3 Day Refresh - Day 1

A while back I discovered a Team Beachbody product called Shakeology.  I fell in love with it.  To me it was better than the Juice Plus that I had previously tried.  I decided to become a coach to get my products at a discount.  While a coach, I decided to do a program that is called 3 day Refresh.  For three days, you drink the drinks and eat whole, natural foods.  It is a way to jump start the dieting and eating process.  After becoming debt free and realizing how much money we really don't have, I decided to drop my coach membership but I still love the product.  I still had one 3 Day Refresh left from my membership so I thought why not use it to jump start this process.  This program is very strict and I am following it at every point.  Yesterday was the first day and it wasn't bad at all.  I drink my Shakeology in the morning and eat my fruit.  Lunch was pretty easy too because it was strawberries and asparagus and the drink that comes with it.  Supper is always more difficult for me as I love to eat with my family.  I had prepped the dinner and it was a green bean and carrot mix with the drink that comes with the program.   Trying to get my water in is also proving to be more difficult than I originally thought.  But after day one I had lost 1.8 pounds!

Starting today was easy.  I was excited.  As I type this now on day 2 right before lunch, I am hungry.  I want something... anything... but I am staying positive.  My goal is to lose about six pounds by the end of the program.  I even wanted to chew a piece of gum but I decided against it because I AM FOLLOWING THIS TO THE END!  I had to write that big to remind myself that I am losing weight this time.  I am not giving up.  You are better than all this 65 pounds you carry around!! 

So, one and half more days left of the 3 Day Refresh.  Looking forward to finishing it but trying to think about the future of maintaining the weight loss! 

Water... yum.

Rainy Weekend

The weekend proved to be tough for me.  Saturday breakfast was Prasek's... of course!!  I took Elizabeth to a birthday party on Saturday morning and they served pizza for lunch.  I had one slice.  Then I went to lunch with my mom and the girls and had a salad.  For dinner Greg and I went to Bogies and I had grilled chicken tacos but they were not healthy by any means.  It was a lot of calories.  Calories I should have avoided.  Sunday was a little better.  Breakfast was scrambled eggs, two slices of toast, and one biscuit.  Lunch was the Hillje Church picnic where I had sliced beef, sausage, buttered potatoes, and pinto beans.  Dinner was mac and cheese and one hot dog wiener.  I was proud that I did not snack all weekend.  I ate my meals and moved on.  I did manage to get in lots of water and tea. 

On to a new week...

This week my goal is to exercise four days and to complete the 3-day refresh.  I have it, I should do it!  Only down one pound from Thursday but I know I can do better~

The Start

Today I stepped on the scale. 

It was scary. 

I am at my heaviest that I have been (even while pregnant).  The fear, tears, and sadness is very real now. 

So today, August 18, 2016, I am starting my weight loss journey. 

I want to blog about it so that I can come back and see my journey and maybe share when comes the time.  If I talk it out with myself, my hopes are that I will stick with it.  It has worked when it comes to the sweets which I am a two days clean.  Every time I see candy, I want it.  I justify everything.  This is me in my head... "I will start tomorrow", "I will not eat supper", "It won't hurt that bad".  But I never do and it is hurting me really bad. 

So here goes the rest of my life...

My why:
My why is pretty simple and complicated at the same time.  I want to be happy and healthy to see my kids grow up and possibly have grandkids one day.  That is what scares me the most, the fact that I might die at a young age.  What makes it so complicated is that food makes me happy.  I love to cook great meals for both my family and the great taste.  I love trying new foods and making new things.  I also love going out to eat with my family.  Having lunch with mom or my brother really does brighten my day.  How do I let go of these feelings?  I am struggling with that right now.

My other why is more along the healthy standpoint of I really and I mean REALLY want to get off my blood pressure medicine.  I am on the highest dose of two different medicines and my doctor wants needs me to lose weight before he will do anything about it.

So that leads me into my goals...

