My Journey To A Healthier Me

Waiting Until Later...

2008-04-09T01:38:00.004-04:00

It has been a long time since I last posted!!! So much has changed since then and continues to change. I am finally beginning to feel a lot better and, yes, I am finally getting my appetite back... which is good, but I am still being very careful to eat healthy and not overdo it too much.

As for WW, I have decided to take a break from it until after the baby arrives. Believe me, going from being on WW to being pregnant and eating for two has been one of the hardest things I've ever done! Again, I am continuing to eat healthy, but I am no longer keeping track of my points and weigh ins.

I feel that making sure my baby is getting what it needs right now is a lot more important than trying to reach my goal at this time. I am praying that continuing to eat healthy and exercising when possible will help me not to gain too much, but I am not going to try to lose anymore weight right now.

As for this blog, I will probably wait until after the baby arrives and I start WW again to post anymore. If you would like to keep up with how things are going with my pregnancy and other things, you can check out my personal blog at http://www.angelamthomas.blogspot.com/ .

God bless... :-)

Still here...

2008-02-20T01:22:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to write a short note to let everyone know that we are still here. I apologize that I haven't written in a while, but I've been very sick over the last few weeks with morning sickness, etc. Those with children know what I'm talking about... :-)

I did want to say thank you to everyone for the sweet comments and let you know that I really appreciate them!!! (((HUGS!!!)))

As for our new baby, this was TOTALLY unexpected!!! According to several doctors I am infertile, but according to God - nothing is impossible!!!

Honestly I am still a little bit in shock, but very excited! I did find out that I am due on Sept 19 so I am a little over 9 weeks at the moment.

I will write a little bit more about everything later. Hope you are all having an awesome week!!! :-)

An Amazing Thing Has Happened...

2008-02-02T16:32:00.000-05:00

We Are Pregnant!!! :-)

Another funny... :-)

2008-01-31T00:39:00.001-05:00

Enjoy NOW!!!

2008-01-29T13:15:00.000-05:00

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass,
It's about learning to dance in the rain !!!

My sis sent this to me earlier and I thought it would be great to post on this blog.

Sometimes losing weight is such a struggle that we do forget to have fun and be happy!

Think of all the great times / things we're going to miss out on if we wait until we reach our goals to enjoy our lives.

Enjoy life NOW, not later. Make the most of every day NOW, don't wait until later!!!

Joy In The Journey

2008-01-28T08:12:00.000-05:00

Thought this was hilarious...

I've decided to start posting some things that will make us all *smile* a lot and make our journey just a little bit more fun!!!

Hope you enjoy!!! :-)

Well, I Feel A Lot Better...

2008-01-26T22:30:00.000-05:00

A lady brought this pic to WW this morning... (LOL!)

Week #35

2008-01-26T14:20:00.000-05:00

I had my weigh in this morning and even though I didn't do great, I didn't do too bad either. :-)

Yes, I gained, but it was only 0.4 lbs - so if I were to weigh on "normal" scales, I would've maintained... lol

At first I was a little disappointed because I worked really hard at it this week, but as I said in an earlier post, going from 20 back to 25 pts may not be a good thing. And I did exercise a little more this week which as I've said earlier, too, I usually gain a little every time I step it up a bit.

So with all that, as well as a few other things, I am really glad that I only gained 0.4 and not another 4.6!!! :-)

Thoughts ...

2008-01-22T00:18:00.000-05:00

I can honestly say that losing weight has been one of the hardest things I've ever done on a consistent basis!!!

Most of the time, I do fine and WW is so easy to follow. Then I get to a point sometimes that I wish I could lose a lot faster!!! Even though I am averaging losing a little over 4 lbs or more a month, sometimes it seems like it's taking forever!!!

I've been exercising for over a year and doing WW for over 8 months now. I look at the weeks I've gained and I ask myself how much further along I would be if I had lost... or even maintained... those weeks!!! I am not complaining or anything, just being real.

