My man. His health. Our journey.

A while back I shared this post about when God sometimes rolls back the curtain of what He has been doing in our lives that we aren't aware of.  Quoting John Piper, "God is always doing 10,000 things when we can only see 3."    I had been on a weight loss wellness journey that had changed the dynamics of how we eat around here and then we found out that Nick had type 2 diabetes. You can see how high his numbers were in the post….it is still amazing to me that he did not have a heart attack or something while we weren't aware of what was going on in his body. (607 triglycerides!! YIKES)  He was diagnosed in early Janurary and  I wrote about it in February. He  was already on the right track with his diet and was determined to not be dependent on medicine to control the diabetes.

Well, it's been six months since then and Nick went back for his check up and had more blood work done recently.   His numbers are astounding.  And on top of that, he's lost about 50 pounds.  I am so proud of his self control and desire to live a healthy life.    Together we have lost right at 100 pounds!

 I will let you read his thoughts on it in his own words.  If you follow Nick on Instagram then you know how gifted he is with taking a picture of something ordinary and then tying God's truth to it to teach a point.  This is what he shared last week about his results. 

Blood... your blood, my blood, our blood tells a story. A few months ago we shared with you that my blood was telling me that it couldn't keep up with the burden that I was giving it to carry. It was doing all that it could to supply life to my body but I wasn't helping it do what it was designed to do. I was filling my veins with sugar and my blood was begging and pleading with my doctor to do whatever was necessary to place it into the "witness protection program." When the scrutiny of the lab finished its investigation, both the analysis and polygraph validated the blood's story... I was found guilty and convicted for attempted murder against my own life and was sentenced to life with no possibility of sugar and carbs. What evidence did they have against me? My blood told them about my numbers --- and the numbers don't lie: 
(1) Blood Sugar: 285 (High)
(2) A1C: 10.1 (off the charts)
(3) Cholesterol:  222 (High)
(4) Triglycerides: 607 (Extreme)

(5) Blood pressure: 140/90
Well, I had a gracious Judge and He reduced my sentence down, ordered me to educate myself about my blood and He put me on probation... until my next blood test. Skip a few months, and after some lifestyle changes, cleaning up my act and folks like you praying for me, my blood was questioned again recently. This is what it said: 
(1) Blood Sugar: 98 (Great)
(2) A1C: 5.4 (Good)
(3) Cholesterol: 157 (Good)
(4) Triglycerides: 112 (Glorious) 

(5) Blood pressure: 100/60

I'm grateful for friends who have prayed and encouraged me through this... and so thankful that the blood still speaks... yours, mine, and most importantly, Jesus'. What's yours and His saying to you? Blessings friends... let it speak! Hebrews 12:24 

Is that not incredible!! I share all this to encourage someone who needs to make changes in their diet for their health's sake. You CAN do it. Nick and I love food.  We love cooking food.  We love eating food. We  love to fellowship with people around the table and food is just a big part of who we are.   So we understand the pull that food can have on a persons life!  

But I'm here to testify that you can still enjoy food and eat lots of it if you learn how to eat the right stuff.  We are proof of that.   We have introduced ourselves to new foods and have discovered new ways to cook old favorites that are more healthy..  it can be done.

Now grant it, gone are the days of baking my own bread, and having yeast rolls or biscuits or corn bread or  fresh, hot melty french bread with every meal.  But I can honestly say I don't miss it.  I will occasionally enjoy a roll or a po-boy on french bread when we eat out but we never keep them at home anymore. 

At first such choices had to be thought about consciously.  Now, it's second nature.  It has become our way of life.   We don't even go down the chip aisle anymore at the grocery store but instead by huge bags of almonds to eat for a snack. Our refrigerator is always full with fresh fruit and vegetables and now my pantry has lots of room on its shelves because we buy limited cans and stuff that comes in boxes.  And y'all.  We feel so much better.  

For you ladies who have husbands who are not on board with your desire to eat and cook healthy choices, I understand that makes it harder but it is still doable.  It is our responsibility as wives and mothers to make the right choices of what we feed our families…even when it comes with resistance.  As I stated in my first post, I shudder to think what could have happened to Nick had I not started him reluctantly down the road to eating healthy when I did.   My own dad died of heart disease at the young age of 43.  So I get the reality of what poor food choices can bring.

