Weekly Weigh In - My "Bad" Weigh In

Life here has been so busy that I haven't had a lot of time for writing blog posts! So while I have a minute let me give you some quick updates.

This past week, my weigh in did not go as expected! All week long I had been weighing myself to make sure that I stayed on track. I thought that I had lost at least a pound or two. However, when I weighed in on Saturday morning the scale showed that I had only lost 0.4 pounds! I was so frustrated. I had worked so hard this week and I wanted it to really show up on the scale.

I am ashamed to admit that my bad attitude lasted all day Saturday. I was pouting, because things had not gone my way. On top of my bad attitude I made a lot of bad food choices and gave into emotional eating, because of how I was feeling.

On Sunday morning, I talked to one of my Weight Watchers members at church. She has done such an amazing job on Weight Watchers, but got off track a little this past week. I was trying to encourage her that it's not about the number on the scale. She has worked hard and a few bad days doesn't mean you should give up all together!

As I spoke these words to my friend, I felt like I needed to hear them more than she did! This is one of the main reasons that I love being a Weight Watchers leader! Here I was trying to give her advice about staying on plan when I had just spent all day Saturday having a pity party for myself. I knew immediately that I needed to get back on track!

I am happy to say that I have been on plan all week!

Why am I sharing this with you? Because I know there are many people out there, just like me, who are trying to lose weight. Do not make the same mistakes that I did this past weekend!

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My new favorite picture of me and Olivia!

On a completely different note, Olivia woke up really early this morning. I thought she was hungry, but as soon as I touched her skin I could feel that she had a fever. Sure enough after taking her temperature it said that she was about 100.1...my poor baby.

Please pray that Olivia feels better soon and that my husband and I don't get sick too!

I was so concerned about Olivia's fever that I almost forgot that today is her 5 month birthday!! Time is going by so quickly that I need a pause button to stop and take it all in!!

A "Cheat" Day

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A woman recently emailed me and asked if I let myself have a "cheat" day. It's a great question!! I don't think that we have ever talked about here on my weight loss blog.

You want to know the truth... 

Yes, I have a "cheat" day.

I am not saying that this is what you should do. I am just trying to be honest about my own weight loss journey. In a perfect world, I would be able to follow the Weight Watchers plan all day, every day for 365 days of the year. However, that is not the case. Sometimes I need a break from my weight loss plan.

Normally, I choose Saturday or Sunday to be my "cheat" day, because those are the days we go out to eat. I do not go crazy and eat everything insight, but I do enjoy higher PointsPlus foods. On a "cheat" day I often use more than my Daily PointsPlus Target and dip into my Weekly PointsPlus Allowance, because I am not writing down what I have put in my mouth. 

If you are going to have a "cheat" day, here are a few things to remember:
1. Do not let one day become two days, a week, and a year!! Pick which day you are going to "cheat" and get back on plan the very next day.

2. Save your Weekly PointsPlus Allowance and plan to use them up on your "cheat" day. That way you have your Daily PointsPlus and Weekly PointsPlus Allowance to help cover the extra food that you are eating.

3. Exercise, exercise, exercise! When you earn extra Activity PointsPlus on your "cheat" day it will help offset the extra PointsPlus values that you have eaten.

4. Do not schedule you "cheat" day right before a weigh in. This will cause you to gain weight and discourage you from getting right back on plan.

Do you let yourselves have a "cheat" day? Why or why not?

Dole Banana Dippers

Earlier this week, my friend Amanda, posted a picture of these Dole Banana Dippers on her Facebook. To my surprise this healthy treat was only 2 pointsplus for 4 slices!! I added this snack to my grocery list, because I could not wait to try them!

Last night, while I was at the store I got two boxes of these Banana Dippers, because I knew that I would like them and could use them in the evening for dessert! After Jon and I finished putting away the grocerries I sat down to try my new treat.

{Dole Banana Dippers}

Serving Size: 1 package or 4 slices
  2 pointsplus+

 
Let me just say that these Dole Banana Dippers were delicious!! The dark chocolate coating is real and rich, not like that sugar-free stuff you get sometimes. If you let them sit out for a few minutes, the banana slices become soft and have the same texture as ice cream. Being allowed to have 4 slices makes you feel like you get an entire ice cream bar for just 2 pointsplus! I think I have just found the perfect low pointsplus dessert option for myself!

I hope that you will find these Dole Banana Dippers, try them, and enjoy them as much as I did!

I bought these banana dippers at Walmart to try. I was NOT compensated in any way for this blog post. This is my personal opinion of this product.

Weekly Weigh In - One Amazing Day

Lifetime members and staff holding a 50 year Weight Watchers timeline! Do you see Olivia with me?

