Guacamole Made Me Do It

It's fitting that it's the beginning of July and I'm typing these words. It's been a complete year since I aligned my head, heart, and body and truly got serious about making myself healthy. Last July I was obese for my height, I was uncomfortable in all my clothes, I was dreading going to the pool, and was really at a low point with my self esteem and overall self confidence.

I hit my goal in January and celebrated big. How fun was it to make a goal and meet it! I didn't want to stop there so I made a fitness goal to challenge myself. I began to fall in love with running in September and decided that a half marathon was my next goal. I worked very hard and crossed the finish line with a best friend by my side and tears in my eyes.

and then I took a break.....

this is where things get all sad and wonky.

BUT REAL.

I decided that the rest of my summer was maintenance. I'd lived for 10 months counting points, measuring portions, and telling myself that I craved bananas instead of chocolate. So I took June off and I did whatever I darn well pleased.

and it was a flippin blast.

My husband and I went to Mexico on our first vacation together since 2007. No kids. and it was glorious. the weather. the company. the guacamole. the chips. the icecream. the guacamole. the guacamole. the guacccccaaamooollleeeee. I enjoyed every indulgence on that trip. Upon returning I planned on returning to my healthy lifestyle.

Only I didn't. I stopped running (it was hot...wah). I got lazy with meal planning ( chicken nuggets and mac n cheese with the toddlers).  Ice cream here. Brownies there. McDonalds fries. Dr. Pepper. and now I feel so bloated, dehydrated, and cranky from my poor habits that the thought of running makes me wanna fall over dead.

I currently have three pairs of pants that no longer button. I worked hard for those pants....and now they don't fit.  I feel like I am RIGHT BACK AT  MY LOW POINT.  and I'm totally discouraged. and sad. and royally pissed off. I've gained weight and I know it. I haven't weighed myself  since June 2nd.....and honestly I'm frightened.

So it's obvious that I need some realignment here. I've messed up. I know what happens if these habits of over eating, over indulging, and not exercising continues. Weight packs on, pants don't fit, and I go back to feeling weak and sorry for myself.

I've decided to return to my roots, where it all started. I want to remind myself how far I've come (because gaining 15 pounds doesn't derail everything I've worked for), get back to what works for me (weight watchers online), and give myself some grace ( because punishing myself will do nothing). I'm going to go back through the 6 week devotion study, GODFIT that I did a year ago. Realigning my devotion to the Lord and giving him my struggles (choosing healthy foods, making wise choices) is the only way that I can keep up. Would you like to join me? You can purchase the YOUseries through the GODFIT website.  It's fifty bucks for the manual, workout video library, and shirt----and its yours to utilize. I'm going to post weekly about the devotion topic, workouts, and my own personal thoughts. You should totally join me. We can do this together. Please introduce yourself in the comments below and we can continue a conversation there.

How I Make Weight Watchers Work For Me

How did I make it work?

First let me start off my saying that the darling folks at Weight Watchers have no clue who I am. They didn't ask me to write my opinion or share anything with you. I'm doing it because it's working for me. If they'd like to waive my monthly fee for me I would jump up and down and give them air kisses though----dreaming.

I've gotten quite a few emails from people asking me how I make Weight Watchers work for me. The first time I got an  email  it made me giggle---not because of the question, but because I remember thinking the exact same thing when I stumbled upon THIS GIRLS blog back in May.   I'm happy to share what is working for me because I'm a busy mom and probably a lot like you.

The Weight Watchers program focuses on points. Each food has a point value and you are given a certain number of points per day. The idea is to eat your points each day. You're given weekly points which are above your daily points. For example, I have 26 points to eat each day. Each week I  also get 49 points to use how I wish. This week? I had three slices of pizza at a party Friday night and indulged in some ice cream with the kids. The weekly points allow you to feel like you can still enjoy life. It allows you to not be super restrictive. In the past restricting myself only lead to over eating later. These points are like your Blow Money for all you Dave Ramsey fans.... Use how you want---no questions asked. I always use all mine and have consistently lost weight for 6 months now.