But I will say this….it is a thousands times more fun now that Nick is walking with me on this journey.  In fact, he's running way ahead now pulling me along!  He's the one who gets in the kitchen and experiments with new ways of cooking foods and I am so thankful.  God did exceedingly and abundantly more than I had ever imagined or hoped for.  So ladies, pray for those men of yours.  Be persistent and keep making the best choices you can on your own and let God do a work in his heart.  It may take something major to get him on board…like diabetes did with Nick.  But, don't give up.  Just keep offering yummy alternatives with a smile and a whisper in his ear of how you want him healthy enough to grow old with you. Because as I've said many times before…Paw Paws are sexy!

(cuff by farmgirlpaints.  Thank you Home Slice. xxoo)

I'll leave with you some great before and after pics.
Because sometimes seeing is believing!

 He has gone from wearing a size 38 to a size 33!

Woah!

We were "puffy". lol

This one kills me. Puffy and blondie.

I'm so thankful beyond measure of this new journey the Lord us on.
I'm thankful we woke up and began our "temple maintenance" before it was too late.

What about you?  Today is the best day to start taking care of what the Lord has entrusted to you.
Your body and your family.

I'll be praying for you!  You can do it!

Why I'll rethink that next hotdog

Everybody loves a good party.
I'm the first one to pull out the party hats and toss the confetti.
I love celebrating the people in my life.
This particular party, we were celebrating Carolyn.
Carolyn loves a party as much as me. And I love her to pieces.

With most parties you have good food.  This one was no exception.

I knew Janet, Carolyn's sister, was gonna have these cupcakes and I was looking forward to a little splurge.  Since Nick's diabetes diagnosis, we pretty much have purged ourselves of all sugar here at home.  But I will treat myself when we are out at times.

But this particular party also had hot dogs. 

And I went all out and ate me one.

 With mayonnaise.

 On a bun.

Lots of processes stuff I haven't eaten in forever.

And that night I felt terrible.  

I had to dig out my old pink bottle of pepto.

I took several swigs and waited for relief.

It wasn't until a few days later when we were talking about it that it dawned on me that I haven't had to take the pink stuff in months!  I used to live on it. I kept it in my purse and in the car.  I usually had to take a couple of swigs every day.  Sometimes after every meal.

But since we have begun to eat clean and focus on whole foods and little to no processed foods I no longer need it.  And I totally didn't realize it.  Feeling good is my new normal. 

 I had forgotten how it felt to feel yucky after eating. 

(i'll spare you all my symptoms and just say yucky. you're welcome)

And then it dawned on me that Nick no longer takes his heartburn medicine.  He used to keep them in his pocket to take before meals.  And he pretty much took one at least once a day.

He doesn't take them anymore either!

Friends! That is big!  We have felt so good these last several months we totally forgot what our old "normal" used to feel like.  

 What we eat really does make a huge difference in the way we feel!  I mean I knew that.  I've read about that. But this was the first time I realized it to be true for me in such a tangible way.

I honestly haven't missed our old way of eating either.  We have discovered so many new types of foods and seasonings that it has actually been fun.

Now I'm not saying I'll never eat another hotdog or never enjoy another cupcake ever again. I'm pretty sure I might.  But I will definitely consider if it tastes good enough to feel like poop afterwards.

More than likely it probably won't.

And then there is this reason.

The pic on the left was taken last April.  Size 14.

The pic on the right was taken this April.  Size 10.

I lost 40 lbs and gained some sass.

So what are you waiting on?
I'm rooting for you.

bag: Better Life Bags // t-shirt: Fancy Free // leather cuff: Farmgirl Paints

41 pounds lighter…how i did it.

I instagrammed this pic last  week and the response was pretty overwhelming.
Thanks for all the encouragement!! Y'all bless me so much much.

The picture on the left was taken after I had already lost 25 pounds so it's not a true before and after pic.  It's more like a "middle and after" pic.  I was basically sharing what a surprise it was to pull that same shirt out of my drawer and have it fit so much bigger.  Had I known what a hit this picture was gonna be I woulda at least fixed my hair a little.  lol.

And you had a ton of questions so I thought I'd write a blog post to answer a few of them.

It seems like everyone wants to know how I did it. I can remember all too well of being in "the hunt"…desperate to lose weight. To find something….some plan or technique that worked for another person and then copy it to the T.  But I think there is danger in doing that.  We set ourselves up for failure when we try to do it exactly the way another person has.  Why?  Because we are all different.  Our bodies are different.  Our  metabolism works differently.  

