Year Coming to a Close-Goodbye 2017- HELLO 2018

So with only a few days left in this wonderful year of 2017.  Many pounds have been lost, much happiness has been gained.  Clothes have been purchased in smaller sizes.  Miles and miles have been ran and thousands of squats have been done.  Planks are stronger and core is building.

Now is not a time to slack, but a time to push forward and up the ante.  I haven't hit my ideal goal (Around 16 more pounds to go) that I have in my head and that will be my main goal this year along with increasing my strength and muscle.  Also I think I need to do 10 5k's this year.  These aren't resolutions, because if you have ever done a resolution, you are all gung ho the first few weeks and then you say, "forget it" (ok maybe you say something a bit more colorful, but this is a PG13 blog) and it gets put down like broccoli at a chocolate festival.

January seems to be everyone's starting point for a healthier life.  I was at my gym the other day and just marveled at how there was only a few people there, I could use any machine I wanted or floor work without having anyone next to me.  This is be a fleeting memory until February.  The first month at my gym, seems like people are coming out of the woodwork.  I have to go later in the evening to get a machine, which is fine. I say bravo to them for starting their adventure, but come the second week in February, there seems to be a bit more machines open and if the weather gets colder and snowier, it gets to ghost town status some nights.  So if your goal this year is to go to the gym, don't give up.  I started last November 2016 and made a commitment to work out at least 6 times a week.  In the winter I do the majority of it at my gym, but when it gets a bit warmer, I do like to venture outside and sometimes it's easy to slip a quick 30 minutes at home, but I work out 6 times a week as a rule.  Now it's not a resolution, it's not a goal, it just IS.  It is what I do, like breathing and blinking.  It's just something that I don't even think about anymore as HAVING to do, but as something I DO!

So when you are writing your "resolutions", be realistic, the worst squasher of resolutions is having unreal expectations.  Don't set yourself up for failure!  Set yourself up for success.  Make a goal and stick to it.  If you want to lose weight, remember every pound is a success.  If you want to quit doing or start doing something, science says it takes about 21 days before it starts to be a habit.  So give yourself a 21 day goal to see where you are.  By then, you know whether it is something that is working for you or against you.

As I re-read my blogs, I am amazed at what I shared, my warped sense of humor, and also how far I've come.  I never thought I could be where I am now, but here I am, killing it like a rock star.

So 2017 was my BIG year of change, though I officially started in September 2016, 2017 was when I did all my big milestones, hitting 100 pounds of weight loss, being able to wear a pair of size 10 jeans, being able to run, being able to do a plank for longer than 10 seconds, and being able to let go of all the hurt I was carrying for so long.  This was my biggest accomplishment, at least in my eyes.

So with 2018 just around the corner, write down what you want to see happen to you, put it in an envelope and open it in July (yes JULY), this way if you haven't quite gotten things on your list done you still have 6 months to give a another shot.

So a very Happy New Year to all my readers and to all friends and family that have given me their supports, their humor, and their love to help me this year.  2018 is going to be even better, so stay tuned.

So see you next year my friends, have a peachy New Year's Weekend!

15 MONTHS, What a difference a face makes!

So as I while I'm sitting and waiting for that jolly elf St. Nick to come to my home, I was thumbing through some old photos. And low and behold, did I find some.  I was in shock.  Shock and disappointment in myself for letting my world get so out of control that I lost myself in the process.

If you are a reader of my posts, you know I struggle with putting up my "old" photos as my memory and the actual photograph don't always seem to be the same.  I don't remember being so swollen, in my eyes it didn't seem that drastic a change.  But since my daughter and I like to snapchat, looking at my face now and seeing what my face was before my adventure is mind blowing.

Now I see a sparkle in my eyes and a glimmer in my smile, in my before pics I can feel my unhappiness, even though I'm trying to mask it, but the camera doesn't hide much.

