And....drum roll....I DID IT!!! I got into the next decade today!!!! Feels pretty awesome to have met my goal! :D
Showing posts with label victory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label victory. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Progress pics
Okay, well, for some reason, blogger won't let me update my pages. I made a collage of our last six months of progress. I'll post that here for tonight. I LOVE seeing this!
And....drum roll....I DID IT!!! I got into the next decade today!!!! Feels pretty awesome to have met my goal! :D
And....drum roll....I DID IT!!! I got into the next decade today!!!! Feels pretty awesome to have met my goal! :D
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Half Victories
I'm singing the Lord's praises this morning!
Yesterday, I was able to resist the amazing smell of that ooey-gooey pizza served at the children's cast party. I brought along my salad and crunched-crunched-crunched my way through lunch.
I confess, I did nibble the half-crust that the baby left on her plate.
I'm tellin' ya', it was HARD. I went through the pizza line a few times getting the little girls what they wanted. Then I sat there watching the leftovers just sit and call my name. I couldn't believe how difficult it was to avoid eating that food. I ended up moving to another side of the room so I couldn't see it as readily. David left altogether to go get a coffee. The chips and pizza were too strong of a force. I'm proud of him for doing what he had to do.
And, this morning, I'm so thankful to the Lord. Actually, I wish I had thought to pray for strength while in the battle. I need to think harder that this is a battle for my soul as well as my stomach. I won on the stomach end. The scale was down another .7 today.
My soul? I missed the opportunity to commune with the Lord and see Him at work giving me strength and power to resist. He DID do those things, I just missed seeing him do it because I was so focused on the battle.
Help me be attentive to you, Lord. Help me see that the temptations are there for the very purpose of driving me to you. Give me a heart that is sensitive to your work in my life even in the midst of a foolish thing like a pizza party.
Yesterday, I was able to resist the amazing smell of that ooey-gooey pizza served at the children's cast party. I brought along my salad and crunched-crunched-crunched my way through lunch.
I confess, I did nibble the half-crust that the baby left on her plate.
I'm tellin' ya', it was HARD. I went through the pizza line a few times getting the little girls what they wanted. Then I sat there watching the leftovers just sit and call my name. I couldn't believe how difficult it was to avoid eating that food. I ended up moving to another side of the room so I couldn't see it as readily. David left altogether to go get a coffee. The chips and pizza were too strong of a force. I'm proud of him for doing what he had to do.
And, this morning, I'm so thankful to the Lord. Actually, I wish I had thought to pray for strength while in the battle. I need to think harder that this is a battle for my soul as well as my stomach. I won on the stomach end. The scale was down another .7 today.
My soul? I missed the opportunity to commune with the Lord and see Him at work giving me strength and power to resist. He DID do those things, I just missed seeing him do it because I was so focused on the battle.
Help me be attentive to you, Lord. Help me see that the temptations are there for the very purpose of driving me to you. Give me a heart that is sensitive to your work in my life even in the midst of a foolish thing like a pizza party.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
Hello Juice Fast...Hello New Decade!!
The past couple of weeks have found me struggling with eating habits. While having company, I did well preparing meals that were healthful. Still, I overate when it came to grains and oils, leaving me feeling sluggish.
We also went out to eat several times. I was able to make fair choices from the menus but the salt and oils really make an impact on me when I'm doing that frequently. Topping all that off, the last night we went out, I chose a chicken sandwich to go with my greasy fries and onion rings. By the next day, I was a completely slug.
One of the great things we did during our visit was to watch one of our favorite family films, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I was reminded of my intentions to do a 10 day fast ever 3 months to reboot, boost my immune system, and jolt my body with nutrients. After the last couple of weeks, I was ready. David, of course, was overjoyed. He's been dying to go back to juicing for weeks.
Yesterday was day one. The first juice was great. The second, green juice, just as awful as I remember. The third, still mildly gross. But, I got them all down, we went shopping for more produce last night, and I'm committed to the 10 days. Gulp.
I've never done more than 4 days and that was rough. I'm pretty sure my crabbiness over the taste of the juices is connected with some detox issues.
Upside is that I am FINALLY down to the NEXT DECADE!!!!! A couple of goals I had for doing this fast is:
1. To get solidly into and through this next decade swiftly. I lingered way too long in that last decade and I needed a push to get that scale going again.
2. Cleanse my body from the excess crud that's gone in that last couple of weeks.
3. Prove to myself that I can do it. I need to conquer my mind and my gag reflex.
4. Fit into a few clothing items I bought this week that are just snug enough to get me excited about shedding a few more pounds. :D
So, after seeing the scale down 2.6 pounds this morning, I'm feeling confident about hitting the juice for another day. :)
We also went out to eat several times. I was able to make fair choices from the menus but the salt and oils really make an impact on me when I'm doing that frequently. Topping all that off, the last night we went out, I chose a chicken sandwich to go with my greasy fries and onion rings. By the next day, I was a completely slug.
One of the great things we did during our visit was to watch one of our favorite family films, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I was reminded of my intentions to do a 10 day fast ever 3 months to reboot, boost my immune system, and jolt my body with nutrients. After the last couple of weeks, I was ready. David, of course, was overjoyed. He's been dying to go back to juicing for weeks.
Yesterday was day one. The first juice was great. The second, green juice, just as awful as I remember. The third, still mildly gross. But, I got them all down, we went shopping for more produce last night, and I'm committed to the 10 days. Gulp.
I've never done more than 4 days and that was rough. I'm pretty sure my crabbiness over the taste of the juices is connected with some detox issues.
Upside is that I am FINALLY down to the NEXT DECADE!!!!! A couple of goals I had for doing this fast is:
1. To get solidly into and through this next decade swiftly. I lingered way too long in that last decade and I needed a push to get that scale going again.
2. Cleanse my body from the excess crud that's gone in that last couple of weeks.
3. Prove to myself that I can do it. I need to conquer my mind and my gag reflex.
4. Fit into a few clothing items I bought this week that are just snug enough to get me excited about shedding a few more pounds. :D
So, after seeing the scale down 2.6 pounds this morning, I'm feeling confident about hitting the juice for another day. :)
Thursday, October 31, 2013
THAT skirt!!
