Weight Loss that Last- How my friend has lost 170 pounds (and counting)

Weight loss that last.
A diet / lifestyle that you can live with for more than three months.
Lasting change without regaining the weight you fought so hard to lose.
This is the goal of countless numbers of people, including me.
Few find it.

 My friend has!
 She is amazing, and what an inspiration!
She has lost 170 pounds and went from a size 28 to a size 16!
With hard work and determination. That is it!
 I am going to tell you about her in just a bit.


 First, a bit about me. If you have read any of this blog for any time then you know that I have been pursuing health for a couple of years. I have done Trim Healthy Mama, 17 Day Diet and Weight Watchers.  I am not going into the details of those diets here. There is plenty of info all over the web about them. There are things I learned from all of them, and the many other books I have read. I love reading about nutrition. I love cooking for my family and feeling like I am making the best choices. The biggest thing I have learned is that you have to be able to maintain whatever eating plan you choose. If not, chances are you won't keep it up. This is especially hard with a family of six. Most days I cook three meals a day for them. I made a valiant effort to cook separate things for myself but after a while that gets tiring and expensive. We already spend a lot on groceries.

 While I was going through all of these plans, and thinking I had finally found what I could maintain, only to quit after a weight stall, I was seeing my friend on facebook ( and in real life) shrink. This wasn't an overnight transformation. She was changing herself slowly and she was happy. I read every post and would always come away encouraged. She has the gift of encouragement. Let me tell you about Karla.

I sent Karla a message and asked her if I could write about her journey. When I want to give up she is the first person I think about. She was gracious, and agreed to let me share her story as to encourage myself and anyone else who reads this.


 This is her story in her own words. What a blessing she is and she has the best attitude!

"Karla Williams Project Manager at Shaw Industries, Inc. Age 43 Married to one of my biggest Cheerleaders, Michael Together we have 3 Children, ages 12-23"

 I have struggled with my weight my whole life, even as a child I was heavy.

 In 2009 I was battling a health scare with high BP and elevated Glucose levels. I had even begun to have diabetic ulcers under the flaps of my skin. Both my Parents are diabetics and we have family history of high BP and high cholesterol. I told myself if I don’t get this under control now I may never do it. I decided to make a change in my life to become healthy. I never really just sat down and realized how much food I put in my body. I was committing a sin daily of Gluttony. Now most people say well that is not really a sin but it is and we all often partake in this sin without realizing it. I began to keep a food journal and wrote down everything that went in my mouth for a week. It was then that I realized I was taking in anywhere form 4000-6000 calories a day. I should only consume around 1200-1500 per day to maintain a healthy weight. I quickly realized that I was not really hungry I was either bored, or just eating because it was easier to hit a drive thru than prepare food. I signed up and did Weight Watchers for a while until I learned how to eat in smaller portions. I was too embarrassed to go to the gym so for the first year I did all my workouts at home. I started out by using the Walk away the pounds videos and the weight started coming off 1-2 lbs per week. Most of us modern day people are always looking for a Magic Pill or a Quick Fix but that is not the answer. Even if you find one it won’t last forever.

My motto is “If you cannot see yourself doing it for the rest of your life DON’T START IT” The true answer is “Eat Less. Move More” Smaller portions and exercise is how you maintain a healthy weight.
Now, I am a country girl at heart, I love Fried Chicken, Ribs, Bread, and Sweets…I still eat those things I just eat them in moderation. I hear people say all the time I can’t diet I don’t like vegetables or salads. One funny fact about me is that I DO NOT eat any vegetables or salads, the only green that I eat is green beans. And yes I have still lost weight the key to this is “everything in moderation.”

 In the beginning I weighed myself once a week just to stay on track, but now I avoid the scales all together and just go by how my clothes feel. My biggest goal was to one day be able to walk in Cato’s and go to the right instead of to the left (Plus Size Side) But seriously, just start with saying: I will lose 5 lbs, then 5 more, then 5 more. Eventually you will be on your way to your big goal.

