Losing to Gain: week one

Well as of this post, it's been a little over a week since we all four started this challenge.

I had no idea what an amazing journey we were embarking on.  I thought going public would definitely hold us more accountable...and it has...but all of the response from all of you has been incredible.  Y'all are some of the best cheerleaders and encouragers in the world.

Not to mention the many emails, comments and texts from those of you who are making changes too! 

Yay to encouraging each other!

I could go on and on but I know why y'all are here....

You want to know which of us came in on top!

Well, we all have done amazing but this week goes to....

She took the lead this week with a whopping 7 pounds lost and 3.83% weight loss percentage!!

BUT....the rest of us didn't do too shabby either!

Elizabeth lost 4 pounds with a 2.07%  weight loss percentage!

I lost also lost 4 pounds with 1.93% weight lost percentage!

 Lauren is the underdog this week losing 1 pound with .67% weigh loss percentage!

We are all pretty excited because even though the scale and weight loss is just a number we are using in order to win a 'contest"...  all four of us are already seeing changes in our bodies after one week!!

**Now before any of you freak out over Lydia's 7 pounds in one week and send me email after email with your concern over her health, she, along with the rest of us, are eating! And we are eating healthier than we have in years.  As I mentioned in first post...our aim is to make a lifestyle change.  So  no gimmicks, fad diets and stuff like that. I guess when you consume as much cokes and junk food as we all had gotten accustomed to, our bodies are just really flushing it all out these first couple of weeks.  

I asked the girls to share something that they have discovered to be successful and helpful to them on this journey to getting fit.  And also to share what was most challenging.  

We hope it encourages and helps someone and of course we LOVE hearing from y'all what has worked for you!  

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Team Ladeea

If you follow her on Instagram than you've seen all her tea pics.  

The rest of us think she has some secret weapon in those cups but she swears it is just plain old green tea.  ;)

• Her tip:  "lots of lots of water....like all day long I'm sipping on water and I have a cup of green tea every afternoon."
• Her  biggest challenge:  she never gave me one.  I guess her 7 pound loss proves that this week. lol.

Some of  her snacks.

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 Team Baby Lady

 Here  I was worried the most about Elizabeth since she is isolated from us being so far away and she has the challenge of  tending to her children nonstop with less time to focus and prepare for changes.... but she snuck up and  came in second this week!!

Her tip: "We ALL are drinking water. The Mio liquid has helped the kids want to drink water more (and me) "

Her biggest challenges this week: 

• 1." The first few days were horrible. My body had a hard time adjusting to all the healthy changes, and I was very irritable and tired for the first 3-4 days. BUT I'm glad I stuck it out because I'm feeling much better now!!" 
• 2. "That I can't eat everything my kids eat. They eat pretty healthy, but I have taken a lot of things out of my diet that I still allow them to eat (like bread) that I have chosen not to." 
• 3. "I have found it very difficult to exercise with my husband's crazy schedule when I have all three kids by myself. I'm still figuring that all out :)"

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KaHoney

Well, I am just amazed at how I feel!  I can't believe how sugar was sucking out my quality of life.  I have actually enjoyed working out....which for now consists of different types of walks on the treadmill.  Sometimes I climb hills and sometimes I walk super duper  fast thinking in my head.."oh wow! are you about to take off running Stephanie?! Are you actually becoming a jogger ?!"  And then right about that time, I hyperventilate and almost fly off the treadmill ....so I slow it down a notch.  

 But the main thing is I'm DOING something.

• My tip: My success I've found this week has been drinking all the water!  I find I drink it more and enjoy it more if I pour it into one of my cute mason jars and add lemon and drink it through a straw.
• I only allow myself to watch my favorite shows when I'm walking on the treadmill.  (On Netflix or Hulu using my Ipad)
• I'm jotting down what I eat.  I'm not counting calories or carbs or anything like that.  Just keeping track of what I'm eating.  It keeps me accountable and I can always go back and see what I was eating on the weeks I had the most success and also keep track of stuff that may have sabotaged me .

 (My amazing planner I use can be found here at my friend Emmy's Much Ado About You. If you like to do things the old fashioned way and write them down and flip pages and draw doodles and use stickers, then you really need one of these.)

• My biggest challenge:  I am trying to really make better choices about what I'm putting in my body. One of the things I'm most convicted about is all the artificial sweetener I had been consuming.  I used Splenda.  Since I drink a lot of coffee all day long, I was using waay too much of the stuff.  I'm also trying to wean myself of all of the creamer and eventually  go black.  But I'm not sure how that is working out for me. Probably ain't gonna happen.
  
