BLT4ever

My day started off quite awesome.  Noah, my fantabulous kindergartener, got an award at school today for “Outstanding Academics”.  At the end of each trimester they give out awards to some of the kids who really shined.  This was the second trimester awards ceremony for the year, and the second award for Noah.  The first time around he got an award for being an outstanding mathmetician.  He has excelled in all areas and has mastered every subject they’ve taught.  Granted, it’s only kindergaten and not rocket science, but he’s an awesome little guy and we are so very proud!

And to think, in the beginning of the year I contemplated not sending him for another year because he was only four and I wanted to keep him a little longer. 

My husband is in the Marine Corps, is a logistics & embarkation officer, and he’s not been home much these past two weeks.  They’ve been busy bringing marines home from Iraq and busy sending more out.  I am just lucky that he is not out there again himself.  He was out there in 2004 & 2005. 

Actually, between for the years 2002 thru 2004 he was never home.  Yes, three years in a row he was gone.  He was able to come home one year for a two week visit and one time his visit lasted about two months.  He’s been to Iraq too many times for comfort.  The first time was way back in 1990 for the first war.  He left when I was seven months pregnant with our first child and didn’t meet her until she was almost six months old.  He literally missed out on the first three years of our youngest sons life.

Anyway, I digress…..I was just going to comment on how disorganized dinner has been these last two weeks or so since he’s been working late again.  In our home, family dinner time is extremely important, we gather each night at the table for a home made meal that me and/or my daughter make (sometimes the boys help out too).  But since Brice has been working late it’s been really hard to do.  Some nights we eat without him, some nights we don’t eat until almost 8 pm.  It can wreak havoc on my trying to stay on program.  To be honest, I’m getting a little bit anxious about my weigh in this Sunday and that has a small part to play in it.  I am so scared of getting on that scale and having it say I stayed the same or gained!  

Hope you all have an awesome weekend.  I will be thinking of you all and wishing you well.

First off, I have to tell you all that today is my 2nd year anniversary since I quit smoking!!!??

WOOHOO go me!!!!? After 22 years of smoking, it was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do.? But, with God’s help I did it, and I know that I can loose weight now too!

So far so good with staying OP this week.? Each day my calorie intake has been right around the 1200 mark and I’ve gotten in my exercise every day.?

I’m incredibly blessed to have a Hoist V3 gym in my garage, which I use for 40 minutes of strength training each morning.? I am ashamed to say that it’s been in our garage since my husband purchased it last year and I have not been a regular user until these past couple of weeks.? I love the thing dearly now and couldn’t live without it!??

?Check it out here: ? Hoist V3?

I highly recommend it if you’re in the market for this sort of thing.

I’ve also been OP so far this week with my walking.? I’ve made it a goal to walk each weeknight around the block at my son’s karate dojo.? While they’re inside for their class I walk around that block.? It is .4 miles one time around, and I manage to get in 4 rounds in 40 minutes.? So am walking 1.6 miles each night.? I hope to build up my speed and endurance so that eventually I can make 6 laps in the same amount of time.? Quite possibly even run it.?
Wow, me running!??? The thought alone is staggering.?

But at this point I believe that someday I really will be able to achieve it.?

In our garage by the Hoist we also have an elliptical bike.? I only use it for warm ups and cool downs right now, riding it for about 3 minutes each time, which measures at a half mile each time.? I hope to build up my endurance on that thing too, because right now it is kinda kicking my butt!??

To keep track of what I eat and count my calories I use a really neat program called FitDay, maybe some of you have heard of it or use it too?? You can check it out here:? FitDay? It does so many neat things, I really enjoy using it.? You can use it to keep track of everything you eat, and all the exercise you do.? It shows you your progress in graphs that are easy to understand.? It does so much, it was worth every penny of the $30 I spent to download it.? You don’t have to download it by the way, there is an online version you can use here:? FitDay online I just much prefer the one that you download.

Hope I don’t sound too much like I’m trying to advertise these products I use!? I just wanted to share with you all the things that are making this journey of mine an easier one.? I highly recommend them all, but there are so many ways to get it done right, these are just the things I use.

Hope you’re all having an AWESOME week!?

I am really strapped for time today, so don’t have the time I’d like to have to go around to each of my buddies to say hi.  I will make sure I catch up tomorrow though.

