MY JOURNEY TO MY NEW LYFE

I'm baaaack

2011-10-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know that I've been at this blogging thing since 2007. Where has the time gone????? But this time I have a lot to say and a short time to do it in. There is soooo much that is going on with me and I will be sharing that as time goes on, but the main two things I am faced with is possibly leaving Atlanta and re-focusing on my weight loss. I have nothing but tunnel vision for those two things right now. I am back to good old fashioned calorie counting. Plain and simple. Nothing else has worked for me more than that plus exercise. So with that being said here are my weight loss basics: I will be simultaneously posting at myfitnesspal.

5-6 small meals per day
At least 8 glasses of water
1350-1500 calores per day
30 minutes of HIIT exercise 6 days a week
30 minutes of strength training 3 days a week
Lots of rest
Daily multi-vitamin
Weighing in once a week on Saturdays.

Simple enough right? Well it's time to get 'er done! My lyfe depends on it!!!

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

My Weight Loss Plan

2011-05-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

I am doing the 17 Day Diet. To date, it has been the best and most successful diet I have ever been on. I have lost 8.2 lbs since Monday May 9, 2011. I will be posting my progress every Monday (as that will be my weigh-in days).

Gone Way Too Long

2011-05-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a serious minute since I've put my thoughts on here. I am back and ready to pick up where I left off. After a few hiccups over the last 3 years, I am close to being exactly where I want to be in my lyfe. My relationship with God has been growing, I am moving forward in my career, I have the man of my dreams, my family is doing well, I have great friends and the best is yet to come. I have even managed to drop 25 lbs so far this year, with more to come. Looking forward to sharing my thoughts on a more regular basis. Stay tuned!

DASH and Daily Weigh-Ins

2010-06-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Just found a website that allows me to chart my weight daily and to set milestones. The site even tells you if the milestone is reachable in the amount of time that you set for yourself. I have found that weighing daily keeps me accountable. If I see where I've gained a little, I can make the proper adjustments immediately to get back on track. I have also changed my diet to the DASH diet which is a diet low in sodium. So far I have lost 5.8 lbs since Saturday, June 19. I realize that since I have cut the sodium from my diet, I have released a great deal of water weight. I am excited and I can really get used to this way of eating.

I'm Baacck!

2010-06-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been almost 2 years since I blogged. Where have I been? Life happened! I have been through so much in the last 2 years, but God is still good. Back on this journey to make my life better and it starts in two places: spiritually and physically! Everything else can fall in place as God sees fit! Well, this weight loss journey is back in full force! I was totally out of control during the last 2 years and the scale is evidence of it. I have reevaluated my weight loss goal. I now have a goal 0f 175 pounds. I will see what I look like at that goal, and if I can stand to go smaller, then, the final goal will be 145. Trying to get baby ready. I have a long way to go, BUT I know that I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength. I officially got back on track yesterday! I'm following the DASH plan of eating because I have been diagnosed with HBP and it will allow me to eat a lower sodium diet. Looking forward to this new way of lyfe!

LOVE NEVER FAILS

2008-12-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

I was watching an episode of the Biggest Loser last nite and it brought me to tears. It was eye opening. There was a mother and daughter team on there who did not have a great relationship before they started the show. The mother was eliminated but before she left, she thanked God for giving her an opportunity to reconcile with her daughter and to create a brand new relationship. They depended on each other, lost weight together, and began to love each other more and trust each other. Before the show ended, they showed the mom at a welcome home party at her church and she encouraged those who had gone through difficult times with their loved ones or friends to never give up. She said that she was glad that she never gave up on striving for that better relationship with her daughter. She ended the show by saying Love Never Fails. I knew that the "love" she was referring to was God's love. It's funny how I've always known I Corinithians 13 and how it describes love, but I had a revelation last night when the mother said "Love Never Fails".

