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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Is It All In The "Genes"?


My mom and grandfather on his
92nd Birthday last week!
I have heard this statement or something very similar to it for most of my life. "Well I can't lose weight because of my genes. My momma's side of the family and my daddy's side of the family both gave me "fat" genes and I can't help being like this!"  We have all heard these types of comments when it comes to being overweight, unhealthy and needing to lose a few pounds.   Well I know the statements above are true, because I was one of those people who used this among other things as an excuse to be the size that I was when I started my journey to a new me.


So let's think about it.  Genes are in everyone of us. Every person ever born is made up of genes. Some people have genes that cause them to be more prone to certain diseases and health issues. Some people have a fast metabolism that could be attributed to their genes and they are thinner in body weight. Others are on the other side of the spectrum, like me, and are not just overweight but obese.  So all this talk about genes got me to thinking about where my genes came from, who gave them to me, and what kind did I inherit?

My dad's side of the family has a series of health conditions and illness that range from high blood pressure, hyper tension, heart attacks, diabetes and other ill-effecting health conditions.  My dad has three siblings and they all share in many of the same illnesses.  So where did they get these diseases and health issues?  Some arrived from lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits, but some came from the genes that they were born with.  You see both of their parents had many of these conditions and my father's mother lived many years of her life on oxygen which is not exactly the road that I want to travel.  With both of my father's parents deceased it has me wondering what I can do now to insure that I live a longer and healthier life than they did.

On my mother's side of the family there are various illnesses but there is also longevity.  My maternal grandmother lived to be in her high 80's and my grandfather is still alive today and has just celebrated his 92nd birthday!  So I believe that I have a 50/50 chance of getting some "good genes" when you look at both sides of my family tree.  So what can I do to play up on those "good genes"?   I believe that on December 11, 2010 I took the biggest step in the right direction  toward regaining my life, and living a healthier and longer life when I decided to take my first step on my journey to a new me!  No amount of "good genes" or "bad genes" can take the place of good eating habilts and a healthier overall lifestyle. 
 
So what kind of genes do you have?  Are you still blaming your mama's side of the family or your daddy's side of the family for your weight problem?  Well maybe it is time that you took matters into your own hands and did something about it for yourself.  Start with eating more healthy and getting more active.  I know that is what it took for me, and I believe this is the answer to any bad genes that I may have inherited.


My mom, me and my neice Kalie
at a wedding this past weekend.
I think big smiles run in my family!


Sunday, August 28, 2011

Nutrition Is Important For Children Too!

For the past few weeks on my drive  into the office I see the big yellow school buses everywhere picking up children to start back the new school year after being out all summer. What was interesting to me was to see how much some of the children had grown over the summer. Not just in their height but in their overall size. I made me wonder about the nutrition that the children in America are getting.  And what are we as the parents and grandparents feeding our kids.

I remember when I was a young girl  I spent almost every minute of every day playing outside in my neighborhood after school, and all day on Saturdays.  Today with the convenience of video games, satellite TV, and the internet children don't seem to spend as much time outdoors any more, and they choose to spend their time infront a computer screen or TV screen.  So how many calories are they burning enjoying this seditary activity?

There was a recent article (Health Day News - July 26,2011) that talked about the rising obesity epidemic in our children and that it is at an all time high level.  Young children are not only being diagnosed with diabetes Type 1 (insulin dependent) but they are also being diagnosed with diabetes Type 2, which is usually not experienced until after 40 years of age.  So what is happening among our children, teens and young adults?  Why the shift to becoming overweight, and in many instances, obese?  I believe it is the nutrition that we are feeding them.

I have always believed that it is less expensive to eat junk food than to eat healthy food.  I have friends and family tell me all the time, "Healthy food is just way to expensive.  I can't afford to be on a diet!"  Well here is some shocking news, I do somewhat agree with these statements.  Just look at one of my favorite high calorie foods that I enjoyed quite often before begining my journey to a new me.  I found these sinful delights very tasty and very affordable.  For under $2.00 I could indulge myself with something sweet and chocolate.  So what is it you ask?  Little Debbie Snack Cakes.  My all time favorite is the Swiss Cake Roll.  Each box contains  packages individually wrapped and each package has two cakes.  There are a total of 12 cakes in each box for under $2.00!  Now doesn't that sound like a great deal?   