So, funny story....
About 14 years ago, just after my 2nd baby was born, I bought myself a skirt. It was a skirt that was just a little too snug to wear, but I just *knew* I was going to lose that baby weight and it would fit me in no time.
I've kept that skirt tucked in drawers and closets all these years, making it my *goal* that I would ONE day fit in that silly skirt. It was BRAND NEW for cry...ing out loud, I was GOING to wear it. <stomps foot>
And, well, today I was rummaging my closet needing something that didn't fall to the floor when I put it on. Grabbed THAT skirt and..... <drumroll>......
IT FITS!!! I waited 14 years for this day. Just a wee bit excited.
About 14 years ago, just after my 2nd baby was born, I bought myself a skirt. It was a skirt that was just a little too snug to wear, but I just *knew* I was going to lose that baby weight and it would fit me in no time.
I've kept that skirt tucked in drawers and closets all these years, making it my *goal* that I would ONE day fit in that silly skirt. It was BRAND NEW for cry...ing out loud, I was GOING to wear it. <stomps foot>
And, well, today I was rummaging my closet needing something that didn't fall to the floor when I put it on. Grabbed THAT skirt and..... <drumroll>......
IT FITS!!! I waited 14 years for this day. Just a wee bit excited.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Shapewear
So, while we were out tonight my husband asked if I was wearing shapewear under my jeans. :D
Ahhh, nope. This is the first time he's really said anything that shows he's seen a difference in my appearance and I was thrilled. :D
That's all. 1.5 pounds until that next decade. About 5-6 pounds until I say goodbye to Obese FOR GOOD!!
Please keep me pressing on strong, Lord!
Ahhh, nope. This is the first time he's really said anything that shows he's seen a difference in my appearance and I was thrilled. :D
That's all. 1.5 pounds until that next decade. About 5-6 pounds until I say goodbye to Obese FOR GOOD!!
Please keep me pressing on strong, Lord!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Hello New Decade!!
I did it! I cruised right through the 190's and said goodbye without a tear. I'm SO excited. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw those pretty numbers on the screen. :D
This weekend was another marathon of cooking and shopping.
I prepped a lot of baked goods for my new Continental Breakfast idea I have for back to school. I'm planning to have a grain, fruit, nuts, and hard boiled eggs out for the children each morning. They can make their own in hopes that our mornings will be a little more efficient.
I found some great recipes to try at this blog. I made Zucchini bread, Banana muffins, and Orange-Berry muffins. Most all of those are in the freezer.
I also made up some nutritized Sloppy Lentil Joe's. I then made some of our applesauce cornbread. I worked on putting some of the lentil mixture in with the cornbread batter to make some sloppy corn muffins for our picnic lunch tomorrow. The first batch didn't come out just right. Then I decided that I would work on it another day since I didn't want to be up until midnight babysitting muffins.
I did, however, stay up until 9 so that I could experiment with my Baked Oatmeal recipe. I am SO glad that I did!! I think it may be the best dish I've made yet. Everyone was loving it this morning. I posted the recipe on my Recipes page at the top.
Speaking of that page. I deleted a few recipes that are not Nutritarian. I also highlighted a couple of the recipes in red to remind myself that I want to work on nutritizing those. I think they are worth saving. ;)
Today we attended a church potluck. They grilled chicken and we all brought the sides. I brought a pot of Indian Spiced Lentils. Not too many people ate it, but I sure was happy to have a filling and healthy choice for my lunch. I also brought some raw cut vegetables. Also a good choice, as the only salads available were covered in dressing. I will admit that that Caesar salad looked really good and it was very hard not to take a little bite while I was cutting up the chicken for my younger ones today. But, I was so happy to eat right and know I wasn't going to regret it later. I also packed a few strawberries and walnuts for myself and David to share. I was surprised to see fresh fruit at the dessert table, so I enjoyed a little indulgence of extra fruit with my meal.
Oh! I also scored more points with our Sunday Munch today. (haha! I just made that name up, but it's cute!) See, we used to enjoy this yummy dish on some Sunday afternoons. I would layer a pan with cream cheese, then salsa, then shredded cheddar or mozzarella. Bake and serve with corn chips. Everyone loved it. Especially David.
Today I wanted to use up some bean dip I made that was in the fridge. I got the idea to try a variation on that cheese dip.
I layered the white bean dip in a glass pan. Then I spread a layer of freshly cooked black beans. Then thin layer or salsa. I topped half of the pan with vegan "cheese" and the other I sprinkled with "parma". (Parma is finely chopped walnuts mixed with nutri yeast.) Baked it for about 20-30 minutes. I served it with some "chips" that I made out of some corn tortillas that I cut, seasoned (with lime juice, chili powder, cumin, onion and garlic powder), and baked in the oven with the dip. I also served some carrot sticks and bell pepper slices to eat with the dip.
It was great! I've been mulling names around for my new dish. Layered Bean Dip, Sunday Bean Dip, but now I'm thinking Sunday Munch Bean Dip is perfect! I'll work on getting the recipe posted soon. :)
So happy to see the scale go down again. Man, am I excited to keep pressing on when I see that kind of progress. :D
This weekend was another marathon of cooking and shopping.
I prepped a lot of baked goods for my new Continental Breakfast idea I have for back to school. I'm planning to have a grain, fruit, nuts, and hard boiled eggs out for the children each morning. They can make their own in hopes that our mornings will be a little more efficient.
I found some great recipes to try at this blog. I made Zucchini bread, Banana muffins, and Orange-Berry muffins. Most all of those are in the freezer.
I also made up some nutritized Sloppy Lentil Joe's. I then made some of our applesauce cornbread. I worked on putting some of the lentil mixture in with the cornbread batter to make some sloppy corn muffins for our picnic lunch tomorrow. The first batch didn't come out just right. Then I decided that I would work on it another day since I didn't want to be up until midnight babysitting muffins.
I did, however, stay up until 9 so that I could experiment with my Baked Oatmeal recipe. I am SO glad that I did!! I think it may be the best dish I've made yet. Everyone was loving it this morning. I posted the recipe on my Recipes page at the top.
