6 Months - how many M&Ms did I lose?

Well this post is taking a lot for me to do.  Didn't realize how emotional I would become just having to post pictures of myself.  But then again, I don't look at pictures of myself and now I realize why I have avoided doing so.  I have cropped all my "before" pictures to save the identity of the innocent.  As I cropped each picture, I felt a welling of unhappiness and despair and tears, if I am being brutally honest.  I remember the unhappiness I felt and the feelings of inadequency, of having others make me feel less than, for letting other people have control over my thoughts and in general, my world. And to be honest, these people probably thought nothing of me, or maybe I just craved them to like me and include me.  But I came to the realization that I can't change them, the only person I have control over is me (and all my multiple personalities that live my my head).

When I look at the before pictures of myself, I didn't feel like I think I looked.  I thought I was overweight, but in no way did I ever imagine that I was as delusional as I was.  I always joke I never had a full length mirror and I now think maybe that was a HUGE error on my part and I'm going out to purchase one post haste.  I'm only 6 months into this journey and even though my clothes hang on me and the number of the scale is smaller, in my mind's eye, when I'm not in front of a mirror, I still see the old me.  I don't feel like the old me, but I still see the old me, this is a hurdle I'm slowing trying to crawl over.

So for those that have been waiting to see what my stats are at 6 months, here we go:

Months No Soda or Alcohol:  8 months

Months No Pasta/Bread/Potatoes:  6 months

Days a Week Working out:  6 times a week at least 30 minutes or more

TOTAL POUNDS LOST TO DATE:

76

Yes, 76 pounds.  Let's put that into perspective shall we.

76 pounds is equal in weight to:

38,000 - Plain M&M's

51 dozen - Krispy Creme Doughnuts-Glazed

588 - Regular Sized Snickers Bars

304 - Sticks of Butter

7.6 bags - Potatoes (10 lbs)

I never thought I would get to 76 pounds in 6 months.  But each day I woke up and made the decision to stick to my routine.  Drink water, eat protein and vegetables. stay away from sweets and processed foods.  Go to the gym.  In the beginning I HAD to tell myself from the minute I woke up until the minute my head hit the pillow that I HAD to do this.  But 6 months in, I don't think of it anymore as HAVE TO.  I wake up now and just do it.  I don't even think about it, it's just the way it is.  I have my weak moments, like when an Olive Garden commercial comes on and it's been cold and raining and comfort food is an excellent choice and seeing all that melted cheese on a lasagna and butter dripping off the breadsticks, I'd lick the tv screen if I thought it would help, but then again I'd be the one that would have to clean the screen and cleaning up my drool off my television screen isn't something high on my to do list. 

My struggle was emotional and until I came to grips with it and got over feeling bad over things I had no control of, my journey was going to fail.  I still struggle but I don't eat how I feel anymore.  Maybe some of what I was feeling was all in my own imagination, but I know some of it wasn't, it was very real and very painful, I don't let others have that power anymore.  If they don't want to be in my company, well, then it's their loss. 

I know now my weight gain was emotional and food was my therapist.  
Now when I express my feelings, I'm reminded of what a wise man told me,
"If someone replies to your feelings, then they either have also been the victim or are guilty of the crime of which you profess."
 But once I got beyond worrying about what everyone else thought, I found out I didn't need their approval to be happy.  I also did it on my terms, no gimmicks, no quick fixes, no starvation or yucky shakes.  Just a complete overhaul of my day to day.  I have great friends who support and encourage me and without my hubby and kids supporting me I wouldn't be as far as I am.  

I'm not perfect by any means, but I do know I'm a good person, I have a good heart and I'm there when someone needs me.  I would walk through fire before I would let anyone feel like they didn't matter.  

And luckily for me, I finally  decided to walk through fire for the one person I wasn't helping or taking care of.....ME!

So please be kind when you comment because I'm not proud of the before in fact I'm truly disappointed in how I lost myself. I must stress how hard it is for me to post these, in fact, I'm probably talking more in this post to just postpone having to link the pics, but after lots of hard work and dedication, I'm happy to say that my first "after" pic there is a difference. I see a small difference but others tell me it's big. My eye is probably more critical but I'm my own worst critic. 
FYI:  the last pic of the before was taken exactly 2 days before I started this journey. 