Here is what I was able to find on the Little Debbie website.

"Chocolate cake rolled around a layer of creme filling and
drenched with fudge coating. Available twin-wrapped in a
12 count carton."

"For those with a big hunger, try our NEW Swiss Roll Big Pack
with 12 larger cakes."

Now can you imagine, if the regular Swiss Cake Roll is not enough sugar and chocolate to kill you, they now offer a New Swiss Roll Big Pack with 12 Larger Cakes.  Are you kidding me?  What are they trying to do to the children in America?  Don't they know that out of convenience and to save money on their grocery bill that moms across this country are buying these sweet treats by the truckloads and packing them in their "Little Johnny's" lunch bag?

We need to wake up and see what we are doing to our children.  The old saying "You are what you eat " is very true.  If we keep this up we are going to see alot of Swiss Cake Roll children rolling not walking down the street.  I know that I have singled out the Little Debbie Swiss Cake Roll but the same thing can be said for all the high sugar, high calorie treats out there.  There is no cookie, cake, candy or junk food that is not guilty of the same thing.

And the sad part is many children if given the choice would rather eat healthy snacks and fruit but because these items are more expensive they are often cut from the grocery list.  Here is a challenge for everyone out there with children living at home.  For one full week stop buying the junk food.  Stop bringing it into your home.  For one week only indulge in fresh fruit from the produce section of your super market or produce stand.  Summer is the very best time for many types of fruits in season, watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, strawberries, pears, grapes, the list is endless.  Don't just think about it, please try it.  You will be glad you did, and your children will be glad that you did too!


I am so blessed!  My grandchildren love salads, vegetables
and most fruits.  They are healthy snackers and that gives me
hope that they will continue to grow and develop into happy
and healthy adults one day!


Saturday, August 27, 2011

The "Art" of Making A Goal and Achieving It

Many of you know that I am married to a wonderful artist. He has built his business for over 25 years providing commercial artwork, graphics, design, window splashes and hand painted signs to many businesses nationwide.  I was looking back over some pictures that I recently downloaded from my mother's camera and I stumbled across this
picture taken of us last Christmas, just two short weeks after I began my journey to a new me.  I remember at the time thinking what a great picture this was of us.

Thinking of my husband and his great artistic talent got me to thinking.  I believe that there is an art to setting a goal and achieving it.  It was one thing for me to say "I want to lose 100 pounds in one year" but it was another thing to figure out how that I  was going to do it.

One of the best things that has helped me is to break down the weight into increments.  I know the big picture is to lose 100 pounds in one year, but that is a big number to try to visualize.  So on my journey to a new me I have found that there is an art to making a goal and acheiving it.  What has helped me is that I set short term smaller goals that I can acheive along the way to my big one year goal of 100 pounds.

As of this morning I am down 81.2 pounds on my way to my Labor Day goal of 85 pounds.  When I look at the calendar I see that Labor Day is only a week and two days away, but I refuse to stop trying to get to my next goal of 85 pounds.  So how do I know that I will be able to make this milestone?  There is no way for me to know for certain, but I will continue to follow my simple plan of eating 1400 calories per day and we will see see where my efforts get me.

The best advice that I can give to others who have weight to lose is to make a big goal, and then set some smaller goals along the way, and before you know it you will hit not only your smaller goals but your over all goal as well.  I will keep you posted on my progress and who knows maybe I will get to the 85 pound mark before Labor Day!


This picture was taken today at a good friends wedding.
I love this picture of us!  It is amazing to be 81.2 lbs. lighter
 than I was 8 months ago!  Here's to more weight loss
success in my near future!


Monday, August 22, 2011

Helping Others Help Themselves

There is an old saying "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he can eat every day"! There has never been a truer statement made. This is true with everything in life. If you take the time to teach someone how to do something for themselves then they become a more responsible person who is able to take care of themselves and do for themselves. I remember my precious mother-in-law took time to teach her grandchildren (my kids) how to cook and bake. She passed away over 4 years ago but her homemade apple pie and apple dumplings live on through her grandson's efforts.  On my journey to a new me I am discovering that I am able to help people help themselves when it comes to offering ideas and tips on how to successfully lose weight because I have now lost 80 pounds in only 8 months without any surgery or other method.