I did come across this poem today though, many might recognize it, many will not.  But either way, I thought what a profound poem for those of us who are struggling with weight (or struggling with anything, for that matter)!  This poem has inspired many, I am sure, and I hope that it will inspire those here who may be reading my blog also. 

Take care you guys, may God always bless you and may you feel His love shining down upon you!

The Man Who Thinks He Can!

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you dont!
If you’d like to win, but think you can’t,
It’s almost a cinch that you wont.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will;
It’s all in the state of mind!

If you think you’re outclassed, you are;
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself
before you can win the prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the strongest or fastest man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can!

Author ~ Walter D. Wintle

Good morning buddies!? I hope that you all had a great weekend! ?

I had my second weigh in yesterday, and lost 4 pounds the previous week, bringing my total weight loss for these past two weeks to 18 pounds! ?

We went out to eat yesterday after church, we like to do that once every other week or so.? Went to Godfather?s pizza and I had three slices of pizza,? 1 ? breadsticks and a slice of their dessert pizza.? Yeah, I know I pigged out a bit.? Didn?t eat as much as I normally would have.? Couldn?t have if I?d wanted to anyway, because my stomach got full.? So, I was excited to learn that my stomach had shrunk over the previous two weeks.

Anyway, piggin? out a bit every once in a while is a good thing, I think.? I kept the rest of my day?s intake to it?s regular and still went for my evening walk.? It?s been great getting back on schedule today.? Can?t believe I am actually looking forward to Mondays now; I used to hate them.? But, it is great getting to start a brand new week of weightloss! ?

I am going to set my weekly goal to walking around the block at karate every night this week (Mon-Fri).? I only got in my walk there once last week.? I also am not going to stress out about all week about what the scale is going to tell me next weigh in.? I know as long as I take care of me the way God intended me to take care of me, I will be just fine!

Got this in my email and thought it was good so wanted to share it:

I was shocked, confused and bewildered as I entered

heaven’s door, not by the beauty of it all, nor by the

lights or its decor.

?

But it was the folks in heaven who made me sputter and

gasp; the thieves, the liars, the sinners, the alcoholics,

the trash.

?

There stood the kid from seventh grade who swiped my lunch

money twice.??Next to him was my old neighbor who never

said anything nice.

?

Herb, who I always thought was rotting away in hell, was

sitting pretty on cloud nine, looking incredibly well.

?

I nudged the angel, ‘What’s the deal???I would love to hear

your take.??How’d all these sinners get up here???God

must’ve made a mistake.

?

And why’s everyone so quiet, so somber???Give me a clue.’

?

‘Hush, child,’ said he.??’They’re all in shock.

?

No one thought they’d see you.’

I’ve tried to loose weight so many times I can’t count.? I’ve been thinking about it a lot this week, and why this time around feels so different.? I think that it is because it is a mental game and I refuse to back down, I won’t let the bad thoughts in.? No more wallowing in self pity, no more wishing I was someone else, no more hating me for what I have let happen to my body, no more thinking that to loose weight will be too hard; a dream that cannot be accomplished.? I CAN DO THIS!

The Lord keeps telling me to stop wishing to be someone I’m not and to actually enjoy myself and this journey we’re on.? I intend to keep the Lord in the front of my mind and he is going to guide me along the way.? With His help, I surely can accomplish anything.

An update on my brother:? He was released from the hospital yesterday!? The clots are all still there, so he has to continue taking blood thinners by giving himself two shots in the stomach each day.? They’ve also got him on some pills and he has to go to a clinic three times a week to be checked out.? He will be on the medication for at least a year after the clots have cleared to help prevent further clotting.? Please keep him in your prayers that the clots will go away.? Praise God that his situation is no longer so precarious as to keep him in the hospital though!? Thank you all for your prayers!

I hope that you all have an awesome weekend!

I was online last night for quite awhile looking around at various different weightloss support group type of sites.? What I found to be most common is people out there that are trying to loose only 5-25 pounds at most, and that to me is a bit depressing.?

I mean no offense to anyone, it’s just that I’d like to find others who are like myself.? Needing to loose a major amount of weight.? I wish that I only had 25 pounds or less to loose, in my way of thinking, if you’re only 25 pounds overweight then you’re pretty darn skinny already!

We each have our own issues and whatnot, and I am in no way shape or form trying to put anyone down for not being ‘fat enough’.? I hope that there are others out there who know what I am talking about, who are going through the same thing as I am.? I would like to find some weightloss buddies here who can relate to my particular weight issues.?