I'M READY for Weigh In Wednesday

Today is the day. The day summer is officially behind me. The day I make the choice as to what this year will hold, how happy I will be, and the goals I will achieve. I have come such a long way in such a short period of time but this journey is just beginning. For the first time in a couple years I'm excited for the everyday ordinary. 

When I pack my breakfast and lunch I tend to
make MUCH better decisions!
Breakfast-greek yogurt and 1 cup mixed fruit
Lunch-1/2 bologna sandwich and an apricot 

I use LC wedges on and in everything!!! I even use them
as a mayo substitute. Only 35 calories gurrrl!!

I found that these make the BEST hamburgers!!
Load one with your favorites and I PROMISE you will
not miss your old burger. They actually taste best
heated in the microwave...they turn into hockey
pucks on the grill so BEWARE. 

I'M READY to wake up early and exercise, to drop at least 30 pounds by Christmas, and to use the one skill I've been blessed with to be the best teacher I can be.

I'M READY to pull the three piles of folded clothes down from the top of my closet, to get healthy so around this time next year trying for a baby will be possible, and  to no longer be the fat friend.

I'M READY to break my last weight loss record, to wear clothes without double digits, and to walk into a store to find that even the non-stretchy items fit.

I'M READY to wear a pair of jeans and truthfully say they are comfortable, to be self controlled enough to not have to count calories, and to not feel one ounce of guilt for taking care of myself.

I'M READY to say that I didn't let anything hold me back from my goal, to have people ask me how I did it, and to encourage others along the way.

I'M also READY to tell you that I lost 3.2 pounds this week for a total of 20.6 gone!! 

Left-early June 2013, Right-this morning
That shirt wouldn't button at the beginning of the summer
so I tied it and wore an undershirt. 20 pounds
later I'm rocking it again!! 

Can I be part of the 5AM club?

After today summer will be over and it will be back to the grind. No more 7:30 AM workouts with the sun shining and birds singing. By 7AM I'll be headed to work. I really don't even want to think about it but I guess I need to man up! And actually as crazy as those stinkers drive me I miss them. Ask me that in two weeks and I may have changed my mind! Ha 

LOVE my Reebok RealFlex...Wore them to the
track at the Y this morning and kicked butt!

Been wearing my black yoga capris from Gap to run
for now but my true love is Nike shorts. I kinda have an
obsession but right now I look like a big muffin in them!
Oh don't you worry though cause at $30 a flipin pair
they are ALL going  to fit again doggone it!!

Going back to school has got me thinking...can I be part of the 5AM club? I mean really, that's so stinkin early and I am NOT a nice person at that time in the morning. Let me just be honest and admit that I've tried this in the past. I did it for like two days and said heck with this crap! But then I would get home from work and think, "If I had of went to the gym this morning I would be done and could enjoy being at home right now." So what to do, what to do...Is it worth it? Can I stick with it? Would it be better to go when I got home?

Alright dangit I'll admit it...For ME it is better if I go in the morning but I'm LAZY y'all and love to sleep!! It just seems like there is always some reason I can't make it in the afternoon. Or sometimes I just have a crapy day and want to go home! I'm sure if you have kids you're thinking just wait, you won't even know what sleep is some day! I think I've pretty much answered my own question though. I need to get up and go before my excuses pile up and my lazy butt decides not to go in the afternoon.Is it gonna be hard? YES...but do you know what's even harder? Looking in the mirror everyday and not liking what I see. Or being so tired everyday when I get home from work that I sit on the couch and watch tv all night in between searching through the pantry for something else to eat. I've got to do this. For me! 

The Underscore front zip sports bras from JCP online are my
FAVORITE!! You don't have to wrestle getting a sweaty bra over
your head when you're done working out. They are also very
supportive,have cushy straps and they come in normal bra
sizes instead of S, M, L. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!