This past weekend, I worked at our Weight Watchers One Amazing Day event. The event took place all day at our Weight Watchers store. It was so encouraging to hear other members and staff share their weight loss stories!

My favorite part of the day was when I shared my own weight loss success story with Weight Watchers members. Honestly, I never thought I would be asked to share my story, because I am in the process of losing my baby weight. However, that didn't matter, because I was asked to share my story anyway! 

As I shared my story I could not help but get emotional! I was overwhelmed with thankfulness, because of all that God has done in my life through my weight loss. I needed to be reminded of the freedom that God has brought about in my life through my weight loss journey! 

On Sunday, our Pastor spoke about bringing your reality into the light! Today, I am coming out the darkness and into the light, because I have bought into Satan's lies about me for too long!

 

The truth is...I did not gain the "perfect" amount of weight while I was pregnant. I gained too much and for months I have been beating myself up about this. Yes, I ate a lot while I was pregnant, which I do not regret, because my baby girl is healthy!

The truth is...I have not given up on myself and my healthy lifestyle! I did not let myself go gain all my weight back. Not to mention that when Olivia was six weeks old, I was back on Weight Watchers.

The truth is...my weigh in this week was so frustrating, because I gained back the 0.6 pounds that I had lost the week before! Am I struggling to lose this baby weight? Yes, but I am not giving up!

It feels so good to be honest about these things and bring them to light. I feel like I can really start to focus on losing my baby weight, because I have taken time to be real with God about where I am at.

Are there things in your life that you are hiding from God? What lies have you been believing? Maybe you need to take time to be honest with yourself and God, because only then can you be set free!

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Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine

I just want to start by saying that I am so thankful for God's grace that has transformed my life!

I heard about "Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine" by, Max Lucado on KLOVE, when it first came out. I knew that it would be the prefect book for me to tackle over Christmas break. Most people in the Christian community know that Max Lucado is an incredible author and this book was even better than I expected!  It might be an easy read, but it is packed full of powerful Biblical truths!

I have always have a hard time grasping God's grace. However, in this book, Max does more than just talk about how God's amazing grace. He weaves stories about real people, from real life, along with stories from the Bible to help us realize our need for grace. He challenges his readers to give others the grace that has been given to us! 

I have rated this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

I am required to tell you that I received a free copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for this review.  I did not get paid for this review.  Receiving a free copy of the book in no way influences the rating or review that I give.

Shine a Light on Slavery

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Today, I want to take a break from weight loss, recipes, and more to shine a light on SLAVERY!

Last year, after we returned from Passion 2012, I shared with you a blog post, "Learning About the 27 Million". If you don't know what I am talking about go click the link to learn more yourself. Unfortunately, I have not been faithful to share about what God taught at Passion 2012. However, today is the perfect day to renew my committment to get the word out about slavery, because it is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

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{The Facts}

Slavery is wrong. 

You know it. We know it. As a country, we've officially known it since 1863. But here's something you might not know -- Slavery still exists. 

 There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with an estimated 27 million in bondage across the globe. Men, women, and children are being exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will.

We want every man, woman and child to know that there are 27 million men, women and children, just like them, living in the shadows. In brothels. In factories. In Quarries. Working as slaves. In 161 countries. Including our own. We are here to shine a light on slavery. No more bondage. No more sex trafficking. No more child laborers. No more, starting now.

When you think about slavery, if you think about slavery, you probably associate it with the sex trade. And for a good reason. 8 of 10 human trafficking cases worldwide involve the sex industry in one way or another. The others involve labor trafficking, people being made to work in sub-human conditions in factories and farms and shadow businesses worldwide.

The slavery "industry" rakes in $32,000,000,000 each year. $32 billion. That's an underground network whose annual revenue is greater than that of Google.

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The information that I shared with you came from two awesome websites! Please check them out for more details about slavery and/or to join the movement yourself! Once you have finished reading this blog post, be sure to share with others about what you have learned today!!

End It Movement

The A21 Campaign

Recipe Review: Crockpot Baked Potatoes

I am always on the look out for good crockpot recipes. So naturally, when I came across this recipe on Pinterest I could not resist making it into my own recipe review to share with all of you. The biggest thing that you will need to watch out for is underestimating the size of your potato!

You're main ingredients are potatoes and aluminum foil.

I used my Weight Watchers scale to weigh my raw potato to find out how many pointsplus it would be for dinner.

After weighing my potato, I covered it with aluminum foil and wrote my name on it. Otherwise, I would not have known which baked potato was mine!

My favorite baked potato topping are these Green Giant Just for One Broccoli & Cheese Sauce trays. They are just 1 pointsplus per tray!

This is what my Baked Potato looked like when it was finished! It tasted just as good as the baked potatoes that I cook in the oven!

