Drop a Pants Size by February 2013

Well, it has been months since I blogged.  I have missed it!  Honestly, it is not easy to find the time to blog, work and take care of a large family.  One of my goals is to blog more.  One of the main reasons for doing this is because I need to.  I need a place that I can keep myself accountable.  Let me back up.  The last few months I have gotten away from healthy eating and living.  I haven't been exercising as much and my eating has been less than desirable.  Especially the last month I have gone WAY over board.  This isn't about what I have done though.  That is the past.  In order to move forward, you must learn from the past but not dwell in it.  I have spent much of my life living and dwelling in the past and I am hear to say, that does not get you very far.

So here we are at the cusp of a new year.  We are seeing ad everywhere asking what are we going to do different in 2013?  What are your goals?  I know I have been making goals for too many years to count and I don't follow through to the fullest.  Not this time.  I don't want to blink my eyes and a whole year has past and I haven't made one of the most important changes.  That change is my relationship with food.  Suffice to say, it is a rocky one!  I am ready to make a change in my lifestyle.  I am ready to break the negative cycle.  The negative cycle of eating well, binging, feeling bad, binging more and then doing that all over again. 

I can't do this alone, I need help and support.  Will you do this with me?  Are you ready to make a change too?  Are you wanting to lose weight, feel better, or all of the above?  Let's do this together! 

Starting Jan. 7th I will be starting a 30 day weight loss challenge.  Let us take 30 days and SERIOUSLY change how we are eating.  This challenge group will be on Facebook.

Here are the rules:

1.  You must drink at least 8 glasses a water a day.  Water is a great way to cleanse your body and keep you hydrated. 

2.  You must have a Facebook account.  We will be using it to support each other daily.

3.  Shakeology is required.  If you are not familiar with Shakeology, it is an amazing meal replacement from Beachbody (the makers of P90X). 

4.The first 3 days of the challenge we will swap one meal for Shakeology. 

5.The next 3 days of the weight loss challenge we will take the sugar out of our diet, no candy, cookies, soda's (even diet) and no foods with added sugar.  You would be surprised how much sugar is lurking in the foods we eat.

6.  Day 4 we will limit are carb intake.  Carbs especially from white flours (pasta, bread, etc), contributes to weight gain and/or not being able to lose weight.  We should be getting our carbs from veggies, fruits, or nuts. 

I think this is a great place to start for now!  We have time to go get our kitchens ready to start this, i.e. get all the holiday cakes and cookies out. 

I know this might sound like a lot but, we can take one piece at a time together.  I really want to see how I will feel after 30 days.  I have started challenges like this in the past and I have never given my full 100%.    Sugar and carbs are my Achilles heel. I start to feel better from not eating them for a few days and then I think I can go back and just have a little.  That never happens.  No matter how many lies I tell myself, I always go back in full force. 

I just don't want to lose weight for vanity reasons.  I want to take care of my body better and my mind.  You see, I suffer from anxiety disorder and I am finding the more sugar and carbs I have, the worse it is.  The more I eat healthy and stay away from the sugar and carbs, the better I feel.  It sounds so simple right, but so hard to do! 

Let us do this together.  I have limited spaces, so please let me know as soon as possible if you are in!

Caught in the Web?

When I say caught in the web, I don't mean a spider web.  I am referring to the internet or www (World Wide WEB).  A month or so ago I was at the movies with my family.  Before the movie started there was an ad for the new microsoft (I think but, I am not sure).  Anyway, it was an ad for a new something with computers and it had some images of a web.  It was right then that I started to think, "Am I addicted to the internet, am I caught in the web?"    Now, I know there is all kinds of addictions and there is a horrible addiction running rampant, which is an addiction to internet pornography.  That is NOT the kind of addiction I am referring to (that blog is for another day and time).  What I am talking about it being addicted to something electronic, mostly the computer/internet. 

Here are some questions I started to ask myself:

How often am I on the computer/internet, not just for work but other reasons, i.e. chatting, social media, websurfing, etc.?

Do I start to feel like I have been too "disconnected" if I haven't checked email, facebook, etc in a couple of hours?

Is the internet interferring with my family and/or work time?  Am I telling my kids to "hold on a minute, while mommy finishes this email?" 

What am I doing first thing in the morning/last thing at night?  Am I checking my phone for emails, etc? 

That last question really got to me because I noticed that since I started keeping my phone by my bed (initially to use as an alarm and listen to relaxing music at night), I am also checking other things. 
As I look back over these questions I am ashamed to say that I can answer yes most if not all of them. 

(Tell me if this is you except with an Ipad?  Come on, I know you have done it :-)



 Ok, so what does this mean?  Or better, what does this mean to you/me?  I did find some very indepth articles on the internet.   Some are definitely worth reading but, I think they are a little much for what I am trying to say here.  So, what am I trying to say?  I think these questions that I posted above are good to reflect upon in our own lives and see how electronics /computers /ipads /iphones /androids /television/interent/etc, how it effects are lives and the lives of others.  I can't tell you how many times lately one of my children has come to ask me something and my face was in the ipad and then turn around and get upset with them because they don't want to sit down and read.  What kind of an example am I setting for them.

Before you say it, yes, I know we live in a digital world now but, I think there needs to be a healthy balance.  We especially need to teach it to our children.  I don't have children who text but, I have heard that teens/ young adults find it easier to text then to just pick up the phone.  I think this path will lead us down a road to further disconnection from people even though we are more connected than ever (OK, that was too deep for me ;-) ) 

 

For me this speaks to me on a deeper, faith level.  Am I, not intentionally, but replacing God with electronics?  Sometimes it is much easier to get distracted with worldly things than to spend time in quiet with God.  Honestly, I don't even know what being still and quiet is (that might be a product of having 5 young kids but, I digress).  I tell you, sometimes I envy our ancestors.  It seem like things were simplier then and there were less distractions.

 Even just 15-20 years ago.  Remember when you just left your house and all you had to remember was your keys and wallet?  Now, it's keys, wallet and oh, do I have my phone?  Then, your phone starts ringing and if you are a women, you are digging around in your bottomless pit of a purse trying to get that all important phone call.  Or what if you forgot your phone, what will you do without it!Ugh! 

 

I know I sound really down on technology but, I mean this as food for thought.  There are many things I love about electronics/internet.  For instance I am doing a fundraiser for my twin boys via a website.  With that and email, I am able to easily reach more people.  That is wonderful!    This is just something to think about as you read this blog on the internet (I would try sending this via smoke signal but it would take WAY to long)!