In this journey I give GOD all the glory, He is the one who has made this possible. He gives me the Strength, Determination, and Courage to face all the obstacles that come my way every day. My husband and my family are all very supportive. The main thing comes down to Prayer and holding yourself accountable for your decisions with food and activity.

Doesn't she look amazing????!!! And I see her out in real life. She is bubbly, happy and radiant! She works out like a boss and in my next post I will pick her brain about her specific workout routines and ask her some questions about her eating habits. Have anything you'd like to know? Ask them in the comments sections and I will try to answer them in the follow-up post.

Trim Healthy Peachy Dream~ E

I have stumbled on amazing! During my Fuel Cycle E days I realized that I was still very afraid of E meals, and basically I wasn't doing them correctly, my E was more of a FP. So.....being a Georgia girl, peaches are everywhere. On a whim I picked some up and really didn't have any plans for them. I am amazed at how good this is! My kids loved this drink! It tastes just like a milk shake. No kidding!

For this dreamy treat: (Makes 2 Servings)
 1 Cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk
 1/2 C of 1% Cottage Cheese (If you want to drink the whole batch :) use fat free cottage cheese)
 1/2 Tsp Glucomannan
 1 Tsp vanilla extract
 1 fresh peach,peeled & cut up 
1 Scoop whey powder
 6 Tsp Truvia A little dash of Nunaturals or Kal stevia extract

 Blend it all up!  Pour 1/2 if the recipe into a lovely glass and put a little fat free Rediwhip. Ah, It's a good day! 
UPDATE!!! ICE! I FORGOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE ICE! PUT SOME ICE IN THE BLENDER TOO! :))) It really makes it fantastic and more like a milk shake!! *sorry*
Linking up with Trim Healthy Tuesday at Stacy Makes Cents and Gwen's Nest.

What is all of this "Trim Healthy Mama" stuff...go here:THM Home Page

Fuel Cycle Day 3- Deep S

This was my intake for day 3 of my fuel cycle. Now, I know that THM is not about counting. However, I have not been able to lose weight, and I do not trust myself to not journal my food.
Hopefully one day I will, but not right now. The Deep S days have been fairly easy for me, as I expected. The cabbage that I had was wonderful! I made it like this: 1 Head of Cabbage, chopped into thin strips 1 Box of pre-cooked bacon ( I know, but I was in a hurry) Good shake of Onion powder and garlic powder EVOO, just pour some on...this is Deep S day. about a cup of water Sea salt and pepper Add whatever spices you like. Cook in a skillet, covered until the cabbage is tender. Delish! 

This was lunch:

Now, on to my Fuel Pull days. Gonna miss that cream and skinny chocolate! :) Gonna love seeing the pounds come off!

Fuel Cycle-Day 2

Day two of my Trim Healthy Mama fuel cycle is almost over, and it was a good day. We went to the next town over and picked up some goodies that I can't get locally. Wild caught salmon, being one, and it was so good! I also found coconut flour for the first time, and I plan on making the Special Occasion cake when I am off this fuel cycle.

My meals for the day were:

B/f- 1 C unsweetened almond milk, 2 TBS coconut oil, 1 scoop Swanson's whey and a little ice. Blended it all up. Very good and filling


L- Baked chicken with EVOO and butter with broccoli and cauliflower and various herbs and seasoning.

Snack- skinny chocolate

Coffee- an Americano with 2 TBS heavy cream and stevia


Dinner- pictured above.

We found Zevia! It's a stevia sweetened, zero calorie soda. We tried the black cherry and my kids loved it. We don't do sodas at all here, but this new find will work for a treat!

Did I me mention that I bought a kettle bell yesterday? It's of the devil, and tonight there is a muscle I didn't know I had that will testify to that fact! :)

Oddly, I think I like the structure of the fuel cycle as opposed to free-styling.

Also, isn't it cool that when you have a question the author of the book will answer you?? I mean, how many times have you got a personal answer from the lady that started Weight Watchers? Trust me, I didn't and I gave them a ton of money!

One more thing. About yesterday. I happen to log my food in a journal. I had a caloric intake of right at 2000 kcals. It kind of freaked me out, but I know the fuel pull days are coming and they are low calorie. I am hopeful that the calorie zig-zag will jolt my metabolism!

