Wordless Wednesday: Our Little Pumpkin

Thanksgiving Challenge: Week 5 - Take Time

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We are already on week 5 of our 8 Weeks to Thanksgiving Challenge!! I cannot believe that we are more than halfway done with our challenge!! We have already tracked and discovered, enjoyed friends without food, snacked and tracked, and got active.

This week is called, "Take Time", because Weight Watchers wants us to set aside 5 minutes of "Me Time" a day to reflect on how well we are following the Weight Watchers program.

When I first read about this topic, I laughed! I am a Mom of an 8 week old little girl and some days I don't even have time to take a shower! However, Weight Watchers wants me to find time to take for myself!? Impossible! I realize that this isn't the best attitude to have, but I want to be honest with you all and let you know that this did not come easy for me. I wasn't sure how I would be able to do this every day.

It seems like I don't have time for much of anything these days and I am nervous that I will not be able to successfully complete this part of the challenge. However, I do think that this is important to my weight loss success, so I am going to try. I hope that you will do this with me!

First, sit down and figure out the best time for your 5 minute "me time". Your time is not going to be the same as mine and that's okay. Make sure that you put your "me time" on the calendar or in your phone, so that you do not forget about it.

Next, make the most of your time. Like I said earlier, I do not have 5 minutes to waste each day. Below are just 3 questions to ask yourself during your 5 minute check-in. Really make an effort to reflect on your day and make changes so that you can be more successful tomorrow!

- What did I do well, that I should keep doing?
- What will I try to do differently in the future?
- What are my top 3 goals? Has anything changed?

This is a very important week, because we've got roughly 225 food-related decisions to make each day! Taking just 5 minutes each day to check-in with our Plan can inspire more thoughtful decisions - and better numbers at the scale.

Share in the comments section when you plan to have your "me time" each day this week.

Thanksgiving Challenge: Week 4 - Get Active

How are you all doing with the 8 Weeks to Thanksgiving Challenge? Have you been making some good changes that are impacting your weight loss journey?

For me, life has been busy, so I am glad that I have been able to do this Thanksgiving Challenge and focus on a small goal each week. Even though these changes seem small, they will help me to reach my ultimate weight loss goal.

Last week, during week 4 of our Thanksgiving Challenge, Weight Watchers wants us to try a new activity for 10 minutes everyday. Just 10 minutes!!

Here are a few examples that were given during the Weight Watchers meeting of ways that people met last week's challenge.

What can you do in 10 minutes?

- Climb stairs

- Walk (outside or on a treadmill)

- Run

- Jump rope

- Turn your house into a gym

- Follow the TV leader

- Have a ball

 

When can you sneak it in?

- at the mall

- buying groceries

- at a sporting event

- gassing up the car

- at a sporting event

- making dinner

- in the office

- watching TV

- picking up the kids' toys

Please leave a comment and share the 10 minute workout that you fit in last week.

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Week 5 - Take Time

Don't forget that this week we are going to spend 5 minutes each day reflecting on how you plan to work the Program into your day!!

Buttons and a Zipper

I've been wearing maternity clothes for months. I have a good reason for being in maternity clothes and her name is Olivia! I do not regret the time that I have spent wearing maternity clothes. However, I am more than ready to begin wearing clothes that come with buttons and a zipper!

Unfortunately, I have very few clothes that fit me right now. I still don't fit into my normal clothes yet, because of the extra baby weight I put on during my pregnancy. I don't have any bigger sizes, because I gave them away after I reached my weight loss goal.

On Saturday, I decided to make a special trip to Target to get some jeans that actually fit. I needed at least one pair of jeans that fit me for two very simple reasons. First, my overall self confidence is better when I am wearing clothes that fit me, because I think I look good. Looking and feeling good helps to motivate me to continue to lead a healthy lifestyle. Second, while I lose my baby weight I want to wear pants with buttons and a zipper so that I know whether or not I've eaten too much. It is hard to wear stretchy clothes all the time, because it makes it harder to tell if I have eaten too much and/or have gained weight.

Thankfully, Target had jeans on sale for just $15!!

I love my new jeans and the way they make me feel! Ultimate, it's not about the number on the tag or on the scale. I believe it is more important that I am happy with myself. These jeans helped to give me a proper dose of perspective. It was also encouraging to realize that even though I have to lose some weight, it is nothing compared to what I had to lose when I begin my weight loss journey in 2008!

{Just for fun}

Here is a new picture of Olivia! She is almost 8 weeks old!