About 6 years ago I succumbed to turning to a specific program to lose weight.  I remember vividly the night I ordered it after watching an info commercial.  I was the heaviest I had ever been at that point in my life weighing in at 200 lbs and feeling very depressed and discouraged.  I had just finished watching The Biggest Loser for the first time. They had revealed the winner and I was amazed at the transformation.  But sooo depressed and feeling somewhat helpless at that point feeling like I was "too far gone".  But as I was flipping through the channels that night, I came across that infomercial that stopped me dead in my tracks.  The testimonies were amazing.  The transformations were incredible and the plan seemed doable.  It was all based on our metabolism and finding the right food that works for our body types.  I didn't have to order food or anything like that…I prepared and cooked all of my own stuff.  And exercise was part of the plan too. It was basically eating healthy and exercise… good stuff.   

So I ordered the plan.  Nick was behind me 100%.  His support was a huge part of my success on this plan.  You had to eat small meals every 2-3 hrs on this plan so he would grill chicken and pork for me and we would spend hours in the kitchen weighing portions and putting them in ziplocks for me to pull out quickly and conveniently.  You had to eat so many carbs, proteins and vegetables at certain times of the day, etc.   No dairy, no sugar, no salt and a very limited amount of certain types of carbs.  I walked every day plus did some toning exercises three days a week. It was a very healthy plan and I followed it to a T.  I don't know if it was my resolve to lose weight or the fact that I had spent so much money on a diet system so I was determined to make it work.  I did not fudge in one single thing they instructed me to do.

And it worked. The pounds just fell off. I lost 50 lbs in 4 months and I felt and looked better than I had in years.

  The problem was I had set myself up to fail because the reality of living a lifetime preparing and eating food in this manner was unrealistic.  I carried a little insulated lunchbox with my chicken and banana in it everywhere I went. Toting my own salad dressings in my purse got old. And even though the success to following this plan was proven in my own life, I just got bored with the food.   Eventually I began to creep back into my old habits and ways of eating.  And eventually the weight began to creep back too.  I gained it all back plus some.

So what is different this time?  What's gonna stop that from happening again?

Because this time, I didn't follow a plan.  I didn't read a certain diet religiously and follow exactly what someone else did for success.    

I didn't want restrictions from food.  I wanted freedom from food.

I wanted to make changes that were realistic for my lifestyle and my family.  We LOVE food around here.  We love cooking it and we love eating it.  We love serving food to other people. I knew I didn't want to set myself up for failure again by being bound to a plan that I would eventually become bored with. 

So for those of you who have asked what I did to lose the weight and what I am eating now, please read the next few things with caution. I am not an expert.  I don't have all the answers.  I am not following a certain anything.  I don't want anyone trying to follow the "Honey Diet" because there is no such thing.  I eat a wide variety of things and even some things that are considered fattening in the "diet world". But I do it all in moderation.   I will share with you some of the changes we made around here and how they have benefited us but just know your journey may be different.  You have to find what works for you.

For me, there were no shortcuts or jumpstarts.  I wanted to make the kind of changes that would stick for a lifetime.  So it's basically eating healthy and exercise. As friend of mind put it… it's a marathon not a sprint and that is how I approached it all.

**I'm not bashing all diet plans… There are plenty that are helpful and very healthy.  I'm just saying that I personally cannot stay on specific plan for a lifetime.  

The Food

What we DO eat:

• We basically eat whole foods. 
• Fresh or frozen vegetables are a staple around here.  Very few things from a can or box.
• We try to eat stuff that only has one or two ingredients listed on the back. 
• Lots of protein in the form of chicken and fish.
• Lots of venison…it's super lean
• Lots of fresh farm eggs.  And yes….we eat the yolk.  Since discovering Nick's diabetes, he eats a boiled egg every morning.  We were bad about skipping breakfast which is a no no for him now.
• We still eat fats we just make sure they are good fats. Avocados are a staple now.  I smear them on everything.  I cook with coconut oil and olive oil.
• We eat brown rice, sweet potatoes, beans and whole oats.
• Almonds are our favorite snack.
• Plain greek yogurt.  I eat it with  fruit, in smoothies, and in recipes that call for creamy stuff like sour cream and mayonnaise. I've made salad dressing with it…. Love that stuff.
• We prefer to cook our own chicken but I do keep a bag of pre-cooked grilled chicken that I buy at Sam's to keep in the freezer.  I use it on days when I'm in a hurry and don't have time to cook.  I toss some chicken in salads, in wraps with peppers, and in stir fry with vegetables.  It is a perfect "fast food" and worth the splurge in the extra money it costs.
  
