Archive for April, 2007

Just the facts…..

Posted April 27, 2007 * Comments(22)
things continue to go extremely well for me with the weight loss.  i am on week 15 and my official weight loss total is at 65 lbs. gone.  still quite the long way to go, but that’s ok.  i’ll get there eventually.  i fully anticipate meeting my 2nd mini goal of 270 by this sunday’s weigh in.  that is going to be awesome, 20% of my total beginning weight gone for good!  gonna have to celebrate somehow.  maybe a movie?  i love going to the movies.  although, my hubby did take me out on april 18th to celebrate my 100th day of being op.  so i dunno if i will be able to talk him into taking me out again already.  we’ll see.  other than that, i guess it will just be a quiet day and i will celebrate on the inside, knowing that i have accomplished another goal.
 
i am psyched because i now fit in some jeans that have been sitting in my closet waiting for me to fit into them!  it’s nice!  they fit a little on the loose side, too.  i imagine in about another month or so they will be too big and it’s gonna be wonderful!  i used to be in a size 30, and that was a little snug.  now i’m back in 24’s.  i couldn’t be more pleased with my progress.  i get absolutely giddy to think that by this time next year, i will be a normal sized person again.  i am thinking that by then i will be in a size 10/12 again.  after all these years, it sure will be nice!
 
on to measurements….i neglected to take my initial measurements, to be honest, it just didn’t occur to me to do so.  i started my new way of life on january 7, 2007 and didn’t think to take measurements until february 11, 2007.  so, just over a month went by and i lost 30 lbs. in that time.  i am sure that i lost inches also, but there is no way for me to go back in time for me to measure to know just how many.
 
 
so here are my stats so far:
 
february 11, 2007:                       April 22, 2007
 
weight-  308                              weight-  273  (35 lost)
hips-  58 inches                            hips- 54 inches  (4 lost)
thighs-  28 inches                       thighs-  25 inches  (3 lost)
arms-  18 inches                            arms-  16 inches  (2 lost)
waist-  57 inches                         waist-  51 inches  (6 lost)
belly-  61 inches                          belly-  54 inches  (7 lost)  
bust-  48 inches                           bust-  44 inches  (4 lost)
 
 
 
That all adds up to a combined total of  26 inches lost.  i do take two seperate measurements for my abdomen area because my belly is bigger than my natural waist.  i’ve seen others do that before, and thought it was a good idea.  I didn’t take my measurements at the one month interval like i am supposed to, but 11 days later.  i think that i was just afraid to do so, because what if my loss wasn’t as good as i thought it was?  i was scared.  silly me, i really should’ve known better.
 
Yeah, I’ve got quite a long ways to go, but what progress that is!  it is something to be proud of, that is for sure.  i thank god, always, for the strength and energy he provides me with daily.    it isn’t easy being as active as i am now.  i do struggle with actually wanting to do my daily workouts sometimes.  but i do them.  regardless of how i am feeling, i get off my butt and do my workouts.  every day.  i am always glad that i did.  never once have i said, “Gee, i wish i hadn’t have done my workouts today.”  but i know without a shadow of a doubt that if i missed out on even just one workout in the day, i would be saying, “Damn, i wish i would’ve done my workout today!”

I love this:

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Celebrating today…..

Posted April 18, 2007 * Comments(28)
Today is my 100th day of being OP!!!!

