Inspiration

Okay I am new to this whole blog thing so I hope that I am doing this right and this gets where it needs to be and to who it needs to get to. Any way I was reading last night in the Ensign and it was on living the Abundant life. Pres. Monson talked on the ABC's. A is for havin a positive Attitude, B is for believing in yourself and C is for having courage to do the right thing.
So I was thinking to myself. Isn't that just like dieting. Don't we have to keep a positive attitude, believe in ourself, and have courage to eat healthy. Then I remembered this poem that I have always found inspiration in. Oddly enough it is called Life Abundant.

Life Abundant
I want to do more than cope; I want to thrive.
so, I manage my stress.

I want to do more than think; I want to be creative.
so, I get enough sleep.

I want to do more thatn make it through the day;
I want to be energeticl
so I eat nuitritious foods.

I want to so more than sit; I want to run.
so, I exercise.

I want more than acquaintances; I want friends.
So, I reach out to others.

I want to do more than search for happiness;
I want peace.
So; I pray.

I want to do more than survive; I want to live.
So, I laugh and cry.

I want more than live; I want life Abundant!

I hope that this inspires you and helps as much as it has helped me over the years.
 Now for some of you, you have asked me for recipes and I will get some to you but I thought I would tell you about this website. It is called e-mealz.com. If I remember right it gives you a weekly menu that are nutritioned out and it is healthy normal family friendly food. A lady told me about it at wieght watchers last year. There is a small fee and the lady that was using it was really loosing wieght. And then there was a mealtimemakeover.com I can't remember what this was about, but anywaya you could look into it. DeAnn over and out.

week 3

DeAnn 2.24
Debby 5.375
Donna 4.22
Heidi .3
Joanna 3.59
Matt 1.64
Paul 4.1
Rebecca 4.87
Rozanne 6.41
Sarah 3.2
Steve .3
Terrel 4.26

I'll update when I get more info!

YUMMY

I love drinking my veggies in a sweet form.
BUT
I don't mind "swamp water" (as Sarah calls it)

and I personally don't have the experience of cleaning out manure pits
(as Matt did, and he thinks this stuff looks like it came from there)

SO
if you can stomach something strange looking
try this recipe

2 cups water in blender
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 cups fresh spinach (push it in)
1 carrot grated
two spoonfuls of OJ concentrate
2 or 3 packets of stevia (truvia, or walmart's off brand)

blend all (even my cheap blender does this, no $400 blender here)
You could drink all of it (if you can handle 6 cups of drink) and not get more than 400 calories.

My little people drink this because they are not prejudiced.

(and Eliza drinks it because she feels valiant for drinking something so healthy)

Matt says he'd try it if I left out the spinach.

That's the offender for the brown-green color.

ALSO,

DeAnn taught me to make mashed potatoes with a large part cauliflower

(maybe half or less)

and I must admit I was skeptical at first.

But we've had it twice and it's a success with everyone

(only because everyone has no idea so SSSSHHHHH. It's a big secret. seriously.)

partial RESULTS week 2

Hi Everyone! I am missing a few reports but I won't make you wait any longer for the results so far (and if you haven't sent in your reports from yesterday please do!). These include exercise and weight loss.

DeAnn 2.11
Debby 4.329
Donna 2.58
Heidi TBD
Joanna 3.19
Matt .92
Paul TBD
Rebecca 2.4
Rozanne 4.09
Sarah 1.9
Steve TBD
Terrel 2.8

Keep up the good work! 11 weeks to go! What will YOU feel like then???

p.s. check out the blog to see Joanna's thoughts on before and after pictures

Rebecca, I'm right there with you. Thanks for posting that as I also have been getting discouraged by the lack of cooperation from the scale. I needed the reminder, but even though my brain knows and even my body feels so much better, I really really want the validation that comes from actual numbers! Like you, I'm not going to give up. My positive input is that even though I haven't lost lots of wieght, I feel so much better than I have in a long time. I definately feel more energetic and halfway through the day I don't feel like I'm dragging myself around anymore most days. My clothes fit better too. My jeans aren't lose, but they are certainly a little roomier than they used to be and that will have to be encouragement enough for now! The numbers will eventually follow . . . at least I can hope that they will!

I think we should all have before and after pictures for when this is over! I think it will be really rewarding to see how far we've come. I took a picture of myself the day before I started and I am taking one once a week for myself to compare, but don't you guys think it would be fun to have a starting and an ending picture of everyone to post at the end of the contest!!!!! Let me know what you think!!!!!!!!

PATIENCE...

is a virtue, cultivate it if you can....

if you are from my side of the family you can certainly finish off that famous quote of my mother's.

So in my head I understand that weight loss and health are not events but processes and 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week is healthy etc etc etc.

BUT

(if you buy 3 complatos, iss only three dollars)

In my little heart I get discouraged when I haven't lost 1-2 pounds OVERNIGHT.

I keep thinking that my hours and hours of exercise surely must mean, well, SOMETHING tangible. Yeah, tangible heavy muscle and water retention seems to be where I'm at. Oh well. Patience. Patience. PATIENCE.

