A very important shift has happened in my life over the past couple of weeks. I'm not sure of the precise moment it happened or what even triggered it but I am determined to make it last. A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon a blog by Amanda, entitled Another Prior Fat Girl. Don't ask me how I found her because I honestly don't even know but I do know it significantly impacted my life. After I read all of her posts about her dramatic weight loss, I read from her inspiration and friend Jen, the original Prior Fat Girl. These two ladies' amazing journey through their loss of a significant amount of weight coupled with the fact that they are around my age inspired me to again attempt the journey myself. The only difference? This time it seems to have stuck.
In all the prior diet attempts I've made, I reduce the amount of all the things I'm eating and do some cardio exercise. Only 1 of those multiple attempts has ever been successful for me and then I lost about 35 lbs. only to gain it and more back when my disciplined lifestyle ran away to hide for awhile.
But after reading those blogs and seeing the techniques that every day people (like me) use, I truly am inspired. I can't tell you how many things are on my list to try or that I have tried due to the exposure just from those two girls (including but not limited to chicken, bacon artichoke deLite pizza; aluminum water bottles; 45 calorie bread; triple fruit white chocolate pudding; Hungry Girl daily e-mails & cookbook). My eyes have been opened to so much-especially how many calories I was eating (WAY too many) and how the foods I ate so drastically affected my life, mood, relationships, etc.
And now, here I am. I've been tracking my food/calories since February 22, 2010 and have been consciously making better choices in many areas of my life and just plain thinking healthier. Z and I have researched so many healthy options and I can't wait for my next paycheck so I can go to the store and explore them. There are fruits and veggies that I'm dying to give a chance and soups and dairy products I never dreamed about putting in my cart but I can't wait! The really awesome thing is that since I began this journey a little over a week ago, I feel so much better! At first I was a little scared of getting hungry and not being able to fill up but now, I can hardly eat all things I prepare ahead of time.
I start my day with my travel mug of coffee & creamer ('cause I just haven't been able to give that up) and on work days am having a banana by 9am. At 10:15 or so I fill up with either a fiber or nut bar that helps me make it to lunch. So many options are available for lunch-which I eat at 12 or 12:30 but one of my faves is a pb&j on 45 calorie bread with low sugar grape jelly (which I grew up on and has now caused me to not be able to eat regular jelly-FAR too sweet for me). I usually have that with 27 Cheez-its = 1 serving and an apple immediately following or shortly after. Today for lunch I had leftover taco soup from last week that was seasoned perfection and 4 saltine crackers along with my apple. For a snack I may have some peanuts or some chocolate cheerios-which are new & fabulous by the way-if I get hungry around 3pm. By the time I get home-and I bring at least 2 extra snacks home that I didn't eat throughout the day-I'm pretty hungry so I may snack on some light butter popcorn or some carrots and a little honey mustard. For dinner, Z and I usually cook during the week so we'll have MUCH smaller portions than normal of a well-balanced meal and I'm learning the art of low-cal dessert options (like the triple fruit white chocolate pudding I mentioned).
As usual, the hardest place for me to cutback is at restaurants. Like last night, I met one of our youth and her mom at Cheddar's and I REALLY wanted to eat. Not just nibble but EAT. However, I had just walked 1.25 miles and made myself eat carrots and honey mustard (I am not a rabbit fo' sho' y'all) and I surely didn't want to ruin all the progress I had made. So I did what any fat girl trying to be healthy would do: reviewed the menu for something semi-healthy and then ordered the smokehouse burger, no pickles, sauce on the side and no side to go with it. When it came I cut it in half, took off the bottom and then ate that 1/2, 5 of my friends' fries, and 3 onion rings from the appetizer. When I finished, I wasn't bursting at the seams and was kinda tempted to eat the other half but I could definitely tell that if I did, I would be miserable. I even just drank water with my meal-not the sugary sweet tea that I am so fond of. Arriving home, I had an attack of my sweet tooth so I had a small dessert of the triple berry pudding from Monday and drank more water (I had 84 ounces of H20 yesterday).
