{The incredible shrinking woman....well, sort of}

Hey Everyone! So its been a while since I have updated my Live Well Wednesday! I am still working out and eating healthy and loosing weight slowly but surely. I have lost about 18 pounds to date!!! But why take my word for it when a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Below you will find the first photos that I posted when I weighed 237 pounds!! Next to them you will find me TODAY weighing in at 219 pounds! Can you tell the difference?


Oh, and here is my leg in my jeans. I wore the same ones from the first pictures. They are almost a whole size too big in the waist and they are about 3 sizes too big in the leg!


I want to thank everyone for your continued support in this battle to loose the weight. I hope I can get back into posting more often on this subject, because I know a lot of you all are going through this too! Thanks for letting me share my success thus far! :)

{Live Well Wednesday: Week:9}

Ok, so I totally dropped the ball. Last week was week 8 and I forgot to blog about it! I'm so sorry. It hasn't been a very eventful 2 weeks, I'm just trying to stay on my game, keep eating right and working out. I'm not having a problem with the working out anymore, it just comes naturally most days.

The eating right however....I am really struggling with it! I think because food and I have a love hate relationship. I LOVE food, I HATE what it does to my thighs! So if anyone has some healthy recipes or cooking tips, I would love to hear them. (Yes, a Chef is asking for recipes! I can never have too many!)

So just a weigh in check in, I have lost 13 pounds to date and I couldn't be happier about that! I pray I will never see that 13 pounds ever again!

So how is everyone else doing this week? Getting plenty of water? Doing your workouts?


Oh...and just a little P.S. if you have Time Warner, go to the exercise on demand channel and Jackie Warner from "Workout", Jillian Michales from "The Biggest Looser" and John Spencer Ellis from "The real housewives of Orange County" all have workouts that are AWESOME! Like, you cant walk for three days without your legs giving out and your abs constantly shaking, awesome! Its a great way to give your body a challenge! I have been trying to follow them and LOVE it!

{Live Well Wednesday: Week:7}

Wow! So I have been REALLY behind this week! I am currently designing 15 blogs, 3 logos, and 2 websites, plus I'm trying to get the laundry, grocery shopping, and housework done! Needless to say, my poor blog has been neglected!

BUT....my body has not! Nope, I still have time to exercise and I am SOOOOO excited to share that I FINALLY hit my first 10 pound loss!! That's 40 sticks of butter!! GROSS!!!



So I am glad that its no longer on my body, and I hope I never see it again!! I am now up to a three mile walk 4 times a week, and 2 days a week, I am doing a strength training video from Leslie Sansone. Every once in a while I throw in this ab workout too. Its really easy, so its great for a beginner.


Last week at bible study, all the girls were discussing my workout routine. Our awesome leader, Christy, suggested I get a balance ball to do my ab workout. Does anyone have one? Do you like it? I am thinking it will be less straining on my back and neck, so I might enjoy it more than laying on the floor!

I used to work at a spa here in Austin, the Lake Austin Spa and resort, and they let us take free classes! Well, I LOVED this one that we did a workout with the BOSU.

And let me tell you, a BOSU will KICK YOUR BEHIND!!! Its an awesome workout, but man, it was hard to walk out to my car after the class was done! I highly recommend taking a BOSU class if you ever get the opportunity! :)

So I hope I gave you all some good ideas on how to mix up your routine, get a little change in there every once in a while. It's really easy to get bored and give up! So hang in there!

And just as an added bonus for everyone reading, I calculated that if I loose 50 pounds by this time next year, that will be 200 sticks of butter!! YIKES!!!!!

{Live Well Wednesday: Week:6}

Week 6 baby! but not much change here on the home front, just working on it one day at a time! The jeans that were a little baggy last week actually are really baggy in the leg and butt, and I can put them on and zip them up and they don't squish my stomach! :)

I made a decision to not buy a ton of new clothes as I loose weight. I want it to be a gift to myself when I get to a good size that I go get all new clothes. Plus, who needs a wardrobe of sizes 22 to 10?


So the best thing that happened to me this week, is I did happen to buy a little sweater bolero thingy at Ross, in the JUNIORS DEPARTMENT!! I was very excited! I actually almost bought another one, but it was like $15.99, so I said, no way! lol I'm totally cheap like that.