Prayerfully, this will be another good week for me and prayerfully it won't be too much longer before I reach my goal. But I do know that it's going to take time... I didn't put this weight on overnight and it's not coming off overnight!

Discipline is the key and as soon as I learn to be disciplined in my exercising and eating -especially after the weight comes off - the less likely I'll be to have to travel down this path again.

If I've learned anything at all these last few months, it has to be that it doesn't take a lot of work to gain the weight, but it takes a LOT of hard work to get it off!!! :-)

EatSmart Scale Contest Giveaway!!!

2008-01-21T01:14:00.000-05:00

Check out Roni’s new contest! I can win a Nutrition Smart Scale from Eat Smart and so can you! Click here for details!

Week #34

2008-01-19T19:32:00.000-05:00

I didn't quite lose 1.8 lb this week, but I did manage to lose over half... a pound to be exact.

While I didn't meet the goal I was hoping to accomplish this week, I am still very pleased with the pound I lost. Prayerfully I will lose the 0.8 (and more!) next week.

I did find out today that you're only supposed to do the Kick Start no more than 2 weeks so I probably shouldn't have done it last week, but I did still lose weight.

I will be doing my 25 pts again this week so hopefully I'll still lose next week. I am hoping that going from 20 back to 25 isn't going to cause me to gain.

I will definitely be exercising this week. I finally got a chance to go to the YMCA earlier today and I am planning on starting aerobics classes and more this next week. With my hubby's work schedule and having only one car, it's been a little bit hard to make it before now.

Anyway, I would appreciate any and all prayers this coming week concerning my weight and also getting back on track with my exercise. :-)

Doing Good!

2008-01-18T13:29:00.000-05:00

I had a pretty good week this week and really didn't have any major cravings or want anything that might throw me off track.

I did the Kick Start again this week and prayerfully I will lose another 2 lbs or so at my next weigh in... which is first thing in the morning (PRAY!!!).

I am really hoping to lose at least another 1.8 lbs... or more... so that not only will I hit my 35 lb mini goal, but my weight will begin with 2 new digits. Sadly, I will lose another daily point, but I really feel like the Kick Start I've been doing will help me to be able to adjust better to having less points.

If I don't lose more than 2 lbs this time, then I will probably continue with the Kick Start at least for the next week or two. If I do lose more than 2 lbs then I will not be able to stay on the Kick Start because WW considers it unhealthy to lose more than 2 lbs for more than 3 weeks in a row.

If I don't get to continue with the Kick Start, then I don't plan on using it again until I hit another plateau. I don't want to use it too much and my body get used to it.

Thanks to everyone who is reading this and praying for me!!! If you are on a similar journey, good luck this next week and I pray that you will succeed at whatever you are trying to accomplish!!! :-)

New Workout... One I've Had For Awhile

2008-01-14T23:49:00.000-05:00

Since DH was working late again and I couldn't get out of the house this afternoon, I decided to try a new workout. I've actually had the DVD for awhile, but have never used it.

I've been doing the Leslie Sansone Walk A Way the Pounds tapes for over a year now and I absolutely love them. I've been doing the 3-mile tape since July or August and even though it's still a great workout, it's really not a challenge anymore.

Earlier tonight, I worked out to Denise Austin's "Ultimate Fat Burner - A Complete Weight Loss Workout" and let me tell you, I am already feeling the results... not seeing anything just yet, just feeling the effects of the workout... the painful ones... LOL

Even though I will more than likely be unable to get out of bed in the morning, this was one of the best workouts I've done in a while! It covered everything from step to kickboxing and even included weight training. It was a 45-minute workout, which is normally how long I work out to my other tapes, but this one was a lot more intense and was one of those workouts where your heart rate goes up and down during the entire workout which I've heard is really great for losing weight.

I've always been a huge Denise Austin fan and, until I discovered Leslie Sansone, I always worked out along with her show and videos... I have more than a few that I will probably be pulling out again. Tonight helped me to remember how great her workouts are and how much I always enjoyed them.