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For 100 days now I have been on plan, I have not sabotaged my weight loss program, I am a success story in progress!? I am thrilled to have gotten this far, and am truly looking forward to the next 100 days of weight loss!? What has gotten me this far is sheer determination and loads of hard work.? Although, I have to admit that I am surprised at how easy it’s been to make this life change.? For so long I truly doubted that this would be possible and now that I am 100 days in, and 62 pounds lighter, I see that it is not only possible but it really isn’t that hard either.? It was a little hard at first, but I stuck to my plan and didn’t let anything get in the way of living my life anew and here I am.? It didn’t take long for my stomach to shrink as it got used to eating like a normal person, and it didn’t take long for my daily exercises to become a habit that I desired greatly.?
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I have had my share of bad days, days where I felt sorry for myself because of things that were going on around me.? Days where I wished I didn’t have to be ‘the fat one’ who needed to exercise and eat regular.? Days where I wanted to go out and buy the 90 count bag of Totino’s pizza rolls and eat the whole damn bag!? But, I didn’t.? There is nothing I want more then to be skinny again, and absolutely NOTHING is going to interfere with my being healthy again!? Whenever I find myself starting to think too much of the bad things, I force myself to stop and count my blessings.? That is what keeps me focused on the good!
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The difference this time around for me, is that I am committed to losing the weight, not merely interested.? If you are committed and determined, there is no end to what you can accomplish.? The following I am quoting from day two of the book entitled, ‘100 Days of Weight Loss’ by Linda Spangle :? Committed means ‘no matter what’.? When you’re truly committed to achieving your goals, you have an entirely different outlook.? Unlike being interested, where it doesn’t take much to detract you from your goals, being committed means you stick with it, no matter what.? Rather than depending on results to help you stay on track, you work on keeping your motivation strong, knowing that results will follow.? You don’t blame circumstances or other people for your struggles.? Instead, you stay on your diet in spite of not having enough money, time or supportive friends and family members.
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Let me ask you, are you committed, or merely interested?? I for one am committed and determined that come hell or high water, I will never give up!
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I believe that I would be remiss here if I did not express my sadness over the tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech.? I pray that the families of the victims and everyone that was hurt by this will feel comfort and be given strength from God to get them through the difficult times ahead.
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I wonder, how many stories are going to be told of heroism from that day?? I have heard of one so far and I thought it worth sharing.? Professor Liviu Librescu, a 76 year old holocaust survivor, used his body as a shield to barricade the door against the gunman so his students could open the windows and escape.? He was then shot to death.? To read the story, click here.? Also, you can Google his name, Liviu Librescu?and see the many pages of information that come up.? This was a man who was an internationally respected?aeronautics engineer, lecturer?and teacher,?and he died a hero, giving up his life for his students.? I am now reminded of my husbands favorite bible verse, ‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.’? -? John 15:13

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I also thought this quote would be appropriate today:
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I believe in the sun even when it is not shining.
I believe in love even when not feeling it.
I believe in God even when he is silent.
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-Anonymous inscription on the wall of a cellar in Cologne, Germany, where Jews hid from the Nazis.
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May you, who happens to be reading this, have a truly wonderful day, realizing the blessings of which you have.
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Can’t think of a title…..

Posted April 16, 2007 * Comments(15)
Don’t much feel like blogging today.  Feeling ok, but…I dunno…. Haven’t been feeling “connected”.
 
Anyway, it’s been awhile since I posted a blog so thought I should.
 
Yesterday, April 15th,  was the 7th anniversary of my dad’s death.  I wonder if ever there will come a time when I will pass by April 15th without realizing it.  I will never get over the irony of “death and taxes”.  My Dad was my most favorite person in the entire world, I miss him tremendously and look forward to seeing him again someday. 
 
I think I got a ticket yesterday for running a red light at an intersection with a camera.  It was one of those things, split decision and I hesitated only to go through the intersection thinking that if I tried to stop I would end up slamming on my breaks, getting rear ended and stuck in the middle of the intersection.  So I went, only to see the camera flash.  I wish I would’ve sped up to get through it quicker…but that hesitation cost me.  I believe it will end up costing me $370!!! 
 
I haven’t had a ticket in almost 18 years.  That was for going 65 MPH on the freeway.  Now the freeway that I was ticketed on has a speed limit of 70, back then it was 55.  I’ve been told by so many people that cops don’t normally give tickets for going 10 MPH over, but I think mine was having a bad day.  Anyway, I guess that getting one ticket after 18 years isn’t all bad.  Still, we can’t afford $370 on something so ridiculously stupid and I wish I could go back to yesterday and speed up to get through the light quicker.  
 
It was kind of hard not being depressed yesterday, but I managed.  Overall I had a good day, I went to bed happy and appreciating the life that God has given me.  My husband didn’t get mad at me for the ticket, he hugged me and made me feel better.  He knew I was having a bad day to begin with just because of it being the anniversary of my Dad’s passing.  I know that if my husband isn’t mad at me and loves me in spite of the stupid things I sometimes do, I can get through anything.  He is simply the best.

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On Wednesday I will be celebrating my 100th day of being OP!  My husband is going to take me out for dinner and a movie!  I am very much looking forward to it.

 
I hope that everyone has an awesome and blessed week!