Hello precious...you are all mine come pay day!
www.bradybands.com 

I've been talking to Sarah and we've come up with a plan so that we can still workout together. She's my motivation and I NEED her! We've decided to meet at the gym at 5 AM! Hold on let me repeat that...we've decided to meet at the gym, not Waffle House, at 5 AM on Mondays and Wednesdays!! On Tuesday and Thursday we're gonna meet in the afternoon to run at the Y.  We've decided we are ready to add on another day! It makes me wanna do the stanky leg (will explain later mom) just to be able to say that! Alright 5AM club...bring it!!! 

Made Chicken Chili for dinner last night and Holy
Moses it's good!! Only 250 calories per cup.

An unexpected eye opening weekend

For the first time in almost a month we had nothing to do this weekend. Don't you love those kind of weekends? Saturday morning we were lazy and slept in. Then we decided to go grab some breakfast. In South Georgia Jerry J's is the place to be on a Saturday morning for a good ole country breakfast. And since we live in such a small town you're bound to see somebody, if not everybody, you know. Me and all my no makeup glory, grungy hair and hat ordered a small bowl of grits with no butter. Everybody around me had pancake plates, cinnamon rolls, bacon, smiles, and happiness as I ate my tiny bowl of grits. All of these people who say they lost weight, ate whatever they wanted and it was easy are LIARS! I was salivating like a dog and was considering snatching some poor kids biscuit. But I survived and controlled myself from yelling "take that Jerry J's" on my way out the
door.

When we got home the hubs decided to wash his FJ and clean it out. He is probably the cleanest and most organized person I know but it's only with HIS stuff. Sometimes it drives me absolutely nuts! It doesn't matter if the toilet has scum growing and our bathroom looks like a furry bear shook off in it as long as everything out of his pockets is organized neatly on the dresser, his side of the closet is color coded and his vehicle looks like it just came off the showroom floor. So the minute this OCD man said he was cleaning his truck I knew I had A LOT of time to kill. He's a freak of nature but I love him!

While Chris did manly things I rode over to Repeat Boutique. This place is too cute and I ended up getting my mom a bracelet and three pair of earrings. When I gave her the gift she was beyond excited. You have to understand that growing up my mom never got herself anything. Instead she would always make sure we had whatever we needed and work long hours to do it. Seeing how happy that simple little gift from a consignment shop made her I started reminiscing about my mom growing up. But do you know what the funny thing is? I didn't once think about the stuff she bought me, the car our family drove or anything like that. I smiled thinking about my mama rocking me and singing There's a Light House on a Hillside, opening my lunchbox to find a note that said she loved me and her driving a car full of preteens around while we sang Mmm Bop by Hanson at the top of our lungs...that's love! 

Me, Mama and Bobby-1990ish

Saturday night the hubs and I went on a little date to dinner and a movie. I've told you guys before that date nights had become more like torture nights because I HATED the way I looked and getting dressed was a nightmare. I'm not going to lie to you and say I felt amazing but I wasn't embarrassed to walk into a restaurant or run into friends while we were out. Y'all that's a BIG improvement!! I'm not telling you that to discourage you. I'm just saying it takes time and you have to bust your butt and make sacrifices to get there. But it WILL come!

Sunday morning the message really spoke right to me...What will you do this school year for Christ? Last year around this time Chris and I decided to move from North Georgia back to my hometown. I got a teaching job down here so I went ahead and moved so I could be here for the start of a new school year. It took almost four months for Chris to finally find another job and move. Everyday he wasn't here I cried the entire twenty minute ride to and from school. I was angry at God but didn't know why. This was what I had wanted for so long and begged Chris to do. I'm the one who caused the mess! Our life was fine before and I'm the one who turned it upside down. Why was I so mad?

When Chris finally found a job and was able to move the crying stopped but the anger was still there. On the weekends, at GSU football games, I saw all of my friends and heard about their perfect lives. I thought, what have Chris and I done wrong? We work just as hard as everyone else and it seems like we just can't get ahead. God you need to help us because this isn't fair!

