The weekend is now in full swing and we have just begun to scrap till we drop. Yesterday we arrived a few minutes after 3 pm and the conference room was already full of 20 other women who were already sitting at their own personal six foot table with piles and piles of pictures, Cricut cutting machines with their cutting cartridges, scrapbook paper, scissors, embellishments, and every tool under the sun to help them turn all of their mess into a final work of art.
Now when we arrived we didn't do anything differently. We unloaded our "everything we brought but the kitchen sink" filled to the brim boxes, bags, and totes with all of our pictures, paper and supplies. It took at least an hour to sort through all the items and get some sense of organization before we could even get started.
But that was my biggest decision of the day so far. Where to start? I had brought a great variety of pictues with me to scrap all sorts of seasons, events, people and places, but when I started going through all the pictures that I had brought, I had a chance to take a walk down "Memory Lane".
I found picture after picture of my husband and I at Christmas, on vacations, with our family, with our grandchildren, having fun with our kids, and spending time with my grandparents and his relatives too. In every picture I stopped and really concentrated on one specific person in the the picture and that was Me!
There were a great many changes that had happened to me over the years. Clothing styles had changed, hairstyles had changed, the way I wore my make-up had changed but the biggest change was in my appearance, my size to be exact. I can't remember seeing any pictures where I looked thin, you know a person of normal healthy weight. In every picture I had the same bright and shiny face. I had a positive attitude and an outgoing personality and it showed in the pictures. But what I saw that made me sad was that there were times that I had yo-yoed from being "On the right track" to "Falling off the wagon and eating everything in sight".
There is no one to blame but myself. It was my inability to really understand why I was "Living to Eat" instead of "Eating to Live and enjoy a healthier lifestyle". With my new found commitment to myself, I will continue to eat my 1400 calories per day and increase my activity.
I am learning more about myself every day. I, like many others, have a mental block when it comes to excercise. Well I believe the Lord is showing me that my seditary job and lifestyle have contributed to my weight. It is not just in excersing that I can lose weight but by becoming a more "active" person in general. Parking my car in the fartherest (Is that a word?) parking space and walking to my destination would help me burn more calories than mindlessly driving around the parking lot for twenty minutes waiting on someone to leave in a close up parking spot. In all of the diet and exercise books that I have bought in my lifetime, I have never seen a calorie burn recorded for driving around a parking lot looking for the closest space to park.
This weekend has given me so much to think about. And one thing is for sure, I never want to see pictures of me with the 40 pounds that I have lost in them. To the "40 Pounds" I say; "Good-Bye and Good Ridence".
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Catching Up With The Doctor Before My Weekend Begins
I decided to take a quick trip down to my doctors office this morning before beginning on my weekend retreat with my mom. The doctor who got me started on My Journey To A New Me is in the Dacula office today so I figured why not go and have my A1C blood work done, and see what the good old doctor has to say about my progress.
As a Type 2 diabetic I am supposed to have this blood work done at least every 90 days. I believe it has been a longer stretch since I have though. I need to do a better job taking care of myself but when I test my sugar every day, sometimes twice a day, I am pretty happy with the results. I have a small confession, I actually stopped taking my meds four days ago because I had a little scare.
I was busy at work on Monday morning and my morning just seemed to fly by. By lunch time I was hungry and had a nice lunch with my husband at the Cracker Barrell ( my favorite meal, grilled chicken tenderloins, green beans and pinto beans). But about an hour and a half later I was sitting at my desk and I started feeling kind of funny. Sort of weak and light headed. I had my diabetes tester with me and decided to see what my sugar was. Well I hit an all-time low! My sugar was 51 !!!!!!!!! My sugar has never gotten down to 51 !!!!!!!
I quietly asked my co-worker sitting next to me if she would please go get me some orange juice. Her head popped up suddenly and with a concerned look on her face she asked me if I was alright. I told her that I wasn't feeling well and that my sugar was down to 51 !!! Well she like many of you probably don't know why this is considered low. But before I could explain she was rushing off to get me some orange juice. As I drank the full bottle of OJ I saw that my hand and lip were quivering. I am glad that I did not wait until I passed out to test my sugar! Just like people who are having heart attacks will often say " well I didn't know that I was having a heart attack because I was waiting for my arm to hurt or go numb". Well I have never had a heart attack but my dad has, and you don't really want to wait until you have that " arm hurting kind of feeling" before you do something about it.
