Tag Archives: weight loss

Fasty Friday and Favorites…

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not fasty as in fasting, but more like quick..you know?  Fasty.  Or you can just say Quick Takes and 5 Favorites combo’d.  QTs is over @ CampPatton again this week because new Mama Jen FINALLY GOT TO TAKE THE BABY HOME FROM THE NICU!!!  Awesome news in this week of ickiness.  Superb, in fact.  AND……in a bid to bring joyful and useful news among the rough news week, I am ALSO joining in with Hallie and her 5 Favorite Things link up….but mine will have 7-ish.  A two-fer if you will.  It’s always fun to see what people are up to during the week and I’ve been enjoying the  5 faves and seeing what folks around the internets consider their favorite products and such.  Go check ’em ALL out!!

It’s a clean eating theme.

This week marks the end of my 2nd week of eating clean.  It’s not a hard and fast “Clean” and/or Paleo, but a bit of a combined, best-of-both worlds and guess what???  It’s totally working.  Of course, the fact that I have planned out our meals and have made sure to have adequate food for my eating purposes has certainly helped….but, I think this is something that I could totes live with.  Now, that said, I’m heading into week 3 which is where I have generally sputtered and run out of motivation in the past, so pray for me and feel free to send on some encouragement, etc, etc!  Ok, ok, here’s my 7:

  1. Adoration.  I’ve been TWICE this week.  I love  Adoration.  Peace.  Quiet. Prayers.  In light of all the tragedy this week in Boston and Texas amongst other family and friend urgent prayer needs, it was a welcome respite in which I highly recommend.
  2. Pat Gohn.  Love her podcast.  And she has a new book out, “Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious!” which is on my night stand in the next-to-read position.  This week she interviewed Mary Wallace and they talked of working moms OUTSIDE the home and incorporating your faith life in your work life.  It was a stellar podcast and has encouraged me to begin a “Positivity Project” .  Without going into detail, I’ll just say office morale is totally in the toilet…BUT Mary and Pat encouraged me to “be the change”.  Every person can make small efforts to turn the tide even if those who should be setting the example don’t.  I started yesterday with Gandhi’s quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world”.  I’d like to see a lot less whining, griping and people just doing their job and helping others…..
  3. Pre-cooked food.  Eating Clean-eo has been much easier with cooking up some roasted veggies and hard-boiled eggs on the weekend for some ease in putting together lunches and snacks for me for the week.  However, I’ll just say that I’ve now given brussel sprouts THREE separate tries and they really are not good.  I ate them.  They weren’t horrible.  However, I won’t be eating them again.
  4. Pre-planned meals.  Meal planning for the week just helps me stay focused.  No guess-work in the morning on what to take out, no fumbling after work for what we’ll eat.  It’s just working for me.  Winning.
  5. Almond milk.  Since I’ve cut out dairy, this is my substitute for my coffee additive in the a.m. and my smoothie base after workout.  No dairy.  No gluten.  Tasty.
  6. Spin bike and burpees.  Actually, I hate them both.  However, to get my cardio in on non-workout days the spin bike fits the bill and when I break it up into 5-8 minute sessions with a set of 10 Burpees in between it goes much quicker.  Not to mention I am sweating like a sweaty person when I’m done.
  7. Choco-cado smoothie.  Before you get all EWWWW, sounds gross on me….let me just say….it is so delicious I thought I was cheating.   The fact I’ve had no sugar and/or processed stuff for twoweeks probably increased the yum factor, but seriously…..DELISH!!!!  I’m including the link on the pic credit, but here’s MY version:  8 oz Almond Milk, 1 frozen banana (go ahead and peel that BEFORE you freeze it so you don’t have to nuke it to get the peel off…ask me how I know this.)  1 giant handful of spinach.  1/4 of a avocado.  1 scoop of chocolate protein powder.  Blend and enjoy.  You are welcome.

Now go check out all the other people and their QTs and Faves…Happy Weekend!!

Starting over on a Tuesday…

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That is so wrong!!  Everyone knows all new things start on Mondays.  Yet, we bring in 2013 on a Tuesday this year thus causing a conundrum of when to begin new habits, etc, etc, etc….Tuesday or the following Monday?  In all reality, it doesn’t really matter, does it?  Today is January 1, 2013, like it or not and the day will come and go whether we have “New Year’s Resolutions” or not; so….no time like the present, eh?

