12 Tips To Getting Back On Track In '12

I don’t consider this to be a weight loss blog.

To be honest, sometimes I struggle with exactly just what my blog is about.

I always come back this.

It is about my life.

Sinner saved by grace.

Wife.

Mom.

Homeschooler.

Food lover.

Weight loser.

And all the moments in between.

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On May 4th 2012 I will celebrate 2 years of losing 20+ pounds... and keeping them off.

You can read more about my weight loss journey here.

Although the entire process has been a challenge, I can honestly say that there is one time in particular that has been a huge struggle for me....the Holidays.

The sugar, the chocolate, the frosting, the sweetened condensed milk, the chocolate, the 7 layer cookies, the caramel, the chocolate.

No matter where you are in life...need to lose a few, need to lose a lot, losing, or already lost...odds are you may have let your guard down a bit over the last few weeks.

Even the most disciplined do.

Maybe you've said things like, "It's the Holidays! I'm going to enjoy them and have whatever I want and worry about my weight when the New Year rolls around."


Pssst....it's 2012.


12 tips to getting back on track in '12:

1. Get on the Scale!

So you single-handedly ate an entire 9X13 pan of 7 layer bars within a week's time...Psshhh...haven't we all?!?!

::crickets chirping::

Until you know who the enemy is...you can't go to war. Put your big girl/boy pants on and own it. Every single pound. You gained it...and you can lose it!!!

2. Make Your Mind Up to Make a Change.

Simple right? Not always. You have to get mad at this thing. You have to want this more than anything. More than convenience. More than comfort. More than instant gratification. Make up your mind that food will no longer control you but that you will be in control of food. That this will not be just another diet..another quick fix. This will be a lifestyle change. You have to decide to put on the gloves and get in the ring.

3. Set two goals.

The first goal needs to be a long term...such as how much weight you hope to lose total. Or getting your BMI within the healthy range. Check with your doctor for a healthy weight for you.

The second needs to be a short term goal. Long term goals are necessary...but setting small attainable goals and reaching them is what will keep you motivated. I started with a goal of 10% of my total weight. Which was 17 pounds. But I also broke that up into smaller goals of 5 pounds at a time. Then I rewarded myself each time I lost 5 pounds. Not with food of course. Maybe a pedicure, a new book, or a purse you've had your eye on. It doesn't have to be extravagant...just something that says....I DID IT!!!

Plan something huge for when you reach goal. You will have earned it.

Of course any other goals you want to set are a always a great idea. Maybe one could be that this time next year you will look back and see healthy changes that you made in 2012 that you are still sticking to as you enter 2013. Lifestyle change...long term.

4. Find a plan that works for you and work it like your life depends on it. It just may.

I can't say enough about Weight Watchers. Simply put...if you work it, it works. I've kept 20+ pounds off for almost 2 years...not even one time going over my goal weight...IT WORKS!!! You may feel more comfortable taking a different route. Maybe counting calories...carbs...maybe fat...whatever you do please make sure you talk with your doctor about what is healthiest for you. We are all different and have different dietary needs based on our health.

5. If you don't have it, you can't eat it.

Throw out the Christmas goodies!! I repeat throw them out!!! Every 7 layer bar ::ahem::, every haystack, every piece of fudge, the rest of Aunt Ruby's To Die for Coconut Cream Pie {you know what I mean here...every one of us has an emotional attachment to a special dish during the holidays...remember it is the person that made it that you love...not the effect it has on your thighs}, every single Hershey's Kiss in your candy dishes!!! Yes, it's wasteful. Yes,there are starving kids in the world. But the last thing they need is 87 pounds of sugar coursing through their veins. Same goes for you. Toss it!

If you do not have fruit and veggies in your kitchen, you cannot eat them. Stock your pantry and your fridge with healthy food choices. Here is a great resource for stocking up with the right foods to get you on your way to healthy.