Another thing you should know is most fruits and vegetables are zero points. Yep, eat as many as you'd like. However, I would advise NOT to eat three apples in a day. Bad news friends, bad news. Please just trust me on this....
Knowing that you can have as many fruits and veggies as you'd like to "fill-up" trains you to make healthier choices. Some of you might be thinking, well duhhhh that seems kinda childish to trick yourself into eating healthier. I'd have to agree with you---but making this change was  BIG  for me.  Fast food three times a week to eating healthy----I needed the help. You might too? I don't know.

When you exercise? You earn more points. You can use the ones you earn and still lose weight. I usually don't use them though.  I have on occasion---but not normally.

So that's how the basic program works.
How do I make it work for me?

Breakfasts are always the same. My mornings are nuts--whether I'm getting myself and the kids ready for me to pop off to work or I'm staying home with them and playing trains all day. It doesn't matter. Weirdly enough eating the same breakfast creates routine within chaos. I am all about that.  I eat  1/3 cup of steel cut oats  with a dash of cinnamon and fruit. every. day.

Lunches are rarely about WHAT I eat---it's just that I MUST PLAN what I'm going to eat. I read on a fitness blog once that if you fail to plan you're planning to fail. I've found that to be true. I must plan my lunches and pack them in advance if I'm going to stay on track that day. Staying on track equals losing weight each week so it's easier for me to stick with it that way. On days that I work I always bring a variation of the same lunch. 

Turkey wrap --I like Targets locarb wrap or Flat Wrap It Ups Italian (both are 2PP) Turkey is 2PP
Two pieces of fruit (0 PP)
A string cheese stick ( 1 PP)
Carrots with ranch seasoning (0 PP)
Dill pickles (0 PP)

My lunch is usually 5-6 PP

Dinners were my biggest hesitation with weight watchers. WHAT am I going to cook that will be healthy and nutritious and will also please the other three members of my family? Some people cook a family meal and then a separate meal for themselves. I cannot do that. I can barely cook one meal let alone two. Here is what I've found to be a lifesaver. EMEALS What is EMEALS?  It's a meal planning website. You sign up and pay a small fee per month and each week they email you a grocery list, meal plan, and recipes. They have lots of different plans including a portion control plan  that has WW points already totaled. BOOM! right?  The meals are delicious, healthy, and the kids approve. most days. I can't do the salad and grilled chicken thing long term. Emeals has great recipes and they rarely repeat a meal. This week we are having things like maple walnut pork chops, tex mex casserole, chicken chili, and rosemary chicken. That doesn't sound like diet food right thurrr does it?! There is even a groupon for EMEALS right now if you're wanting to try it at a discount.

My favorite zero /low point foods:

• baby carrots sprinkled with ranch dip mix. You know the mix that you combine with mayo or sour cream to make your own ranch dip? Yea that, only don't mix it with anything. Sprinkle a little on your veggie of choice and it tastes like you're eating ranch flavored veggies. ZERO POINTS. Lots of sodium.......but we can't have it all now can we ladies.
• Pear slices with cinnamon and stevia (pop it in the microwave in the evening....desert!)
• pickles
• celery with salsa
• Apple Chips ( I use this recipe from Pinterest)

Prior to trying to lose weight I had a bowl of ice cream each night. The habit started when I was pregnant with Lilly and I honestly couldn't shake it. Well, I probably COULD HAVE, but I didn't want to. Ehh. Here is my favorite watching TV sweet fix:

2 tablespoons of frozen cool whip free
1 fiber one brownie
1 teaspoon PB2
1 sliced banana

The entire thing is 4 points. FOUR.

My bowl of ice cream that I used to eat would be 10 points. TEN.

The biggest thing I've learned to do while using WW is planning things out. Some days I can tell that I'm going to want something more indulgent in the evening. I can TOTALLY do that and still lose weight as long as I adjust the rest of my day accordingly.  I'm not on track 100% of the time. Please know that I'm not a poster perfect example of WW. This is what is working for me. Using these techniques I've been able to lose 48 pounds on WW since the beginning of June.