Thanksgiving Challenge: Week 3 - Snack and Track

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I cannot believe that we are already on our 3rd week of our Thanksgiving Challenge!! Before we move on lets review what we have learned so far.

Week 1 - Track and Discover
We need to be tracking no matter what! We need to be tracking even when we make poor food choices. It's important to find a way of tracking that works for you, especially if you hate tracking.

Week 2 - Friends Without Food
There are more important things in life than food! Let's stop focusing on the food on our plates and begin to pay attention to the people sitting across from us! Find other activities to do with your friends that won't jeopardize your weight loss program.

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Week 3 - Track and Snack

This week we are focusing on tracking all of those late night snacks!! This week's topic is perfect for me, because I have always been a late night snacker! Even while I was losing weight the first time on Weight Watchers I would plan my day knowing that I would want to enjoy some after dinner snacks. I would save the majority of my daily pointsplus, so that I could eat dinner, dessert, and a snack.

I'm going to be honest when I say that I wasn't willing to change my habits. However, I did set up a few rules for myself so that I would be able to continue to stay on plan.

1. No eating past 9:00pm.
2. Track what I eat.
3. Make healthy choices. For example, I would eat Veggie Straws instead of buttery popcorn.

These rules have been really important over the last 7 weeks as I have been up late with Olivia. I want to eat and snack while I am up with Olivia, but I have to remind myself of the rules I set up for myself. It's okay to eat, especially if I am genuinely hungry, but I need to make sure that I still make good choices.

Oh! One more thing, do you remember how I told you I struggle with closet/binge eating? One of the main reasons I like eating late at night is because there isn't anyone around to watch me eat. This is a bad habit that is so hard to break. I think in the last 7 weeks, I have even fallen back into this more than I would like to admit. If you struggle with this too that's okay! You are not alone!

This week, how do you continue to stay in control and on plan during the late night hours?

P.S. It's a miracle I even got this post written, because Olivia's being fussy today. I put her in the Moby Wrap and she finally fell asleep long enough for me to finish this. I love being a Mommy!

Thanksgiving Challenge: Week 2 - Friends Without Food

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Sorry that I left you hanging last week without anything about the Thanksgiving Challenge. I cannot believe that there are just six more weeks until Thanksgiving!!

Last week's step was to find opportunities to socialize without eating. I have a hard time with this one, because my family and friends like to eat! When I spend time with my friends and/or family foods is always involved. I think that this is just the routine we have gotten into, because we cannot come up with anything else to do. Just in case you are like me, I have included a list from Debbie Brzozowski that gives us some great ideas of ways to have fun without food.

Is this a challenge for you to? Last week, what were some ways that you began to socialize without food?

- Go to your local Chamber of Commerce/Visitor’s Center (or go online) and find out about all the free, fun stuff to do in your town.
- Go to a local museum (libraries have free passes!)
- Check out your city-center or downtown area.
- Visit the historical sites in your town.
- Take a ride on public transportation. You see things differently when you are not driving.
- Visit a state park.
- Walk your dog.
- Go roller-skating.
- Go fishing.
- Go for a bike ride in your neighborhood.
- Have a picnic.
- Go bird watching.
- Hike through the woods.
- Go to the beach.
- Watch a sunset.
- Find a non-profit that you are passionate about and get involved.
- Play “Design on a Dime” and change up a room in your home
– swap out towels, placemats, flower vases, etc. and recreate a room with stuff you already have.
- Make crafts that can later be given as holiday gifts.
- Make a home movie.
- Make sock puppets.
- Have your kids put on a play.
- Write a letter to a friend or family member (preserve the lost art of hand-written notes).
- Plant an indoor herb garden.
- Scrapbook.
- Play board games.
- Put a puzzle together.
- Listen to music.
- Plan an at-home spa day.
- Borrow a DVD from the library or rent a $1.00 movie at BlockBuster Express or Redbox.
- Read a book or magazine.
- Take a nap.
- Find free games to play online.
- Connect with friends on Facebook.
- Reconnect with an old friend and send them an email.
- Pile up in the car and go for a ride in the country.
- Learn how to juggle.
- Make a video for "Funniest Home Videos".
- Take up competitive chess.
- Go for a walk in the park.
- Study something part-time that's always caught your interest.
- Invite someone for a game of tennis.
- Go for a ride on a bike.
- Spend an afternoon looking through your old photos and organizing them.
- Go to an art gallery for a browse.
- See what's on at your local theatre go check it out.
- Go to the top of a nearby mountain and check out the view.
- Call an old friend you haven't spoken to for a while to see how they're doing.
- Go to the local cinema and take in a film.
- Go bowling.
- Dance.
- Challenge yourself to learn a foreign language.
- Go to the zoo.
- Paint or draw something.
- Join a public speaking society such as toastmasters.
- Organize a poker evening.
- Go for a swim at your nearest lake, river or beach.
- Kick a football in the local park with a friend.
- Go out to a local festival or carnival.
- Form a book club and meet up to discuss what you've read once a week.
- Go camping.