Speaking of that page. I deleted a few recipes that are not Nutritarian. I also highlighted a couple of the recipes in red to remind myself that I want to work on nutritizing those. I think they are worth saving. ;)
Today we attended a church potluck. They grilled chicken and we all brought the sides. I brought a pot of Indian Spiced Lentils. Not too many people ate it, but I sure was happy to have a filling and healthy choice for my lunch. I also brought some raw cut vegetables. Also a good choice, as the only salads available were covered in dressing. I will admit that that Caesar salad looked really good and it was very hard not to take a little bite while I was cutting up the chicken for my younger ones today. But, I was so happy to eat right and know I wasn't going to regret it later. I also packed a few strawberries and walnuts for myself and David to share. I was surprised to see fresh fruit at the dessert table, so I enjoyed a little indulgence of extra fruit with my meal.
Oh! I also scored more points with our Sunday Munch today. (haha! I just made that name up, but it's cute!) See, we used to enjoy this yummy dish on some Sunday afternoons. I would layer a pan with cream cheese, then salsa, then shredded cheddar or mozzarella. Bake and serve with corn chips. Everyone loved it. Especially David.
Today I wanted to use up some bean dip I made that was in the fridge. I got the idea to try a variation on that cheese dip.
I layered the white bean dip in a glass pan. Then I spread a layer of freshly cooked black beans. Then thin layer or salsa. I topped half of the pan with vegan "cheese" and the other I sprinkled with "parma". (Parma is finely chopped walnuts mixed with nutri yeast.) Baked it for about 20-30 minutes. I served it with some "chips" that I made out of some corn tortillas that I cut, seasoned (with lime juice, chili powder, cumin, onion and garlic powder), and baked in the oven with the dip. I also served some carrot sticks and bell pepper slices to eat with the dip.
It was great! I've been mulling names around for my new dish. Layered Bean Dip, Sunday Bean Dip, but now I'm thinking Sunday Munch Bean Dip is perfect! I'll work on getting the recipe posted soon. :)
So happy to see the scale go down again. Man, am I excited to keep pressing on when I see that kind of progress. :D
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Crazy-Busy-Crazy
That's how this weekend felt.
Saturday was a party potluck style. I brought Apple Baked Beans, Strawberry Spinach Salad, and Buckwheat Cornbread Muffins. It was all very good.
Today we visited a couple different churches. The church that met this evening has a meal before their time of worship. I had enough beans leftover and the fixin's for another Spinach salad. I only needed to mix up a new batch of dressing and we were good to go. I also cooked up a batch of brown rice, tossed it with a bag of frozen broccoli, half a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, sautéed mushrooms, onion, and kale and we were good to go. I like that we can bring our own food to events like this because not only do I know we have food that we enjoy eating, but we can share our new recipes with others.
Tonight we came home and mixed up some food for tomorrow's Birthday Brunch. We're celebrating David's birthday with a feast and then a hike.
Here's the menu:
Pineapple Baked Beans
Vegan Breakfast Sausage
Mushroom Gravy and biscuits
Date-Nut Fruit Pie
Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole
Potato Crisps
Granola for the Hike
Portabella Burgers with White Bean Sauce
Salad
and some kind of vegetable that I can't remember. ;)
Tonight I put the beans on to cook overnight, granola made, and E made the biscuits.
Tomorrow morning we're going to be hoppin' before we ever get out the door for hikin'. ;)
OH! Today when I was getting dressed, I tried again with that white top that's been hanging in my closet. Yeah, that one that someone gave to us a couple months ago and I couldn't even button it. Yep, I tried it on a couple weeks ago and I was still popping the buttons. Today it FIT! Fit, like, I didn't have to worry about popping buttons, even.
I just really love that.
Saturday was a party potluck style. I brought Apple Baked Beans, Strawberry Spinach Salad, and Buckwheat Cornbread Muffins. It was all very good.
Today we visited a couple different churches. The church that met this evening has a meal before their time of worship. I had enough beans leftover and the fixin's for another Spinach salad. I only needed to mix up a new batch of dressing and we were good to go. I also cooked up a batch of brown rice, tossed it with a bag of frozen broccoli, half a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, sautéed mushrooms, onion, and kale and we were good to go. I like that we can bring our own food to events like this because not only do I know we have food that we enjoy eating, but we can share our new recipes with others.
Tonight we came home and mixed up some food for tomorrow's Birthday Brunch. We're celebrating David's birthday with a feast and then a hike.
Here's the menu:
Pineapple Baked Beans
Vegan Breakfast Sausage
Mushroom Gravy and biscuits
Date-Nut Fruit Pie
Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole
Potato Crisps
Granola for the Hike
Portabella Burgers with White Bean Sauce
Salad
and some kind of vegetable that I can't remember. ;)
Tonight I put the beans on to cook overnight, granola made, and E made the biscuits.
Tomorrow morning we're going to be hoppin' before we ever get out the door for hikin'. ;)
OH! Today when I was getting dressed, I tried again with that white top that's been hanging in my closet. Yeah, that one that someone gave to us a couple months ago and I couldn't even button it. Yep, I tried it on a couple weeks ago and I was still popping the buttons. Today it FIT! Fit, like, I didn't have to worry about popping buttons, even.
I just really love that.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Thursday, August 1, 2013
I'm holding steady at the weight I was the beginning of the week. I'm glad I'm not going up, but now that I'm going down, I want to keep going. :)
Went out for a date night with David last night. We went to Tropical Smoothie Café. I ordered a Mexican type salad, hold the chicken, onion and tomatoes. (I cannot eat onion or tomato raw...blech). It came with salsa, guac, a miniscule amount of black beans and corn and a highly seasoned white rice Mexican rice thing. So, not the healthiest choice, that's for sure. We shared a no-sugar added fruit smoothie, Blimey Limey.
So, overall, I'm over on how many grains I've had this week and my salt intake is pretty high.
I have been getting up in the mornings for my weigh-in. I also added in some morning stretches and this morning did about 20 minutes on the wii of yoga and such to wake up a bit. That was nice. I haven't gotten in any other exercise, though. Maybe a good walk tonight.