  
  

What we DON'T eat

• Sugar. We have limited the sugar pretty much completely. Especially now with Nick's diabetes. We don't keep sweet tea in the fridge anymore. Nor do we keep all the sweet snacks in the house.  Except for my chocolate stash.  I have a piece of that once or twice a week.  Just a square.  The reality of me never eating chocolate again is ludicrous. So I've learned portion control.  I don't have to eat the entire candy bar to be satisfied.  
• I quit using Splenda  in my coffee. We started using Truvia, which is a natural sweetener made from the stevia plant. We tried several different brands and found this one to taste the best…no aftertaste. We use real half and half instead of the processed powered creamer. 
• We no longer fry anything…Which is huge for this southern family.  I mean, fried deer steaks and smothered potatoes is one of the first meals every good lil southern wifey learns to cook for their man. And let's not even talk about the fried chicken.  But I've come up with great alternatives to both….I promise recipes soon.
• We don't keep Cokes in the house. And by Cokes, I  am referring to any carbonated soft-drink not just Coca-cola.  It's pretty much water, water and more water around here. 
• We don't eat bread.  I used to have to serve a bread with every meal.   Whether it was a roll, biscuit, french bread or corn bread…a meal wasn't complete without a little bread.  Well we have broke free from that mind set and it is amazing!  Freedom for me because I could scarf down 4 brown and serve rolls with my roast and gravy without batting an eye.   We do occasionally eat Ezeikiel Bread which is sprouted bread and Joseph's pita bread which is low in carbs…but that is not everyday.
• We quit drowning our salads in dressing.  It kills me to think how we would sabotage our nice big delicious salads with all the dressing that covered up all the flavor of the veggies and totally wrecked any health benefits it had.  Now I either use some fresh guacamole or hummus if I'm wanting something a little more than the balsamic vinegar we usually use. (my guac is basically avocados mashed up with a little olive oil, garlic powder and lime)
  
•  We stay away from white rice, pasta and white potatoes but have learned of plenty of alternatives to these when needing side dishes for my meals.  Brown rice, zucchini, cauliflower and sweet potatoes can all be used instead and are so good and delicious.

This was my first time to make this.  I died at how good it was.   Recipe to come soon!

 We still eat our favorite dishes, we have just tweaked them and now cook them in a healthier way.  We discovered that cauliflower is  the magic veggie…like the holy grail of whole foods. I've made mock fried rice, cheese sticks and mashed potatoes using it.  I still gotta make that pizza crust I see floating around on Pinterest.   

For us, it hasn't been about depriving ourselves of anything.  It's been about discovering new things that we like just as much and even better.  You can still enjoy eating food while losing weight and being healthy. I  promise to begin posting some of our recipes and share some of my menus and products we've found.

The Exercise

So many have asked what I do to exercise and my schedule and all that.   When I was in intense weight loss mode,  I walked/ran on the treadmill  5 days a week averaging 3-4 miles each time.  I made it non-negotiable.  I did it when I wanted to and did it when I didn't want to.  I used the "Couch to 5k" app on my phone and gradually worked myself up to running the entire 50 minutes I was on it.  

Many have asked what I listen to while I run.  Well I don't have these amazing times of worship like so many of you runners who inspire me so much….y'all who listen to worship music as you run through beautiful areas of God's creation.  But what has worked for me is to find a show on Netflix that I really like and watch it on my iPad while I'm running.  I ONLY allow myself to watch it while I'm on the treadmill.  This is nonnegotiable too…I haven't fudged one time and watched it unless I'm running.  So I will have to attribute some of my success to Joan, Megan, Betty and Peggy.  I love, love, love getting inspired by their fashion while I'm sweating.  Shallow I know, but it worked for me. 

But that's the thing….do what works for YOU.  Heading outside and running wear I live is kinda dangerous for me.  It is very rural and lots of huge log trucks are up and down our road.  We live too far out to drive to a nice area to run every day so for me,  the treadmill was the best solution.  And the thought of running in place staring at a wall listening to music, even thought I LOVE music,  has no appeal to me.  I wouldn't look forward to it and therefore wouldn't stick to it.  Find what works for you and do it!  The key is just doing something!

Now that I'm in maintaining mode and I don't have much more I want to lose, I have shaken things up a bit and experimented with how I get my exercise in.  The treadmill is still my primary source and fave  but now I added a few other things in the mix.   