6. Plan your meals for the day.

Decide in the morning what you plan to eat throughout the day. Including {healthy} snacks. Go ahead and write it all down even. This will better equip you to stay on track. If you tell yourself that you plan to have a Boca burger with a side of broccoli and baked beans for dinner it will make it much harder to stuff your face with pizza when that time comes. You may still go for the pizza...but at least you will have to intentionally change your mind to do so. It may be just the thing that stops you.

Same for snacks...know in advance what you plan to use as snack options. Do not let yourself get caught with your belly rumbling. Nothing good comes from that.

Nothing makes me feel more in control over food than deciding what I am going to eat instead of my emotions and hunger deciding for me.

7. If you bite it, write it. If you nibble it, scribble it. If you drink it, ink it.

I cannot stress to you how important this is. Or how eye opening it will be for you. We are unaware of just how much food we consume. It is important to make yourself familiar with serving sizes. Especially since the typical serving size in most restaurants today is enough for 27 people.

Do not forget drinks when you are tracking your food intake. Have you looked at the calories in that soda you have everyday?!?!

8. Move More.

It really is that simple. No gym membership necessary. Sometimes we over-complicate things to the point that we shy away from them altogether. Anything you do to move your body more is a positive step towards better health. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farther away from the entrance. Take a 30 minute walk. See how many jumping jacks you can do during a commercial break and try to beat your time. Play kickball with your kids. Challenge your spouse to a game of Just Dance on the Wii. If nothing else you will have a good laugh. :-)

9. Tell Somebody.

Let it be known to your friends and family that you are on a mission to kick fat and flab to the curb. Two things will happen...you will immediately become accountable for your goals and you will also have a support system. Both are essential.

10. Get a partner.

There really is safety in numbers. Surround yourself with like-minded people that will encourage and support your efforts and your goals. Maybe agree to meet a friend at the park every day after work for a walk. Maybe before work. Maybe swap recipes with someone that is on the same journey. Maybe agree to call each other once a week to report your weigh-ins. Make a pact to do whatever it takes to hold each other accountable...even if that means stepping on toes. Find someone that will call you if you are a no show at the gym. Someone that will love you enough to question your food choices when out to dinner. Be the same for them.

Before heading to the beach this past summer, my husband needed to drop a few pounds...and I wanted to drop 5 so that I would have some wiggle room to enjoy myself more while on vacation. So I challenged him to a Biggest Loser competition of sorts. I knew he would beat me since he had far more to lose and I was already at a good healthy weight range...but we made a bet on who could lose the most before our trip. Whoever lost the most could pick the movie we went to see on our next Date Night...no questions asked. I managed to lose 7 pounds when only really wanting to lose 5 and my husband lost 20 pounds!!!!! No joke!!! I credit it all to the fact that we were doing it together…making healthy choices together for our meals and stepping on each other's toes when bad choices were tempting us. And we were going on daily walks together...this was my favorite part because it was about so much more than our weight...it was time spent together.

Do not underestimate the power of accountability.

11. Have Mercy.

You are human. You are not perfect and you will at times make poor choices about what you eat. When you do, do NOT fall into the mental trap of telling yourself that you may as well just give up because you caved and ate 4 cupcakes instead of just 1. We all do this from time to time right?!...::crickets again:: I know I do. And I know how tempting it can be to think of this as something you have to do perfectly or not at all. That is a diet mentality. You do not want that. You want a lifestyle mentality. When you make mistakes forgive yourself and get back in the ring with the very next decision you make. Make it count. Make it better than the one before. Every single next choice is a new chance to get it right.

12. Decide you are worth it.

You are many things to many people in your life. But you cannot be any of those things if you are not around. Make your health and your lifestyle a priority. It takes planning. It takes making the time. It takes thinking ahead. As moms we easily succumb to the guilt of making time for ourselves. Being healthy is not a matter of selfishness. Do you feel guilty for the two minutes you take to brush your teeth? Should your body's health be any different? It all comes down to this question...am I worth it? I'm sure the folks in your life think so.

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail" - Ben Franklin

**I am in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers. In fact they have no idea I even exist. :-)

Mingle Monday

Life Made Lovely Monday

"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

Probably My Favorite Salad Ever.