This post is ridiculously long. If you're still reading, my guess is you're interested in WW or even trying to lose some weight. If you're looking to try and lose weight---YOU can do it. I didn't WANT to before  because I knew it meant changing the way I had become used to living. It made me uncomfortable. I'm still uncomfortable! I hope this was a teeny bit helpful. It was good to get all these thoughts out of my head.

Thanks for reading if you're still with me. High fives all around!

I'm flawed. and weight loss is not easy. and sometimes I need to slap the crazy out of my head.

Six months ago I set out to lose a significant amount of weight. I had tried several times before and failed. I had paid for WW before and gave up. I paid the monthly fee for WW for six months before I actually started using the program. hashtag embarrassing. hashtag don't tell mister ramsey.  I  made deals with my husband before to the tune of when I lose X amount of weight we can purchase ____fill in the blank___.  I'd lost weight in 2007 and I knew WHAT to do----it was simply a matter of digging deep and finding the motivation to actually do it. Please know that losing weight did NOT come easy for me. I definitely didn't just wake up one morning and say "I'm going to lose a lot of weight" and then do it. Those of you struggling? I'm right there with you.

If you're looking for a perfect weight loss story of pounds melting away, healthy foods all the time, perfect scheduled workouts....you won't find that here.  What you will find here is ME, a woman who was broken over whom I'd let myself to become. And one night finally decided to do something about it. My character is flawed.

 I am an emotional eater and food seems to be my go-to when I feel stress and anxiety. Last night----after a stressful evening I ate six pieces of pizza (45 WW Points!!Whaaatt). Yup, I still fail. This afternoon I wanted to swing by a fast food joint for lunch because the thought of fixing an actual lunch made me want to cry. dramatic. French fries will always be greater than broccoli. Ranch will always be more delicious than vinaigrette.

I don't always love my runs. I don't always feel the awesome release of stress and endorphins. It is oftentimes a constant mind game of my thoughts telling me to QUIT. WALK. You are FOOLING Yourself. Watch out, you legs are about to fall. off. Those drivers, they are laughing at you---your running form looks like that of an awkward sixth grade girl. Go ahead and just pretend to sprain your ankle to get this over with. I bet if you called Scott he'd come pick you up.

I have laid awake at night worrying about the weight returning. What if I can't keep it off? What if I give in----and slack off? What if the pounds return slingshotting me back into the self hate and bullying from last year? What if I fail in the long run? What a mess I am.

This weight loss thing? I struggle with it. Perhaps just like you.
But---here comes the puppies and rainbows.

Today I'm eating on track because of my slip up from yesterday. I didn't stop at the drive thru on the way home, I begged my husband to make lunch instead. I didn't let my HUGE slip up from yesterday derail the rest of the week. Back on the horse. NEXT MEAL. One failure will not derail the WW program. (Part of the reason I love it)

Even though some runs suuuuuuuuck, a sucky run is greater than no run. Walking a little is still better than choosing not to move at all.  The mind games? I have to recognize that they are lies. My legs are not giving up---my mind is. When this happens I listen to a favorite upbeat song by Mandisa called "Push On". On my New Year's Day run I  listened to it FIVE TIMES IN A ROW.  My next run will be better.....and if not it's still not a good enough reason to quit. Because running time????
 Is NO KID TIME. I won't ever sacrifce that. C'mon now. Hashtag that would be dumb.

I hope that the skills I've learned these past six months will not leave. I know that I'll always struggle with food, not having enough time, and comparing myself to others.  I have to have faith that God will help me and when I feel like giving up---HE WILL STILL BE THERE. And if I do gain some weight back, that has to be okay. I didn't lose any friends because I was overweight. I haven't gained new friends because I am now thinner. Love is not conditional on my size or your size.

If you're just beginning---I hope you can find hope in my words.
If you're in the thick of it----know that the things you struggle with are normal. 
If you're on the other side of the weight loss mountain---you're encouragement means the world to me and to others.


Fist bumps friends.

