stupid steroids!

As I said last week, I managed to get sick and had to take both

antibiotics and steroids for the last few weeks.

At first, it was just a pound that I seemed to re-gain, however now, it's four total that

I ended up gaining back....making me 196 at the current moment.

All of which I am not the least bit happy about.

Of course, I'm no longer feeling cruddy and coughing non-stop,

nor do I feel like I can't catch my breath....so I guess I shouldn't really be complaining.

Things could be a whole lot worse.

you know, more important life things....like

dealing with flooding,

evacuating from a hurricane,

being pelted with rain.

So in the grand scheme of things....

a little bit of back tracking on the weight loss wagon, isn't so terrible after all.

Just need to work a little harder next time, right?

God Bless our southern neighbors!!! Be safe!

Until next time.....

My Stats

Starting weight -   Jan. 16, 2017 ---  212

                             Jan. 23, 2017 ---  207

                             Jan. 30, 2017 ---  208

                             Feb. 06, 2017 --- 207

                             Feb. 13, 2017 --- 206

                             Feb. 20, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 08, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 29, 2017 --- 202

                              Apr. 24, 2017 --- 200

                             May 17, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun. 19, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun. 27, 2017 --- 197

                           July 05, 2017 --- 197

                           July 12, 2017 --- 195

                           July 19, 2017 --- 193

                           Aug. 22, 2017 --- 192

                          Aug. 30, 2017 --- 192

                          Sept. 4, 2017 --- 193

                          Sept. 9, 2017 --- 196

**Disclosure ~ I will be receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan.  All opinions herein are my own and not influenced by Nutrisystem.   #ad #sponsored

Catching up again...

Life has been super busy now that school has started.
I imagine, most moms like me are struggling with piles of paperwork,
dealing with cranky kids and homework, getting dinner done in a timely manner, etc.

It's not easy....but then again, is it ever?

That being said, as most of you know, I am entering my first year
as a preschool assistant teacher....enter the germs.

I ended up getting sick the very first week - ugh!

I was prescribed antibiotics and steroids again - for my asthma.

I'm starting to feel much better now...thank goodness.

but those damn steroids give me the munchies, every damn time.

thankfully, I haven't gained too much, just a pound so far and I'm hoping it stays that way.

I'm also hoping that the sickies will stay away....far, far away.

until next time.....

My Stats

Starting weight -   Jan. 16, 2017 ---  212

                             Jan. 23, 2017 ---  207

                             Jan. 30, 2017 ---  208

                             Feb. 06, 2017 --- 207

                             Feb. 13, 2017 --- 206

                             Feb. 20, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 08, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 29, 2017 --- 202

                              Apr. 24, 2017 --- 200

                             May 17, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun. 19, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun. 27, 2017 --- 197

                           July 05, 2017 --- 197

                           July 12, 2017 --- 195

                           July 19, 2017 --- 193

                           Aug. 22, 2017 --- 192

                          Aug. 30, 2017 --- 192

                          Sept. 4, 2017 --- 193

**Disclosure ~ I will be receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan.  All opinions herein are my own and not influenced by Nutrisystem.   #ad #sponsored

ups, downs, and in betweens

Well, I finally did it

The ever, elusive twenty pound goal

Yep, twenty pounds - finally.

It feels like it took forever, and well in my mind it did.

But, it was worth it.

Yes, I can say that now.

I think sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in the big picture.

Sometimes, we just need a reminder to slow down and take the baby steps
no matter how hard it may be.

My Stats

Starting weight -   Jan. 16, 2017 ---  212

                             Jan. 23, 2017 ---  207

                             Jan. 30, 2017 ---  208

                             Feb. 06, 2017 --- 207

                             Feb. 13, 2017 --- 206

                             Feb. 20, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 08, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 29, 2017 --- 202

                              Apr. 24, 2017 --- 200

                             May 17, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun. 19, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun. 27, 2017 --- 197

                           July 05, 2017 --- 197

                           July 12, 2017 --- 195

                           July 19, 2017 --- 193

**Disclosure ~ I will be receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan.  All opinions herein are my own and not influenced by Nutrisystem.   #ad #sponsored

making progress

I'm so pleased to be making progress

I'm down another two pounds

Unbelievable!!!