Goals:

1. Drink A LOT of water.  Only one glass of un-sweet tea a day.  Maybe even try drinking a hot green tea in the morning. My goal will be to drink at least 100oz's of water a day.  
2. Track everything I eat on MyFitnessPal.  Even when I am not so good.
3. Exercise.  Walk/Run at least 3 times a week.  I really want to get up to running long distances without walking eventually but for now, just get out there and do something.  I plan to attend at least 2 Zumba classes a week too.
4. Don't give up. 
5. Sweets only in moderation (1 per week at the most) and only on days when working out. 

Weight loss:

Starting weight          205.6
8/31/16                      199.9    -5.7
9/18/16                      195       -4.9
9/30/16                      190        -5
10/15/16                    186        -4
10/31/16                    182        -4
11/15/16                    178        -4
11/30/16                    173        -5
12/15/16                    170        -3
12/31/16                    167        -3
1/15/17                      163        -4
1/31/17                      159        -4
2/15/17                      155        -4
2/28/17                      150        -5
3/15/17                      145        -5
3/31/17                      140        -5

Total weight loss goal: 65.6 pounds

So here is to kicking that 66 pounds down the drain!!  My plan is to check in and write about my struggles and my high points a least on each goal date if not also in between.  Again, this is solely intended for me to blog it out with myself instead of in a journal! 

 Lord help me live this journey in everything I am and everything I do.  Amen!

   

Choosing to L.O.V.E.

This past weekend Greg and I went on the Choosing to L.O.V.E. retreat.  What a refresher it was to get out just the two of us and remind us that we need God and each other.  With all the crazy things we have had going on the past few years, we forgot how to live our vows.  We have recommitted ourselves to living God’s word and living our lives the way God intended.  The only bad (but really good) thing that came with the weekend was the food.  Lots of DELICIOUS food!  I am talking pigs in the blankets, homemade chicken and dumplings, grilled chicken wraps, and steak dinner!  Man-O-Man was it some good eating.  We got back from the retreat and took the girls out to eat and of course I had a big, juicy hamburger!  I am ready to put that behind me and move on from my bad weekend.  I didn’t prep this week so I am trying to stay on track by making better choices but again, without prepping it is really hard.  All I want to do is eat the fries and bad stuff!  So today I am going to choose to not only love God, my husband, and family... but LOVE myself.  I am going to commit to myself just like I did to God and Greg.

I think one thing that will help me stay motivated is starting to blog about my good days and my bad.  Today was a bad day.  I ate chips for breakfast.  That’s right… CHIPS!  What was I thinking?  For lunch I had a delicious salad with balsamic vinaigrette.  This evening I am planning on making sausage and mac & cheese.  I know that isn’t good for me but maybe I will just have a salad.  I might need a prayer with that one!

I have decided that I am going to post my goals because maybe, just maybe, I will be encouraged to stick with them.  I want to get down to 140lbs so bad but I definitely don’t want to work for it.  So first I have to change my lifestyle and then work on losing weight.

Current weight: 193.6

Goal 1 à 183 à -10.6lbs à by 4/5/15 (Easter) à Reward = mani & pedi

Goal 2 à 173 à -10lbs à by 5/25/15 (Memorial Day) à Reward = New shorts

Goal 3 à 165 à -8lbs à by 7/4/15 (4^th of July) à Reward = New tattoo

Goal 4 à 157 à -8lbs à by 9/7/15 (Labor Day) à Reward = New shoes

Goal 5 à 152 à -5lbs à by 10/5/15 (E’s B-day) à Reward = Jewelry

Goal 6 à 150 à -2lbs à by 10/21/15 (A’s B-day) à Reward = Massage

Goal 7 à 145 à -5lbs à by 11/26/15 (Thanksgiving) à Reward = ?? TBD

Goal 8 à 140 à -5lbs à by 12/25/15 (Christmas) à Reward =Trip

After actually writing all the goals down I realized that they are very attainable AND I need to get busy! 

So here is to working hard to get that weight off!

I ate badly today...