BEFORE

I have no one to blame but myself, but in the same breath I can pat myself on the back for getting this far.  6 months ago I couldn't run, my knees hurt, my clothes were tight.  I hated being the "fat" one in pictures.  My energy level was low and my internal happiness level was down right invisible. I seemed happy on the outside but inside it was a struggle.  I internalized everything and apparently many many pounds of junk food. I still live in my head but now all my personalities are playing nice with a common goal.  My PMS self is a bit more cranky now she doesn't get her chocolate but a hot shower and extra sleep usually appease her.  

But I can run 20 minutes straight on the treadmill, when I started I couldn't run I could barely walk 30 minutes without limping for days because of the pain in my knees. When I started I could barely do 15 minutes on the elliptical at level 1, Now I do 40 minutes at level 22.  I'm still working on the push up thing, but am working on it, upper body strengthening and planks will be the death of me I'm sure.  I own a pair of jeans that the size begins with a 1, not a 2.  Heck even had to buy new bras and underwear because the old ones were too big and baggy.  Clothes that were tight on me before, now hang on me. I actually have to wear a belt with some of my old pants so they don't fall off until I get to shopping for more.  I don't have to shop in the plus size section.  I have clothes that have "L" in the size instead of XL or 2XL.  I even have an a few "M"s. Ladies out there will understand the significance of that. That is a huge shock to my system.

Okay enough stalling, here are the after pictures.  And remember I'm doing my best!

AFTER

This has been one of my more honest and emotional posts but when I look back on this in September 2017 which will be one year from when I started, I hope that I see even more improvement, but I sincerely wish I have the hope in my heart that I have now.

Everyone deserves to live their best selves.  Sometimes the biggest obstacle we have to get over is ourselves.  And after looking at my before pictures, I really was a big obstacle to have to get over, but luckily, with a little determination, guidance, and a can do attitude, I got this far and I'm going to go farther.  I have six months to hit my goal I have for myself.  I never thought 6 months could change anything, but after looking at my pictures, 6 months is a lifetime of difference and it all began with one day and hope!

So please comment and thank you for following me on this journey.  I'm amazed at how many read my posts, but it's also encouraging when I read your comments and IM's that you send.  They make my gloomy days bright and my bright days dazzle.

So until April my friends, stay hopeful!

What did we do before technology?

I know you are all waiting "patiently" for me to post my 6 month pics and I will.  I just seriously have not had a moment to put on something I'm willing for the world to see me in and take a pic.  I promise they will be coming post haste.

Anyway, I got a strange IM yesterday.  So they asked me if I was who I was, and if I was the daughter of my mother (is this confusing enough, don't want to be throwing out names and such to keep the innocent safe).  I replied back that I was and low and behold, found a cousin from my mothers side that I haven't seen since my mother passed in 1982.  Let's just say my father wasn't the best at keeping me and my siblings in touch with her side of the family.

At first I was excited, thrilled.  I had tried on my own to find people, but people get married, names change, everyone moves to all corners of the universe and I have to admit my memory was a bit fuzzy on details of all those involved.

It was nice to hear they had been looking for us also. But as with any story involving family, with the sweet comes the bitter.  Basically out of all 7 siblings (my mom included) there is only one uncle, Uncle John, left.  The rest have passed on.  Which in a way is really quite sad.  I realize I haven't seen these individuals in 32 years, though I did see my Uncle Gene and Aunt Brenda, Aunt Mary, and Grandmother Rose in 1995 when we visited Texas, but it was only a 24 hour visit and to be honest,   there was a thirteen year gap from the funeral until Texas, and they didn't know me and I really didn't know them very well.  I remembered bits and pieces but have to say it just made me miss my mom more.

So there are cousins that are still around and luckily one of them found me on Facebook.  Now I've basically gone through my life with very little family besides my immediate family, but after the passing of my mom, dad, and all my grandparents, it's funny how staying in touch seems to blend away in time.

