Julie’s time to start …

I was going to type “yet again” but it doesn’t matter really that I’ve been on this journey a dozen times, it just matters that this is the last day 1. So today is the start of the end of my yo-yo dieting, my yo-yo eating, my yo-yo frame of mind. It’s just time to put the train on the tracks and head down the hill to healthiness. I know it’s possible because I was reading my journal for my 2010-2011 journey and I made it to a size 12 at 183.6 lbs and was happy there. I went lower but didn’t do it right and I knew even than that there was no way that was going to be my way of life so for this final journey I’m not shooting for the perfect anything. I just want to get back to 183.6 lbs, get into a size 12 and feel good about myself.

So today I step on the scale. I haven’t done anything since February on the diet front. I tried for a bit but with Cindy getting so sick all year and than passing away, with finding out my daddy isn’t going to know who we are in a year or so, with my grandma breaking her back, well I haven’t done anything for me. It’s not anyone’s fault, just mine and I own this. I know that I have a hard road to travel this time too, however I have to change a bit and put me in the front running. It will be hard because really other than a couple of people that understand, the rest request (really demand) that I am at their beck and call 24/7.

I wasn’t going to tell, I was going to keep this to myself but you know what I am human and I make tons of mistakes and I’ve let life get in the way so I’m going to tell and you’re going to take a deep breath and say to yourself WOW, how did she do that but than I am expecting you to help me, help myself get back into this healthy, love thyself way of life.

215.0 and a size 18!

So there you have it, the whole truth, nothing but the truth.

What am I going to do about it today. I am going to drink my breakfast, I’m going to take the kids bowling, I’m going to eat lunch at the bowling alley and eat as healthy as I can, I’m going to come home and eat a salad for dinner and I’m going to log it all on myfitnesspal. I am going to take this all one day at a time.

I want a 2 day meal plan that I can repeat over and over. Something that is tasty and healthy and do able. So just normal everyday foods. This is my job for the weekend. I read also about a 5:2 diet, eat your normal healthy meals 5 days and than for 2 days cut the calories to 500. The two days are not in a row so I think I will be giving this a try.

I am going back to journaling. I read back in my book when I first embarked on my first really fitness journey and I have some things I need to remember, some things I’ve learned a bit more from. Life has really changed since then, I was a beginner empty nester that felt the world was going to collapse without Mike here 24/7. I thought him being 1500 miles away from home was going to kill me. Well I lived and now life has other huge issues to deal with, I can do it. I WILL DO IT!!! (with your help).

So it’s time.

Julies Challenge for January

Jill from Fitness Health and Happiness is hosting a Make a Change Challenge.


This is copied directly from her blog. Click on the link above if you would like to join us.

2014 #MakeAChange Challenge

When does the challenge start?
==>    January 6, 2014

What is the challenge?
==> Commit to 21 days of a diet change of your choice. Challenge yourself. By challenge, I do not mean a competition or a “you must lose this much weight” effort. I mean, we come together in a positive, supportive, non-judgmental way to really make some changes that will positively influence your health.

Why should I join this challenge?==> Making total changes to your diet can be overwhelming. Making one small change for a short period of time is doable and may lead to feeling better and better health.

==> Obviously there’s no such thing as a perfect diet.  Biochemically, we’re all unique and have individual needs for how much to eat, what to eat, and when to eat.  Not to mention the fact that there are social and psychological components to eating well.  We’re all here to do our best to find our individual best nutrition/lifestyle match

Debs 14 Health Goals for 2014

source

(Ok, so Im long winded and couldnt seem to narrow this down to 14)
Started with 32. See full list here.

SPIRITUAL: YES, I do believe that Spiritual Health is very important!!
1. Read 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp
2. Prayer Journal. I used to do this, keep a prayer list. When did my life get so busy that I stopped?
3. Happiness Jar. At night before bed write down the best thing of the day. Even crappy days have a moment that was the least crappiest!! I wont keep it in a jar, probably in a notebook or on the computer!
4. I really want to say read my Bible every day, but Im afraid that wont happen. And that makes me feel guilty!!! SO I signed up for Proverbs 31 daily devotional. It will sent to my email address!!