Read Day 1 ( Deep S) here.

That's all for now. Have a blessed night!
Linking up at: Trim Healthy Tuesdays

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Trim Healthy Mama! The Fuel Cycle

So, to say that I have a stubborn body is an understatement. I have been doing THM for about 3 months now and aside from an initial 6 pound loss, I have been at a stall. Actually, I bounce up and down. Just when I think I am on a downward streak, up it goes. *sigh* They say, over on the THM facebook page, that if you come from a very restrictive diet then your body may need time to adjust. I came in from the 17 Day diet, and that first cycle is VERY restrictive. That is my little explanation for beginning a fuel cycle. Today, a Deep S day, has been rather easy. It's those fuel pull and E days that I am most worried about. I will keep you posted and let you know how it all goes!

 

Just in case you are wondering......

THM= Trim Healthy Mama

Todays meals:

Breakfast: 3 Eggs scrambled in butter with 2 turkey sausage patties.

Lunch: A Double Chicken chopped salad from Subway with oil and vinegar and all veggies, light on the tomato. 

Snack: Skinny Chocolate....oh yeah!

Dinner: Baked chicken breast with broccoli.

Coffee: I had two cups of coffee and had 1 TBS of cream in each cup.

Very full and satisfied. Like I said, I can do S meals pretty good!

  Give me some encouragement! I need it!

A Healthy Latte....yes, it is possible (and it tastes good)

Yesterday I mentioned my new sugar free lifestyle.

All is well except for the longing in my soul for a Starbuck's White Chocolate Mocha or a Venti Pumpkin Spice latte. Really, for the first few days I almost cried. I have a Tassimo, and it brews some pretty amazing mocha and cappuccino  and lattes...oh my!

Okay, I think you get that I love some good, sweet coffee drinks.

The quest to reproduce that in a sugarless, low-fat version that actually is worth the trouble and worth drinking seemed hopeless.

Here is my new favorite, healthy drink.

Have on hand:

Gevalia espresso T-disc or strong coffee or other espresso.

Torani Sugar free syrup, I used the hazelnut flavor.

Stevia in the Raw, 1 packet

Almond milk, unsweetened. 1 Cup

I used a Froth au Lait milk frother. A hand held would probably work too.

Froth the milk, adding the packet of stevia and 2 TBS of the sugar-free syrup before the frother shuts off.

Pour it into a cup, brew your T disc or add your espresso.

Voila!

Amazing!

Wonderful!

Ahhhh....happiness in a cup!

Want more happiness?

Check this out!

Yep! 32 calories! Do you know that my usual latte would have come in at 150 calories with fat and sugar!

Now, I do not advocate using artificial sweeteners other than stevia or xylitol. But it was a matter of sanity for me. (The syrup is sweetened with Splenda) I have to have coffee that taste good. Period. :) Just out of curiosity I checked the nutrition facts for my beloved pumpkin spice latte. Hold on to your seat: 410 Calories, 17 fat grams, no fiber and 48 grams of sugar! Whoa! I think I will try some of Torani's sugar free Pumpkin syrup next!

Enjoy!

P.S.

Blue Diamond Breeze froths better than Silk. But, I think it has 10 more calories.

UPDATE 7-17-2013 Since I am now trying to follow the Trim Healthy Mama plan I have revisited this recipe during a Fuel Cycle, FP day. Don't have a Tassimo? Just brew some really strong espresso to counter all of the almond milk. It works just as well with KAL stevia extract,  sweetened to taste. A little vanilla extract added, and some Fat Free Redi-whip will make you feel all special. :) A Fuel Pull Latte! Happy, Happy, Happy!

Linking up at Stacy Makes Cents and Gwen's Nest for Trim Healthy Tuesday.

Cooking Experiment

I haven't said anything about my health goals lately. I'm just waiting for the right time. You know, the time I feel like I can do it and not quit....

Anyway, I've been at a new eating plan (I don't like the D word) for the last three weeks.