I made up bok choy tonight. Very empowering to make foods I've barely eaten, never mind cooked before. The sauce was way too salty, so it needs adjusting, but I think it went over decently. I liked it. (except the sauce ;) )
Went out for a date night with David last night. We went to Tropical Smoothie Café. I ordered a Mexican type salad, hold the chicken, onion and tomatoes. (I cannot eat onion or tomato raw...blech). It came with salsa, guac, a miniscule amount of black beans and corn and a highly seasoned white rice Mexican rice thing. So, not the healthiest choice, that's for sure. We shared a no-sugar added fruit smoothie, Blimey Limey.
So, overall, I'm over on how many grains I've had this week and my salt intake is pretty high.
I have been getting up in the mornings for my weigh-in. I also added in some morning stretches and this morning did about 20 minutes on the wii of yoga and such to wake up a bit. That was nice. I haven't gotten in any other exercise, though. Maybe a good walk tonight.
I made up bok choy tonight. Very empowering to make foods I've barely eaten, never mind cooked before. The sauce was way too salty, so it needs adjusting, but I think it went over decently. I liked it. (except the sauce ;) )
Tonight was Chicken Night. I've never seen Verity more excited in her life!! LOL. She ran through the whole house exclaming, "We're eating chicken!!! We're eating chicken!!!" Poor girl. She misses her chicken. ;)
We served baked thighs and I roasted some cauliflower and baby Brussels sprouts with a lime juice, chili powder, coriander, onion, garlic dressing. That was great!
As I was serving the food, I was planning to share a bit of chicken with the baby. She devoured it SO fast!
I just didn't want any. It smelled good, but I had no real desire to eat it, so I passed on the chicken. No sense in eating it simply because it's THERE. I'm learning. :)
Oh, one more thing. Those *skinny* jeans I bought for myself as a reward when I dropped my weight before. They are loose and I can pull them down w/o unbuttoning now too. Yay. :)
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
VICTORY!
I just need to proclaim.....
I am OUT of the 200's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been waiting for this day FOR YEARS!!!
Thank You, Father!! May You be lifted high in my heart and life as I rejoice in Your goodness today.
I am OUT of the 200's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been waiting for this day FOR YEARS!!!
Thank You, Father!! May You be lifted high in my heart and life as I rejoice in Your goodness today.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
NSV - Non Scale Victory
Just put away a Too-loose-I-Can-Spin-It skirt on the top shelf of my closet.
Currently wearing a skirt that I haven't been able to squeeze into for over a year...or more.
David was able to put on his jeans he bought years ago. They were a tiny bit tight in the waist, but I think he looked great! TWO sizes smaller than his current sized jeans that are falling off of him now.
He's comfortably wearing one size smaller than he was last week. Wow!!
Currently wearing a skirt that I haven't been able to squeeze into for over a year...or more.
David was able to put on his jeans he bought years ago. They were a tiny bit tight in the waist, but I think he looked great! TWO sizes smaller than his current sized jeans that are falling off of him now.
He's comfortably wearing one size smaller than he was last week. Wow!!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Wednesday, June 17, 2013
Today's Good Things:
Under on calories for the day
Morning yard work and after lunch workout on the wii (lunges!!)
Tired and ready for sleep and it's not 10pm yet.
Today's Not So Good Things:
No evening exercise - shopping for this weekend's party
scale was up today - though I'm not fussing about it
Today was good. I enjoyed my apple, peanut butter, flax seed, and raw oats for breakfast. Love that Breakfast Bowl! Simmered up some delicious Indian Spiced Lentils for lunch and whipped up a smoothie for dinner. I did not want to be eating food while out on our date tonight.
I'm still thinking a lot about how to get in more greens. I'm not eating them at breakfast and I wasn't confident enough in my blender to add them to my smoothie tonight. I need to get more brave on that.
For lunch, I added kale to the lentils and then we filled romaine lettuce leaves with the lentils and ate them like burritos. That was good!
I was TIRED after lunch, though. I still got in my workout, but I had to push myself. Where did my energy go?
Hey! My wonder, amazing, hard working husband is down 10 pounds!!! That's incredible! He's been working outside in the awful heat all week and juicing the whole time. He's tired, but has such a great attitude and keeps working hard at this. Love that man!
I just added my recipe for Indian Spiced Lentils to my Recipes page here on the blog. I revamped the original recipe to exclude the chicken and chicken broth. I switched that out for mushrooms and added kale. So good! The mushrooms give the texture of the chicken with way more of the nutrition our bodies need. :)
Under on calories for the day
Morning yard work and after lunch workout on the wii (lunges!!)
Tired and ready for sleep and it's not 10pm yet.
Today's Not So Good Things:
No evening exercise - shopping for this weekend's party
scale was up today - though I'm not fussing about it
Today was good. I enjoyed my apple, peanut butter, flax seed, and raw oats for breakfast. Love that Breakfast Bowl! Simmered up some delicious Indian Spiced Lentils for lunch and whipped up a smoothie for dinner. I did not want to be eating food while out on our date tonight.
I'm still thinking a lot about how to get in more greens. I'm not eating them at breakfast and I wasn't confident enough in my blender to add them to my smoothie tonight. I need to get more brave on that.
For lunch, I added kale to the lentils and then we filled romaine lettuce leaves with the lentils and ate them like burritos. That was good!
I was TIRED after lunch, though. I still got in my workout, but I had to push myself. Where did my energy go?
Hey! My wonder, amazing, hard working husband is down 10 pounds!!! That's incredible! He's been working outside in the awful heat all week and juicing the whole time. He's tired, but has such a great attitude and keeps working hard at this. Love that man!
I just added my recipe for Indian Spiced Lentils to my Recipes page here on the blog. I revamped the original recipe to exclude the chicken and chicken broth. I switched that out for mushrooms and added kale. So good! The mushrooms give the texture of the chicken with way more of the nutrition our bodies need. :)
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Juice Fast Reboot - Ease Out
So, this is the morning that I'm dropping out of the Juice Fast. I have a tiny tinge of guilt at the thought of being a quitter. However, the fact that my attitude is SO completely different knowing I don't have to down that stuff is helping me see how the Lord answered my prayers.
