My New Goal.

Phase One: Day 6.

Tomorrow I weigh in to see how much I've lost since starting Phase on the SBD. 

Since a week ago, I've discovered Atkins frozen dinners and they. Are. Really. Good!!!! 

I'm conquering these sugar cravings and trying to finally reach my 100 pound weight loss goal! I've been so close for so long now...I'm sick and tired of not actually getting there! Grrrr! 

Here are some selfies... Lol they're kinda fun! 

I actually like wearing cute clothes now. I used to NOT care at all! 

Day 20, 21, and 22...Squats, Veggies, and a Yoga Pose...

Day 20 said to do squats and told me to record how many I did.....  I didn't do squats...I went to the gym. But hang on just a sec I'll do them now in the movie store. Brb....haha just kidding. 

Day 21- a picture of my veggies so here are my veggies from the day before yesterday, yesterday AND today! 

Kale chips.....followed by...

Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Baby Carrots topped with a slice of cheese and steamed. And for today, I had the same with my Frozen Chili Atkins Dinner....

Yum. 

Day 22-A Yoga Pose

Hehe. 

Just some randomness.....

We ate at Ruby Tuesdays today. (We never eat there and now I know why. It's EXPENSIVE!). Anyway, this is what I ate for lunch and supper. It was delicious. Grilled Salmon, spaghetti squash, and grilled Zuchini. Yum. 

This is what I snacked on at work tonight to keep myself out of the candy. 

Day 3 of Phase one complete! :) 

Day 19-My Favorite Motivational Quote...

Hmmm. I have SEVERAL! Go figure! 

My absolute favorite is...

Heard it from my husbands doctor when he was diagnosed with diabetes. 

Coming in a close second are several quotes....and here they are. 

1.

2.

3.

I really do want to inspire people and let them know that it can be done. But you have to really want it. It's hard work, but oh, so worth it! 

And it is so true when people say that running is such a release. Yes, it is! 

And of course, Christ gives me strength to continue daily. It's a hard battle to fight. I can't do it without Him! 

Day 18- A Picture of my Breakfast..

Oops. I didn't read what I was supposed to do before I ate my breakfast so I have no picture! However.... 

I'll tell you what I ate. 

Scrambled egg whites and egg beaters and 2 pieces of Jimmy Dean turkey sausage. Yum. 

I'm on Day 2 of Phase 1 of the SBD. Going pretty good :)  I like not counting calories. It seems like as soon as I started counting calories, it got more difficult to lose. So I'm going to stick to this for a while....  :) 

Random thoughts....

We went to see Bon Jovi in concert tonight. I felt like a kid again and I think if I would have still been 242ish pounds...I wouldn't have felt that way. Here he is...

And here's me acting like a teeny bop taking selfies of myself on the way to the concert. Simply because I can...and because I was feeling pretty confident tonight! It was fun! 

:) 

Now if I would have looked like this....

I wouldn't have taken a selfie....

lol! 

That's all! 

Day 17: My Biggest Unhealthy Weaknesses...

Right now I would have to say.....the teacher's lounge!  We have so many good cooks that like to cook and cook all the time!!!  We celebrate everyone's birthday and have DELICIOUS cakes made by one of our very own teachers! Of course I have to try it and then I have to have more...and then it just goes downhill from there! lol 

However, TODAY I began Phase 1 of the SBD. I have got to get this under control. 

I refuse to be that person who gains their weight back! I will NOT! 

It's a constant battle, but a battle that I'm willing to fight and a battle worth fighting! 

I choose discipline! 

Day 16: My Favorite Treat...

I'm assuming this means treat that's bad for you.... So here ya go! These are my BAD treats....

Gotta love a Snickers bar...

I love Chinese food! 

Mmmmm.... Buttery movie popcorn! 

These are just a few things I like to treat myself on. 

Here lately...it's been a little too often! 

But that's changing starting tomorrow! 