I'm only one little pound away from losing 20 whole pounds

since I started using Nutrisystem. 

Remember, I did lose a little bit a weight before I started

using Nutrisystem.  When I first started trying to lose

weight I actually weighed 220 pounds.

However, my official starting weight

since starting Nutrisystem's diet program was 212 pounds.

To be totally honest, I have no idea what I'm

doing that is making a difference, but I'm

praying that it continues to work,

because it feels fantastic to actually be losing weight

and seeing the numbers on the scale go down.

I think a lot of it may just be the fact that I stopped

stressing out about it

I've been practicing yoga almost daily, which

helps me relax as well as helps me practice my breathing

(which is a major thing for my asthma - and it's helped some with that too).

I have been more active as well.

Not really exercising per say,

but I'm not just lounging around on my couch

like a slug, watching television all day.

That might be helping a bit as well.

Whatever it is, I'm not complaining that's for sure!

I can't really notice much of a difference in how I look,

but I figured I would share a recent picture, especially since I lost almost 20 pounds.

The picture on the left was taken the day I started the program.

                                   

                              212 pounds                                                                    193 pounds

My Stats

Starting weight -   Jan. 16, 2017 ---  212

                             Jan. 23, 2017 ---  207

                             Jan. 30, 2017 ---  208

                             Feb. 06, 2017 --- 207

                             Feb. 13, 2017 --- 206

                             Feb. 20, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 08, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 29, 2017 --- 202

                              Apr. 24, 2017 --- 200

                             May 17, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun. 19, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun. 27, 2017 --- 197

                           July 05, 2017 --- 197

                           July 12, 2017 --- 195

                           July 19, 2017 --- 193

**Disclosure ~ I will be receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan.  All opinions herein are my own and not influenced by Nutrisystem.   #ad #sponsored

all in due time....

Sometimes it feels like forever before you start seeing

any type of results when it comes to weight loss.

It gets so frustrating that people often give up and quit.

But if you have just enough patience to wait it out

and keep trying, eventually the scale will budge.

That reminds me of the Winnie the Pooh classic movie

where Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit's hole

All his friends pull and push and Pooh just won't budge.

After given some time, he finally does it

a small budge...may not be much....but it's just enough to give you the hope you need to keep going.

I got that little bit of budge this week.

After being stuck at 197 for what feels like forever...

the scale finally budged.

I lost two pounds.

Go me!

just when you want to throw in the towel and give up,

a little bit of hope glimmers in the darkness.

My Stats

Starting weight -   Jan. 16, 2017 ---  212

                             Jan. 23, 2017 ---  207

                             Jan. 30, 2017 ---  208

                             Feb. 06, 2017 --- 207

                             Feb. 13, 2017 --- 206

                             Feb. 20, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 08, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 29, 2017 --- 202

                              Apr. 24, 2017 ---  200

                             May 17, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun. 19, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun. 27, 2017 --- 197

                           July 05, 2017 --- 197

                           July 12, 2017 --- 195

**Disclosure ~ I will be receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan.  All opinions herein are my own and not influenced by Nutrisystem.   #ad #sponsored

the number forty

Finally made a break through and lost a pound this week - and then,

I gained it back....sigh!

Well, that's just par for the course, right?

I never believed the women who said losing weight after 40 is harder than when you are younger.

I sure believe them now.

Although I did seem to have it somewhat easier at 40 than I do five years later, at 45.

What is it with that damn number anyway?

Everything seems to start falling apart after 40.

40 - Ugh!

photo found on google images

There's that number again

40

in some ways life does get better once you turn 40

-you no longer give a crap about what other people think of you-

-you learn to accept yourself - faults and all-

-your skin looks and feels amazing - despite the wrinkles-

-you can do incredibly stupid things and not feel stupid for doing them-

-you seem to laugh more - at others, but especially at yourself-

-you have resiliency, you bounce back, and learn that if you really want something bad enough, you never, ever give up trying-

-you don't take life as seriously as you once did-

-you feel stronger, like you can overcome and conquer anything thrown your way-

-you no longer fear speaking in public - mostly because you don't care what others think of you-

-you realize that life is about taking chances, dancing in the rain, and knowing that you shouldn't take it for granted-

but in a lot of ways, life after 40, gets a little more complicated.