In my journal yesterday morning, I was begging the Lord to enable me to embrace this fast and be a source of blessing to my husband that the Lord would be magnified in his life. I realized today, as I bounced out of bed early, prepped all his vegies, worked on cleaning more produce, cheerfully helped him pack up the cooler for his day, that I was being the person I had prayed I would be to him. I could NOT get there yesterday with those horrid juices looming on my horizon.
The fact that I knew I was not going to DRINK that stuff took such a weight of anxiety and dread off of me and I am now able to joyfully walk this journey with David.
My plan for me: Eat raw and minimal today as I ease back to food. I had my cup of detox tea this morning and I think I'll savor the crunch of a Granny Smith for my breakfast. Some raw vegies w/o dips or dressings for lunch, and the same for dinner. Lots of water and I'll likely add some lemon to it to keep my system cleansing.
No nuts or grains or cooked foods for today and maybe tomorrow. I want to go easy on myself. I know it was only two days, but it was two days that I've never done before and I don't want to upset my system.
I've got a lot of yard work to do this morning and plenty of laundry and ironing to keep me moving today. Overall, I don't really feel any detox symptoms that I've read about with this fast. I'm a little tired and slow moving, but I really think that is more an emotional/mental block I've been having just dealing with the struggle to force what is distasteful into my body. Now that that battle is gone, I'm feeling the energy and joy of taking on a new day.
------------------
Finished the day well. Got in 38 minutes of Wii Fit plus yardwork in the morning. Lots of sweatin' today.
I didn't go with all raw food today. I made a meal for some friends and then prepped up some veggies for the children. I just joined them for dinner instead of making my own. I haven't had any kind of issues coming off of the fast. I actually feel great and upbeat compared to the last couple of days.
I'm down 2.9 pounds from Sunday. I'm super excited because I saw a number today on the scale that is lower than I have ever seen since I started working on losing weight back in 2010. That's a huge deal to me!!
In my journal yesterday morning, I was begging the Lord to enable me to embrace this fast and be a source of blessing to my husband that the Lord would be magnified in his life. I realized today, as I bounced out of bed early, prepped all his vegies, worked on cleaning more produce, cheerfully helped him pack up the cooler for his day, that I was being the person I had prayed I would be to him. I could NOT get there yesterday with those horrid juices looming on my horizon.
The fact that I knew I was not going to DRINK that stuff took such a weight of anxiety and dread off of me and I am now able to joyfully walk this journey with David.
My plan for me: Eat raw and minimal today as I ease back to food. I had my cup of detox tea this morning and I think I'll savor the crunch of a Granny Smith for my breakfast. Some raw vegies w/o dips or dressings for lunch, and the same for dinner. Lots of water and I'll likely add some lemon to it to keep my system cleansing.
No nuts or grains or cooked foods for today and maybe tomorrow. I want to go easy on myself. I know it was only two days, but it was two days that I've never done before and I don't want to upset my system.
I've got a lot of yard work to do this morning and plenty of laundry and ironing to keep me moving today. Overall, I don't really feel any detox symptoms that I've read about with this fast. I'm a little tired and slow moving, but I really think that is more an emotional/mental block I've been having just dealing with the struggle to force what is distasteful into my body. Now that that battle is gone, I'm feeling the energy and joy of taking on a new day.
------------------
Finished the day well. Got in 38 minutes of Wii Fit plus yardwork in the morning. Lots of sweatin' today.
I didn't go with all raw food today. I made a meal for some friends and then prepped up some veggies for the children. I just joined them for dinner instead of making my own. I haven't had any kind of issues coming off of the fast. I actually feel great and upbeat compared to the last couple of days.
I'm down 2.9 pounds from Sunday. I'm super excited because I saw a number today on the scale that is lower than I have ever seen since I started working on losing weight back in 2010. That's a huge deal to me!!
Friday, July 12, 2013
Those Jeans
You know those jeans I bought a couple of years ago? The ones I got because my skirts were way too loose and I rewarded myself with some new jeans. Yeah, those ones that were still a tiny bit tight and buttoning them held me in. Then, a couple of months ago, they were WAY too tight and I had to do the Squat and stretch thing and wear a really long, baggy shirt if I wanted to wear them.
Okay, you don't remember, but I DO.
Yesterday, while wearing those same jeans, I realized something.
I can pull them off and on WITHOUT undoing the zipper and button at all.
How's that for a Non Scale Victory? :D
Okay, you don't remember, but I DO.
Yesterday, while wearing those same jeans, I realized something.
I can pull them off and on WITHOUT undoing the zipper and button at all.
How's that for a Non Scale Victory? :D
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Daniel Fast - Day Twenty-One
June 30, 2013
Day Twenty-One
The End.
Today is the last day. A bit of fanfare as Elizabeth and I discussed the closing of the fast. We had a nice conversation regarding what we learned in the last few weeks. I expressed my gratitude to her for her eagerness and cheerfulness during this fast. Without her excitement over this endeavor, I'm not sure I would have pressed on. It was especially hard when other members of the family were complaining, cheating, or just plain angry that we were even doing it. Her sweet disposition and firm resolve helped me stay focused and cheered me on. She kept me from feeling alone.
She shared that she was very grateful the Lord led me to take on this fast. She was greatly encouraged by my willingness and determination to stick with it, even in the midst of that first week's struggles and pain. She was challenged to see me press on when it was so hard. I didn't realize how the Lord would use my time of humbling to encourage my girl so much.
I will always look back on this fast with reverence and awe. The Lord used something so simple to reveal Himself in so many powerful ways. He used it to also reveal me in many ways. Ways I needed to see so I could confess, repent, and be turned. Not only is my physical body changed, my mind is better able to understand the patterns and habits that have held me for so long, and my relationships with my family have been strengthened like never before. Purging my physical body of the toxins may have been painful, but seeing how my wrong choices were damaging my life as a mother and wife was devastating. You've given me this "land", Lord, and I so want to truly "live" within it. And that leads me to....
The Beginning.
I see now that this Daniel Fast was the precursor to a major work the Lord desire to do in my life. Physically, He is at work healing my body, teaching me how to make the best choices, and making me stronger for His tasks. I didn't know it then, but this fast prepared me to receive that plan. Eating as a vegan for the last 3 weeks, and a very restricted vegan at that, has shown me what I thought was impossible. I could live like this because I DID live like this. I can survive and even thrive on vegetable. Shhhh...don't tell my mother! And I do believe that changing my habits and choices of food heals because I've experienced it happen in the last few weeks.