I am so thankful that my friend was able to quickly respond to my emergency, and I am glad that the OJ worked so quickly. I did not take any more of my medicine this week because I was afraid that it would drop my sugar down to the basement again. As a diabetic i should maintain a blood test of 80-120 max. Maybe while on my journey to a new me I can drop off more than just the weight, but some of the medication that I have been taking since becoming a diabetic over six years ago. I see less meds in my future and thats a Good Thing! I can't wait until that day!
As a Type 2 diabetic I am supposed to have this blood work done at least every 90 days. I believe it has been a longer stretch since I have though. I need to do a better job taking care of myself but when I test my sugar every day, sometimes twice a day, I am pretty happy with the results. I have a small confession, I actually stopped taking my meds four days ago because I had a little scare.
I was busy at work on Monday morning and my morning just seemed to fly by. By lunch time I was hungry and had a nice lunch with my husband at the Cracker Barrell ( my favorite meal, grilled chicken tenderloins, green beans and pinto beans). But about an hour and a half later I was sitting at my desk and I started feeling kind of funny. Sort of weak and light headed. I had my diabetes tester with me and decided to see what my sugar was. Well I hit an all-time low! My sugar was 51 !!!!!!!!! My sugar has never gotten down to 51 !!!!!!!
I quietly asked my co-worker sitting next to me if she would please go get me some orange juice. Her head popped up suddenly and with a concerned look on her face she asked me if I was alright. I told her that I wasn't feeling well and that my sugar was down to 51 !!! Well she like many of you probably don't know why this is considered low. But before I could explain she was rushing off to get me some orange juice. As I drank the full bottle of OJ I saw that my hand and lip were quivering. I am glad that I did not wait until I passed out to test my sugar! Just like people who are having heart attacks will often say " well I didn't know that I was having a heart attack because I was waiting for my arm to hurt or go numb". Well I have never had a heart attack but my dad has, and you don't really want to wait until you have that " arm hurting kind of feeling" before you do something about it.
I am so thankful that my friend was able to quickly respond to my emergency, and I am glad that the OJ worked so quickly. I did not take any more of my medicine this week because I was afraid that it would drop my sugar down to the basement again. As a diabetic i should maintain a blood test of 80-120 max. Maybe while on my journey to a new me I can drop off more than just the weight, but some of the medication that I have been taking since becoming a diabetic over six years ago. I see less meds in my future and thats a Good Thing! I can't wait until that day!
Big Weekend - Big Plans With My Mom
Have you ever had something that you had planned for a while? Something you were looking forward to doing? Maybe a trip that had been planned for a while. You were so looking forward to the special thing or event that you couldn't hardly contain your excitement. But then as the day arrives you realize that you aren't ready? You don't have all your loose ends tied up? You don't have all your "ducks in a row"? You aren't packed, and you are wondering what all you should bring. Will it be warm or should I carry sweaters and jackets? You are running short on time and the clock just keeps ticking. Well my friends that crazy sounding person is me today
I am the person who made a commitment to go with my mother to a ladies retreat. I took the day off of work so that I could have some good quality time with my mother. I really don't know the other women who will be attending but I am sure that I will have a nice time getting to know them but the person that I am doing this for is me, and my mom.
We only live three or four miles a part and we see each often times once or twice a week. We often talk on the phone every day, but In our every day, often busy and hectic lives we don't spend time connecting with one another. I can't remember the last time we had a "lets have fun" kind of weekend. Well this is the weekend that we are going to do just that.
The problem is I just have so much to do before we can get started. Where do I begin? I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. I will pack all kinds of clothes, some healthy snacks, and all the scrapbooking stuff that I can fit into my car. Oh yes, did I fail to mention that this is a Scrapbooking Retreat! For three days we will be doing nothing but creating beautiful memories of our family and loved ones. And I can't wait to start recording my journey to a new me in pictures. Who knows maybe I will post a few on my blog so that you can all see my progress. I'll keep you posted!
I am the person who made a commitment to go with my mother to a ladies retreat. I took the day off of work so that I could have some good quality time with my mother. I really don't know the other women who will be attending but I am sure that I will have a nice time getting to know them but the person that I am doing this for is me, and my mom.
We only live three or four miles a part and we see each often times once or twice a week. We often talk on the phone every day, but In our every day, often busy and hectic lives we don't spend time connecting with one another. I can't remember the last time we had a "lets have fun" kind of weekend. Well this is the weekend that we are going to do just that.
