God Is GOOD!

This weekend was the best weekend a girl could ask for.

For a long time now I feel like I haven't taken time out for myself. I am always doing something and it always involves other people lives. I dogsit, babysit, clean, go here, go there, work...but each day is routine for me; never anything new. Don't get me wrong, I love helping people and I love my job, but I needed a vacation. I finally got one (at least that is what I called it).

My family and I got together this weekend to do something great. We walked 3.5 miles for the March of Dimes March for Babies walk in Greensboro, NC for my niece Tessa Nicole and all the other premies out there who need assistance.

Friday afternoon Michelle and I got on the road. The first address in the garmen was Four Seasons Mall in Greensboro, NC. We had a slight tough time getting there with the criss cross directions and the geese flying into my car and the huge piece of something in the road that I ran over which then shoved itself into the bumper of the person behind me...but we got there. We explored the mall mainly focusing on the stores we did not have at home and it was great. Lots of sales, good buys including the blizzards from Dairy Queen in the food court (Yeah, no diet this past weekend). After a great time shopping we punched in my brother's address and headed on over. We pulled up to his beautiful house and see Ashley peeking out from inside my sister-in-laws mustang...her and another little boy were playing hide and seek. We were welcomed with hugs and introductions to the people we did not know. That evening we had a cook out to include hamburgers, hot dogs, sweet potato fries, salad, corn, chips...ummm...I think that was all. Everyone mingled and had a great time. That night the ladies sat up till 1am making the Team Tessa t-shirts for the next days walk. We had a blast.

Saturday morning came and everyone was ready to go. We got up, ate breakfast and ventured out. The day was beautiful. God really blessed us with wonderful weather, wonderful company, and smiles all over. I was proud to turn in my $284 dollars I raised and receive my March of Dimes t-shirt (seperate from the ones we made). Our team won the t-shirt contest, my brother and sister-in-law spoke on stage and made everyone cry and then it was time to start. My brother and sister-in-law had smiles on their faces that could have stretched a mile when they looked back and saw everyone participating for something so great and meaningful to them. It was really wonderful. We all completed the walk and had a great time with the music and food and events going on at the park.

That evening, after everyone finished lounging around, we all headed out to a Japanease Steak house..this was a first for me and it was so MUCH FUN!! Sunday morning came too quick and we all had breakfast then had to pack up and head home.

God is sooooo Good. This weekend was amazing. I may not have went sight seeing or splashed around in a water park, but being with the people I love and doing something so great was more than a vacation to me. God Blessed us all this weekend. I really couldn't ask for anything more.

Now, I did weigh in Thursday before leaving and lost 1.4 lbs in the previous 2 weeks. I was a little upset but I know I have been toning muscle so I just let it slide...I am sure I gained that 1.4 back over the weekend...here is why-

Friday afternoon:
Wendy's Single with fries and a diet coke.
King Size Snickers with almonds and a cake

Friday Dinner:
Hamburger, sweet potato fries, salad, corn, chips, and 3 chocolate chip cookies

Saturday Morning:
Honey Nut Cheerios and a muffin, coffee with cream and sugar
Then we got to the park to smell FREE doughnuts, so I halfed one with my niece

Saturday Afternoon:
1 piece of pizza and a bag of trail mix (small bag)

During the day:
Hamburger

Saturday Night:
WOW! Everything from Kabuto
Soup, salad, shrimp, veggies, rice, more shrimp, chicken, fried banannas...I really have no idea how many diet cokes (I kept using the WONDERFUL hot sauce)

Sunday morning:
Eggs, bacon, 2 biscuits with jelly, cereal with almonds, coffee with cream and sugar, a muffin.

Sunday afternoon:
We stopped at a store on the way back to eat our leftover Japanease and also picked up a king size snickers with almonds, a honey bun, and a pack of starburst...diet coke....on down the road Dairy Queen sparked in our heads...I got a blue rasberry slush.

Sunday evening:
Nancy packed us some barbque she had made, put that on a bun and ate it...pretzal m and m's, then my brother convinced me to order a strawberry bananna milkshake..