The Holy Spirit reminded me that God is love and because He is love, He never fails. There is a song that I can't get out of my spirit called "I Trust You" by James Fortune. I seem to catch it all day long on the way to work, at my desk, on my way to church. I think God's trying to tell me something. And the song just says that although God seems far away sometimes, He is right there when you need Him. He wants us to trust that He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. I trust Him! I can't help but do so. My life, my sanity, and my peace depends on it.

If you find yourself going through trials and tribulations, remember, God (LOVE) never fails and trust in Him like you've never done before.

Peace that surpasses all understanding!

2008-12-02T19:36:00.000-08:00

I am learning that He will definitely keep you in perfect peace if your mind is stayed on Him. I have really been through a lot in the last 2 months and I have been struggling to maintain my peace through it all. But I am reminded that I am not the initiator of my peace. I have been trying to fight battles that I know are not mine to fight. So today I decided to get out of the driver's seat and let God steer this ship. It took some encouraging from family and friends, praying and enough tears to get me to this point, however, I am praising my way out of this storm! I never understood until now what my daddy meant when he said, "Baby, God is not moved by your tears, He is moved by your faith." That was such a profound statement. I am exercising my faith so much now like I've never done in my life. If I ever had to choose a gospel song that describes what I'm going through, it would be either "Let Go and Let God" by DeWayne Woods or "I Trust You" by James Fortune and Fiya. God will show up and do exactly what He promised. I am so excited about the breakthrough that will come in His timing. I know I am all over the place with this blog, but I am full of excitement and joy. Most of all, I got my peace back! Thank you Jesus!

Long Overdue update!

2008-04-20T21:57:00.000-07:00

Since 3/31/08, I have been going to the Y 5 days a week. I am down to 262.2 as of 4/19/08. I am very excited about that. I dropped 4.8 pounds last week. I have decided not to do Weight Watchers anymore but I am on a free program called SparkPeople. This site has changed my life forever. I am on a high and I am enjoying exercise for the first time in my life. I am so proud of me and I look forward to what God has in store for me.

WEEK 5 WEIGH IN - 3/29/08

2008-03-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I weighed in and let's just say that I'm up again. This time to 271.5. Well, tomorrow I have a rude awakening. I'm headed back to the gym. Got a personal email from my coach and he is NOT having me missed my agreed upon return to the gym. So, I'm ready to stop messing around and get this party started. Why is it so hard to stay on track? Well anyway, I have to finish what I started.

WEEK 4 WEIGH IN - for 3/22/08

2008-03-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

Well it was TOM, so I went up .5 to 270. I'm not mad at it. My boyfriend prayed for the both of us this weekend that we will stick to our plans and lose weight. We have a friendly competition going on with my sister and she is at 11 pounds, I am at 3 pounds, and he is at 0 pounds. BUT, he started at the gym today which means he's about to drop his weight like the speed of light. But that's ok, that's the motivation that I need. I will be working out today. No doubt about it. So we'll see how this goes.

WEEK 3 WEIGH IN - posting was for 3/15/2008

2008-03-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

I did not post Week 3's weigh in, so I will post it here. I am down to 269.5 Yeah! I acheived more than the 1.4 pounds loss that I need to do each week to achieve my goal of 25 pounds by August 1.

WEEK TWO WEIGH IN

2008-03-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

Before I announce my weigh in for the week, let's just say that the number comes as no surprise. I had a horrible week. I have been a little sad since this past Friday was my deceased father's birthday. I miss him soooo much. So I was in an emotional state of eating. With that said, I went up to 273. No worries though. I received a call from a friend who's also on WW. She and a group of her meeting mates decided that they could lose 25 pounds by July 31 if they lost a measley 1.4 pounds a week. That is soooooooooo doable for me. I am game. So with that said, it's on! I really need to do something quickly because my boyfriend and I are taking a trip to Florida to celebrate our birthdays. We are 2 weeks apart. So although I won't be where I would like to be by then, I will at least try to shed some pounds. See ya next week with at least a 1.4 loss.