I'm going no carbs! :/

Day 15: PLANK! How Long Did I Do It?

My husband as my witness....

Going....

Goingg....

Goinggg....

Gone! 

He wouldn't tell me how long I had gone and I was SO mad at him! I almost went 2 minutes! Argh! Grrrr.

That is the longest I have ever planked! 

I figured by golly...this is going on the WWW....I'm gonna do this! Lol 

And this was after an hour of Zumba and 2 miles running!  

I'm tired! 

Day 14: A Picture of My Lunch Today....OOPS!

Ok so I forgot to take a picture of my lunch today...so I'll post a picture of what I'm going to eat for lunch tomorrow! :). This or something similar is what I usually eat for lunch during the week while I'm at work. Filling and very yummy! 

I love these things! 

Day 13: A Picture of the Inside of my Fridge....

Hmmmm. Fortunately this post comes a few weeks after I cleaned my fridge! Lol like REALLY cleaned it.  One thing you won't ever see in my fridge is something that is extremely unhealthy. Now, 2 years ago...that was a totally different story.  So here you have it. THE picture. 

Yes I have an OLD fridge...but it works! I have skim milk, sugar free (almost empty) jug of punch, Greek yogurt (for me) regular yogurt (for Kristin), veggies and fruit, egg whites and egg beaters, eggs, sugar free jello, grapes, no sugar added grapefruit, lots of greens and other fruits! And coffee.  

Now, the freezer and cabinets....that's another story!  But I promise you, you will not find anything that's not healthy! 

Day 12: 5 exercises I Love...5 Exercises I Hate...

First of all.... Exercise is a love/hate relationship anyway. Lol.  Sometimes I love them all, and sometimes I hate them all! But as for my favorites...here they are..

1. RUNNING- I love to run. I love to challenge myself and see if I can further or go longer. I will never be fast...that is not my goal really...however when I'm on the treadmill, I will increase my speed and see how long I can go. 

2. ZUMBA- I love attending my local Zumba class. It's a change and I get to dance and look bad while I'm doing it and no one cares! I feel like a teenager while doing it! 

3. INSANITY-even though sometimes I hate it with a passion and lack the motivation to do it because it's inside...it's a challenge and I like a challenge! 

4. WEIGHTS-I love lifting weights! 

5. HILLS and STAIRS- I love these!  Everywhere I go...I'm looking for a hill or stairs! I wanna find the tallest building in the world and run to the top! 

BONUS:  BIKE-even though I've gotten out of the habit, I love it. Need to start again!  SWIMMING- if I only had a pool....and SUPaddleboarding-if I only had a SUPaddleboard!  I need to start saving my money I guess....

My least favorite exercises:

1. Lunges-I hate them because they're hard. lol 

2. Jumping Jacks- ugh they are really hard on a woman's bladder! 

3. Yoga-never tried it because it just doesn't burn enough calories to justify the time spent doing it! It's all about the calorie burn to me! 

4. Even though I LOVE running, I really dislike running on a treadmill. I'll do it...but it's not my favorite. 

5.  Stationary Bike- it just hurts my butt and it's boring! 

Day 11...My Hobbies Besides Fitness

Well....considering just about everything I do now is related to fitness.....sort of...here are my other hobbies...

Piano

I love to play the piano. I've played since 2nd grade. It's an emotional release. 

When I play the piano, the world disappears around me. Usually...until someone interrupts me. ;)

Listen to music.

I listen to music in the car, while I'm working out sometimes....I just love music. And I sing to the top of my lungs! 

Fur Babies.

I love to play with my dogs! I would take them everywhere with me if I could! SUPaddleboarding would become a hobby if someone would buy me one. I absolutely loved this. Good exercise, too!

Family.  (My favorite)

These guys are my world. I don't care what we are doing...if we are together...I'm the happiest. I am one blessed woman! We like to watch movies together, go shopping, play mini golf, or just whatever. As long as we're together!