An entire school year passed and I was on autopilot. I went to work, came home, went to church and did what I thought I was supposed to.Y'all it wasn't until I heard this message that I realized why I was so angry and what my life was missing. I had done NOTHING all year for Christ but expected him to bless me. Was I out doing bad things? No. But everyday was about me, me, me...no wonder I was miserable. By the end of the service I had tears pouring down my face.

I told God I was sorry for forgetting about him and being selfish. When I finished praying it literally felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Guys maybe this blog is one of the ways I can praise God this year. Can I tell you that when I first starting writing it I told myself I wasn't going to include anything about my faith. I didn't want to scare people off. But I think there are so many people who not only struggle with weight but they also need to know somebody loves them no matter what. Life is hard and struggles come no matter who you are. No one's life is perfect! But there is someone who will never leave you or forsake you. Even when you completely forget about him and push him to the side.

So this school year...What will you do for Christ? 

The family at Mom and Dad's after church for lunch...
this is with 6 of us missing!! 

Sweet Ila Kate...the very 1st great grandchild

Jeanette's Catering and Downtown Sandwich Shoppe

This summer I have had the opportunity to work in a really neat local restaurant called Jeanette's Downtown Catering and Sandwich Shoppe. The owner and founder, Mrs. Jeanette, is a classy southern lady that is sweet as pie. Everything she does is top notch! 

Mrs. Jeanette, pictured here with her husband
Larry, was the WINNER of the
Waycross/Ware  County Chamber of Commerce for
"BEST PLACE IN TOWN TO WORK"
and "BEST FOOD" at the Taste
of the town event .

If you live in the Waycross area you should drop in for lunch one day from 10AM-2PM, have her cater your next event or order one of her famous cakes. The food is to die for and if I didn't 100% believe that I wouldn't put it on my blog! My favorites are the Monte Carlo Sub,  Reuben, Chicken Salad on Croissant Roll and Peanut Butter Cake. When you drop in tell them that you heard about Jeanette's on "Eagle with an Appetite" and receive a FREE drink with the purchase of an entree. 

I LOVE this low cal option for around
350 calories...small chicken salad plate with fruit

 

All dressed for work...
Left beginning of the summer and right this week.

Check out Jeanette's Catering and Downtown Sandwich Shoppe on Facebook-
www.facebook.com/DowntownSandwichShoppe 


 

Work it gurl!!

I hear that working out is addictive. Unless there are M&M's in the cup holders on the treadmills people be crazy yo! Now don't get me wrong I feel AWESOME when I finish working out but I don't wake up like, "Yay this morning I get to go to the gym." I can tell you that the more I go the easier it gets but it's a choice that I have to make every. single. day.

The first time I lost weight I did weight watchers and ran because that's all I knew. Even though it was hot I looked forward to getting outside. Just getting outdoors alone made me feel better. When I finally got a gym membership I would only get on the treadmill or elliptical. For one I was self conscious and two I didn't want to
embarrass myself by trying to figure the machines out. I also thought it was pointless to tone "fat" when cardio was what burned the most calories. Boy was I wrong!!

Since I've been working out with Sarah I have a totally new perspective on the whole gym thing and working the entire body. She has taught me how to use every machine and we have figured some of them out together. She's also taught me exercises I can do at home or outside on days we meet at the YMCA track to run. Right now we workout on Mon., Tues. and Thurs. We both agreed that we didn't need to overdo it and we could gradually work up to more days. Our schedule varies but mostly it goes like this-
Monday: legs, cardio and abs
Tuesday: arms/chest, cardio
Thursday: extreme cardio and abs

These are some great arm exercises to do at home and they work!! Sarah is using 5 pound weights but you can also use canned food. I know it sounds crazy but work that canned ravioli girl!! 

Start with your arms straight down in front of you
with palms in and lift up keeping your palms down.
Try doing 15 reps 3 times.  

Start with your arms straight by your
side and lift keeping your palms down.
Try doing 15 reps 3 times. 

