Let me explain...no, let me sum up

It has been a looong time since I have blogged. Sorry all, but life is busy. So I am back to the "last ten" again, and 4 pounds away from the lowest I have been on the scale. I should be excited, but giving what happened last time I was here, I just feel blah. I got on a good exercise routine and then that stopped. Need to get back into it. I feel so much better when I exercise. Too many social events going on for me with bad choices. It happens. I just feel like it may be happening too much for me right now. I need to be strong and power through these last ten pounds. My husband and I have our anniversary coming up on October 28th, and I REALLY WANT TO BE AT GOAL! I need to keep my eye on the prize. I KNOW I can do this. Am I subconsciously setting myself up for failure?? I don't know. I went to Maurice's the other day to buy some new slacks. I was THRILLED to see that I fit into a 5/6. BUT, all clothes are different and I am still trying to lose some thighs and my mommy belly. So, I decided to buy the pants the next size down. They are the first thing I see when I walk into my closet. So, hopefully they will motivate me! After all, I don't want to be on JC forever! Any other advice is welcome! Hope everyone is doing well!

One Year and Counting

Well, this week marks my 1 Year Anniversary with JC! Wow! I cannot believe it has been a year already. A year ago I took myself off the backburner and put me upfront. A wise friend told me once: "You are a mother and a wife, but first and foremost you are Amber." Well, I focused on the first two things, as well as being an employee and a student. I was so caught up in my "titles" that I looked in the mirror one day and did not recognize the person staring back at me. Now, don't misunderstand, because I LOVE being a wife and a mother. They are a HUGE part of what I am. But do you remember that saying "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy?" Well, mama wasn't happy...not at all. My mood was getting worse and my family life was beginning to suffer. I was SO NEGATIVE about EVERYTHING!! Who in the world would even want to hang out with me??

The Final Straw(I may have said this all before, but nonetheless...)
My VERY BEST FRIEND in this world got really sick and was put in the hospital with Pancreatitis. We did everything together, especially eating. We were quite a pair when we went out. We did an appetizer, main course, drink, and dessert. We were fat and happy together. Well, all that bad eating caused her to go in the hospital. I am not going to get into all the details of her being in the hospital. I will say that I thank God that she survived and made it out of the hospital. The doctor had put her on a very strict diet. She had this huge chart that was the size of half a door. It had everything broken down that she was "supposed" to consume during the day. I told her in the hospital that I would start doing better too. I was not going to be the cause of my BFF being in the hospital. I even joked with her that it was going to be great because we were fat together, and we would be skinny together too. I had come home after that last visit and started trying to look up some information on the Internet. I had no idea what I was going to do. I had tried so many things (WW, Atkins, LA Weightloss, etc) in the past, and they just weren't for me. I happened to see a commercial for Jenny Craig with Sara Rue's new body (this was before the bikini commercial). She was 50 pounds down, and my jaw dropped. I looked online trying to get information.
Now, I will tell you I was one of those people on the couch watching these JC commercials, and I really thought they were a joke. I really thought that when I saw Kirstie Alley gain all her weight back. But Sara Rue changed all that. I know she had always struggled with her weight loss. She was more real to me than any other spokesperson I had seen on JC. So, the next day I decided I was going to call JC and get some information. Well, anyone who is on JC knows it's an investment. I told the program director that I would have to crunch some numbers with my husband and asked her to call me back the next day. After having a VERY emotional talk with my husband, he understood that I wasn't happy. I told him that I was so consumed in my "titles" that I lost myself somewhere and that I needed to find me again. I had let out all the emotions I had bottled up for years. I didn't even realize everything until after that talk. When my program director called the next day, I joined JC. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I would definitely have to committed to this. No looking back.

With each meal and each passing week, the journey got easier. I was strict on myself and didn't CHEAT AT ALL for months! I think my birthday was the first time I ate something off the menu. It has been a rollercoaster of a year. I have lost 70 pounds and 45+ inches. Although I wish I was at my goal and not yo-yoing toward it, I don't regret where I am. JC helped me get my life back. I am the smallest I have ever been. I do have more to go, and I know I will get there.

So to everyone out there that is wondering if they can take the first step. You can. Something out there will work for you. It may be JC, WW, Nutrisystem or something else. You have to have COMMITTMENT! You didn't gain the weight overnight and you will not lose it overnight either. I know we want that instant gratification sometimes. But be happy with the choices you are making. I don't always make good decisions. But I know when I make bad ones and I try to learn from my mistakes. This is not a diet...it's a lifestyle change. I could easily go back to the person I was a year ago, but I don't want that. I know how to be a healthier person. I like vegetables now! I like to exercise now (I participated in 2 5Ks this year)!