As I was eating my salad at lunch today I began to feel guilty for partaking of something so yummy and not telling somebody about it.

A salad this simple, yet delicious, should be shared.

So I grabbed my cell phone and snapped a photo for you. I was too lazy to take a real picture.

It is my go to meal when it is just me and the kids here at home during the day. Or for dinner when my husband is away and I don't want to cook a big meal.

I was inspired by the "Strawberry Pecan Chicken Salad" at Longhorn. But was less than inspired by their salad's calorie count so I decided to try and create my own version.

This is what I came up with:

I'm not an iceburg fan so my favorite mix is this one by Fresh Express Salads.

The perfect mix of Baby Spinach and Spring Mix.

Next I slice up some purple onion...lots of it. I heart purple onion.

Then I half a whole slew of seedless red grapes.

*When in season I add strawberries as well and they only sweeten the pot.

Then I add some Reduced Fat Feta crumbles. Yum.

Then I top it with my favorite salad dressing.

This dressing is to die for in my opinion.

I love it so much I take it to restaurants. Don't be afraid to do this. Most restaurant dressings are oozing with pointless fat. And in my opinion they are tasteless. So I take my own and whip it out when my salad hits the table. It is light and delicous. Perfect.

*Disclaimer: I cannot be held responsible for any embarrasment or shame you bring to your family by whipping out said salad dressing from the black hole that is your purse. It will be your responsibility to tell them to get over it. Be strong.

Lastly I top it with a few sprinkles of almond slivers.

And there you have it. A simple yet healthy and delicious salad. Enjoy!

PointsPlus for this meal:
Salad:0
Grapes:0
Purple Onion:0
1/4c. Reduced Fat Feta:2
2 Tbsp.Kraft Light Done Right Balsamic Vinaigrette:1
1 Serving (7grams) of Almond Accents:1


I'm linking up here:

Our week {InstaFriday...on a Saturday...again}

This is becoming a habit but better late than never...right?



This week I attended my monthly weigh-in and celebrated 1 year and 2 months of losing 20 pounds and keeping them OFF!!!

In spite of my hot steamy love affair with Nutella.



This came on the radio.
I was alone.
I rolled the windows down and sang at the top of my lungs.
I was shameless.



I sent Aidan (and my hubby) off to church camp for 3 days.

So hard watching that big bus pull away with my baby boy on it.



He lives for the oh so gross bliss of the annual "food fight".

The jist of it?

Throw nacho cheese, sausage gravy, pudding, baked beans, and flour at each other until it's oozing out of their nostrils.





Then clean off in the river.

Poor fish.



Here he is shakin' it for Jesus.



Knowing what a good time he has there makes it bearable to let him go.

Plus knowing I don't have to do it again for a whole year helps too.



While the little one was away, the older two had fun of their own. Friends from our Homeschool tutorial hosted a "Water Fun" party at their farm for 7th-12th graders.

Maggie gets to be an honorary 7th grader since her friends are a grade higher than she is. I tell her that's just what she gets for being so mature and all.





From the looks of it they had a great time just hanging and sliding with their friends.



I had a little fun myself in the form of dinner and shopping all. by. myself.

Imagine.

I got a 7" French Dip with pepperjack cheese from "Which Wich". 12 WW points if you are counting.

Then I hit New York and Company {my fav} with a leftover gift card from my birthday.



Our house is STILL under restoration...and will be for a while it seems. More complications found in our Master shower this week. Boo. Hiss.

Help me Jesus. This is beginning to wear on me.



The good news is that our kids bathroom (which had a wall destroyed from our AC unit leak in attic) now looks more like this instead of the picture above. It's not complete. They are still finishing up painting doors and cabinets in the vanity/sink area and I have to paint the mirror before it goes back up... but the shower room is complete at least.

For paint I went with Sherwin William's "Comfort Gray".

I was deciding between that and Restoration Hardware's "Silver Sage". Both are wonderful colors...but the CG just had a tad more depth to it. The Nester told me that hers reads a true blue/gray color.