I have encouraged the ladies at my church to get active and now we do a dvd together on wednesday nights before church starts.  It's fun seeing them get results and the accountability is awesome for all of us.   We have a diverse group and I LOVE that!  None of us do it perfect but we are doing it and that's what counts.  They are such troopers…Ms Pat stops on her way home from work and never even goes home on Wednesdays until after church.  Carolyn has special needs but she gets out there with her weights and gets her work out on.  Mama Rob is almost 80 and can exercise cirlces around us.  The rest of us in our group all have our challenges that could keep us from being there but we are committed and that's what it takes.

I haven't done anything fancy when it comes to my exercise.  It's all basic stuff.  I haven't joined a gym or bought a lot of equipment…just a used treadmill for $75.   

It doesn't take a lot of fancy equipment…just a lot of commitment.

The Results

I know y'all like numbers so I'm gonna get transparent here…

Some have asked how long it has taken me to lose my weight. 

• I started on April 15th of last year weighing in at 209 pounds and wearing 14's and 16's in my clothes.  That was a record high for me.  
• I quickly dropped 12 pounds the first month and consistently lost an average of 5-7 lbs each month thereafter until around 3 months ago and then it just kind of hit a plateau with the my weight.   
• But even though the weight loss began to taper off, my pants size was still shrinking.  I was beginning to see the results of all the running and toning.
• As of the last time I weighed, I'm down 41 pounds, weighing in at 168 pounds and wearing size 10's. I have even gotten into a few size 8's so I'm pretty tickled about that.  I'm a tall girl (5'9") and have always weighed more than I look so I don't let the number on the scale freak me out. 
•  I only weighed myself once a week in the beginning and now I only weigh myself every now and then.  The scale can mess with your mind ladies.  Regretfully I didn't measure myself in the beginning to know how many inches I've lost but going from a size 16 to 8 is enough to make me happy. 

Well there you have it…That's it folks in a nutshell.

Eat clean and exercise.  That's my secret.  

No plans.  No diets. 

 I hope this encourages someone today.  Hang in there. Keep on keeping on.  

And before I go here are some before and after pics for you….because who doesn't like a good before and after pic?  I can't believe them myself.  

 January 2013.                                    October 2013.

   April 2013                                       October 2013

Same shirt! 

I hope something I shared encourages you today to make a change so you can begin to enjoy the rewards of a healthy lifestyle too.
 It's the best.
Can't wait to hear your story!

                                                                    

When God rolls back the curtain.

"God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them."    ~ John Piper

A dear friend sent me a link to this article written by John Piper and it has resonated in my heart ever since.  Through the years as I have grown deeper in God's word,  one of my favorite qualities of God's character is His sovereignty.  Knowing that all things in my life have a purpose….that all things are filtered through his love…this makes the hard things easier to embrace.  Knowing He has allowed it for a purpose. (Romans 8:28-29,  Psalm 66)

I understand this principle and have seen it time and time again in my life and my family.

And this statement above…that He's always doing a ton of stuff when we can only see a few has just hit home with me.  Because He recently rolled back the curtain and let me peek in on what He has been doing in me and Nick's lives.

Y'all remember the little challenge  my girls and I started last April amongst the four of us?

Losing to Gain?

It has been a tremendous journey for me.  Life changing.  It started off as one thing and ended up being another. What I thought was a little jump start to get me to lose weight so that I could look nice for my daughter's wedding ended up becoming a whole new way of life for me.

A life filled with daily exercise, learning to run, and a whole new mind set when it comes to food.

In the midst of that journey, I totally changed the way we eat around here.  The way I cook for me and Nick. We began to eat whole foods.  Fresh fruit and vegetables began to be a staple around here.   Gone were the days of consuming entire bags of Flaming Hot Cheetos and Diet Dr. Peppers, deep frying everything and smothering all my vegetables down in bacon grease and butter.  We began to eat our salads without drowning them in dressing and I discovered coconut oil (we are talking game changer, people).  Our snacks became roasted almonds, sliced carrots, hummus, hard boiled eggs and edamame.  And my favorite of all faves….avocados. They get tossed, chopped and smeared  on everything.  Of course, every now and then I would buy Nick a bag of Doritos or pig skins or something but he too pretty much began to eat just like me.  

So here we are trucking along.  Eating better. Dropping pounds. Nick wasn't even trying to lose weight but hey….if you eat healthier that's what is gonna happen.

And this is where God rolled back the curtain and showed me that what I thought was all about me losing weight on this journey of losing to gain, 

He was doing something far greater.