It requires that I eat tons of veggies and lean protein, low fat and no sugar. I know, your thinking I'm crazy. Well, that may be true but we won't go there. This is really like clean eating and that is something I've been really wanting to try but never had the courage.

I'll tell you more about the plan later. Right now I wanted to share a recipe. I felt like one of those happy chefs on the Food Network. I was just cooking and tossing in ingredients like I knew what I was doing. Boy, it turned out awesome!




I've come to love vinegar and spices. They add so much to the food. I don't miss the fat and sugar at all. This started with two chicken breast and a hungry momma.

Here is the list, as best as I can remember. I didn't measure a thing.

-Two boneless, skinless chicken
breast, sliced or cubed
-Extra virgin olive oil, 1 TBS
-white wine vinegar
-chicken broth, fat free, low sodium, no MSG
-lemon juice
-pepper, to taste
-a tad bit of kosher salt
-baby spinach, raw, about two cups
- sliced raw mushrooms, 1 cup
-onion & garlic powder , 1 TBS each
- Parmesan cheese, 1/4 c

Start with EVOO. Add chicken to hot pan with oil. Begin to cook. At this point I added the spices, vinegar (1/4 cup?) and poured in some broth, 1/2 cup maybe. When chicken is no longer pink add mushrooms. Pour in some lemon juice, again I just poured, perhaps about 1/8- 1/4 cup, maybe less. After mushrooms are cooked down toss in the spinach. Just let it wilt a little. Remove from heat and sprinkle with 1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese. (If you can find lemon pepper seasoning that does not have MSG then that would be good too.) Serves 2
Yum!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What's Cooking {Crock Pot Cooking} Today~Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken Recipe

Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken Recipe
from SparkRecipes

Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

*2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts *1 pkg Good Seasons Italian dressing mix * 1/4 cup water * 1 8oz pkg low fat cream cheese *1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup *3 cups cooked white, long grain rice

Directions

*1. Place chicken in crock pot
*2. Mix together Italian dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken.
*3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours OR low for 8 hours.
*4. Mix together cream cheese and soup in separate bowl.
*5. Carefully remove chicken from crock pot to plate.
*6. Pour cream cheese/soup mixture into crock pot and mix together with dressing in bottom.
*7. Return chicken to crock pot and mix gently to shred the chicken.
*8. Cook on LOW until heated through.
*Serve with rice or noodles.

**You may add skim or low fat milk in very small quantities to thin the sauce a little. It does not significantly affect the nutritional value if you use up to 2 tablespoons**

Makes 6 servings. Approximately 2/3 cup mixture with 1/2 cup rice.

This recipe can be made with FAT FREE cream cheese and it saves about 6 grams of fat. However, I feel that the dish benefits from the flavor of the low fat over the fat free.

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user ORANGECOWCAT.

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 368.7

Total Fat: 10.3 g

Cholesterol: 115.5 mg

Sodium: 737.4 mg

Total Carbs: 24.1 g

Dietary Fiber: 0.9 g

Protein: 41.7 g

Day 83-86 of 100 Days of Health Habit

One day......

 I will have more time for this blog......

{So thankful for the time I have :)}

Okay, so this has been a week of refocus. It has felt good. I am not where I thought/wanted to be as far as weight goes, but I am lighter and think that by the time I count down to 100 I will be able to say that I lost somewhere between 15-20 pounds. (20 being very ambitious)

Today I racked up almost 11,000 steps without meeting with Leslie Sansone. I wore that clothesline out! 11,000 steps worth of house work? You probably think I live in a dump.....no, just a house with 6 people (that includes a 2 year old....they count as five people right?) and a homeschool.

I would like to write more but it is late and I am tired. So, I will go. Have a blessed Sunday!

Day 81 & 82 of 100 Days of Health

I'm just so thankful! "For what?", you may ask. I am thankful that I started this crazy 100 day thing and blogged about it. Had it not been for this accountability then I would be off on the other side of this yo-yo where the scale starts to move in the wrong direction and I go for months without the thought of food journaling or exercising.