-your hormones start to change in your 40's-

-you get your boobs squished for your first of many mammograms at 40-

-you have new rolls on your midsection...rolls, that you didn't even know existed and it happens virtually overnight...like black voodoo magic.  You go to bed without them and wake up in the morning and hello - new belly roll....Like, where does it comes from-

ok, getting back on track...what else sucks about life after 40, you ask?

-your eyesight starts to go after 40...hello bifocals or reading glasses-

-it takes you literally forever to recover from any type of strenuous activity...vacation, long weekend off work, a night of drinking...ok, maybe that's just me....seriously, though!-

-you start to forget things or misplace things...and start googling for dementia symptoms-
-you enter the "menopausal" years....sounds pleasant, doesn't it?-

and the worst offender of all...gravity.....need I say more?

So what does this all have to do with my weight loss?

Eh, maybe nothing, maybe everything.

Maybe I'm just making excuses for not being able to lose

a simple, single pound.

I have an easier time losing my car keys, phone, or marbles, than I do at losing weight

BUT....

That doesn't mean that I'm going to quit trying.

I'm stronger than I think

I also never give up.

I don't give up if I want something bad enough

And a healthy lifestyle?

Yeah, I want that bad!

So, I'll keep trying.

I'll drink more water, I'll walk a little more, and I'll keep the faith.

faith in God and in myself.

I can do this!!

and you can too.

If you are following my journey - keep rooting for me

and I'll do the same for you.

In the meantime, check out this super yummy dinner by Nutrisystem.

Mmmm, doesn't that look delicious!?

And guess what - there's only 200 calories per serving.

and you feel full after you finish eating it.

The best part is - you don't have to cook!!

Until next time...

**Disclosure ~ I will be receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan.  All opinions herein are my own and not influenced by Nutrisystem.   #ad #sponsored

sweet summery drink recipes - plus a few little tips and other tidbits

Another week and I'm still stuck, but I have hope that things will change soon.

Never Give Up!

(that's one of my personal mottos)

It can be hard sometimes, when you are stuck and the scale won't budge,

but the important thing is to never give up.

Keep trying

(stay motivated - ask family and friends to help motivate and encourage you)

Change your diet a bit

(try eating your larger meals earlier in the day
or in the case of Nutrisystem food - switch your lunch with your dinner)

Walk a little longer

(try to go a little farther each day - or 5-10 mins. longer than the day before)

Find a partner or a workout buddy
(because everyone needs some encouragement and it's harder to say no to exercise if you have someone else counting on you to show up)

Drink more water
(caffeinated drinks can dehydrate you.  water helps make you feel full)

Eat a little more

(sounds crazy, but increasing some of your calorie intake

sometimes shakes your body up - giving it the boost it needs)

Now saying that - I'm not talking about eating that huge piece of chocolate cake you had your eye on

(although indulging once in a while is fine)

What I mean by increasing calories is eat another serving of veggies or something like that.

The point is, if you don't meet all your calorie requirements, your body may go into starvation mode.  Which means it will start storing fat because you body thinks you are starving it.

One such way to add a few extra calories - although I need to add a disclaimer here

normally, you shouldn't drink your calories....however, if you need a calorie boost now and then

you can do it by mixing up a fun, fruity drink.

Here are a few delicious drink recipes that were recently shared on Nutrisystem's website - the leaf.

Energy Smoothie

Photo is property of Nutrisystem

Servings: 2
Counts as 1 Smart Carb and 1 Extra

Ingredients:

1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup strawberries
1/2 banana
2 tsp honey
6 ice cubes

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender.
Puree until smooth.

My review: 

* This drink was delicious.  I really liked it.  As far as energy though, I'm not sure if it was this drink or the coffee that I had around the same time that gave me a little boost.  I will definitely be making this one again.

Kiwi Strawberry Slushie

YouTube Video property of Nutrisystem and can be found on the Nutrisystem channel

Servings: 1

Counts as 1 Smart Carb

Ingredients: 

1 cup ice

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1 medium kiwi, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 TBS lemon juice

1/2 cup water

1 packet Truvia natural sweetener

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients into a blender or food processor

Blend until ice is completely crushed and fruit is blended

My review:
*While, I enjoyed the flavor of this drink, all the little seeds from the fruit made it a bit too gritty (texture wise) for me.  Overall though, I liked it, but those darn seeds - ugh!! 