I was so proud of myself for not giving in and eating too much. I am doing my best to make sure this lifestyle change sticks and even push myself through the processed food aisles at the store faster so I can linger with the fruits and veggies. I am drinking SO MUCH AGUA but my body is finally adjusting to it = I don't have to excuse myself to the restroom every hour anymore. And I am determined to get more exercise in. More and longer walks paired with some Hip Hop Abs (cheesy as it is) and some usage of the exercise ball are my plan of attack. That's what worked in the activity department last time I lost weight and I'm planning to incorporate those into my plan now.
Wow, this is a long post. Sorry-didn't mean to be so verbose but I hope you can see my excitement about getting my body and mind in shape. :) This won't become the focus of my blog but it will impact what I write about so please forgive the ups and downs of this 'BAP on her beat the belly campaign'. Words of encouragement or helpful info are welcome so feel free to throw the comments in and thanks for sticking with me through this journey to a better me. I wanna be a prior fat girl!
Blessings,
Bethany
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
In Like A Lion...
March has officially arrived sneaking in on February's coattails! And I still haven't disciplined myself enough to write consistently. But onward we go...
The 90th birthday party for grandmother was a huge success! My mom worked her li'l booty off and I think she'd agree that it was worth it.
Everything was delicious and most of it was homemade. And since I did a lot of the decorating, I told mom we should definitely start our own event planning business and offer catering. I think we'd make a good team but neither of us has the cash flow to start it. Needless to say, a good time was had by all and it was great to see all the family.
February seemed to fly by but that was prob'ly because I was sidelined by a hideous head cold for about 2 weeks. Now all of a sudden, it's March. We celebrated the groundbreaking of the school I work for on the 19th of last month and I am super excited that it will be 1 of 2 iSchools in the country. We will be turning people away for sure now and I'm glad to be a part of such an innovative organization (and a place where I will ALWAYS meet my daily quota of hugs-love 'em!).
This past weekend was quite busy for Z & I. After a bit of an itinerary mishap with my mom flying back to NC (dad and brothers drove back last Monday), she stayed with us from Saturday afternoon until this morning. So after a laundry-filled Friday night, we had a low-key youth fundraiser Saturday morning and then headed to get mom from grandma's. After rescheduling flights at the airport, we headed to AT&T to fix Z's phone bill and then on to Sonic for a Low-cal Cherry Limeade (more on that later) and Target where we discovered some great finds! We all laughed a lot and enjoyed just being together.
Yesterday was 2 church services (I sang a solo in the AM & the youth did the PM w/Z preaching), a meet & greet w/the church staff, & a parent meeting for youth members. All went fine but after doing all that plus cleaning up the house in the afternoon, I didn't even make it all the way through Julie & Julia that we rented (such a great movie-very inspiring for a cook). So we hit the sheets around 11.
It's the last week of school before spring break and I CANNOT WAIT! Z & I have some special plans and I am planning to catch up on rest and do some projects around the house. It will be an entire glorious week of getting to do what I want to do. :)
Ok, that's all for now. A new update is coming very soon...and hopefully even more after that but I make no promises.
Blessings,
Bethany
The 90th birthday party for grandmother was a huge success! My mom worked her li'l booty off and I think she'd agree that it was worth it.
Everything was delicious and most of it was homemade. And since I did a lot of the decorating, I told mom we should definitely start our own event planning business and offer catering. I think we'd make a good team but neither of us has the cash flow to start it. Needless to say, a good time was had by all and it was great to see all the family.
February seemed to fly by but that was prob'ly because I was sidelined by a hideous head cold for about 2 weeks. Now all of a sudden, it's March. We celebrated the groundbreaking of the school I work for on the 19th of last month and I am super excited that it will be 1 of 2 iSchools in the country. We will be turning people away for sure now and I'm glad to be a part of such an innovative organization (and a place where I will ALWAYS meet my daily quota of hugs-love 'em!).