WEEK ONE WEIGH IN

2008-03-01T17:59:00.003-08:00

No change! Still 271. That's all I want to say about that.

HERE I GO AGAIN!!

2008-02-23T07:02:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's official. I have restarted. I thought I would be doing myself a great disservice if I decided to continue as if I had been OP since October 20. I HAVE NOT!! BUT, I have decided to restart today. I just weighed in at 271. 7 pounds from my original date. I'm not mad at it, I could have regained it all. But thank God I didn't. Well, now I have a little bit more incentive to stay OP. My sister wants to take me to Jamaica in September. Plus, she thinks that my boyfriend is going to propose soon and I need to look good for my wedding dress. Well either occasion is reason enough for me to get my butt up off of the couch and do something. Well, I'm not going to turn this into a long blog. I have work to do! I'm back with a vengeance!

I'M BACK and Week 13 weigh in

2008-01-20T23:34:00.000-08:00

Ok,

It's been way too long since I last blogged. Dec 8th! OMG!! Anyway, just to announce, I fell off the bandwagon between Dec 19-January 18. That's almost a whole month. But anyway, no time to cry over it. I gotta get back on track. I weighed in on January 19 and much to my surprise I was at 267.5. No way! I had gone back up to 271 over the holidays, so this was good news. And I didn't even try to lose those pounds, but I'm glad I did. My personal goal for this week is 3.5 pounds. That will take me to my 10%. Looking forward to the results.

WEEK SEVEN WEIGH IN

2007-12-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

269...uhhhhh!!

I am going to have to attribute this no change in my weight loss to the fact that I am building muscle. I was OP all week with the exception of one day. I know that the clothes are feeling looser especially around my waistline but I still want to see some numbers moving downward on the scale. I was at the gym 4 days this week and I'm going today, so I don't know. With the Christmas holiday coming around, I want to be able to move that scale down especially since I have a goal of 20 pounds by December 31. But even though the numbers are moving, I am still going to keep lifting weights. I like how it makes me feel strong. Well my goal for this week is to continue to go to the gym, stay OP, no flexies, and eating 1/2 of my APs. I'll show that scale!!

WEEK SIX WEIGH IN

2007-12-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

2.5 pounds down. Yeah!! Sources of success: GOD, going to the gym 4 days this week and getting back focused. Left the 70s, now I'm in the 60s. Goals for this week:

1. Workout 5 days
2. Try a new recipe
3. Drink more water
4. Lose 2 pounds

1st day at the Y

2007-11-27T07:42:00.000-08:00

Ok, I joined the Y back on November 19 and I had not gone to exercise until today. My "coach" called me on yesterday to set up the "evaluation" that they offer to determine your fitness level. I set it up for this morning at 7:30. My bf calls me at 6 to wake me up and I really don't want to get up but I manage to roll off of the sofa. (Yes I slept there last night). I finally get up for good at 6:43 and shower and head for the gym. I get there about 7:35 and Coach Kenny is waiting on me. He gets right to it. I set some long term goals and then we're off to the strength training machines. He sets up my program and I do my own demo of each. It was fun. Well once he finishes, I decided to stay and do some cardio. I did 1.64 miles on the treadmill at about 3.0-3.2 miles per hour. I burned 341 calories. I am so excited. I can't wait until the morning. I am going back. I am going to try to be there at 5:00 a.m. so that I can get in and get out. Here are some short term goals for me that I hope to accomplish before the end of the year.

1. Lose 11 pounds by December 31. This will take me to 20 lbs and 258 lbs.
2. Move comfortably into size 22 clothes.
3. Go to the gym at least 5 days a week.