Needless to say at about 2 this morning I felt like I was going to vomit. I ate enough this weekend to feed an army...When I cheated, boy I really cheated. Today I am eating nothing but PROTEIN. I feel like I gained 10 lbs, but I can't step on the scale. I know what I have to do. Me and the gym are going to become even closer this week and back to the diet it is...until I lose this weight....hopefully.

Time is WAY past due!!

So many exciting things are happening in the next few days..To start, TODAY IS WEIGH IN DAY!!!!! I am so SUPER excited to see how well, or maybe not so well I have done. I am pretty sure there is going to be a loss no matter what; I'm just not sure how much. No matter what I know in the past 2 weeks I have worked my butt off in the gym and I have done pretty good eating wise and when I did have the Olive Garden I knew what I had to do and I did it. I am thinking that if the weight loss is not so much then I have probably developed some muscle...You should see my guns!!!! haha!

After weighing in I have a busy evening; I just hope I can get it all in. I may get my nails done..I REALLY want to hit the gym again...I need to pack...I need to tan...I need to cook...I need to shower...I need to get gas in my car (Okay, so that takes like a second, but I still have to do it.)...I need to straighten up my apartment..double check my packing to make sure I haven't forgotten anything...clean up the dishes..then I may get some sleep..I think that is all I need to do...BEFORE GETTING UP AND HEADING TO GREENSBORO, NC!!! I am SOOOOOO excited. Michelle and I are going to head out in the a.m. and hit up Four Season's Mall to start off. Who knows what the evening entails. Saturday is the March for Dimes March for Babies walk and I am super excited about this as well. I am proud of myself. I counted up this morning and I have raised close to $250 for this cause. It is going to be great to be with friends and family walking for something that can help people. This year we are walking for my neice, as some of you may know, who was born at 24 weeks weighing 1lb, 9oz(I think that is the oz) and only survived 117 days. She touched so many people lives during her time before going to be with the Lord. She made a difference. Since then my brother and his wife have done so many things within their community to help where they could. They have been chosen as the Ambassador Family so them and the rest of our family and friends are leading the walk Saturday. This is such an honor and a blessing. There is still time to donate if you would like...Just ask me how.

After the walk I am sure my brother has something planned to do...he alwasy does I have heard. I am just excited to get away, to do something good, and to spend time with the people I love. I am really blessed!!!

PS...when I get the weigh results (if I find time) I will update. God Bless!!!

Not a lot to say...

I don't really have a lot to say today except that I am happy, which is a good thing. I appreciate everything God has given me and even though sometimes life doesn't make sense I know God is just doing His work. I am so proud of my friend Michelle who lost 6.2lbs this week..WAY TO GOO!!! I am so super excited about my weigh in on Thursday. I have a feeling it will be another good one...then Friday morning, me, my brother, and Michelle are off to Greensboro...This will be kind of like a mini-vacation that God knows I need. The March for Babies walk is Saturday. So much to look forward to this week and I am soooo blessed to be me (my head is not swollen, I am just thankful of what God has done for me).

God Bless everyone!!!

P.S. My pants are still falling down...this is getting annoying..but I am happy I am dropping the lbs!!!!

I have been slacking...

I have been slacking, not on exercising, but on posting. Well, also maybe a little on the eating..just Friday. We had a going away lunch at my favorite restaurant, Olive Garden for one of my fav's, CPT Rockshead (that is me and him in the pic above...he will be missed), and I ate what I wanted. I still went to the gym and did lots of arm and core exercises (was sore the next day) and I did have ice cream with oreo's in it that night...Yummm!! I knew the next day was going to be a protein day and I was fine with that. I just kept myself busy so I didn't even think about the fruits and veggies. I went to the gym AGAIN and worked on legs, core, and did cardio (sore again). Yesterday I was still not in ketosis, but I know I had been doing everything right so I ate only protein until about 4pm when I had an apple (after the gym AGAIN). And I still was not in ketosis today, but I know I am eating right and exercising my butt off so I am going to continue with my normal fruits and veggies and just ask about it at my weigh in on Thursday. I can tell I am getting smaller...my pants don't want to stay up and that definition in my stomach is starting to show through (WOOOHOOOOO!!!!) I am going to keep up the good work and stay on this thing like white on rice!