From 2/19/15:

Today I ate badly.  Not just bad but really bad.  I joined a 21 day clean eating challenge and it is day 11 and I have failed.  Not just today but this week.  I did so good last week and didn’t see any results.  I know the changes take time but I mean I gave up Diet Coke… cold turkey… and still nothing!  I am writing this so I remember how I feel at this moment.  Sad and depressed that I gave up… 11 days in.  So on this second day of Lent, I have decided to start blogging how I feel.  So I remember that my goals are attainable and just because I am having a hard time right now doesn’t mean I should give up.  I want to lose weight so badly.  I want it to be simple.  I know that it isn’t simple and that it always goes on a lot easier than it will come off.  So I am vowing right now to call this a lifestyle change which is what it is.  Eating better and trying making an effort to get in the exercise.

I feel like I am on the right track and choosing better things for myself and my family.  I gave up any form of soda (which was bad for me anyway) and for Lent I have decided to give up all sweets (mainly candy… and if you know me, you know that I LOVE candy).  So I got to work today and put all my candy that was in my candy jar on the break room counter.  It will be hard, but 40 days is not really that long and who knows, maybe by the end of it I won’t want any anyways!   

So to start out this journey I am re-committing myself to do better.  Try harder. Don’t let the little slip-ups get to me.  Meal prepping and committing not to eating out are the top priorities.  Wish me luck! 

20 months

As life continues to go by super fast, it is getting harder and harder to remember to post all the fun and crazy things Elizabeth is doing.  I can't believe that she is fixing to be 2 years old!  Where in the world does the time go?  As Elizabeth turns 20 months, Mommy is now half way through her pregnancy.  I am hoping this little person inside stays inside too at least after her second birthday, but the way this blood pressure has been acting up, it will be a close call.  Besides having to deal with the high blood pressure, I have been pretty good.  I have good days and bad ones but all and all, I am doing good.  We get to find out the sex of the baby next week which we are so excited about.  It isn't that we care what the sex of the baby is, but I just need to know so I can get everything ready.  If it did happen to be a boy, I would have nothing and I am planner so I need to know!  When I went for my last monthly visit in May, the doctor told me I could have an in-office ultrasound to see if they could figure out the sex of the baby but the little person was breech with his/her legs tucked up tight!  It was still nice to see that he/she is healthy and growing but next week can't get here soon enough.

As I might be out of commission for Elizabeth's birthday, I have already set the wheels going to planning the whole thing so if my mom or Greg has to do, it will all be done. 

Here are some of things little miss is doing now:

• She is so freaking independent that sometimes it really gets to me because I might be in a hurry or want to just do it really quick, but Elizabeth will NOT let you help her with anything these days.  Even sometimes putting shoes on can cause a tantrum.
• I guess they are called the terrible two's for a reason... she can through herself on the ground, fake cry, and just be a mess.  Greg still does not believe in the terrible two's but he got a dose last night when she didn't want to take a bath.  I just laugh at him and let him learn.
• She is now saying so many phrases... my favorite "Daddy's at work" (I guess she hears that alot)!  Some of the other phrases: "I broke it." and "Get up."  She can also do almost all the animal sounds and they are so cute.  My favorite is monkey and then she puts her hands under her armpits and says "ooo, ooo, ooo".  I still think that getting tubes put in her ears has helped so much with her talking.  It continues to amaze me.  She will even now repeat things we say so we are definitely going to have to be more careful in that department.
• She loves to be outside.  We have to literally watch her all the time because she can open the doors and go outside on her own.  Even at my mom's house she knows how to open the screen door.  After her morning milk on Saturday's the first thing she says is "outside".  Now with summertime coming on with a vengeance, we have been letting her do lots of swimming since we have to be outside all the time.
• We are so fortunate to have a great daycare that teaches her so many awesome things.  Her sign language and being able to identify all sorts of things is totally attributable to daycare.  She feeds herself so good and only drinks from an open cup at school.  (We still use sippy cups on the weekends because of convenience but all week she only drinks from an open cup.)  They have also been potty training them at school and this past weekend it actually looks like it has been paying off because she actually took her shorts off herself and we found her using the restroom in her little potty.  We were so excited for her!  My goal is to have her potty trained by the next baby... four months and counting! YIKES!
• She loves all her vegetables.  Some nights that is all I can get her to eat.  I pray that she continues to love them.  She also loves mandarin oranges and strawberries.   I don't like to give her much juice (as she doesn't really need it) but my mom and Greg always find a way to get her some!  She will say "apple juice" and they just think she wants it so she can have it... oh the joys!
• She was still going to bed at 7pm until the middle of last week and she decided that she was going to fight me on that too.  She is now pushing 7:30 because I don't want to fight her too bad but by then I put her in her bed and she will cry it out.  She is often so tired that I think that might have  a lot to do with it.  Of course she still wakes up bright and early at 5:30am EVERY SINGLE DAY!  Routine is a kicker sometimes! :)