Here's a link to a few more refreshing summertime slushies....I haven't personally tried all of them, but they look super yummy!

4 Guilt-Free Summer Slushies

Kiwi Strawberry Slushie (recipe posted above)

Photo is property of Nutrisystem

Orange Mango Slushie

Photo is property of Nutrisystem

Raspberry Lemonade Slushie

Photo is property of Nutrisystem

Orange Creamsicle Slushie

Photo is property of Nutrisystem

I haven't personally tried the last three slushies that I mentioned,

but they sound really good and they are added to my list of must tries.

I haven't shared any recent pictures of myself lately....mostly because I just feel so uncomfortable with how I look (as I know most you who also struggle with weight loss must feel at times).

But, here goes....

All I can say is I'll share this and others in the hopes that better ones will come soon enough!

For now, I'll keep celebrating the little victories, such as in total so far, I have lost

15 pounds on Nutrisystem and 23 pounds overall.

It hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it.

My Stats:

Starting weight -   Jan. 16, 2017 ---  212

                             Jan. 23, 2017 ---  207

                             Jan. 30, 2017 ---  208

                             Feb. 06, 2017 --- 207

                             Feb. 13, 2017 --- 206

                             Feb. 20, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 08, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 29, 2017 --- 202

                              Apr. 24, 2017 ---  200

                             May 17, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun 19, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun 27, 2017 --- 197

**Disclosure ~ I will be receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan.  All opinions herein are my own and not influenced by Nutrisystem.   #ad #sponsored

catching up

It's been a few weeks since I last checked in.

I haven't lost any weight during that time,

but I did manage to score a job right out of college.

which in these days is no easy feat.

It feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

And because it's a job that I really love

being surrounded by happy smiles and lots of hugs

(aka - teaching pre-k kids)

A lot of stress has evaporated from my life.

Which hopefully means that less stress will help make it a little easier to lose weight 

as stress is so horrible when it comes to your health, not just when you are trying to lose weight.

Everything can get out of whack when you are dealing with stress.

Also, now that I'm no longer in college and I'm off work until this fall, I can totally
concentrate on relaxing (well, at least as much as a mom of 6 can relax )
and work on my physical health (more exercise).

Until next time here's my tally so far.

Starting weight -  Jan. 16, 2017 ---  212

                             Jan. 23, 2017 ---  207

                             Jan. 30, 2017 ---  208

                              Feb. 06, 2017 --- 207

                              Feb. 13, 2017 --- 206

                              Feb. 20, 2017 --- 204

                              Mar. 08, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 29, 2017 --- 202

                             Apr. 24, 2017 ---  200

                             May 17, 2017 --- 197

                            Jun 19, 2017 --- 197

**Disclosure ~ I will be receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan.  All opinions herein are my own and not influenced by Nutrisystem.   #ad #sponsored

"ONEderland"

What is Onederland?

It means, I am officially out of the two hundred range...and in the one hundreds

there is now a number 1 at the beginning of my weight, instead of a 2.

yippeee!

Want some more awesome news?

I am an official college graduate now.

Yep, that's right, I finished my bachelor's degree and I graduated college with honors (by the way).

Great things are happening around here and I'm so excited.

I'm hoping that I will have more news to share soon,

but for now - you can join my celebration of

graduating college and losing three pounds since I last checked in.

Say what???

Yep, three pounds lost - despite all the end of the semester stress eating,

and all the celebratory drinks and dinners that I enjoyed.

Now, I'm working on getting back on track, as my life is becoming more "normal"

and hopefully, I will be able to follow more of a schedule of healthy eating and finding time to exercise.  With summer around the corner, I'm positive things will be looking up.

Starting weight -  Jan. 16, 2017 ---  212

                             Jan. 23, 2017 ---  207

                             Jan. 30, 2017 ---  208

                              Feb. 06, 2017 --- 207

                              Feb. 13, 2017 --- 206

                              Feb. 20, 2017 --- 204

                              Mar. 08, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 29, 2017 --- 202

                             Apr. 24, 2017 ---  200

                             May 17, 2017 --- 197

**Disclosure ~ I will be receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan.  All opinions herein are my own and not influenced by Nutrisystem.   #ad #sponsored

down 2 more pounds

I'm so excited

I lost two more pounds!!