He was saving Nick's life.

You see, what we didn't know during this time was that Nick had developed diabetes. 

We always knew it might be in his future.  His dad is diabetic and we knew it's hereditary.  And then there is the way Nick loves to cook and loves to eat.  If any of you follow him on Instagram or Facebook, you know how he enjoys his food.  He's my favorite foodie.

Well with Nick's military background he qualifies for medical care from the VA and he went for a routine check up in the beginning of January.  When his blood work came back, his blood sugar was 285!  His a1c was 10.5!  His blood pressure was elevated and his triglycerides were off the charts high. Now with all of this being this high after 8 months of eating healthy, I shutter to think what could have happened had I not started down the road of losing to gain!!  I understand the reality of what can happen from living an unhealthy lifestyle …. Nick is the exact same age that my own dad was when he died from heart disease.  

But of course God knew this all along.  I would even go as far to say this is why He planted this little idea in my mom's heart…to host the contest for us girls.  She may have thought it was to help get us motivated to lose weight but I know God used her to play a pivotal part in the health of her son-in-law's life.

"God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them."

Wow.  Yes He is. And I'm so thankful for that.  

And just so you know…Nick has punched diabetes in the face.

He is down 30 lbs.  His blood sugar has been pretty much normal the last several times we've checked it.  His blood pressure has been great.  We are expecting great results at his next check up with his a1c. He has taken it serious and I am so proud of him.  Since we had already made so many changes in our diet, we only had to tweak how we were eating just a little bit more. So a new diet wasn't a challenge for us.   We actually are having fun in the kitchen together and have even taken it up a notch with creating our own recipes on this journey.  

Who knows?  A cookbook might even come out of all this.  

Perhaps that's something else the Lord is working on behind the curtain too!

That gets me excited!

This is the year we begin what we call "temple maintenance".  We now realize that we spent too many years abusing what the Lord has given us with our bodies and health.  We want to do our part to take care of it starting now. We want to be around to enjoy our grand kids if the Lord wills.

 ….and we have a lot of living still left in us.

It would mean so much to me, if you could lift us up and intercede on our behalf as we learn more about this disease and how to make the best choices for our new way of living.

I appreciate each and every one of you.

Walk in obedience, do the hard things….you never know what God is doing through what you can't see.

Hang in there…sometimes He gives us a peek behind the curtain. But even when He doesn't, we can trust Him.  That's one of the rich benefits of belonging to Him.

He is always at work in our lives.  Always. 

Losing to Gain....Who won?

Well honestly I've kinda put off writing this post. But inquiring minds keep asking so I will oblige as promised.

Some of y'all have been with us from the beginning of this journey.

Remember this?

It seems like a lifetime ago to me.  For so many reasons.

What started out as challenge that I wanted to win for selfish reasons has turned into something that means so much more to me than winning a beach trip.  So much more to me than looking nice in my mother of the bride dress.  So much more than being "skinny". 

When we embarked on this this journey we wanted a name to reflect what we were striving for...

losing to gain.  Losing weight in order to gain other virtues...feeling better about ourselves, getting healthy, self control, etc. etc. etc....

It sounded good and yes I knew those things were good but in the beginning what I really wanted most was to look better....to fit in my old clothes. To not look like I was 5 months pregnant.   To not have a double chin and chipmunk cheeks in every picture I  saw of myself.. All those things most ladies desire if we're honest. 

But somewhere along the way, my desires shifted. My aim changed. And my resolve grew stronger.

I don't know if it was the sobering fact of all the emails, texts and calls from y'all telling me y'all were inspired to join in and do the same  or if I was God working in my vain and prideful heart.  Probably both.  But I realized what a responsibility I had to make the right choices.  To take this serious.  That y'all were watching and ~gulp~ some of you were doing as we were. yikes.   Such a huge slap in my face that this is our everyday as believers...we should we living in such a way that others watch us and if they do what we do, it will lead them closer to Christ.   To be a "pattern" for others as Paul states in Philippians 3:17 and to able to boldly say "imitate me as I imitate Christ." Corinthians 11:1

With so many responses from y'all this became a huge wake up call of what I was doing with my sphere of influence I've been given.  And we all have one...you have one too.  It may be your pre-schoolers, or your co-workers or your spouse but someone is always watching us.  And they are  learning to do what we do in making choices and handling life.

So this went from a temporal competition with my girls, talking smack and all that stuff to a huge spiritual journey with eternal lessons for me.  

