Who said it? Nobody! Ever!

It's All YOU baby!

Naruto Rolls & Sashimi...YUM!

I went out with my friend for her birthday the other night and she chose sushi.  It was delicious and worked perfectly for my "plan."  I had some yellow-tail Sashimi (just fish) and a Naruto roll (no rice).  I also ordered a side salad.  This gave me lots of yummy protein with a balance of veggies and kept me away from lots of starchy items that are so often added in our night time meals.  Happy Birthday Sarah!!

Down 60 lbs!

Why all the potatoes?  60 pounds of them? Well, because that is the equivalent in pounds of the amount of weight I have lost.  Yes, 60 lbs!

When I had lost 45-50 lbs, some of my friends had commented that I had lost the amount of weight equal to a small child.  Then as I approached 60 lbs, another friend said, "Imagine 60 lbs of potatoes!"  I decided to put it to the test.  

My friend and I were out one night late and so we went to the only place that sold produce and was open that late....Walmart!  We laughed and almost cried in the aisle as we kept trying to load me up with the potatoes.  They were so heavy though that I either couldn't hold them high enough for the picture or they slipped out of my hands.  We tried to pile them on my shoulder and then they fell.  The manager of the store finally got in on the action and helped me do it.  So funny! 

I said, "I'm sorry that we are using all this produce and don't plan on buying any of it" and she replied, "Honey, don't worry!  You cant hurt these potatoes! They grow in a dang dirt field."  Ha!  Then she proceeded to stick around and share with us her own weight loss journey.  As we were leaving the store, I looked at the pics and was so pumped up about how powerful the visual was that I stopped a couple random strangers and showed them and said, "I just lost all these potatoes!"  ha!!!!

Change it up!

I REALLY worked hard in the gym this past week and I almost felt like I may had overdone it a little bit.  I wanted a bit of a "change of scenery" today and so I woke up early and headed to Tempe.  My mom was here with me visiting and so we decided to walk around Tempe Town Lake and then up "A" mountain.

It was much shorter than I remember as a child & teen. With that said, there is a steeper trail up and it was a GREAT workout!  There were LOTS of people there getting their hearts pumping.  Then there is a great reward waiting for you at the top.  The view of Tempe to the South and Phoenix to the West. It was a great morning workout!

We walked around the Healing Field exhibit on the lawn at Tempe Town Lake to see the 3000 flags that represent the lives lost on 9/11. I was able to see Ivhan's flag ( a member of my church who perished that day).  Very touching!  We got lots of steps in and I almost had my 10k steps after leaving there that morning.

The key is to change it up every once in a while and to always KEEP MOVING!

There's Always A Healthier Option...

I went out to eat with my mom today....we went through the list of places that I normally like to go and of course Pita Jungle won.  I cant get over this yummy salad.  I have mentioned it before on this blog.  It is a green salad with roasted peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, and a delicious piece of salmon.  This time I asked them to throw on a bunch of red onion too.  I could eat this salad every day.  Wouldn't this be easy to make at home? It sure would be!  I always get their lemon vinaigrette dressing on the side and dip into it.  You could make your own lemony blend at home with garlic, lemon juice, pepper, vinegar, and some oil. Just be creative and you'll probably be surprised with all the yummy things you come up with!

Little by little....

Little by little, step by step, I am changing!  I had to report my weight today, like I do every Wednesday, and I did this side by side pic comparison.  Pretty crazy to me.  I know that I have a LONG way to go but I now see that just how far I have come in such a short period of time.  Joy's program is amazing!!

Guilty!

Someone stole my Skinny Pop!  Look at that face!  Trying to look so innocent!  

Not a frame job!  Guilty as charged!  I have the proof!  Ha!  Even my little nephew knows this stuff is delicious.  I was super bummed to know that I couldn't have Barely Naked popcorn from Popcornopolis because of the higher saturated fat content.  Then I was super pumped when Joy told me about Skinny Pop!  I love it!  Super yummy and I can have 4 cups for a snack.  You can find it a Sprouts and most Fry's in the health section.  Yum!

Feel the BURN!

Started up at a new gym over the weekend and I LOVE it!!  There are so many more machine options and being in this new atmosphere really, really inspires and motivates me.  I heard a quote from a trainer on Friday that impacted me...."Don't say goodbye until the pain says hello." So true!  I know that my mind gives out way faster than my legs do.  It is such a mental thing for me.  No need to stop until you feel the burn for a while...then you know your body/muscles are really working.

Exercise?