This past weekend was quite busy for Z & I. After a bit of an itinerary mishap with my mom flying back to NC (dad and brothers drove back last Monday), she stayed with us from Saturday afternoon until this morning. So after a laundry-filled Friday night, we had a low-key youth fundraiser Saturday morning and then headed to get mom from grandma's. After rescheduling flights at the airport, we headed to AT&T to fix Z's phone bill and then on to Sonic for a Low-cal Cherry Limeade (more on that later) and Target where we discovered some great finds! We all laughed a lot and enjoyed just being together.
Yesterday was 2 church services (I sang a solo in the AM & the youth did the PM w/Z preaching), a meet & greet w/the church staff, & a parent meeting for youth members. All went fine but after doing all that plus cleaning up the house in the afternoon, I didn't even make it all the way through Julie & Julia that we rented (such a great movie-very inspiring for a cook). So we hit the sheets around 11.
It's the last week of school before spring break and I CANNOT WAIT! Z & I have some special plans and I am planning to catch up on rest and do some projects around the house. It will be an entire glorious week of getting to do what I want to do. :)
Ok, that's all for now. A new update is coming very soon...and hopefully even more after that but I make no promises.
Blessings,
Bethany
Saturday, February 6, 2010
And You Thought I'd Given Up...Again
Nope, I'm still around. Just running as hard and fast as ever. My week has been slammed FULL of chaos and I can happily say that the cure for that was almost 12 hours of sleep last night. And man, did that feel good. As I stated on Monday, having administrators out of the office is no fun (for me, anyway) and seeing as how I had at least one of them out every day, there was a big ol' lack of fun in my office. I was telling my mom the other day that I honestly cannot tell you what happens between 7:30am & 4pm every work day. After 8.5 hours at work with 300+ people relying on me, I can't really remember a single thing that happened. That's sad to not remember over a 1/3 of my day but that's how fast my mind runs. Oh well...
We had moving day at our church today (which sounds really strange to say). They've been in a temporary situation for 2.5 years now and we just got our certificate of occupancy from the city this week so we were finally able to start moving things in. There was much disbelief about how much stuff (aka junk) had been in 5 storage rooms and by the time we left, I was just ready to toss everything into the trash pile (I felt like Niecy from Clean Sweep). But at least the biggest chunk of all that moving/organizing is done. Now if we can just find Z a nice, small desk...
This is so sad but I am pooped so I'm afraid I'm gonna have to say goodbye already. Yes, I'll be back-I'm doing my best to keep y'all posted. So take care until next time! Blessings on you!
~Bethany
P.S. Only 1 more week til Mom & Dad are in town for Grandma's 90th and I CAN'T WAIT!!! Good times to come :)
We had moving day at our church today (which sounds really strange to say). They've been in a temporary situation for 2.5 years now and we just got our certificate of occupancy from the city this week so we were finally able to start moving things in. There was much disbelief about how much stuff (aka junk) had been in 5 storage rooms and by the time we left, I was just ready to toss everything into the trash pile (I felt like Niecy from Clean Sweep). But at least the biggest chunk of all that moving/organizing is done. Now if we can just find Z a nice, small desk...
This is so sad but I am pooped so I'm afraid I'm gonna have to say goodbye already. Yes, I'll be back-I'm doing my best to keep y'all posted. So take care until next time! Blessings on you!
