Printable Bookmarks

Here's a little more inspiration :) I printed mine off, covered them with clear contact paper and then punched a hole in the top and added ribbon...these would make cute little gifts too. Enjoy!

Bookmark Final PDF



And sometimes it sucks....

I tried to make it a goal to write every single day but now I'm realizing this isn't feasible. This week has been so stressful. My youngest daughter went to spend 3 weeks with her dad and I had to take my mom for a brain and neck MRI today. Both of these things happening at once really scare me so what do I do? I gained 8 lbs in 3 days. I really think this is water weight, but we shall see. Today so far I had 1 cup of oatmeal for breakfast, then I drove mom to the scan, sat there for 3 hours and then drove directly home because she was so sick. So I ordered a grilled chicken snack wrap on the way home. I haven't looked up the calories yet but I'm sure I'm still under my 1200 cals for the day. Part of me felt bad for having to get sonic but the other part of me just needed some FOOD and that's the healthiest thing I saw. I'm not TRYING to mess up. But sometimes the week will suck and that's alright because just because I'm living a healthier life doesn't mean it's a perfect life :) This weekend I will be working a 16 hr shift on both days...so I need to plan plan plan! Crossing my fingers that hubby makes it home in time so we can go see a movie before the crazy weekend begins!!

Playlist

I'm a firm believer that music makes my world go around. If my daughter has killed my ipod battery from playing angry birds for too long, I will wait until it's charged to go to the gym. It helps give me the extra push when I need it and when I'm running I can't hear my gorilla-like breathing. Here are some of my favorite songs....please note that some of them are not appropriate for children :)

DIY Headband pattern

This is another case of 'couldn't find one so I made one'. I did look high and low but everything was SO EXPENSIVE and really UGLY. This is a fantastic way to use t-shirts and kids love to help make them as well. Instructions and pattern below...enjoy! I'd love to see some headbands that you've made!

Headband Pattern Final

Burnout tops from Firedaughterclothing

When my kids were little and they got new shoes, they would tell me how much faster they could run and then show me that the new shoes did, in fact, make them run faster. This is how I feel with new workout clothes. I ordered this shirt from http://www.etsy.com/shop/FiredaughterClothing and got it within a week. This was a custom that I requested so that is super speedy!

This is my second order from this etsy shop and I will definitely be getting more. Last year I put my head down every time I was at the gym so I wouldn't have to look at myself. Now I look in every one that I pass so I can see my swanky duds! These shirts are SO SOFT and fit perfectly. Hopefully I will be getting a medium next time but for now the large fits good.

Progress...about halfway there!

The first picture is 250 lbs wearing a size 22 jeans

Second picture is me today, weighing 189 and the only pair of pants that fit say 13/14...yay halfway there!!

She Believed printable

I have this on the front page of my journal....helps ya to remember that everything IS possible.

She

The 10 keys to my progress (thus far)

Before I begin...please note that I have been at this for a year...it has been a hard year, and like everyone else I have had major struggles. There were times I would write down what i ate in my journal and then later I would eat more and not write it down. You are not even fooling yourself when you do this. I once missed 5 days of working out in a row and I had a party each day but only little debbie and duncan hines were invited. For others who have lost weight, I would LOVE to know your '10 keys'. If someone would have given me these keys a long time ago, it would have been really helpful. But maybe someone did and was just too stubborn to listen.

1. GOD

 ~ I believe that everything in my life is governed by God. I believe he has a plan for my life and that with him, ALL things are possible. I do not always make the best decisions, but I know that I am forgiven. When I am working out really hard I have 'workout tourettes' but I'm trying to clean my potty mouth.

2. MY HUSBAND

 ~ between me and the world, he has had a tough past with most of his girlfriends cheating on him. About midway through (kinda like now) my journey to my goal, he became very insecure. One day we had a talk, and I explained to him that I was doing this for my health, and to feel better and be a better wife. Sometimes he wigs out a little if I get attention, because we aren't used to that, but lately he has been telling me how proud he is and there have been a couple of times he's wanted me to go with him places to 'show me off'. I should take that as a degenerating remark, but I don't. I will admit that there are times I'd like to strangle him when he eats pizza in front of me...and once I threw a fit until he threw away the ice cream, but that's alright, because sometimes you need to stick up for your health. If times are getting a little rough between you and your significant other, I reccomend a nice, long talk. Explain why you are doing this and that they have absolutely nothing to worry about and many MANY things to look forward to.