I have about three more weeks left of this semester

and then I will graduate - woohooo!

Because it is the end of the semester

and I am graduating, it has been super busy here.

I have been updating my resume, requesting recommendation letters from my professors,

finishing up the last of my course assignments, studying for finals....the list is endless

or it certainly feels that way.

It's been a little difficult balancing everything - plus my diet, but I'm trying.

It's a process...I know everyone says that, but it's true.

While it feels and seems like I gained weight rather quickly, it didn't exactly happen overnight.

So, losing all the weight won't happen overnight either.  Sometimes it's difficult to be patient.

Everyone wants and loves to see results - and in the fast paced, automatic everything world we live in

we expect the weight to just fall off too.  Unfortunately, it doesn't happen that way.

You have to be patient with your body.  Let the diet and exercise do it's work.

In due time, you will start seeing results.

Soon enough you will have friends commenting on how much weight you lost...they will notice all that hard work when the time comes.

In the meantime...

Drink that water

Walk those 30 minutes

Eat your veggies

and

Enjoy the delicious food that fuels your body.

Starting weight -  Jan. 16, 2017 ---  212

                             Jan. 23, 2017 ---  207

                             Jan. 30, 2017 ---  208

                              Feb. 06, 2017 --- 207

                              Feb. 13, 2017 --- 206

                              Feb. 20, 2017 --- 204

                              Mar. 08, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 29, 2017 --- 202

                           Apr. 24, 2017 --- 200

**Disclosure ~ I will be receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan.  All opinions herein are my own and not influenced by Nutrisystem.   #ad #sponsored

ten

Guess who finally hit their ten pound weight loss goal....

this girl right here!

Though it took some time, I finally did it.

The thing to remember here is that the slower it comes off, the longer it should stay off.

This is because as you are losing weight, you are learning the right combos of food and exercise.

One of the many reasons why I love Nutrisystem, is the fact that they really work with you.

Through their website, you have access to message boards - which is great when you need some motivation - having the support of others that are going through the same things you are really helps.

  They also assign you to a nutrition counselor - if it wasn't for my counselor, I think I might have given up a long time ago.  My counselor encourages me to keep going and works with me to find new ways to keep my body guessing what I'm doing....sometimes your body gets used to certain things and it gets comfortable and I guess a bit lazy.  When that happens, your body knows what is coming and decides it is not going to work for it anymore.  By changing things up, from the different foods you eat, the type of exercise, the time of day you exercise, etc., your body has to keep guessing what you are doing to it and this helps keep your metabolism revving - which is a good thing.

I think my biggest motivation for losing weight is my mom.

My mom was so proud of me the last time I lost weight.

She bragged about it to all her friends.

When I was featured in a magazine for my weight loss, my mom bought several copies of it

and showed her friends and anyone else who was nearby.

I miss my mom.  More than any words can say.

Any time, I feel like giving up and throwing in the proverbial towel, I remember

how proud my mom was of me and it encourages me to keep going.

I know my mom wouldn't want for me to give up

and I know that I'm not a quitter.

So, I will continue to work hard and push myself,

not only for me, but for my loved ones as well.

And I know my mom is cheering for me, I may not be able to hear it...but I feel it.

I don't really notice much of a difference in my weight - I feel like I still look the same,

however ten pounds is certainly something to be proud of.

It's ten less pounds that my body is carrying around.

Ten less pounds that my knees and legs don't have to support

My heart and lungs have to work a little less due to the ten pounds.

May not be a visual difference - but there is a physical one.

January 16, 2017 - 212

March 29, 2017

Starting weight -  Jan. 16, 2017 ---  212

                             Jan. 23, 2017 ---  207

                             Jan. 30, 2017 ---  208

                              Feb. 06, 2017 --- 207

                              Feb. 13, 2017 --- 206

                              Feb. 20, 2017 --- 204

                              Mar. 08, 2017 --- 204

                             Mar. 29, 2017 --- 202

**Disclosure ~ I will be receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan.  All opinions herein are my own and not influenced by Nutrisystem.   #ad #sponsored