And some of my other favorite things include some very awesome friends! They are:

Camping with Mel. :) 

Singing with (Matter of Faith) Leslie and Lisa :)

Running with Tracy Ann. :)

That's all folks! 

  

Day 10-healthy snacks

Some of my favorite healthy snacks are:

All fruits basically! 

I love snack time!!!!

Day 9-What I Like About Myself...

This could possibly be the hardest things I have to say....is something I like about myself.  I've never really liked anything about the way I look.  I do like the fact that I am a very caring individual, who would do anything to help someone...I like the way that I play the piano sometimes and like how I'm very softhearted.  I can't stand to see anyone cry.  But since I must pick something about my appearance, I pick my smile. Because my husband says it's my best feature and I have to admit, since I've lost weight...I kinda like it, too.  I'm much more confident when taking pictures...and I usually always have a smile on my face. 

And at this time, I really like my hairstyle. Like...really, really like my hair. Lol :) so here are a few of my favorite hair and smiling pictures. Lol Enjoy looking at me! .....Awkward. 

So there ya have it. Yep....I take selfies on good hairdays!!!! 

Day 8-A Picture of Me Doing a Yoga Pose.

This is funny. 

1. If I DID know a yoga pose, I wouldn't put a picture of me doing it on here...

2. I have thought about trying yoga, but it doesn't burn enough calories for me...

3. I did try a yoga pose once that I saw on Pinterest...interesting. My husband laughed at me....

4. The picture below pretty much sums up my life and its involvement in yoga. I do love my pants! 

5. And lastly, this would be me if I did go to yoga. 

The End. lol 

Day 7-Fitness Blogs

I don't really follow any fitness blogs, but a few that I've seen that I like are:

http://fitbottomedgirls.com/

Skinnyms.com

I really like Pinterest. I find a lot of my inspiration, ideas, and motivation on there. :)  

That's it for now. 

Day 6-A Picture of Fruit I'm Eating Today

I like to start my day with fruit with my breakfast. My favorite...right now...is PEARS! So I had a pear with my omelet made from egg whites and southwestern egg beaters. :) low cal, high protein breakfast! 

Day 5- What/Who Inspires Me

My inspiration comes from a variety of things and people. 

What inspires me most is seeing other weight loss success stories similar to mine. It makes me think that I can do it too. In the past 18 years, I've seen a few people that I know lose a lot of weight and change their lives. 

Just the fact that I was sick of feeling bad all the time, and being lazy, inspires me to keep going. I never, ever want to go back to that feeling or lifestyle ever again. 

Some of the people that inspire me are: 

1. My brother Matt. He has always cared about his health and inspires me every time I see him. He is so dedicated to eating right and maintaining a fit lifestyle. I love him dearly.

2. My best friend, accountability partner, and workout buddy Tracy Miller. She's lost a bunch of weight over the years and keeps me in check. She never lets me feel like a failure even when I have failed miserably. I honestly couldn't do it without her right now. 

3. A few individuals who I call my friends and that continue to inspire me every single day through their photos, updates and success stories on Facebook and/or myfitnesspal are: Tonja Bolding (a former teacher of mine who rocked her weight loss several years ago and has maintained her fit lifestyle while inspiring me and others), and Becky Drennan Hedges (a childhood friend of mine who looks amazing and around the same time as me, lost an astonishing amount of weight).  Both of these women lost their weight without any surgery just like me.  They may not realize it, but they are a huge inspiration to me! 

Of course you can't forget Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. I love the Biggest Loser and used to dream of being on that show.  I still watch it and wish I could be on it even though I'm a few pounds from my goal weight.  

And of course I wouldn't mind Chris Powell training me either....

A girl can dream can't she? :) 

That's it. I have a lot of inspirations but these are they and that's it for now. Good night! 

Day 4-What My Workout Was Today...