FAMILY:

5. Date night with husband once a month. I will have an empty nest in September. I need to get to know my husband again!

GENERAL:

6. Care about my appearance (blog post coming!!)
7. DO NOT put myself down/talk down about myself. This post hit home. STOP the negative self talk!!!
8. Be in bed by 10:30!! My body is not as young as it used to be!!

FOOD:

9. Can chicken. This idea comes from Finding Joy in the Journey. I canned 10 lbs earlier this fall and it was WONDERFUL!! And I cant wait to do more!!! And have fun with recipes

10. One new veggie and fruit or veggie and fruite recipe a month.
11. 100 Days of Real Food.  I love this website and totally agree, but I find myself slipping quite a bit. Starting out with the 14 week mini challenges.
12. Can and freeze strawberries and blueberries.

EXERCISE:
13.  Use Full Length Workouts once a week on non running days.
14.  Use Shrinking Jeans workout Calendars for every month!!

RUNNING:
15. Complete my first Marathon in October. I am registered!!!

MONEY: YES I consider this a Health goal!!
16. Stay on budget using Mary Hunts Debt Proof Living. I used her guide several years ago, and then decided I could do it myself.................. Im not going to actually join, I have her book, and the website has tons of calculators!!

Julie’s New Years ideas …..

So the time has come to put my mind into my health and get back to the 180’s and feel better. I’ve been doing some research, reading my old notes and thinking a lot.
Since this is 2014. Here’s my 14….
1. Skip the sugar. I will keep eating fruits because I need the vitamins they have.
2. Since I’m a milk baby and can’t give that up…my bones need it. A woman in her 50’s needs 1,500 mg. Almond milk is good for me so I’ll use that mostly.
3. Cold cereal. YUMMY!!!! Yes I know, it’s high in everything and if you can’t stick to one serving it’s really bad. So since I love cold cereal I will learn to eat one serving with almond milk. One serving is not filling but it will have to be. Hungry isn’t bad.
4. Regular meals and eating them slowly.
5. Planning, meal planning that is. I’ve got to do this and stick to it.
6. Sleep, I know we’re suppose to get 8 hours a day, I can’t manage to get more than 7 hours each night and those 7 hours are full of nightmares, night sweats and hoot owling (sleeplessness). Menopause I think… any ideas about that?
7. Exercise. It’s important, I know. So I’m working on a doable schedule. Blocks of 10 minutes instead of 30-60 at a time.
8. Stress, worry, panic, upset ….. a constant in my life for the past few months. I can’t change the situations, not possible, but I can change the way I handle them. I don’t know how yet but will learn.
9. I need to get back to crafting. It’s awesome for my mind and soul and even my body because it can just relax and enjoy.
10. Myfitnesspal….going to use it every single day.
11. The stupid, I hate it scale. Once a week, no sneak peeking, no ignoring it either. Fridays will be my day, just like Deb and I started before and will keep it up. So January 3rd I will step on it, record it and move on.
12. Money, I know it’s not a health thing but really it is. We are in debt, not tiny debt either. We work very hard to pay our bills and stay current. We are not foolish people and buy things we don’t need and we no longer use credit cards it’s pay as you go. But I would love to figure out a budget.
13. Fingernails, you know those pretty things lots of ladies have, I want them. That means keeping my fingers out of my mouth. When I’m tired, nervous, stressed they seem to get bitten off.
14. Smile, enjoy, and just be the best me I can be.
Deb and I are going to start our challenges back up for each other too. We’ll start them back up on Friday the 3rd. Please join us as we embark on this new year with new vim and vigor.
Blessings to you all in this new 2014 year.