~Bethany
P.S. Only 1 more week til Mom & Dad are in town for Grandma's 90th and I CAN'T WAIT!!! Good times to come :)
Monday, February 1, 2010
February, How I Love Thee
It's the evening of the 1st day of one of my favorite months and right now, I'm just thankful I survived it. With all 3 admins gone to an out of town meeting, I am lucky to be alive. 3 MIA admins+240 sad-the-wkend-is-over kids=1 very crazed/drained school secretary. Overall, it was a good day (I've def had worse) and I still love my job. Here is my day in numbers:
22 - the # of kids who needed the nurse (me)
3 - the # of kids who got sent to the principal's office
137,592 - the # of phone calls I answered (at least it felt like it)
5 - the # of people I told about our new school and what we offer
25 - the # of teachers who asked me for something
17 - the # of things I had on my desk at 3pm and had to clear off by 4
0 - the # of breaks I took today
1 - the # of corndogs I ate for lunch (Can I get an amen for corndog day?)
11 - the # of people who tried to 'help' me do my job
8 - the # of times I walked the entire school looking for someone/something
0 - the # of times I'd trade my job to go back to insurance (or most any other profession)
So like I said, all in all I had a decent day.
The weekend turned out quite interesting since Z and I stole away to Lakeview for a few hours. We made it a nice overnight date and minus the bruise on my hip that's bigger than my hand (which I'll spare your eyes from viewing), it was a good getaway.
Side story: I had a little slip up in the shower at the camp grounds Saturday morning that left the aforementioned bruise. Z had gone to his morning meeting and I was getting ready in the cabin (which turned out to be a nice 2 bed/2 bath house). Let's just say that soft water and a tub with no tread on the bottom do not like me, standing on 1 leg getting ready to shave. As soon as I hit the floor of the shower and realized what had happened, I repeated to myself over and over (out loud) "You're ok, you're ok, you're ok". Sometimes you just need to give yourself a little pep talk. So I assessed the situation and came to these conclusions:
1. I had hit my head but was not going to pass out. I willed myself not to pass out because I most certainly was not going to have a camp staffer see the cabin leaking water out of every crevice and find me laying naked in a tub full of water.
2. I had 2 choices, I could either lay there (like I remember from all those Lifetime movies I've watched) and let said staffer find my dead, naked body or I could get myself up and get the shower curtain that I pulled down re-hung and get it together.
I chose the latter. And while my body was definitely not happy about having moved in such a way that it was so unfamiliar with, I am glad I chose to salvage my pride. I didn't have a bruise until about 5 hours later (so I couldn't even prove to Z that I really had fallen until much later) but boy, did it appear when it finally found the surface of my skin. Yes, I am still sore and yes, this bruise will inevitably last until October but by golly, I still have my pride. That is, untilthe hundreds of you my mother reads this and tells all my friends to check my blog.
Nonetheless, February is one of my favorite months for many reasons.
1. Most years, it has 28 days which means there are 4 perfect weeks and that means the days & dates for February match the days & dates for March.
2. The years it has 29 days just make it that much cooler because what other month gets to add an extra day to itself?
3. My favorite holiday is in February. Valentine's day has always been of utmost importance to me ever since my infatuation with hot pink and royal purple began at the age of 4. I love love and I love sharing gifts of love. Hearts are definitely my thing and I like to think that I can celebrate Valentine's day all month long.
4. Have you seen the cute stuff you can buy at Target & Walmart for V-day? Especially if you wait until February 15th.
5. There is an endless chasm full of heart-shaped things to make at home and I LOVE browsing those options.
As you can tell, February is a favorite month of mine. And this February is one of the best since my family is coming to visit. My Grandmother is turning 90 on February 16th and my mom is throwing a little shindig for her and so the fam is all getting together. Side note: this is my grandmother who picked up her new eyeglasses and then directly went and renewed her driver's license. Watch out. But it will be a fun celebration and I look forward to seeing everyone.
That's all for today, folks. I'm heading to finish some wifely duties and get my tired self in bed. Blessings to you all for a terrific Tuesday!
~BAPP
22 - the # of kids who needed the nurse (me)
3 - the # of kids who got sent to the principal's office
137,592 - the # of phone calls I answered (at least it felt like it)
5 - the # of people I told about our new school and what we offer
25 - the # of teachers who asked me for something
17 - the # of things I had on my desk at 3pm and had to clear off by 4
0 - the # of breaks I took today
1 - the # of corndogs I ate for lunch (Can I get an amen for corndog day?)