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Crockpot Baked Potatoes

Source: Budget Savy Diva

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Servings: 4

Serving Size: 1 potato

Calories:164

Fat: 0.2 g

Fiber: 4.7 g

Protein: 4.3 g

Old Points: 2 pt

Points+: 4 pts+ (large is 5 pts+)

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Ingredients

4 medium russet potatoes

aluminum foil

Toppings (extra pts+): light sour cream, fresh chives, bacon bits, broccoli, cheese 

Instructions 

Wash and scrub potatoes until clean. Dry thoroughly. When dry, prick potatoes with a fork and wrap in aluminum foil.

Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4.

Weekly Weigh In - Getting In Control

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This week, I am finally getting back into the swing of things! I cannot believe that this is my first full week of work following Christmas break. Last Saturday, at my weigh in, I lost 0.6 pounds!! That means that I only have 4 more pounds until I am back into my healthy weight range!! I have more than that to get to my ultimate goal, but I am excited to be making progress.

Last week, my small goal was to drink my water and liquids. Even though it's winter, I did a much better job getting in all the water that I need per day.

My goal for this week is to plan ahead!!

On Saturday, after my Weight Watchers meeting, I made a dinner menu for this week. I also went to the grocery store to stock up on fruits, veggies, and other low PointsPlus snacks! I portioned out my snacks, so that they would be ready for me to enjoy throughout the week. I get really busy during the week and doing this prep work ahead of time helps me to be more successful during the week.

What small changes are you going to make this week!?

For those of you who are curious, this is what my dinner menu looks like for the week.

Monday: Crockpot 3 Bean Turkey Chili
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Meatloaf Muffins
Friday: Sheperd's Pie, Lightened Up

The Best Worst Thing

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As a new Mommy, it's been very hard to make time to read my Bible and spend time with God. I make a lot of excuses, trying to justify why I am not able to get up in the morning for some quiet time with God. It's not that I do not want/need to spend time with God. I just have not made my relationship with the Lord my #1 priority.


As a result, of not spending time with God, many areas in my life are suffering.

Like my blogging.


It is hard for me to blog when my relationship with God isn't right. It's almost impossible for me to be inspired to write blog posts, when I have not spent time with God.

I use my blog, Living a Changed Life, to help me process what God is teaching me. I use them as an outlet, because I often do not have time to sit and journal all of my thoughts like I want to do. Instead, I blog and share my thoughts with all of you, because maybe you are struggling with the same thing I am and you need to know that you are not alone.



Yesterday, before my work day began, I sat down and read the Proverbs 31 Ministries Devotional, "The Best Worst Thing" by, Lysa TerKeurst.


It felt amazing to start my day off in God's word. I must confess that this blog post was inspired by that devotional, so you should read it before going on.


A few months ago, I was talking to Jon about all of the different ministries at our church that I have tried out. I was sharing my frustrations, because I have felt like such a failure. You would think by now that I would have figured out found my passion.

After the frustration passed, God helped me to take a step back  and realize that it was important for me try different areas on ministry at church so that I could find out what He has not called me to do. I needed time to evaluate what I don't like doing, so that I could narrow the ministries that I should be involved in!


Yesterday, I was so encouraged by Lysa TerKeurst, because she has tried a lot of things too! Toward the end of her devotional, Lysa says, "He can take our worst and add His best. We just have to make the choice to stay with Him and keep following Him through it all."


I don't know exactly what God wants me to do for the rest of my life. However, I do know that He will take my worst and add His best to do something amazing.


Maybe you are like me and you are not at your best right now.

Give God whatever you have, no matter how small it is, and He will give you all that you need to accomplish His purposes!

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" - Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV 1984)

Weekly Weigh In - New Year's Resolutions

Merry (late) Christmas and Happy New Year!! 

Olivia in her Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve 2012

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Did you all have a good Christmas and New Year!? How did it go? Were you able to stay on plan?

I gained 0.8 pounds in the two weeks that I was off from work on Christmas break. I enjoyed my Christmas holiday, but I am excited to get back on track and start 2013 off on the right foot!

I LOVE making New Year's resolutions! Normally, I am the first one to announce my resolutions on New Year's Day, because I am excited about the fresh start that the New Year has to offer. However, making a resolution for the entire year can be very overwhelming! How can I say that I will exercise every day of the New Year, when I do not know what tomorrow will birng?

So, this year I have decided to do something different.

My overall goal a.k.a. New Year's Resolution for 2013 is to lose my baby weight. However, I know that for myself, I need to make smaller  mini goals to help me accomplish such a huge task!

My baby goal for this week, is to drink my water/liquids. This is hard for me during the winter, which is why I know that I need to work on this healthy habit.

What are your New Year's Resolutions? What baby steps do you need to take this week, so that you can become one step closer to accomplishing your goal?