I love her so much and sometimes wish I could just stop time for a while and remember everything she is doing.  I feel like I have already forgotten her as a baby and often find myself reading back on old posts to remember. 

Here are some pictures from my phone and camera of our silly girl:

One of my early morning "OUTSIDE" times!

We all love nap times... she still takes a nap everyday for about 2 hours...

 

"CHEESE"!  She loves taking pictures now but doesn't pose very long to actually capture the picture. 

 

She can now almost dress and undress herself.  This is both a good and bad thing! :) 

 

Another pose...

 

My angel... I love her so much! 

 

This was her entertainment on the rainy Sunday we just had... it kept her busy for a long time because she took them out one by one and laid them where nothing was touching.

 

 

This is about as far as she got with putting them back in... 

 

 

 

 

Life is BUSY!

I know that a lot of time has gone by and I always think of things to write on the blog so that I remember everything going on in our busy lives but then when I sit down to write, I can't seem to remember anything.  We have been very busy with birthday parties every weekend it seems like.  We always have a blast hanging out with everyone and it is such a joy to see Elizabeth growing up with lots of family and friends in her life.  I am so glad that the weather is starting to warm up so that we can enjoy being outside and doing things with everyone! 

So my husband has been hooked on crawfish for it seems like weeks and weeks.  I think we had crawfish every weekend for about four weeks in a row.  One of my favorite times that we got together was at Greg's cousin's house.  Of course Greg planned it all out and even volunteered poor Russell and Raelyn's home but it was so much fun.  Brooklyn (Elizabeth's second cousin) and E had a blast playing together all afternoon.  Here are a couple of them playing (are they not the cutest little things!):

 

 

Every time we are hanging out over there it always makes us wish we had a nice big, fenced in play area.  Sometimes I struggle with having to raise our kids away from EC but I know that we are doing the right thing and making better lives for ourselves and our children in the long run.  So, we will continue to visit, play, and then come home to Rosenberg. 

 

E resting up for one of the many birthday parties we have been too! So sweet!

 

 

 

So last weekend was mother's day and it was actually a very relaxing and fun weekend.  Of course we had a birthday party on Saturday to go too but Elizabeth had a blast and Mommy and Grammy got to do a little shopping while we were there.  Sunday Daddy took us to eat at Mommy and Izzy's favorite place to eat... Bob's Taco Station.  I must say that if you have never been there, you are definitely missing out...

 

 

Mommy received a nice massage and a new Willow Tree Angel to replace all the ones Elizabeth broke!  :)  After breakfast Elizabeth got to play outside for hours and hours as Daddy attempted to put a new bumper on his truck (just FYI, it is still not on!).  After lunch we headed to El Campo to see my grandma and have dinner with the family.  I haven't seen my grandma in a few weeks since she has started her chemo but she is looking good.  We could always use extra prayers though so she can beat this cancers butt.  Here are the four generations...

And my mom and Elizabeth....

 

 

I often take for granted all the wonder things I have in my life.  I know everyone has pity parties but lately, mine have been pretty bad.  Sometimes I miss the friends and family that use to be in my life on a regular basis but then I have to stop and think about how busy everyone is.  My list of complaints can go on and on but at the end of the day, I have to just remember that I am loved and I have a beautiful family.  On that note, I will leave you with one more picture of my beautiful angel!

 

Can you believe she use to be this small!?! Where does time go!?!