 So, as you have read, I have had some trouble with getting refocused in the last few weeks. Who would have seen it coming? Nevertheless, it did and I swayed and faltered but I have not quit. Yesterday, what I will call Day 81, was the day I just jumped right back into daily exercise. (I must do this to get anywhere near 10,000 steps) I got real close and at the end of the day, after a 5 mile walk I had 9500 steps. The biggest thing that I need to change right now is to get this exercise stuff done first thing in the day. That would almost guarantee that I would make my goal every day. HOWEVER, you dear readers, who for whatever reason read this madness on a regular basis, will recall that I am NOT a morning person. It is time to suck it up and just do it! Just get up early and get it on! Oh, how I am trying!! :) Today I did not get up early, but first thing (while everyone was dressing and having breakfast) I did a 4 mile walk. YAY ME!! Can I just say it again? YAY!!!!

Also, I am going to be really focusing on my diet and making wise choices.

Today, so far here is what I have consumed. {note: we are in need of a grocery store run}

Breakfast: 1 C Multigrain Cheerios

                 1 C Skim Milk

Total Calories {196} Can you believe that? :)

After my 4 mile I was hungry so for a snack I repeated breakfast. {196 kcal}

Getting creative I decided to cook a pound of dry beans in the pressure cooker.

I chose Great Northerns (is it not crazy how cheap you can get beans?)

I pressured for 1 hour:

1 lb Great Northern beans

1 C brown rice

1 TBS garlic powder

Some season-all

I love beans, my family does not share my love of them. Cowboy and I enjoyed a lunch of beans and rice. 

1 Cup {225 kcal} and this is worth mentioning NO FAT and 10 grams of fiber! 

YUM!

So here it is 3:00 pm and I stand at 7000 steps. I intend of making that 10,000 today!

{P.S. Here is how I did the four miles. It was a lot of fun and different. And I burned 580 kcal while doing it!} 

Day 73, 74 and a word about days 75-79 of 100 Days of Health

I am happy to report that I am feeling myself come out of the pit of "this just ain't working" to "I can do this!" 

Dear readers, I can tell you that without the blog holding me accountable I would have surely quit by now. It is my pattern: first comes all out excitement...you know, that "I gonna change the world"  feeling, then the new wears off, it is harder than anticipated and boom.....failure. But, because I have a few readers who leave kind remarks and little encouraging notes I am able to refocus and finish. 

This week our church will be in Revival. It is a week long, nightly revival and for that reason I will not blog until the end of the week. There is just too much to do to worry about getting a post up. We will continue our school this week also, so the days are full. Pray that the church will be revived and that some lost wandering soul will come to know Jesus.

My goal is to not get on the scale until the end of the week. I don't need anything to get me agitated like that piece of glass and metal can. I just want to come through this week taking care of business and keeping my mind  on Christ.

Have a blessed week!

{Here is a link to the first post that tells about this 100 days, just in case you missed it! 100 Days of Health
You can click on the Labels "100 Days of Health" and "Weight Loss" to get to the post that are focused on this health habit.}

day 71 & 72 of 100 Days of Health Habit

72 days.....

When I started this 100 days where did I see myself being at day 72? Oh, I always have the pie-in-the-sky ideas. I am sure that I thought I'd would at least be 30 pounds lighter and running marathons by now. Well, maybe that is a stretch, but I did see myself a little bit different from where I have been. The sickness of last week really set me back more than I expected. I have also dealt with the scale not moving like I was sure it would. Okay, I am not whining.. I am just typing as the words come. So, what does one do when the motivation has fizzled? There is really only two choices. {As dear hubby reminded me this morning during a much needed heart to heart} I can just quit because my body has not acted like I thought it should or I can keep on. It is that simple. Logically, I know that I must keep on. Poor-pitiful me wants to cry about how long she has not had a Grande White Chocolate Mocha {I'm sorry, I can't stand the "skinny" drinks at Starbucks...I'm spoiled)  I also am perfectly happy saving those calorie splurges for every so often and not three times a week. It is just when you get down you see all of the negative. 

I have a choice. Not really, I don't. It is not a choice to be healthy, it is a must. I MUST continue on this journey no matter how unmotivated I feel. I MUST press on. There are too many reasons not to. The first one being that today God has blessed me with the health and strength to move, the brain to think through meal planning and learning healthy ways, the support of family who love me. I don't want to live disappointed in myself for failing, yet again.  