First you have to identify someone who wants your help. I remember the first time that we brought our soon-to-be adopted 12 year old son to meet my mother-in-law.   She was cooking up something delicious in her kitchen and when she met him she asked him if he knew how to cook.  He responded that he could make eggs, and she said that no grandson of hers was going to go through life not knowing how to cook, and from that moment on she began to teach him the art of baking cakes, pies, and other desserts from scratch. 

My husband is an excellent artist and he loves to paint watercolors.  I remember last year on a vacation to Savannah, Georgia that we sat on the veranda at a bed and breakfast that we were staying at and he began to teach me how to watercolor.  It was very enjoyable and relaxing.  That was a memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life.



Me this past weekend at my grandparents home
in Wilmer, AL (Mobile Area)  They were
so happy to see us & were proud of my
weight loss so far, 80 lbs. gone!

For someone to help someone help themselves, you must first be willing to give of yourself.  And in both of the examples above the persons who were the "teachers" did just that.  But there is also something to be said about the "student".  To learn from someone else, the "student" must be willing to be taught and to listen and learn.  My son is a very strong willed child and I can remember him trying to tell my mother-in-law a better way to do something, and she allowed him to do it his way and it failed.  The same is true with my art lesson in watercolor.  My husband tried to explain that I did not have to try to make it perfect.  I could just layer the color until I got the color just right.  But I tried too hard to do it the way that I thought would give me the best result and he had to come back and make corrections to what I was doing.

On my journey to a new me I have done a few things right and I have made some mistakes along the way.  When you are trying to do something that does not come naturally to you it may take a few times before you can master it.  Just like the watercolor was not the easiest thing that I have ever attempted, my weight loss journey is even more difficult.  My 85 pound weight loss goal has been set for Labor Day and I am looking forward to hitting this mile marker on my journey.  I will keep you posted as the day approaches, but in the mean time think about what you can do to help others help themselves.  You may find it is a rewarding experience that is worth attempting along the way.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Find A Buddy And Take A Walk

I have a confession to make. I am the worlds worst when it comes to exercising. I don't really know what it is about it that I don't like, or I don't make the time to do on my journey to a new me. On my husbands birthday (August 11th) I hit my 80 pounds weight loss goal on my way down to 100 pounds in one year, but I can't say that I can really contribute any of my weight loss success to regular, scheduled, or planned exercise.

So here is an account of my latest attempt to exercise. My husband and I met our new neighbors about three weeks ago while taking our trash out to the crib of all things. I know that this is not the most glamorous way to meet someone but we struck up a nice conversation and a friendship was born. On Sunday night we went to dinner and afterwards I found myself inviting her to join me at a park close by to go walk off some of the pizza we had enjoyed for dinner. She gladly accepted and she rode with me the five minutes over to the park.

I had my iPhone with me and decided to set the pedometer to see how far we could walk and the amount of calories that I would burn. Well I am happy to say that 40 minutes later we had walked 2.18 miles and I had burned over 400 calories because we kept up a constant speed of 3.0 mph. We both could not believe how fast the time went by and decided this was something that we both wanted to make time for in our busy lives. We did not set the days and times in "stone" because as sure as you do one or the other person would have a conflict so this will be something that we do randomly but purposefully. My goal is to start out walking three days a week and build from there. It is weird but I can sort of see myself walking, and then building up to jogging. I don't dare say that i see myself running because that would not be a pretty sight, but getting more active for sure is what my future holds. With the 80 pounds off my body I have more energy to do it.

I will keep you posted on my exercise attempts and who knows maybe I will see you on the track getting yourself in shape too!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Seeing Things Differently

I am one lucky girl. I have been a lucky person for most of my life. I remember about fifteen years ago being the 98th caller through when my favorite radio station at the time was giving away $1,000.00 to the 98th caller. In case you do not know what I am talking about let me explain.