Five Weight Loss Tips For The Busy Mom

Do you know how silly I feel writing this? It's a combination of  silliness and pride. I'm so glad that this time my wish to finally lose the weight stuck. I'm so glad that I'm motivated, determined, and devoted. I also know what it feels like to WANT to be motivated, determined, and devoted and to FAIL. I've done that repeatedly. I can think of four instances that stick out in my mind right now. So getting ready to write out my own tips for losing weight and getting healthy feels a little silly right now. But I'm going to do it, because I've lost 40 pounds as of today. I may be new to running. I am definitely new to making healthier choices. I've hit a groove and I feel like I could maybe help motivate or inspire others to do the same. Because FORTY.

Just so you don't think I'm super woman, please know that I'm a mess. Literally, I've written about it before. I cannot for the life of me keep it together--and I'm okay with that. How boring to be perfect, I'm much more interesting because I'm a hot mess. It lets me enjoy the Grace I'm given so. much. more.

That being said, I definitely have honed in on what it takes to lose weight. Losing weight is hard. If it was easy I we'd all be our ideal weight! If it was easy I wouldn't of shed tears over it. If it was easy--we wouldn't be so inspired by others that have done it before us.  And you guys, I'm convinced it's even harder when you have a family to take care of, a job to uphold, a house to keep clean, and relationships of both  family and friends that you want to pour into. The following five things are simply what I've found to work for me. These tips keep me healthy, losing weight, motivated, and on track while keeping up two toddlers, a job, and a neeeedddyyyyyy husband that can't find anything. Love you, honey.

1.  Create a Board of Weight Loss Inspiration on Pinterest

What a great resource we have in Pinterest.  Making a ( secret) board with nothing but tips and trips to inspire my weight loss has been CRUCIAL to losing weight. I keep links to fitness blogs I love, photos of my 'goals', healthy recipes,  and other tips and tricks others have written about in this board. Several times a week I look through the Health and Fitness section of Pinterest and pin things that pertain to my own goals.  I don't pin pictures that don't seem attainable to me. While some photos of women in the fitness section look darling and ohsofit I don't see becoming a fitness model as a goal. Her abs will NEVER be my abs. Lilly and Noah made sure of that. So that girl---doesn't get pinned. I don't want to be discouraged when I look through my images. I want them to be attainable to ME. I also go through my own board during moments of weakness. I avoided what would have surely become a fast food binge by looking through items in my board. If you're just beginning to think about wanting to make a change in your lifestyle I suggest heading to Pinterest and creating your own board.

2. Useful Apps

There are so many useful apps to help you with your fitness goals. I don't have time to go to a computer to track. I don't have the willpower to actually write down  anything. However,  I do have my phone with me at all times. I needed something streamlined that wouldn't create another thing to do in my already BUSY day. I have no excuse not to take advantage of the health apps at my disposal!   Here are a few of the most useful apps for me:

Weight Watchers Online: I love weight watchers. I really think that WW was the key to my success. I've tried MyFitnessPal but wasn't able to stay motivated because well, it was free. It didn't HURT me if I didn't use it. WW---hurts a bit because it does have a monthly fee. Through this app I've learned portion control, healthy swaps, how many calories to consume and maintain a healthy and steady weight loss. I love the tracker, cheat sheets, inspiring stories, scanner, etc. It's a super app.

Nike Plus: This app tracks my runs. I am able to keep tabs on distance, pace, and time through this app. When I first started it helped me turn my walking into a slow jog, into a jog, into a run.  There are lots of others out there. This happens to be my fave.

C25K free: A great training resource for beginners. It was intimidating to me at first!


3. Have Low Calorie and Healthy Snacks READY

Since I'm doing weight watchers all of my fruits and vegetables are zero points. This is another reason I like Weight Watchers. This portion of the program forces me to make the healthiest choice when snacking. I don't like to use my daily points for snacks--I want to save them for meals! I have a few go to ZERO POINT snacks that I frequent A LOT. I always have these snacks available to me so I DON'T dip into my kids snacks. Fruit snacks are FIVE points. I can't afford to eat those when I only get 26 points a day. Carrots...carrots....carrottssssssssssss

Baby Carrots with Ranch Seasoning Mix--This makes baby carrots delish. I sprinkle a little on top of my carrots and its the savory and salty mix that hits the spot.