I told you before that I am a "one-track mind" person. Well, lately my mind is just on school. The yearly homeschool convention {aka Homeschool Mommy heaven on earth} is coming up. I am so into getting ready for that and plugging away at our lessons. I am learning to focus on all of these and do all of these things well every day. I want to cook healthy meals, exercise, get all of our lessons in and keep the house clean and running......WHEW! No wonder I am ready for the conference! It is a the shot in the arm I need right now.

So, it is late. I got my 10000 steps in by cleaning and doing laundry. We have revival all week next week and I can't stand going into that with dirty laundry and a messy house. I actually work better under pressure....go figure! We did have a lovely morning fishing with some of our church family and the kids had a little egg hunt.

Sweet!

Cowboy caught a turtle!

Me and my dear Jessie...I just love her!

Day 69 of 100 Day's of Health Habit

Okay, here I am and i'm in a rush....again.

Today has been a day of getting back in the groove after an illness of a few days left me trying to get it all together this week. Yesterday I felt great, we were just very busy. So, thankfully, today has been more like "normal"...whatever that it...

A few days of not exercising will make one lazy......very fast. It was hard making myself carve out the time to focus for 45 minutes just on getting some steps in and my heart rate up. It was also a little bit harder than I expected it to be.

I am still a little disappointed at the total weight loss, but I am fervently trying to focus on my main goal and that was just to be consistent and create healthier lifestyle. I know that I am still losing faster than I ever did on Weight Watchers. I guess I figured that for all of my sweating I should be getting a huge payoff.....you know, a 2 pound weight loss every week! :) I can honestly say that I have never been this consistent to physical activity. And if that crazy bout of ill health had not sidelined be last week I would have a huge record to be proud of. But, you just go on. I am not going to dwell on last week and what I did not do. I am going forward and being more thankful for the health that I do have. 

Today is almost a success with 9,500 steps....

Day 63 & 64 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Where do I start without sounding like I am whiny?

Day 63 had a great and promising start. We parked in town and walked to a friends house, had a great day and walked back. Then suddenly, without warning what I think is a nasty UTI hit me hard. All night and all day has just been yuck and nausea....

This is life. Setbacks happen. I really missed my workout and the energy to do them. I did notice that the last one I did felt like I was having to force myself through every moment. I felt just like I was lifting my legs through quicksand. Now I understand why.

In other news, we are still schooling and will continue throughout the summer months. That is just how we like to do it. Little Jenna is doing so good with her reading. I am enjoying teaching her more, I am sure this has something to do with 11 years of homeschooling under my belt. She loves books. We went to the library yesterday and she got all the books she could carry. Little Janie is just as taken with books and pushes a buggy full of them all over the house.

I must also say a little thanksgiving for the oldest two who are just like the men who held up the arms of Moses. They keep everything going and are so careful about me and how I feel. So precious. This homeschool lifestyle has blessings so much beyond academics. These relationships and this time together, I have no words to describe my gratitude for what God has worked in our home.

See, now that is something to be proud of!

Day 61 & 62 of 100 Days of Health Habit

I feel so out of touch with this blog....like I just can't keep up. I have been so focused on school and just keeping up with the house work and this health habit that actually blogging about it just get pushed to the back burner. There are also other things that I ponder on that I would like to write about...but between all the other things going on I just haven't gotten around to it. On a positive note: I have been spending a fair amount of time clearing out my homeschool items and selling some on eBay. I have a good little fund to take to my WONDERFULLY, EXCITING homeschool convention that is coming up real soon!!!! *happy dance* It truly is the most wonderful event and I just look forward to it every year. If you just need some encouragement and a shot in the arm then you could ask for nothing better!

Back to the health habit. Well, I don't do well with normal routine and waiting, so these last couple of weeks have been rather dull. That could have been helped along with that little plateau (that I am not so sure I have broke). It's the second half of a double-headed ball game......long....:) Day 62. Have I really been doing this for 62 days? I am surprised at myself.