The problem is I just have so much to do before we can get started. Where do I begin? I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. I will pack all kinds of clothes, some healthy snacks, and all the scrapbooking stuff that I can fit into my car. Oh yes, did I fail to mention that this is a Scrapbooking Retreat! For three days we will be doing nothing but creating beautiful memories of our family and loved ones. And I can't wait to start recording my journey to a new me in pictures. Who knows maybe I will post a few on my blog so that you can all see my progress. I'll keep you posted!
Hitting the Big "4-0" !!!!!
Most women don't want anyone to know when they hit the BIG "40", but I want to shout it from the mountain tops! I hit the Big 40 on the scale this week and it moved me into another "decade" on the scale. If you don't know what I am referring to, it's when you see the scale move into the next set of digits on it's way down the scale. Well I did it! I got to this mile marker on my journey and I can't wait to hit my next goal of 50 pounds! My goal is to be there by Easter, so I guess I better start peddling faster now.
Yes, you heard me correctly, I have lost 40 pounds thus far on my journey. So I started thinking about how much 40 pounds looks like. Can you visualize "8" Five pounds of sugar or flour? Can you see forty, one pound packages of yummy bacon, or forty, one pound boxes of
Butter, or better yet four ten pound bags of Russet potatoes?
But I guess the real "eye-opener" if you will, came to me when I was talking to my daughter-in-law and told her about my accomplishment. Her response was "Well at Forty Pounds, you've lost your grandson! He's a little over forty pounds!". WOW! Now that was the visual that I had been looking for! (no pun intended). My grandson who just turned four one week ago weighs the same amount as the amount of weight that I had lost! I can see for myself how big and tall and handsome that he is getting to be every day, but until she told me how much he weighed I had no idea he was a forty pound person.
This is so cool for me. I can see that all of my focus on this area of my life is going to have a big reward. I am going to be able to do more with my grandchildren than I ever have before. I will no longer have to be a bystander and "watch" as they grow up, but I will be able to be an "active" participant in their lives! I am so happy all because my grandson just so happens to be Forty Pounds!
So, think about it. Whether you have two pounds, ten pounds, twenty pounds or more to lose you need to find something that you can visualize to help you really appreciate your progress along the way. Celebrate Every Pound! Because we all know it is alot harder to lose that pound (of bacon, butter, chocolate or whatever you "see") than it was to gain it! What are you waiting for? Are you trying to improve your life? Are you on a journey to a healthier you yet? If your not you could be. I will keep you posted on my progress, and maybe just maybe we will see each other along the way!
Yes, you heard me correctly, I have lost 40 pounds thus far on my journey. So I started thinking about how much 40 pounds looks like. Can you visualize "8" Five pounds of sugar or flour? Can you see forty, one pound packages of yummy bacon, or forty, one pound boxes of
Butter, or better yet four ten pound bags of Russet potatoes?
But I guess the real "eye-opener" if you will, came to me when I was talking to my daughter-in-law and told her about my accomplishment. Her response was "Well at Forty Pounds, you've lost your grandson! He's a little over forty pounds!". WOW! Now that was the visual that I had been looking for! (no pun intended). My grandson who just turned four one week ago weighs the same amount as the amount of weight that I had lost! I can see for myself how big and tall and handsome that he is getting to be every day, but until she told me how much he weighed I had no idea he was a forty pound person.
This is so cool for me. I can see that all of my focus on this area of my life is going to have a big reward. I am going to be able to do more with my grandchildren than I ever have before. I will no longer have to be a bystander and "watch" as they grow up, but I will be able to be an "active" participant in their lives! I am so happy all because my grandson just so happens to be Forty Pounds!
So, think about it. Whether you have two pounds, ten pounds, twenty pounds or more to lose you need to find something that you can visualize to help you really appreciate your progress along the way. Celebrate Every Pound! Because we all know it is alot harder to lose that pound (of bacon, butter, chocolate or whatever you "see") than it was to gain it! What are you waiting for? Are you trying to improve your life? Are you on a journey to a healthier you yet? If your not you could be. I will keep you posted on my progress, and maybe just maybe we will see each other along the way!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Challenge of The Day... Go Topless!!!