And for that,  I'm so grateful.

Losing to gain.

What I've lost:

28 pounds 

3 pant sizes

countless inches

 (I forgot to measure in the beginning.  bummer)

What I've gained:

self control!!

I became a RUNNER! 

I broke free from food bondage

(food is no longer what I turn to when I'm bored, depressed or happy.  

That is a whole other post in itself)

Discipline

Confidence

learned how to cook food that is delicious yet healthy

gosh....I could go on and on

It stopped being about winning the contest about 8 weeks in. I didn't really care about winning because as cliche as it sounds, I had already won. I've had personal food victories that wouldn't even make sense to y'all if I tried to explain it...But for me it was huge.  

Like discovering that I can say no to food and it not drive me crazy still desiring it.  But that I can also say yes to food and it not drive me crazy beating myself up that I ate it!  Discovering, as a dear friend put it so perfectly when she said to me,"learning that everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial." 

But enough of all my talk talk talk....I know y'all want to get down to the neety greety..

WHO won?!!

 Me!!

The 42 year old grandma beat the bride, the newlywed and the baby lady.

 The before pic  was taken the day we started on April 15th.

The after pic was taken about 3 weeks ago in a t-shirt that was designed and given to me by a sweet girl  about a year or so ago... but I could never fit in it to take a pic and thank her.  (victory!)

But Nick likes identical before and after pics.  So here's me in the same shirt almost 30 lbs lighter.

All three of my girls worked really hard during the challenge and we all had obstacles along the way. I 'm proud of all us.

 Lauren was nipping at my heels the entire time and she lost about 18 pounds.  I wish I could share pics of her face beaming the day we went to have her wedding gown fitted.  You will just have to wait to see her hard work on her wedding day.  Which is less than 3 weeks away!! Say What?!?!

As far as the beach trip.  I forfeited it for a new pair of expensive running shoes.

(71 was the number of miles I ran last month)

But don't feel sad for me because of no beach trip...

I have something even better coming up that I will tell you about soon.

Thank you to each and everyone of you who have cheered me and my girls on during this adventure.  I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. 

For me, the adventure isn't over...

It's only just begun.

                                                                                              

Losing to Gain :: Halfway there

Well I know y'all have been wondering what happened to us and our Losing to Gain challenge.

 If you follow me on instagram, you know it's still going strong.

Here's the results thus far...

We are over halfway through the goal we had set for ourselves.  Many of you have asked when the challenge ends...well we just finished week 9 of the 16 weeks we had decided on.  August 5th will be our last weigh in to determine who takes the prize.  I backed off on the weekly blog posts because for one...I just don't have the time.   All my exercising time has cut into my blogging time and I am up to my eyeballs in wedding projects.  Still trying to find a balance there. And two...when I do find the time to blog, I didn't want it to always be about this. 

But enough of the talk...I know you want  the results!  

And the person who is still in the lead is..............

Let's hear it for the over 40 crowd!!  Whoop Whoop.

What's that you say about a slow metabolism??  Hmmmm?

Well,  God's word tells us that pride comes before a fall so I won't boast too much. ;)

Truth be told, I'm having to work my booty off literally for these results.  It has definitely been harder for my metabolism to kick in and get going now than it was for me in my 30's...but not enough to stop progress.  Whoop whoop!

I've lost 15 pounds so far and wearing clothes that hasn't fit me in a lonnnng time.  My goal is 30 pounds total so I'm right on track halfway into the challenge. More importantly, I feel so much better.  

I can't get too relaxed in my top position because I have The Bride, Lauren,  nipping at my heels ready to knock me off my throne faster than you can say Bridezilla.  She has her appointment scheduled to get her wedding dress fitted and she has gone all  hard core on me.

Jillian Michaels has become her new bff.

She not only is killing the 30 Day Shred at 5am each morning,

but then she comes home from school and hops on the treadmill!  So trusts me...I'm taking this contender seriously.  I ain't skeered  though.. I mean, look at that dark coffee I'm drinking as I wait for myself to wake up.

Only the strongest of the strong can handle almost black coffee.

(my girl Becky is giving me the inspiration I needed to go even darker.)

Results in weight loss so far:

Stephanie- 15 pounds

Lauren - 10 pounds 

Lydia- 11 pounds 

Elizabeth- 7 pounds

Yay to all of us!! We ALL are better off than we were 9 weeks ago!  