I went bowling with a friend last night.  It was a ton of fun because I hadn't done it in years!  We used to go in NY sometimes but like I said....it was a LONG time ago.  We decided to play unlimited games for 2 hours.  Wow...I had no idea that it could actually be a way to get some steps in and work on your arms.  Ha!  We swung those balls around for 2 hours and I was feeling it at the end of the night.  I am sure it was because it was in addition to my morning workout that day..but regardless, it was a great way to get some extra "moving around" in.  Fun!

What will you choose?

I saw this a couple months back and posted it on my Instagram.  I thought I would share it here too.  It is so true!  EVERYTHING in life can be hard...we just have to choose what is worth it to us in life and keep working at it.  Where do you want to be in life? What hard do you choose?

Ya gotta get it done!

I was super tired last night.  I did some shopping after work and waited to meet up with my workout partner.   By the time I got to the gym, it was busy and I had to wait for a treadmill.  I did my weights and other strengthening exercises (squats, lunges, etc)  but the treadmills were still busy.  I did the elliptical a bit until one finally opened up.  See Mr. Sweaty Shirt in the background?  He was walking on that bad boy for 60 minutes at an incline of 13.  What? Awesome workout for him...but sucked to wait because he was kind of being a treadmill hog.  Ugh!  I was so tired last night but I HAD to get my workout in.  I didn't get back home until about 10:00 but I felt great knowing that I had sweat and gotten my heart rate up. What is the take away? Don't wait to work out too late...and hope that there isn't a treadmill hog there if you do.  Ha! See I'm still smiling even though I was so tired I wanted to fall over....stay positive and Get It DONE!

Go Gilbert! Sept 2013 Issue

I just got this proof from Go Gilbert! magazine for their Sept 2013 issue.  Very cool!  I love how they displayed the pics that Cat Jones took for me.  Great job!  You can read an online version of the article by clicking HERE and flipping to page 28....or you can click HERE to see the exact article.

Seeing the difference....

This post is a bit revealing!  I wish that I had actually gotten ready for the day before I took the picture on the left side instead of just rolling out of bed and snapping away.  Little did I know that the picture would become so important to me.  The pic on the left (where I am displaying an amazing hairdo) was taken on the morning of 6/26/13, just 2 days in to the program.  The pic on the right is from 9/4/13.  I have lost 51 lbs!

I haven't felt too discouraged or "down" on this journey yet.  However, I fell in to a trap of comparing my weight loss to that of a friends and I felt bad.  I was so excited for her weight loss but her body transformation is MUCH more obvious than mine even though her weight loss number is much less than mine.  It made me feel horrible because I haven't been able to tell much of a visual difference other than my face slimming a bit.  I decided to look at my week 1 pictures and put them side by side with my pics from today...this is what I saw.  I could totally see a difference.  How awesome!  Like I told Joy in an email today... " I need to work hard, stay focused, give myself more credit for my effort, not get discouraged, stay teachable, and realize that I am doing a fantastic job of finally taking care of and loving myself."

She responded with the sweetest and most supportive email.  What an amazing woman!  I will cherish this experience and her words/notes forever!  So...here is to another 51 lbs...I better get moving!

Slashing my sodium with Mrs. Dash!

I ran on to these SALT FREE seasoning packets by Mrs. Dash.  They are great!  They have about 10 different kinds of packets and they are all salt free.  I have a few that I like to sprinkle on my turkey burgers or egg whites to give them a boost of flavor.  I'm always trying to find new ways to add flavor without adding sugar or sodium.  This seems to be a pretty good one. Yum!

Baggy much?

 My shorts have been droopy for a few weeks now.  They started to sag a bit but now it is almost too much. I had a new surprise yesterday when I was getting ready for church though...this top was enormous!

I had worm this top on 6/23/13, the day before we started the program, and it fit nicely on the top but snug around my waist and back.  I remember wearing it to church and holding a hymnal in front of my stomach so that people would not see how snug it was when I sat down.  Well, I put it on yesterday thinking that I could wear it to church and it drowned me.  The arm holes are super big, the neck is so big that it shows my bra straps and I have to pull it up, there is tons of room everywhere, and I have at least a few inches of spaces around my tummy area. SUPER obvious difference. 

The shorts used to fit super snug around the waist and my belly filled out the front part to the max.  My legs even filled them up alot.  Not anymore....they are droopy and saggy in the booty as well as the legs. 

I think I am ready to retire these clothes! What do you think?

It's the little things...

Sometimes it is the little things that can make you feel like a million bucks.  I was so excited to realize in church today that I could cross my legs and it was actually pretty comfortable.  I haven't done that "like a lady" in a LONG time.  I'm trying to enjoy the journey, count my blessings, and take note of the changes.  Step by step, little by little, changes are happening!