People are noticing my weight loss, even trainers in the gym...they mention it and show me things to help out with what I want to work on most...it is great! This whole diet/exercise thing has been a great inspiration to me because now I want to learn how to become a physical trainer...once I get to where I need to be that is. I love the transformation in myself and to be able to tell people how to work a certain muscle or maybe what they are doing wrong...to be able to "fix" things is wonderful! I am actually going to help my lil sis today. We are going to go for a brisk walk and along the way I plan on talking to her about her eating habits and try to help her out..

There is a part of me that is a little scared...I was just tasked to go to Fort Knox this summer from 23 May to 8 August. I know I am going to continue to exercise and eat right (with what I can from a hotel microwave), but it is just going to be me encouraging me out there. I know I can do it, but without the docs and the medicine they have been giving me I am worried what will happen...I refuse to gain my weight back, but is it going to be harder?? We will soon see....Well, I feel like I am rambling so I think I am done...Until next time I am going to be like the energizer bunny!!!!

The Creep is holding me back..

So, I go to the gym to do my "thang", but I can't do every"thang" I want because there is this old man creep that CREEPS me out! He is handicapped due to a motorcycle accident (I heard all about) and he like to talk to me. I was on the treadmill and he asked me out to dinner (he's married), told me how sexy I was, how he loved natural red heads, invited me to a wine party, told me how sexy I was (with moans and groans), wanted to buy me lotion (GROSS)...and so on and so forth...
Now when I go to the gym I try to avoid him. I know this is horrible, but because of his handicap he can't move very fast so I scurry away from him when I see him. The last couple of days I have been going in the rooms he is not in so I can get my workout in, well, I NEED THE WEIGHT ROOM and he will not get out of there! I am trying to avoid being rude to him and possibly causing a scene (because that would be embarassing), but I NEED TO DO SQUATS, AND ARM WEIGHTS, AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS I DO IN THERE! In the meantime I have been doing my cardio, which has been interrupted due to the magazine falling off on the tread part as I was running...I just got off at that point. And I have been doing ab and inner thigh exercises in the assisted weight room. Yesterday I did this new thing I have been seeing everyone do..I wanted to see what it was. You hold a weight (I did 10lbs) in one hand and lean to that same side multiple times...OUCH!!! This is definitely good for you...it will get rid of your love handles and it helps your abs, but boy am I sore from that. When you are doing it you think, "This can't be doing anything." IT DOES! Believe me!!

So the creep has held me back, the magazine pushed me off...Literally..and I haven't been feeling it as much this week. I don't feel as energized as I have been, but I have pushed myself to go to the gym in the evenings and it feels good once I am done. I just wish that creep would choose another time!

I am hanging in there. My motivation still exists; I just have to pull it out a little more...maybe I can crop myself into a bikini babe and work on ACTUALLY getting there...hmmm. It's an idea. I weigh in next week and I EXPECT good results from myself. It is all up to me, what I do, and how I handle my day to day activities and intake. I'M READY TO WAKE UP!!!!!!!!

Challenges

Sometimes in life you are faced with challenges. These challenges, some just complain about, and other decide to figure out a way to overcome them. Me, I overcome them. As you may have read in previous blog post, I don't like a complainer.

This weekend many challenges came my way. My friend and I Walked for a Cure at Greenhill Park in Salem, VA. This was an amazing opportunity for me. I was able to walk for my step-mom who is a little over a 5 year survivor. While waiting for our walk to start we watched the runners. There were so many people out there running for a cure for breast cancer. One that stood out the most was a current breast cancer lady. She went running by in her pink shirt and her bald head with a smile on her face. Everyone cheered her on and clapped as she sprinted by. To her and all other women out there, breast cancer is a challenge. I can only imagine how tough it is to overcome, but she was out there RUNNING! She did not let this stop her.