And making progress every day.  I still haven't counted Babylady out of this race.  She is slow and steady and she knows how to stratigize!   She is probably just waiting for us to get too secure and then she's gonna kick it in Turbo and blow us away.  I got my eye on her.

For those of y'all wondering about Team Ladeea, welllll all I'm saying is the girl loves her cake and she eats it too.  She enjoys skinny jeans and pizza .   So not fair.  But hey, who said life is fair? right?  (She's a turd but I still love her.)  

**if you're wondering why Lauren is ahead of Lydia, it's  because her weight loss percentage is higher and that is what we will be using to determine the winner.  The percentage, not the pounds.

Well before I go, what is a good weight loss/fitness challenge without some before and after photos??

 Unfortunately, the girls took their before pics in shorts and sports bras so I can't show you theirs.  But I can tell you, they look amazing!  I'm so proud of them.  And I'm so mad at us for not measuring ourselves so we could know the inches we've lost. Grrrr.

Since  I don't do sports bras and shorts,  my before pic is fully clothed.

It's so encouraging to see results.

(Ignore the dirty mirror and "stuff" in the background.  Lauren has already begun boxing up stuff for her move into her new home. gulp. sigh.)

For whatever reason, my face is always the first place to notice weight loss or weight gain.

I was scrolling through old Pocket Booth pics on my phone with the grandkids (please tell me you have that app.  It was probably one of the first apps I ever paid for when I first got my iphone several years ago.  SO worth the money if you are a photo booth addict like me. )  anyways...I was flabbergasted with how chubby my face had gotten when I came to the pic on the left! 

My hard work is paying off and my habits are slowly changing...

Even more than the pounds lost and my body changing,  are the victories I'm having in my way of thinking....  In my thought life which leads to actions which become habits.

I try to eat several small meals throughout the day and I never allow myself to get to that really empty hungry feeling.  But on occasion when life happens and busyness kicks in, I don't have time to eat according to my plan.

That happened this past week and I found myself starving.  We had lots of leftovers from a funeral at our church.  Leftovers from fellowships always make their way to the pastor's house...which I appreciate immensely for Nick, Blake and Marcus so they can have something to indulge in since I quit keeping us supplied in desserts.  But it makes it hard for me when brownies are sitting out right in front of me.

But on this day, I realized my habits had changed.  I truly am losing to gain.

The old me would have mindlessly popped 2 or 3 brownies in my mouth without even thinking about it while I prepared our supper....to take the edge off my hunger.   But  instead, I  had such a huge victory.  I did think about eating one but I chose not to.  And because I had stuff already prepped in my fridge, my salad was ready in a jiffy and in no time I was enjoying something delicious and healthy, which was waaaay better than 4 day old brownies.

My habits are changing which is exactly what I prayed for when I started this.

My way of thinking and viewing food has changed too.  I'm not saying I don't fling a craving for a hot baked chocolate chip cookie at times....because I do.  And on occasion I have even treated myself to a small piece of chocolate.  I just no longer have to eat 10 pieces of chocolate to be content. Bam.

       

I've started running too.  I'm not a runner.  It doesn't come natural for me.  I have not reached the place yet where I totally enjoy the burn and all that jazz I hear runners talk about.  I almost die at times in the middle still and I'm sure Nick hears me breathing/panting from the other side of the house when I'm on the treadmill.... but I'm doing it.  And I'm getting stronger.  It is getting easier with each time I step on the treadmill.  And I love the way that feels.  To hold me accountable, I've joined in with Marta (hausofgirls on instagram)  and her #56milesinjune challenge.  As of today,  I've knocked out 42 of the 56 miles! Double Bam.  

I can't even tell you what a blessing all of you have been to me and my girls on this journey.  Y'all encourage us daily and we thank y'all from the bottom of our hearts.  Some of you have shared that we have inspired y'all in some small way to make changes in your own lives!  That is incredible and so wonderful.  I received this in the mail yesterday from my dear friend Becky.  A reminder to stay focused on the goal...  This will be on my wrist every time my feet hit the pavement ( or rubber in my case).  

It's a two fold message....the first thing I thought of when I opened it was Philippians 3:12-14

"..but I press on that I may lay hold of that which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me....forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Thank you Becky!  It's such a great reminder for me to keep my eye on the prize... 

in all areas of my life!

                                                                             

ps. don't forget to cheer on your favorite Contender when you see us around on Instagram.

It's getting down to crunch time.   And use the hashtag #losingtogain to share your journey with all of us too!