SATURDAY AFTER TURKEY DAY WEIGH IN (WEEK FIVE)

2007-11-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

Well just as I thought I gained a little weight. Not much. Only 1.5 pounds. But who cares? I am NOT going to beat myself up about it. Today is a new day and I am getting back on track. Aside from that, I celebrated 1 year with my boyfriend the day before Thanksgiving. We had such a great time this week. He left to go back to Birmingham this morning and I was sooooo sad. But he'll be back tomorrow after he preaches at a church in Alabama. I can't wait to see him again. We had such a great time and our relationship has now gone to another level. I've never had any doubts that he loves me and I certainly don't have any after this week. That man is such a God-send. I wouldn't trade him for the world. He has really been taking care of me, especially since I'm unemployed right now. This has been a true test of our relationship and he is working it like a charm. Well tomorrow I plan to go to church and then after that, I plan to go to the gym. I joined the YMCA and I am highly impressed with the facility. I just need to get going that first time and then I will be able to get my momentum going. Well now I'm going to watch some shows that I have taped on my DVR so I can erase some of the junk that I have in there.

WEEK 4 WEIGH-IN

2007-11-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to jump right in it. I am down 3.0 pounds this week. OMG!!! I am waaay excited about that. After maintaining last week, this is definitely music to my ears eyes and scale. This really comes as a shock to me especially since I had a few binges during the late night hours this week. But despite the binges, for the most part I follow the plan. As for my goals from last week:

1. I only exercised once last week.
2. I did up my water intake but only got in 1 day of drinking a gallon.
3. Flex points, I ate just about all of them and did not eat my 1 day of APs.

Goals for next week:

1. Take it easy on eating this week, considering that my anniversary is Wednesday and Thanksgiving is Thursday.
2. Exercise at least twice.
3. Drink a gallon of water at least 3 times this week.

Well time for me to go eat breakfast! I am soooooooooo hungry.

WEEK THREE WEIGH IN

2007-11-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

Well, just like I expected, I did not lose any weight this week. BUT, I am ok with that. I am just glad that I did not gain any weight. I sort of had a few late night binges so despite those, I am happy that I still didn't gain any weight. That keeps me in at 273. This week I have set some goals:

1. Exercise at least 3 times a week.
2. Drink a gallon of water DAILY.
3. Do not eat ANY flex points and eat half of my activity points.

With that said, I'm off to a great week!!

WEEK TWO WEIGH IN

2007-11-04T18:50:00.001-08:00

First of all, I have to say that I have not blogged in the last few days because my sweet boyfriend was in town this weekend. 100% of the time when he is in town, I'm in a whole other world because we don't see each other but once maybe twice a month if we can. We had a great time today. We went to the Falcons/49ers game with his brother and his wife and we had a ball.

Anyway, on to the weigh in. I lost TWO POUNDS! Yeah! That brings me to five pounds in two weeks. I even managed to watch my points intake most of the weekend. The only downfall I had was eating at Johnny Carrino's italian restaurant. It was sooooo good. I really didn't do to bad. I had 1/4 of a slice of bread which I dipped in the olive oil (got my oil in...lol), had a house salad with italian dressing, and for my entree I had Bowtie Festival (chicken, asiago cheese (my dairy...lol), mushrooms, tomatoes and bacon) YUMMY. It was good. Well since I am now in Week 3, I am aiming for my 28 activity points to see if I can start to accelerate my weight loss. My mini goal for this week is 2 pounds. Until then, I plan to have a great week.

Slightly Fallen off the wagon

2007-11-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, I cannot believe that I have not blogged since Monday. All I know is that I've been going to bed every night, or should I say morning, no later than 3:00 a.m. This absolutely throws off the rest of my day. Well last night was the worst ever. I had finished my points and ate them to a T. Exactly 31 points. Then at about 12 because I was still up, I ate Fat Free chips and cream cheese. Pretty much the whole bag. I was out of control. Then I ate a Smart Ones Key Lime pie. I don't know what got into me, but believe me, I am back on track.

Now for today, I had an appointment this morning at 10 and this threw my day off. Its not 9:13 p.m. and I managed to get to 26 points but right now as I type, is the first time that I've had a significant amount of water. I do not want to jeopardize the 3 pound weight loss I had last week, but if I don't do something between now and Saturday, I may actually have a gain. I will even take .5 of a pound of weight loss and be happy. So oh well, I will see what Saturday brings.