Lean over and start with your palms facing
each other in front of you. Keep your arms straight and
lift behind you. Try doing 15 reps 3 times. 

These are some great ab exercises to do at home. Bryant, who is every bit as sweet as he is cute, joined us at the gym this morning. He and Sarah have been dating for 5 1/2 years so he's just part of the family now. He's also a whole lot better to look at than me so control yourself ladies!! 

The key is to keep your legs UP...
cross your legs and crunch 10 times

Now crunch 10 times to the left while keeping your
right leg as straight as possible and your left knee bent

Now crunch 10 times to the right while keeping your
left leg as straight as possible and your right knee bent...
repeat starting with 9, then 8, then 7 (you get the point). 

Ya'll I used to be so worried about what people thought. Now my attitude is "who cares if someone is watching me" I'm doing this for me not them. More than ever I'm realizing that to love others you have to love yourself...and that's okay!

Weigh in Wednesday

I've been on this weight loss journey for exactly five weeks and so far I have lost a total of 16.8 pounds. The first month my weight loss sky rocketed. I was losing around 4 pounds a week. This morning when I weighed in it was a much different story. I only lost .6 (point 6) pounds...how frustrating! Especially after I watched everything I ate and exercised all week. What the heck?!?! How is that possible?!?! I felt defeated, mad and ready to go eat a dang candy bar. But then I thought back to five weeks ago when I started this adventure. I was tired, depressed and getting dressed was a chore because I hated the way I felt and looked. Am I sad that I didn't lose as much weight as I thought I should have? Absolutely but I wouldn't go back to being 17 pounds
heavier and feeling like crap for anything. I am determined to get this weight off and keep it off. This is just a bump in the road!

Guys, believe it or not, this isn't my first weight loss journey. I've hidden this because I was afraid no one would want to listen to someone who was losing weight for the second time . I knew eventually I would share my story but wanted to wait until I was ready. I'm so proud of how far I've come but at the same time it's embarrassing to
admit just how big I let myself get.

After graduating from college I really started packing the pounds on. By no means have I ever been small but up until this point my weight had never been this out of control and unhealthy. For the first time in my life I lived alone, started my career and was almost three hours from home. I was lonely and overwhelmed so I coped by eating. After my first year teaching and getting engaged to my college sweetheart I knew I had to do something. I decided to give weight watchers a chance so I joined and starting going to the meetings. Honestly I didn't think it would work, or that I would be able to stick with it, but within less than a year I lost 110 pounds! There were weeks I lost 3 to 4 pounds and other weeks I lost absolutely nothing. 

Before-274 pounds...After-164 pounds

I know that everyone doesn't need to lose 110 pounds. It may only be 10 pounds, or the weight put on after having a baby, but if it makes you feel better about YOU then it's just as important. You don't have to be perfect, you just have to stick with it! 

5K anyone?

I guess it's okay to divulge mine and Sarah's little secret. We want to work our way up to do a 5k sometime in the next couple months. I'm sure Sarah could run one right now if she wanted to but I'm still in need of A LOT of training. I agree 100% when people say that running is a stress reliever because when you can't breathe and it feels like someone is sticking a knife in your side it's hard to think about anything else! But I know from experience it DOES get easier the more you do it. 

Pete (one of Chris's best friends) smoked us!!

After Chris and I first got married we lived in Greensboro, GA right outside of Athens for three years. It's the home of beautiful Lake Oconee and gosh it's beautiful up there! Every afternoon when we got off work we would walk to the park behind the police station and jog. We weren't trying to become runners or anything. We were just poor newly weds trying to exercise for free. We started out by running a lap and then walking two as many times as we could. After several weeks we would run a lap and then walk a lap. Each week we just kept adding more jogging to it and pushed ourselves. Eventually we could run a 5k without stopping. It took months to build up to running a full three miles without stopping but we did it! 

Newly weds...I ran my butt off to fit in my dress!!