Many radio stations promote money give-aways to gain more listeners and this one particular radio station had been giving away $98.00 to the 98th caller every week on a specific day when they played the song of the day.  Near the end of the promotion they advertised for a month straight that they were going to have a huge give away. They were going to up the winnings from $98.00 to $1,000.00!!!

It sounded to good to be true.  The deal was you had to listen every day between  8 am and 5 pm the designated song of the day to come on so that we could begin to dial for dolllars.  The song came on and I immediately grabbed my phone and dialed the radio stations number. Of course it was busy, and the next time I called it was busy, and the third, fourth and fifth time I called I had the same results. But something kept telling me to keep trying. Keep picking up that receiver and hit re-dial on my phone and just keep doing it until they came back on the radio to announce that someone had won the money. (I had never done this before but I kind of knew what to expect). When without any warning there was a person on the other end of the line and they said "you are the 94th caller, please try again." and then all I heard was the sound of the dial tone in my ear.   It shocked me so much that I dropped the receiver and just looked at the phone for a minute, them my instincts kicked in and I redialed that numberr and the next words that I heard were "Congratulations! " You are the 98th caller and the winner of the $1,000.00 give away!"  I had no words to say at first, but then I sounded like all the other winners who had won the $98.00 prizes earlier in the contest.  My voice took on a rather high pitch sound because I was so excited I could hardly catch my breath! " Really? Really?  Are you serious?  Am I really the 98th caller?   Is this for real?"  And I remember after I hung up the phone sitting in my office and hearing my recorded telephone call over the rado airwaves.  That was a wild experience and one that I will never forget.  What made it even more real was when we drove down to the radio station the next day to pick up my prize check.  That was unbelievable.

So why I am reflecting on something that happened so long ago?  What does me winning $1,000.00 from a radio station have to do with my journey to a new me?  Well absolutely nothing!!  It is just when I think about my life and all of the things that I have experienced, some things are spectacular and you want to remember them forever, but something happens and time goes by and you sort of forget about it.  Well now that I am on my journey to a new me "I have begun to see things differently.  I wish that I had done something special with some of the winnings that day.  Something that would have made a difference in my life or someone else's life.  I think that I paid bills with it or paid off a credit card or something, but nothing memorable.

That is how I feel about my journey that I am on now.  I see the journey as part of the adventure and and I am not only excited about the final destination, but I am enjoying the scenery along the way.  So, what do you see in your future?  Are there brighter days ahead?  Are you looking forward or reflecting in the rearview mirror.  Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is not here yet.  So live every day to the fullest.  Make memories now that will last a lifetime.  Who knows when you might be the next lucky winner!  With 78.6 pounds down, I feel like a winner already!

Positive Support Is The Name Of The Game

Have you ever set out to do something big? Something so big that you knew without a lot of support you would surely fail? Well that is what I am talking about today! On my journey to a new me I have found so much support and encouragement that it has helped me to stay the course and push to each goal that I have set for myself on my way to 100 pounds lost in one year.

So who has given me positive support and in what way are they giving it? To start with my husband and family have offered me tremendous support. Next would be my friends, co-workers and church family. I even get comments from people that I do not know and have never met who will send me a message from Facebook where they have stumbled upon my journey to a new me and have commented and encouraged me to continue.

So if you are not a person who needs positive support you can stop reading now. But I know that you will all continue to read not because I am the best writer in the world but because we ALL need positive support. So whether you are trying to lose weight, get more fit, quit smoking, quit drinking or whatever your hang-up is, positive support can be a great tool in your arsenal to help you achieve your goal and stay on track.

So here is the million dollar question, "How do you get positive support when you are faced with a challenge that is bigger than you are?". Well for me I had to pray. I prayed and asked the Lord for His support and help. And I believe that He is where my strength and stamina has come from. Next I talked to my husband and asked him to get on board with what I was doing. I explained that I did not want him to "monitor" my food intake but to encourage me to stay on the course. And I have to say he has done a fantastic job. "Thank you sweetheart!". Next I told my son and daughter-in-law, after all it was Amber that had me begin to blog in the first place which is a great benefit to me because it keeps me accountable to myself and to everyone who is reading the blog. I then told my parents and they gave me all of their support too!

