It's Been a While...

Hey everyone! So, I've got great news! I've lost 6lbs this past week! I've been doing The South Beach Diet, and I'm in the first phase, which takes out most carbs. It's a pretty intense period of time, but not as hard as I thought it would be! You can check it out more here. It's a really great program, and the first one that I have not felt deprived on! I actually have noticed my normal cravings for chocolate, cookies, etc., disappear! I'm very happy with this.

I'm also on Week 4 P90X, and that's alot of fun!

Things are going well. I hope to update later... but for right now, it's time to play outside with the kids!

New Diet

Hey ya'll. After visiting a Specialist, I was told to start a diet such as The South Beach Diet. It should help with my health and should start my weight loss, since I've been having no luck at all recently, even with working out. If you're interested in doing it with me, let me know or click on this link to find out more about it. I'm nervous to start this, but I know my body needs this particular discipline. Prayers needed! Thanks!

With my health in mind, I'm trying this out! Try it along with me!

Food "Substitutions"

Well, I weighed in, and to my dismay, I didn't lose any weight. Sigh. That's ok though, I'm going to keep on pushing through. My clothes are definitely fitting better, which is a good sign! I have a hard time measuring myself, but I'm going to try to do that anyway, to see if I'm losing some inches.

This post I wanted to share with you all some great "diet friendly" foods I have come across! I'm usually not a big fan of "substitues" especially when they TASTE like substitutes, but these following items are actually delicious.

Vitalicious Products - They make "vitatops" (which are supposed to be like the tops of muffins), Muffins, brownies, cakes and more. With WW, they vary between 1 and 2 points per item! They are super high in fiber, really most and very delicious. You can find them in the frozen aisles of your local foodstore or purchase them online. They are a little pricey, averaging about $3.50 a box, but they are so worth the indulgence!

Smart Ones Desserts - If you haven't tried these, you need to. They are a REALLY great alternative to other high fat desserts. They all taste great (trust me, I've tried every one!) and they range between 3 - 4 points with WW. Very often you can find coupons and paired with sales they can be a great deal. You can purchase a box of 2 desserts at Wal-Mart for under $2. Here is a $1/5 coupon.

Slim Fast 100 Calorie Snack Bars - Usually, I'm not a fan of Slim fast products, but after being able to try a bar for free, I am hooked! The Peanut Butter Crunch Time bar tastes EXAXCTLY like a Butterfinger bar, but is only worth 2 points! Usually a box is under $4 for 6 bars.

Atkins Endulge Bar - Again, usually not a huge fan of "bars" or the Atkins diet, but after trying the Chocolate Caramel Mousse bar for free - I'm loving them! They are super good and worth 2 points a bar, a great filling snack and helps with the sweet tooth! These are a little more pricey, ranging at about $4.50 a box.

Deli Flats/Sandwich Thins - Love bread, but don't want all of the calories,carbs, etc? These are for you! They are SUPER yummy and worth ONLY 1 POINT! How cool is that? You can buy a package at Wal-Mart for $2.50 for 8.

Tips for Healthier Choices:

-Have Pretzels and dip, rather than Potato chips!
-Use Hummus instead of Mayo on your sandwich, adds a lot more flavor and takes away the fat!
-Substitue Ground Beef for Ground Turkey.

Have any other ideas, "diet food" you like or tips? Leave a comment!
Thanks and God bless :).

Full Friday

"Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God". 1 Cor 10:31

Well, I was supposed to weigh myself today and completely forgot! So, I plan on weighing myself tomorrow morning. At any rate, this week has been tough for me. Because I have been trying to focus on the Lord more so than I was before, Satan has been tailgating me! Like the sinner I am, I have given into temptation (food) a few times, but I refuse to let it bring me down. I have really tried the "portion control" concept this week - with a good amount of luck, actually! I also did Yoga through P90x today - wow! That was ROUGH, but I got through it, cramped toes and all!

I'll update you all tomorrow on my weight... even if I haven't lost anything, these pants are fitting a lot better!

Rough

I'm having a rough week. Please pray for me.