I remember having so much energy during the day and at night nobody had to rock me to sleep. Y'all I want to feel like that again!!  I know that I can't just take off and run three miles but if I don't quit it won't be long and I will. I want that feeling back!! I want that energy back!! That's why I keep going when I feel like I'm going to die, sweat is burning my eyes and my legs are rubbing together. Nothing feels better than knowing you accomplished something you never thought you could. Keep going and do not give up!!

This morning @ 7:30AM 

 

Ellijay weekend recap

When we finally got to Ellijay Friday night it was around 11PM. Up until about 10PM the hubs and I loved each other, were holding hands and singing together in the car. My 6'3" bearded husband sang Paint Me a Birmingham by Tracy Lawrence and Glamorous by Fergie like it was nobody's business. He cracks me up!! Of all songs, really?! After that we both started getting tired, grouchy, our butts hurt from sitting and we no longer liked, loved or wanted to be around each other...true story! If you love your family after six hours in the car together somethings wrong with you...hahaha!! When we finally got to the cabin we were praising Jesus to finally be out of the car. We loved on and hugged everyone then went to bed around midnight. Back in the day we would have stayed up until three or four in the morning talking. Heck with that...I need my sleep unless you want to deal with a dragon these days!

Saturday morning the hubs and I woke up loving each other again and went downstairs for breakfast. Rookes (Chris's BFF since 3rd grade and college roommate) made everyone his famous banana pancakes with powdered sugar and whip cream. Holy moly they were good but I controlled myself and only ate one pancake with no toppings and was surprisingly satisfied. 

The cabin was beautiful!!

After catching up for a while we decided to part ways and the guys went to the shooting range. In the south the more guns you have the manlier you are. Us girls decided to just chill and stayed at the cabin...ya know why? Because this girl forgot her tennis shoes. Getting to hike was what I was most excited about and I forgot my dang shoes!! And it's not like I could borrow some. Oh no mam, I have size 9-1/2 skis for feet. My friend even brought her jogging stroller for her baby. I know she wanted to kill me and I felt horrible!! Instead us girls literally didn't get out of our pajamas until almost noon and watched fashion police on E while we played with LBR. But I don't think any of us minded.  I'll stay in my pjs all day for that cutie pie. 

My weekend wardrobe

When the guys got back we decided to go tubing. Like a bunch of rednecks we piled in the car and stuck our arms out the windows to keep the tubes from flying off the top of the jeep. We put our tubes in several miles up from the cabin so we could just get out when we floated back in front of the house. Well that didn't exactly go as planned. Just us girls floated down the river first and couldn't paddle close enough to get out by the house. We ended up floating for about another hour and the boys had to come find us. It was fun and kinda scary all at the same time!

Buns of steal stairs from the
river back up to the house

Sitting on the porch loving my
chevron bathing suit cover up

Later that night the guys grilled ribs and corn. This doesn't sound very southern belle but meat on the bone I can do without, so I was okay to only eat a little. But then we celebrated Brian turning 32 this upcoming Wednesday with a CAKE. I ate the icing off the top of my piece and threw the rest away...blasphemy!! I think that may have been the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But afterwards I was pretty proud of myself and really didn't even miss not eating it. After dinner we got in the hot tub for a while and then watched a movie. The girls went on to bed after that and the men folk stayed up doing who knows what, until who knows when. 

On the ride back home we all stopped in at a little Mexican restaurant for lunch and then the mall.It was sad telling everyone bye but I think Chris was just as ready to get home as I was. We have been on the go every weekend for about a month now. 

Mexican shrimp cocktail-
only 259 calories...yum!!

Mall purchase-
The hubs surprised me with new nalgene
water bottles for the gym...how sweet!

Can I just be honest and tell you that even after such a fun weekend I felt crapy when I woke up this morning and I did NOT want to go to workout. I also weighed myself and had gained a pound. On my way to the gym I was so mad. I watched everything I ate this weekend. But while working out it finally hit me. All I have done since the moment I woke up this morning is think about me, me, me. Not once did I say, " Good morning God I love you, thank you for letting us be able to go out of town and for keeping us safe." When I got home I took a shower and then got down on my knees in front of my bed and just prayed. Did you know when I got up all of my frustration and selfishness was gone? If I work out everyday, never go over my calories but don't talk to God what's my purpose? 