So that was my personal victory this week....what was yours?

{Live Well Wednesday: Week:5}

Wow, is it really week 5 already? I have been so busy that I even forget how far I have come. Now, I didn't get on a scale this week, so I have no idea if I lost any weight. But, I did put on a pair of jeans that just came out of the washer and dryer and would usually be really snug, but they fit just fine. In fact, the leg area was a little baggy!

So, we have chatted about exercise, we have touched on healthy alternative eating...what else is there? Well, for me, there is what I call PRESSING FORWARD.

"What in the heck is she talking about?"...Well, we have all been there. We all know what it's like to be doing so well, then you go to a friends house and you eat fried chicken and cherry pie for lunch. Then you figure, you blew it for the day, so you stop at Sonic for a burger at dinner. Then the next morning you think you blew all of yesterday, so you should just give up and have that bowl of cocoa crispies and forget all about your new life style!

WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!! Before you do that, remember all of the work you have put in to this. The morning's of sweaty workouts, the eating healthy for a month, the pounds shed on the scale, the feel of your newly washed jeans not touching the backs of your legs!
So what, you ate some chicken and a burger! Now, you will workout and then eat your eggbeaters and fruit and whole grain toast and shut up about quitting!

YOU ARE NOT A QUITTER!

If you stumble, then get back up and try again. Because you WILL stumble. But that's the thing. This is NOT a diet!


It truly is a lifestyle change. If you want some fried chicken, then have A PIECE, not the whole bucket. Then do 20 extra crunches in the morning, or do a 2 mile walk instead of one. Believe me, you will feel better about yourself that you overcame that road hump, and kept moving on. You will feel stronger! And your body will thank you!

Also, remember for every minute you walk, you add two minutes of life expectancy!

{Live Well Wednesday: Week:4}

THE ONE MONTH MARK!!!! WHOO HOO!!
Ok guys, I am so excited about this one month mark. You know they say that if you do a new routine for 21 days that it becomes a habit, well, I am totally there. Eating healthy isn't a challenge anymore and when I get home from dropping off Lagan at school, I don't even hesitate to do my workout. I feel great!

Here is how I know that my body is noticing some difference...
--I don't get winded going up and down the stairs
--My pee is clear (I know that's a little TMI, but I'm drinking plenty of water and my body notices. Which is huge for me since I get like 12 UTI's a year, so this is a huge step!)
--I can do 50 crunches before my abs start to shake like an Earthquake!
--I am sleeping better.

AND.............

I have lost 6 pounds!!

And nothing is coming back! I cant wait until next month, maybe I will be down 12 pounds by then!!

So, I know a lot of you have sent me questions about this routine because you want to follow along with me. Last week, we chatted about working out. This week, I want to chat about food!

Food used to be my best friend. It was my comfort when I was feeling down. My reward for when I did something good. It was always there. PLUS, being a trained french chef (which is like the worst food for you in the world) I LOVE to cook! But I also know a lot about food and what is good and bad for me. So, I took those tools and applied them to my life.

So here is a little sample of my daily meals:


Breakfast:
I USED to have bacon or sausage, cereal (with lots of sugar), 2 or 3 eggs and maybe a bagel or toast.
Some mornings I would even have sweet rolls (like the entire 10 pack) or french toast with butter, syrup and powdered sugar.

NOW I have scrambled egg whites (you can get them at the store in a container, they are really good with bell pepper in them!) with a little fat free or low fat cheese on top. A slice of turkey bacon or turkey sausage, and a fruit. Sometimes I even throw in a whole grain English muffin or whole grain toast with natural peanut butter for extra protein.


For Lunch, I USED to eat out ALL the time! Fast food almost every day. NOW I stay home and make a pita pizza, love that, or a sandwich. (I love the new deep fried turkey from butter ball. Its 98% fat free and low in cal's. But has tons of flavor! Really good!)
I also eat fruit, raw veggies, and cheese at this meal too.
If you put your sandwich in a panini maker or in the George Foreman gill, its even better!!


And then for dinner, I USED to eat chicken fried steak, fried fish, fried chicken. Basically if it was battered and deep fried, I was all over it! I now bake almost everything or use my crock pot. I use my recipes over at The Gourmet Momma because I know whats in them and I know the nutritional information of them.