I could write more. I have a couple of new things that I have found I like to eat. Also, I have some thoughts on just how many calories  you should  eat to lose weight. But, right now I have a cute little blonde headed girlie that is asking to go "night night on my shoulder"

I can't tell you my steps because the fitbit is on the charger!

Consistency.....I am counting on you!!

Day??? I've lost count (58,59 & 60)

I have not actually lost count. Boy, have we been busy!!!

Fun,fun stuff. Every day I'd think about blogging as my head hit the pillow.

So, the last three days I have got in 29,905 steps!

The calorie count hit a little snag at a homeschool event we had. Tables full of finger food. How in the world to count those calories? I had some fruit and veggies, that was good. I had only consumed 370 calories before we arrived and I did a workout that burned 580 calories. Surely, it was not a meal to ruin any day...just very hard to count. Those pralines could have sent me over the edge! (Thanks Mrs. Catherine!)

I also look forward to blogging about something other than health. :)

But for now I'm going to bed!

Day 57 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Blessed with another day! Blogging about it on time, too! 

Today was great, full of things that consume a homeschool momma's day. Inevitably, at the evening while checking my steps, I knew.....5 miles. I just about cried. I did not want to do 5 miles. I did not want to do any miles. I wanted to sit and chat and read email and read a book. I wanted to go to bed early. 

Enough whining!

 I  am blessed with health and strength. I am redeemed {that is most important}.  I want to live my best to do my best {which is nothing} for HIM. I am thankful. I had to change my outlook. I did my five miles and I am glad of it.

 I have lived defeated in this area of my life for so long. I have done everything but take the time to take care of this body that loves the man sleeping in this house right now. This one body that loves these four precious souls who watch me sweat. I was proud of the excuses that I had to do laundry and cook, they were very legitimate. But, they were keeping me bound. The little small place in my heart that was sad, ashamed and felt hopeless because of the way I had treated this body. No one means to get to being 100 pounds overweight. I did not set out to see just how obese I could get. Little by little, the "I'll start Monday" turned into a decade of Mondays. This journey is a fragile one. You may read this and think that I have it all together. I fight it every day. The only difference between then and now is I am winning small little victories every day that are turning into weeks of health......I pray they turn into years of health.

Day 56 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Get ready, this is just kind of sad and funny. Day 56 was a non-exercise kind of day because on day 55 I decided to try to out jump-rope my dear sweet hubby. He was surprised at how well I could do it. I was shocked at how the front of my legs felt the next day. The right leg in particular let me know right fast that power walking was not going to happen. 

Since this is the morning of the 57th day I can say that it feels some better and I am going to try to get my steps in over the course of the day.

Hope your day is wonderfully blessed!

Day 54 & 55 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Another post with two days! Well, our DSL was down for 24 hours. (Thank you Lord for my iPhone) Although., I could have blogged with my phone I just didn't. I thought I'd wait and just do it today. 

Also, this is not going to be a long post. Just a summary to say I am on track and being consistent. What an accomplishment for me. Also, I think that plateau may have been helped along with a faulty scale. My husband said he got on in and got a 5 pound difference in his reading within the same 2 minutes. So, I got rid of it and got this one. Amazing, it says the same thing no matter how many times you get on it. OR with what foot you step up first. I don't know why I put up with that crazy scale for so long!

Day 53 of 100 Days of Health Habit

Have I said before that Sundays are hard when it comes to getting in many steps.

Today we went to lunch Sweet Hubby's parents  and that took forever! We love that place enough to wait. I had broiled fish, broccoli (can you believe that I actually crave that stuff now and NO cheese or butter was on it?) a salad bowl full of veggies with the dressing on the side.

As far as calories go, I did great.
Steps? Well that is another story. We came home then left again to do a visitation with a shut-in. Then tonight it was either do lesson plans so that we can jump right back into school or workout. I had to do lesson plans.....I will try to get some extra activity in tomorrow (Whew...that was fun, I had to get up and do the twist with Jess and Janie) :)))) (Thanks Mimi) ;)

Hope your week is excellent!