This is what I did today. I met with some of the ladies from Team Fitness and we did 4 miles of jogging, fast walking, and interval training. We even through in some defensive slides for fun at the end! 

What is Team Fitness? A group of women that meet 2 days a week to exercise outdoors. This group was started by me and my dear, sweet, best friend, and workout and accountability partner,  Tracy. We love our ladies in Team Fitness! 

Oh my! A before and after. From 22-10.

I just realized the last time I posted a picture of myself was in December of 2011! At that time, I still had 35 pounds to go, I think? Well here I am now..... Just 8 pounds shy of my goal of 100 pounds weight loss! 

This is me at probably my heaviest. Size 22.

And this is me now. Size 10. 

Day 3- A Picture of my Dinner

This is what I eat for "Dinner" every day.  This particular one I ate today and was very good!  I like the fact that they have choices that include the whole grain pasta or brown rice.  I won't touch a frozen dinner if it has bad carbs.  

Ok so technically for DINNER (in Arkansas we call it SUPPER), I ate the buffet at our local seafood restaurant.  I did ok on my choices until I ate some cobbler.  But I got the no sugar added ice cream! Doesn't that cancel the cobbler out?? Haha. Just kidding.  I did well today.....until after lunchtime. 

I feel like a total failure today as far as eating goes.  I'll be honest here and say that it's almost that time of the month...and I'm blaming my splurges on that.  Honestly, though, that is the hardest time for my eating.  Sometimes I just can't control myself.  As far as this 30-day challenge goes....so far...not so good.  But I will do better. TOMORROW. That's a promise! :) lol

Day 2-October 30 day challenge

Ok so I have miserably failed. I've had dairy, sugar, and grains.  BUT.... I have done so much better and will continue to.  I just have to have my grains.  I have not had much sugar....just a little in the Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt today--which also threw out the "no dairy"  part of my challenge. Oh my goodness, you have to try it! I stayed under my calories though.  One thing I know from the past 2 years of losing weight, is that I cannot deprive myself from foods, or I will splurge.  It's inevitable.  So I don't even know why I try.  However, I CAN count my calories and I can succeed at that.  One must have that sweet treat every once in a while or one will go nuts.  

Ok so for my fitness goals....I hope to lose these last 7 pounds so that I can say I have lost 100 pounds. If only I could get there?!  It is so hard to lose weight when you have gotten so close. And this obsession with sweets? Where has this come from??? I will say this....it is so much harder to be fat than it is to count your calories.  I prefer the fit lifestyle and intend on fighting till the day I die to stay this way. I will continue to run, Zumba, and stay insane with Insanity. I'm exhausted every night, but I wouldn't have it any other way! My goal: stay fit and inspire others along the way! 

30 Day October Challenge! I May Die!

As a result of being so close to my goal weight, but not being able to actually GET THERE....because of my inability to say NO to the hand to mouth syndrome....I am attempting to shock my body and get there before the month is over, hopefully.  My weight has fluctuated between 146 and 150 for the past forever. So no more of that. This morning, I weighed in at 150. Not cool. I feel very unprepared for this challenge, but will do it, regardless.  Today is the first day of October....so no more procrastinating. It's here and it must be done!  My goal is to reach 142, so I can say that I've lost over 100 pounds.  Honestly, I will be thrilled to see 145....and then 140 so that I can say I've reached my wedding weight! So here we go.  I may die. But it will be worth it. 

My fitness story began in 2011 when a physical trainer approached me with free training in order to help him increase his business.  You can go back in my blog and see more.  It has been just over two years since I began this journey. It has been long and it has been hard.  I am a workout and fitness fanatic.  I love running, lifting weights, Insanity, and working out with my friends and colleagues and  one of my best friends, Tracy.  She tries to keep me in check and I try to keep her in check, but we both fail sometimes. Regardless, we pick right back up where we started and start over again! It's a new journey every single day. But a journey I will never quit.  

Here we go!