Find Your Escape

This weekend was tough for me. Well, Sunday was tough for me - food wise. Saturday went well, put in all my food, added up all of my points, did my P90x and jogged a mile. I was feeling pretty great, actually! Then, Sunday hit. My morning started off with a very sick husband and two rather unhappy children. However, I still ate a good breakfast, headed off to church (with LIPSTICK on! Wow.) and had a good friend with me who I haven't seen in forever. I came home though and made one huge mistake: I failed to plan my eating for the remainder of the day. Without a plan, I had nothing to go by, and a doughnut and 5 oreos later... I was very unhappy. Today was also my day off from work out - which made it all the worse. I pretty much used up my entire 35 point allowance for the week. Bummer.

So, what did I learn?

A. Doughnuts smell great, taste good and sit right on my hips.
B. Even if Oreos are free and a bag of your favorite Hershey Cherry Cordial Kisses are only $0.75, that doesn't mean you should pick them up. Once they're in the house, they somehow find their way into my stomach and... right on my hips.
C. But, chocolate is so good.
D. Just staring at carrots is not enough.
E. Try the pink lipstick - you actually might like it.
F. If God is bigger than the boogie man, He's bigger than your appetite, too.

So, now it's coming up to Monday. I finally have all of the P90x DVDs and the schedule so I officially kick off my 90 day program tomorrow. (I've been doing what DVDs I have for the past few weeks, which have been very helpful.) I have no more "extra points" to splurge on, so it's going to be an interesting rest of the week.

This Week's Goal:
To begin the process of destroying my idol: food.

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 1 Cor 10:13-14

I love that this verse says that God will provide an escape. We all must find what our "escape" is. I'm sure reading the Word is always a good start.

Hope your weekend was as productive as mine, let me know how it went. Even if you had struggles, like myself, try to learn what you can from them and continue on.

God is good! WE CAN DO THIS!

First Day of the Rest of My Life

I wieghed in this morning... something I have refused to do these last few weeks. I have decided that I want to lose 50lbs. I originally was only going to lose the 30lbs I gained, but I want to get down to the weight I was when I was married, so this is my goal. I'm not very good at measuring my body, but I'm going to try, so that if I don't seem to be losing the weight very quickly, perhaps I'll still see the inches fall off :).



Here is my plan of attack for now:

Diet: I am currently a member of Weight Watchers Online. My daily points allowance is 29, and I do plan on using the extra 35 points a week if needed. What I like about WW is that I'm able to incorporate all kinds of different foods while gaining an understanding of food itself. For instance, I grabbed a yogurt parfait the other day at a fast food restaurant, thinking I was doing myself a favor, only to find out it was worth 5 points! I plan on eating 3 meals and 2 snacks, with 2 - 3 hours in between each one.

Exercise: I will be doing the P90x program along with jogging 2 miles on the treadmill a few days a week.

When I feel the need to eat out of boredom, anger, emotional anything, I will instead read something out of the bible or recite a verse a few times. I want to overcome my "emotional eating", and filling my soul with spiritual food will be a great alternative!

I also will be trying out new foods, drinks, recipes, etc., and I will blog about the experiences. I'm always on the look out for good substitues for my favorite foods, and of course, I'll hardly ever pay full price!

Here's an overview of Goals:

My Big Goals:
-Lose 50lbs
-Be able to pass an Army PT Test. Requirements: 17 Push ups in 2 min, 50 Sit Ups in 2 min and a 2 mile run in 19:36.


My Mini Goals:
-Lose 5lbs, Lose 10lbs, etc. I'm going to work in 5lb incriments.
-Be able to do 1 real military style push up. No knees.
-Run a 2 mile the entire time at 5 mph.


Rewards:
Eyebrows Waxed. Fun, huh?
Hair Colored/Cut
Manicure
Pedicure

Motivation:
Getting closer to my Saviour.
Feel healthier.
To be comfortable in my clothing!
Trip to the Bahamas in September.
Trying on Bridesmaid dresses in June.
ATC in the Fall/Winter
Natalie's Wedding!
Family Reunion in July.
Hiking with the family for a day. (can you believe it?!)
Enjoying summer with my children more than I did the last year, going swimming, etc.

I have plenty of motivation, so let's go!

I'm sure I'll be adding more as time goes by, but for right now, this is where I'm at. I'm very excited to start all of this! I also be putting up pictures here soon and as I progress. :)

Thank you for all of you who will be reading this blog and holding me accountable. Please leave comments occasionally so I know you're there!