So the weight is coming off slowly but surly and I don't think it will come back! :) Thanks to everyone for continuing to support me!! I can't wait to check in next week!

{Live Well Wednesday: Week:3}

I can't believe its been 3 weeks already since I started this journey! I am exercising Tuesday-Saturday, I am eating better, and gradually loosing weight! But, I also feel better when I am out running errands, playing with Lagan, and doing chores.

A girl wrote me the other day (I didn't ask if it was ok to put her name here, so I wont) and she asked me what my workout was like?

Well, I have a workout in the morning, and then I do little things throughout the day that help too.

First is my morning workout. When I get home from dropping off Lagan at school, I do "Walk away the Pounds" with Leslie Sansone. I LOVE her! I have been doing WATP for years on and off and they are fun to do. Its not really hard at first, but they do get more challenging as you go. There is a basic 1, 2, and 3 mile walks. Then there are 4 and 5 mile walks. Kick boxing walks, firming walks, walks with weights, FAITH walks, you name it! There is even an entire program for Teens!



Now, I personally LOVE the latest DVD's I have. The first one being the 5-day Fit Walk. This one is AWESOME for adding something new every day. You start with a one mile, then a two mile, then a 30 minute walk (2 miles). Then there is a walk and kick, my favorite, that combines kick boxing and walking. Then the final day is the Power Mile, which is easy, quick, and fun. Its really fast though so its good to do the DVD in succession so you don't get too ahead of yourself! :)



The next DVD that I love is Walking the Walk, and it comes with a book too. In this DVD and book, Leslie walks you through the routine, combined with Praise music. And the book is all about incorporating your faith into your walk. Really amazing stuff.

But I have several other DVD's and they are all just as good!! So I HIGHLY recommend Walk away the Pounds. (Oh, and if you want a preview workout to try...there is a Teen workout that is 1 mile for FREE right here. Click teen mile in the morning.)

The next thing I do after my workout in the morning is when I'm doing the laundry, I run up the stairs and down instead of walking. Sometimes I even do squats as I'm going up. This was REALLY challenging to me at first, but its getting better every day. I also like to keep my feet moving while I'm washing the dishes, so I kinda walk in place like I would in my morning workout.

These little changes are going to make huge changes in my body! I can already tell.

So thanks so much to everyone for sticking by me. I'm going to go eat a healthy breakfast now! :)

{Live Well Wednesday: Week:2}

Its that time again! Live well Wednesday! So, the update for this week...I haven't lost any weight BUT, I have been eating better, smaller portions, less fat, no fried food. And I have also been working out every morning, and I mowed the 5 ft. tall grass which was a workout in its self! hehe



So my goal for the rest of this week until next Wednesday is to continue on this path and hopefully loose at least 1lb. and not eat so much sugar.
Thank you so much to everyone, because you have all be so supportive, and I know you will continue to be!

{Live Well Wednesday: Week 1:}

**Edit: I first want to thank EVERYONE for all of your support! I couldn't do this without you all! Secondly, I weighed in just a few minutes ago and I am starting the journey at 237.6lbs. WOW! Thats a lot! But I will get through this, I will get it off! I am going to church tonight, and will definatly be praying that God can guide me through it!

Hey Everyone!
Ok, so I have been trying to get back on my road of health for a while now, and just couldn't find the motivation. But the other day, I stumbled upon this article, and it completely changed my whole perspective of how I live my life!

So I have decided to get healthy and loose weight the SAFE way, and I want you all to cheer me on! I tend to get a little off the path, so I need people outside of my family that will keep me accountable and not tempt me to stray!

I will not be depriving myself, just making better choices and adding exercise to my daily routine. I am also going to be spending more time with the Lord so as my soul grows, my body will shrink! Let Him increase and me decrease! (Literally!!)

So, here is me being B-R-A-V-E!
I. Am. Scared.
Here is my first "Before Picture" so you can see what I REALLY look like. Totally un-photoshopped, not cropped, full frontal and side body shots from head to toe! And NO...Im not pregnant! LOL!!!

(I haven't weighed myself in quite some time, but I will do it later today and then post that. I am doing this so I am not scared of who I am. I don't want to hide where I am coming from so that when I succeed, I can be proud of myself!)

I'm gonna go cry now....