Yes, you heard me right... go Topless! But before you go thinking I have hit my head, or fallen off my rocker, let me explain. Every day we eat food that is not as un-healthy as it is too much. We go to Subway and order a six inch or maybe if we're super hungry a twelve inch sub, or through a drive-thru to pick up a hamburger, chicken sandwich, barbecue sandwich etc. What do all of these things have in common? A bun, a roll, an enriched white flour baked good that not only provided a platform for your creation, but a "roof" as well (the top).
Let me hereby challenge all the sandwich, sub, biscuit, croissant, and breakfast sandwich eaters out there. For the next three days take the plunge... Take the top off! You would be surprised at how many calories you can remove from your daily intake by trying this little tid-bit.
And while your at it, you may also want to order your salads topless. You ask, "How would I order my salad topless? There is no bun or bread on my salad. My salad is a healthy food choice." Oh but is it? How many "hidden calories" are there in the salad dressing,cheese, and croutons. Not to mention all the homemade salad concoctions that we find out there, like potato salad, macaroni salad, jello salad, chicken salad, and tuna salad. let me state for the record, not all salads were created equal!
So back to the topless salad part of my challenge. Why don't you order your salad with the dressing, cheese and croutons on the side. Then you can control how much, if any you eat. There is a little trick that I learned many years ago at a Weight Watchers meeting that I am still using today. Order the dressing on the side, and "dip" your fork in the dressing and let the excess drip off the fork. Then stab the salad veggies onto the fork and instead of drowning the veggies into tasting like salad dressing, you can enjoy the veggies and still have a "taste" of the dressing. At the end of your salad check out how much dressing is still in the container. Mine is usually still almost full.
So go ahead, try it. Go Topless for three days and see if your missing anything... Except maybe a pound on two the next time you visit your Mr. Scale!
Let me hereby challenge all the sandwich, sub, biscuit, croissant, and breakfast sandwich eaters out there. For the next three days take the plunge... Take the top off! You would be surprised at how many calories you can remove from your daily intake by trying this little tid-bit.
And while your at it, you may also want to order your salads topless. You ask, "How would I order my salad topless? There is no bun or bread on my salad. My salad is a healthy food choice." Oh but is it? How many "hidden calories" are there in the salad dressing,cheese, and croutons. Not to mention all the homemade salad concoctions that we find out there, like potato salad, macaroni salad, jello salad, chicken salad, and tuna salad. let me state for the record, not all salads were created equal!
So back to the topless salad part of my challenge. Why don't you order your salad with the dressing, cheese and croutons on the side. Then you can control how much, if any you eat. There is a little trick that I learned many years ago at a Weight Watchers meeting that I am still using today. Order the dressing on the side, and "dip" your fork in the dressing and let the excess drip off the fork. Then stab the salad veggies onto the fork and instead of drowning the veggies into tasting like salad dressing, you can enjoy the veggies and still have a "taste" of the dressing. At the end of your salad check out how much dressing is still in the container. Mine is usually still almost full.
So go ahead, try it. Go Topless for three days and see if your missing anything... Except maybe a pound on two the next time you visit your Mr. Scale!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Don't Just Buy The Book .... DO Something!
There are more books on weight loss and fitness than you could read in a lifetime. I know because I have a closet, two bookshelves, and several plastic tubs full of them in my home, not to mention the ones that I have loaned out to family and friends who were also looking for answers.
It is not that I bought the books and sat down and even read them. I have books on calorie counting, books on low-fat eating, books on low-carb dieting, South Beach Diet, and the revised South Beach Diet. I have the eating for your blood type book, the Ultimate Weight Watcher cookbook, and the list goes on and on. It was not like I read and studied every chapter like there was going to be a pop quiz, or something. I believe that I bought the books hoping that they would do something to "inspire" me to lose weight and to gain a healthy lifestyle.
Well folks I am here to tell you that it didn't work. It did not matter if I bought the book new off the NY Times bestseller list, used from Books for less or picked it up at a yard sale. The results were always the same. I did not lose one pound by having those books in my house, on my shelf, in my closet, or packed away in a plastic tub. All the books did was gather dust, take up shelf space and deplete my bank account from some hard earned money.
So why didn't the books work? Well for one you have to read them to get anything out of them but more importantly you have to actually DO something about what you have read to get a different result.
I go back to my earlier statement, every time I got the latest book I was looking to be inspired. But what does it mean to inspire someone? My husband and I are teaching a small group class at our church called "The Five Love Languages" by Dr. Gary Chapman and last week we read and discussed the love language of "Words of Affirmation". Without going way into it I would like to share a nugget from what we discovered.