So my reminder for myself is that surely the efforts to change and do better will add up over time, if I just DON'T. GIVE. UP.! There is my pep talk to myself.

So, where are you all at? What are your ups and downs, successes and struggles?

Just keep at it.

First Results: 4 days into it....

DeAnn 2.16
Debby 2.58
Donna 2.48
Heidi was sick : (
Joanna 1.37
Matt .2
Paul .7
Rebecca 1.56
Rozanne (my mom) 2.97
Sarah .3
Steve was sick : (
Terrel 3.3

These numbers were from last Saturday and are updated with exercise points (cap of .5/week on exercising points. But go ahead, exercise ALL YOU WANT!!).

I'm no loser, yet I'm a winner!

Well, I didn't lose anything this week, BUT (I can't hear or say that without thinking about kid history, you know, the one about the man selling hot dogs) when I got dressed for church this morning and put my uniform on (I wear the same skirt every week but like to shake it up a bit by changing my top), my skirt was noticeably roomier!  So I am a winner!  I started this program to help me start running.  I didn't think it was so hard until later in the day when I took an unusually long nap.
 
So some of my favorite foods this week have been:
pepperidge farm 15 grain bread, toasted with honey and PB
almonds
light butter microwave popcorn with chili and lime seasoning
grapefruit (went back and bought more)
yogurt with grapenuts
water

Mostly I've just been trying not to pig out, esp. late at night and I already feel better.  Hope to keep it up this week! 
What good ideas do you have for meals or snacks?

together

Hi Everyone.

It's Rebecca here. I'm so glad to see Sarah's slick work on the blog! Thanks! And I'm inspired by Joanna and thanks for sharing the good ideas. I am so happy to have so many people willing to pull together so that we can all have the inspiration and support we need to be healthier and more free. SO glad it can be a family thing, and even reaching beyond (welcome to everyone!).

I guess I'll write a bit of my "story." I am happy, challenged, overwhelmed, and grateful to be the mother of 5 children! I was married twelve years ago (WOW) and I have been pregnant or nursing ever since (truly, excepting a month here and a month there), until this last summer when Matt took the kids solo to his parents for the weekend, including little Ruthie who LOVED to nurse (at over 18 months) with the express purpose of weaning her. Thank you MATT! So, my body is finally my own and I'm ready to feel good about it. I started trying to lose weight the end of summer and got 10 pounds off somewhat quickly and then a few more have come off slowly. But I'd lost my drive, until YOU ALL pitched in to get this contest (and support group) going! Thank you all. I'm planning on exercising a lot (so happy to finally be using the treadmill we bought 2 years ago at a garage sale and hauled across the country -- thanks Matt for waiting patiently till the day I started using it) and eating less, except in the FRUITS and VEGGIE category; that is wide open, eat fresh raw stuff plentifully! Not a detailed plan at the moment, so we'll see what transpires.

Best wishes to you ALL! Can't wait to hear from more of you!

Optimistic

For those who don't know me, I am Joanna Randall and I am Rebecca's sister in law. This blog is a great idea! I know it's really early, but I'm really excited about FINALLY trying to take ownership of my weight and I'm really optimistic. It seems that by the time I realized that my body is aging and I can't get away with habits and lifesyles that I used to be able to get away with, my weight was totally out of control. My biggest wake up was viewing a DVD that my daughters basketball coach had put together with pictures from the season and seeing the pictures of myself was shocking. I wanted to cry because that woman wasn't the woman I see in the mirror every morning. It was an eye opener to see myself the way others see me! I didn't gain all this excess weight over night and I know I won't lose it overnight, but it feels good to be taking steps in the right direction! What I'm doing is making small adjustments that I can live with now and plan to add more as I progress. My biggest changes are #1 to give up the soda pop. I am way too addicted. I get a 32 oz. fountain drink almost every day. NO MORE! I am filling up those 32 oz cups with ice water and taking them with me in the car so I can sip on them all day. #2 is getting up a little earlier to do my bike. I have a friend that I walk with 5 days a week, but I also need to add something a little more results oriented. #3 is eating breakfast and eating at regular intervals. I never eat breakfast, in fact I'm usually in such a hurry that I don't eat anything until 11 or 12 when I'm starving and then I just grab the first thing I can get my hands on which is usually not a healthy choice. Now I am feeding myself before my kids! #4 is having healthy foods that I actually enjoy in my home and making those choices. I made a grocery trip and loaded up on those things. I'm keeping a gallon size zip lock bag with a mixture of craisins, almonds and sunflower seeds(yummy) in the car, so when I get hungry on the go(I'm always on the go it seems!), I can grab a handful of that and not hit a drive thru! The last thing I put in place is I took a picture of myself and put it on my cell phone so that I have to look at it every day. When I get the urge to run to the nearest place that sells fountain drinks, I look at that picture and ask myself how bad I really want that soda! Very effective for me. I know this is only day 2, but I already feel better. I realize much of that is mental and not necessarily physical, but I feel better none the less and I am excited to dream about the day my shopping trip can be to buy clothes instead of food because my old clothes are too big!!!!! Good Luck everyone!!!!!