Fasting from my social media hangouts revealed how much I've been missing in my family, church, and community life. My days are so full, I don't know how to fit it back in, visiting with my internet friends. Yet, I spent so much time there before. Time wrongly placed. I'm still unsure how to fit that in, but it won't be the habit it was before.
This fast revealed my need to deal with my emotions in a biblical way. Rightly handling my disappointments, frustrations, anger, irritations, these are all important priorities that the Lord is working on in my heart. Learning how to put off the sinful ways I handle these things and put on the commands of the Lord is a primary focus for me in the coming weeks.
This Beginning is exciting. It isn't a simple resolve. It isn't a New Thing to try out. It's a response to the work of the Holy Spirit shining the light of God's word on my heart and life. He has shown me the sin, and now that my repentance and forgiveness are firm, I can begin to enjoy His transformation of my life. I can take my first step in truly LIVING in this precious land He has given.
Thank you, precious Lord. May you alone receive the glory for your work in my life. May it be that you will increase and I will decrease.
Day Twenty-One
The End.
Today is the last day. A bit of fanfare as Elizabeth and I discussed the closing of the fast. We had a nice conversation regarding what we learned in the last few weeks. I expressed my gratitude to her for her eagerness and cheerfulness during this fast. Without her excitement over this endeavor, I'm not sure I would have pressed on. It was especially hard when other members of the family were complaining, cheating, or just plain angry that we were even doing it. Her sweet disposition and firm resolve helped me stay focused and cheered me on. She kept me from feeling alone.
She shared that she was very grateful the Lord led me to take on this fast. She was greatly encouraged by my willingness and determination to stick with it, even in the midst of that first week's struggles and pain. She was challenged to see me press on when it was so hard. I didn't realize how the Lord would use my time of humbling to encourage my girl so much.
I will always look back on this fast with reverence and awe. The Lord used something so simple to reveal Himself in so many powerful ways. He used it to also reveal me in many ways. Ways I needed to see so I could confess, repent, and be turned. Not only is my physical body changed, my mind is better able to understand the patterns and habits that have held me for so long, and my relationships with my family have been strengthened like never before. Purging my physical body of the toxins may have been painful, but seeing how my wrong choices were damaging my life as a mother and wife was devastating. You've given me this "land", Lord, and I so want to truly "live" within it. And that leads me to....
The Beginning.
I see now that this Daniel Fast was the precursor to a major work the Lord desire to do in my life. Physically, He is at work healing my body, teaching me how to make the best choices, and making me stronger for His tasks. I didn't know it then, but this fast prepared me to receive that plan. Eating as a vegan for the last 3 weeks, and a very restricted vegan at that, has shown me what I thought was impossible. I could live like this because I DID live like this. I can survive and even thrive on vegetable. Shhhh...don't tell my mother! And I do believe that changing my habits and choices of food heals because I've experienced it happen in the last few weeks.
Fasting from my social media hangouts revealed how much I've been missing in my family, church, and community life. My days are so full, I don't know how to fit it back in, visiting with my internet friends. Yet, I spent so much time there before. Time wrongly placed. I'm still unsure how to fit that in, but it won't be the habit it was before.
This fast revealed my need to deal with my emotions in a biblical way. Rightly handling my disappointments, frustrations, anger, irritations, these are all important priorities that the Lord is working on in my heart. Learning how to put off the sinful ways I handle these things and put on the commands of the Lord is a primary focus for me in the coming weeks.
This Beginning is exciting. It isn't a simple resolve. It isn't a New Thing to try out. It's a response to the work of the Holy Spirit shining the light of God's word on my heart and life. He has shown me the sin, and now that my repentance and forgiveness are firm, I can begin to enjoy His transformation of my life. I can take my first step in truly LIVING in this precious land He has given.
Thank you, precious Lord. May you alone receive the glory for your work in my life. May it be that you will increase and I will decrease.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Daniel Fast - Day Twenty
June 29, 2013
Day Twenty
Woohoooo!!!!! Tomorrow is the Grande Finale! I am really kicking myself for not checking in with my weight when I started this. This week, where I've been working at implementing some of the Eat to Live ideas for my meals as well as set aside snacks for good. I'm down almost 3 pounds for just this week! I've never seen the scale go down like this. Yay. :)
Today we worked HARD. We sweated ourselves into a major stink pulling out poison ivy and pruning back the jungle that took over some of our yard. We gained about 6 feet of yard, depth wise. We pulled two loads of brush and ivy to the dump. And I know I sweated out nearly every bottle of water I drank today. It was hot, humid, and a glorious way to sweat out a pound. Our yard looks wonderful.
Sad part is my husband is now reacting to the poison ivy. He is so strongly allergic that even though we were suited up in long sleeves, pants, and gloves, he is swelling up like crazy. :( He's headed to urgent care in the morning, as they were already closed when he started reacting. I feel awful that he's fighting this again. I hate that stuff! I am so hoping we can keep it out of the yard now.
After we finished working, took our showers and just relaxed under the breeze of the fan, we loaded up the gang and walked down to the local pizza place for dinner. Super fun treat. It's been weeks since the children have had pizza. They were so excited. David, Elizabeth, and I all had a salad. I brought some walnut halves and my own greek dressing since I am thinking theirs likely had some sugar in it. They usually do. The children enjoyed their pizza and we enjoyed our salads and an order of potato skins shared between us.
Yes. It WAS hard to see everyone eat that yummy pizza and not have a nibble. I so love pizza. Then there was that yummy, chewy bread they give with the salad. Another tough temptation. However, when we started walking home, I felt quite full but not that uncomfortable full feeling I usually have when going out for a pizza night. I felt so wonderful knowing I was able to resist the food I love the most while putting food my body needed to restore after a hard day of work. Even that soda we craved for a Job Well Done wouldn't have given me the great feeling I had when I walked home without guilt. I didn't overeat, I didn't eat foods that I would later regret, and I felt full and happy.
Even happier when I stepped on that scale tonight!