11 - the # of people who tried to 'help' me do my job
8 - the # of times I walked the entire school looking for someone/something
0 - the # of times I'd trade my job to go back to insurance (or most any other profession)
So like I said, all in all I had a decent day.
The weekend turned out quite interesting since Z and I stole away to Lakeview for a few hours. We made it a nice overnight date and minus the bruise on my hip that's bigger than my hand (which I'll spare your eyes from viewing), it was a good getaway.
Side story: I had a little slip up in the shower at the camp grounds Saturday morning that left the aforementioned bruise. Z had gone to his morning meeting and I was getting ready in the cabin (which turned out to be a nice 2 bed/2 bath house). Let's just say that soft water and a tub with no tread on the bottom do not like me, standing on 1 leg getting ready to shave. As soon as I hit the floor of the shower and realized what had happened, I repeated to myself over and over (out loud) "You're ok, you're ok, you're ok". Sometimes you just need to give yourself a little pep talk. So I assessed the situation and came to these conclusions:
1. I had hit my head but was not going to pass out. I willed myself not to pass out because I most certainly was not going to have a camp staffer see the cabin leaking water out of every crevice and find me laying naked in a tub full of water.
2. I had 2 choices, I could either lay there (like I remember from all those Lifetime movies I've watched) and let said staffer find my dead, naked body or I could get myself up and get the shower curtain that I pulled down re-hung and get it together.
I chose the latter. And while my body was definitely not happy about having moved in such a way that it was so unfamiliar with, I am glad I chose to salvage my pride. I didn't have a bruise until about 5 hours later (so I couldn't even prove to Z that I really had fallen until much later) but boy, did it appear when it finally found the surface of my skin. Yes, I am still sore and yes, this bruise will inevitably last until October but by golly, I still have my pride. That is, until
Nonetheless, February is one of my favorite months for many reasons.
1. Most years, it has 28 days which means there are 4 perfect weeks and that means the days & dates for February match the days & dates for March.
2. The years it has 29 days just make it that much cooler because what other month gets to add an extra day to itself?
3. My favorite holiday is in February. Valentine's day has always been of utmost importance to me ever since my infatuation with hot pink and royal purple began at the age of 4. I love love and I love sharing gifts of love. Hearts are definitely my thing and I like to think that I can celebrate Valentine's day all month long.
4. Have you seen the cute stuff you can buy at Target & Walmart for V-day? Especially if you wait until February 15th.
5. There is an endless chasm full of heart-shaped things to make at home and I LOVE browsing those options.
As you can tell, February is a favorite month of mine. And this February is one of the best since my family is coming to visit. My Grandmother is turning 90 on February 16th and my mom is throwing a little shindig for her and so the fam is all getting together. Side note: this is my grandmother who picked up her new eyeglasses and then directly went and renewed her driver's license. Watch out. But it will be a fun celebration and I look forward to seeing everyone.
That's all for today, folks. I'm heading to finish some wifely duties and get my tired self in bed. Blessings to you all for a terrific Tuesday!
~BAPP
Friday, January 29, 2010
How do you summarize 6 months???
The answer: You don't.
Instead of trying to recap the past 6 months of my life, I figure I'll settle for the next best thing (at least in my opinion) which is inform you of my daily life. I have really missed writing and being able to express myself but I'm finding little pockets in my day when I can get a few lines written here and there. So here we go again...and I really am gonna try.
The weekend is finally upon us and I couldn't be more ready. Z & I are slipping out of town for a night and heading up to the Assemblies of God campgrounds just outside of Waxahachie. I'm very excited to just be able to get some rest but also to spend some quality time with him in our free little cabin just off the lake. Thank goodness the AG gives every minister 5 free nights a year. I can see this becoming a habit-one that is much needed. We need a little "no cell phones/no church stuff" time and I can't wait! (We're also gonna see his family and I am glad to spend some time with them since we haven't seen them much lately. Plus, Big D is cooking-yum!)