  
  
  
  
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Team Bridezilla

Now Lauren may have come in last this week, but this girl has the most determination than anyone I know.  Not just with losing weight for this challenge but I'm talking about life in general.  She very seldom gives up on anything.  So I am not in the least bit counting her out of this race.  Plus....she's the bride!!!   She's got a wedding coming up and I've seen first hand twice already with her sister's how things kick into gear the closer it gets.  But those of you rooting for Team Bridezilla need to cheer on her on!!

• Her Tip: "My tip is to not jump into exercising TOO much during the first week. Normally with my crazy determination I want to go full force right in the beginning and then I get burnt out. Instead I only worked out every other day and It hasn't been hard for me. I've enjoyed doing, so now this week makes me want to try harder and step it up a notch. I am going to try to add something a little bit more challenging to my workout every week. Moving slow but long lasting improvement."
• "If you're addicted to Coke like I was and was really used to all the caffeine,  instead of drinking a coke, drink hot tea in the morning and eat an apple or two during the day. It takes the edge off. I use to drink at least 3 large cokes a day and now I'm only doing one cup of tea a day and eating healthier snacks and I've been more awake and my cravings are not nearly as bad." 

• Her biggest challenge: Being in cosmetology school from 8am to 4pm five days a week has been hard with eating healthier.  Packing lunches and snacks with a variety has been tough. Not to mention all the other girls eating pizza and hamburgers and donuts and stuff like that around me all day. 

We group text each other all throughout the day.  We like to talk smack but we also have been encouraging each other and sharing tips.    Loni is my mom....She keeps it real for us! lol

Well there ya have it folks. Week one.

Ladeea is coming doooown.

I may or may not get to share here every week.  But you can follow us on Instagram!  We are using the hashtag  #losingtogain to document anything pertaining to the challenge!

@honeyholden  @mythreearrows  @lydialovesmarcus  @laurenalexis19

                                                                                        

Will you be my bridesmaid? {diy wedding project}

Lauren wanted to do a little something special when asking her bridesmaids to stand by her side on the day of her wedding.  Funds were limited so we had to be frugal. But I love what she came up with.

They each received a little cardboard box with their initial on the top.

When they opened them up there was lots of gold dust and feathers.

(When Lauren was a little younger, glitter was her signature.)
It's in her blood. ;)
.....  although she was bold and would wear glitter....like on purpose.  
I just used it in all my crafts and would occasionally end up wearing it....on accident.

She has always had a heart for vintage prettiness so I whipped her up some bobby pins using vintage earrings to go into each box. Along with glitter, bobby pins are another one of Lauren's signatures!....she leaves a trail of bobby pins wherever she goes. 
 So this was perfect for her!

When the girls pulled the gold cord, out popped this little message!

So sweet and so inexpensive.

• The boxes we found at Hobby Lobby for $.99....and don't be like me and forget to pull the sticker off the bottom!
• We used card stock I already had....you could use any color you'd like
• I used a punch to make the scalloped circles...you can find these at Hobby Lobby and use a 40% off coupon if you don't have one.  I use this for everything! 
• The gold ribbon was less than a dollar.
• And we painted the staples before we put them in the stapler with a gold paint pen to make them match the ribbon!
• You could tuck any little happy in the bottom that would be significant and more "you".  Lauren wanted the vintage bobby pin made by her momma (she's so sentimental) but you could hide a cute pair of earrings, a necklace, a piece of chocolate....anything!

                                                                                 

Lessons from the ice cream truck.

Oh the joy.

The anticipation.

Do you remember waiting for the ice cream truck?

To have your own dollar to choose whatever you wanted?

That when the sound of that music would reach your ears, you would drop whatever you were doing to run and get your dollar and get in place..to get in position...to be waiting...in the right place so the driver didn't pass you up.

When Elizabeth sent me this picture yesterday of the kids with all their new little  friends in the neighborhood waiting for the ice cream truck,  my heart literally melted a little as I stared as this pic.

It's cuteness...the innocence...the pureness of it.

She later told me it took two hours of waiting.

TWO HOURS y'all.  In kid time that equals two days!

But they waited and yes it did come and they enjoyed sweet treats.

And then I thought wow.  What if we all treated our quiet time with the Lord like this?

With all the joy and anticipation of knowing He is coming to deliver us something sweet.

That when we opened the pages of His word, it would be as sweet as the sound of that ice cream truck music.....because you know you're about to get something good.

What if we would drop everything we are doing to get into position to hear from Him.

To wait as long as it took to get a word from Him?