Mine goes between blue/gray/green depending on the time of day and the type of light. I love that about it. Makes it more of a true neutral.


Linking up here at Life Rearranged:






"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

How I lost 20 pounds {3 Gallons of Milk}

I wasn't one to struggle with my weight most of my life.

Knees and elbows all through childhood.

In High School I was super active. Cheerleading, softball,etc.

Weight was never an issue.

I could eat whatever I wanted, when I wanted, without giving any thought to weight.

Snickers and Doritos from the vending machines?

No problem!

On Graduation Day I was 5'9" and weighed 135 pounds.

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By the time I was 27 I had given birth to three children.

After my third child was born I weighed 146 pounds.

Even though I had gained a bit that I wasn't able to lose, I felt comfortable enough at this weight.

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Then came 30.

Life and body would never be the same.

All that activity and all those injuries had taken a toll on my joints.

I became more sedentary.

Suddenly the scale became extremely sensitive to what I was eating.

My philosophy on food had caught up with me and my weight was now an issue.

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I had tried in 2008 to lose weight.

I was on a roll losing and exercising.

In fact I had fallen in love with kickboxing.

Looked forward to it even.

But on the inside I was still a bit resentful that I couldn't have what I wanted when I wanted it.

That others could sit at a restaurant and order as they pleased and I had to decide what I would eat before I arrived even.

My mind still hadn't accepted the fact that this was my new reality like it or not.

I kept pushing through the mental battle and had lost about 13 pounds.

Then this happened.

Kickboxing did not love me.

Being immobilized for almost 3 months sent me into a slight depression.

The weight came back. (I don't think I would have successfully kept it off anyway at this time...I wasn't completely sold out to eating this way forever. Still did not "get it")

My goals went out the window.

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Fast forward to 2009.

My daughter snapped this photo of my husband and I while out to dinner.



I was mortified.

I could feel my weight going up during the Holidays even more so I finally stepped on the scales and saw a big red "174" staring back at me.

I nearly had a stroke when I saw that number.

An all time high for me.

My cholesterol was 203 total.

My bad cholesterol was 134.

Something had to give.

Something had to change.

And it was all up to me to make it happen.

While staring at the numbers "174", this time something shifted inside.

I was sick and tired of being sick and tired of dealing with my weight.

In that moment I knew I had to want it bad enough...let go of every excuse I had a death grip on...accept that it was possible...then own it.

And this time....I did.

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I began Weight Watchers in January of 2010.

For the record they do not know me or my story.

I receive nothing for endorsing them.

I will just say this of the program..."If you work it, it works!"

But you must work it the way it was intended.

I have known so many people who try to do their own revised version of the program and wonder why they weren't losing.

My mantra?

"If you bite it, write it!"

The meetings were essential for me personally.

I could not have been as successful doing the online program.

That is just me though.

I needed the accountability of having a complete stranger see my weight and jot it down in black ink on paper.

It made me think twice about the choices I was making throughout the week.

And I needed the community I found in my meetings.

To know that bad days will come.

And when they do all I need to do is get back up and dust myself off start over with the next choice.

My official weight at that first weigh in was 173 pounds.

So like me to be sure to lose a pound before that first meeting.

Kinda like cleaning my house before someone comes to clean it.

Scales don't lie and I was fooling no one.

The next 4 months were spent counting, weighing, planning, journaling, and exercising.

I found an exercise program that I loved called "Devoted Fitness".

High Impact Cardio set to Christian music of all kinds.

Larae and Tobymac kicked my bootay every week and my body began to take on a whole new shape.

Suddenly I loved movement.

Of all kinds.

Walking.

Running.

Biking.

Wii Fit.

And I felt stronger than I could remember.

I also found support and inspiration through a lady named Roni.

She is a genius in the kitchen and very real about her battle with the bulge.

You have to see her before and after pictures.

Amazing.

I have watched her transform into a running machine over the past couple of years and it has inspired my socks off.

I have a whole notebook of her recipes that I still use to cook to this day.