Next I finally broke down and told some of my friends at work and church. This was the toughest by far because many of them have only known me the way that I was, and to try to explain what I was attempting to do, without surgery or some other drastic means, seemed a little more than futile to some of them. But I believe that I have changed all of their minds now that they have seen my progress.

I know without all of the support and encouragement that I have received that I would not have made it this far on my journey to a new me. So with that said here are a few questions to ask yourself. Are you receiving positive support while trying to achieve your goals? If not, ask yourself why not? Have you neglected to speak to your friends and loved ones and ask them for their support? Many times the people closest to us do not "volunteer" words of support and encouragement for fear of hurting our feelings. I know that one time I commented to a friend that she looked great, how much weight had she lost? And she replied, "None I have actually put on about ten pounds since I saw you last.". I didn't know what to say, but if I could have found a rock I would have climbed under it. That taught me a valuable lesson, look and listen for clues that give the "go ahead" from friends and family when commenting and complimenting on such touchy things as weight and weight loss.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Top 10 Guilty Restaurant Pleasures

I don't know why this article caught my attention but when I read it on yahoo health webpage I knew immediately that I had to share it.  The tips and tricks shared in this article may help all of us shed a few pounds.  As of this morning I am down 78.6 pounds and inching closer to my 80 pounds of weight loss goal by my husbands birthday on August 11th, but for now, check out this article and see if you can enjoy some of your guilty pleasures that you have been avoiding while on your journey to a new me.

Top 10 Guilty Restaurant Pleasures

Things The Candy Makers Are Not Telling You

I love to read articles on health and fitness, new discoveries in medicine, and weight loss.  This morning I saw a very interesting article on yahoo that I felt was worth posting on my blog.  If you have a "sweet tooth" like me, or just like to label yourself a chocoholic, then you definately need to read this.