And what if once we got a taste of that sweetness, we couldn't wait to share it with others..

to tell them about it so they could have some too.

What if.

"Oh God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You.  My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water.  I have seen You in your sanctuary and gazed upon Your power and glory.  Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise You!  I will praise You as long as I live, lifting up my hands to You in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast.  I will praise You with songs of joy."

Psalm 63:1-5

"Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trust in Him!"

Psalm 34:8

  
I'm joining my sweet friend Carissa today on this lovely Monday.

                                                                                       

Losing to gain

This is what is going down around here.

All of us Holden women have let a few pounds slip up on us this past year.  Some of us (ahem) more than others.  None of our clothes fit anymore, we have no energy, and just feel yucko.  It happened for various reasons...mostly emotional eating which apparently they have inherited from me.  We eat when we are stressed (or rather drink Cokes and Dr. Peppers).  We eat when are tired.   And.... we eat when we are happy.   We are a family who loves to celebrate and we love food.  So the odds are against us when it comes to losing weight. 

 We also have another wedding coming up and we'd all like to look and feel great on Lauren's big day. We've done a lot of complaining but haven't really done anything about it. We've all tried to get motivated but have just been stuck in a rut.

Enter in Loni.

This is my mom. Their grandmother.

This woman is a mover and a shaker. She doesn't sit still for much of anything and she has the heart the size of Texas.  She also knows how these girls thrive on a little friendly competition with each other....I mean, she has played board games with us on numerous occasions.  She knows firsthand how vicious it can get.  So when she suggested "sponsoring" a little weight loss competition between the girls to give them an extra boost of motivation, I was like say wha?  Sign me up too!  And when I say sponsoring, I mean she has funded a generous prize to the competitor who loses the most!...as in a weekend beach trip OR a shopping spree for a new wardrobe!!  We haven't settled on which yet.

Whoop Whoop!!

Well let me tell you....THAT put some fire under our butts and gave us the motivation we needed.

We decided to "go public" with our little challenge because we'd love some encouragement and accountability over the next several months.

So here we are.

Meet....

 Don't let the Honey part fool ya.  She may be a grandma but she's more like tidal wave when it comes to winning....she plans to swallow the other's up and spit them out just for the fun of it.  She's been known to go loco at times and if opponents aren't careful with KaHoney, they won't even know what hit them.  This grandma would rather eat you for lunch than bake cookies for you. Keep your eye on The KaHoney.  

 Baby lady is one tough cookie. She's no one to mess with. She's birthed three kids in the past four years and can leap over a sofa to wipe a snotty nose while changing a dirty diaper with the other hand in the blink of an eye.  She's watched enough Yo Gabba Gabba over the past year to snap at any moment.  You don't want to get in the way of this momma...she's one crazy baby lady and she will take you doooown.

 Ladeea ...which rhymes with Madea..is just plain scary. She won't hesitate to cut you down to size with that insane wit of hers and get all up in your face and do what she does best.....mess with your mind.  Intimidation is her secret weapon and she loves to make people cry before breakfast.  She's been known to steal candy from small children AND old ladies. She's a force to be reckoned with. And I ain't tiddin.

Meet Bridezilla. She ain't letting no one get in her way of stealing any thunder from her on her big day.  She is fast as lightening and fear is not in her vocabulary.  Her head is as hard as they come and she has two emergency room visits to prove it.  She's so fierce, as a child all she had to say was "move it sucka" and people would tremble and flee.  She's been waiting for her glory day in the hot sun and will take out anybody who stands in her way.  No more being bridesmaid....it's Bridezilla now!

There ya have it folks.

The four contenders.  

When the dust settles there will only be one winner left standing to claim Loni's prize.

BUT we will have all gained.

Gained our health.

Gained self control.

Gained energy.

Gained resolve.

Gained our lives back and feeling good.

So wish us all luck as we're losing to gain!!

We will keep you posted.

Please don't hesitate to hold us accountable or encourage us  as you "see" us around  on facebook or instagram....Especially you friends that know us in person and see us for reals. 

We'll be using the hashtag #losingtogain

Of course, we all know the others don't stand a chance against KaHoney..

but don't tell them that ok.   I mean, I'd like a LITTLE competition. ;)

                                                                                                 

ps.  in case you're wondering...we are doing this the healthy good old fashioned way....exercise, eating less and making changes to the types of food we are putting into our bodies.   No fad diets, gimmicks or pills.  We all want to make a lifestyle change. Bam.

pss.  No, you can't join us to win the prize. This competition is only open to me and the three girls I birthed into this world.  I'm sorry.  I wish everyone in the world had Maw Maw Loni's in their lives.  She is the best for sure! BUT hey...you can join us on the journey to healthy living!  I'd love to hear about the changes and choices you are making!