So goodbye to the old me! We had some good times, but I am looking forward to some better times with the NEW me!

Another Weigh-In

Ok, so for the past two weeks I have been at 155 on the scale. I think everyone knows that if you feel like you're in a plateau, it's very easy to want to throw in the towel. BUT, I didn't do that. I decided to trudge through another week sticking closely to my diet and exercise plan. This morning, I went to the scale to see if I had made any progress. Well...I lost 4.4lbs!! That's right...I am at 150.6! Almost in the 140s again. Once again, I am SO close to goal. I was at one time just 6 pounds from my goal, and let stress get the better of me! Well, not this time! My 5 year wedding anniversary is the last weekend in October and I AM going to be at goal! Can't wait to share my weight with my JCC tonight! Woo hoo!

Quickie!

Hey everyone! No, I have not fallen off the planet. I have been SUPER busy! I cannot seem to get myself on here to blog. I have school everyday (lots of homework and observation hours), I begin tutoring today, and I start teaching Sunday School this Sunday. And don't forget the mom thing. There is not really an update on the weight situation. I have been 155 for the past two weeks. Started using Slim in 6. My JCC told me that it takes a week or so for your body to show results from exercising. I forgot that piece of information since it's been months since I've exercised. I do feel better. Still have not been able to fit Zumba in. That was my gateway drug to exercise! I love it and miss it so! Anyway, I have to get off here now and finish getting ready for school. I hope everyone is doing great! Hope to be back on here soon!!

Much love!

Success, Disappointment, and a Girl's Night In

Sorry I wasn't on here yesterday, but I just felt that yesterday was very uneventful. Not real good blog material. Well, today was a little different.

Success

Yes! I finally made good carrot fries! Woo hoo! I left the baby carrots as they were (no cutting-advice from KateRN). I followed the rest of her recipe and had a very yummy snack Friday night. I even had some more for a snack today. :) I plan on trying a roasted broccoli recipe from No Thanks To Cake. She's got quite a few good looking recipes. Can't wait to get some more of the JC fajitas in so I can make that yummy looking quesadilla! :)


Disappointment

I was really looking forward to today. I had two birthday parties to take the kids to. We were not going to stay in today! Well...last Sunday when we got home, we had a friend of ours stop by with his baby, who was sick with a cold. Know where I am going with this? Well, my son had gotten sick. Well, yesterday my daughter started to sound sick as well. She was sneezing and coughing. We had open house at her school last night to meet her new teacher. She was playing and having a good time. I gave her some medicine last night before she went to bed. This morning, she was worse. She "feels" fine but she is definitely sick. She was sneezing and coughing even more and when she spoke, her voice was squeaking. So, it was going to be a fun day, but we had to stay at home instead. It was a real bummer. I didn't want to get other kids sick though.


A Girl's Night In

Tonight my husband had a guys night out planned. He doesn't get to have that often. Well, I decided that after I put my son to bed, that my daughter and I would have a little fun. I made a pallet on the floor, popped some popcorn, got out some candy, and we watched the Tinkerbell movie we bought her the other day. It was so much fun! We watched the movie twice! It's been such a long time since I have done something like that. I realized that I will cherish that forever. Once she's older, there are going to be fewer times I will have with her. She will want to do her own thing with her friends...not her boring mother. She has told me so much today that she loves me and I have gotten lots of hugs and kisses too! It's important not to take those things for granted. What is so amazing to me, is that she loves me unconditionally. She will do something wrong, and she will get in trouble, but she still manages to say that she loves me. That warms my heart. I hope that we will have a strong bond. I hope to have one with both my children. I am very blessed!

On another note...

My one year anniversary is approaching...the day I said I was sick of how I felt and looked, and I was going to do something about it. I called Jenny the first week of September last year. It's been the BEST thing for ME. I know that I could not have had this kind of success on my own...NO WAY, NO HOW! I am a different person than I was then. I am not to my goal. I could have been, but you know what? Life happens. I am on my way...

The end of October marks my 5 year wedding anniversary. My husband and I get to get away BY OURSELVES!!! And I told my JCC on Thursday that I hope I will have surpassed my goal by then, because we are going to the beach. It will be a little chilly, but I am going to get my "after" picture taken on the beach in a BIKINI! So I hope everyone will help cheer me on! I am really excited about it!

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good weekend! Much love to everyone!