5 Things Candy Makers Won't Tell You

by Jilian Mincer
Monday, August 1, 2011
    provided by SMlogo
    1. "You're Paying More For Less." In May, Nestle introduced two new candies under its new Skinny Cow label: nut clusters and a chocolate-covered wafer crisp, each under 120 calories, the latest to join the candy industry's rush keep calorie-conscious snackers in the fold. Many major candy companies now offer low-cal treats, including Mars' 3 Musketeers Truffle Crisp Bars (34% fewer calories than a 3 Musketeers) and Hershey's 100 Calorie Crisp Wafer Bars (50% fewer calories than a Kit Kat). But the candy companies' secret to keeping the calories down doesn't come from a new miracle cocoa bean. They've simply done what weight-loss experts have advocated for years: They've cut the portion sizes -- but not the prices, meaning health-conscious candy buyers are paying proportionally more for less candy. The Mars Truffle Crisp bar and its regular 3 Musketeers bar, for example, each cost $1, but at 1.1 ounces, the lower-calorie bar is half the size of the more caloric treat. Mars and Hershey's declined to comment, but Gary Stibel, founder and CEO of the New England Consulting Group says this is just smart marketing on the candy companies' part. "People will pay a premium to take calories out of the package," he says. "And it takes away a reason why people don't eat candy."
    2. "Our Candy May Have More Than Sugar." Consumers have long been warned about the dangers of lead paint, but few know that the lead levels in chocolate products can also run high. While lead can turn up in many foods in trace amounts, in 2004 chocolate bars had among the highest lead levels of 280 items surveyed by the Food and Drug Administration. In 2006, the agency issued a recall of some types of Dagoba Organic Chocolate for having a lead content that was too high. (Dagoba, which was bought by Hershey's in 2006, did not respond to requests for comment. At the time, a company executive told reporters that the test results an isolated incident and said no reports of illness were associated with the recall.) Researchers in California have also found that bittersweet chocolate and chocolate pudding had levels of lead that would exceed that state's recommendations, says Russ Flegal, a professor of microbiology and toxicology at the University of California at Santa Cruz and one of the researchers. That doesn't come from the cocoa bean itself, he says, but is rather a result of handling, processing and storage. Most people don't eat enough chocolate for the lead to have serious consequences, says Flegal: You'd have to eat one-and-a-half milk chocolate bars each day to put your lead intake above California's recommendations for what is considered safe. But he thinks consumers, especially parents of small children, ought to be aware of the limits. "Some children eat a lot of chocolate, and it could be a potential problem," he says.
    The candy industry notes that small amounts of lead are often found in plant-based foods, and say they're taking every possible precaution. "Manufacturers take many steps to ensure that lead is at its lowest level possible in chocolate products," says Susan Smith, a spokeswoman for the National Confectioners Association.
    3."Chocolate is Not Actually Good For You." Chocoholics love to cite the healthful properties of the candy, and the candy industry is happy to arm them with statistics and research to support the claim. On Hershey's website, for example, the company says chocolate "may contribute to improved cardiovascular health," citing the antioxidant properties of cocoa and a connection between antioxidants and a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, among other illnesses. A separate study on the National Confectioners Association website claims that children and teens who eat candy are less overweight or obese than their peers who don't. Not so fast, warn health care experts. While chocolate does have antioxidants, which protect cells against certain kind of damage, and the occasional indulgence is satisfying, chocolate treats "are not fruits and vegetables," says Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy organization. So far, she says, there is no definitive evidence that antioxidants have any positive effect on your health, and "there's no health authority that recommends eating more chocolate." And outweighing any potential benefits, experts say, are the detrimental effects of fat, sugar and calories. With two out of three adults and half of children either overweight or obese, "We do not need a license to eat more chocolate," says Ross A. Hammond, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, who estimates that the annual costs from obesity may run to $215 billion a year.
    The candy industry is aware of the need to eat healthy, says Smith of the National Confectioners Association. "Candy is supposed to be one of life's little pleasures." Hershey's declined to comment on the health claims made on its web site.
    4. "Our treats could land your kid in the ER." Of the roughly 17,500 children who go to the hospital each year for choking, nearly 20% were chewing gum or candy, according to the latest national estimates of nonfatal injuries by the Centers for Disease Control. For this, health experts and advocates squarely blame the government and candy makers for not doing enough to warn parents and kids about the dangers of choking on their candies. There were a series of incidents between 2000 and 2002 in which "gel candies," jellies that come in plastic cups about the size of coffee creamers, were linked to a several choking deaths in children. That prompted some in Congress to propose the Food Choking Prevention Act, which would have required warning labels on some foods. "Many more children would be alive today if the choking hazards posed by gel candies and other foods marketed to children were investigated quickly and pulled from store shelves," said Rep. Mike Honda (D., Calif.) at the time. That legislation didn't pass, but last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a report on choking prevention that concluded that the FDA should "evaluate foods and require warning labels on foods that pose a high choking risk to children." Danger aside, it's also an expensive risk. If you have to rush your choking child to the emergency room, expect a bill for the ambulance ride, emergency room visit and possibly a visit to a pediatric gastroenterologist, says Alan Cherkasky, a family practitioner in Kaukauna, Wis. "This could easily cost many thousands of dollars," he adds.
    The National Confectioners Association's Smith acknowledges that "hard candies are not for kids under three," but says parents can help prevent their children from choking by restricting them to age-appropriate candy.
    5. "When our costs went up, so did yours." On top of the rising costs of fuel, the prices of candy's staple ingredients -- sugar and chocolate -- remain near all-time highs this year. Sugar now costs about $0.25 per pound, up 55% over a year ago, according to International Monetary Fund data; cocoa prices have almost doubled over the last five years to about $3,000 per metric ton. So what's a candy maker to do? Pass the golden ticket along to consumers. Most candy companies have increased prices this year by about 10%, says Chris Growe, an analyst with brokerage and investment firm Stifel, Nicolaus & Company. Companies typically don't advertise their price increases, although in March, Hershey's said it was increasing its prices to offset the higher costs of materials and fuel among other things, in order to keep profits on track. The company didn't respond to requests for comment, but so far, the strategy seems to be working: Hershey's stock is up 23% to $59 per share in the last 12 months. For consumers, a candy bar is a modest expense, says Growe. "You may not be able to buy that flat-screen television, but you can afford a Twix bar," he says.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Do It For Yourself!