So I am digesting all the information I am getting and to be honest, it's a lot to process.  Maybe you come from big families and this whole concept is foreign to you.  And to be honest, I'm so glad it is foreign to you.  I would be thrilled to have lots of family that has known me since birth.  But unfortunately that number is dwindling to a very small and exclusive club and I unfortunately haven't been on the guest list to get in for some time.

So this week has been more thinking of my mom and remembering the small bits I can remember of her family.  I am still working out every day, but this information seems to be flooding my brain and I'm a bit distracted, which I'm sure is normal.  Would be the first time I was ever "normal"!

So as I process this wonderful thing that happened, I will get my camera charged, put on some clothes (no nude pics happening here, ladies and gentlemen, not that kind of blog) and take an after pic for all to see.

So thank you for your patience and support.  This has been definitely an interesting development.  Now to see where it leads......

How much for Grapes? or Creating your own Chia Pet

Ok, so when you go "healthy"  you think all things are going to be great.  You hear about it from tv, magazines and radio, then you find out one of the Biggest Loser coaches has a heart attack while working out.  I know that it was probably something hereditary, but it makes you think.
Plus cost wise, it's a bit more pricey to eat healthy than to eat quick! You see how much it cost to buy fresh fruit and vegetables and trying to find an alternative to potatoes and pasta is a downright trainwreck.  Why can I buy tator tots for $1.99 a package but the alternative broccoli tots are $3.89 and there are less in the package, plus trying to find them it like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  You have to be in the right place at the right time.

I have used google, pinterest and the internet to vast extremes.  Now the pictures of the foods they show you may look great, but when you make them in reality, let's face it, it will make you just pick up the phone and order a pizza!  Plus why does eating healthy have to be so time consuming.  You want a pizza, you rip off the wrapper and throw it into the oven or better yet, dial your favorite local pizzeria and viola, you have supper.  When half of my household doesn't do bread, this makes things more challenging.  Yes, I've made the cauliflower pizza crust and yes, it's good, but man, when I get home from work some days I don't want to spend half my time getting appliances out (ie food processor, press, blender) to whip up these culinary masterpieces. Just so you are aware, I have very limited counter space, so getting these things require going up and down my stairs to my basement to retrieve said appliance, taking them out of the box (yes I still have the original boxes for many of them, keeps them from getting too dusty in the basement) then having to wash and put it back because I don't have the counter space to just let it hang in the kitchen.

I hear a few of you saying, hey that's extra steps, extra exercise!  Yes you are correct, but when I get home after work and then going to work out the last thing on my mind is "Let's do some stairs!!!!"  Messing up the kitchen preparing something I am only going to eat about 5 bites of can be a bit discouraging.  Also I have a growing 15 year old that has involuntarily been on this journey with us and I feel like I'm depriving him of the comfort food all kids should have on a regular basis while their metabolism is still high.  Even though he is a trooper and I do occasionally make him spaghetti or some other deliciously creamy delight he wishes.

I don't know if you've ever tried staying away from processed foods, potatoes, pasta and bread, but let me tell you, until you decide to no longer partake in them you don't realize how much of what you ate was that.

Also due to my diet change, a side effect is losing hair.  Now I've had a full head of hair since birth.  Always been something of mine that I took a little pride in.  I have naturally curly/wavy hair.  Well apparently since I'm eating healthy and under a doctor's care (you didn't think I just started this journey on a whim,heck no, I have a certified doctor that tells me what to do, I needed guidance for sure), this is something that can happen.  So the whole time I was eating sinfully delicious foods, I had great hair, I change my lifestyle to be healthy in order to lose weight to make sure I don't have to have knee surgery in my forties and the trade off it HAIR LOSS.  My doctor reassures me that this is temporary, but I swear every morning when I do my hair, I could make my own chia pet. In fact the hubby was saying that we may need to start grooming the cats due to the hair in the bathroom rugs, until I pointed out to him it wasn't the cats that were shedding but his incredible shrinking wife.  If I ball up a weeks worth of what falls from my head, my cats would think we adopted another pet.