Sarah Davis bio

I am one of Rebecca's older sisters.  We live in Katy, TX which is a suburb just west of Houston. I'm doing this contest to help me get jump-started at exercising.  Paul (he's also doing it) and I have five kids with our youngest still nursing (Daniel is nine months now).  Since I got pregnant with him I haven't exercised at all, I've just felt too tired.  Before I loved Zubma, biking, swimming and running a bit.  It will also be nice to be comfortable in my jeans.  (At home I'm always wearing sweats or pajamas for comfort around the middle)  After we put the kids down at night we like to eat treats, waaaay too many, so I'm trying to change that, too.  On January 1st my ten year old daughter and I stopped eating treats.  Which is HUGE for me because that's usually why I get up in the morning!  For now we're just trying it for a month.

I'll start off the sharing by saying we bought 50lb of grapefruit today.  We stopped at 50lbs because that's all the store had left.  At $1 for five lbs we stocked up; plus it's healthier than caramel-filled Dove's.

Everyone had cabbage on sale, being New Year's, so I found a great recipe for cabbage soup.  Well, Paul and I thought it was yummy.  The kids, not so much. We doubled it and probably quadrupled the cabbage. I didn't exercise today but the kids go back to school tomorrow so I plan on doing something. 

Welcome!

Welcome to the site where you can share your bio, recipes, successes, total failures, exercise ideas, etc!

If you want to add something but don't want to bother figuring out how to post it here on the blog, send it to: sarahbah@hotmail.com  

After you send your weekly numbers to Rebecca, use that same address above to send your weekly bathing suit pictures (front, side and back) so we can all get a visual. (Just kidding, it's optional.) (Again, just kidding, we really don't want pictures.)

After each Saturday you can come here to check results.  

Below I pasted the emails that were sent out regarding guidelines/dates.

Here's to good health!!!

Hi Health Enthusiasts,

Tomorrow morning weigh yourself and get your official starting weight!  Then imagine yourself in 12 1/2 weeks after exercise, plenty of fruits veggies and water, great family/friend support, and friendly competition.  Envision a healthier YOU!  We're off and running!

Update:  Participation is up to 9 now, with my sister Sarah and her husband Paul and good friend Donna entering the competition!  I also heard a little birdie tell me that Ron is off sugar!  Way to go!  I think he's participating, too!  Sounds like the stakes are getting higher....

Best wishes to you all!!

Rebecca

p.s.  did anyone else enjoy some chocolate tonight???

Start Date: Tuesday, January 3.

End Date: Saturday, March 31.

Donation to winner's prize: $10 (please send to DeAnn Turner, 743 E. 675 S.    Brigham City, UT 84302)

What Counts: how much you LOSE and how much you EXERCISE! 

Reporting: Every Saturday morning send me a report on what you've lost *(see below for formula) AND how many times that week you exercised 30 minutes or more.  NO ONE will know how much you weigh because you will be reporting only the percentage of total body weight you've lost.  I will send an email when all reports are in to show how everyone is doing (competitiveness kicks in here!). 

Winning: One winner will be determined by points: percentage of body weight lost added with points earned from exercising (each half hour adds .1 to your total body percentage lost.)

This is exciting!  Just imagine a healthier you in 12 1/2 weeks!  If anyone wants a $20 prize for whomever is in the lead at Valentine's Day cast your vote (sending that person out to eat could stall them so other's can catch up, ha ha). 

If you have some health wisdom to share send it out as encouragement.  I'd love someone to figure out emotional eating and how I can stop (since I hardly even recognize what I'm doing).  : )

Please send in your first report THIS Satruday (including your exercise!!).

Best wishes to you all in this new year!  And thanks for the support in a healthier family!

Love,

Rebecca

FORMULA for keeping your weight a SECRET yet reporting your SUCCESS! 

(if you can't stand math and don't care if I know your weight I'd be happy to do the figuring weekly if you just send in the stats) 

amount of pounds lost DIVIDED BY original weight!  Then multiply that by 100 to get the percentage. 

amount lost     =   W

original weight

W x 100= %of body weight lost

       

EXAMPLE: 2 pounds lost DIVIDED BY 200 pounds equals .01   then multiply that by 100 and get 1% body weight lost.

STEP ONE:

  2      =    

200          .01

STEP TWO:

.01 X 100 = 1%

EXERCISE: report weekly your number of times exercised.  This will add up!  If you exercise 5 days a week for 12 weeks that's 60 sessions of exercising at .1% each equals another SIX % POINTS!   Great Possibilities! 

SAMPLE FIGURING:

Sally weighs 200 pounds.  Over 12 weeks she loses 24 pounds and exercises 45 times for at least 30 minutes.       

  24    =

 200          .12   

.12 X 100 = 12%

  45

x .1

4.5 points from exercising

  12

+4.5

16.5 total points!