I am a person who has been up and down in my weight my entire life. Mostly up but a few times down. Eveytime I would balloon up into the hemisphere on the scale my mother and other family members would say little hints to me and some times to my husband too. Not hurtful things but words out of concern. "Kevin can you say something to her to try to help her with her weight problem?" Or "She really needs to get her weight under control while she is young and her metabolism will help her to do it." and every time it was like the words were "falling on deaf ears". (This is a very old expression used to describe when someone is being told something and they just don't seem to hear it. It is like speaking to a deaf person who really cannot hear.) Well mom and all of my other family members who have said those words to me and about me in the past, Thank You! I really want to thank you for your concern way back then and now. Your words were "falling on deaf ears" but some how they were being stored in my memory banks to be retrieved and evaluated for a later time, and that time is now!

The reason I have titled this post "Do it for yourself" is because something that I am learning on my journey to a new me is that I can't do it for anyone else before I "first" do it for myself.

We went on vacation earlier this summer and when we boarded the airplane I saw many families traveling with small children. (We both prayed that we would not stuck sitting near a screaming kid and we were blessed with a rather quiet ride.) But before lift off the flight attendants do their last minute flight check and the video begins to roll that explains the safety features of the jet airplane that we are flying along with the emergency exits. Well I don't know about any of you but I hope and pray that I am never on a airplane that I would have to use one of those. But here is the part that stuck out to me the most. They explained that if the cabin should lose air pressure an oxygen mask will drop down from above your head and you are to secure it around yourself first and then you are to assist your small children with theirs. Wow that makes a lot of sense. Of course you should affix your own oxygen mask to yourself first before trying to help anyone else and this got me to thinking about my journey to a new me.

How many times have I started to lose weight and I said I was doing it for my parents, or my husband? How many times have I been unsuccessful at this thing called a "diet"? I can answer these questions, Too Many! I know something now that I did not know then and I want to share this little golden nugget with all of you. You can't do it for others you must do it for yourself! Just like others can't do the journey for me, I must do it for myself! Well isn't that a revelation that was a very long time in the realizing? Why did I think that I could be successful at losing weight or anything else if I was doing it for someone else?

In all the years that I have tried to lose weight and failed, I can honestly say that this time is different. This time I know and feel the difference. It is not just because other people are noticing, and making nice comments. It is because I FEEL the Difference! Not just on my physical body but inside. It feels like I have not only lost 76 pounds of ugly fat on my frame, but an additional 76 pounds of emotional baggage as well!

I don't know about you but I am doing it for myself this time and forever and I know that others will benefit because of it. I will be able to do more than I ever have before and I will hopefully live a much longer and healthier life. So here's a cheer for me and "doing it for myself"! I believe I can do it, and I know you can too!

Losing Track Of Time

Well it has been about a week since my last blog post and many of you have probably been wondering "where in the heck did my journey to a new me lead me over the past seven days?" Well let's just say that I have been busy. Well not just busy, extremely busy. Let me fill you in.

Since my last post on "Believing In Yourself" I have started six other blog post, but as you already know, none of them have posted to the blog yet. Why you ask? Because I have been busy! Not just a little bit, but an overwhelming amount of busy. I have been getting up an hour earlier than normal every day, not to exercise like I would like to do, but to go into my office to work on some really hot projects. When the five o'clock "quitting time" bell goes off (not literally, but figuratively) I am still hard at it at my desk. Most nights I am still at my desk until seven or seven thirty at night!

Well this has been a hard thing to do and post in my blog too, so no more excuses. I promise to jump back in here and keep you all updated on my progress and other fun stuff along the way. I am now down 76 pounds and have the 80 pound goal in front of me. I want to be down 80 pounds by my husbands birthday on August 11th. I know I can do it. Then my next goal is 85 pounds by Labor Day!

So where are you on your journey to a new you? Are you still moving in the right direction? Have you been de-railed or side-tracked? My words to you are "Never Give Up!" The good Lord has given us another glorious day to live, and move and get healthy! If I can do it, I know you can too. So quit thinking about it and do it. It's not time to lose track of the time. It is time to take full advantage of the time that we have been given, and this goes for everything in life, not just trying to get healthy and fit!