I was tickled pink to get a shout out here on her site.

Seems I inspired her a bit as well.

She even called my idea "genius".

Imagine that.

"Kitchen" and "genius" are not two words you will ever use in the same sentence when referring to me folks.

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On May 4th I became a Lifetime Member by losing 20 pounds {same as 3 gallons of milk} and maintaining that weight loss for 6 consecutive weeks.

This was me right after I achieved this goal.

Same restaurant as the horrid before picture taken above.

All of these pictures were taken this summer after reaching goal.







This was a HUGE personal victory for me.

I am just not good at sticking with things.

It became less and less about the weight or the number on the scale, and more and more about proving something to myself.

That I am stronger than I realize.

That I can do all things through Christ.

That I am responsible for my body and perfectly capable of changing it for the better.

That was 6 months ago and I am very proud to say that at my weigh in this week I weighed 153 pounds. My goal weight is 158!

Due to a recent tick bite I had to have blood drawn so I asked them to check my cholesterol again as well.

My total cholesterol was 189!

Down 14 points!

And my bad cholesterol went from 134 to 120!

That was incredible to me!

To know that I had internally made a difference in my health.

It hasn't always been easy to maintain but it has become second nature.

Long gone are the days of mindless eating.

It's all about portions and smart choices now.

That's why I love this program so much.

It truly is not a diet...not a magic pill (trust me I tried those too)...not a quick fix... but a lifestyle change.

The fact that I have maintained my weight loss for 6 months is proof of that.

I always say that before Weight Watchers it was like I had a tool belt but nothing to put in it.

This program has given me the tools necessary to stay on track and in charge of my weight.

Even with a slight gain here and there I now can get that under control and off within a week.

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I won't lie and say it was easy.

It wasn't.

But the more I let go of those mental excuses and embraced a healthier way of eating and living, and the fact that this was now my lot in life at 34, the easier it did become.

It took self control.

Out the wazoo.

I'm talking walking away from Cheesecake on the table people!

But over time the cheesecake began to look less and less appetizing and more and more not worth it.

It took discipline.

I didn't always feel like exercising or portioning food or writing down every bite I took.

But I saw that it worked when I did.

So I had to have the discipline make those things happen.

It took patience.

Think Job.

Some weeks I would literally only lose .2 of a pound.

That can be discouraging if you are looking for a quick fix.

BUT if you are in it for the long haul and your goal is more long term you will begin to see that .2 as .2 you did NOT gain that week!

Also keep in mind that a healthy weight loss is about 2 pounds per week.

It also took prayer.

Sometimes we think God is too big or too busy to worry about things such as our weight or fitness regime.

He's not.

Test Him.

I can remember one walk in particular that was up a mountain and nearly kicked my tail.

I called out to God literally and asked Him to please bless my efforts to be healthier.

To get me up that mountain.

To make my body healthier with every step I took.

On the verge of vomiting, I made it.

He is Faithful.

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If you are struggling with your weight I encourage you to do something about it!

No more excuses!

Trust me, I know them all.

Talk to your doctor and come up with a plan that is right for you.

My doctor recommended Weight Watchers but that may not be best for you.

Whatever you choose, do it with everything you have!

It's your body.

And you CAN do this.

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Let me just end by saying this.

Weight loss and body image are two totally different things.

I may have lost weight but I have always and continue still to battle a bad body image.

Even at 135 in High School I thought I was fat.

While in Destin this year a server called me "small" when helping me find a shirt my size.

I didn't know what to think of that.

Still don't.

I just don't see it that way.

There is something deeper going on here I am aware.

Something I can't always "fix" with a program or portion control.

Sometimes we have "stuff" in our past that affects how we see ourselves.

How we think others view us.

If that is you, I completely understand.

Some things take more time.

It will be an ongoing battle of mine I am sure.

No matter what the number on the scale says.

Still, I will not let my poor body image stop me from living the healthy life God intended for me to live.

Or stop me from changing what I can about my life.

I will work on what I can.

He will work on the rest.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."





"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"