3. MY TRAINER

 ~ There have been times when I knew deep down that he wanted to strangle me, I just know it. I try not to dump my emotional garbage on him a lot but when life has really thrown me a hard punch I knew I could trust him to help me through it without eating my woes away. If you can afford a trainer, try it. I was super lucky and found the best, there are lots of good ones out there...be sure to find the one that fits you...if a trainer throws you on the treadmill for half an hour, that's a sure sign to keep moving on. I suggest just getting a few sessions at first to try the trainer out before shelling out a lot of money.

4. MIX CARDIO WITH WEIGHT TRAINING

 ~ When i first started (by myself) I would go to the gym every single day and do one hour on the treadmill and one hour on the elliptical. i did not weight training...didn't even know what that was. I later learned that doing only cardio for longer than an hour a day does nothing but eat away muscle. There are hundreds of sources online regarding schedules, exercies and routines...it just took me 36 years to realize this.

5. UNFRIEND YOUR HATERS

 ~ It sucks, it does. I'm one of those people who wants everyone to like me and I really want to be accepted. Facebook used to be really important to me until I would post positive quotes and pictures and would get snide and rude comments. There's a tiny 'do not show any posts by this user' button, and I use it frequently. If you have not found out yet, you will. Strangers will usually treat you very nice (ecspecially the opposite sex) but people who were your best friends, and even family, will say snide things, be rude about your weight loss and eating, or simply ignore the fact that you are shrinking. Your circle of friends will evolve, and that's okay. It's just sad sometimes. But you must do what is right for you and listening to a bunch of 'friends' complain, whine and put you down will not help you on your journey to healthy.

6. PSYCHO-CYBERNETICS

 ~ by Maxwell Maltz. My trainer recommended this book and I can honestly say it has changed my way of thinking and of living. It is written by a plastic surgeon who noticed that even when they had surgery, a lot of his patients still 'felt' odd and un-accepted. I had to read it very slowly for everything to sink in and in total silence because it's so much to understand. I'm reading it for the second time and think that it will always be a staple that I run to when things get rough.

7. MY FITNESS PAL

 ~ http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ this is something that I just recently found. The people and support on here are ammmaazziinngg! you post your exercise, weight, measurements and best of all you post every single thing that jumps into your mouth. You can give it a daily goal and it adds all the calories and important nutrients up for you. My favorite thing about this is that there is a mobile app for this, so even when I'm not at the computer I can add my food. There is an extensive list of foods and so far all the foods I have eaten have been in the database. I know I'm reaching rambling but when you exercise or when you end your eating for the day, it will post to all of your friends. And these very awesome friends will comment and tell you how great you are doing, and to keep it up...I'm a real positive re-inforcement type of gal, and for me this is priceless. This site is completely free!

8. EAT & DRINK

~ Another huge mistake I made while working out for my 2 ridiculous hours a day was that I didn't eat hardly anything. This does nothing to help the metabolism or the body. There is no reason to beat your body up because it got fat because you wouldn't stop eating. I had to learn this the hard way. Water should be my number 2 on this list because I honestly believe the more water I drink, the faster I lose weight. I have learned that it is all about substituting similar foods. Instead of mayonaise I use greek yogurt (swear i don't notice a difference). If I have a hankering for mac and cheese, brown rice works for me. And in the evenings, when I feel like I might die if I don't eat, I have some sugar free jello or low cal popcorn.

9. POTTY

 ~ yes, I'm talking about using the restroom. If you are not having a bowel movement every day, an over the counter fiber pill or metamucil should be taken. This is something no one ever told me either. I just started chewing two of the fiber discs every evening and FINALLY the weight is coming off again. 3 days is too long. If food isn't coming out, then three days of all the food you ate is still sitting in your body. I am NOT suggesting a laxative AT ALL. That can be a dangerous habit, and if the problem is that bad, please chat with your doctor.

10. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE

~ People, poems, pictures, ideas. There are pictures, poems and goals all around me. On my fridge, next to my bed, hanging on the walls, everywhere I go. And if you are lucky enough to meet some positive people in real life, or in the cyber world...hang around them for a while and see how much it helps you to stay on track! This truly is a journey of discipline, and the more 'positive' you have around you, the more succesfull and happy you will be!!



Happy Birthday Blog!

Today I have given birth to my first 'fit' blog! It is not a pretty blog yet, it needs a pretty layout and a cool 'add me on facebook' tab...it needs links and favorites...but that will all elvolve. For now I have a sounding board and a place to let it all out. I looked high and low for a 'fitness' blog that had crafty little exercise things that I could make and the latest cute thing I could take to the gym, but alas, I found none. Paired with great tutorials will be the tips and struggles and the everday things that are helping me to become the amazing person I know that I can be. Disclaimer that I am not a doctor, not a fitness guru or a nutrition major or an instructor or anyone who has the right to give advice.

MY DIRTY LAUNDRY:
I have the typical fat girl story and the few awful things that stick out while growing up were the cruel kids on the bus who repeated 'ways a ton' over and over everytime i got on the bus and being at church camp and sitting in the hot sticky sun in a dress my mom made me because I couldn't fit into anything else. All of my friends had met 'boyfriends' at camp and I didn't even go to the dance because I did not want to sit against the wall the whole night. In high school one of my friends and I began making ourselves puke after we ate. I started doing it so much that one day I could NOT STOP throwing up. Funny thing is that I wasn't even 'skinny'. But I still had to be hospitalized...for 'food poisoning'. It wasn't until about 15 years later that I told my mom what I had been doing. About six years ago I did Atkins...for a year I NEVER drank pop and I swear to you that not one piece of candy/cookie/ice cream or sweet passed my lips. I had just had surgery on my spine (L4 and L5) so I walked 3 miles every day for that year. I lost ONE HUNDRED pounds and hit 150. I felt amazing and loved the attention and thought I finally had it figured out. And then my husband at the time used me for a punching bag. I never looked back on that relationship and I filed for divorce the same day, and the eating began. I do not post all of this personal information for anyone to feel sorry for me. My intention on airing my dirty laundry is that it will help someone else to see that if I can do this, that they can too. 2 years ago my dad had a stroke. it left him paralyzed on the entire left side. My mom decided that he would NOT be put in a nursing home, so we cared for him at home. It was the hardest, most stressfull thing in the world but it was also the biggest blessing because I got to know my dad and hear his stories and I got to know a person I never really tried to know before. I remember 'dad-sitting' and we would watch tv and eat all day. That was our entertainment and our fun. We knew that giving my 260 lb dad the fruit pies and klondike bars was not good for him, but we also knew that it was one of the only things he enjoyed that he could still have. Eating made him happy so we feed him well....so I sat and ate and ate and ate. The day before valentines day my dad asked me to get a dozen roses for mom from him. I was taken back, this is the tough guy who was never big on gifts and NEVER a dozen roses for mom..even after 34 years of marriage. But I told him I'd order them. That same evening my dad died of the final and biggest stroke. He went quickly and my brother and I and my mom were all right there...but that doesn't make it easier. The next day, Valentines day, the roses were delivered to my mom.
And this is when I decided that I did not want to die early. I did not want to eat toast and gravy for the rest of my life and be too fat to do anything with my kids. I was sick and tired of weighing 250 pounds and no matter what happened, I WOULD NOT GIVE UP. Since that day I have went from 250 to 192. That is not a huge amount but it is nothing to balk at either. I messed up a million times and struggled to figure out how to fit in gym time and good food...but I am doing it one day at a time. My little struggles have started to add up and my trainer has never given up on me even though I just know there's days he probably wanted to put his hands up and walk away. I am on my way to my weight loss goal, and right now when I look into the mirror, I see amazing.