Michelle, Connie, and I faced a smaller challenge, but to us it was a challenge. We picked up the pace a little during our walk and ran ourselves. Connie would set goal markers for us to run to. With someone there to push you along the way, it really helps. I am getting to the point where I want to tackle another challenge. I want to help people, I want to push people...I want to get to the point where I can be that inspiration pushing someone to the next mile marker. For this challenge I am going to continue to push myself and workout harder to get where I want to be in order to help others. When I put my clothes on they fit better...and one outfit I put on over the weekend really surprised me when I saw the picture...I feel like I am doing a great job!! We had a great time at this walk and I look forward for many more to come.

Another challenge I faced over the weekend was a challenge with God and myself. God, I believe, puts us in situations to make us realize that we have strayed from our faith. I have an issue that I deal with daily, and my friends know about this, and sometimes I let it get me down. Well, I did something about it last weekend and I thought I was happy. I prayed to God to let me see the light, please give me the truth...well, God answered. This weekend I realized that this was not right for me. Although it upset me I had to realize that God answered my prayers. He had seen that by being in the situation I was in that I was letting my faith out. God knows best and I thank Him so much for giving me the answer.

Because of my stress and the things I want to accomplish I went to the gym yesterday (worked HARD), cleaned my house, cleaned my car, and fixed my dinner for last night and my lunch for today...oh, and showered twice...It was a very productive day, and I have been a little under the weather, but overall I feel FANTASTIC!! God is Goood...Oh so good!!

WEIGH IN---IT'S GOOD!!!!

So, I had my weigh in yesterday and it went well!! Below I am going to post total inches and weight loss to day...in 41 days!!! Yesterday I had a weight loss (in 2 weeks) of 5 lbs!!!! I was sooooooo happy!!

Inches:
Started in Neck: 12.75
Today's neck: 12.25 (.5 inch loss)

Started in Chest: 41.5
Today's Chest: 37.5 (4 inch loss)

Started in Arms: 14
Today's Arms: 12.75 (1.25 inch loss)

Started in Abdomen: 37
Today's Abdomen: 34 (3 inch loss)

Started in Hips: 45
Today's Hips: 41 (4 inch loss)

Started in Thighs: 24
Today's Thighs: 22 (2 inch loss)

Starting Weight: 172.6
Today's Weight: 157 (15.6 LB LOSS!!!)

My BMI was initally 34.3 which puts me in the obese range for my age and height. I know this BMI range seems a little off, but for now I am going by it and getting myself healthy. My BMI is now 31.3, which still makes me obese, but not as much...I am doing good and I can't wait to see my progress in 2 weeks. God is good!!!

Happy Friday!!!

Boy am I SORE!!

My body has gotten a beating the past 2 days and I am ready for it again today....This is not the kind of sore you would have if you fell down a flight of stairs, but the kind of sore that lets you know you are working it!! I have started doing exercises that are going to tone up my body...The last two day I introduced squats and WOWZERS I can tell they are working!! In my entire body I can see a difference. My legs are not as jiggly, my arms have definition, my love handles are GONE!!! and my stomach is firming up. This is SOOOOOO great!! I am addicted now. I love the gym and what it does for me. The machines are like that new person you once thought was stuck up and annoying...I finally got to know them and they have turned into my best friend. I am not backing down from this; like I said before, I AM IN IT TO WIN IT!!

I want to go to the beach with my good friend Shell this summer and to a theme park with a water park. I want to be able to put my bathing suit on and not worry if my legs are going to rub together, or if my stomach is sticking out too much because we all know there is NO bathing suit that is NOT form fitting. I am going to be ready for this. I have never been so sure in my life, but just like other things in my life I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I have a 2 week weigh in and measurement session tomorrow...I am excited to see what I have done with myself. I know I may not have lost as much because I am toning my muscles as well as everything else (the doc suggested I wait, but I wanted to kill two birds with one stone as they say).

Stay posted....more good news to come!!

Back on that train...