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Week 3 - Track and Snack

Don't forget that this week we are going record everything little snack that we put in our mouths!

Thoughts on a Saturday Morning

As I am sure many of you already know, I rarely blog on Saturday. Normally, I am too busy trying to clean my house and prepare for the next week. However, Olivia is currently napping and I've got a lot on my mind. All of that combined is producing this Saturday blog post.

 





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8 Week to Thanksgiving Challenge Update

This first week of our challenge we focused on making an effort to track everyday. Your tracker did not need to be perfect or fully complete. However, it was important to make an effort to track any way that you could.

How did this first week go? What did you learn this week that you can apply in the days to come?

This week as I made an effort to track everything that I ate, I was reminded that the basics are vital to my weight loss success. I have always loved tracking the food I eat, because it makes such a huge difference in my results on the scale. Tracking also helps me to study and understand which foods keep me satisfied for the longest amount of time. It helps me to make better food choices.

Next week we are going to focus on Friends Without Food. These small weekly tasks will continue to help us stay on track and reach achievable goals by Thanksgiving!

 

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The Many Faces of Olivia

 

 

Just for fun, I wanted to share a picture with you of Olivia. She is already 5 weeks old!! Here are so of the many faces that she makes on a daily basis.



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Must Read Devotional

People often ask me how I was able to keep my motivation and lose weight the first time around. I try to be as honest as possible and explain to them that I relied on the Lord to be my strength throughout my weight loss journey. God was so faithful to be with me without my entire journey! He gave me the strength and determination I need to reach my ultimate weight loss goal.

In the last two weeks, I have become really frustrated with being overweight. I know that I have a good reason for it (my beautiful baby girl), but I am still overweight. I have been trying all week to refocus and get back on plan. I was not as successful as I thought I would be, which just caused me to be even more frustrated!

Yesterday, I read a devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries called, Renewing My Vow. This devotional opened my eyes to the reason why I have not been able to be successful so far! For the last two weeks, I have been focusing on being skinny again. In addition, I have been doing this in my own strength. Not once did I sit down to ask God to be apart of this journey with me.

This morning, I am taking time to talk to the Lord! I needed His strength the first time I lost weight and I will need it again as I get my baby weight off. I don't know why it took me so long to give this area of my life over to the Lord!

Thanksgiving Challenge: Week 1 - Track and Discover

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I am so excited about our Thanksgiving Challenge!! There are so many of you that have written me to let me know that you are doing this challenge with me. I am so thankful that I am not alone over these next 8 weeks and that we get to do this together!!

So, how is the first week of our Thanksgiving Challenge going?

This week we are focusing on tracking and I really want to know how you all are doing. Is tracking easy for you? Or do you hate tracking? I would say even if you hate tracking give it a chance, even if it is just for this week.

I am sure you are curious about my progress as well. Like I said in my previous blog post, I have not been following the Weight Watchers program since my daughter was born in August. I let myself take a break from everything, as I have been adjusting to life with a newborn.

I was so excited to begin this challenge and get back on the Weight Watchers program. I feel that I must confess to you that these last two days have been hard for me! I am trying to get back into the swing of things, but it is more difficult than I thought it would be.

Yesterday, I made an effort to track everything I ate even if I went above and beyond my pointsplus budget for the day. I did well until about 4 pm. I was tired and it was a very emotional day for me. I am sad to say that I gave into emotional eating and was too ashamed to record my mistake on my tracker. I really didn't want to write about my mistake either! However, I am hoping that my honesty will be able to help someone else out there.

Even though I made some bad choices yesterday, I am not giving up! I am tracking all the food choices I make today, even if it's unhealthy for me.

It is not too late to jump in and join the Thanksgiving Challenge.

Leave me a comment on my blog, Living a Changed Life, and/or blog Facebook page, Living a Changed Life, to let me know that you are joining us!