We will be back….

It’s Christmas time and time to spend with family and friends. We will be back after the holidays with vim and vigor and ready to become the healthy women we want to be.

Merry Christmas to all our dear friends. Stay safe and enjoy.

Blessings to you all!!

Deb and Julie

I have goals, I want to meet my challenges, I want to lose this weight but ….

Now my daddy has cancer to mix along with all that we’ve been handed. It’s not the terrible cancer, it’s a bad skin cancer…not that any cancer is good but he has the skin cancer that spreads like wild fire so last week had some of it taken away and this week a large chunk and December 24th some more and …… plus we wait for more tests results. My little family is coming undo at the seams. My grandma fell and broke her back a month ago and she’s daddy’s mama and she’s so worried about him she can’t think straight. My uncle, daddy’s brother can’t stand that his little family is ungluing. My husband lost a dear friend yesterday. We lost our elderly neighbor night before yesterday. All these things take my time to deal with, help with, be with and I have a wonderful husband and son that need their time. My mama, WOW!!! She’s amazing but becoming a bit bitter after losing her daughter, watching her husband fall apart, her mom-in-law unglue ……. so on. So in all of this I am suppose to be part of this wonderful challenge that Deb and I have set up for each other. We challenge each other each week to something or carry on something from the week before. With her full life she still manages to lose weight, watch those calories, track the foods, walk 1-3 miles a day and work 12 hours a day. I can’t manage to track for a full day, I haven’t been out for a walk/jog/hike for a month, I haven’t made up a menu, bought anything that would resemble something decent. UGH!!!! HELP ME PLEASE! I don’t know what to do, I don’t know where to turn, I don’t want to keep feeling this way but I can’t seem to do it right. The scale is telling me I’m maintaining at my scream weight and that’s bad.

I did do something right, on Thanksgiving we went out for dinner with my in-laws and I ate only the things that were good for me. Nothing sweet, nothing loaded with carbs, nothing that would make me hate myself. As for the rest of the time, well I am watching what I’m eating. I am eating only one serving of something and measuring if questionable. I am thinking I need a menu that is the same day in and day out. Leave nothing to chance, nothing to question. We have been remolding Mike’s old bedroom and I have done more squats and stretches than I have in a long time and that makes me know I need to do something more. My legs have grown weaker and getting my hinny up from the floor or a squat hasn’t been as easy as it use to be.

I am the worlds worse partner for Deb. She needs someone that can support her, do what she’s doing and share the results they’ve both earned. She has been awesome, she supports me in all my life needs. I asked for prayers today because of daddy and the driving conditions we had today and she jumped in and did that. She’s so patient with me. She has to know something about me that I’m missing. Right now I see a mess, someone lost, someone that can’t get her crap together because of life. I see someone up to her eyeballs in family and sickness but one who knows very well I can’t keep taking care of them if I don’t take care of me.

I’m complaining and I’m sorry. I’m full of excuses and really should be full of know how. I will get this together, I will figure out the me thing. I know I can.

So there is Thursday and Friday left of this weeks challenges. I’m going to take tomorrow …. the one day at a time thing …. and plan a meal plan and track it. I’m going to do 2 30 second planks and 2 sets of 25 squats. That’s all. It’s a new start. Friday will be rinse and repeat.

YEAH for friends, YEAH! for support, YEAH! for another day to keep trying. Take care my friends. And blessings to you all because even though there are life’s issues, there’s life and that’s what really matter.

Debs Goals

This week my goals are:
1. Continue to track on My Fitness Pal.
2. Three days of one mile runs/walks and three days of three mile runs.
3. Continue Plank A Day Challenge.
4. Give up Diet Coke.


 Had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family. Did a 5K with my goofy husband and daughter. IT was so cold!!! Felt like 9 degrees!!! Then went to my parents for chicken!! (The turkey meal was on Saturday)

I am blessed with wonderful family!!