What a beautiful day! AGAIN!! Just like the weather has been, so am I...CONSTANT! I am back on that train to weight loss success. All protein it was yesterday and today I am back to my fruits and veggies...YAYYY!!! I also went to the gym yesterday to make up for that time lost over the weekend and WOW, did I sweat!!! Someone told me to try a 7% incline on the treadmill 3.0 to tone up my legs and thighs; well, I did. I could only take that for 10 minutes. My brow was sweating and my legs were feeling the burn!! I then lowered the incline, slowed down for a minute or two then I PUMPED UP THE VOLUME ON MY RADIO AND TOOK OFF FOR A RUN!! It feel so good to exercise and I never thought I would say that..I love going to the gym. I get in my element and I know after the pain comes the pleasure and I LOVE IT! My body is getting tone and I am slimming down..

On another note...Pam, my office mate, brought some beautiful flowers into the office that she picked out of her front yard so a picture is attached. Maybe they will brighten your day like they did mine...They are SOOOO Pretty!!!

Have a great day!! Enjoy those high temps out there. God Bless!!

Great, Beautiful, Blessed, and Happy...I think

It was a beautiful blessed weekend. It all started Friday when LTC Hansen released all of us HRA's to go home early and enjoy the sunshine. I had to head over to the weigh station to get an extra week of phentermine since I am only going every two weeks now. When you go every week they give you a shot. They said I could buy the shot for $10 and take it with me, which means I had to give myself the shot. I was a little scared about doing that and also taking a needle with me. I decided to go in the bathroom and just do it...AND I DID! I GAVE MYSELF A SHOT RIGHT IN THE LEG!...then, I gave the needle back to the nurses to discard properly. I then headed to the Downs residence to dog and cat sit. I finished up the dog and cat sitting on Saturday afternoon and headed to Roanoke to hang with my friend, Michelle.

We enjoyed some sunshine and planned our night. It started with, okay, so let's just eat a burger...so O'Charley's it was! After the burger and fries we had a wonderful brownie with ice cream and caramel!! IT WAS SCRUPTIOUS!!! We knew we would have to start over, but that is why we are strong women...we knew we could do it...We then had a night of fun. I was in a funk of some sort and could not figure out why...I have stuff on my mind it feels like, but I don't know what it is, but that did not ruin things...I ran into someone special; a great friend and because of that, well, I have not started over until today...because that certain special someone took me out for lunch yesterday we we just enjoyed it together. We hadn't been out in a while. We also had a good day just being together...walking across the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge in Roanoke, snapping pictures, laughing, and just hanging out...being us. I am still not sure what is going to come of this, but I know we are and always have been great friends...He has always made me smile. We have had our ups and downs, but for some reason we keep bumping into one another....What does God have in store for me?? I will just have to wait and see...

I am ready for another week of work, exercising (I feel like I have betrayed the tread mill the past 3 days), and eating healthy....I weigh in Thursday...so excited to see this!

P.S. The pics are from the weekend..

APRIL FOOL'S DAY

It is April Fool's Day and just like my daddy, I can't go by without pranking someone...well, more than one...saran wrapped things, filled offices with baloons, cotton balls, easter basket grass, and even cat food that looked like poo....It was all so funny and thankfully everyone has a sense of humor...Other than it being a day to prank people it is also a BEAUTIFUL day!! It is so nice outside, just makes you want to smile. Today I am not going to my weigh-in..I am starting to go every 2 weeks, but I did weigh myself on the work scale and I am....DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

158LBS!!!!!!! I have been wanting to break into the 150's and I did it..now, it is time to look at the 140's...To reach MY goal weight (not the weigh stations) I only have 23 more pounds to go...wooohoooo!!! This is so exciting..I have been exercising my hiney off, eating right, and just smileing a lot more...Life is GRAND!!!

I have added a picture of me that was just taken a few minutes ago outside in the lovely sunshine (hence my squinty eyes..haha). I decided to wear my springy/summer dress today. I got into wearing dresses last summer when I started to feel comfortable in my body by loseing weight...now I LOVE THEM!!!

I guess I will finish up with work, do my gym thing, or maybe even walk or run outside (depending on my allergies)....It is such a beautiful day...a day the Lord has made and I WILL REJOYCE AND BE GLAD IN IT!!!!!