop and go right back home so I walked the rest of the way instead of throwing in the towel all together and by the time I got back home I was hurting pretty bad. Then when I woke up this morning it was felling ok, so I decided to do the shred and I was able to do the ENTIRE thing but I'm paying for it now! What the heck! I've talked to my orthopedist and he is advising me to stay off my knee and no vigorous exercise for the next couple of days :(

Then to make matters worse, I've been having alot of discomfort to my lower abdomen area for the past couple of days so my doctor having me go do an ultra sound at the hospital tomorrow, he said he thinks it may be cysts on my ovaries :(

All of this news came to me within 3 hours of each other..no exercise for a couple of days and I may have cysts. Really? Why does this have to happen right when I'm in such a good groove with my eating and exercise! Soooo frustrating....so what did I do? Instead of doing what I should have done~which would be calling on GOD and my friends at this time of need~I turned to food! Like I always have! (I thought I had worked through all of this, but guess I was wrong.) Now, grant it...I did track everything I ate (broccoli shrimp, egg roll, combination fried rice, and (yes there is even more) a crab cheese wanton) and I'm still within my ranges for the day, but I feel horrible! I ate way too much than what I've been eating at one time!
To make matters worse, my poor husband came and had lunch with me and he tried talking me out of eating everything that I was eating~but I was in that pity party mood for myself~and told him to just leave me alone.

Here I am..I have all this support...I'm doing good for 2 straight weeks...and I'm going to let my emotions get the best of me!

The quote "Weakness is not defeat" (from MTC) keeps running through my head but at the moment I feel like a total failure.

Here are my new goals for week 1 since I am out of commission for a couple of days & C25K isn't going to happen:
Weight Loss Goal: Lose 2 pounds
Non-scale Victory Goal:  Lose an inch
*Exercise Goal: 50 sit ups a day
Nutritional Goal: Try something new

~Thought for the day~

We are different people than we

were at this time last year

Weigh In~Week 13

Well, since I'm participating in the Ready for Summer Challenge, I decided to change my weigh in days to Monday (instead of Wednesdays)..just so it'll flow better with the weekly check ins for the challenge. This morning I weighed in at 222 pounds!! Which gives me a loss of 2 pounds since last Wednesday! I am sooo beyond excited with this number, 2 pounds in less than a week~not too shabby, I'd say! All my hard work and tracking is paying off!

Last night was my second day of my C25K~Week 1 and it was a little easier than the first time, I just have to work on the breathing more.

So~here goes my beginning weight and measurements for the Challenge:
Beginning of challenge weight: 222 pounds
Beginning of challenge measurements:
Waist: 41.5
Hips: 50.5
Arms: 15
Thighs: 29.5
Breast: 41.5
Neck: 15.5

Wow! Looking back at my measurements from March 1 2012, I have lost 4 inches! But I have one more week left to get a little more off before my monthly check in :)

Here are my goals for week 1:
Weight Loss Goal: Lose 2 pounds
Non-scale Victory Goal:  Lose an inch
Exercise Goal: Complete week 1 of C25K
Nutritional Goal: Try something new

~Thought for the day~

Do not give up what you want MOST for what you want at the moment!

Summer Challenge Week 1~Mini Goals

Tomorrow kicks off the Ready for Summer Challenge & I'm supper excited to begin, actually the past week has been awesome work out and eating wise, so this will totally help I think. After all..July and Panama City Beach will be here before I know it!

Here are my over all goals for the challenge:

Weight Loss Goal: lose15 pounds.
Non-Scale Victory Goal: lose 10 inches.
Exercise Goal: To get 50 workouts in on these 70 days.
Nutrition Goal:  1300 calories a day limit.