I definitely recommend any of her workouts as well as any of Leslie Sansone's videos/dvds especially if you're unable to get out of the house to exercise or hit the gym.

With all that being said, I am going to go lay down and pray I can move in the morning!!!

Just kidding!!! :-)

Week #33

2008-01-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

Praise God, I did it!!! I lost another 2.8 lbs this week!!!

I not only lost the rest of the weight I gained two weeks ago, I also lost an extra pound!!! So over the last 2 weeks I have lost 5.6 lbs!!! My total weight loss to date is 33.2 lbs!!!

Thanks to everyone who said a prayer for me! God is good!!! :-)

A special thank you to Bev - I received your comment right before I headed out to my weigh in this morning. What an encouragement!!! Thank you so much!!! (((HUGS!!!)))

The big day...

2008-01-11T10:58:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day... again this week!!!

I have done really good this week as far as staying within my point range and I've even started exercising again. I haven't exercised any for the last few weeks because I wasn't losing as much as I wanted to and had even gained a little bit at times. Honestly, even though my clothes were fitting looser, I just needed to see the number on the scales go down!

I did the Kick Start again this week and have only been eating 20 points per day which is 5 pts less than I am usually allowed.

I did this before and lost 4 lbs the first time, but the very next week I gained the 4.6. I'm pretty sure I gained this much because after losing so much I figured it wouldn't hurt to eat a little bit more of my fav foods... which, again, were no-no's!!!

I decided to give it another go last week and lost 2.8 lbs. But, instead of losing focus like I had the first time I lost doing this plan, I decided to stay on track and didn't even splurge last Saturday or Sunday.

Yes, Saturday and sometimes Sundays are what I like to call my "splurge days". I don't go overboard... or try not to... but if there is anything I am craving that week, I eat it on Saturday. If I want to use any of my additional 35 pts that week, I use them on Saturday and sometimes Sunday.

But, not last weekend! I did great!!! I ate only 20 pts per day both days and I've been doing it all this week as well. I am so hoping that this is going to pay off for me!!!

As for Kick Start, it's a new plan WW has come out with. You can try it when you start WW or when you hit a plateau or just want to lose a little bit more. The only rules are that you can't lose more than 2 lbs more than 3 weeks in a row. (A healthy weight loss, according to WW, is between 0.5 and 2 lbs per week.)

Anyway, I have decided to stick with the Kick Start plan until I have lost more than 2 lbs, three weeks in a row. Then I'll only use it when I hit a plateau or gain the week before... prayerfully that will not happen again!!!

I guess I'll know tomorrow morning if it's actually doing me any good or not. I can tell by the way my clothes are fitting that I've probably lost at least a little bit this week... just don't know how much.

I'll be sure to post an update tomorrow... I'm expecting it to be a good one!!! :-)

A Few Additions To The Top Ten Things To Do Before Weigh In...

2008-01-09T00:11:00.000-05:00

- Nurse the baby.
- Clean the lint out of your belly button.
- Leave off the hand lotion - who needs to retain moisture at a time like this?
- Visit the restroom.
- Take off your shoes.
- Take off your work ID badge (Lord knows it weight a few grams)
-Take off your jewelry (we know you love it, but it must weigh a ton!)
- Take off your belt, your socks, your suspenders, etc.
- Empty all of your pockets.
- Visit the restroom, again.
- Exhale and pray!!!
- Get that short, short haircut. (It will grow back.)
- See a sad movie and cry (More water loss).
- Remove underwear. (Nobody will see under those heavy outer garments?!)
- Clean out the ear wax.
- Spit out the gum, it can make the difference....
- Try to balance on one foot when the mentor is not looking.
- Wear no makeup - it weighs something and besides now that you are losing weight you do not need beauty enhancers.