Just as an fyi for any readers other than my mom, I am working full-time for a charter school as the secretary and absolutely love it. I see the kids enough to meet my hug quota every day but also am not trapped with them all day. It was a little overwhelming at first but I've been with them since mid-September and have gotten most all of it under control. Last week was the end of my time with the temp agency that got me in here and I'm so excited to be them full-time now and starting my contract in August. It is such a blessing to go to work every day and not dread it and have the opportunity to be Jesus to little kids. They are so loving and I have SO many funny stories (which I'm sure will end up on the blog)-I am blessed. The hours are great and I have a month off in the summer, 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 week for spring break, and the occasional holiday/flexible hours so it couldn't work better for me and Z as we work with the youth.
Almost 6 months of wedded bliss and things are going splendidly. The occasional clash has occurred but no major battles. (I know, I know-you marriage veterans are screaming "They will come!".) But we have been fortunate enough to have the Lord working for us and through us and have worked through our "opportunities for compromise" quite swimmingly. (And now I am British apparently.) I am so thankful for my husband who loves God and loves me and treats me like a queen. I honestly couldn't ask for better.
As a side note, I have now laced 2 shoes, delivered 1 lunch, dealt with 1 stomachache, 1 toothache, 1 busted lip, conferred with 3 teachers and handled the front office workings and it's not even lunch time. But these days, that's an easy morning.
Until the next adventure,
Bethany
And yes, there will be more of this to come-I forgot how simple and therapeutic it was.
Instead of trying to recap the past 6 months of my life, I figure I'll settle for the next best thing (at least in my opinion) which is inform you of my daily life. I have really missed writing and being able to express myself but I'm finding little pockets in my day when I can get a few lines written here and there. So here we go again...and I really am gonna try.
The weekend is finally upon us and I couldn't be more ready. Z & I are slipping out of town for a night and heading up to the Assemblies of God campgrounds just outside of Waxahachie. I'm very excited to just be able to get some rest but also to spend some quality time with him in our free little cabin just off the lake. Thank goodness the AG gives every minister 5 free nights a year. I can see this becoming a habit-one that is much needed. We need a little "no cell phones/no church stuff" time and I can't wait! (We're also gonna see his family and I am glad to spend some time with them since we haven't seen them much lately. Plus, Big D is cooking-yum!)
Just as an fyi for any readers other than my mom, I am working full-time for a charter school as the secretary and absolutely love it. I see the kids enough to meet my hug quota every day but also am not trapped with them all day. It was a little overwhelming at first but I've been with them since mid-September and have gotten most all of it under control. Last week was the end of my time with the temp agency that got me in here and I'm so excited to be them full-time now and starting my contract in August. It is such a blessing to go to work every day and not dread it and have the opportunity to be Jesus to little kids. They are so loving and I have SO many funny stories (which I'm sure will end up on the blog)-I am blessed. The hours are great and I have a month off in the summer, 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 week for spring break, and the occasional holiday/flexible hours so it couldn't work better for me and Z as we work with the youth.
Almost 6 months of wedded bliss and things are going splendidly. The occasional clash has occurred but no major battles. (I know, I know-you marriage veterans are screaming "They will come!".) But we have been fortunate enough to have the Lord working for us and through us and have worked through our "opportunities for compromise" quite swimmingly. (And now I am British apparently.) I am so thankful for my husband who loves God and loves me and treats me like a queen. I honestly couldn't ask for better.
As a side note, I have now laced 2 shoes, delivered 1 lunch, dealt with 1 stomachache, 1 toothache, 1 busted lip, conferred with 3 teachers and handled the front office workings and it's not even lunch time. But these days, that's an easy morning.
Until the next adventure,
Bethany
And yes, there will be more of this to come-I forgot how simple and therapeutic it was.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)