You would think with all this "healthy eating" it would make your hair more healthy, but guess all the changes in my body and taking ALL my vitamins and such, it is too much of a shock on my system and the way the body resets itself is to let your hair fall out.  Now apparently this is normal, but not for me.  New hair is growing and I've adjusted some supplements to help with this transition but have to admit, every day I see hair fall from my head a little part of me says, "Is this really worth it?"  I'm not a vain person, but my hair has always been something I've always fit into, if I didn't like it one day, all it took was a phone call to my fav hairdresser and presto chango, a new me.

So this week has been a challenge for me but with next week being the 6 month mark, I'm a bit giddy to see the change.  I don't have a great before photo but I have a few that will give me an idea.  I found this saying:

It's been 24 1/2 weeks since I started this and I have to admit, I see a little change, but apparently it must be bigger than I think because of the feedback I get from people.  You never see yourself as other see you.  Plus not owning a full length mirror probably helped in my denial process.
So stay tuned next week when I will officially post photos.  This will require a lot of courage on my part as I'm more of a behind the camera girl than the object of the photo.  So when you do see it, please be kind because it really is taking all my nerve to actually take the 6 month after photo and post it!

So you see not every week is sunshine and flowers, some are harder to get through, but if we didn't have valleys would wouldn't be able to appreciate the view from the mountain!

So until next week my friends, stay strong, stay smiling!

525,600/year or 10080/week-How do you measure your time?

525,600 minutes.  525,000 moments so dear.  525,600 minutes- how do you measure, measure a year? (From the musical “Rent”, yeah, I’m a musical junkie)

A shout out to my pastor, Pastor Bill, you gave us a little something to think about this week.  There are 10,080 minutes in a week.  How many of those minutes do we use to serve God or just try to do something good.  Now I’m not going to go all preachy on you, not my style.  But it has set the wheels a spinning and those hamsters in my head seem to be training for a marathon. 

If you think about it, if you work 40 hours a week and let’s say you are one of the lucky few that actually gets 8 hours of sleep each night plus getting ready for work and fixing supper each night (guessing and hour for each) , that’s 6,600 minutes just working, sleeping, eating, and getting dressed.  That leaves you with 3,480 minutes of your week open to a variety of things. Now if you are a mom and have kids, that number is pretty much gone before you know it.  Plus if you are trying to get healthy and adding an hour each day to get sweaty, well there goes another 420 minutes, which brings you to 3,060 minutes filled with what is your daily normal life! (By the way, I had to use a calculator; I’m not a math whiz at all)

Isn’t funny, how we think we have all this time, and then when we take just a few moments to catch our breaths and focus on the present we realize that it goes by in a flash.  Now I work out 6/7 days a week for at least 40 to 90 minutes each time come heck or high water.  I think if I skip just one, it’s a slippery slope to skipping another, then another and before I know it, I’m back to where I started.  I know me and I know how my brain and I used to come to terms, it would “suggest” working out and eating well, and my body would agree, but the laziness genie would pop out of her bottle and somehow grant my unspoken wish and before I realized it she had granted me out of my original goal and replaced it with her easy, who cares if you can’t zip your jeans, your sweat pants still fit and you have a man, so why go through all the hassle!  That genie is tricky, because all it used to take was a few “minutes” sitting, thinking I’m going to get up and do that, and before you know it an hour has passed and you no longer have the gumption to do anything. Well that is no longer my m.o. (method of operation)

We are blessed with a new day every day! Now I will admit to you I didn’t wake up this morning singing to the birds or dancing, but I did wake up and started chatting with my kitties as they twirled around my legs acting as if I haven’t feed them in a month.  But if I don’t get up, they come and get me.  The one minute where my son, still half asleep bundled in a blanket, said, “Thanks Mom, love you too much”.  Just the one minute where my hubby decided to make me smile and gave me a kiss and wished me a good day.  Or when a co-worker gave me hug or is always willing to supply me with any goodies I desire in order to make my day a little better.  This is not something that takes a lot of time.  Minutes, sometimes, only seconds to smile or hug someone and to you it’s just a minute, to the person who receives it, it’s so much more.