Thanks again, Alicia!!! LOL

The Top 10 Things To Do Before You Weigh In

2008-01-08T11:21:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year where we all dread the scale so here are a couple of tips before you weigh in -

10. Remove nail polish.
9. Clip your toenails.
8. Take the ribbon from your hair.
7. Shave your legs.
6. Loofah your elbows.
5. Trim your split ends.
4. Two words: Bikini wax.
3. Blow your nose.
2. Take out your contacts.
1. Exhale!

(Thanks, Alicia!!! LOL)

"Perfect Weight America" Book Give Away

2008-01-06T21:37:00.000-05:00

Jessie at "Overflow Of A Forgiven Soul" is hosting an awesome book give away -

http://overflowofaforgivensoul.blogspot.com/2008/01/perfect-weight-america-book-giveaway.html

Be sure to visit her blog and enter for a chance to win this neat book!!! :-)

Week #32

2008-01-05T09:31:00.000-05:00

I just got home from my weigh in and I am happy to report that it went a lot better than last week's weigh in!!!

I lost 2.8 lbs this week!!! Praise God!!! That's over half of what I gained last week so I am thrilled!!!

I have to admit that I was very nervous about the weigh in this morning. I had a good week and I knew that I had lost, but after last week...!!!

I will be going to the Y this week and I am really excited about it! I am hoping that all the working out I'm planning on doing doesn't "add" to the scales next weekend, but even if it does I know that eventually everything will even out. :-)

Thanks, Sis!!! :-)

2008-01-04T01:38:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to my sister, Alicia, who also happens to be my weight loss/exercise/accountability partner. She's the one who helps keep me going especially when I feel like giving up!

Her own journey has been such an inspiration to me. To date, she has lost over 30 lbs and has gone from a size 26 to a size 18!!!

Way to go, Alicia!!! :-)

Late Christmas Present!!!

2008-01-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

My wonderful husband surprised me with a membership to the YMCA!!! It's exactly what I wanted!!!

I am really excited and can't wait to start!!! :-)

Week #31

2007-12-29T18:47:00.000-05:00

After the best weigh in last Sat, I had my worst one earlier this morning - I gained 4.6 lbs! I was floored! I wanted to go home and cry, but I stayed for the meeting anyway.

I am honestly not sure how I gained that much in one week?!?!?! I know it was Christmas and I know I had some pasta (one of my no-no's) and some chocolate (another no-no for me), but I am almost certain I didn't have almost 5 lbs worth!!!

Oh, it would be soooooo easy to be discouraged right now... I'm only seconds from falling apart... but I refuse to give into it and instead I am going to refocus and I'll definitely be trying a lot harder this week!!!

BMI

2007-12-28T04:29:00.000-05:00

Here is an awesome link if you are interested in knowing your BMI (Body Mass Index).

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Since beginning my journey in May, my BMI has dropped 5 1/2 points!!!

God is good!!! :-)

Weeks 28 - 30

2007-12-25T06:37:00.000-05:00

Week 28 - I lost 2.4 lbs ... Praise God!!! I was so glad to finally lose again and more than 2 lbs is awesome!!!

Week 29 - I lost 0.8 lbs ... still praising God!!! Not quite as much as the week before, but still happy to be losing instead of gaining or maintaining!!! :-)

Week 30 - My best week so far!!! Decided to try the new Quick Start program and lost 4 lbs ... Praise God!!! :-) This was the most I've lost in a single week - EVER!!!

Over the last 3 weeks, I lost a total of 7.2 lbs bringing my total weight loss so far to 32.2 lbs!!!!!!

Week #27

2007-12-01T23:26:00.000-05:00

Well, I gained another 0.8 lbs this week! I was shocked when they told me I was up this week because I had done really well... I thought!!! Of course, I did add a Tae Bo workout to my exercise program this week and every time I do more than my 3 mile walk, I gain. Who knows???

I have to admit that I was really disappointed this morning! That's one reason I waited until tonight to add this entry. I was upset earlier and I know if I would've posted this morning before I had time to take it to the Lord, this post would be totally different and would be a little (ok, maybe a lot) on the negative side!!!