TOM Thursday

Just going to take the first part of this blog to thank Mother Nature for bringing my monthly gift this morning. You are oh-so-thoughtful! Next time, don't forget the chocolate!

OK...Anyway, enough about that...

Well other than TOM, when I stepped on the scale I weighed in at 155.4! Woo hoo! I lost another 2.6 pounds this week! Let's just say I am thrilled and that was unexpected. I didn't exactly stick to the program this week. I even told my JCC that I would be happy to lose between 1-2 pounds because of my big loss last week. So yeah, I am happy. I am now 15.4 pounds away from my goal. That is a little sad, only because I was 7 pounds away from my goal just a few months ago. I let stress from school get the better of me! Oh well! I can't dwell on that. I was going in the wrong direction, but at least I am headed in the right direction now!

But since it's TOM, I want to eat. I have been kind of snacking today. That's not good, I know. I probably should have made some carrot fries (right, KateRN?). My patience is not real good today. It's not good most days. I looked up Bible verses on the computer pertaining to patience this morning. I need patience because I have two little ones. I also came across a site about positive discipline. A lot of people swear by it. I think I am going to try and pick up the book this weekend. I think it might help me. I really don't want to fly off the hinges every time my children do something wrong. I also need to learn to pick my battles. I am not good at that either. But, at least I am aware of my issues and I am going to fix them.

I ordered my Slim in 6 DVDs this morning. Now I just have to wait 5-7 business days for them to arrive. That is one good thing about it being TOM right now. That will be behind me and I will be ready to start a new exercise program! YAY! I gotta do something soon. I don't want to go back to my couch potato days.

Woeful/Wonderful Wednesday

I have not been getting the best sleep lately! I don't know what is going on! Our dinner last night was very good and very much appreciated by the family we cooked for! Tyler is sick with a cold. He woke up in the middle of the night because he couldn't hardly breathe. Well, then he didn't want to go to sleep in his bed. So I decided to bring him to our bed. He lay his sweet little head on me and kept getting up. Well, I don't sleep well with the kids in the bed. They NEVER sleep in our bed. When we came home from the hospital, they went straight to their crib in their room. After about 30 minutes, I decided to chance it and put him back in his bed. Thankfully, he went back to sleep. I eventually fell asleep, but felt like crap at 4am this morning. I think it's because the bed hasn't been elevated at all. We have an adjustable Tempur-pedic bed that I LOVE! It has been the best mattress. The bed has been flat the last couple of nights, and I think that has been the problem. My little man woke up not long after I got up. I gave him some medicine and fed him breakfast and put him back to bed. Then I decided to go back to bed myself. I elevated the bed, and felt like I slept better in 2 hours than I did the rest of the night! So hopefully, I have solved the problem. We shall see.

Today I decided to put my daughter's toys in her room instead of having them all in the living room. We have a nice size living room, but still. So I spent most of the day making sure her toys were accessible and some-what organized. I even had her help me decide what toys she could give away. I was surprised she wanted to give any away at all, but she did! :)

Wednesday nights are usually set aside for Zumba. It's my "mommy time" and I love it! Tonight, we changed it up though, and we went to church for Wednesday night worship. It was really nice. When we go to church, we usually go on Sundays. This was our first time on Wednesday night. We had supper. They served fried chicken, green beans, macaroni and cheese, salad, and dessert. Well, I picked the skin of my chicken breast, and picked at the meat a little. I had a bite of the macaroni and a few bites of the sugar free chocolate pie. I was trying to be conscious of what I was putting in my mouth (not always easy to do). I was feeding my little man, who was sitting on my lap. He ate pretty well considering he is not completely up to par. The worship service was good. I am so glad we went, even though I miss my exercising.  

Speaking of exercise, I am ordering Slim in 6 tomorrow. I have been watching this infomercial for years and have always wanted to try it. I am going to stick to my JC diet instead of doing their diet though. I am having a hard time getting to the gym. They do not have child care and I am usually home with the babies. It is a 24/7 gym, but I don't want to get out late at night by myself.

Weigh-in tomorrow...I really have no idea what to expect. Or maybe I kind of do...I weigh myself everyday. It is one of my nasty habits. I try to put the scale away so I don't do it, but I can't help it. Especially with doing meals that are not JC. I want to make sure I am staying in line. But your body weight can fluctuate from day to day, which is why you should only weigh yourself once a week. Oh well!

OH and another thing I forgot to mention. I am going to start selling Avon. It's neat because I will have a website and anyone can buy from me from anywhere! So cool! I will have my site up soon, and will post the URL on here.

I will be back on here tomorrow to let everyone know where I stand on the scale! Much love!!