I think everyone “deserves” to feel like they matter!  I smile to people I don’t know, I wave to people at the stop lights and have even had the impromptu dance off at stop lights, which I have to tell you was a surprise but extremely fun (and if you catch me jamming to my tunes in my car, feel free to wave and honk and even hold up a napkin with the number 10 on it to tell me how awesome my car dancing is).  I talk to people on elevators and smile to those I pass on the sidewalk and on more than one occasion I’ve been known to strike conversations with complete strangers in the grocery line only to leave them with a smile because let’s face it, I’m quite the conversationalist and love to leave on a laughing note.

So even though our days are filled with kids, work, commitments, sports, working out, and life in general, sometimes if we just take a MINUTE out of the 10,080 we get each week and chose to use it on someone else, just because, not expecting anything in return, we gain so much in return.  I know some of you are out there saying, “I don’t have a minute to spare?”  Seriously you don’t have a minute to spare to smile at someone, wish them Good Morning, tell them they look nice, hold open a door, wave, send a text, give a hug, or just say hey?  Well it has taken you more than 2 minutes to read this blog, and I’m willing to have you sacrifice reading the rest of it in order for you to look up from your device of choice, and smile or say Good Day to someone!

As someone who has lost many people close to me from a young age, I know too well that time is short.  And there are only so many minutes in day, a week, and a year.  So I love that you take time out of your busy schedules to read my rantings.  I realize it only takes you a few minutes, but when I see how many have viewed my blog, I’m elated.  When you take your “minute” to tell me in person how much you love to read them, I’m through the stratosphere. So you see just by you reading this, you are giving me a minute of your time and YOU are giving me happiness!  Which makes me want to write more and make you smile, so you can see the amazing circle of goodness that can be created.

So make every minute of your day count!  Time is free, but it’s priceless.  You can’t own it, but you can use it.  You can’t keep it, but you can spend it.  Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.

So I wish you a peachy rest of your week.  I hope all your minutes are filled with happiness and hope.

Until next time my friends!!!!

From 60 degrees to 12 inches of Snow to Topless in Iowa

I think Iowa weather is a lot like my weight.  You go through the seasons and you get a little bit of encouragement (ie dropped pounds, or 60 degree weather with lots of sunshine) and then Karma/Mother Nature throw a curve ball at you to test your patience.  Tomorrow through Saturday we are "predicted" to get from 9 to 14 inches of snow in the area.  That's like stepping on the scale on Monday and seeing a 5 pound loss and then stepping on it on Wednesday and it shows you gained 10 pounds.  Makes no sense whatsoever, right!  But if we wanted our weather to be constant and never changing we would live in California or Arizona.

I did a little undergarment shopping for the upper half of my torso, also known to most as bra shopping this weekend.  Now the last time I actually went to try on bras, not sports bras, I'm almost embarrassed to say, but it has been many, many years. Now I'm not much on frilly and would much rather just put on a sports bra and call it a day.  Sure I might have a uniboob but under a sweatshirt, who the heck will ever know.  So on a mission with my amazing daughter, Savannah, and our mission that we chose to take on, FIND MOM NEW BRAS!

Have you ever tried to find bras?  This is a baffling part of the clothing industry.  How can something that basically consists of the least amount of fabric cost so much? Why can't it be simple? Now I googled, pinterest, and internet searched for ways to find the correct fitting bra, and they all had their own ways of figuring your size.  But at the end of each one, it would say, "Though measurements are helpful, the best way to find a bra that fits correctly is to try it on".  Which was helpful but a bit discouraging.  But I measured and had a general idea of what I was getting myself in for.