It will be officially 15 months today, December 19th!  15 months, I can't believe I have been doing this for 15 months, I would get excited if I stuck with something for 15 days and some things 15 hours was a struggle.  I am forever grateful for those of you that message me and encourage me and compliment me on my journey.  I'm getting better at taking compliments and I am getting a strange affliction to dressing up more for work and day to day.  I like the way my clothes fit and when I slip into my size 10 jeans and they fit the way a pair of jeans are supposed to and I look in the mirror and think, "WOW, is that really me or is this one of those fun house mirrors, and I look behind me to see who the skinny person is that is standing there"

So to give me some perspective I happened along 4 pics from my before world.  The two on top are pre September 19, 2016 (that summer I believe, since I was golfing), the bottom left is one month and the bottom right is 3 months. (I only know this because of the dates on the pics, my memory isn't that good)

I wouldn't say I'm proud of these pics.  But in all honesty, I really don't remember myself like this, but it was the way I was.  Key word there is WAS!  I'm NOT going back, forward is the only key I am hitting these days.  I only get one chance at this crazy ride called life and I'm taking advantage and you can join me or you can get out of my way.

But here are my after "face" pictures.  I have lots because before I didn't want to be in the pics and know I snapchat daily because it's fun and it makes me smile even more.

Most of these were taken in the few weeks if not  days.  I am so amazed at the difference in just my face.  Ignore all the different hair colors, I like to shake it up quite a bit, so you never know what color I will be every 6 months.

So as of Dec 19th, I'm still pedaling to work.  A friend said maybe I'm tempting the snow gods cause the last time we didn't have snow fall by now was in the 1930's.  I say, bring it on.  I WANT SNOW! an I double dog dare the snow gods to bring it on.  I will even put my tongue on a pole, but only thing that would happen today is it would leave a nasty taste in my mouth.  So hopefully, my tempting fate and egging on the snow gods, perhaps they will grant me the wish of a white Christmas.

So as I wait for Santa and look forward to spending time with family and friends over this holiday weekend, I'm happy to say that I am truly and honestly happy this year.  I have no expectations, but my heart is full, my butt is smaller and if this is the best I do, just the change in my face and expressions are enough for me.

So a very Merry Christmas to all my readers and thank you for helping me along the way.  I'm not done yet, but 15 months is a big milestone in my book, cause look at the smiles I have now.  I missed out on that smile for so long, that I plan on sharing it ALOT!

Merry Christmas my friends and until next week, I wish you a peachy rest of your day!

Holiday Goodies EVERYWHERE!

So this is the season of holiday merriment and joy and time together.  But it's also the time for baking and making all sorts of amazing goodies that you only do once a year.  Every time I turn around there is a cookie or candy beckoning me to pick it up and give it a home in my belly.  There's chocolate, cherry, strawberry, fudge, nuts, cinnamon, marshmallows, and every other wonderful sugar filled concoction know to man floating about where ever I seem to be roaming.

I have to admit, I have been very tempted this year.  I not much of a sweets person anymore, in fact, they don't taste the same to me, so I guess the lack of sugar has effected my taste buds somewhat.  My biggest weakness is frosted sugar cookies.  With just the right amount of frosting on a soft sugar cookie and I practically have a 50 Shades of Grey moment just looking at them.  And if I'm being perfectly honest, if Christian Grey were standing next to me and feeding me sugar cookies, I would sacrifice a few pounds for the pleasure.  (Don't judge me!  lol)

So with the holidays, comes the goodies and also the need to lower your guard and you think, I'll just have one bite, which leads to two then to the entire thing being gone and then you decide that you have shot that goal out of the water and might as well just enjoy and suffer the consequences later.  Then later arrives and if you are anything like me, you could give yourself a good kick in the backside for being a cotton headed ninny muggins (any Elf fans out there, shout out to you).  I know I am extremely hard on myself but when it comes to others, I'm Miss Support.  It's easier to focus your energies on helping others, but you can't forget abou you.  It's not a selfish act to take care of you.  As someone who took about 47 years to figure this out, I am hopefully embarking my wisdom on you.  Now I'm not perfect and I still have the guilt, but now I tell the little man I call guilt to go sit in the corner and take a time out.

Christmas should be time of joy and wonderment.  Not a time of stress and guilt over what you are eating or drinking.  Moderation is key.  Is it easy???  HECK NO!  If it was easy, I wouldn't be writing about it and you wouldn't see hundreds of infomercials on how to lose weight.  I watch those now and think of all the money I have spent over the years to lose weight and until I decided to do a complete overhaul and go the "do or die" method of changing my life habits, nothing was going to change.  I'd probably have a nice condo in Arizona after all I have put towards the "quick fix"

So update, it's December 13th and I AM STILL RIDING MY BIKE TO WORK!  The wind and the cold can be a challenge but until I see actually white fluffy stuff on the ground, I'm going to be pedaling my butt to work every day.  I really want it to snow, not because I want to quit riding my bike, but because I want snow for Christmas!  I LOVE SNOW and I am getting all giddy with anticipation that it will be here SOMEDAY!