On a personal note, I'm excited because I get to see my boyfriend and his brother and his wife this weekend. We plan to have lots of fun, hopefully without a whole lot of eating.

Long awaited news

2007-10-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! I have been waiting on a call for the last 3 months that affects my career. The call I got was what I wanted and needed to hear. I am sooo happy and a burden has been lifted from my shoulders. During the last 3 months, I have been on edge waiting on this phone call. I thank God that it came today. Thank you God!

Also, my boyfriend was acting real strange today. He asked me was I sure that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him because he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. I told him that under no circumstances was I going anywhere. Do I smell a proposal coming soon? I don't know. Only time will tell. We celebrate our one year anniversary 3 weeks from this Thursday and maybe he'll do it then. Either way, I won't rush it because I totally want to be surprised.

Lastly on the weight loss note, things are still going well. I even convinced my sister to join WW with me. She will be starting on Saturday. I am sooooo happy about that because it will be fun to do it together with her.

JOB SEARCH

2007-10-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Did I ever mention that I am looking for a new job? Well I resigned from my old one last month and I have been unemployed since September 6. I am going stir crazy in my house. I need to get out and do something before I go crazy. I am waiting on this law firm to call me. I absolutely LOVE this firm. It would be great if they called in the morning. That way I would finish out this week of chillin' and then I would start fresh on the following Monday. Well anyway, even if they don't call, I have to get back on my job search grind in the a.m.

Now for a weight loss note, for the past two days, I have not cut into my Flex Points. My boyfriend and his brother and his wife are coming this weekend for us to go to the Falcons game. I am sure that we will go out all weekend so I am trying to save my Flex Points for the weekend just in case I need them.

Well anyway, just thought I'd blog before I go to bed.

WEEK ONE WEIGH IN

2007-10-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

I LOST 3.O POUNDS!!!! Yeah!!!! I am sooooooo excited. I was sweating when I got up on that scale. I did not know what to expect. But I fared well. I am so proud of me. This is just the beginning!

Tomorrow's the Day

2007-10-26T22:00:00.001-07:00

Ok, I'm a little nervous because last night I had a bit of a binge. I ate a half of sleeve of wheat Ritz crackers and a few tablespoons of lite cream cheese. I just couldn't stop. Then I had a few more today. Well the weigh in is going to be interesting anyway because Aunt Flo decided she wanted to make her visit on Thursday. We'll see! Well, I update the blog tomorrow with the official weigh in.

Liberation

2007-10-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

I have been dealing with an anger issue for at least 6 years. Today, after much prayer and talking to my mom and my boyfriend, I have been set free. The Bible says "Whom the Son has set free, he is free indeed." I AM FREE! I've been waiting for this day for years. I am a much better person. This issue would have interfered with my future marriage and I'm happy to announce that my boyfriend does not have to worry about this issue in the future. Thank you Jesus! This is all I have to say on this issue. I am sooo happy right now that I am just going to end this blog right now and go celebrate! Peace!

WATER, WATER,WATER

2007-10-24T23:30:00.001-07:00

Ok, I've heard all sorts of stories about how much water to drink. I've heard half of your body weight, 64 oz, 48 oz, etc. Well, I decided I was going to do a gallon a day, which is 128 oz. Not a drop more, not a drop less. I think that this may be okay since I am 278 and half of that, if I followed the first method would be 137 oz. YEAH RIGHT! I have been having an intimate love affair with my bathroom. I think I spend more time in there than I do in the rest of the house. Well needless to say, I hear that the key to making sure I am speed up my metabolic rate is to drink water. I hate it!! But oh well, I gotta do it. It's done! Uh oh, gotta go....u know where! Peace!