Last year, my plan for 2012 was:

  1. Eat healthier/exercise more….pretty much #1 on the list EVERY year and one year I will actually succeed.  “You never fail until you stop trying” Albert Einstein  And try, try again I will.  In reality, I did succeed at this, I’ve made MUCH healthier choices in my diet and have tried many new exercises, just haven’t succeeded in actually losing weight–however, I never said losing weight was my goal.  I shall mark this up to a success.
  2. Have more Quiet time.  My quiet time has evolved.  Hubby and I have been reading the Catechism with Flock Note and discussing it every few weeks.  I’ve been to Adoration more frequently and my spiritual reading has picked up with Choosing Joy by Dan Lord and Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.  Both books are great for one chapter at a time to mull over and ponder.  I shall mark this up in the success column as well.
  3. Finances.  Clueing in Hubby and getting on the same page.  Done.  While we haven’t climbed completely out of the hole yet, we’ve stopped (so far…) the continued addition to debt and have begun backing up the train with a good plan to head into 2013.  Aaaaaand a 3rd success.  Of course, we will continue this journey together and I’m sure Dave Ramsey will be involved at some point (I hear what he’s saying but I just don’t know if I’m ready to jump in just yet), or not, Hubby’s pretty good at $stuff, either way…2012 was a good start, 2013 will be solid…I feel it.

Mentally, I really thought 2012 was a big fat FAIL on the resolutions, however, looking back I see that I actually succeeded in what I set out to do.  Sweet.

Heading into 2013 I’ve been mulling over my Goals/Resolutions/Plan for a couple of days and have also come across a few great ideas I may incorporate into reaching my own success in 2013.

Jennifer Fulwiler gives an analytical view of reviewing one’s “areas for improvement” and how to problem solve those areas.  I honestly never gave it a thought as to WHY I might not be succeeding in certain areas.  Seems so logical, I’m a little embarrassed.  Only a little though.

Jon Acuff gives a man’s view (but truly EVERYone can use this method) of breaking the year into smaller bites and attacking each goal one at a time within those small bites.  Brilliant and so realistic…I CAN do anything for 52 days.

Ann Voskamp challenges us to look for the Joy in everything and TO WRITE. IT. DOWN.  Finding 1000 Joys in 2013.  Even a chance to win a camera at the end of the year.  More importantly, Ann tells us that in focusing our eyes and heart on Joy we are certain to reap the rewards of:

1. a relative absence of stress and depression. (Woods et al., 2008)

2. progress towards important personal goals (Emmons and McCullough, 2003)

3. higher levels of determination and energy (Emmons and McCullough, 2003)

4. closer relationships and desire to build stronger relationships (Algoe and Haidt, 2009)

5. Increased happiness…. by 25% — (Who wouldn’t want 25% more      happiness!) (McCullough et al., 2002)

After all that…what are YOUR resolutions?  Or do you just opt out and chalk it up to another day on the calendar?

As for me, my focuses for this year are:

  1. Losing weight.  Hubby has agreed to help me  and so with his help, our P90X library and various other weights and miscellanea I’m ready.  I mean, sheesh, the baby will be 10 this year for crying out loud!!
  2. Spiritually to be more Joy-focused and applying it to how I live my life, my marriage, my parenting and so on.
  3. Learn to use my REAL camera more efficiently and Photoshop Elements…which has been on my computer for 2 years and I still don’t have a CLUE what to do with it.  It’s time.  I love my iPhone but my real camera rocks.

Blessings and a Happy New Year to you and yours!

 

Focus on the prize

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Thanksgiving week here in the U.S.  Thursday we will give thanks for our many blessings and watch football, spend time with family and friends, and nap after a ridiculously huge and delicious meal.  The next day many will head out and shop ’til they drop, thus signifying the start of a month-long season of eating, drinking and generally living in gluttonous excess in celebration of the birth of Our Saviour.  Weird, huh?

The average weight gain during “the holidays” is reported to be about 7 pounds per American, other studies show its more realistically about a pound…..for my, it’s about 4. Average spending per American is about $700 during the holidays.  No wonder we are all stressed.  I was thinking about all of this the other day and decided THIS year I am approaching the holidays differently.  Much differently.

I enlisted my girlfriend who I work with and another girlfriend who I know does EVERYTHING for EVERYONE all year-long and can use some de-stressing as well.