So into the store we go and a beeline to the lingerie department.  Now maybe some of you are blessed with just enough to make you happy, but unfortunately I have more than a handful to try to keep above the equator.  Now I would love to get a cute little bra that has polka dots and lace and cute little straps, but in order to keep my girls from defecting, we needed to call in the National Guard of Bras.  So after picking about 8 different bra styles and cups and alternating sizes, I went on to the dressing rooms to try each on and find the mystical thing called the "Perfect Fitting Bra"

Now I'm not much of an exhibitionist, ok maybe a little bit in my youth, but being topless for a long period of time in a dressing room can #1 be a bit awkward #2 kind of chilly and #3 made me wonder how do exotic dancers do this for a whole shift and bounce around also.  I have a new respect of those ladies, I couldn't do it.  Anyway after trying on bra after bra after bra, I was getting discouraged.  Either it fit at the band but the cups were too big, or the straps were uncomfortable and one even made me look like I was going to do a music video for Madonna in the 80's.

So after narrowing down the size I kind of needed, another bout to the aisles we head and load up on more to try on.  Now this store has about 8 dressing rooms all in a line.  When no one is in a room the door is open, when someone is occupying a room the door is closed.  Pretty easy system to follow.  Well while enjoying my topless venture and of course, while I was in between fittings, silly me thought the lock on the door worked.  Without a dinner invitation, a promise of marriage, a piece of jewelry or a how do you do, in walks some lady with a handful of shirts to try on.  All I could do was wave and flash a smile, while she looked me directly in the chest region, not my eyes. Which I will take as a compliment, since she seemed to be dazzled by my impressive ability to stand there and not scream bloody murder at her.  Then she quickly shut the door and apologized.  By this time, I was secretly laughing to myself.  So out of curiosity I waited a moment and then put on a top and stepped out.  Out of the 8 dressing rooms, mine was the only one with the door closed, besides the one my fan just walked into.  So this lady must be stalking me, it's the only explanation I can come to since, she had 7 other rooms to choose from, but she chose to open mine!

Savannah laughed at me when I told her.  But she kept an eye out for her for the rest of the day just in case.  I hear stalkers can be a bit of nuisance.

So 4 bras and 4 sports bras were purchased.  This is a huge accomplishment on my part as I promised to throw away all my old bras when I got home, because to be honest, most of them are too big and stretched out and should have been replaced when Bush was in the White House, George W, not his dad.

So it was a successful trip, and after wearing them for a few days, it is nice to have them not laying but actually being supported.  And I have to admit, it was a bit freeing to be topless for that long a period of time, but think I will wait until retirement and sieze the day and go to a nude beach with my best friends like that Walgreen's commercial.  And those that have vacationed with me, I promised to buy a VAT of Sunscreen, I'll buy the spray kind so you don't have to help me rub it on.  I'm that nice of a friend.

So on this weight loss journey I'm having to HAVE TO buy myself new things.  This is not a selfish act but more out of necessity than anything.

Another milestone done and am happy to say that I was happy with my purchases, not only did I buy one and get one half price but got another 35% off my total purchase, so my timing was excellent.  But to be honest it seems like a lot to spend on a small patch of fabric, guys don't spend $40 on one set of underwear, so why do us ladies have to.  Another mystery of the shopping industry I will never understand.

So I raise my glass to the things that surprise us, to the people who help us laugh about them, and to those that love us even though the weirdest things only seem to happen to us.

Be safe my friends and bundle up for the storm that is brewing.  I'm excited for the snow, but I know I'm in the minority, but look forward to some snuggle time with those I love.

Thanks for reading and have a peachy day!!!!

Valentines Day-Day of Love or Day of Torture!