Anxious

2007-10-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, today I was getting just a little bit anxious. I am waiting from a call from a law firm to see if they want to hire me or not. It's been 13 days since the interview. I was starting to lose hope until the office manager emailed me and said that they are in the process of expanding into the space next to their office and that I should hear from them shortly. This was good for me to hear from her. My boyfriend called me and I'm trying not to wear my emotions on my sleeve when I deal with him, but he knows me by now and he knows when something is wrong with me. I was getting ready to go on an emotional eating binge, but my boyfriend called just in the knick of time. He prayed with me and after that I felt a lot better. Instantly my spirits were lifted. I love that man! Anyway, I am still doing well despite my short-lived emotional breakdown. I am too excited that it's been 4 days and I am soooooooooo determined to stick with my new lifestyle. Well that's it for tonight. I am getting ready to look at my DVR of The Biggest Loser and Lincoln Heights.

Is it Day 3 already?

2007-10-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know it's only been 3 days, but I can't believe how fast the days are going by. I can't believe that I have stayed OP without wavering. I am sooooo proud of myself. I am really getting inspiration from reading all the weight loss blogs. Last night I realized how truly serious I am about this weight loss. I got a sharpie and went through my entire pantry and refrigerator and labeled all the items with the point values. This has helped so much. Now it's so easy to pick up something and not have to look at my points slider to figure out how many points it is. I love that. I know that when my boyfriend comes to see me next week (he lives in Alabama), he's going to wonder what in the heck have I done to my fridge and pantry, but he's sooo supportive he'll just say good for you. Well with that said, I can't wait until tomorrow to approach Day 4 with a great expectation.

I AM READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL

2007-10-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

Ok,today my Atlanta Falcons got beat once again. But the Cowboys won! Yeah!!! Well anyway, on to the important stuff. Today is Day 2 and I am doing very well. I had to go to the grocery store and managed to walk past the bakery aisle twice without picking up cake, cookies, cinnamon rolls or brownies. I am TOO proud of myself. Believe me the 2nd time around almost had me. But I thought about my commitment to living a healthy lifestyle and I'm not disciplined yet to say "I'll just have one bite." My sweetheart called this afternoon and said that he was going to buy some fruit and salads for his work week. He knows that I am doing the WW thing and he is trying to incorporate a healthy lifestyle himself. Although he's 6'5" and can carry a little more weight because of his height, he still wants to lose about 20 pounds. I can't believe how fast the days go by when you're doing the right thing. It seems like when I was eating the wrong stuff, the day dragged by which kept me in bondage all day (thoughts that I'm a failure lingered all day). Well that's it for today.

FIRST WEIGH-IN

2007-10-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, I just weighed in and it's not as bad as I thought. Honestly, I thought I weighed more. Not that the numbers were great, but I weighed in at 278. I thought I was closer to 285. Anyway, I have decided to set small goals for myself. My first week's goal is to stay on plan everyday and to exercise at least 3 times this week. I know that through prayer and determination I can do this. Can't wait for this time next week to see what my weigh-in will be. Here is my weight loss tracker which I will post every Saturday after I weigh in.

My last "start and stop"

2007-10-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, how many of us had done this? We started and stopped and started and stopped and started and stopped Weight Watchers? Well, I have decided that this is my LAST start and stop session. I now realize that being healthy is a lifestyle and not a quick fix. I am proud of resisting my friend's offer to get on a very expensive quick fix plan (which she was paying for mind you). But anyway, I know that WW is the best way to go. I have soooo many reasons to lose the weight.

1. Not to sound cliche, but I really do need to improve my health (my blood pressure is not the best, I have a family history of diabetes and heart disease)
2. I want to look good in my clothes
3. I haven't been able to cross my legs with ease since I was 20. I'm 33 now!! Yikes!!
4. I have a great man in my life who wants to marry me and I think the proposal is coming soon and I want to look great in my wedding dress.
5. I want to be a better steward over my body so that I can fulfill the destiny that God has placed inside of me.

Okay, I can go on and on, but I rather get started. So with all of that said, on to the weigh-in.