Tomorrow is the last day. I feel like I should do something to celebrate, but I just don't know what. We are hoping to go to friends after church for lunch and dinner then back to evening church tomorrow. That would be a very special gift. However, with David's poison ivy so bad, I'm sorta thinking we may just lay low for the day.
I do confess, I'm a little nervous having no restrictions to my diet. I'm glad I'm moving on to ETL next. It gives me a framework and I like that.
Day Twenty
Woohoooo!!!!! Tomorrow is the Grande Finale! I am really kicking myself for not checking in with my weight when I started this. This week, where I've been working at implementing some of the Eat to Live ideas for my meals as well as set aside snacks for good. I'm down almost 3 pounds for just this week! I've never seen the scale go down like this. Yay. :)
Today we worked HARD. We sweated ourselves into a major stink pulling out poison ivy and pruning back the jungle that took over some of our yard. We gained about 6 feet of yard, depth wise. We pulled two loads of brush and ivy to the dump. And I know I sweated out nearly every bottle of water I drank today. It was hot, humid, and a glorious way to sweat out a pound. Our yard looks wonderful.
Sad part is my husband is now reacting to the poison ivy. He is so strongly allergic that even though we were suited up in long sleeves, pants, and gloves, he is swelling up like crazy. :( He's headed to urgent care in the morning, as they were already closed when he started reacting. I feel awful that he's fighting this again. I hate that stuff! I am so hoping we can keep it out of the yard now.
After we finished working, took our showers and just relaxed under the breeze of the fan, we loaded up the gang and walked down to the local pizza place for dinner. Super fun treat. It's been weeks since the children have had pizza. They were so excited. David, Elizabeth, and I all had a salad. I brought some walnut halves and my own greek dressing since I am thinking theirs likely had some sugar in it. They usually do. The children enjoyed their pizza and we enjoyed our salads and an order of potato skins shared between us.
Yes. It WAS hard to see everyone eat that yummy pizza and not have a nibble. I so love pizza. Then there was that yummy, chewy bread they give with the salad. Another tough temptation. However, when we started walking home, I felt quite full but not that uncomfortable full feeling I usually have when going out for a pizza night. I felt so wonderful knowing I was able to resist the food I love the most while putting food my body needed to restore after a hard day of work. Even that soda we craved for a Job Well Done wouldn't have given me the great feeling I had when I walked home without guilt. I didn't overeat, I didn't eat foods that I would later regret, and I felt full and happy.
Even happier when I stepped on that scale tonight!
Tomorrow is the last day. I feel like I should do something to celebrate, but I just don't know what. We are hoping to go to friends after church for lunch and dinner then back to evening church tomorrow. That would be a very special gift. However, with David's poison ivy so bad, I'm sorta thinking we may just lay low for the day.
I do confess, I'm a little nervous having no restrictions to my diet. I'm glad I'm moving on to ETL next. It gives me a framework and I like that.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Wednesday January 23, 2013
Today's Good Things:
Logged and Blogged
Ending the day under in calories
Went to the gym for date night even though it's FREEZING out there
Made good choices for my after workout dinner
Really nice visit with a friend
Today's Not So Good Things:
Didn't get all the choring done for today
Moving really slow on the elliptical
I'm down a pound and half for the week! Yay!! Big confession that I had pizza on Sunday night when we took our son out to use his Pizza Hut birthday coupon. Then I ate the leftovers on Monday. Then my husband took us out for pizza last night after we stacked 2 cords of wood. So....*blush*....pizza THREE days in a row for me and I'm still DOWN a pound and a half. Incredible!
I felt so tired and slow on the elliptical tonight. I just couldn't make myself go, but I stuck with the 20 minutes and then the 5 minute cool down, so I'm feeling good about that, at least.
I'm thankful my husband and I are doing this together. I had convinced myself that it was way too cold (below zero...brrrr) to go out tonight, but he wouldn't let me do it. We had a great time and I love how good it feels to push the stress away on those machines.
It's funny how a little pound and a half can renew your determination and get you excited to keep on keeping on. :)
Logged and Blogged
Ending the day under in calories
Went to the gym for date night even though it's FREEZING out there
Made good choices for my after workout dinner
Really nice visit with a friend
Today's Not So Good Things:
Didn't get all the choring done for today
Moving really slow on the elliptical
I'm down a pound and half for the week! Yay!! Big confession that I had pizza on Sunday night when we took our son out to use his Pizza Hut birthday coupon. Then I ate the leftovers on Monday. Then my husband took us out for pizza last night after we stacked 2 cords of wood. So....*blush*....pizza THREE days in a row for me and I'm still DOWN a pound and a half. Incredible!
I felt so tired and slow on the elliptical tonight. I just couldn't make myself go, but I stuck with the 20 minutes and then the 5 minute cool down, so I'm feeling good about that, at least.
I'm thankful my husband and I are doing this together. I had convinced myself that it was way too cold (below zero...brrrr) to go out tonight, but he wouldn't let me do it. We had a great time and I love how good it feels to push the stress away on those machines.
It's funny how a little pound and a half can renew your determination and get you excited to keep on keeping on. :)
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Tuesday January 8, 2013 - A little Upside Down
I'm finding it very hard to post to my blog. My evenings find my arms very full with a sweet nursing baby and my brain very tired from a busy day. My lack of reporting in, though, is not reflective of my efforts this time. I have been doing VERY well with most of my goals this past week.
Now that the special coffee creamer we got for the holidays is gone, I've been totally sugar free for the past week. The only exception would be the sugars in our bbq sauce and salad dressings. Those are *real* sugars, though, and I'm still deciding about cutting them out. I am allowing myself to eat the foods prepared with molasses or honey that we make at home. I've cut the sugar so much in those recipes that I'm comfortable with the level of sweetener in them. Just enough to make it palatable. ;)
I was so surprised to see our 13, 10, and 8 year old all make a pact together to kick the sugar from their diet too. They've started paying more attention to what they are eating, purposing to avoid adding sugar to their cereal and they even all chose to use applesauce on their french toast yesterday in place of syrup. Pretty cool. :) I encouraged them by giving fresh golden pears in their stockings instead of chocolate coins like I normally would. I think they all enjoyed a cookie at church on Sunday, though. ;) I haven't been correcting or saying anything. I want to allow them the freedom to make these choices and see their effects. I remind from time to time just to see how they will wrestle with their choices. But, I certainly don't see anything wrong with them allowing themselves a treat from time to time. Especially when they've been so good with their choices overall.