Yes, it's the day after Valentines Day and I'm proud to say I did very well but I didn't think I was going to make it.  Valentine's Day has been kind of an extra day for me since my wedding anniversary is 3 days before, so I don't expect much on this day, plus I'm extremely lucky to be with someone who makes me feel loved every day.  I got flowers from my daughter and my son made me cookies.  And my hubby gave me him.  Ok enough mush, back to my thought.
This is a day when flowers and candy are a given, in fact, it's the second biggest chocolate holiday behind Halloween, which means it ranks very high in the "holy crap, do I have the willpower to get though this day" emotion.
Everywhere I turned on this day there was candy handed to me.  Tossed around like it was on fire.  I would stare longingly at the shiny red wrappers and smell the chocolatey goodness inside.  Every corner I took someone was offering me chocolate.  They were being polite but in my mind it was a cosmic sabotage that perhaps Miss Karma was testing my commitment.  Well she wasn't going to win, at least I was determined not to give in and let her win.  I'm slightly competitive like that.
So despite baracading myself in my office for the day in order to avoid all the temptation surrounding me, my precious son, Spencer, wanted to do something for his Mom and Dad for Valentines and made homemade chocolate chip cookies (see that chocolate thing keeps creeping up on me).  He forgot that his Dad and I don't eat cookies at this time, but that it was super sweet of him to make us cookies.  Now to look into those big blue eyes and say that we weren't going to eat his cookies was enough to break even Hercules.  What kind of cold hearted mother would deny their wonderful, caring, thoughtful child of eating one of his creations made with his own two hands all by himself and he even cleaned up and did all the dishes after?
The answer to that question, ladies and gentlemen, is ME! Call me a monster, heck, give me a scarlett letter to wear on my chest with an H, for horrible, uncaring mother of the year.  I gave him a hug, told him he was the best kid ever but I knew from the heavenly smell of them and all the chocolate chips staring at me that if I started with one I don't think I could stop myself from eating more.  My Spencer is the greatest and he decided to put 4 cookies in the foodsaver and put in the freezer for the day I did decide I could actually eat them.  I'm lucky to have a great kid!  He also froze a piece of his confirmation cake from September for me too, it's still in the freezer by the way, but it looks delicious.
Anyway, the funny part is, while my husband and I were in the kitchen at 8:00 last night and he had a craving for something sweet, he went for his yogurt, I'm not a yogurt fan, so I joked that if he just crumbled a cookie in it, it would probably taste better.  He in turn said, "I'll split one with you, and I will crumble it in my yogurt".  The love of my life was willing to cheat on his diet and basically was promising not to tell a sole of our transgression.  But I give him a big kiss and and hug and told him nice try, but NO!  Eat your yogurt and I walked away, secretly kicking myself in the backside for being such a stubborn chick but deep down a little proud of myself for not caving.  It's so easy to cave if you have a partner willing to do the crime with you and excuse the expression "hide the body so no one knows".  A good cover up person is hard to find.  Not that I've needed a cover up person, But should I ever need one, it's good to know I have one handy that sleeps next to me.
So did you survive on love or chocolate yesterday?  Lucky for me, I chose LOVE.  Love for my goals, love my progress, and love for myself.  Though I have to admit it was not easy in any sense of the word.  In fact, I unwrapped a chocolate and was devilishly close to popping it in my mouth, when a small voice deep down whispered, "do you want to do 250 squats and 100 crunches just to work off this tiny little piece of chocolate?  Just the thought of all the exercise to work off this very small bite of heaven was enough for me to put the wrapper back on and say no thank you.  Also I really am not a huge fan of squats and crunches.  I do them often, but not my fave to do, that's a struggle for a different post.
So another holiday survived, though there were some close calls.  But waking up without a ring of chocolate wrappers around my body and not suffering from a sugar coma this morning was an extreme high.
So if you kind of fell off the wagon yesterday, give yourself a "get out of jail free" card and move forward.  Today is a new day and each day is a fresh start.  They say every journey begins with a single step and every kiss begins with k.  Ha ha just had to throw that in there.
So keep your chin up and your heart light for we are the champions, my friend, and we'll keep on fighting til the end!!!! (Any Queen fan's out there, shout out to you)
Thanks for reading and a peachy day to all!

February-A Short Month Full of So Much

February is the month of groundhogs, love, presidents, and this year the Super Bowl.  That a lot of things to cram pack into such a small month.  But February is small but mighty.  The groundhog decided 6 more weeks of winter was our destiny and if you live in Iowa that could easily stretch to 10 weeks but the forecast for this week seems to be giving us a little hope.

