7 Is My Favorite Number!!!!

 

I have always loved the number 7. It's because I was born on the 7th. I share my birthday with one of my cousins too, which always made me feel extra special! Still does! But this week, I love the number 7 even more....I lost 7lbs my first week on Paleo!!!!! 7lbs baby!!!!! I was so excited to step on the scale on Sunday morning. A bit anxious and nervous, but definitely excited. I was shocked at first....but why?? I did the work and was a very good girl. My old boss used to say, "Nothing beats a failure but a try". Love that saying. It has stuck with me ever since. I certainly beat that failure this week and plan to keep beating it!!!

 

My husband was so extremely supportive the first week. He ate my meals with me and didn't complain once. He actually liked a lot of them! It's easy for us because he has to eat gluten free. He didn't bring sweets into the house at all that week. I know he ate them when I wasn't around, but he wanted to help me. Love him for that!

 

I had a tough time this first week because not only did I decide to change my eating habits, but we were moving. We are actually downsizing from a house to an apartment. Anyone out there feel my pain????!!!!! My question marks and exclamation points should say enough! Yes, we made the choice to move now, rather than wait (we thought we might need to be out by a certain date), but that didn't make it any easier. We are ALMOST done. Still a bit of "stuff" at the house (including my cats), but we are slowly getting there. I got a lot done this evening so I felt like I could sit myself down and write to all of you.

 

I stress eat. Do you? I know some people who actually starve themselves when they are stressed...Did you know there are actually people out there who forget to eat????!!! Weird, I know. Wish I could say I was one of them. But I controlled my stress this week. I still haven't gotten to the gym to exercise but I have been trying to faithfully read the word. God is the most amazing stress reliever! He knows exactly what you need to hear and when you need to hear it.

 

There is a lot of sadness around me and my church these days. So much illness and grief....but I know who holds every suffering person in His hands. I give them up to Him in prayer every morning and pray for their well being and health. Please pray with them for me.

 

When we forget about ourselves and focus on others, even for just a minute, miracles can happen.

 

May God bless you on this beautiful Tuesday evening.

 

^"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves." (John 14:11)

 

 

 

Move Over Betty!

 Now, I am no Betty Crocker or Julia Child, but man can I follow directions like nobody's business!! I bought an amazing book this weekend. It should be titled, Paleo for Dufuses. It's a 30 day beginners book. Simple, easy recipes, but so YUMMY! It is actually called The 30 Day Guide to Paleo Cooking by Hayley Mason and Bill Staley.Paleo Book (Barnes & Noble) (Clink on the link to the left and it will take you to the Barnes & Noble site...sorry, no amazon, my hubby works for B&N College. We must support our own!

I have been thoroughly enjoying cooking for the past two days. Anyone who knows me well, knows that must be a joke! My friends have nicknamed me "The Angry Chef". Heehee  But these recipes, while they may have quite a few ingredients, are manageable and sooooo tasty! For breakfast I had Green Eggs and Ham in honor of Dr. Seuss! It consisted of turkey ham, two fried eggs covered with a kale pesto and a side of avocado. That kept me full until about 11am (I ate at 6:30am). I had a banana for a snack (BANANA! That's a private joke....Hopefully they read my blog and get a chuckle!). I had a salad for lunch, an apple with cinnamon when I got home, and then this final dish below for dinner. Seasoned chicken thigh topped with tomato, avocado, Dijon Mustard and wrapped in lettuce. The side was a sweet potato concoction with bacon (I could do without the bacon though...too salty).

Now I know they don't look exactly like the cookbook but Erick really enjoyed the dinner. We ate at 6:30pmish and my belly is still full! THIS IS NOT A DIET!!! YOU ARE NOT MEANT TO STARVE YOURSELF! (Was that loud enough for ya?)

I am pleased with my first two days.....363 more to go!

I am praying that my body won't need to snack when I drop enough weight and my blood sugar goes back to normal. I have had too many issues with this in the past few years.