What is an Encouraging Word? The word Encourage means "To Inspire To Courage". I don't know about you but I want , no make that NEED to be inspired, every day! All of your positive comments and feedback about my journey to a new me has Greatly encouraged me. And I thank you All so much! The words of affirmation that I have received from so many of you are the inspiration to help "inspire" me to continue on this exciting journey to a healthier me. Thank you again for every kind word, I mean it!
It is not that I bought the books and sat down and even read them. I have books on calorie counting, books on low-fat eating, books on low-carb dieting, South Beach Diet, and the revised South Beach Diet. I have the eating for your blood type book, the Ultimate Weight Watcher cookbook, and the list goes on and on. It was not like I read and studied every chapter like there was going to be a pop quiz, or something. I believe that I bought the books hoping that they would do something to "inspire" me to lose weight and to gain a healthy lifestyle.
Well folks I am here to tell you that it didn't work. It did not matter if I bought the book new off the NY Times bestseller list, used from Books for less or picked it up at a yard sale. The results were always the same. I did not lose one pound by having those books in my house, on my shelf, in my closet, or packed away in a plastic tub. All the books did was gather dust, take up shelf space and deplete my bank account from some hard earned money.
So why didn't the books work? Well for one you have to read them to get anything out of them but more importantly you have to actually DO something about what you have read to get a different result.
I go back to my earlier statement, every time I got the latest book I was looking to be inspired. But what does it mean to inspire someone? My husband and I are teaching a small group class at our church called "The Five Love Languages" by Dr. Gary Chapman and last week we read and discussed the love language of "Words of Affirmation". Without going way into it I would like to share a nugget from what we discovered.
What is an Encouraging Word? The word Encourage means "To Inspire To Courage". I don't know about you but I want , no make that NEED to be inspired, every day! All of your positive comments and feedback about my journey to a new me has Greatly encouraged me. And I thank you All so much! The words of affirmation that I have received from so many of you are the inspiration to help "inspire" me to continue on this exciting journey to a healthier me. Thank you again for every kind word, I mean it!
Get Committed By Just Taking "Baby Steps"
What is a "baby step"? I've heard that expression all my life. And I've often wondered to myself, if your a grown adult why would you want to take a baby step any way? I can only speak for myself, but as an adult, I want to get where I'm going in the smallest amount of time as possible. The term baby steps is a type of slang expression that says "you have to take it one step at a time by putting one foot in front of the other and going for it!
In my journey to a new me I started from Day One taking baby steps. Baby steps in my eating and baby steps in my exercising. The only area that I didn't take a baby step was in my commitment to myself. I made a commitment to myself to put forth my very best effort. I wasn't unrealistic in my thinking. I knew that I would be tempted in all areas of my eating and food choices. I knew that I would have a hard time getting my exercise to be a healthy habit. But I also knew that once I put my mind to it, I was committed.
Commitment is a word that has become lost in the English language. I am committed to many things including my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, my husband, my children, my family, my employer and my church. Commitment is not something to be taken lightly. You can't be committed one day and uncommitted the next day, or you were never really committed ("sold out") to begin with.
My commitment to myself is the newest of all my commitments. In the past I would let commitments to other people over-rule my commitment to myself. But the older I get the more I realize, there is only one me. And there is only one person who can take care of me, and that is ME!!! So it is time that I stop over-committing to everyone and everything. I need to focus on my commitment to take better care of me. And I think I am going to do it one baby step at a time!
In my journey to a new me I started from Day One taking baby steps. Baby steps in my eating and baby steps in my exercising. The only area that I didn't take a baby step was in my commitment to myself. I made a commitment to myself to put forth my very best effort. I wasn't unrealistic in my thinking. I knew that I would be tempted in all areas of my eating and food choices. I knew that I would have a hard time getting my exercise to be a healthy habit. But I also knew that once I put my mind to it, I was committed.
Commitment is a word that has become lost in the English language. I am committed to many things including my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, my husband, my children, my family, my employer and my church. Commitment is not something to be taken lightly. You can't be committed one day and uncommitted the next day, or you were never really committed ("sold out") to begin with.
My commitment to myself is the newest of all my commitments. In the past I would let commitments to other people over-rule my commitment to myself. But the older I get the more I realize, there is only one me. And there is only one person who can take care of me, and that is ME!!! So it is time that I stop over-committing to everyone and everything. I need to focus on my commitment to take better care of me. And I think I am going to do it one baby step at a time!
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