Here are my goals for week 1:
Weight Loss Goal: Lose 2 pounds
Non-scale Victory Goal:  Lose an inch
Exercise Goal: Complete week 1 of C25K
Nutritional Goal: Try something new

Friday was actually my first day for my C25K training and I lived to tell you all about it, lol! It had it's ups and downs..I fell like if I can get a grip on my breathing that I could do even better, but that's something that I will have to work on. But I'm excited to do it! I've always wanted to run..and what better time to learn than now? I do have my insecurities though~running outside, in my neighborhood, where there  people around every corner that know me live (you know where I am going here)... but surely they have better things to do than to watch a "big girl" wogging (walking/jogging) down the road, right??

~Thought for the day~

Ready for Summer Challenge

My friend Jamie, over at That Picture...is what you really look like, came across a challenge the other day and asked if I wanted to join in on the fun..so I figured, what the heck..what do I have to lose...absouletly nothing except some weight. Plus summer is right around the corner and vacation will be here before I know it so I think this would be perfect right now!

This (along with a couple of other changes that I'm making, which you can read about in my Weigh In Wednesday~Week 12  post) may be exactly what I need.. because after all I've only managed to lose 8 pounds since January 1, 2012!

This challenge will last 10 weeks, starting March 26th. You set your own goals, and check in weekly. There will also be small weekly challenges, these are voluntary.
Here are the goal categorizes:  weight loss goal, non-scale goal, exercise goal, and nutrition goal. You can choose to do one goal or all goals, it is totally up to you.

So like I said...Summer vacation is coming up, Panama City Beach is just around the corner..so I'm going to put my all into this challenge.

Weight Loss Goal: lose15 pounds..but I realize that I'm a big girl with BIG numbers to drop and I think that  I've gotten a handle on things so once I see how I'm doing I may up this number:)

Non-Scale Victory Goal: lose 10 inches. I really think this one is possible if I keep my mind set because Since January 1, I've only lost 8 pounds...but lost 9 inches! (may have to up this one too, we shall see)

Exercise Goal: To get 50 workouts in on these 70 days..Whew this is going to be hard..I've been kind of struggling the past couple of days with my workouts but I WILL do it!

Nutrition Goal:  1300 calories a day limit..that's another doosey..the past couple of days I've been trying not to go over 1400 calories, so this will be a MAJOR challenge

So here is the question...

Are you looking for a challenge to help you in your weight loss?

Need a motivation boost towards the summer?

Need accountability?

Look no more!

This challenge will last 10 weeks, starting March 26th. You set your own goals, and check in weekly. There will also be small weekly challenges, these are voluntary. So..what are you waiting for? Go sign up at Ready for Summer Challenge

 

Weigh in Wednesday~Week 12

Hope everyone is having a great week! This week started of kind of shaky but I just had to get a grip on things. I managed to lose one pound this week. I know it's not alot and it puts me right back where I was at the beginning of this month so I'll take it!

Looking back this past month, I have had alot of struggles~food wise and exercise wise. Time and time again I've felt like I'm not strong enough to do this..And...then today I heard this song:

I feel like this song goes straight to my heart for where I am on this journey...even though the past 2 days have been awesome, I'm not going to lie~they were rough! But I just have to ask the Lord to be strong enough for the both of us.

I'm heading North and not looking back. (I actually have tears in my eyes as I type this listening to the song.)

I also want to share that my blog has allowed me to find someone who is on this same journey as me and has become a great friend of mine.... I'm sure I'd still be struggling if it wasn't for her, but I think I'm on the right path now thanks to her. We have been reading Made to Crave together for the past couple of weeks and comparing notes and texting each other encouraging things~and I just want to say THANK you Jamie! It really wasn't until Sunday night reading when things really began to click..I have to realize that weakness is not defeat... I have to realize that I don't need to have cheat days because this is not another diet, it is a lifestyle change & I am tired of cheating my life..... I need to pray for self control before I ever even sit down for that meal or head out for an outing with friends...and remember I am made for MORE~I am made for VICTORY!! Last night reading..I came across Revelation 3:8~Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is to shut.

I have tried to do this on my own time and time again but have failed... but this time I'm doing it different, I'm calling on God, my friends, and my family to help me through this! This is a door that the Lord has set before me and not even I will shut.

~Thought for the day~