Check back soon for my first full week's results. I know I won't lose too much because I am not exercising enough. Erick and I are moving back to an apartment on Saturday; therefore, my life is consumed with getting ready for that!

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love" (1 John 4:8)

Good night and God Bless!

The Last Supper.....No, Seriously.....

Looks good, doesn't it? Jack Daniels Burger with cheese and bacon and french fries! Yum! That was my last greasy, I don't care what I eat, meal.

I broke a cardinal rule eating that yesterday. No, I didn't finish it all. It was too much! But, I ate it past 9:00pm! AHHH!!!! Bad girl, I know!

My husband (Erick) and I have been working on our new apartment. We tend to put a lot of energy into one project. Erick doesn't like to cut corners. It makes him crazy. So....we have been painting and cleaning like mad men (and women ;) I began my day there at 10am, then left to attend the funeral of an amazing woman who is in a wonderful place with her Father. Sheri, you will be missed! Got back around 2:30pm. Left the apartment around 6pm, I fell on the ice (feeling better today but quite stiff), went to PA to get something for a dear friend at Barnes & Noble along with a Paleo book for myself (even though there is a ton of info on the web, I like to open a book), then to Lowe's to get some things for the apartment, and then finally to dinner.

There were numerous choices in front of me. Thank you America! An aside: Do you know that we complain about having too many choices on a menu: "I don't know what to pick, there is just so much to choose from!", but then go to a restaurant that has only one sheet of menu items and we still complain! What is wrong with us?????

OK, back to my choices. I actually started thinking with a Paleo mind, even though I knew what I was getting. What can I order, substitute, and still eat clean? There was actually quite a few choices. You see, eating out is not all that bad. While Erick and I do prefer to eat in (doesn't always happen with our schedules), you can make good choices. But that's exactly it, you must make a choice!

When I think of choices, I think of the best one I have made. No, it's not the Paleo diet silly....It's to follow my Lord and Savior and give my life to Him. If I have given my life to Him, I must treat my body as a temple that houses the Holy Spirit. You want your body to be healthy then, right? After all, if He is housed within us, why wouldn't we treat ourselves with such love? Think about it.....

While you chew on that (see what I did there :), I am going to chew on my breakfast. I woke up very late (slept over 8 hrs. even with moving the clocks ahead!) so I will not go to the store until after church. Eggs and fruit it is my friend....I have a feeling that will become a staple in the am for me. ;)

I pray you find this Lord's day to be glorious!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

The Day Has Come!

Do you see that girl to the left? Yup, the thin and healthy one? That will be me again in due time. I don't love the person I was during that time of my life, but man do I love how I looked! I know some of you can relate. I don't want everyone getting the wrong idea. I am not overly concerned with my outward appearance....but do you have any idea what being so overweight does to your insides?? Can I get an Amen from those who are with me on this? I want to be able to look in a mirror and not cry. I will be able to climb Mt. Washington with my husband (we will talk about that later :) I want to go clothes shopping without being nervous. I will workout without getting exhausted right away. I want to wear a dress again without being self conscious. I will love who I am both inside and out.

Tomorrow, I begin my journey. I clean out my cabinets (I had a hard time spelling cupboards. Heehee) and I go grocery shopping. Am I nervous? YUP! Do I feel like I might fail? YUP! But the better question is, "Am I going to fail?" That, my dears, is a big fat NO!

I ask for your well wishes, thoughts, but most of all prayers as I head out into the unknown. As I come to every obstacle, please pray for strength for me. As I come up against those who want to sabotage my efforts, pray for the will power to say no. As I learn something new, pray for wisdom and discernment. When I falter, please pray with me and not laugh at me.

I hope you are as excited as I am to begin this journey and become the "me I know I can be"!

Love to you all!

"Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you" (Proverbs 4:25)

Naysayers Beware!