It is so frustrating when you do everything you know to do and things don't work out like you thought they would! That seems to be the story of my life right now, but over the course of today, I've decided that I'm not going to let it get me down!!!

I know that I have two options -

1.) I can quit now, gain it all back and eventually gain even more.

OR

2.) I can NOT dwell on what the scales said this morning and instead focus on my long term goal. I can dwell on this time next year and know that if I keep on keeping on, I will achieve my goal and what took place this morning will be either a distant memory or something I won't even remember anymore.

So, I have decided NOT to be discouraged and try even harder this week. I don't care if I do gain more because I know that this journey is in God's hands and if I continue to be obedient, seek after Him and rely on His strength instead of my own, as soon as I've learned and experienced everything He wants me to, then I will achieve this goal!

I know that it's going to take awhile and it may be even harder at times, but I know who is in control and I know that His timing is perfect!!! :-)

Please Pray... :-)

2007-11-30T14:05:00.000-05:00

I have my weekly weigh in in the morning and wanted to ask anyone who might be reading this to please pray for me!!! :-)

I've actually had a pretty good week this past week! I stayed within my points, I exercised 3X (45 min) and I've drank all my water this week!!! I am praying that I will see definite results this week!!!

I really need prayer to stay encouraged and motivated as I strive to reach my goal weight. It seems so easy at times, but lately especially, it has been a little bit tough!!!

Thanks in advance for any and all prayers!!! :-)

Thought this was funny -

2007-11-29T07:49:00.000-05:00

Ain't it the Truth!!!

A woman goes to the doctor for her yearly physical. The nurse starts with certain basic items.

"How much do you weigh?" she asks. "115," she says. The nurse puts her on the scale. It turns out her weight is 140.

The nurse asks, "Your height?""5 foot 8," she says. The nurse checks and sees that she only measures 5' 5".

She then takes her blood pressure and tells the woman it is very high.

"Of course it's high!" she screams,"When I came in here I was tall and slender!Now I'm short and fat!"

Week #26

2007-11-24T19:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I gained 0.4 lb this week... not really surprising because this was Thanksgiving week, but kind of surprising because I actually thought I did pretty good. Of course, looking back now I realize there's probably a couple of things I shouldn't have done... :-)

Note to self:
- Do not have more than a few fries and track them as only a couple.
- Do not track a 13 pt cheeseburger for only 11 points and count the "couple of fries" you ate using the additional 2 points. OOPS!
- Do NOT eat these things in the middle of the week (Wed night) when your weigh-in is early Saturday morning.
- Do NOT eat Thanksgiving leftovers at your mother's house the day before your weigh-in... especially if she is an excellent cook!!!
- Do NOT eat pecan pie on the day before the weekly weigh-in... even if it is "just a little bit"!!!
- Do NOT exercise after 8 pm the night before the weigh-in... builds muscle... which can make you weigh a little bit more!!!

Luckily, I did really well staying within my points all week and staying extra busy the first part of the week! :-)

Thanksgiving Breakfast Quiche

2007-11-19T15:52:00.000-05:00

I got this recipe at my last WW meeting and am planning to make this for breakfast on Thanksgiving.

1 Cup - FAT FREE Cottage Cheese

1/2 cup - Shredded Cheese

3 Eggs

2 oz Ham OR 2 tbsp crumbled Bacon

Mix ingredients together. Pour into a pie plate that has been sprayed with Pam or other cooking spray.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Serves 4. (Each serving = 4.5 pts)

Week #25

2007-11-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

I lost 0.8 lbs this week bringing my total weight loss so far to 26.2 lbs - PRAISE GOD!!! Thanks to everyone who said a prayer for me this week!!! :-)

Week #24 (6 Months!!!)

2007-11-11T21:14:00.001-05:00

Well, I now know that when I finally reach my goal I should have NO problems maintaining my weight!!!

Yes, once again, I have maintained!!! No Gain, but no loss!!! This is my fourth time!!! :-)

Maintaining is bittersweet! It's great that I didn't gain anything, but it would've been nice to see a loss this week!!!