This week not only am I committing to be more dedicated to my diet but more importantly I'm committing to spend more time with God. I have a feeling my week is going to turn around!  

To Ellijay we go

I'm so excited today because when the hubs gets home from work we are headed to beautiful Ellijay, GA. It's nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian mountain range and home of the world-renowned Georgia Apple Festival . Can you tell I straight up googled the heck out of all of that? All I know is we get to stay in our friends pimp cabin, tube down the river and hang out with our best friends. Y'all it doesn't get much better than that!! I think it's going to take us about six hours to get there but I don't care. I actually like when Chris is trapped in the car with me. He has nowhere to go so he has to listen to me talk non-stop and nod his head like he's enjoying it. I've already made an old school playlist for the road so he might survive. The last time I was in Ellijay was for a girls weekend at the beginning of the summer. We had a blast and giggled the entire time. I teased the girls hair, we got in the hot tub and ended up buying a kids table with four chairs and a baby rocking chair. We're dangerous when we all get together!! This time the fellas will be there so I'm sure they'll rein us in.

After our trip one of my friends posted this cute collage to Facebook but I deleted it. I was so embarrassed for anyone to see how huge I was. I had such a great time but was ashamed for anyone to see pictures...that makes me sad to even think about. Why was I letting weight control my life? 

This time I'm feeling A LOT better about myself...I still have a long way to go but see 17 pounds DOES make a difference!!!

In preparation for our trip I may have made a couple of purchases because the best part about losing weight is the clothes!!! First I got a new bathing suit cover up. Well actually it's a long flowy shirt that I'm using as a cover up but whatever. Chris washed my old one with towels and it's black...soooo in the end I scored on that one! I also got a super cute shirt and pair of nude sandals. If you don't have a pair of nude sandals you MUST get some. They changed my life! They match everything. My last pair could talk to you at the toe where I wore those jokers out. Everything I got was from JcPenny. Lately they have the cutest clothes and they're pretty cheap. Around here we call our mall the "small" because it's so tiny. I guess it just makes getting to visit a big mall that much more fun and as much as I love clothes it's probably a good thing. 

Chevron, chevron, chevron...yes please!

Last night I gave myself a spray tan using my Neutrogena Micro Mist airbrush sunless tanner. I only gave myself a light spray since I've been in the sun quite a bit this summer. I usually spray, dry, spray and dry. So unless you wear a bathing suit you can plan to be naked for a good 10 minutes...or longer if you're feeling it! This spray doesn't make me orange and doesn't smell near as bad as the jergens lotion. It just gives me a glow and if I lightly mist my face I don't look totally scary with no makeup on. It's also great for hiding minor imperfections on legs and arms. On the upper inside of my arms I have little stretch marks. This stuff covers those right up and I don't feel self conscious wearing sleeveless tops. Just make sure if you use this spray tanner you put lotion on your knees, feet, hands and elbows. I've found it keeps those dry areas from getting too dark. Also make sure you stand in the shower because wherever the spray falls you'll later see it has a tan too. But it comes right up with a damp cloth. It's the closest thing to going and getting a spray tan that I've found...I'm addicted!! 

Yes I have my duck wrap on while I dry
all redneck style under the ceiling fan...
this is a clean blog for crying out loud!! haha 

I'm packing my tennis shoes and workout clothes for the trip cause the girls texted me and said they wanted to go walking one morning. Hopefully I can talk them into walking on the trails. South Georgia is flat and we don't really have trails down here...just gators and swamp land!! So they better bet I am going to go wake their skinny little butts up to go. I've only been hiking a couple times but loved it. I've got my suit case packed and my hair teased so let's do this!! 

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