Isn't it funny how the naysayers come running as soon as you try something new? I have heard a few things today...."That sounds horrible", "Why would you want to put yourself through that?", and "I don't believe in all of that stuff". Everyone tells you how you should lose the weight, how what you are doing is not right for you, or good for you, or not fun. Thanks for the encouragement from those who gave it. To those who had something negative to say.....well, I still love you, I am just choosing to ignore the negativity from this point forward. I was feeling a little defeated this afternoon and I haven't even begun!!!! That is gone. 

People look at my life and think that it should be easy for me to control my eating habits. After all, I have three degrees, an amazing career, a wonderful marriage, a furry family.....So I have it altogether, why can't I do this one simple thing? I can see it on so many faces...."What's wrong with her? Why can't she just control it? She's so tough in other areas of her life." I don't have it altogether. Outside appearances can be extremely deceiving. I put on a good face when I need to. Haven't you, at one time or another?

There are two things that I know I must practice in order to be healthy and successful:

1. Self control

2. Inner peace

The latter is not as hard as the first. It's strange. I can practice self control all day long, but when it comes to food, not so much! Some are astonished by this. They see food as fuel and that's it. I enjoy food. I might not enjoy cooking it, but I certainly enjoy eating it. It feels good to admit these things in a public forum. Not that it isn't obvious by looking at me! ;)

The latter has to come completely from our Lord. He is my peace and my strength. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I can do all things.....And finding peace within myself is just what I must do, through Him.

So I say to the naysayers, beware!!! I will prove you wrong......

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

 P.S.--I apologize now for all of the grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and terrible use of adverbs. ;)

Yup, that's me. The sweater is beautiful (thank you Aunt Nancy) but the smiling girl, not feeling so beautiful! See that double chin? It's a family curse! Yes, beauty is much more than an outside appearance, but looking and feeling great are not bad things to strive for! (I apologize now but I am an exclamation point junky! :)

So here I am, on my first blog, and probably my last. I am not a writer, but I thought it would be fun to post my journey. I may not have any followers and I may have one. That's quite alright! Maybe I can just call this an online journal!

I am embarking on a scary journey. One that I know many people have already embarked on. It's menacing and nerve wracking. It's called "weight loss". Heard that expression? Yup, it's surrounded me and been stuck in my head for my entire life! Seriously, my entire life! I began my life with a nickname that some find adorable. "piggy", yes, you heard me correctly. "Piggy". I have also been called "meathooks" because of my fat arms. Nice, right? Well they were endearingly bestowed upon me by my big brother. He is the only one allowed to call me that and live. :)

My nicknames are true to who I am. I will admit it, I am a pig when it comes to food. I won't turn my nose up to many things and I certainly overeat and stuff myself to oblivion. I repulse myself just saying it. I believe I have turned to food in this way throughout my life to feed my stress. Sad, but true. I have tried many, many fad diets. I have lost tons of weight and gained it all back. I am at the heaviest I have ever been. UGH! Why? Because I lack a Biblical principle called "self-control". It is even a fruit of the spirit. Now, if I have the spirit living in me, where is that self control????? It's in me, just not when it comes to food. I am a glutton of the highest measure and I sin on a daily basis when I eat too much and give into temptation.

Well that has to stop. I don't want to just look pretty (c'mon ladies, who doesn't?). I want my husband to see the woman he married. I want to feel good about myself. I want to enjoy shopping again (I LOATHE IT!). I want to manage my PCOS (Polycistic Ovary Syndrome) and not let it manage me. Most of all, I want to honor God in my choices. 

I have heard all about this Paleo Diet. It interests me and makes me nervous all at the same time. It also makes a lot of sense. I can't say that about every "diet" I have tried. This is a way of living, not a diet. So here I am, ready to do it....not try it! 

This weekend will be the beginning of finding the me I know I can be....the weekend I clean out my cupboards and begin eating clean. 

I pray you enjoy this journey with me and find it amusing, entertaining, uplifting, and downright inspirational! 

I will sign out tonight and will every night with a scripture verse that encourages me and I hope it encourages you...

"I can do all this through Him who gives me strength" Philippians 4:13