I will definitely be working harder this coming week... especially after this weekend - OOPS!!! :-) lol

Besides maintaining this week, I am also celebrating the fact that I have been going to WW for 6 months now and an overall 25.4 lb weight loss since beginning! PRAISE GOD!!!!!

Week #23

2007-11-03T09:07:00.000-04:00

I only lost 0.2 lbs this week due to eating more chocolate than I should have! LOL I am praising God anyway because any weight loss is better than no weight loss! :-)

I only exercised 2x this week so maybe I would've lost a little more had I gone that extra mile... literally.

I did find out something very interesting this morning that has motivated me to exercise even more. Here's what I learned and I quote - "if you do not exercise during the weight loss process, you will lose muscle instead of fat." I learned this from a link we got at our meeting this morning. You can read more at: http://www.thewwchick.com/ - click on the About Me link.

Luckily, I have been exercising since before I started WW and now I'm probably going to step it up a little bit more. I have started noticing a little bit more muscle definition overall especially in my arms and legs. I am praying those stomach muscles will shape up a lot more real soon! LOL

As for exercising, I usually walk along with the Leslie Sansone videos as well as walking without the tapes and riding my exercise bike. I have begun using 2-lb hand weights while walking, too.

I am planning on adding pilates within the next week or two as soon as I get an exercise mat (I have hardwood floors... OUCH!). I actually purchased the Windsor pilates dvds a little over a year ago and, honestly, I haven't really been all that excited about trying it out until now.

I am so not looking forward to the sore stomach muscles to begin with, but I am looking forward to the end result! Thankfully, the Leslie Sansone videos I've been using lately not only includes walking, but other exercises that work you upper body. I am praying my upper body has been conditioned enough so that I won't be too sore to start with. Please pray for me!!! :-)

That's about it for this week. I will be striving for a bigger weight loss!!! With God's help I know that all things are possible!!!

Week #22

2007-10-27T23:40:00.000-04:00

I lost one pound this week bringing my total loss to 25.2 lbs - Praise God!!! :-)

Week #21

2007-10-20T10:05:00.000-04:00

I only lost 0.2 lbs this week, but considering the week I've had, this is really good.

I haven't been feeling well since Wednesday and didn't exercise at all this week. I also had ice cream (sore throat!) almost every day this week as well as a lot of junk food like hot dogs and pizza.

Honestly, I figured that I had probably gained and was praying that I had at least maintained so I am not complaining!!! :-)

Week #20

2007-10-15T15:27:00.000-04:00

I lost another 1.4 lbs this past week bringing my total loss to 24 lbs! Praise God!!! :-)

Another Week ...

2007-10-09T15:24:00.000-04:00

I weighed in Saturday morning and I have lost another 1.8 pounds... PRAISE GOD!!! ... bringing my total weight loss to 22.6 lbs!

I am so thankful because I was sure I had hit some sort of plateau. About 4 weeks ago I lost over 2 lbs, the next week I maintained (meaning I didn't lose or gain), the next week I gained 0.8 lbs and then I maintained again the following week. This normally wouldn't have surprised me, but I had started working out even more than before. I was working out for at least 1-1.5 hrs and staying within my point range every day so I have to admit that I was shocked that I wasn't losing anymore.

I have been measuring myself once a month since beginning WW in May and so far I've lost a total of 15 inches. Praise God!!!

Before I close, I wanted to mention that on Sunday afternoon I actually wore a pair of shorts that I had gotten over three years ago and have never been able to wear. What a wonderful sense of accomplishment it was!!!

The Journey Has Begun...

2007-10-01T15:32:00.000-04:00

My journey so far has been a tough, but rewarding. To date, I have lost 20.8 lbs. I am using the Weight Watchers program as well as exercise.

I decided to start a new blog that will focus mainly on my journey to get healthy and fit. I hope that it will not only keep me motivated, but that it might be an encouragement to someone else who has decided to travel the same road.