It’s simple, really.

One day at a time.

  • Focus on regular exercise throughout the remainder of the year.  Shooting for a minimum of 20 minutes a day.  That is NOTHING!!!!!  Just plan it.  A quick 20 minute walk before your day gets going.  20 minutes while dinner is in the over.  20 minutes after dinner.  Whatever.  The time is there.  Just do it.
  • Healthy eating choices.  Log food or plan it out.  Be AWARE of what is going in.  So much temptation.  Ask yourself, “is it worth it”?

This season is about Jesus.  Let us focus on Him.  Let us treat our bodies as the Temples they are.  If we don’t take care of ourselves, how in the WORLD can we love and take care of those around us???  The airlines don’t tell us to put our own oxygen on first and then the kids for nothing…

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 Or do you not know that your body is a [a]temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from [b]God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

I plan on blogging throughout the month-ish and re-blogging encouraging and inspirational blogs as well to cheer us on.  Be blessed.  Don’t stress.

To encourage you….this morning I did 20 minutes of P90X Cardio X.  20 minutes.  It’s what I had time for.  Bring it!

Final update…

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Well, 5 weeks and I made it through the Peak 313 Challenge.  It was a good jump-start to getting a little more disciplined and NOT getting sidelined by life with healthier eating and exercise habits.  For me, it’s more on the eating side, the exercise thing–I got it.  I just enjoy food.  I enjoy making it, serving it and fellowshipping with and around it.  I just need to make friends with it.  As my friend commented to me during this challenge, “I am eating for fuel…not just eating”.  True.

So, to report…the scale didn’t really budge much, which is disappointing and truth be told, can quite easily depress me into a return to emotional eating.  However…..my clothes are fitting looser and I have more energy, so I am motivated and encouraged to continue on with my journey…and if I’m making good choices and treating this body as the temple that it is and nothing changes on the scale then I’ll work on making peace with that, too.

And that’s OK.

Blessings!!

1Corinthians 6:19

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Home stretch…or is it?

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Photo CREDIT

The above mentioned photo cred is to an article on network marketing, however, you’ll see it has the same tools to get to ANY goal….commitment and accountability in surrounding yourself with like-minded folks.

Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

Today I find myself heading into Week 5 of the Peak313 challenge and for me, it’s been a GREAT springboard for getting my heart (mind and body, too!) back into the healthy frame o’ mind.  Instead of this being “The End”, it’s rather a beginning, to keep marching forward!

And like the article in the photo above, this challenge, along with fanTABulous encouragement through Clare, seriously make-you-sore exercises and the important scriptural foundation, commitment and accountabilty have contributed tremendously to my staying on track.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not naive and I’ve been in “this place” more times than I can count.  I FULLY expect to continue to be tempted and challenged along the way as I strive toward my “Healthy goal”, it’s a lifelong exercise……..just as it is with our spiritual Walk, budgeting goals, raising children, cultivating healthy marriages, and so on.  Anything worthwhile is worth working on!!  Each day presents its own challenges, and in facing each day as it comes, I find it’s easier for me to keep focused when I keep the one-day-at-a-time mentality.  The choices we make TODAY contribute to where we are tomorrow…we canNOT focus on the worries of tomorrow which haven’t even occurred yet!!    We canNOT focus on the failures of yesterday.  Today.  One step at a time, one foot in front of the other.

And so….to wrap up this week, here is a quick summary:

Exercise:  I modified my plan according to what the day brought.  I had my “plan” and as with anything, sometimes plans fall apart.  This is where Plan B came in.  Modified.  Life changes.  Adaptation is key.  I did.  I was sore.  I got in my time!!

Food:  I planned.  I ate in moderation.  I kept cravings in check and when I simply HAD TO HAVE IT……moderation.  Case in point:  Spontaneous dinner date with Hubby Friday night…healthy choices @ dinner, but skipped the bread and ate in moderation….including the coconut cream pie.  A few bites, savored and enjoyed and I was satisfied.  Moderation not deprivation.  We have to live, people.

Scripture:  Above all things, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.  Proverbs 4:23.  How true, how true.  Especially after my dear friend’s dad underwent open heart surgery this week.  Physically and spiritually, heart=life.  Guard it likewise.

And this week we have….

Wishing you much success, peace and strength in the coming week(s) ahead!  Blessings!!