What I wore...learning to dress the "new me".

So it's no secret I've put on some weight.  About 45 lbs to be exact.  

Now I know I'm not morbidly obese or anything, but I feel yucky and tired and most of my clothes don't fit right anymore.  I'm not complaining and I'm definitely not fishing for compliments...I'm just being honest where I'm at and wanting to share a few tips how I've changed my wardrobe up a little to better suit my new body type.  Maybe this will help a sister out.

You see, I love little tees and cardis a lot....

I love to wear them with skirts, with jeans, with my converse, with everything.

But the problem is I now have this roll around my middle that a cardi no longer hides.

I know some of y'all know what I'm talking about.

Anyways, any time Nick goes shopping with me and he picks out stuff he likes for me to wear, it's always these long tunic tops that I kinda don't like much.  I would wear them for him but hate them.  I loved them on other people but on me I always felt a little frumpy.

But now that my shape has kinda shifted...all to the middle...I was ready to try anything to make me feel cute again.  So recently while in my favorite store, Dirt Cheap, I came across some of these tops and decided to give them a second chance.  And guess what?...

I really feel cute when I wear them.  Bam. 

I would list where the clothes/shoes are from but all of these clothes were either thrifted or bought at Dirt Cheap (which is a salvage store chain in the south).

I highly recommend a handsome little grandson dude on your hip.  They are the best accessory evah!

This is my dressed up version of this top....

And this is my casual version with jeans and flip flops.

My leather cuff you see in several of these outfits is made by my friend Becky.  You can check out her blog here.  Her shop is open at limited times so you gotta snag one when you can. I pretty much wear mine  with everything.

Of course....I still wear my cardis and converse.  I have just had to buy a few bigger ones!

But when Dirt Cheap has Target cardis for $1.00..... I let myself splurge.  ;)

What about you?  Have you had to find yourself changing things up in your closet to better flatter your body type?  I'd love any  tricks and tips you may have up your sleeve.

                                                                                               

ps. stay tuned for a little something me and my girls are doing to get fit. 

There may or may not be some competing going on amongst the Holden girls.

When the dust settles

Happy Monday y'all. 

We are back from our trip to bring the grandchildren home. I have so much to share....things God has taught me _ reminded me of_ through watching my grandkids do life. I can't wait to document those moments here for them to cherish...but that's for another time.  

Today it has hit me as look around at my little nest...

 I see the evidence left behind of little souls at play.  Toys still scattered on the floor that didn't get picked up on our hectic morning of departure. I see evidence of a wedding in the works as I look at little projects in the corners of my house that means my  last daughter at home will be leaving me soon.

And we returned home to some not so fun life stuff ....like a wonky wi fi that wouldn't work and a broken hot water heater and waking up to a full blown sinus cold.   None of this stuff is major.   It just seems more disappointing...more of a let down.... in contrast to the week I just experienced.

And it got me thinking about life. My life.

That when the dust settles after the whirlwind of raising kids, planning weddings, long visits with grandkids.... when the disappointing and hard stuff happens..

I'm glad it's always this guy that is left by my side.

There is no one else on this planet that "gets me" like he does.

He is the person I'd rather be with more than anyone else.  

We get asked often what our "secret" is.

This quote that was on the back of our church bulletin this Sunday sums it up perfectly.

(Thanks Karen for finding stuff with substance to share with us each week on our bulletins!)

"When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now....when first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased."

C.S. Lewis

 Putting first things first.

Jesus, Nick and then my girls. 

That may sound selfish but there is truly nothing better we can give our kids than them seeing their momma and daddy love each other with a vibrant healthy relationship. Nick and I have always made sure we had time for each other...sometimes we had to fight for it when the girls were small and so physically demanding but we made it a priority in our marriage.  

  Time for each other is the fuel that keeps the passion burning.

Make the time for your man.

Clear your calendar if you have to. Drop a few activities.  Say no to friends.  Turn off the tv.

Turn off the computer.  Put down the phone.

 Trust me on this one girl.  It's worth it.

source

Before long the dust is gonna settle for you too and 

you really want to like the person you're standing next to.

                                                                                        

ps.  Gotta give props to our daughter, Elizabeth, for sharing her gifts with me and her daddy.  These pics were taken by her.  Against her professional photographer self, I took the disc before she could edit any of them. They are straight out the camera...except for a couple that I edited on my Ipad.   You can check out her photography blog  here.