I'm a winter person.  I like the snow and the cold, the ice, not so much! But you take the good with the bad.  I think one of the reason I liked the cold was because it was ok to wear your baggy sweaters and sweatshirts.  If you gained a pound or two or thirty, no one was the wiser until spring.  Then all heck broke loose and you had to try to stuff all that extra winter body into your spring/summer attire from the year before and nothing is more depressing then trying on a swimsuit. Especially after a long winter and you have no resemblance of any sort of a tan and if there wasn't a roof on the store they could spot my white flesh from the space station.  If you are a person who enjoys trying on swimsuits, then I tip my hat to you, because this is something that is dreaded every year, in my opinion, by most women, me in particular!  But guess what, that is a bridge I will have to cross in a few months, because, ta daa, my old suit literally falls off my body.  Who knew eating healthy and exercise could work!  Why am I talking swimsuits in February?  Because the stores love to jump the gun and bring out seasonal things a full season before you will need them and I find this hilarious because I saw a swimsuit with valentine hearts on it.  Now I can see a need for this in California or Florida, but Iowa???? But hey, who am I to tell big business how to run.  I buy a swimsuit once every 10 years so guess I'm not the demographic they are trying to hit!!!!

Valentine;s Day is just around the corner, but for me February marks my 28th year as a married woman!  On February 11th at 5:30 p.m. I will have been Mrs. Jeff Jacobs for 28 years.  This is a huge accomplishment I think.  But in all honesty, it has flown by.  I have been married more years than I was single.  My husband is funny and handsome and is the reason my heart beats.  Don't get me wrong, we love each other but there are those moments in time when you watch multiple tv shows on "how to kill your spouse" on ID and think maybe this information might come in handy one day. In fact, my hubby jokes when I'm watching a marathon of shows of this nature, that perhaps the children should test his food first before he eats it.  I told him he was safe until he notices I'm purchasing large quantities of lye and purchase a new shovel.  So I think he's safe for awhile, I hate going to the hardware store and looking for new shovels and lye is heavy!!!!

But one of my loves this month is ZUMBA!  This is a class that after 60 minutes of exercise, I literally have sweat through my clothes.  The thing is, it doesn't feel like 60 minutes.  Ever been on the treadmill and you keep looking at the time and you just keep counting down until you are done.  In Zumba, you have no acknowledgement of time.  When that first song starts you get sucked in by the beat.  For me it's a mass concentration on what to do with my feet and hands at the same time trying to do the moves to the beat of the music while also being persuaded by our instructors (Miriam and Jill) to whoop and holler all while trying to breathe.  Now I have never proclaimed to a great dancer, heaven to mergatroid, I'm excited to just bounce around to the beat.  And I'm a great multitasker, but when it comes to multitasking my body, I'm a bit of a spaz!  But hey, I am a Zumba Spaz and proud of it.  I give it 110% and leave feeling happy and exhausted but enlightened all at the same time.  The ladies I have the privilege to spend pretending like I'm Beyonce or Jennifer Lopez, make me smile and are a big reason I love this class!

So not much to report on the weight front, waiting until the 19th to weigh in, but may break down and have a small treat on the 11th, because after 28th years, I think I deserve a little celebration treat for being with the best guy ever.

So whether your team won in the Super Bowl (by the way the Patriots won if you haven't heard), you have someone to hug and kiss on Valentines Day, you bundled up your coat and decided that groundhogs are odd animals to predict the weather, or you get a day off for President's Day, I hope each day you remember that it's a new day and anything can happen.  How do you want today to turn out?  I pep talk to myself a lot and sometimes it becomes a barroom brawl with all my multiple voices in my head, but with the exception of the diva in my head that has a sweet tooth, the rest of them are on my side and I have to remember that it really is all up to ME!

You are worth it!  There is no other you like you!  And in my case, that probably is a good thing.  Don't think the planet can handle two of me, could be a job for the Avengers should something that earth shattering happen!  But hey, if I get to be swooped up by Captain America and maybe watch as Thor does pushups all while quoting poetry to me, then maybe I'm for this twin thing.

Have a great day my friends and remember each day is a gift!  Open it and see what amazing things are in store for you!!!!

Until next time, thanks for reading!!!!