I've also been yeast-free for the past week. Well, except for the small amounts in the crackers and tortillas we purchase. I've stopped buying those crackers ;) and I'm deciding about the tortillas. The brand I buy that has yeast has the fewest ingredients and they are actually foods I recognize. The brand with no yeast also has a long list of additives and products that don't equate natural or *real* in my mind. I guess, so far, I've decided that a little yeast is better than the foreign stuff. In turn, I've chosen to eat those tortillas infrequently to avoid exposure.
With all of those changes, I don't feel deprived much at all. I admit, I did wander the kitchen yesterday afternoon with a major craving for bread. It took a lot of willpower not to eat it until I finally landed on some cooked turkey to satisfy my appetite. The bread is really a battle for me. But, so far, I'm winning. :) I know I said I wanted to set my goal for just a month with this, but I really think that my addiction is so strong, I'd really better not go back to it. We'll see, and I don't want to become unbalanced, but I do want to break this hold that a silly food would have on me.
We joined the Y last night. I don't exactly know how that will look afa real exercise for me. But, I am excited we'll have some new things to try to just get us moving and active as a family. That meets a great hope/goal/desire of mine to just be active and enjoying life together as a family. We'll try the family fun night tonight and see how we like it.
Breakfast has already begun, so I need to join the team. I'm so tired after being up 3 times with Baby last night. We had the most amazing first day back to school yesterday. I need to push and let this caffeine do it's work so today can progress too.
Now that the special coffee creamer we got for the holidays is gone, I've been totally sugar free for the past week. The only exception would be the sugars in our bbq sauce and salad dressings. Those are *real* sugars, though, and I'm still deciding about cutting them out. I am allowing myself to eat the foods prepared with molasses or honey that we make at home. I've cut the sugar so much in those recipes that I'm comfortable with the level of sweetener in them. Just enough to make it palatable. ;)
I was so surprised to see our 13, 10, and 8 year old all make a pact together to kick the sugar from their diet too. They've started paying more attention to what they are eating, purposing to avoid adding sugar to their cereal and they even all chose to use applesauce on their french toast yesterday in place of syrup. Pretty cool. :) I encouraged them by giving fresh golden pears in their stockings instead of chocolate coins like I normally would. I think they all enjoyed a cookie at church on Sunday, though. ;) I haven't been correcting or saying anything. I want to allow them the freedom to make these choices and see their effects. I remind from time to time just to see how they will wrestle with their choices. But, I certainly don't see anything wrong with them allowing themselves a treat from time to time. Especially when they've been so good with their choices overall.
I've also been yeast-free for the past week. Well, except for the small amounts in the crackers and tortillas we purchase. I've stopped buying those crackers ;) and I'm deciding about the tortillas. The brand I buy that has yeast has the fewest ingredients and they are actually foods I recognize. The brand with no yeast also has a long list of additives and products that don't equate natural or *real* in my mind. I guess, so far, I've decided that a little yeast is better than the foreign stuff. In turn, I've chosen to eat those tortillas infrequently to avoid exposure.
With all of those changes, I don't feel deprived much at all. I admit, I did wander the kitchen yesterday afternoon with a major craving for bread. It took a lot of willpower not to eat it until I finally landed on some cooked turkey to satisfy my appetite. The bread is really a battle for me. But, so far, I'm winning. :) I know I said I wanted to set my goal for just a month with this, but I really think that my addiction is so strong, I'd really better not go back to it. We'll see, and I don't want to become unbalanced, but I do want to break this hold that a silly food would have on me.
We joined the Y last night. I don't exactly know how that will look afa real exercise for me. But, I am excited we'll have some new things to try to just get us moving and active as a family. That meets a great hope/goal/desire of mine to just be active and enjoying life together as a family. We'll try the family fun night tonight and see how we like it.
Breakfast has already begun, so I need to join the team. I'm so tired after being up 3 times with Baby last night. We had the most amazing first day back to school yesterday. I need to push and let this caffeine do it's work so today can progress too.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Crazy, wondeful week
This week has been good. I didn't exercise (formally). I haven't logged on mfp. I've barely thought about diet and fitness and such. So, how can that be good?
I've been busy schooling my children and it's been a treat. Not because it's been easy. Not because we've had great attitudes the whole time. (mine included) But, because I've focused on this as the THING that needs to be important and nothing else. I've allowed myself to do one thing well, and..well, I'm doing it. :)
I'm allowing myself to still sleep in in the mornings. I'm working on being more cheerful when greeted with the morning crabbies. We're getting started when we get started and just focusing in the learning and not the clock. I've seen some great improvements in relationships with my older children. I'm still working on how to include and handle the younger ones and find that balance, though.
I've also begun a new course of morning and evening devotions. That has been amazing and transforming, to say the least.
This doesn't have anything to do with health, you say? Oh, in every way it does. The stress and emotional strain I battle with relationships is directly tied to my eating, exercise, sleeping, and activity habits and triggers. I'm thankful for a week of getting myself on track in the areas that matter most.
I've been busy schooling my children and it's been a treat. Not because it's been easy. Not because we've had great attitudes the whole time. (mine included) But, because I've focused on this as the THING that needs to be important and nothing else. I've allowed myself to do one thing well, and..well, I'm doing it. :)
I'm allowing myself to still sleep in in the mornings. I'm working on being more cheerful when greeted with the morning crabbies. We're getting started when we get started and just focusing in the learning and not the clock. I've seen some great improvements in relationships with my older children. I'm still working on how to include and handle the younger ones and find that balance, though.
I've also begun a new course of morning and evening devotions. That has been amazing and transforming, to say the least.
This doesn't have anything to do with health, you say? Oh, in every way it does. The stress and emotional strain I battle with relationships is directly tied to my eating, exercise, sleeping, and activity habits and triggers. I'm thankful for a week of getting myself on track in the areas that matter most.
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