Another quickie

Posted April 9, 2007 * Comments(21)
I hope that everyone had a very blessed Easter Sunday!

 
Ours went well.  This year it was just us, we didn’t have any family get-togethers or anything.  It was very nice.  At church a woman who hadn’t come in a while came up to me and asked me, “Have you been exercising?  Because you are looking really good!”  How nice it is to hear these things!  They help keep me motivated, that’s for sure! 
 
Last week saw a loss of 5 pounds, which brings me to a total loss of 60 pounds for the past 13 weeks!  On February 25th I saw my first mini goal of 300 pounds met and am now getting excited to b e closing in on my next mini goal of 270 pounds.  I hope to reach this by either the 22nd or 29th of this month at the latest.  I am going to do my damndest to reach it by the 22nd.  When I reach my next mini goal, it will be 20% of my total weight gone!
 
I know it’s a little early to be talking about it, but I really am excited about it.

 
I’m also excited about our switching up of teams for our competition here at BuddySlim!  Change is a good thing!  It keeps us from falling into a rut.
 
Anyway, that’s it from me for now. 
 
 
Bible verse of the day:  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  - Phillipians 4:13



 
Favorite quote of the day:  Pain is weakness leaving the body - Seen on my hubby’s Marine Corps sweatshirt.


 

The voice of truth….

Posted April 4, 2007 * Comments(16)
 
Are you guys familiar with this song?
 
The Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns
 Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I’m in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He’s holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. “Boy, you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win!”

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
The voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they’d have had the strength to stand

But the giant’s calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again. “Boy you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win!”

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don’t seem so high
From on top of them lookin’ down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

This song is what inspired me to finally, once and for all, get my big ol’ butt moving to lose weight.
 
How many times had Satan told me that I wouldn’t be able to do it?  How many times did I listen to him?  I don’t even know, it was that many times!  I actually came to believe that he was right.  Of course, at the time I didn’t know it was Satan grabbing at straws, trying to bring me down.
 
But, now I know.  And I will let nothing bring me down like that again.  I will NOT listen to Satan.  Even when he masquerades around pretending to be a friend, even then I will NOT listen.
 
It is amazing how we can let things get to us so easily.  When we know we’re on the right path, we cannot let others hurt us with their words or their actions. 
 
The friendly competition that I am a part of, the Red vs. Blue challenge, it has been such an incredibly fun way to lose weight.  There has got to be a few rules though, or else it wouldn’t be a competition.  That is why it isn’t for everyone.  Don’t join a “competition” if you can’t actually COMPETE. 
 
It is too bad that a few people took that the wrong way, and it’s an even sadder thing to see the extent that some people are taking it to.  Friendly, intelligent people going to these extremes.  People who say in their blogs that it isn’t right to publicly ridicule others, but are doing so themselves.
 
I guess I just had to get in my two cents here.  For the record, I do wish things hadn’t gotten so out of hand, and this IS the last I will speak of it. 
 
I will choose listen and believe the voice of truth.
 
 
 

Red Hotties have SYNERGY!

Posted April 2, 2007 * Comments(13)
Let me start off by saying CONGRATULATIONS to all my fellow HOTTIES for our win this last week!  I knew we could do it, because we have an AWESOME team of people who are DEDICATED to hard work.  We have SYNERGY and it shows.
 
 
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CONGRATULATIONS to those Blue Violets who stepped it up last week and worked their butts off too!  We’re all winners by being good losers! 
 
My weight loss last week wasn’t all that great because TOM paid his usual visit and messed things up a bit, but it was still a solid loss of two pounds.  Can’t complain about that!  It brings my total weight loss to 55 lbs for the past twelve weeks.  That is something to take GREAT pride in, and I do.  It’s working, it’s working!
 
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I do have a bit of sad news.  That friend of mine I talked about in my last blog…her mother died yesterday afternoon.  The Lord brought her home.  At least her suffering didn’t last long.  It is amazing how fast these things happen.   She died the day after her grandson’s fourth birthday, the poor little guy.  The good thing is that not long ago she became a saved Christian and that will help her daughter to heal.  So, as you can imagine, there is much grief in her family and I ask that you all send some prayers this way.
 
 
 
 
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Thanks guys, I couldn’t being doing this without you!  It is another Monday, a day to start anew.  I wish you all well.  Have a GREAT week of loss!
 
 
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