Baby Dill Gherkins

Cinnamon Apples-- Slice the apple and top with 1 packet of Truvia and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon --Microwave for 30 seconds. DIVINE. and ZERO POINTS.

Peaches and Cool Whip Free-- One tablespoon of Cool Whip Free is zero points. Top ANY fruit with  CWF for a nutritious and ZERO POINT snack

Sweet Mini Peppers and Salsa


4. Schedule Exercise In Your Family Calendar
We're busy--like REALLY busy and most days you don't have time to exercise--I get that. Most days I don't have time---I have to make time. I know, ouch, right? This was the biggest change for me. I was a old fat parrot repeating that I would LOVE to work out but because of my kids, time, weather, it's Tuesday, I have to breathe,  etc I  didn't have time.  The fact is--I did have time I was just choosing to spend it on other things.  I schedule out my workouts now. If I don't schedule, it doesn't get done.  I check with my husbands work schedule a week in advance and write out the times I have for a run. Some days I have to bring both kids with me in order to get a run in. The days I can't possibly fit a run in I do a DVD. I choose to do Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred because it's quick ( 20 minutes) and really gets me sweating. Level 3 is lay on the floor for five minutes afterwards because you can't move hard. I had to learn to adjust my goals to ones that are actually achievable as a busy mom. I can't do a 7 day  a week work out routine. I can't do a 5 day a week work out routine. I CAN do a three day a week routine. I can MAKE TIME three days a week to get active. If I am able to get in more than three days a week I am happy because I was able to go above what I had committed to.

5.  Track Your Motivation

On May 31st I wrote with blue dry erase marker on my bathroom mirror the number 195. *gulp*.  I was at my unhappiest with my weight. I was defeated and embarrassed. I wanted to change but I did not see HOW I could make it work.  That number stared at me every day for three weeks before I decided to try and do something about it. Once I started WW I updated my progress every week on my mirror. After a few weeks of seeing the number shrink I had a constant reminder of my progress and HARD work. Seeing these numbers each day sets my day off on the right track. I can see how far I've come and it motivates me like crazy.


In true busy preschool mom fashion my littlest is up from his nap an HOUR early and must go grab the nugget.

The biggest take away advice that I have to give is that I had to GIVE UP some things in order to make my health a top priority.

I've not yet met a mother that can stay healthy, keep a spotless home,  several incredibly polite and well groomed kids, a happy boss, and stalk keep up with all their friends on social media. You can't do it all. I can't do it all. AND frankly, say I do meet a woman who can? I'm not really sure we could be friends, or hang out, or breath the same air even.

I only like to be around dysfunction--just sayin.

My first before/after shot

Update: No. They still don't fit. Yes. I'm obsessing. Yes. It's a problem. Yes. I'm going crazy over rings.

Moving on...

Today marks my 13th  week on weight watchers. If you're teetering with giving it a try. My three month  opinion is DO IT. The motivation and success I'm feeling way out weigh (see what I did there ((WINK))?) the cost in my opinion. I signed up during one of their free months. I think this month is one as well?  As long as you stick with it--and do the plan by the books----you'll see results.

Wins: Went clothes shopping yesterday. Down two full sizes since June. Get the heck outta here 16's!!!!! I put ALL my 16s in a large trash bag and took them to Goodwill. They are OUT OF MY HOUSE. So freeing. I did have the moment of "But what if I gain in back? or get pregnant again? and if, if if ifffy iffety iff?" and then I swallowed the worries and kicked that  size outta my life. I'm done with it. FOREVER. Cuss word.

and ooooooooooooooooh it felt so good.



Work: Right now I'm working on running. I'd like to challenge myself to run a 5K in the late winter/early spring. Right now, I can't run a full mile start to finish without walking. I'm mostly too scared to push myself. I have this weird phobia that I'll pass out, break my ankle, or explode into glitter if I do. Gonna push through that this week. *Hopefully*


I'm enjoying this new me. I knew I was always inside of here. I was just being suffocated by fast food, guilt, and 27 pounds extra baggage.