I did a quick step on the scale and I'm down 109 pounds, a couple pounds difference from the last time I stepped on it, but I am doing more strength training, so hopefully some of the fat that is on my body is turning into muscle.  Amazing things are happening, I can do sit ups and crunches and not have to grab my legs to get up.  I do believe I actually have a core that is working now.  I can do jumping jacks though I am still a bit apprehensive because of my knees, but I can do them where before it was a definite no go.  I get very proud of myself when I go to workout class and I can actually do what the teacher wants us to, no variation.  This is a huge ego booster and makes me want to do more.

So I'm just telling you that the journey is worth it, and maybe you have a New Year's Resolution to start working out or eating better, but why wait til January.  Take small steps and eventually they will be leaps and bounds.

So don't sweat the small stuff, especially if it's a small frosted sugar cookie.  One cookie isn't going to hurt.  But if you happen to see Christian Grey and he has a whole plateful of cookies, I say "GO FOR IT" and have an extra cookie for me!!!

Have a peachy week my friends and if you have snow, please send some my way!

Good Morning Canadian Wind!

So December is ticking away quickly.  Any one else remember when you were a kid and it seemed like it would take forever for Christmas to get here.  Well, I guess when you are doing the waiting, instead of the shopping, things go by slower.  This week we enjoyed highs in the 60's and then a wonderful Canadian breeze came in and today we are enjoying nice 20 degree weather.  And YES I did still ride my bike even though there was a windchill that made it feel like 6 degrees but hey I didn't have to use blush to get that rosy glow.  I did, on the other hand, have to wait about an hour before my ears and nose defrosted.

Been doing a lot of ab and leg work lately and boy can I feel it.  You never know how much you use those muscles until you work them out and then have to use the bathroom the next day.  Talk about a realization in the human anatomy.  You don't realize how many muscles in your abs and legs you use to get up and down until you work them to soreness.  But hey, no pain no gain RIGHT!

I also had the pleasure this last weekend to take my daughter to her first concert.  We saw KATY PERRY on her Witness Tour and it was FANTASTIC!!!!  LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!  I sang and screamed so much that as a bonus for my family, I had absolutely NO voice on Sunday, which depending on how you look at it was a blessing or a curse, depending on who you were.  But the boys seems to enjoy me being silent for a change and not silent because I was angry at one or more of them for something they did or didn't do. ha ha

I got all gussied up and wore clothes I never thought I could wear.  I didn't wear something that covered my butt and to be perfectly honest, I felt AMAZINGLY GREAT!

This working out thing is, forgive the pun, WORKING OUT!  I feel great.  And with the small exception here and there, I'm overly happy.   Which is good since it's the holiday season.  I'm not sweating the small stuff, this has been a very stress free holiday for me so far.  My kids haven't asked for much and mostly have requested time to go and do things together.  I'm way under budget for what I planned to spend this year and I am slowly but surely buying clothes that fit and guess what, when you get to my size, stuff is actually really on sale.

I'm so looking forward to the next few weeks, which are filled with parties, friends, and working out, but I'm so thankful that I went on this adventure (and am still on it) but I never in a million years thought I would feel the way I feel now.

So while I look into buying a stabilization bar to put next to my toilet at home for future workouts, perhaps I can ask Santa for one, a pretty one that has rhinestones might be nice.  So remember to take one day at a time.  If your day starts to go south, don't make that few minutes derail you from your North Pole happy place.  I know it's easier said than done, but nothing is worth anything without a little effort, right?  I mean Judy the elf took 1,200 years to perfect hot cocoa in the Santa Clause, so if you need a day, month, or year, that's just a drop in the bucket.

So as I suffer through abs and leg days and remind myself that I am paying someone to torture me on a regular basis and that I LIKE IT!  Be kind to yourself, because if you don't have your own back, who will!

So enjoy the rest of week and if you are in the Midwest, bundle up buttercups because it's going to get a little chilly out!